our russia editor steve rosenberg has the story.ll change. up went the flag of the syrian rebels to mark the ousting of bashar al—assad. ironically, syria's leader had fled to russia, although his exact whereabouts are unknown. the man who has reportedly given assad asylum was giving out medals — to russian soldiers who'd fought in ukraine. from vladimir putin, no mention of syria. events there are a huge blow to the kremlin. that is because for nearly a decade president putin had poured resources into keeping assad in power. he became moscow's man in the middle east, shored up by russian firepower. and i'd better stop there because it's about to get very loud indeed. a few years back, we visited russia's airbase in syria, khmeimim. from here, fighterjets were conducting airstrikes on rebel positions. russian bases in syria gave it a foothold in the eastern mediterranean, but without assad, would it lose that? a few years back, we visited russia's airbase in syria, khmeimim. today, i asked president putin's spokesman what would happ

our russia editor steve rosenberg has the story. change. up went the flag of the syrian rebels to mark the ousting of bashar al—assad. ironically, syria's leader had fled to russia, although his exact whereabouts are unknown. the man who has reportedly given assad asylum was giving out medals to russian soldiers who'd fought in ukraine. from vladimir putin, no mention of syria. events there are a huge blow to the kremlin. that is because, for nearly a decade, president putin had poured resources into keeping assad in power. he became moscow's man in the middle east, shored up by russian firepower. and i'd better stop there, because it's about to get very loud indeed. a few years back, we visited russia's airbase in syria, khmeimim. from here, fighterjets were conducting airstrikes on rebel positions. russian bases in syria gave it a foothold in the eastern mediterranean, but, without assad, would it lose that? today, i asked president putin's spokesman what would happen to its bases. dmitri peskov told me that would be discussed wit

absolutely beautiful there from steve rosenberg and ciaran jenkins of channel 4. let's show you the middle of the night in hawaii. it is one of the most active volcanoes and has been very active since 1983 and it erupts relatively regularly and it is going again. 18 metres heightjets of lava on hawaii's big island, springing into life again a couple of days ago. and a reminder that in half hour, we will be broadcasting king charles' annual christmas message live here on the bbc news channel at 15:00 gmt. the king will be delivering his traditional christmas day speech from a former hospital chapel, in a year in which the king has been undergoing cancer treatment. it's the first time in more than a decade that the christmas speech has been recorded from a place that isn't in a royal palace or estate. hello there, and a very merry christmas to you. and indeed it's a mild christmas, pretty much across the board, all thanks to high pressure. it's the position of the high which has brought this mild air, bringing these south—westerly winds. you'll notice more isobars o

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. more, i spoke to stephenjones, the director of the georgian studies program at the davis centre at harvard university. i asked him what he makes of the political situation unfolding right now in georgia? right now what is emerging are two governments, you have the government of the while police officers have been accused of assaulting protesters. you must have seen videos of the brutal way in which the police have treated some of the protesters in the last few days. what is your reaction to that? an investigation will happen against this kind of incidents, but also, in this case, it's important to have a clear position with regard to the violence from both sides. the protesters accuse the government of selling out to russia, which the authorities deny. neither side shows any sign of backing down. steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. for more, i spoke to stephenjones, the director of the georgian studies program at the davis centre at harvard university. i asked him what he makes of the

steve rosenberg speaking to us, talking about that kremlin spokesman conference.nt assad being granted asylum was personally made by president putin. but dmitry peskov declined to confirm the whereabouts of president bashar al—assad. he did not say when putin and assad met last and also added they had no plans to do so in they had no plans to do so in the near future. they had no plans to do so in the nearfuture. and dmitry peskov, the kremlin spokesman, stressed that russia is ready to maintain contacts with those who will be in power in syria. some lines coming from that kremlin briefing that steve rosenberg was mentioning, saying that president putin personally made the decision to grant asylum to president bashar al—assad and his family, but declining to give any detail, for example, where assad is at the moment. also wouldn't say when president putin and assad met last. we mentioned that the un rights chief has been talking and he says syria needs to build a legal system for those who may have committed atrocity crimes including former president assad and his

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ross seven us warehouses walked out of their shifts early after amazon ignored a sunday deadline set by the union for fresh contract negotiations. workers say the online retail giant has refused to recognise the union. earlier this week, a congressional investigation found that amazon pushes its us warehouse workers to fulfil orders at speeds that could cause high rates of injury. the e—commerce giant responded, saying the report was "wrong "on the facts" and featured outdated information. one of the most powerful labour unions in the united states, and in this case, accusing me of a provocation. this is what happens if you've managed to ask the kremlin leader a question. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. thousands of amazon workers are on strike today, just days before the busy holiday shopping season. workers across seven us warehouses walked out of their shifts early after amazon ignored a sunday deadline set by the union for fresh contract negotiations. workers say the online reta

