Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia made a “conscious choice” by launching a major attack on his country’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.

Ukraine’s air force said it had detected 184 missiles and drones, but many were shot down or missed their targets.

It said there were casualties from the strikes but gave no figures.

Moscow confirmed the attack and said its goal had been achieved.

The attack led to power cuts across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, where some residents sheltered in metro stations.

Russia’s defence confirmed its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on “critical” energy facilities in Ukraine.

It added that the strike had been a success and all targets were hit.

This was the 13th major attack on Ukraine’s energy sector this year, the country’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said.

In September, President Zelensky said 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had been destroyed by Russian bombs.

Responding to Wednesday’s attacks, Zelensky said the timing had been a “conscious choice”.

He called them “inhumane” and said work was being done to restore power as soon as possible.

“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas”, he added.

This is the second time Ukraine has celebrated Christmas Day on 25 December. It traditionally followed the Julian calendar, like Russia, where Christmas falls on 7 January.

In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest – the attack left half a million people without water, electricity or heating in bitterly cold temperatures, the regional governor said.

Ukrainians across the country woke to sound of air raid alarms, and were told to shelter as the attacks unfolded in the morning.

Kyiv residents sheltered in metro stations, with one local telling Reuters news agency that she felt angry and frightened.

“Of course, I want to be at home and celebrate, but we had to shelter because it’s scary to stay at home,” Sofiia Lytvynenko said.

Another Kyiv resident, Oleksandra, said that despite the attack, “Christmas is not cancelled”.

She told Reuters that she planned to enjoy traditional Ukrainian food and drink with family and friends after it is safe to leave the shelter.

Ukraine’s state-owned power company, Ukrenergo, warned Ukrainians that power cuts could last until at least the end of the day.

It has imposed usage restrictions while it tries to restore service.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strikes as “Christmas terror”.

He said a Russian missile went through Moldovan and Romanian airspace “reminding that Russia threatens not only Ukraine”.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the strike and confirmed that a missile was detected in the country’s airspace.

Romania said it did not detect a missile in its airspace.

Elsewhere, four people were killed and five others injured by Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the region’s acting governor.

Dozens of people have died after a passenger plane crashed with about 70 people on board in Kazakhstan, local officials say.

Authorities in Azerbaijan, where the flight originated, say there were at least 30 survivors.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 caught fire as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau.

The plane was en route to Grozny in Russia but it was diverted due to fog, the airline told the BBC.

Footage shows the aircraft heading towards the ground at high speed with its landing gear down, before bursting into flames as it lands.

The airline said the plane “made an emergency landing” about 3km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

It took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday, and crashed around 06:28, data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

Reports from Russian media say the aircraft collided with a flock of birds before crashing, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Officials from the countries involved have stated different numbers for those who were on board and for those who survived.

The airline said 62 passengers and 5 crew members were on board the Embraer 190 but other reports put the total at 72. The reported number of survivors ranges from 28 to 32.

Those on board were mostly Azerbaijani nationals, but there were also some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Azerbaijan Airlines said flights between Baku and the Russian cities of Grozny and Makhachkala would be cancelled while an investigation into the incident was completed.

Unverified video footage showed survivors crawling out of the wreckage, some with visible injuries.

Both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched investigations into the incident. Embraer told the BBC it was “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.

The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.

Embraer, a Brazilian manufacturer, is a smaller rival to Boeing and Airbus, and has a strong safety record.

You can get in touch with BBC News via this link.

The King and Queen have attended a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, with the Prince and Princess of Wales and other royals by their side.

Excited crowds watched on as the monarch and his family headed into St Mary Magdalene Church, Norfolk. A woman who previously had ovarian cancer told the BBC she was able to wish the King and Catherine well after their own cancer diagnoses.

It was announced last week that Prince Andrew would not attend the annual gathering after an alleged Chinese spy was found to have links to the royal.

The service took place hours before the King’s Christmas message is due to air – it will be delivered from a former hospital chapel.

The King, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales were joined by the prince and princess’s three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Also in the walking party were the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex.

The royals were greeted at the foot of the steps of the church by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams. Inside, the National Anthem was sung before the first hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful.

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The Christmas morning church service is a big event in the royal calendar, bringing together the Royal Family for a public appearance, with crowds and photographers capturing the moment.

Afterwards, the royals spend Christmas at their Sandringham estate, which has been the customary seasonal meeting place for the family since 1988.

Shelly from Shrewsbury in Shropshire said she had joined the crowds for the first time this year to support the King and Catherine.

Earlier this year, the pair announced their cancer diagnoses within weeks of each other – the King in February and the princess the following month.

“I was spending Christmas on my own and I wanted to turn a negative into a positive and I wanted to be here, really, for Catherine and Charles because of the journey that they’ve had,” Shelly told the BBC.

“She [Catherine]’s had a really tough year, and I just want to give my support”.

Also in the crowd was Diane from Oldham who shook hands with the King, Prince William and Catherine and their youngest son Prince Louis.

She told the BBC that it meant a lot to her, as an ovarian cancer survivor, to speak to the royals.

Diane said she was able to wish the King and Catherine good health for the new year, and that she has written to Catherine on various occasions about cancer and has had “lovely replies”.

“People don’t realise how it [cancer] does affect you as a family, so I wanted to be here to see the whole family and see them celebrate Christmas.”

While Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York did not attend the service, their daughter Princess Beatrice – accompanied by her husband, property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and his son Christopher Woolf from a previous marriage – did.

Prince Andrew’s absence was confirmed after Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang, was named as being an alleged Chinese spy who had been banned from entering the UK.

The man, reported to have been part of an operation to get close to figures of influence, was described by judges of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission court as having an “unusual degree of trust” with the prince.

Prince Andrew’s office said nothing sensitive had ever been discussed with Mr Yang.

The prince is seldom seen in public since apologising for his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and no longer takes part in frontline royal duties.

Later on Christmas Day, the monarch’s traditional speech was broadcast as usual on television and radio.

It was recorded earlier this month in the Fitzrovia Chapel, central London, and marks the first time in more than a decade that the Christmas message has been recorded from a place that is not in a royal palace or estate.

Fitzrovia was once the chapel of Middlesex Hospital.

The location suggests that healthcare and supporting community links could be themes for the annual speech.

Kensington Palace released a video in September which showed Catherine announcing that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment, and promoted the message that “out of darkness can come light”.

She recently marked her biggest return to royal duties after finishing chemotherapy by hosting a carol service at Westminster Abbey. The event was dedicated to individuals who have shown love, kindness and empathy to their communities.

Meanwhile, the King’s regular sessions of treatment continue, but as a sign of a positive response he has plans for a busy schedule of engagements and overseas trips in 2025.

President-elect Donald Trump ran on a platform of isolating the US from foreign conflicts like the Ukraine war, increasing tariffs on foreign trade partners, and rebuilding domestic manufacturing.

But in recent days he has suggested a more outwardly aggressive approach for his foreign policy.

At first, he joked about Canada being an additional US state. Since, he has threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal. He also reiterated a desire from his first term to own the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, which is not for sale.

The US is unlikely to take control of any of these regions. But these statements could indicate that Trump’s “America First” vision includes flexing the superpower’s muscle beyond its borders for US trade and national security interests.

On Sunday, Trump told a conservative conference in Arizona that Panama was charging US ships “ridiculous, highly unfair” fees to use its namesake canal.

After taking charge of building the canal in the early 20th century, the US turned full control over to Panama in the 1970s via a treaty. But this week, Trump said that if the “rip off” did not stop, he would demand the canal be returned to the US – though he did not specify how.

Trump added he did not want the Panama Canal “falling into the wrong hands” and specifically cited China, which has significant interests in the waterway.

“There’s a real US national security interest… in controlling its neutrality,” Will Freeman, a fellow on Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said of Trump’s remarks.

“Trump’s statement is mostly about that.”

China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the US, according to data. It has major economic investments in the country as well.

In 2017, Panama cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognised it as part of China, a major win for Beijing.

The Panama Canal is not only essential for US trade in the Pacific, Mr Freeman said – in the event of any military conflict with China, it would be needed to move US ships and other assets.

He also noted Trump’s frequent comments about trade partners’ unfair treatment of the US, as well as the president-elect’s pledge to sharply increase tariffs on foreign goods, particularly those from China.

Trump’s complaints about shipping fees seemed to reflect his views on trade, Mr Freeman said.

While the statements might be “coercive”, said Mr Freeman, it remained to be seen “whether canal authorities lower fees on US cargo in response to the threat”.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has released a statement saying that the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country – and would remain so.

Over the weekend, Trump said in a social media post that the US “feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for reasons of national security and global freedom.

The US maintains Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The territory is rich with natural resources, including rare earth minerals and oil, and occupies a strategic location for trade as global powers seek to expand their reach in the Arctic Circle.

Russia, in particular, sees the region as a strategic opportunity.

Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland in 2019, during his first term as president, and it never came to fruition.

Greenland’s prime minister, Múte B Egede, responded to Trump’s latest comments this week: “We are not for sale and we will not be for sale.”

Still, Trump continued emphasising his public statements online.

On Truth Social, Trump’s account showed an image of an American flag being planted in the middle of the Panama Canal.

His second-eldest son, Eric Trump, posted an image on X that showed the US adding Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada to an Amazon online shopping cart.

For Trump, promises to use America’s might to its advantage helped propel his two successful presidential campaigns.

It was a tactic he used during his first presidency, threatening tariffs and the deployment of “armed soldiers” to steer Mexico into beefing up enforcement along its US border.

Heading into his second term, Trump could plan to use a similar playbook once he takes office on 20 January.

While it remains to be seen what will happen, Denmark has expressed a willingness to work with his administration.

It also announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland, hours after Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory.

The birth of Jesus Christ – a seminal biblical event – has been the subject of many paintings by Western artists, who have often applied the ideas of beauty and creativity prevalent there while depicting the event on canvas.

These works are among the most widely available representations of Christian art, shaping how the world views this biblical event and subliminally divesting those outside the West from influencing it.

But over the centuries, artists in India have sought to express their vision of this event by painting Jesus’s birth and other Christian themes in their own style.

Some have done so consciously, others unconsciously, but the end result is a body of work that breathes new life and meaning into the event of Christ’s birth, and Christianity itself.

Here are some paintings from Indian art history that present Jesus’s birth from a uniquely local perspective.

Mughal emperor Muhammad Jalaluddin Akbar is credited with introducing northern India to Christianity by inviting Jesuit missionaries to visit his court.

