steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.17 has been found in france, according to the french authorities. alex batty, who's from oldham, was discovered walking along a road in a town near toulouse early on wednesday morning. chris bockman is in toulouse tonight. chris. good evening. a public prosecutor in the courthouse behind me has told me that alex has been handed over to british authorities, police are coming with consular officials to bring him back to the uk, and he could be, after six years away, back in the uk, in oldham, within hours. missing for six years but now found, alex batty from oldham was just 11 years old when he disappeared in southern spain. he'd been on holiday with his mother and grandfather — neither were his legal guardians. melanie and david batty were accused of abducting alex, possibly to take him to live in a commune in morocco. this is the road where he was found in south—west france by a delivery driver, fabien accidini, about an hour from the city of toulouse. translation: he explained that he

she's been speaking to our russia editor steve rosenberg in st petersburg.nd karin kneissl in 2018. then austria's foreign minister, she'd invited russia's president to her wedding. a private visit — strictly. butjust months after the salisbury poisonings, which the eu, like the uk, have linked to the russian state. now, with her boxer winston churchill, karen kneissl has moved to st petersburg. she claims that after leaving office, she had problems at home. she was seen as too close to russia. it was all about not being able to work. so this was number one and that was political pressure. she's running a russian think tank. controversial considering russia's war in ukraine. isn't there a danger that by being here that you are legitimising the invasion, the war and also the domestic repression that takes place in russia? well, so far, i have not seen any sort of repression in my immediate surrounding. i can work here in a kind of academic freedom, which i started missing when i was still teaching at various universities. just a few days ago in this city, a y

steve rosenberg, bbc news. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.red british army general, about the significance of this lengthy press conference. it shows how much his situation has improved since a year ago when he cancelled. when he cancelled it. a years ago, his military operation was getting bogged down politically. he was being shunned by all sorts of people in the that should have been in his closest circle. he still had the prigozhin revolt to come. things were pretty unsteady for him a year ago, so he cancelled it. i think what you're seeing now is a man of renewed confidence. i think he's got his power base at home secured. he's doing better on the battlefield. and perhaps more significant than anything, he sees cracks appearing in the support for ukraine from abroad. and that, i think, gives him real hope that strategically, he can outlast the west. so, that's why he's back doing this interview. what is his strategy now? he said that peace with ukraine will only take place "when we achieve our objectives". what do you think his ultimate

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.e minister, benjamin netanyahu, is insisting that the war in gaza will continue until all hostages 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 you 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 tr

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. for more on this, i spoke with angela stent.s world: russia against the west and with the rest. very good to see you again. first off, i want to get your thoughts on that press conference, the first since russia's invasion of ukraine. putin certainly wanted to project an air of confidence, telling the russian people russia was winning this special military operation, again castigating the west for its policies and, you know, listening to questions from some "ordinary russians" obviously all preplanned and promising them that the price of eggs would go down and he would fix roads and things like that, and i think this is part of his pre—election campaign. i think it was very important for him to hold this press conference again. he did not hold it last year. the first one the invasion in 2022. he is building up to the election where he wants to come out of it showing a vast of russians support him and that they believe russia is on the right path. putin saying there will be peace "when we achieve our goals." do you read that as a

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. a north—western country. was in the remote gansu province but tremors were also felt in the neighbouring region and another reported in shinsho. our reporter has this. the only warning was a low rumble. before the strong, shallow quake village homes in trouble. bedrooms have small brick houses crumbled. people were buried as they slept. hundreds of rescuers in the choosi remote provinces that they like survivors, knowing the first few hours the only earthquake are critical to save lives. some were pulled from the debris. more than 500 people were taken to hospital. this commander told the media that his teams had rescued 60 people from the rubble and the worst hit province of gansu. those who had managed to flee their homes did their best to huddle together, to keep warm in freezing temperatures the bbc was sent this video from a member of the local muslim community who told us 50 people died in his village. he said the scenes were heart—wrenching, too tragic to look at. china's respo

