the volcanic eruption on la palma, finally comes to an end. hello and welcome to bbc news. the international charity, save the children, has condemned what it called an attack by the burmese military that killed at least 38 people, including women and children. the charity said the military had reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burnt their bodies in the south—eastern kayah state. save the children says two of its humanitarian staff let's get more from ong chow moe who is an advisor to the national unity government's ministry of human rights. for security reasons we cannot disclose his location. thank you forjoining us. from these photos it looks terrific. what do you know about what happened?— what do you know about what ha ened? ., ~ i. ., ., happened? thank you for having me and what _ happened? thank you for having me and what you _ happened? thank you for having me and what you describe - happened? thank you for having me and what you describe is - me and what you describe is absolutely shocking and it is not the first time that it has happened to the people of myanmar. thejunta has rundown elderly people, women, children. and brutally killed. this is just before the night of christmas in kayah state located between thailand and myanmar. the area is home to many christians and christmas is a day for peace for the christian people so the level of brutality is high to carry out such inhuman act. you mentioned _ out such inhuman act. you mentioned the _ out such inhuman act. you mentioned the timing - out such inhuman act. you mentioned the timing of. out such inhuman act. you mentioned the timing of this attack. does it look like a targeted attack to you all more random? �* , ., ., targeted attack to you all more random? �* ,, ., _, , random? anyone who could be seen as a _ random? anyone who could be seen as a threat _ random? anyone who could be seen as a threat to _ random? anyone who could be seen as a threat to the - random? anyone who could be seen as a threat to the junta i seen as a threat to the junta could be killed at any time anywhere in myanmar regardless. and when it happens right the day before the christmas we can assume that this is to show that they do not care and of course we know the junta does not care about these or other major celebrations. all they are interested in is maintaining power. so it would not surprise me at all. it is worth saying _ not surprise me at all. it is worth saying that - not surprise me at all. it is worth saying that the - not surprise me at all. it is worth saying that the military junta are saying its trips are being attacked suggesting that this was almost self defence. civilians do not have any capacity, women and children and elderly people they do not have the capacity, does not have the capacity, does not have anything to do with the junta troops and you can see the shape of the body of them laying down on this truck. could a towel be home full smoke of course not. and the junta make up stories to defend themselves. this is not the first time it happened. in 2017 it happened to the rohingya and continues to happen in myanmar in a defence setting and the junta troops continue the cycle and do not care whether they are committing international crimes or not.— are committing international crimes or not. you mentioned that this is — crimes or not. you mentioned that this is not _ crimes or not. you mentioned that this is not the _ crimes or not. you mentioned that this is not the first - crimes or not. you mentioned that this is not the first time | that this is not the first time it has happened. what would you like to see the response to the attack from the international community to be? we attack from the international community to be?— attack from the international community to be? we have seen enou:h community to be? we have seen enough statements _ community to be? we have seen enough statements of— community to be? we have seen enough statements of concern i enough statements of concern and sympathy and things like that. what we need now, more, is concrete action and international community must do everything in their capacity including stopping all ties that allow the military junta to kill their own civilians. and a statement of concern and a letter does not help anything. the people of myanmar do not have any choice anymore to defend themselves in the hand of this brutal military. it is a tragic story. thank you very much for talking to us about it. stay safe and thank you for coming on. france has broken its daily record for covid infections. it's recorded more than 100,000 covid infections in the space of 2a hours. the health authorities there say an additional 10a,611 people have contracted covid—19 — with the spiralling number being driven by the 0micron variant. it's been a chaotic christmas for thousands of people trying to catch flights home in the us — as surging covid cases have side—lined pilots and other crew members — leaving people stranded at airports. christmas eve saw around 690 flights cancelled, leaving some travellers with no choice but to spend the night in a departure lounge. almost 900 domestic and internationalflights in and out of the country have been cancelled today. and there've also been around 800 delayed christmas day flights. most of the affected airlines have attributed the disruption to the growing number of 0micron cases in the united states, which make up for nearly three quarters of the country's coronavirus cases. the queen has spoken movingly in her christmas day message about her grief at the death of her husband, prince philip. she said there was "one familiar laugh missing" — and expressed empathy with other families who'd lost loved ones this year. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. windsor castle on christmas morning. the royal standard signifying that the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwalljoined the congregation at st george's chapel for morning service. the queen did not attend as a precaution against covid, according to officials. from the very first moments of the queen's broadcast, there was a keen sense of the loss she has felt over the death of prince philip last april, after their 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. this year, especially, i understand why. but for me, in the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth and the world. his sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible. that mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when i first set eyes on him. she spoke about the happiness she gained from seeing members of herfamily embracing the roles and values which meant so much to her, and she recalled how her husband's work on the environment was being taken forward. i am proud beyond words that his pioneering work has been taken on and magnified by our eldest son charles, and his eldest son william, admirably supported by camilla and catherine. while covid again means we cannot celebrate quite as we may have wished... there was a passing reference to covid and a look ahead to the platinum jubilee. but this above all was a broadcast from a wife mourning her husband. there would still be joy at christmas, the queen said, even with one familiar laugh missing. so a very personal message from the queen at the end of a sad and in some ways rather troubling year, with the death of her husband and difficulties within the royal family. the year has also ended with concerns about her own health, concerns which the palace does its best to downplay, preferring instead to look ahead to next year and the platinum jubilee. nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. pope francis has called for more dialogue and warned against a tendency to withdraw during the coronavirus pandemic. here's the pope addressing a crowd at saint peter's square during his christmas day speech. translation: in this time of andemic translation: in this time of pandemic we _ translation: in this time of pandemic we have _ translation: in this time of pandemic we have come - translation: in this time of pandemic we have come to i pandemic we have come to realise this more and more, that our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried. there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together. 0n the international level, too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking shortcuts. the biggest space telescope ever constructed has been launched into orbit. the james webb telescope is on board a european ariane rocket which took off from french guiana. it's the successor to the hubble telescope, and designed to beam back unprecedented images of the universe. it's the most powerful ever built and the developers hope it will reveal stars and galaxies from the birth of the universe as well as distant planets which could provide evidence of life beyond earth. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle reports. and we have engine start. and lift—off. the start of a blockbuster astronomy mission. james webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe. inside this rocket is the biggest telescope ever sent into space. punching a hole through the clouds. 20 seconds into the flight... this is the james webb space telescope. it's a successor to hubble, but 100 times more powerful. after three decades in the making, and a cost of $10 billion, it's finally on its way. we've never attempted anything like that in space before. we're going to be entering a whole new regime of astrophysics. a new frontier. and that is what gets so many of us excited about james webb space telescope. this space telescope is a feat of engineering. at its heart is a 6.5 metre—wide mirror, made up of 18 hexagonal segments, each coated in a layer of gold. its size means it can detect the incredibly faint light coming from the most distant stars. it also has a huge sun shield, about the size of a tennis court. it's made up of five layers, each as thin as a human hair, and this protects the telescope from the heat and light of the sun. sitting a million miles away from the earth, the telescope will give us our deepest ever view of the cosmos. from seeing the birth of the very first stars and galaxies, to revealing new planets in far—flung solar systems. what excites me is making discoveries, things we haven't thought about. and there's a whole history of astronomy that shows how, when we've looked at the universe in a new way, we discover things we hadn't thought about. and there's something really exciting about doing that. to get into space, the telescope is so big, it's been folded up to fit inside the rocket. the most challenging part is getting it to unfurl. it's been practised here on earth, and that's hard enough. there are 300 points where it could go wrong, but if anything fails in space, the telescope is too far away to be fixed. separation, webb