The missionaries brought with them holy scriptures and European artworks on Christian themes which influenced court painters. Akbar and his successors also commissioned many murals with Christian themes and some court painters began infusing these paintings with elements of Islamic art.

Neha Vermani, a historian of South Asia, talks about a painting made by Mughal court artists which featured emperor Jahangir in the nativity scene, which traditionally feature Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

“Mughal rulers saw themselves as being ‘just’ rulers, capable of maintaining harmony and balance in their kingdoms; they were ‘universal rulers’. Allowing different religions to co-exist was integral to how they saw themselves and wanted themselves to be remembered,” Ms Vermani says.

The 18th Century painting below features typical stylistic elements of Mughal art, including highly stylised figures, vibrant colours, naturalism and ornamentation.

Born in 1887 in what is now India’s West Bengal state, Jamini Roy is celebrated for creating a unique visual language by bringing together elements of Bengali folk art and Kalighat paintings – a distinctive art form that originated in the vicinity of a renowned temple in Kolkata city.

Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director of art firm DAG says that art critic WG Archer once observed that Christ represented a Santhal figure (the Santhals are an Indian tribal group) for Jamini Roy.

“The simplicity of Christ’s life and his sacrifice appealed to Roy, making his paintings on Christian themes at least as important as those on Hindu mythology, all of them rendered in the folk style of modernism that he made distinctively his own,” he says.

Born in 1902 in the western state of Goa, Angelo de Fonseca is credited with creating unique Christian iconography that married Eastern and Western influences with his Goan sensibilities.

In his paintings, Mary isn’t depicted as a fair maiden in a blue gown, but looks very much like an Indian woman with brown skin, dressed in a sari and wearing a mangalsutra (a piece of traditional Indian jewellery worn by married Hindu women).

Biblical scenes unfold in local settings and feature motifs and elements that speak to an Indian audience.

Through his art, he tried to counter the narrative of the West being the cradle of beauty and artistic creativity.

“Fonseca wanted to situate Christianity – which has largely been viewed as a western religious tradition – within the Indian subcontinent. It was from this angst that his watercolours painted Christianity anew,” Rinald D’Souza, director of the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa, told the BBC.

An investigation by the Israeli military has found that the actions of their forces on the ground likely influenced the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August by Hamas.

It said the “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages”.

The probe also found that the soldiers were unaware of the hostages’ presence when they began their operation in the Rafah area. The hostages’ bodies were later recovered.

The killings sparked anger in Israel, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets demanding the government reach a ceasefire deal.

In late August, the Israeli troops found the bodies in an underground shaft in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah. The military said they were killed just before the soldiers reached them.

The probe said that Israel’s chief of the general staff “concluded that this was a painful and tragic event, with the extremely difficult outcome of the brutal murder of six hostages by Hamas”.

In a statement, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the investigation proved once again that the return of all those captured by Hamas during its deadly 7 October 2023 attack on Israel would only be possible through a deal.

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced increased pressure, with critics saying he has not done enough to secure the release of the hostages.

Israel responded to the Hamas attack by launching air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed during the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says. Almost 2m people – 90% of the population – have been displaced, according to the UN.

The UN and aid agencies have described the humanitarian situation in the enclave as “apocalyptic” and warned on several occasions that Gazans are on “the brink of famine” – accusing Israel of deliberately obstructing aid deliveries – something Israel denies.

According to Israel, 251 Israelis and foreigners were seized in last year’s Hamas attack.

Ninety-six of them are believed to still be held, with the remainder released, rescued or their remains recovered. Sixty-two are believed by Israel to still be alive. Four other hostages have been held since 2014 and 2015.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages are continuing.

Mr Netanyahu recently said that there had been “some progress” but that he could not say when the talks would be concluded. So far no breakthrough has been achieved – despite Palestinian officials telling the BBC they were very close to reaching a deal.

Rude gestures are rare on postage stamps, but Ukraine’s best known stamp has one. It shows a soldier raising the middle finger to a Russian warship in reference to a stand-off at Snake Island on day one of the full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.

The Russians demanded surrender but the Ukrainians refused, using unprintable language.

The warship in question, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk by the Ukrainians two days after the stamp was issued, and it sold out within a week of going on sale.

Such is the significance of the stamp that whatever was left was given to government delegations representing Ukraine on the world stage.

Ihor Smilyansky, the head of Ukraine’s postal company Ukrposhta, acknowledges it was a risqué step to take.

“It was my decision. I said – I don’t care whatever everyone else thinks. I just believe it’s the right thing to do,” he told the BBC. “I know it’s breaking all the philatelic [study of stamps] rules and all the rules. But we’re about breaking the rules.”

Ukrposhta often tests its designs on the public, and the results of such online polls tend to be very political too.

That was how Ukraine’s best-selling stamp came into being, showing a Ukrainian tractor towing a captured Russian tank and featuring the popular wartime greeting: “Good evening, we’re from Ukraine.”

Ukrposhta has sold about eight million such stamps.

Stamps featuring Ukraine’s famous mine-sniffing dog Patron earned Ukrposhta about $500,000 (£400,000): 80% of the money was spent on mine-clearing equipment, and the rest on animal shelters.

Another stamp of a mural left by renowned graffiti artist Banksy on a building devastated by shelling outside Kyiv, helped fund 10 bomb shelters. This stamp features another popular but unprintable Ukrainian slogan – this time directed against Vladimir Putin.