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. in a moment including a special risk or from our correspondent inside the notorious saydyna prison. you can stay up—to—date on our website or on our app we can find reporting from the region. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's have a look at some of the headlines now. energy companies say the vast majority of people who lost power during the storm have been reconnected but thousands are still cut off. the river lose burst its banks in york and a number of rail lines are closed wealth in south—west england due to falling rivers —— trees. emea league referee david coote has been sacked following allegations about his conduct. he was suspended after a video was circulated allegedly showing him making derogatory comments about liverpool at the club's former manager. the governing body say the actions were in serious breach of employment and his position was deemed untenable. he does have a right to appeal the decision. and rachel reeves has urged european finance

steve rosenberg there. there has been reaction from leaders and officials around the world.nsultations on syria on monday, at russia's request. meanwhile, us presidentjoe biden called the fall of the assad regime �*a moment of historic opportunity�*, while saying there remains �*risk and uncertainty�*. at long last the assad regime has fallen _ at long last the assad regime has fallen. this surgeon killed and tortured — fallen. this surgeon killed and tortured thousands of syrians, it's a moment— tortured thousands of syrians, it's a moment of historic opportunity for a moment of historic opportunity for a long _ a moment of historic opportunity for a long suffering people of syria. to build _ a long suffering people of syria. to build a _ a long suffering people of syria. to build a better future for their pride — build a better future for their pride country. it is also in moments of risk_ pride country. it is also in moments of risk and — pride country. it is also in moments of risk and uncertainty as we all turned — of risk and uncertainty as we all turned to— of risk an

our russia editor steve rosenberg is there. more than 100 dangerous dogs destroyed a month since a ban on xl bullies — police say they need more cash. # jingle bells, jingle bells # jingle all the way #. and the world's oldest choir — it's official — and coming up on bbc news everton have new owners. the club's takeover saga has ended with the us—based friedkin group now in charge at goodison park. good evening. 51 men have all been found guilty at the end of a mass rape trial in france. all but two of them are in jail tonight for what they did to this one woman — 72—year—old gisele pelicot. her ex—husband, the man she married in 1973, got the longest sentence — 20 years — for drugging his wife and allowing dozens of strangers to rape her repeatedly over a ten—year period. gisele pelicot said she had waived her right to anonymity during the three month trial so that society could see what was happening. our correspondent andrew harding is outside the court in avignon in the south of france. yes, good evening from avignon at the

and i think the wider sense of shock that steve rosenberg spoke about is also true.ut chemical weapons over the last two and a half years. he's now been assassinated. it's been reported widely. and although they can call it a terrorist attack, actually, it's a legitimate, proportionate attack on a military figure. and that won't be lost on russians. a strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck the pacific island nation of vanuatu, triggering landslides, crushing cars and flattening buildings. power and mobile networks across the country have been cut and the full extent of the damage remains unclear. incredible pictures, these. you can see the moment the earthquake struck a garage, shaking cars and sending tools flying, with a person and their dog all struggling to take cover. several buildings were damaged in the capital — among them, one housing the american, uk, french and new zealand embassies. this drone footage filmed by a localjournalist in vanuatu shows the aftermath of a landslide on the edge of the island's international shipping terminal. dan mcgarry is a

steve rosenberg live in moscow, thank you.p. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's return to the syrian capital of damascus. we can show you live pictures from damascus where it is coming up to 12.15 pm. people are back on the streets trying to digest the streets trying to digest the news that the assad regime is no more. we have heard that beeping of car horns and people are taking selfies. they are sending those to people outside the country. there are a large number of syrians who fled from damascus and elsewhere in the country because of the assad regime. live to the syrian capital, damascus, and our middle east correspondent lina sinjab, who is herself syrian. she had to leave 11 years ago and continued to report on syria and the region from beirut but she's now been back forjust over 2a hours. can you give us a sense of the mood in the country 2a hours after the fall of the assad regime? i after the fall of the assad re . ime? ~ after the fall of the assad regime?— after the fall of the assad re . i