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ice today to paris has left london, following a day of cross—channel chaos. all trains were cancelled yesterday due to flooding in tunnels under the river thames. these pictures are of passengers boarding at st pancras this morning. eurostar says all services will run to and from london, but there are warnings that delays are still likely. simonjones reports. the queues at st pancras have been building since the early hours. eurostar says it plans to run all 32 scheduled services today, but they will be packed. that means many people unable to travel yesterday will struggle to make it across the channel today, leaving new year plans in doubt. oh, my goodness, it was a whirlwind, but we all stayed calm. i was very impressed. everyone stayed pretty calm, considering. but we're happy to be here. i'm reasonably optimistic because they told us yesterday that they're going to have two or three more trains. really happy that i'm able to go back home today, yes. - and i'm feeling much . happie

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. ukraine on friday for the first time in over two months. the air raid in kyiv lasted almost two hours and all the missiles heading towards the ukrainian capital were intercepted and destroyed by western supplied air defenses. the central parts of the country also saw strikes. one person was killed and four others were injured in the city of pavlograd. six long range surface to air missiles were fired at the eastern kharkiv region, with residential buildings destroyed, one dead and several others injured. meanwhile, the fight over aid to ukraine is building on capitol hill. this week we saw rigorous attempts to resolve the congressional deadlock, as president biden continues to push for an aid package. on monday, the white house sent a letter to congress warning that time is running out. president zelensky scheduled a virtual briefing with us senators on tuesday, but had to cancel at the last minute. on wednesday, senate republicans blocked president biden's what this is about right no

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.s full—scale invasion. so what is vladimir putin's announcement likely to mean there? our correspondentjess parker is in kyiv for us tonight. jess. president putin's announcement isn't exactly welcome news here in ukraine, but it does kind of make a point, doesn't it, that while he can seemingly hold onto power, many believe that he is waiting for western support for ukraine to ebb away and crack. the next couple of weeks could be a real crucial test of that. there are two packages of support for ukraine that appear to be injeopardy because support for ukraine that appear to be in jeopardy because of political wrangling. one is economic support from the european union and one is defence aid from the united states, many billions of pounds worth. but it has become caught up and entangled in domestic political issues. in ukraine the winter beds in and after its faltering counteroffensive the idea that us defence aid could start to dry up is almost unthinkable given how crucial it has been

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.lianne gordon died at the scene in hackney — while two others were injured. her family have described her as having "a heart of gold". the defence has begun in the trial of two teenagers accused of murdering 16—year—old brianna ghey. the accused, who can't be named because of their ages, were charged following the death of brianna, who was transgender and was found with fatal stab wounds near warrington in february. both teenagers deny the charges. judith moritz reports. brianna ghey was captured on doorbell camera footage as she left her house and went to catch a bus. she was going to meet at school friend at the park, but the teenager would never return home. her body was found with fatal stab wounds by dog walkers later that afternoon. two 16—year—olds, a girl known as x and a boy known as y, both deny murdering her. today, the girl began giving evidence in her own defence. the teenager told the court she'd been interested in murder, torture and serial killers since the age of 1a an

here's our russia editor, steve rosenberg.t on dash cam, a giant explosion in the centre of belgorod. there was panic, as people ran for cover. siren wails not everyone could. russia says at least 20 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured after a series of ukrainian strikes on the heart of the city, although the russian military claimed it had shot down most of the missiles. as emergency crews rushed to the scene, the scale of the damage became clear. billowing smoke making belgorod look more than ever like a front line city. ukraine's border is just 20 miles away. the local governor, vyacheslav gladkov, said these were the deadliest consequences of ukrainian shelling that his region had experienced. explosion the attack came just a day after russia had carried out a huge wave of strikes across ukraine with missiles and with drones. at least 39 people, kyiv said, were killed. belgorod has come under attack before... ..with explosions like this one at the airport and at a power station. this kind of thing never happene

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.there have been more exchanges of fire in just the last few hours. ukraine's military says its air defence system has been activated in kyiv to repel a russian drone attack. at least one person has been killed in kherson by russian shelling. these are the latest images coming in from the ukrainian city of kharkiv. officials there say russian strikes hit a hotel and residential building. 21 people were injured, no fatalities have been reported. let's turn now to the middle east, where israel says its forces have raided hamas sites in the city of khan younis as it extends its offensive in the south of gaza. the idf says it's recovered what it called "very valuable intelligence material". health officials in gaza say 165 palestinians have been killed in the last day. a representative from the un relief agency for palestinian refugees told the bbc that displaced gazans are living in the open and in the parks. meanwhile, there are reports that in recent days at least 100,000 people have fle