Ihor Smilyansky says a dose of humour is added to Ukrposhta’s stamps to maintain Ukrainian morale during the war with Russia.

“Humour has become a fighting force for Ukrainians in this war,” he tells the BBC. “Even in the most difficult circumstances you have to take it with a sense of humour. And that’s what our stamps are sometimes about.”

Oscar Young from UK-based stamp dealers and auctioneers Stanley Gibbons says Ukraine’s approach to stamps by focusing them on the war is highly unusual.

“Generally stamps are artistic and polite, but to go out your way and be quite rude, placing profanity and being very gesturous on stamps – that is quite unique to these particular issues,” he tells the BBC.

He says the frank image used on the warship stamp is what made the stamp so famous and caused such a stir when it was issued.

The distinctive character of Ukrainian stamps has earned them popularity with collectors worldwide.

Laura Bullivant from Gloucester, in the UK, believes that other stamps look bland by comparison.

“I think they’re like the Ukrainian thought process, they’re just strong, and they’re just not bowing down to whatever’s coming into their country,” she says.

“At a time of huge worry and awfulness, they are bringing something to the game that no other country could.”

A court in Turkey has sentenced the owner and architect of a hotel which collapsed in an earthquake in 2023, killing 72 people, to jail.

The owner of the Isias Grand, Ahmet Bozkurt, and architect Erdem Yilmaz, were each given 18 years and five months, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Bozkurt’s son, Mehmet Fatih, was sentenced to 17 years and four months, it said.

The hotel, in the south-eastern city of Adiyaman, was hosting a school volleyball team from Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus and a group of tourist guides when the quake hit last February.

The three men were convicted of “causing the death or injury of more than one person through conscious negligence”, Anadolou said.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel said the sentences were too lenient and that authorities would appeal, AFP new agency reported.

“Hotel owners did not get the punishment we had expected,” Ustel said. “But despite that, everyone from those responsible in the hotel’s construction to the architect was sentenced. That made us partially happy.”

More than 50,000 people died in Turkey and Syria in the quake on 6 February 2023.

Some 160,000 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged, leaving 1.5 million people homeless.

The Turkish government said a few weeks later that hundreds of people were under investigation and nearly 200 people had been arrested, including construction contractors and property owners.

A group of 39 people, including boys and girls, teachers and parents from Famagusta Turkish Education College, had travelled to Adiyaman for a volleyball tournament when the earthquake struck.

Four parents were the only survivors among them. They managed to dig themselves out of the rubble, while 35 others including all the children were killed.

The volleyball group had picked the seven-storey Isias Grand, along with as many as 40 tourist guides who were there for training.

It was one of Adiyaman’s best-known hotels but it collapsed in moments.

The Isias had been operating since 2001 but, according to scientific analysis, gravel and sand from the local river had been mixed with other construction materials to form the columns supporting the building.

The sheer scale of building collapses in the earthquake prompted widespread criticism of the Turkish government for encouraging a construction boom while failing to enforce building regulations, which had been tightened after earlier disasters.

At least three people died when armed men in Haiti opened fire at journalists, police and medical staff during a briefing to announce the reopening of the country’s biggest public hospital.

Two journalists and a police officer were reportedly shot dead, while others were wounded in Tuesday’s attack in the general hospital in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The site had been recaptured by Haiti’s government in July, after being occupied and destroyed by gangs.

The Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which controls much of the city, has owned up to the attack.

Pictures posted online appear to show several people injured or dead inside the building.

Journalists were waiting for the arrival of Health Minister Lorthe Blema when the shooting began.

Journalists Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean were killed during the attack, Robest Dimanche, spokesman for the Online Media Collective, told AFP news agency.

Other journalists were wounded, he added.

An officer was also killed, police spokesman Lionel Lazarre told AFP.

“It felt like a terrible movie,” Dieugo André, a photojournalist who witnessed the violence, was quoted as saying by The Haitian Times.

“I have the blood of several injured journalists on my clothes.”

In an online video claiming the attack, the Viv Ansanm gang alliance said it had not authorised the reopening of the hospital, which they occupied and destroyed in March.

The head of Haiti’s presidential transitional council, Leslie Voltaire, said: “We express our sympathy to all the victims’ families, in particularly to the Haiti National Police and all the journalists’ associations.

“We guarantee them that this act will not remain without consequences.”

People in Haiti continue to suffer with unbearable levels of gang violence, despite the installation of a new transition government in April and the deployment of an international force led by Kenyan police officers six months ago.

Haiti has been engulfed in a wave of gang violence since the assassination in 2021 of the then-president, Jovenel Moïse.

An estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince is still under gang control.

The UN says that as many as 5,000 people have been killed in violence in Haiti this year alone, and the country is now on the verge of collapse.

Actress Blake Lively was arguably the internet’s public enemy number one for a couple of weeks in the summer. She’s now filed an explosive legal case that she claims lifts the lid on “hostile work environments” that are created to harm reputations in Hollywood – and which are making people question who and what to believe.

Blake Lively had always been a pretty inoffensive kind of actress.

She had been in successful TV shows and films, like Gossip Girl and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. She married fellow superstar Ryan Reynolds. She’s friends with Taylor Swift.

Then in August, while promoting her latest movie It Ends With Us, she suddenly became controversial, to the verge of being cancelled.

She was criticised for comments appearing to downplay domestic violence, the film’s theme; while awkward old interviews were resurfaced and repurposed as evidence of bullying behaviour.