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.bashar al—assad was spirited out of syria last week, it was from the russian base in latakia province. that was the regime's power—base. it's the home of the muslim alawite sect, from which the assad family originates. they make up only 10% of the population, but they provided much of assad's political and military leadership. there had been fears of bloody reprisals as the fighters of hts took over. our correspondent quentin sommerville has a special report on how this divided community is dealing with the new reality. this is who rules latakia, the task you has been reclaimed. all of syria belongs to the people now. it is the flag of a flea —— free syria that now flies in the heartland of the former regime. she had christians came to celebrate with a message of unity. the assad regime warned there would be massacres in the police if they ever lost power instead there are celebrations. even among its core support people suffered. but while there is a lot of joy suffered. but while the

our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. steve: where is bashar al-assad?en seen since he fled syria. today, a statement, purporting to be from him, appeared on social media accounts of the former syrian president, dateline moscow. it is unclear who controls the account and whether assad wrote this. "my departure from syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles. i remained in damasc, carrying out my duties into the early hours of sunday, the eighth of december. at no point did this and that -- during this event that i coider stepping down or seeking refuge." president putin, who met army cheese today, has reportedly granted a sought asylum, but the kremlin leader has said nothing publicly about it. most of this speech was about the war in ukraine. not a word about syria. despite having this naval base in syria in tatters and a base there, events there seem to have taken moscow by surprise. it was war too distracted -- was russia too distracted by its war in ukraine? mp popov: no, we have not lost syria. we still have bas

and our bbc russia editor steve rosenberg joins forces with channel 4's ciaranjenkins to perform a special christmas collaboration. hello. welcome to bbc news. happy christmas. happy christmas. the king 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. in his annual speech, charles also spoke about his "deep sense of pride" at how communities responded to the summer riots following the southport stabbings. he also made a plea for peace in the middle east, central europe and africa. let's hear more now from the king. drums roll. god save the king plays. earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th anniversary of d—day, the queen and i had the enormous privilege of meeting, once again, the remarkable veterans of that very special generation, who gave of themselves so courageously on behalf of us all. listening to these once young servicemen and women touched us deeply, as they spoke of their comrades drawn from across the commonwealth, who never returned and who now rest peacefully where they made

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.or more on this, i spoke earlier with nina khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the new school. nina, how rare is an apology from president putin?— nina, how rare is an apology from president putin? very rare. in fact, there was five _ president putin? very rare. in fact, there was five days _ president putin? very rare. in fact, there was five days when _ president putin? very rare. in fact, i there was five days when the tragedy happened, five days speculation that he is going to apologise, he is not going to apologise, and events were that he's not going to apologise because never does. on the other hand,is because never does. on the other hand, is relationship of azerbaijan is very important, and they need each other, and the president of azerbaijan is a tough man, probably as tough as putin, and so putin had to at least pretend that there was some sort of heresy in the relationship between russia and azerbaijan so it is very rare occasion and shows that there is some

our russia editor steve rosenberg.rovsky, an author and a journalist leading the economist's coverage of russia's war against ukraine. thank you very much forjoining us on the world today, and what was your reaction when you heard about this killing in central moscow, carried out by ukraine? it central moscow, carried out by ukraine? ., , central moscow, carried out by ukraine? . , . ., , central moscow, carried out by ukraine? . ., , ., ukraine? it was certainly a surprise. _ ukraine? it was certainly a surprise. i _ ukraine? it was certainly a surprise, i think— ukraine? it was certainly a surprise, i think as - ukraine? it was certainly a surprise, i think as to - surprise, i think as to everybody else. i think it is quite significant. it is not just the most senior literary killed outside the war zone, in moscow, but also somebody president putin has been meeting recently senior military. it shows the degree to which the ukraine security services can operate in moscow, and i think it would actually send shivers not

steve rosenberg reports from the capital, tbilisi.tbilisi, now every night is fireworks night. a fourth night of protests outside parliament, while inside, police try to keep protesters at bay. a brolly helps at moments like these. so the police right now are firing streams of water from inside the parliament, and going the other way, fireworks hurled by the protesters. it is the most surreal stand—off. the crowds are huge. so is the disappointment that the government here has frozen accession talks with the eu. but people are still hoping. every single day, there is more and more people coming. and it gives me hope that this government will finally go away. no sign of that. earlier, the head of the government praised the police and condemned the protests. many of the protesters have said to me that by suspending until the end of 2028 georgia's bid tojoin the european union, you have stolen, your government has stolen their european dream, their european future. people feel betrayed. can you understand that? the response is very clear

