meghan owen, bbc news.g out to northern gaza from southern israel and we have seen smoke billowing out over the skies. the israeli military saying it will intensify its operations in the territory to defeat hamas. i'm joined now by tess ingram from unicef, the un agency that provides aid and support to children worldwide. we looked at what is happening in hospitals and i understand your teams have been visiting facilities in the territory. what is the situation like?— in the territory. what is the situation like? they have been visitin: situation like? they have been visiting hospitals _ situation like? they have been visiting hospitals across - situation like? they have been visiting hospitals across the i situation like? they have been i visiting hospitals across the gaza strip and al—shifa in the north, that hospital was described by a colleague at absolute chaos and they sole horn as they are beyond anything they had seen in their entire career as an emergency professional. they told me stories about ch

meghan owen there.l that will drop in new york's times square to welcome in 2024 has been revealed. organisers say the new design features a bow tie pattern. it's made from two triangles shining together to make the shape. times square was once known as "the bow tie." the ball is the new year's eve ball is just over three and half metres in diameter and weighs nearly five and half thousand kilos. and i'm sure we'll see pliny more of it in a of days. that is it for me. thanks for watching —— see plenty more of it in a couple of days. hello. storm gerrit has certainly made its presence felt across the uk with a combination of significant snow, flooding, rain and some exceptionally strong winds. just a selection of the gusts recorded during wednesday and on into the evening. wind gusts of close to 90 miles per hour in the northern isles. now on the satellite picture, this storm looks beautiful — this swirl of cloud here. the main body of the wet and windy weather is now sliding away north—eastwards, up tow

meghan owen, bbc news., the head of middle east policy at christian aid. i asked him what his teams on the ground in gaza are experiencing. they are completely terrified and i am afraid those words from benjamin netanyahu yesterday have only intensified that fear. this is a population that is by and large almost completely displaced and many of them have been displaced many times over. the people, when we manage to speak to them and the organisations that we are supporting, with blankets, medical relief, emergency food and water and sanitation, they are at their wits end and they themselves are terrified, obviously, but you are dealing now with the population suffering from severe malnutrition and increasingly a number of diseases such as hepatitis, colour and skin diseases. so, we are hearing despair, you are hearing in people's voices real fear and genuine concern as to whether they, their families will make it through to the next day and they are obviously also terrified at what their future will bring b

our reporter meghan owen has been behind the scenes.e bbc for the very first time. in recent years, their bongs signal the start of the london fireworks display. it's over in minutes, but is months in the making. planning started in august, but a small team of 22 have spent three long days on the final touches. 10,000 fireworks are loaded onto these three barges, ready to head down the thames to the london eye, where they'll be set off at midnight. we've got over 30 tonnes of equipment that gets loaded on to the barges, 50 kilometers of cable and wiring, 11,500 cues that all need to be wired in and tested, all ready for the midnight moment tomorrow. what's the pressure like? the pressure can get quite intense. this is my 14th year delivering london. it doesn't get any easier at all, but plenty of planning and we normally cope 0k. the same company looks after displays across the uk, including hogmanay celebrations in edinburgh. preparations on the day itself are often close to the wire, with the london eye rigged just two hours before th

meghan owen. there is a constant stream of casualties entering this hospital in gaza.h no fuel, no walter and minimal supplies, it is overloaded. ——no water. i just left the resuscitation room where a nine—year—old boy was being treated basically with sedation to ease his suffering as he does. the building beside him collapsed. we are seeing kids like this dying unnecessarily because fighting and because the health system does not have the capacity to even come close to managing these kinds of complex cases. �* . , managing these kinds of complex cases. ~ . , ., ., cases. agencies in gaza have reiterated — cases. agencies in gaza have reiterated their _ cases. agencies in gaza have reiterated their fees - cases. agencies in gaza have reiterated their fees for - reiterated their fees for civilian safety after hundreds were killed in major strikes over the weekend. following reports of one attack on a refugee camp, the israeli military told the bbc it is committed to taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians about the war is not close to being over. benjamin ne

this report from meghan owen.am of casualties entering the al—aqsa hospital in gaza. with no fuel, no water and minimal supplies, it's overloaded. ijust left the resuscitation room where a nine—year—old boy named ahmed was being treated basically with sedation to ease his suffering as he dies. he was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family is staying, when the building beside him blew up. we're seeing kids like ahmed dying unnecessarily because of bombing and fighting and because the health system doesn't have the capacity to even come close to managing these kinds of complex cases. aid agencies in gaza have reiterated their fears for civilian safety, after hundreds were killed in major strikes over the weekend. following reports of one attack on al—maghazi refugee camp, the israeli military told the bbc that it's committed to taking feasible steps to minimise harm to civilians. but the war is not close to being over. benjamin netanyahu has vowed to intensify the fight against hamas. after vis