Public opinion – at least among those who knew and cared – seemed to have turned against her.

Then the film came out, the furore died down, and social media moved on.

But Lively has now filed a legal case that claims she suffered sexual harassment by It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni – and that when she complained, he and his studio Wayfarer retaliated by waging a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

She was the subject of “a sophisticated, co-ordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan” designed “to silence her”, involving a “weaponised a digital army” and fake stories being fed to “unwitting reporters”, her lawyers have alleged – and that’s why she became the focus of negative publicity.

Throughout the complaint, which spans some 80 pages, Lively’s team repeatedly accuses Badoni and Wayfarer of creating a “hostile work environment that nearly derailed production of the film”.

Her lawyers have published text messages sent between Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, a crisis communications specialist hired by his studio to help manage the harassment complaint. They appear to give a rare glimpse into conversations that are normally kept well out of the spotlight.

Nathan pitched a strategy to “start threads of theories” on social media, to “create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic”, and engage in “social manipulation”, according to the legal papers.

“You know we can bury anyone,” Nathan wrote to Abel in one damning discussion.

Now, the people hired to do crisis PR for Baldoni are doing crisis PR for themselves.

Abel has said Lively’s lawyers “cherry picked” messages to include in their case without crucial context, and that there was “no ‘smear’ implemented”.

“No negative press was ever facilitated, no social combat plan, although we were prepared for it as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario.

“But we didn’t have to implement anything because the internet was doing the work for us.”

The backlash against Lively occurred naturally and didn’t need their help, Abel said.

Lawyer Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni and his studio as well as Abel and Nathan, echoed that.

He said Baldoni hired a crisis manager due to “multiple demands and threats” allegedly made by Lively, including “threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met”.

He said the plan drawn up by Nathan’s firm “proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that, which the media themselves picked up on”.

Overall, Freedman called Lively’s complaint “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations”.

In recent days, Lively has received support from a string of former co-stars and others in Hollywood.

The name of one of her supporters stands out.

Amber Heard, former wife of Johnny Depp, told NBC: “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.’

“I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”

Heard was on the receiving end of social media hostility during two high-profile libel trials involving Depp in the UK and US in 2020 and 2022. Nathan also reportedly worked for Depp.

Freedman responded to Heard by saying the only connection between her and Lively was that “for decades every move they have made has been out there for everyone to see” so the public could “make up their own minds – which they did, organically”.

Tortoise Media head of investigations Alexi Mostrous, who hosted a podcast called Who Trolled Amber? earlier this year examining the abuse she received, said there were parallels.

“In both the Blake Lively case and the Amber Heard case, you see PR companies working with digital media specialists and other ‘contractors’ to promote online stories beneficial to their wealthy clients in ways that are opaque and not well understood,” he told BBC News.

“It’s an unregulated world where all sorts of tactics can take place behind closed doors.”

Variety said Lively’s case “lays bare a show business process that’s meant to operate in the shadows – the hiring of expensive crisis communications experts to sway opinion and uplift clients”.

Her allegations suggest a “sinister shadow campaign” that went “beyond what most publicity firms in Hollywood see as acceptable”, The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman wrote.

According to Rory Lynch, partner and head of reputation management law at Gateley Legal, it is “quite a common tactic” in Hollywood and business disputes to “have PRs on both sides planting negative stories, sometimes false stories, about the opposition”.

“Even back in the golden era of Hollywood, there were rumours that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were using PR professionals to negatively brief against each other.”

However, the PR people who worked for Baldoni and his studio “dropped the ball a little bit” by discussing tactics in texts, he told BBC News.

“It doesn’t surprise me, especially in the US and Hollywood, that you’ve got quite aggressive crisis PR people.

“But the fact that they put that in writing, I think, was possibly not the wisest thing. Normally they might do something like that over the phone.”

Lively herself is “a sophisticated operator” who will “have her own PR people working away in the background as well”, Lynch added.

The New York Times, which broke the story of Lively’s complaint at the weekend, said she “denied that she or any of her representatives planted or spread negative information about Mr Baldoni or Wayfarer”.

The paper also pointed out that “it is impossible to know how much of the negative publicity” towards Lively was originally seeded by those working on behalf of Baldoni, “and how much they noticed and amplified”.

Some fans have stressed that their criticisms were genuine, but many who turned against Lively now see the situation in a different light.

“We are so able to be manipulated into hating a woman that all it takes is a co-ordinated PR effort for us to switch sides against a domestic abuse victim, or a long-beloved American sweetheart,” wrote Maddy Mussen in the Standard.

“Now our eyes are open, will we be harder to fool? Or will we still want any excuse to turn on a famous woman who is suddenly, in our eyes and the eyes of the ones manipulating us, no longer worthy?”

The Guardian’s Laura Snapes wrote that she and her friends had now “looked back, horrified, on what we had said about her in recent months”.

She added: “Lively’s complaint has left my head spinning. What can you really trust?”

Protests have broken out in Syria over the burning of a Christmas tree, prompting calls for the new Islamist authorities to take steps to protect minorities.

A video posted on social media showed the tree on fire in the main square of Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Islamist faction which led the uprising that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, said foreign fighters had been detained over the incident.

HTS representatives have promised to protect the rights and freedoms of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.

Footage on social media appeared to show masked men dousing the Christmas tree with an unidentified liquid the night before Christians in Syria prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was unclear whether they were trying to put the fire out or help it spread.