steve rosenberg, bbc news. is found in france. and coming on bbc news, hard work and the heat of mumbai for the boilers on day one of mumbai for the boilers on day one of the test match against india finishing unfortunate ten to seven with four of their batters reaching a half—century. —— 400. in israel, the defence minister has said the war against hamas — designated a terrorist organisation in the uk — will take more than several months. president biden�*s national security adviser is meeting israel's leaders — as the us continues to urge them to limit civilian casualties in gaza — and to restart negotiations over a palestinian state. our international editor jeremy bowen considers now whether the war in gaza has any chance of ending in a peaceful solution to the long—running conflict between israelis and palestinians. jerusalem, a historian wrote, is the only city where the dead are more important than the living. he meant the weight of its bloody past. but it's the last two months and more of killing that h

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. turn now to the middle east where israel says its forces have raided hamas sites in the city of khan younis as it extends its offensive in the south of gaza. the idf says it's recovered what it called "very valuable intelligence material". health officials in gaza say 165 palestinians have been killed in the last day. a representative from the un relief agency for palestinian refugees told the bbc that displaced gazans are living in the open and in the parks. meanwhile, there are reports that in recent days at least 100,000 people have fled to rafah, which borders egypt in southern gaza. amid the deepening humanitarian crisis israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu gave a defiant tv address, israel would continue fighting on "all fronts" and that the war would last many more months until victory is achieved. translation: the war is at its height. - we are fighting on all of the fronts. we have huge success but we also have painful cases. achieving victory will require time. as the i

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.the west bank needs to be connected under a revamp and revitalise palestinian authority. he made the comments during a visit to israel where he met prime minister benjamin netanyahu and other officials, during which he also called for restraint. israeli officials told him the wall will take many more months. mr sullivan will hold talks with palestinian president in ramallah on friday. mahmoud abbas in ramallah on friday. gaza's health ministry says more than 18,500 people have been killed since the war began. internet and phone networks across gaza have gone down again, according to the region's main telecoms company. 0ur international editor jeremy bowen considers whether the war has any chance of ending peacefully. jerusalem, a historian wrote, is the only city where the dead are more important than the living. he meant the weight of its bloody past, but it's the last two months and more of killing that have sent palestinians and israelis into new and unknown territory. and here in t

steve rosenberg, bbc news, st petersburg. arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was shot dead in east london. lianne gordon, 42, was killed in the attack in hackney on tuesday evening. a 20—year—old man and 16—year—old boy also suffered gunshot wounds. the metropolitan police said a 16—year—old youth was detained in the early hours of friday morning and remains in custody. the force were called to reports of a shooting outside an address in vine close at 6.28pm and officers attended alongside paramedics. ms gordon and the two other people who suffered gunshot wounds were not related but are believed to have known each other, police said. 0fficers previously said they were trying to determine if the attack is linked to shots being fired in the same road days before. live pictures now from gaza, these are the images that we see from southern israel, probably the third—largest explosion we have seen in the last couple of hours —— the third large explosion. israel insists it is taking steps to minimise civilian harm, we w

our russia editor steve rosenberg there.here haven't been many — actually, any — opportunities for western media to get anywhere near vladimir putin since his full—scale invasion of ukraine. but today, the kremlin invited us and otherforeign media to the president's end—of—year tv extravaganza — half press conference, half phone—in. on the war in ukraine, he sounded confident. translation: there will be peace when we achieve our goals. they haven't changed. practically along the entire line of contact, our armed forces are, to put it modestly, improving their position. they are in an active stage of operation. there was a definite military theme to the show, which was broadcast by every main tv channel in russia and went on for hours. the public had plenty of questions about what the kremlin�*s still calling its special military operation, like would there be a new wave of mobilisation in russia? mr putin said no. this didn't happen last year. the kremlin had cancelled the annual putin phone—in and his end—of—year press conf