our reporter meghan owen has been behind the scenes.by the bbc for the very first time.— very first time. three, two, one- -- _ very first time. three, two, one- -- in — very first time. three, two, one... in recent _ very first time. three, two, one... in recent years, - very first time. three, two, | one... in recent years, they sianal one... in recent years, they signalthe — one... in recent years, they signal the start _ one... in recent years, they signal the start of— one... in recent years, they signal the start of the - one... in recent years, they i signal the start of the london fireworks display. it's over in minutes but it's month in the making. planning started in august but a small team of 22 have spent three long days on the final touches. 10,000 fireworks are loaded onto these three barges, ready to head down the river tamed weather be set off at midnight.— set off at midnight. we've got over 30 tons _ set off at midnight. we've got over 30 tons of _ set off at midnight. we've got over 30 tons of equipment, i set off at

meghan owen has more. gerard depardieu is one of the most famous faces of french film.ar and bafta—nominated actor is famous for his work in over 200 films and tv series. but since 2020, he's been under investigation for rape. he also faces allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment from over a dozen women. and a documentary released in december revealed sexual comments that he'd made to and about women. now, he strongly denies all of the allegations and there's no court ruling against him, but it's continued to spark controversy across france. now, the french president, emmanuel macron, came underfire for a tv interview he did in december where he defended the actor, saying that it was all a manhunt. and most recently, over 50 french actors and other a—listers have written an open letter to le figaro, which is a french newspaper, saying, "don't cancel gerard depardieu." they say that it's a case of lynching. now, here are some of the famous faces who have signed the letter, including former first lady and singer carla bruni. yannis ezziadi is one of the other

meghan owen, bbc news. our correspondent shaimaa khaliljoins us from jerusalem this morning.ou forjoining us on this boxing day morning. benjamin netanyahu saying the israeli defence also deepen its moves against hamas in the coming days. bring us up to date with the very latest this morning. that days. bring us up to date with the very latest this morning.- very latest this morning. that is riaht, very latest this morning. that is right. two _ very latest this morning. that is right, two parallel— very latest this morning. that is right, two parallel pictures - very latest this morning. that is right, two parallel pictures in i very latest this morning. that is i right, two parallel pictures in gaza at the moment. he had seen the humanitarian situation and how much pressure the al—aqsa hospital is under. refugee teams are still struggling to get to people under the rubble. benjamin netanyahu had a trip to gaza, visiting troops. he reported back to his party saying, i have been speaking to soldiers, some of whom have said they want to continue fighting till the end. the end o

meghan owen has more.w that there's a tunnel under ocean blvd? what do all of these have in common? they are the highest selling vinyl albums of 2023. in fact, sales are the highest they've been in the uk since the 1990s. they've jumped by around 12% to 5.9 million and they've continued to increase for the last 16 years — that's according to the british phonographic industry. now, although 80% to 85% of recorded music is still consumed via streaming, there's clearly been a huge surge in vinyl sales. and i asked gennaro castaldo from the british phonographic industry why this was. i think people love the idea of having something to own and to collect. it's a beautiful kind of piece of artwork, really, from the sleeve artwork, the packaging and of course the baby boomers like me, who grew up with it, are still buying it, but we're seeing much youngerfans, millennials, certainly gen z who are buying it. maybe they've been informed by their parents' record collections, certainly by streaming as well. but they

our reporter meghan owen is in east london where they're getting ready for the countdown. it's quite incredible to think that what we will see tomorrow evening when london's skyline is lit up in colour with the fireworks all starts here on these barges in the east of london in the docklands. the final preparations are being put in place. there are thousands of shells, there are controlled firing panels, there are wires, so it's really interesting to see it all happening behind the scenes. it's a very, very meticulous operation and i'm joined by the event director. just talk me through the numbers. how many fireworks and how long has it all taken? we have about 12,000 individual fireworks on these three barges and also the london eye. we don't get the chance to read that until tomorrow. we don't get the chance to read that untiltomorrow. —— rig. the most iconic part doesn't get rigged until 6am tomorrow. we have a crew of about 30 people working over the two locations since the 27th of december. we have got over 30 tonnes of equipment to load. almost 50 kilometres of cable

hello, i'm meghan owen.ree small boats in an attack on a container ship in the southern red sea. it's the second assault by iran—backed houthi rebels on the ship within 24 hours. the us says the gunmen — who launched the raid from yemen — attacked in four boats, coming within 20 meters of the vessel. the fourth craft fled the area. the houthi rebels say their actions are in protest against the gaza war, where there were more air strikes by israel overnight. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, is insisting that the war in gaza will continue until all hostages have been released — and hamas has been dismantled. yolande knell reports. a giant campsite for the displaced. crammed into an ever shrinking area, tens of thousands of gazans who fled the fighting have set up makeshift tents and shacks by the egyptian border. israel says it's not restricting aid for gaza, but the un complains the amount getting in is woefully inadequate.