Videos of the aftermath showed a religious figure from the governing HTS rebel group assuring crowds who had gathered in Suqaylabiyah that the tree would be repaired before the morning.

The man then held up a cross in a show of solidarity, something Islamist conservatives would not normally do.

On Tuesday more protesters took to the streets over the arson attack, including in parts of the capital Damascus.

Some in the Kassa neighbourhood of Damascus chanted against foreign fighters in Syria.

“Syria is free, non Syrians should leave,” they said, in reference to the foreign fighters HTS said were behind the attack.

In the Bab Touma neighbourhood of Damascus, protesters carried a cross and Syrian flags, chanting “we will sacrifice our souls for our cross”.

“If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore,” a demonstrator named Georges told AFP news agency.

• Syria’s minorities seek security
• New leaders must keep promises to respect rights, UN says

Syria is home to many ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and Arab Sunnis, the last of whom make up a majority of the Muslim population.

Just over two weeks ago, Bashar al-Assad’s presidency fell to rebel forces, ending the Assad family’s more than 50-year-rule.

Since then many displaced Syrians have begun heading back to their homes – on Tuesday, Turkey said more than 25,000 Syrians had returned to the country.

However it remains to be seen how the HTS group will govern Syria.

HTS began as a jihadist group – espousing violence to achieve its goal of establishing a state governed by Islamic law (Sharia) – but in recent years adopted a more pragmatic, less uncompromising approach.

As fighters marched to Damascus earlier this month, its leaders spoke about building a Syria for all Syrians.

On Tuesday the new authorities announced that leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had reached an agreement with “revolutionary factions… to dissolve all factions and merge them under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defence”, according to Sana news agency.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said the ministry would be restructured to include rebel fighters.

Although the statement mentioned “all factions”, it was not clear exactly which groups are included in the merger.

There are multiple armed groups in Syria, including some opposed to HTS and others with ambiguous relationships with it at best.

HTS remains designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US, EU and UK, though there are signs that a diplomatic shift may be under way.

On Friday, the US scrapped a $10m (£7.9m) bounty on the head of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, following meetings between senior diplomats and representatives from the group.

The US is continuing its military presence in Syria. It said on Friday that it carried out an air strike in the northern city of Deir Ezzor – killing two members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

The presence of foreign fighters, Islamist extremists, or even regime supporters who have interest in causing insecurity and attacking minorities to shake the country’s stability are the big challenge that the new Islamic leadership will face.

A suspect accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a subway train has been charged with murder in a New York court.

Sebastian Zapeta allegedly set the unidentified woman’s clothes on fire, and then fanned the flames by waving a shirt around her, which caused the flames to fully engulf her, according to the criminal complaint.

The 33-year-old faces charges of first and second degree murder, as well as arson for the attack on Monday. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Friday.

Wearing a white jumpsuit over a black hooded sweatshirt, Mr Zapeta did not speak when he was formally charged in court on Tuesday.

The suspect’s attorney did not speak to reporters after the arraignment.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday’s incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

She said the woman was on a stationary F train in Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing – which became “fully engulfed in a matter of seconds”.

Although officers extinguished the flames, the victim died at the scene.

Officials say they have police body camera footage and surveillance footage from inside the subway as well as witness statements.

Officers said the woman, who they have not named, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at about 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when the man approached her.

The victim was “motionless” when she was set on fire, but detectives were still establishing whether or not she was asleep. “We’re not 100% sure,” said the NYPD’s Joseph Gulotta.

There was no interaction between the pair before the attack, Mr Gulotta said, adding that police did not believe they knew each other.

Describing how police were alerted to the incident, Ms Tisch said: “Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate”.

“What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames.”

An immigration official said that Mr Zapeta entered the US illegally in 2018 and was detained and deported. The official said he subsequently unlawfully re-entered the US.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the fire, but he did not flee immediately.

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch said.

She explained that police were therefore able to obtain “very clear, detailed” pictures of him from the responding officers’ body worn cameras. The images were circulated by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they had recognised the suspect on another subway train, Ms Tisch told reporters.

The man was located after officers boarded the train and walked through the carriages.

He was arrested at Herald Square station – which is located near the Empire State Building in Manhattan. He was found with a lighter in his pocket, Ms Tisch said.

“I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help,” Ms Tisch added. “They saw something, they said something and they did something.”

The little town of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank has good reason to consider itself the capital of Christmas but this year it does not feel like it.

There are very few visitors at what is typically a peak time. There are not the usual cheerful street decorations nor the giant Christmas tree in front of the Nativity Church, built over the spot where it is believed that Jesus was born.

Public celebrations of Christmas have been cancelled for a second year because of the war in Gaza. Palestinian Christians are only attending religious ceremonies and family gatherings.

“This should be a time of joy and celebration,” comments Reverend Dr Munther Isaac, a local Lutheran pastor. “But Bethlehem is a sad town in solidarity with our siblings in Gaza.”

At his church, the Nativity scene shows baby Jesus lying in a pile of rubble. In the run-up to Christmas, a prayer service focused on the catastrophic situation in Gaza.

“It’s hard to believe that another Christmas has come upon us and the genocide has not stopped,” Isaac said in his strongly worded sermon. “Decision makers are content to let this continue. To them, Palestinians are dispensable.”