space telescope. go, webb! applause. this is the most ambitious space telescope ever built. now its mission has finally begun and our view of the universe is about to be transformed. rebecca morelle, bbc news. tom kerss is an astronomer and author — he explains the significance of the telescope and its price tag. it started back in the 90s and it started back in the 90s and i have been following this mission for my entire professional life and as a student so it has taken a long time to get here and it is a red letter day for astronomy. yes, it is expensive but it is a highly capable platform for astronomy and it will provide astronomy and it will provide as much as ten years of absolutely cutting—edge astronomical observations. and when you look at the success of something like hubble, well, the pricetag seems a bit more reasonable. these things are worth paying for because they make a tremendous contribution to the scientific community. as astronomers have the closest you can get to time travel as we look back into the real past, catching the light that left, in most cases before any of us were born and in the case of us were born and in the case of james of us were born and in the case ofjames webb, we're looking back to a time before any galaxies, perhaps were born, but the time when the first stars formed, when the universe was just a tiny fraction of 1% of the age it is now. it is astonishing to think about seeing things that have never been seen before and building an instrument, building a giant eye in space designed specifically to dojust eye in space designed specifically to do just that. it will take us into a new era of astrophysics and that is why this date, thankfully a memorable date, is one i think astronomers and scientists from many disciplines will remember for a very long time. in general, the public are going to find the next big date for this mission even more memorable in about six months time when we see the first images from the telescope and i think it is really going to blow people's minds. i don't know what that subject is going to be yet but i can say it will be unprecedented and look like nothing we have seen before. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: residents on the spanish island of la palma breathe a sigh of relief as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end after three months. the world of music's been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away. .n its place. — the russian flag was hoisted over what is now— no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. | day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shkoder where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: save the children condemns the military in myanmar for the deaths of 38 people found in burnt—out vehicles in kayah state. queen elizabeth speaks about her grief over the death of her husband, prince philip, in her christmas day message. spanish officials say the volcanic eruption in the canary islands has finally come to an end after three months. no—one was injured during the 85—day ordeal on the island of la palma but the volcano destroyed properties and submerged hundreds of hectares of land, as jack surfleet reports. it was the first eruption on la palma since 1971. the cumbre vieja volcano burst into action on the 19th of september, flowing down the mountain, through villages and standing up through villages and standing up to 600 metres wide. —— spanning. in its path were 1300 homes, churches and schools. all of which were destroyed. rescue teams helped to relocate more than 7000 people from their homes. many have lost almost everything they own. an exclusion zone was set up around the flow, including in the sea where the molten rock boiled seawater, released poisonous gases and increased the size of the island. there had been no earth tremors since the 13th of december. the longest period without any activity since the eruption began. but authorities were wary of raising false hope and held off until christmas day to give the message that many had been so desperate for. translation: been so desperate for. tuna/mom- been so desperate for. translation: ~ ., ., ., translation: what i want to say today can be said with just - today can be said with just four words— the eruption is over. it is an emotional relief but i think we can add one more word to the message. the word hope. because we can now focus all of our energy in reconstruction of the island. the spanish prime minister pedro sanchez described it as the best christmas present. his government has pledged over 200 million euros to help people living on the island piece together their homes and their livelihoods after the longest ever eruption on record. jack surfleet, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. officials in the democratic republic of congo say at least six people have been killed by a suicide bomb attack in the eastern city of beni. the mayor narcisse muteba said the bomber had killed himself and five other people. it isn't clear whether any group was behind the attack but security forces are investigating. gunfire. security forces in the sudanese capital khartoum have fired tear gas in an effort to disperse the latest pro—democracy protests. the demonstrators converged on the presidential palace for the second time in a week but were met by a heavy security presence. earlier, the military government restricted phone and internet services and blocked roads leading to the city. cricket, and england's hopes of fighting back in the third ashes test already look to be in trouble. they've lost a couple of early wickets on the first day of the boxing day test in melbourne. a few moments ago, they were at 36/2. australia hold a 2—0 lead in the series. for millions of people around the world, christmas day has drawn to a close but for millions more, there are still a few hours left to enjoy. it's been another difficult festive season as the 0micron variant of coronavirus spreads, but people still found time to celebrate. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. ho, ho! sometimes, youjust have to make the best of things. here in northern romania, father christmas and a trip of carol singers doing the rounds. bringing a little festive cheer and an awful lot of sugar. translation: ha. festive cheer and an awful lot of sugar. translation: ho, ho, ho! we have _ of sugar. translation: ho, ho, ho! we have given _ of sugar. translation: ho, ho, ho! we have given out _ of sugar. translation: ho, ho, ho! we have given out more - of sugar. translation: ho, ho, j ho! we have given out more than 5000 chocolates, cakes, thousands of candles, waffles and greetings for every home. people celebrate in a variety of different ways. in bournemouth, for instance, they run into the sea, despite the far from run into the sea, despite the farfrom ideal temperatures. two, one! aha, far from ideal temperatures. two. one!— two, one! a certain gush of masochism, _ two, one! a certain gush of masochism, perhaps, - two, one! a certain gush of masochism, perhaps, but l two, one! a certain gush of - masochism, perhaps, but some altruism as well does make it was all in aid of a local charity. while christmas compassion in rome. the church of santa maria laying on its traditional annual lunch for the poor and needy. a generosity of spirit perhaps needed now more than ever. translation:— needed now more than ever. translation: fighting together a . ainst translation: fighting together against difficulties _ translation: fighting together against difficulties and _ against difficulties and accepting that hope is also fragile, like a child, needs to be cared for, protected and nourished # that's how we do it, with friendship and the strength of sympathy. friendship and the strength of s math . ~ , friendship and the strength of sympathy-— sympathy. merry christmas. merry christmas. _ sympathy. merry christmas. merry christmas. happy - merry christmas. happy holidays. _ merry christmas. happy holidays, happy - merry christmas. happy holidays, happy new. merry christmas. happy. holidays, happy new year merry christmas. happy - holidays, happy new year from all of _ holidays, happy new year from all of expedition 66. and christmas _ all of expedition 66. and christmas wishes - all of expedition 66. and christmas wishes from i all of expedition 66.:531c christmas wishes from 400 kilometres up above the earth. the crew of the international space station most wearing festive hats, elevating the holidays as best they can, in zero gravity. amongst their number, father christmas riding what appears to be a turtle. he certainly gets about! tim allman, bbc news. an exhibition has been taking place of photos tracing 70 years of history and christmas events in bethlehem. the pictures were taken from the 1950s onwards by one of the town's first official photographers, maurice michael, whose son later took up the same trade as a bbc news cameraman. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman has their story. in this story of christmas, the star of bethlehem is the one behind the camera. maurice michael was one of the town's first official photographers. with his son jimmy, he recalls christmas is passed. —— with his sonjimmy, he recalls christmases past. morice, christian palestinian, watched the world change in front of his lens. his images called moments in time in the holy land —— maurice. but while the west bank went through war and political travolta, his was and political travolta, his was a job of documenting bethlehem's vip visitors —— tumult. the town and its folks through the decades. and, of course, every year, he captured christmas. find and, of course, every year, he captured christmas.— captured christmas. and here, m dad captured christmas. and here, my dad was — captured christmas. and here, my dad was filming _ captured christmas. and here, my dad was filming the - my dad was filming the celebration and here i am. he filmed me while i was in the scouts. i was a good scout! 0h, here, here does make this is at home with santa. 0h, here, here does make this is at home with santa. oh, my god. i remember i started working with him since i was 12, popping him down in the dark room, developing the pictures. when m son developing the pictures. when my son say — developing the pictures. when my son say to _ developing the pictures. when my son say to me _ developing the pictures. when my son say to me that - developing the pictures. when my son say to me that he - developing the pictures. when| my son say to me that he want to he _ my son say to me that he want to he a — my son say to me that he want to be a photographer, i told him — to be a photographer, i told him no _ to be a photographer, i told him no. no, no. try another life! — him no. no, no. try another life! �* , ., ., ., life! but instead, he followed his dad. jimmy _ life! but instead, he followed his dad. jimmy went - life! but instead, he followed his dad. jimmy went on - life! but instead, he followed his dad. jimmy went on to i his dad. jimmy went on to become a veteran middle east cameraman with the bbc. capturing the region's epic moments and living its turbulence.