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi.or more, i spoke to stephenjones, the director of the georgian studies progam at the davis centre at harvard university. we have seen a fourth night of protests. how much longerjevity do you think these demonstrations could have? the you think these demonstrations could have? ., , ., ., , , , have? the demonstrations them selves are persistent — have? the demonstrations them selves are persistent and _ have? the demonstrations them selves are persistent and i _ have? the demonstrations them selves are persistent and i suspect _ have? the demonstrations them selves are persistent and i suspect the - are persistent and i suspect the georgian — are persistent and i suspect the georgian people in the streets will continue _ georgian people in the streets will continue this demonstration until they see — continue this demonstration until they see this government fall. the question— they see this government fall. the question is— they see this government fall. the question is how long can th

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. of thousands of people attended a vigil last night in beirut to remember the late hezbollah leader hassan nasrallah — the first public ceremony to mark his killing in an israeli air strike two months ago. across lebanon, people are still going back to their homes as a ceasefire holds. in the south, amid widespread destruction, hezbollah supporters remain defiant and say they've been victorious in the war, as our middle east correspondent hugo bachega reports. as they return home, they also bury their dead. fighters celebrated here as heroes of the resistance. killed, they say, in a war to protect their land. this is more than a funeral. this is a show of strength and support for hezbollah. and whoever thinks they will go away, well, from what seeing here, this is unlikely to happen. hezbollah has been weakened by israel. some say humiliated. but it hasn't been destroyed. in lebanon, it is more a militia, it is also a powerful political and social group. it it is also a powerful politi

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. the last major functioning hospital in northern gaza is now out of service after it was forcibly evacuated by the israeli military. the kamal adwan hospital has been under siege by the israel defense forces for weeks and it now stands empty. the world health organization said it is deeply concerned for the safety of patients who were forced to leave. the head of the hospital's nursing department told the bbc that the israeli military gave them only a is—minute warning to clear patients and staff before troops entered the hospital and removed anyone that remained. palestinian health officials say about 100 medical staff were taken in for interrogation. the director of the hospital was also detained. israel said the raid on the hospital is now over, and claims it was being used by hamas fighters as a command centre, without providing evidence. our correspondent emir nader is injerusalem and sent this report. sirens blare throughout gaza, patients forced out of the kamal adwan hospital b

steve rosenberg, bbc news.hile, a senior european diplomat in syria traveled to damascus to discuss the unfolding political transition in the country. it comes as syria's defective leader announced all armed factions would be resolved under the new administration. he led the rebel offensive that toppled the assad regime told journalist that only the syrian state army would carry weapons. the semiautonomous kurdish administration already called for an end to fighting in a comprehensive national dialogue with the new rulers. i spoke with julian barnes dacey, the director of the middle east and north africa program at the european council on foreign relations. what do you make of bashar al-assad's purported statement saying he never meant to flee to russia? julian: i think that is clearly trying to make it that the decision was forced upon him and he would never willingly abandon syria as he would see it. it is clearly a cover for the fact he escaped the country in the cover of night, and effectively left not only

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.that it is now announcing additional measures, sanctions against those connected to corruption and human rights abuses, and they are designating 14 individuals including immediate family members from countries around the world of significant corruption, and they are including the members of the assad family, so the us announcing sanctions on the outside family, further measures of course after many have already been put in place. hts is one of the groups that led the overthrow of the assad regime — and many countries list it as a terrorist organisation. britain says it will consider removing it from its list of terrorist organisations. here is david lammy.— terrorist organisations. here is david lammy. hts as it's now been called. _ is david lammy. hts as it's now been called, are _ is david lammy. hts as it's now been called, are also _ is david lammy. hts as it's now been called, are also a - been called, are also a proscribed terrorist organisation in the uk, as an alias of al-qaeda

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.than beale is in the ukrainian capital. jonathan, what are they saying about all this and what are they expecting? all this and what are they meeting?— all this and what are they exectin ? , ., ., expecting? they are waiting, we don't know _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, how _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, how it'll - expecting? they are waiting, we | don't know when, how it'll come, expecting? they are waiting, we . don't know when, how it'll come, in what form, but the focus is very much been on the battle on the ground and in that battle, it is the russians who are advancing, the ukrainians are losing ground. there was also this clandestinely war taking place of espionage and assassinations and in that war, ukraine is claiming some success, notjust in the killing of this russian general involved in its chemical weapons programme, but also last week, the shooting of a russian scientist involved i

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi.hat the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats since the labour government came to power is, has increased by 20,000. we have more on this story and about half—an—hour. also here in the uk, masterchef presenter gregg wallace, has been criticised for saying the complaints about his alleged misconduct have come from a "handful of middle—class women of a certain age". gregg wallace stepped aside from presenting the cooking programme last week after a bbc news investigation revealed gregg wallace stepped aside from presenting the cooking allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour, which he denies. noor nanji reports. in the newspaper, i can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle—class women of a certain age, just from celebrity masterchef. this isn't right. gregg wallace in an instagram video yesterday, hitting back at his critics. the presenter has been under pressure after bbc news revealed a string of misconduct allegations against him. we spo

