on la palma finally comes to an end. 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 are also missing. aung chow moe is an advisor to the national unity government's ministry of human rights. he says the attack is shocking. the junta has run down elderly people, women, children. no less than 30 people have been burnt 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 the timing of this attack. does it look like a targeted attack to you all more random? anyone who could be 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 thejunta 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 that the militaryjunta are saying its troops 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 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 child be harmful? 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 to different people and the junta troops continue the cycle and do not care whether they are committing international humanitarian law or not. you mentioned 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? we have seen 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 economic ties to military businesses. 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. 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 104,611 people have contracted covid—19 with the spiralling number being driven by the 0micron variant. it's been another distressful christmas in hospitals across the united states as the country battles a surge in infections, driven by 0micron. some intensive care units are close to capacity — or struggling to replace staff who are sick with the virus. about one in every five icu beds is occupied by a covid—19 patient, although it's much higher in some states. and there's concern in new york, where the authorities are urging parents to get their children overfive vaccinated because of a spike in hospitalisations among under eighteens. let's look at the situation in michigan where covid cases have spiked since october. andrewjameson is an infectious disease doctor at mercy health st mary's hospital, which is already dealing with the delta variant. thank you forjoining us. what is the situation now in michigan?— is the situation now in michigan? is the situation now in michiaan? ~ . , ., michigan? we are still under a ton of pressure _ michigan? we are still under a ton of pressure from - michigan? we are still under a ton of pressure from covid. i michigan? we are still under a ton of pressure from covid. al ton of pressure from covid. a huge proportion of our hospital and icu are still sick with people with covid and we are just starting to now see 0micron surges hit us. we have been a little delayed from the rest of the country in that we are starting to see those numbers pick up. so we're looking forward to the next few weeks — few months. and for those in michigan watching who may be worried about catching the virus, what advice would you give? now is the time to be smarter get vaccinated. your circles a little title so you do not run out and see quite as many people as you normally would and just be smart about what you were doing. it is the time now to mask up, get vaccinated and be safe. what are the conditions _ vaccinated and be safe. what are the conditions in - vaccinated and be safe. what are the conditions in your - are the conditions in your hospital like? they say it is pretty bad, what do you see on the floor? we pretty bad, what do you see on the floor?— the floor? we are down from 11596 the floor? we are down from "596 capacity _ the floor? we are down from 11596 capacity where - the floor? we are down from 11596 capacity where we - the floor? we are down from 11596 capacity where we are i 115% capacity where we are using a lot more beds than we ever normally would. we're to under 100% and things are a little better. we still have a temporary reprieve. 0ur numbers are half of what they were three weeks ago. so we're feeling little better at this moment but when we see the numbers pick up in the community we start to get nervous about what will come. it is a temporary reprieve, it is still not good but we are worried about where we're headed. �* , ., worried about where we're headed. �* , ., headed. are you yet in a position _ headed. are you yet in a position to _ headed. are you yet in a position to make - headed. are you yet in a position to make plans | headed. are you yet in a i position to make plans and reparations for 0micron or are you still battling delta? it is double whammy. _ you still battling delta? it is double whammy. the - you still battling delta? it 3 double whammy. the delta variant makes a lot of people sick and impacting our hospital numbers but when we deal with 0micron it is changing what we do with some of our outpatient treatments and monoclonal antibody therapy is. we have to make quick pivots to therapies that would previously have worked against delta that no longer work. worked against delta that no longerwork. so worked against delta that no longer work. so it is fighting on something on two fronts and it is much more challenging. andrewjameson from michigan, andrew jameson from michigan, best andrewjameson from michigan, best of luck which the track with what sounds like difficult conditions. thank you for bringing us up—to—date. 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 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. 