— moments and living its turbulence. , , turbulence. this is in libya, covering — turbulence. this is in libya, covering the _ turbulence. this is in libya, covering the refugees - turbulence. this is in libya, | covering the refugees taking boats to europe. this is in egypt. this is in syria, up there. this is encourages them. this christmas, an exhibition of maurice public pictures is taking place in bethlehem. covid has again hit the town based on tourism. but these pictures of the past key people's faith and their hope shining. but for keeps. do you like these pictures? does he shoot as well as you? tom bateman, bbc news, bethlehem. time now to show you some pictures from the uk. it's officially a white christmas! reports of snow have been confirmed in the yorkshire dales in england and in parts of scotland, including here in the village of insh in the highlands. there was even evidence that santa paws had visited the village of torphins, in aberdeenshire, as you can see here! what we have all been dreaming of! you can reach me on twitter. i'm @sipusey. 0ne uses on our website. from me and the rest of the team, giver watching and stay tuned on bbc news. —— more news is on our website. on bbc news. —— more news is on ourwebsite. —— on bbc news. —— more news is on our website. —— thank you for watching. hello, there, and a very merry christmas to you. we have seen a band of rain and hill snow working its way northwards across the country to end christmas day and into the early hours of boxing day. most of that rain and hill snow will become confined to the north of the country, certainly across scotland through the day, and then we will see something a bit brighter with some showers following in across the south. so this weather front has continued to journey northwards as it bumped into the cold air which has been sitting across the north and east of the country — that's where we've been seeing the rain turn to snow initially across the hills of north wales, the north midlands, and also northern ireland, but very much so across the pennines and in towards central and southern scotland, some drifting with strong winds as we head through the course of boxing day morning. into the afternoon, that rain and hill snow becomes confined to the hills of scotland. something a little bit drier further south — a legacy of cloud, mind you. there will be some brightness for northern ireland, wales, the south—west. winds light here but still strong and gusty further north, close to that weather front. and again, it's going to another cold day across northern areas, particularly where we have any lying snow over the hills, versus again something much milder in the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front to the north begins to fizzle out, taking the rain and the hill snow with it. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather, lighter winds, clear spells — a recipe for some mist and fog — but further south, into the south—west, we've got a new weather front working its way in. so some milder, wetter, windier weather arriving here. instead, a cold night to come across the north. so here it is, this new area of low pressure is a weather front swiping the south—west and then the south of the country as we move through the day. i think most of the impact will be felt across france, but we'll still have enough wind and rain for it to be noticeable. initially, south wales and south west england, pushing into the midlands and across in towards the south—east through the day. it'll turn mild and windy with it. further north, not a bad day to come, particularly across scotland and northern england. it will be chilly but it'll be bright with plenty of sunshine. those temperatures struggling to get much above six oi’ seven degrees. but again, double—figure values across the south. and the mild air really wins out as we move through the new week in the run—up to new year. it could turn very mild for a time, those winds coming up from the south or south—west. — but low pressure will always be nearby and, in fact, it will be quite wet and windy at times. but it could become balmy mild for a while across southern areas, even into the first part of january. see you later. this is bbc news, the headlines: the charity, save the children, has condemned what it called an attack by the myanmar military in which it says at least 38 people were killed. several charred bodies were found in burnt—out vehicles in kayah state. the charity says two of its humanitarian staff are missing. the queen has used her christmas day message to pay tribute to her late husband prince philip. he died in april aged 99 — the couple had been married for 73 years. queen elizabeth said she understood why christmas was hard for those who had lost loved ones, this year. in his annual christmas message to people gathered in saint peter's square, pope francis has highlighted the tragedies in syria and yemen. the pontiff also called for more international dialogue — and warned against a tendency for nations to withdraw during the coronavirus pandemic. now on bbc news, our world: barbados — road to a republic.