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.lon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the brookings institution. he's also the author of military history for the modern strategist. i asked him about the current state of the war in ukraine. it's a stalemate. i don't think there's too much serious contestation about that kind of language. it's a defence—dominant battle right now. both sides are good at defensive warfare. both are well dug in. the russians have recovered from their horrible performance in the war in its early months to establish a much more effective way of fighting. it is easier to fight on the defence than the offence, but it's sort of stunning that a day after we learn that the russian army has absorbed 315,000 casualties in the last two years, a remarkably high number, they've nonetheless managed to repopulate that army and do pretty well on the tactical defensive. so i think we are at a place where neither side is likely to make major breakthroughs. ukraine is still 82% held by ukraine

steve rosenberg, bbc news, st petersburg.me to independent shops and bars. but for weeks now it has been closed off with locals sworn secrecy about what this was all about. tonight, all has become clear. one of the biggest names in fashion, chanel, chose the street to stage its annual luxury catwalk show called metiers d'art catwalk. our culture correspondent charlotte gallagher was there. high fashion and a manchester high street. the legendary french fashion label chanel has taken over the city centre. models, celebrities, and the children of manchester icons liam and noel gallagher filled the front row of the chanel fashion show. even a—list actors couldn't keep away. are you enjoying the latest? yeah, lam. i've been walking around in the rain all day. it was fine. no, it's so good. and i'm telling you, it's like, it is such an iconic place for me, and i've been dreaming to come. the show celebrated not just fashion, but also the music of manchester. the rapper and actor bugsy malone came dressed for the occasion. we have

steve rosenberg, bbc news, st petersburg. to the uk now. now it has been closed off with locals sworn secrecy about what this was all about. but now all has become clear. one of the biggest names in fashion. chanel chose the street to stage its annual luxury catwalk show. charlotte gallagher's report contains flashing images. high fashion and a manchester high street. the legendary french fashion label chanel has taken over the city centre. models, celebrities, and the children of manchester icons liam and noel gallagher filled the front row of the chanel fashion show. even a—list actors couldn't keep away. are you enjoying the latest? yeah, lam. i've been walking around in the rain all day. - it was fine. no, it's so good. and i'm telling you, it's like, it is such an iconic place - for me, and i've been dreaming to come. i the show celebrated not just fashion, but also the music of manchester. the rapper and actor bugsy malone came dressed for the occasion. we have the jacket, the watch, the trainers, and i'm very serious about the chanel

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.n see the tokyo tower, surrounded by some of the 800,000 blue—and—white led lights have been strung up on trees to make them look frost covered. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. wintry weather does not feature heavily in our forecast between now and christmas day, but cloud, wind and rain will. on the earlier satellite picture, you can see this stripe of cloud that brought rain in the south on tuesday. then a zone of clear skies not lasting long. more cloud rolling in from the atlantic in association with a warm front bringing a rather grey and quite damp wednesday in many locations. also, quite a windy day out there, so any early brightness across england and wales will be replaced by cloud spreading from the north and the west with some outbreaks of rain. northern ireland and scotland just having a generally grey and cloudy day with some bits and pieces of rain and drizzle. it's going to be a breezy or indeed a windy day, but a mild one for most. just a little bit colder in the

steve rosenberg reports. dancing the waltz, vladimir putin and karin kneissl in 2018.ed russia's president to her wedding. a private visit — strictly. butjust months after the salisbury poisonings, which the eu, like the uk, have linked to the russian state. now, with her boxer winston churchill, karen kneissl has moved to st petersburg. she claims that after leaving office, she had problems at home. she was seen as too close to russia. it was all about not being able to work. so this was number one and that was political pressure. she's running a russian think tank. controversial considering russia's war in ukraine. isn't there a danger that by being here that you are legitimising the invasion, the war and also the domestic repression that takes place in russia? well, so far, i have not seen any sort of repression in my immediate surrounding. i can work here in a kind of academic freedom, which i started missing when i was still teaching at various universities. just a few days ago in this city, a young russian woman was sent to prison for seven years for replacing so

or rush or editor steve rosenberg reports from moscow.ranslation: all attempts to inflict a milita if translation: all attempts to inflict a military if on _ translation: all attempts to inflict a military if on us, _ translation: all attempts to inflict a military if on us, a _ translation: all attempts to inflict a military if on us, a strategic- a military if on us, a strategic defeat as that was squalid, these attempts have been shattered by the courage and persistence of our shoulders —— soldiers. they have come up against the increase might of warforces and come up against the increase might of war forces and increased russian industry and production.— industry and production. across moscow, russians _ industry and production. across moscow, russians are - industry and production. across moscow, russians are being . industry and production. across | moscow, russians are being told victory will be ours and russia, the country of winners. too many here will would constitute victory in this war is unclear. outside the us embassy, no ti