Israel strongly denies accusations of genocide in Gaza and judges at the UN’s top court have yet to rule in a case alleging genocide, brought by South Africa.

Many Bethlehemite Christians I meet feel despair and question what they see as the failure of other Christian communities around the world to speak out.

Close ties between members of the tiny Palestinian Christian community mean many locals have families and friends in Gaza.

“My mum told me that what we see on television doesn’t capture one per cent of what’s happening,” says theologian, Dr Yousef Khouri, who is originally from Gaza City.

His parents and sister are among a few hundred Christians who have spent much of the past 14 months sheltering in two Gazan churches.

“They are subjected like the entire Gaza strip to starvation. Of course, almost non-sleep because of bombardment, because of all the drones hovering above their heads and the lack of medical attention and services,” he says.

“We’ve lost friends and relatives.”

In Gaza, more than 45,000 people have been killed in the war that was unleashed in response to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel. Figures come from the Hamas-run health ministry but are considered reliable by the UN and others. The assault on 7 October 2023 killed some 1,200 people – Israelis and some foreigners – and led to about 250 being taken hostage.

Tensions have risen in the West Bank in parallel to the war. Israel has imposed new restrictions on Palestinians’ movements and cancelled tens of thousands of permits for workers who used to cross into Jerusalem or Jewish settlements each day.

The economy is in dire straits especially in Bethlehem, which relies heavily on tourism which has almost entirely stopped. Guides stand idly by the Nativity Church, feeding the pigeons.

“If there [are] tourists, all the people will work: hotels, transportation, accommodation, all of them,” says one guide, Abdullah. “But [if] there [are] no tourists, there is no life in Bethlehem city.”

“I am broke! No business! For more than one year we stay home,” exclaims Adnan Subah, a souvenir seller on Star Street.

“My son is a tour guide in the church, we stay home, all my kids stay. No jobs, no business, no tourists.”

Many local Christian and Muslim families have emigrated in the past year. With the constant threat of violence and expansion of settlements on lands where Palestinians have long sought an independent state of their own, there is increased fear and uncertainty over the future.

But a community group in Bethlehem is trying to make a difference: packing up food parcels for those in need. There is no governmental assistance here, and volunteers have been collecting donations – including from those in the diaspora.

“As you know Christmas is the spirit of giving and love and joy. And we hope with this parcel we can give some hope and joy to the families in our area,” says Wael Shaer, the head of the Palestine Lions Club.

I follow Wael making his first delivery to a woman living in an apartment nearby. Her husband is sick and out of work. She gratefully opens the box of supplies that she is given and takes an envelope of cash.

She and Wael exchange a customary holiday greeting wishing each other a peaceful year ahead.

“Mission accomplished!” Wael tells me as we head off.

“Spreading a little cheer at Christmas.”

A university student rowing from Europe to South America has finished the first half of her stamina-sapping adventure – despite facing major challenges.

Zara Lachlan, 21, from Cambridge, is spending Christmas at sea as she aims to become the youngest person, and first woman, to row solo across the Atlantic.

The Loughborough University physics student recently encountered a shark and had to use a flare when her tiny boat was almost hit by a tanker.

Ms Lachlan, who hopes to become a technical officer in the Army next year, is making good time and has been rowing more than 16 hours a day as she heads towards her destination – the coast of French Guiana.

Ms Lachlan has already covered more than 2,050 miles (3300km) of her record-breaking 4000-mile (6400-km) solo and unsupported row across the Atlantic.

So far, the journey has been hampered by injuries, a broken oar, vicious weather that caused her boat to roll, damage to some of her communications equipment, encounters with orcas and sharks – and a near collision.

She said: “I had a small cut that just bled a lot.

“I’m fine, but when I was washing it off in the sea a couple of minutes later a shark appeared, which was pretty cool.

“It hung around for quite a while – about an hour. It was not a great white shark as it was brown, so you could call it a ‘great brown shark’!”

Within the same 24 hours, she had another scary encounter while it was still dark.

She said: “I had a very large ship not turning on its radio and heading straight towards me.

“I could see on the AIS [automatic identification system] where they were going to go and it was directly towards me, so I got on the radio and I used a white flare, but they still didn’t reply.

“They missed me by 0.1 of a mile (160m), which is nothing.

“It’s ridiculous. I’m really angry at them because I can’t do anything about that. So I’m very grateful that I’m OK.”

Kennesaw, Georgia, has all the small-town fixings one might imagine in the American South.

There’s the smell of baked biscuits wafting from Honeysuckle Biscuits & Bakery and the rumble of a nearby railroad train. It’s the kind of place where newlyweds leave hand-written thank-you cards in coffee shops, praising the “cozy” atmosphere.

But there’s another aspect of Kennesaw that some might find surprising – a city law from the 1980s that legally requires residents to own guns and ammo.

“It’s not like you go around wearing it on your hip like the Wild Wild West,” said Derek Easterling, the town’s three-term mayor and self-described “retired Navy guy”.

“We’re not going to go knock on your door and say, ‘Let me see your weapon.'”

Kennesaw’s gun law plainly states: “In order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition.”

Residents with mental or physical disabilities, felony convictions, or conflicting religious beliefs are exempt from the law.

To Mayor Easterling’s knowledge, and that of multiple local officials, there have been no prosecutions or arrests made for violating Article II, Sec 34-21, which came into law in 1982.