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ng me is the senior fellow on the council of foreign relations, thank you for being with us. and what is purported to be his first statement since the fall of damascus some eight days ago, former syrian president assad said he never intended to fully from russia. we don't know if those words really were authored by him. what do you make of that statement?— what do you make of that statement? �* , . , . statement? it's a very pathetic statement _ statement? it's a very pathetic statement really, _ statement? it's a very pathetic statement really, so _ statement? it's a very pathetic statement really, so what - statement? it's a very pathetic statement really, so what did l statement really, so what did he think he was doing when he boarded a plane to moscow from the russian base? i do however think this is not a statement written by him, not that he would have necessarily have a better one, but it looks like a bureaucratic statement, someone who made up words for him. so i would not put

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.nded how he dealt with a priest accused of sexual assault, after a bbc investigation into the case prompted calls for him to resign. stephen cottrell, who's preparing to take temporary leadership of the church of england, said he was deeply sorry he hadn't been able to act sooner and had suspended priest david tudor from office when he had the power to do so. 0ur religion editor, aleem maqbool reports questions over the judgment of stephen cottrell relate to his time as bishop of chelmsford. when he started there he was briefed about a priest in his charge. for decades, david tudorfaced priest in his charge. for decades, david tudor faced allegations of abuse. in the 80s he was jailed for six months for the indecent assault of three girls. the charges were quashed on appeal. eventually he was allowed back to be a vicar in essex. for years many of the women who suffered tudor�*s behaviour didn't know that he was a priest again. some like rachel are only now learning that he was operatin

the hugely talented steve rosenberg and ciaranjenkins playing cello there.mewhere unexpected this year, spare a thought for american astronauts butch wilmore and sunita williams. injune, they set off from earth for what was meant to be an eight—day mission, but six months later, they're still in space. camilla mills has the story. barry "butch" wilmore and sunita williams became the first astronauts to travel to space on private company boeing starliner capsule. it blasted off injune but, due to technical issues, their eight—day stay on the international space station has now turned into more than eight months. celebrating christmas on the international space station isn't uncommon — astronauts have been doing it for more than 50 years. it's considered a holiday for all concerned, regardless of faith or ethnicity. for the team on board this year, it's still about spending time together and enjoying the day. it's a great time of year up here. we get to spend it with all of ourfamily up on the international space station — there are seven of us up here, and so

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. barkey is adjunct senior fellow for middle east studies on the council on foreign relations. i asked him what he makes of the statement�*s claim that assad did not intend to leave to russia it is pathetic statement. what did he think he was doin- when did he think he was doing when he boarded a plane to moscow from the russian base? but i do think, however, this is not a statement written by him, not that he would have written necessarily a better one but it looks like a bureaucratic or bureaucrat�*s statement, somebody who made up word to him so i would not put a great deal of emphasis on it. i think the russians may be felt they needed some statement coming out of bashar al—assad's mouth, so they inscribed it on telegram, so if you want to make a statement, he can do it himself. i don't really think this is his. as syria seeks to rebuild, civilians there are in desperate need of aid. it's one of 20 countries facing the world's most urgent humanitarian crises, according to an emergen

our russia editor steve rosenberg has the latest from moscow. being filmed from a car opposite, a russian general and his assistant here, what appears to be a scooter. we will come back to that. what followed was a giant explosion. with deadly consequences. the two men were killed. they moscow apartment block was now a crime scene. investigators sifted through the debris, searching for clues. later, a spokesperson for russia's investigative committee revealed the bomb had been hidden on that scooter. a terrorist attack, she called it. it was the targeted assassination of this man. left -- lieutenant general igor kirillov was chief of russia's radiation, chemical, and biological protection forces. only yesterday, ukraine had reportedly charged him in absentia, the alleged use of chemical weapons in the war. the general was known for making wild accusations ainst the west. he once claimed america was plotting to infect russian troops with malaria by releasing mosquitoes from drones. in october, the foreign office sanction him, calling him a signif

studio: steve rosenberg, thank you.f canterbury, george carey, has quit as a priest over his handling of a child abuse investigation in the church of england. our religion editor, aleem maqbool, is here now. aleem, what more can you tell us? this has just been confirmed to us in the last half an hour or so but it follows an investigation that we conducted and broadcast yesterday that was looking into a piece called david tudor. he was accused of sexual assault against teenage girls in the 1980s and at that point the church banned him forfive in the 1980s and at that point the church banned him for five years. the church now says he should have been banned for life and it regrets that he wasn't. but we also found in our investigation was that george carey, who is archbishop of canterbury of the time, advocated for his return but also agreed to have his name wiped from a list of clergy who had been disciplined. we have now had it confirmed that lord carey was now 89 is given up what is called his permission to officiate,