our russia editor steve rosenberg was there.vited us and otherforeign media to the president's end—of—year tv extravaganza — half press conference, half phone—in. on the war in ukraine, he sounded confident. translation: there will be peace when we achieve our goals. - they haven't changed. practically along the entire line of contact, our armed forces are, to put it modestly, improving their position. they are in an active stage of operation. there was a definite military theme to the show, which was broadcast by every main tv channel in russia and went on for hours. the public had plenty of questions about what the kremlin's still calling its special military operation, like would there be a new wave of mobilisation in russia? mr putin said no. this didn't happen last year. the kremlin had cancelled the annual putin phone—in and his end—of—year press conference following the full—scale invasion of ukraine. the fact that the four—hour tv marathon is back reflects his growing confidence nearly two years into the war. he was aske

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ement, i spoke to sergey goryashko from the bbc russian service. at this time, vladimir putin has told that he's going to run again for the fifth time in this election, standing near the russian soldiers. and those people who have just given his highest medal in russian hierarchy, a hero of russia's star. and if we compare this to 2018, when vladimir putin was announcing his presidential bid, standing near the workers of the gas factory, the car factory in nizhny novgorod, it's clear to see how the times has changed. so in this case, vladimir putin is talking to soldiers and it is a clear sign that the country is at war. interesting. and let's throw ahead to next year, then the election. what will it look like? what will the opponents look like? it seems that kremlin is now trying to conduct like the so—called calm and reasonably calm elections, like no surprises, no like candidates who are able to really gain many votes against vladimir putin. so their idea is just to hold the electio

our russia editor steve rosenberg was there. here haven't been many, actually any opportunities for western media to get anywhere near vladimir putin since his full-scale invasion of ukraine. but today, the kremlin invited us and other foreign media to the president's end-of-year tv extravaganza, half press conference, half phone-in. on the war in ukraine, he is sending confident. pres. putin: there will be peace when we achieve our goals. they haven't changed. practically along the entire line of contact our armed forces are, to put it modestly, improving their position. they are in an active stage of operation. steve: there was a definite military theme to the show, which was broadcast by every main tv channel in russia and went on for hours. the public had plenty of questions about what the kremlin's still calling it specialist lori operation, like with their beat -- would there be a new wave of mobilization in russia. mr. putin said no. this didn't happen following the full-scale invasion of ukraine. the fact that the four-ho

here's our russia editor steve rosenberg.lgorod.

here's our russia editor steve rosenberg.e of belgorod.

russian and head of the wagner group, appeared to be launching a military coup. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg extraordinary twist. this is how the day began in the russian city of rostov — armed men and armour on the streets and tanks outside key buildings. in control here, the mercenary group wagner. closely linked to the state, they'd fought for russia in ukraine, but this looked like mutiny. their leader, yevgeny prigozhin, seemed to have gone rogue. at a military h0, he told russian generals, "we've come "for the defence minister and the chief of the general staff. "if we don't get them, i'll blockade the city "and head to moscow." translation: our actions to defend the fatherland from this _ threat will be harsh. tension rose as reports came in of wagner convoys moving north to moscow. was this heading towards confrontation in the capital? then, out of the blue, a message from mr prigozhin. to avoid bloodshed, he said, wagner would turn around and return to base. this is one of those moments where you just have to put up your hands and say, "what on earth was that about?" i mean, just a

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.king news. the scottish government has announced a new a5% band for people earning over £75,000, meaning higher earners in scotland will be paying more income tax. the top rate, which is paid by those earning more than £125,000, will also rise to a8%. the housing secretary announces a pledge to intervene if there have been delays to house—building as a result of poor performance among planning teams. michael gove says that he will call out local authorities that are "dragging their feet" when it comes to processing housing applications. a health think—tank warns the traditional model of dentistry in the nhs is "gone for good". the nuffield trust says the service has been cut back so much, it's not the most perilous position in its 75 year history in england. the government says it will be publishing a recovery plan soon. you're live with bbc news. u nto 27 unto 27 people have passed after an earthquake —— 127, tremors also felt in the neighbouring region. a second magnitude five point