meghan owen, bbc news. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.ted to fall next year, according to analysts and lenders, while the cost of renting a home will continue to rise. the government's official forecaster said property prices were most likely to drop by nearly 5%. rents on newly—let properties could go up by a further 5—6%. the actor richard franklin, best known for his role as colonel mike yates in the classic bbc science—fiction show doctor who, has died at the age of 87. a statement announced he passed away peacefully on christmas day morning. he also appeared in shows including emmerdale, crossroads and heartbeat. a white christmas has been officially confirmed by the met office, following snowfall in the highlands of scotland. a mixture of rain and snow was reported in tulloch bridge and aviemore on monday afternoon despite mild temperatures elsewhere. the met office also provisionally confirmed the highest daily minimum temperature for christmas day on record. india says it's sending three war ships to the arabian sea after an israe

hello, i'm meghan owen. have been released, and hamas has been dismantled. residents in khan younis say there has been fierce tank fire, and more people have been fleeing to the southern border town of rafah. gaza's health ministry, says that 150 people have been killed and 286 people injured in 24 hours. yolande knell reports. a giant campsite for the displaced. crammed into an ever shrinking area, tens of thousands of gazans who fled the fighting have set up makeshift tents and shacks by the egyptian border. israel says it's not restricting aid for gaza, but the un complains the amount getting in is woefully inadequate. it's a very long and convoluted process with numerous checks before the aid actually gets into gaza, and then once the aid is in gaza it's very difficult to get aid to people. essentially we're delivering aid under fire. gaza streets have been turned into battlegrounds as hamas fighters try to block the advance of israeli soldiers. a main focus for israel's ground troops is now the southern

our reporter meghan owen has more.imperial. this sounds really quite catastrophic, how likely is it that this could happen in the uk? goad this could happen in the uk? good evenina. this could happen in the uk? good evening- well. _ this could happen in the uk? good evening. well, the _ this could happen in the uk? (limp. evening. well, the projections say that there indeed is a likelihood, if we do follow the most recent admission intensive trajectory of the future. so if we continue emitting more greenhouse gases than we currently even our admitting, then it's quite likely that we will see a dire future in terms of infectious diseases for the uk and london. so it is a realistic scenario. if they think that the global scale —— if you think about the global scale, if we continue with the current emission levels, we will see climate change that will lead in fact to about half of the global population being exposed to malaria by 2850 already. haifa global population being exposed to malaria by 2850 already.— malaria by 2

our reporter meghan owen is in east london where the final preparations are under way. up in colour with the fireworks all starts here on these barges in the east of london in the docklands. you can see behind me all the final preparations arejust being put in place. there are thousands of shells, there are controlled firing panels, there are wires, so it's really interesting to see it all happening behind the scenes. it's a very meticulous operation and i am joined by the event director, darryl fleming. darryl, just talk me through the numbers. how many fireworks and how long has it all taken? we have about 12,000 individual fireworks on these three barges and the london eye itself. we don't get the chance to rig that until tomorrow at six o'clock, so the most iconic part of the structure doesn't get rigged until then. we have a crew of about 30 people working over the two locations since the 27th of december. we have got over 30 tonnes of equipment to load onto these barges, nearly 50 kilometres of cable and wire that need to be connected and 4,500 individual firing c

(pres) earlier we had the assessment of michael clarke, who is the former our reporter meghan owen isthe latest. earlier today that there was a vigil that happened just behind me, hundreds gathered to listen to speeches by faith leaders including the archbishop of canterbury who talked about love and forgiveness and he also said that we will not let islam a phobia that we will not let islamophobia or anti—semitism have a place on our streets and there were also speeches about politicians from all parties and bereaved families as well. this is organised together for humanity and the aim of the vigil today was to promote peace and to mourn people who had been killed in the conflict on both sides. i am joined by two of the speakers a palestinian peace activist and an israeli peace activists. how did you feel that it went today? it went really well, many people showed up and people were hungry to hear such vigils and such stands in this hard time because people do not know how to deal with this conflict, how to not choose the side of hate. and we showed to them. it is good that they are p

our reporter meghan owen was there — speaking with two of those attending. by faith leaders including the archbishop of canterbury who talked about love and forgiveness. he also said we won't let islamophobia or anti—semitism have a place on our streets. there were also speeches from politicians from all parties and bereaved families, as well. this was organised by together for humanity and the aim of the vigil today was to promote peace and to mourn people who have been killed in the conflict on both sides. i am joined killed in the conflict on both sides. iamjoined by killed in the conflict on both sides. i am joined by two of the speakers, hams who is a palestinian peace activist, and megan who is an israeli peace activist. how did you feel it went today? it israeli peace activist. how did you feel it went today?— feel it went today? it went really well. feel it went today? it went really well- many _ feel it went today? it went really well. many people _ feel it went today? it went really well. many people showed - feel it went today? it went really well

live now to meghan owen at downing street. happened just behind me, hundreds gathered to listen to speeches by faith leaders including the archbishop of canterbury who talked about love and forgiveness and he also said that we will not let islam a phobia or anti—semitism have a place on our streets and there were also speeches about politicians from all parties and bereaved families as well. this is organised together for humanity and the aim of the vigil today was to promote peace and to mourn people who had been killed in the conflict on both sides. i am joined by two of the speakers a palestinian peace activist and an israeli peace activists. how did you feel that it went today? it activists. how did you feel that it went today?— went today? it went really well, many peeple — went today? it went really well, many people showed _ went today? it went really well, many people showed up - went today? it went really well, many people showed up and i went today? it went really well, i many people showed up and people were hungry