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. m 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. two more members of the k—pop boy band bts have tested positive for covid—19 after returning to south korea from a concert tour in the us. the rapper rm and the vocalist jin received positive results a day after another member of the seven—member group, songwriter suga, became infected. it is bad news forfans. bts has led a global k—pop craze in recent years. let's bring in australian k—pop presenter and expert andy trieu in sydney, australia. thank you forjoining us. this happened on the back of a big tour. is it likely to be courted there? —— caught it there. courted there? -- caught it there. , , ., , ., there. definitely it was a massive _ there. definitely it was a massive two _ there. definitely it was a massive two and - there. definitely it was a massive two and the - there. definitely it was a l massive two and the boys there. definitely it was a - massive two and the boys tested positive on returning from the us, where they have these massive concerts at the agency confirmed suga was diagnosed with covid, rm and gin but our end that received their positive tests after instant they were in self—quarantine, gin was released from quarantine after testing negative and receiving a positive test later on. == negative and receiving a positive test later on. -- jin. how other— positive test later on. -- jin. how other fans _ positive test later on. -- jin. how other fans reacting - positive test later on. -- jin. - how other fans reacting because how otherfans reacting because honestly bts are massive. fans have spread _ honestly bts are massive. fans have spread the _ honestly bts are massive. fans have spread the intimate - honestly bts are massive. fans have spread the intimate with words of encouragement for the boys. even trending that the words get the hell out of here covid and that rendered worldwide on twitter. so basically, fans are devastated by the news and wishing them the best. it's not the best news but _ the best. it's not the best news but they _ the best. it's not the best news but they have - the best. it's not the best - news but they have announced a break? , ., ., . ., , .,~ break? they announced a break recently after _ break? they announced a break recently after their _ break? they announced a break recently after their los - recently after their los angeles concepts and they will take several weeks off and start preparing for their massive concerts that will happen from march in seoul and a new chapterfor the music happen from march in seoul and a new chapter for the music as well so hopefully, this will give them enough time to re—energise and create some great work. re-energise and create some great work-— re-energise and create some great work. and in the interim before they — great work. and in the interim before they do _ great work. and in the interim before they do that, _ great work. and in the interim before they do that, do - great work. and in the interim before they do that, do you i before they do that, do you have any information on what they may be doing? 0bviously two of them are now recovering from covid. i two of them are now recovering from covid-— from covid. i know in the meantime _ from covid. i know in the meantime they _ from covid. i know in the meantime they are - from covid. i know in the i meantime they are working from covid. i know in the - meantime they are working on some solo projects as well and also really preparing for the new chapter of music that they are going to announce leading up are going to announce leading up to march concerts so exciting times for fans but just really wishing them all of the best and a quick recovery. absolutely and in terms of maybe how they courted, either any lessons to be in terms of touring —— caught it. it's hard with covid with sports teams but also with bands. is there anything better they could have done to not catch this? i anything better they could have done to not catch this?- done to not catch this? i guess it comes down _ done to not catch this? i guess it comes down to _ done to not catch this? i guess it comes down to being - it comes down to being extremely covid when you can but being extremely famous, bts, i'm sure it can be quite difficult —— covid safe. social distancing and wearing a mask is helpful but who knows, i'm sure the boys are quite cautious themselves but, yeah, we will see how we go.- we will see how we go. andy trieu, we will see how we go. andy trieu. live — we will see how we go. andy trieu, live in _ we will see how we go. andy trieu, live in sydney, - we will see how we go. andy trieu, live in sydney, thankl trieu, live in sydney, thank you for bringing us up to date. thank you, simon. 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 spanning up to 600 metres wide. in its path were 1,300 homes, churches and schools, all of which were destroyed. rescue teams helped to relocate more than 7,000 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: what i want to say 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. we can now speak to erik klemetti, who's an associate professor of geosciences at denison university. how certain can we be that the volcano has now stopped erupting? i volcano has now stopped erupting?_ volcano has now stopped erupting? i would say that based on _ erupting? i would say that based on what _ erupting? i would say that based on what i _ erupting? i would say that based on what i have - erupting? i would say that based on what i have readj erupting? i would say that - based on what i have read and what they've said in the announcement, it's pretty certain that it is done, at least for the time being because we don't see any of the earthquakes that were leading up earthquakes that were leading up to it before and we don't see the same gases coming out of the ground and the signs are there is nothing really doing at the moment. in there is nothing really doing at the moment.