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. good evening., and there's more severe weather to come in the forecast as we head into the new year too, with more heavy rain. it stays windy on new year's day. it is going to be turning colder, but for the rest of tonight, well, it's certainly mild out there for the vast majority. more rain across the central swathe of the uk, these fronts pushing further southwards. and if we just zoom in as the clock chimes midnight, you can see wintry showers and now colder air across the far north of scotland. still some more showers across these flood affected areas. it's windy across the central belt. strong gusts still across northern england, southern scotland and this is where we're likely to see the heaviest of the rain too, across the north midlands and into north wales. further south, it is largely dry for the rest of the night, but some squally gusts of wind just ahead of this cold front as it continues to push further southwards as we head through the rest of the night. so turning wet into tomorrow m

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi.emytrie says the protesters plan to remain on the streets. i am at the protest site, we are about one kilometre away from the parliament building which has been the focal point for clashes between the police and protesters overnight. this is the third night that the protests have continued. they were sparked by the government's decision to put georgia's accession talks with europe on hold. and the protest — they have moved to the street. they are blocking quite an important intersection outside the country's main university. well, with me here is one of the protesters. she has been protesting for days. can you please tell me how important is this fight that is happening now for georgians? the fight that is happening right now has been going on actually four years, which is our integration in europe. we want to be a democratic country of european union, and we have been fighting for this for years and we definitely do not want to be part of russia who has occupied 20% of our country, wh

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.yr zelensky says his country will do all it can to end the war with moscow in 2025 and halt what he called russian aggression. standing in front of the iconic mother ukraine monument in kyiv, he also said that ukraine would need to fight next year to bolster its position both militarily and ahead of any talks to end russia's three—year invasion. the new year will be different for those in ukraine as the country prepares to enter its third year of war. let's speak to ukrainian mp maria mezentseva. maria, hello, welcome to the programme. so, what did you make of what mr zelensky had to say in his address? we what mr zelensky had to say in his address? ~ ., , , ., address? we heard president 'ust now at his new year — address? we heard president 'ust now at his new year address h address? we heard president 'ust now at his new year address to _ address? we heard presidentjust now at his new year address to the - at his new year address to the nation, to everyone who is currently in ukrain

officials say at least 32 survivors have been found and our bbc russia editor, steve rosenberg, joinsces with channel 4's ciaranjenkins to perform a special christmas collaboration. hello and welcome. we start in the uk, where the royal family have attended the traditional christmas service at church in sandringham. king charles was accompanied by the prince and princess of wales and their children and other senior royals. prince andrew did not attend, after it was confirmed earlier this week that he would not be joining the family at sandringham. let's go back to speak to caroline aston. she's royal commentator and historian, shared some insights about the royal presence at the service, and what it means for the wider family dynamics. what have you made a video? so what have you made a video? sr lovely to see the royal what have you made a video? srs lovely to see the royal family back a bid to have their lead players looking well. interesting about the noticeable gap of prince andrew who i think has made the right decision here to stay away. i mean, where a piranha fish fest his att

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.icial tells the bbc it's hoped any day, although arrangements could fall through. there have only been 10 exchanges this year, the lowest number since the start of russia's full—scale invasion in 2022. ukraine doesn't publish numbers of prisoners of war being held by russia, but the total is believed to be more than 8,000. from kyiv, will vernon reports. a christmas concert for ukrainians exhausted by war. dancer liliya keeps her pain hidden. her boyfriend bohdan was captured by russian forces 2.5 years ago. she hasn't heard from him since. translation: the christmas holidays are a painful time. . if you want to celebrate, then you should. but without forgetting that we need to support our soldiers. boghdan is very kind. he really loves cats, just like i do. liliya still sends messages to boghdan�*s phone... messages for him in the future. ..knowing he can't see them. i miss him a lot. he needs to be saved and have his freedom back. freedom for ukrainians held by russia, that's what li

