given us amazing images. butjames webb is much more powerful. its mirror is almost three times bigger, which means it can reveal parts of the cosmos we ve never seen before. gazing up into the heavens can help us to answer some of the biggest questions like where we come from and how did we get here? this space telescope will help us to look further back in time than ever before to 13 and a half billion years ago, revealing the light from the very first stars to shine. the final preparations have been under way. it s an incredibly tight fit, as the rocket is tentatively lowered over the folded telescope. this is high stakes science, but if it works, it could lead to discoveries that scientists haven t even dreamt of. rebecca morrell, bbc news. to the vatican where the pope has been holding the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas
to the vatican where the pope has been holding the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas season, saying their pride, self interest and the glitter of our armor was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church s mission. here s a taste of events at taking place there. they sing the duchess of cambridge has performed at her own christmas carol event, taking to the piano at a special service
the queen s 70 years on the throne. uppermost in the minds of the palace planners, of course, will be the question of the queen s health. it s always a sensitive matter. it has particular significance after the recent concerns, and given that next year is the year of her platinumjubilee. the queen will certainly want to be involved in thejubilee as fully as possible, and there will be another event of special significance to her a service of thanksgiving for the life of the duke of edinburgh, which, it has been announced, will take place at westminster abbey in the spring. nicholas witchell, bbc news. to the vatican, where the pope has been holding the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas season, saying their pride, self interest and the glitter of our armor was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church s mission. here s a taste of events at taking place there
of the land to houses. the characters of christmas come to life. in this olive wood factory, ibrahim is the only worker here today. normally, he d be joined by four more. for palestinian christians in this part of the west bank, life has been a challenge, says nabeel, whose family has run the shop for decades. we could keep our workers till the moment, but i don t know. you know, it s hard. i have two shops one is here. the one on the manger square, it s been like 2a months, zero income. it s sad it s not normal to see bethlehem this way. but at christmas, there s always light to look up to. as this town celebrates, it remains a year of hope against the odds. merry christmas! tom bateman, bbc news, bethlehem. the pope has been celebrating the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility
the headlines: millions around the world face travel disruption over christmas, as the surge in omicron variant cases sees more than four thousand flights cancelled due to staff shortages. united airlines says it s contacting impacted passengers before they arrive at the airport. china and the us are the worst affected countries. christmas celebrations have taken place in bethlehem, culminating in a mass at the church of the nativity, built at the site where jesus is said to have been born. earlier, in his christmas eve mass, pope francis called for more solidarity with those living in poverty around the world. and final preparations are underway for the launch of a rocket carrying a space telescope that could transform our understanding of the universe. the rocket carrying the james webb space telescope will take off from french guiana later on saturday. it s the successor to the hubble space telescope.