— there is nothing really doing at the moment. in terms of la palma itself, _ at the moment. in terms of la palma itself, how _ at the moment. in terms of la palma itself, how active - at the moment. in terms of la palma itself, how active has . at the moment. in terms of la palma itself, how active has it| palma itself, how active has it beenin palma itself, how active has it been in the last few decades? is it the case it could remain dormant for another couple of years and then start again? that's always the trickiest thing because volcanoes are kind of hard to say that they have sort of regular periods where they will be quiet and then start erupting again. it could be that the eruption doesn't, there will not be another eruption for 50 years or we could see something where it could be a heightened period of activity that they will just watch for the same science based on before two give us clues there may be something happening. irate clues there may be something happening-— happening. we are seeing ictures happening. we are seeing pictures out _ happening. we are seeing pictures out of— happening. we are seeing pictures out of the - happening. we are seeing pictures out of the ash - happening. we are seeing - pictures out of the ash spewing out and we have seen pictures over the last couple of months, really, of these huge plumes of ash and smoke that have landed. what will that do to the area and people returning to the area, how poisonous others gases and ask?— area, how poisonous others gases and ask? the gases, they will be much — gases and ask? the gases, they will be much more _ gases and ask? the gases, they will be much more deluded - gases and ask? the gases, they| will be much more deluded now, because the eruption is not actively happening back of all the ash. the ash is not a poison has just as something that will be difficult to work around. they will have to either dig things out, they will have trouble planting anything because it takes time for that material to break down but luckily, it is not something that is truly a toxic hazard as much as something thatis hazard as much as something that is sort of burying your town and everything around you. how inhabitable the area be now? will they really have to work on it for months and months? i work on it for months and months?— work on it for months and months? ., . ., , work on it for months and months? ., .., , ., months? i mean, in the case of eruptions _ months? i mean, in the case of eruptions that _ months? i mean, in the case of eruptions that are _ months? i mean, in the case of eruptions that are similar - months? i mean, in the case of eruptions that are similar to - eruptions that are similar to this that we have seen in hawaii, people have gone back and rebuilt on top of the lava flows that destroyed their old homes. and sometimes they come back and rebuild the neighbourhood within years of an event like this happening but it's an entirely different landscape, it has been paved by lava and buried by ash we have to look at it as sort of building yourself a new community out of this new landscape. community out of this new landscape-— landscape. would you say there is any sort _ landscape. would you say there is any sort of — landscape. would you say there is any sort of precautions - landscape. would you say there is any sort of precautions to - is any sort of precautions to take all lessons for authorities to learn, just one of those things that are volcano can erupt? i think that's what _ volcano can erupt? i think that's what it _ volcano can erupt? i think that's what it is. - volcano can erupt? i think that's what it is. they - volcano can erupt? i think that's what it is. they did| volcano can erupt? i thinkl that's what it is. they did a remarkable job with the level of so few, if any, injuries or fatalities and they got people out of the way and capable warning and now they have a sense that it is over.- sense that it is over. one, thank you _ sense that it is over. one, thank you very _ sense that it is over. one, thank you very much - sense that it is over. one, thank you very much for l thank you very much for bringing us up to date and i guess with a volcano, it is one of those things. erik klemetti. have a happy christmas. thank you. to cricket and england's hopes of fighting backin england's hopes of fighting back in the ashes test to be in trouble after losing the toss, put into bat and losing three wickets on the morning of the first day of the boxing day test, the last coming just after the lunch break and england are currently 61—3 and australia hold a 2—0 lead in the series. that's just about it from us. follow me on twitter. from me and the rest of the team, thank you for watching and stay tuned right here on bbc news. hello, there, and a very merry christmas to you. we've being seeing 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'll see something a little 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 the strong winds as we head through the course of boxing day morning. into the afternoon, that rain and hill snow become confined to the hills of scotland. something a little bit drier further south — a legacy of cloud, mind you. and there will be some brightness for northern ireland, wales, the south—west. winds light here but still strong and gusty further north, closer 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 something much milder across the south and south—west. as we move out of boxing day, that weather front in 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, 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, it's time for dateline london, with shaun ley.