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. toria georgian studies at harvard university. we have seen some striking images from the capital tbilisi about these protests are not restricted to the capital, what does that tell us?— does that tell us? thank you for having — does that tell us? thank you for having me, _ does that tell us? thank you for having me, this - does that tell us? thank you for having me, this is - does that tell us? thank you for having me, this is kind . does that tell us? thank you | for having me, this is kind of a point of no return the current protests really have escalated beyond the scope of previous demonstrations, you may have seen the protest demonstrations in the spring, against the so—called foreign agent law called the russian law, which restricted civil society in georgia but now we are having more nationwide resistance. which is fuelled by collective rejection of the ruling georgian dream parties not only perceived by already documented, well articulated retreat from the western aspiration,

steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. this is kind of a point of no return.t that route reaction later. i will bring you live images and show you what we can see the us presidentjoe biden on the tarmac at thejoint presidentjoe biden on the tarmac at the joint base andrews in maryland. all set to board air force one, making a trip to africa the first stop will be coast via d, you can see the beast the name for the carrier that carries the us president. he is at the joint base andrews in maryland and we are following a story today including involving the us presidentjoe biden, he has pardoned his son hunter biden issuing a formal unconditional pardon for his son. he said hunter had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted adding no reasonable person who looks at the facts of this case could reach any other conclusion than hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that is wrong. hunter biden pleaded guilty to tax charges earlier in september and was found guilty of being on —— and illegal drug use are in possession of a gun injune becoming the first c

the georgian prime minister speaking there to - minister speaking there to steve rosenberg.ench political scientist, and the former georgia's state minister for euro—atlantic integration you just saw the prime minister there saying that it is a lie. no one in the country believes the prime minister's words. he could be the leader of some central asian a liberal state. he is not recognised as prime minister. the elections are under question. i recently read a statement mentioning the prime minister not as a prime minister of georgia. these elections are not legitimate. talking about the systemic violence of the opposition, when four years and months the government has been organising violence against people. we saw during the spring protests hundreds of protesters who received an anonymous phone calls by people who work for the government threatening their lives. people were attacked by the mobs with masks and baseball bats in the streets. these people were acting under government orders. this is simply not compatible with a country that has european union membership candidac

one month later, and there was a new development, as told by steve rosenberg.mbling to bomb russian territory. they're targeting ukrainian troops who've attacked in large numbers across the border. it came out of nowhere. the ukrainian assaults on russia's kursk region began on tuesday, and suddenly russia's war had come much closer to home. what is happening is huge. for the first time in more than 80 years, foreign troops are fighting on russian soil. when vladimir putin visited kimjong—un in north korea injune, it was his first visit to the secretive regime in 24 years. a pact was signed to provide each other with mutual assistance. the world got a sense of what this pact meant when north korean troops were spotted in russia. extreme weather swept around the world in 2024 with severe drought, fatal floods and disastrous cyclones. scientific studies showed the fingerprints of human—caused climate change on these disasters. whole communities consumed by water. more than 200 people killed. america's deadliest hurricane since katrina. hurricane helene made landf

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.priest accused of sexual assault after a bbc investigation into the case prompted calls for him to resign. stephen cottrell, who's preparing to take temporary leadership of the church of england, said he was deeply sorry he hadn't been able to act sooner, and had suspended the priest david tudor from office when he had the power to do so. the leader of the church of england is the most senior cleric in the church of england which has about 85 million members worldwide. here's our religion editor aleem maqbool. questions over the judgment of stephen cottrell relate to his time as bishop of chelmsford. when he started there he was briefed about a priest in his charge. for decades, david tudor faced allegations of abuse. in the 805 he was jailed for six months for the indecent assault of three girls. the charges were quashed on appeal. eventually he was allowed back to be a vicar in essex. for years many of the women who suffered tudor�*s behaviour didn't know that he was a priest again.

our russia editor, steve rosenberg was there.hon end—of—year event was live on all the main tv channels in russia. it was half phone—in, half press conference. he used it to make his first public comments on events in syria, with a message for those calling the fall of assad a blow to russia. translation: whoever. would like to portray russia as weakened, i would like to recall the words of a famous person and writer, who once said, "the reports "of my death are greatly exaggerated." a message too for donald trump — putin was ready for talks, any time. after more than four hours, it was my turn to ask a question. "exactly 25 years ago," i said, "when boris yeltsin resigned "and handed you power, he told you, take care of russia. "but what of the significant losses suffered in your "so—called special military operation in ukraine "and the ukrainian troops now in russia's kursk region, "and sanctions and high inflation? "do you think you've taken care of russia?" translation: yes, i haven't just taken care of it. - i think we've pu

steve rosenberg in moscow.ecision to allow president assad there and declined to confirm his whereabouts. if you scan the qr code on the right—hand side of your screen, that will take you to our live page on the syrian, the latest from damascus and from steve in russia. you can scan that qr code. now some other news. the rapper, jay—z, has been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13—year—old girl. he is accused along with sean �*diddy�* combs. the lawsuit — which was initially filed in october against mr combs — says the alleged rape happened at a party in the year 2000. the legal case was refiled last night, naming jay—z. both men deny the allegations. 0ur los angeles correspondent emma vardy reports. sean combs — also known as p diddy — has been facing a string of lawsuits accusing him of violence, drugging victims, sexual assault, and rape. a number of the claims have been made in connection with parties thrown by the hip—hop star. but now jay—z — the prominent rapper and billionaire entrepreneur — is the

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.orld health organisation says the last major functioning hospital in northern gaza is now empty after israel raided the site and forcibly evicted patients and medical staff. some of those who were being treated at the kamal adwan hospital have said they were stripped and left in the cold when it was evacuated. israel said it had now ended its operation at what it called "a hamas command centre". our correspondent emir nader reports from jerusalem. throughout gaza, patients forced out of the kamal adwan hospital by the israeli military are arriving to seek treatment. some brought in with assistance, others arriving by foot, bringing with them stories of how they were interrogated. translation: they took us one or two at a time - to the school's bathroom, ordering us to remove our pants and lift up our shirts. when we refused, they beat us. this happened three times and each time, we were beaten for refusing. eventually we were forced to comply because they aimed their guns at us and thr

our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports.ng filmed from a car opposite, a russian general and his assistant. here, what appears to be a scooter — we will come back to that. what followed was a giant explosion, with deadly consequences. the two men were killed, a moscow apartment block was now a crime scene. investigators sifted through the debris, searching for clues. later, a spokesperson for russia's investigative committee revealed that the bomb had been hidden on that scooter. a terrorist attack, she called it. it was the targeted assassination of this man. lieutenant general igor kirillov was chief of russia's radiation, chemical and biological protection forces. only yesterday, ukraine had reportedly charged him in absentia for his alleged use of chemical weapons in the war. the general was known for making wild accusations against the west. he once claimed that america was plotting to infect russian troops with malaria, by releasing mosquitoes from drones. in october, the foreign office sanctioned him, calling him a si

and our bbc russia editor steve rosenberg joins forces with channel 4's ciaranjenkins to perform a special christmas collaboration. hello. we start in the uk, where the royal family have attended the traditional christmas service at church in sandringham. king charles was accompanied by the prince and princess of wales and their children and other senior royals. prince andrew did not attend, after it was confirmed earlier this week that he would not bejoining the family at sandringham. our correspondent, charlotte gallagher, has been in sandringham this morning, and we spoke to her a short time ago. hgppy happy christmas. everyone has gone home to have lunch but there were about 1000 people who came out to say happy christmas and give them cards, meeting kids and dogs and diane! it is easier to say who you didn't meet because you met a lot of royals, the new?- a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes _ a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes from - a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes from the i lots of handshakes from the king. — lots of handshakes from the

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. have you ever celebrated new years eve on a train?m titled december 31st express, which has been shot — despite the ongoing war — in ukraine. it's billed as a touching comedy about love, friendship, and miracles that only happen at new year. the story unfolds aboard an iconic ukr—zaliz—nytsia train, bound for lviv and carrying an unlikely group of passengers who find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. and the cast includes a guest cameo from... speaks ukrainian. ..former uk prime minister, borisjohnson, playing himself. zoya soshenko, the producer of december 31st express, explained to me earlier why they decided to invite borisjohnson to the movie and how difficult it was to reach out to him. why boris johnson? why borisjohnson? well boris johnson is specialfor why borisjohnson? well boris johnson is special for ukraine. and he was the one of the first western leaders who came to kyiv when the war started. he showed courage and support for ukraine at the time we needed more. so for many people in ukraine, borisjohnson, is a s

steve rosenberg.page with the very latest on those protests in tbilisi — for a fourth night in a row on the bbc news website site and app. it includes that live feed that you see on the right—hand side of your screen of the protests. the masterchef presenter gregg wallace has hit out against allegations of inappropiate behaviour on the show, saying they've come from "a handful of middle—class women of a certain age". he released a statement on social media this morning, and his lawyers have previously said the allegations are false. 13 women have complained about him to a bbc news investigation. 0ur correspondent noor nanji has the latest. now, in the newspaper, i can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle—class women of a certain age, just from celebrity masterchef. this isn't right. gregg wallace in an instagram video this morning, hitting back at his critics. the masterchef presenter has been under pressure after bbc news revealed a string of misconduct allegations against him. our inve