And no one that the BBC spoke to could say what the penalty would be for being found in violation.

Still, the mayor insisted: “It’s not a symbolic law. I’m not into things just for show.”

For some, the law is a source of pride, a nod to the city’s embrace of gun culture.

For others, it’s a source of embarrassment, a page in a chapter of history they wish to move beyond.

But the main belief amongst the townsfolk about the gun law is that it keeps Kennesaw safe.

Patrons eating pepperoni slices at the local pizza parlour will propose: “If anything, criminals need to be concerned, because if they break into your home, and you’re there, they don’t know what you got.”

There were no murders in 2023, according to Kennesaw Police Department data, but there were two gun-involved suicides.

Blake Weatherby, a groundskeeper at the Kennesaw First Baptist Church, has different thoughts on why violent crime might be low.

“It’s the attitude behind the guns here in Kennesaw that keep the gun crimes down, not the guns,” Mr Weatherby said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a gun or a fork or a fist or a high heel shoe. We protect ourselves and our neighbours.”

Pat Ferris, who joined Kennesaw’s city council in 1984, two years after the law was passed, said the law was created to be “more of a political statement than anything”.

After Morton Grove, Illinois, became the first US city to ban gun ownership, Kennesaw became the first city to require it, triggering national news headlines.

A 1982 opinion piece by the New York Times described Kennesaw officials as “jovial” over the law’s passage but noted that “Yankee criminologists” were not.

Penthouse Magazine ran the story on its cover page with the words Gun Town USA: An American Town Where It’s Illegal Not to Own a Gun printed over an image of a bikini-clad blonde woman.

Similar gun laws have been passed in at least five cities, including Gun Barrel City, Texas and Virgin, Utah.

In the 40 years since Kennesaw’s gun law was passed, Mr Ferris said, its existence has mostly faded from consciousness.

“I don’t know how many people even know that the ordinance exists,” he said.

The same year the gun law took effect, Mr Weatherby, the church groundskeeper, was born.

He recalled a childhood where his dad would half-jokingly tell him: “I don’t care if you don’t like guns, it’s the law.”

“I was taught that if you’re a man, you’ve got to own a gun,” he said.

Now 42, he was 12 years old the first time he fired a weapon.

“I almost dropped it because it scared me so bad,” he said.

Mr Weatherby owned over 20 guns at one point but said now he doesn’t own any. He sold them over the years – including the one his dad left him when he died in 2005 – to overcome hard times.

“I needed gas more than guns,” he said.

One place he could’ve gone to sell his firearms is the Deercreek Gun Shop located on Kennesaw’s Main Street.

James Rabun, 36, has been working at the gun store ever since he graduated high school.

It’s the family business, he said, opened by his dad and grandad, both of whom can still be found there today; his dad in the back restoring firearms, his grandad in the front relaxing in a rocking chair.

For obvious reasons, Mr Rabun is a fan of Kennesaw’s gun law. It’s good for business.

“The cool thing about firearms”, he said with earnest enthusiasm, “is that people buy them for self-defence, but a lot of people like them like artwork or like bitcoin – things of scarcity.”

Among the dozens and dozens of weapons hanging on the wall for sale are double barrel black powder shotguns – akin to a musket – and a few “they-don’t-make-these-anymore” Winchester rifles from the 1800s.

In Kennesaw, gun fandom has a broad reach that extends beyond gun shop owners and middle-aged men.

Cris Welsh, a mother of two teenaged daughters, is unabashed about her gun ownership. She hunts, is a member at a gun club, and shoots at the local gun range with her two girls.

“I’m a gun owner”, she admitted, listing off her inventory which includes “a Ruger carry pistol, a Beretta, a Glock, and about half a dozen shotguns”.

However, Ms Welsh is not fond of Kennesaw’s gun law.

“I’m embarrassed when I hear people talk about the gun law,” Ms Welsh said. “It’s just an old Kennesaw thing to hang onto.”

She wished that when outsiders thought of the city, they called to mind the parks and schools and community values – not the gun law “that makes people uncomfortable”.

“There’s so much more to Kennesaw,” she said.

City council member Madelyn Orochena agrees that the law is “something that people would prefer not to advertise”.

“It’s just a weird little factoid about our community,” she said.

“Residents will either roll their eyes in a bit of shame or laugh along about it.”

Two-year-old Shaina is hooked up to an intravenous drip at one of the few functioning hospitals in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Her mother, Venda, desperately hopes it will alleviate the acute malnutrition the emaciated young girl is suffering from.

Shaina is one of 760,000 children who are on the brink of famine in Haiti.

Terrified of the gang warfare raging in her neighbourhood, for weeks Venda was too frightened to leave her home to seek treatment for her daughter.

Now that she has made it to the paediatric ward, she hopes it is not too late for Shaina.

“I want to get proper care for my child, I don’t want to lose her,” she says tearfully.

Haiti has been engulfed in a wave of gang violence since the assassination in 2021 of the then-president, Jovenel Moïse, and now an estimated 85% of the capital is under gang control.

Even inside the hospital, Haitians are not safe from the fighting, which the UN says has killed 5,000 people this year alone and left the country on the verge of collapse.

The hospital’s medical director explains that the previous day, police clashed with gang members in the emergency ward among terrified patients.

The victims of the violence are everywhere. One ward is full of young men with gunshot wounds.

Pierre is one of them.

He says he was walking home from work when he was caught in the crossfire of one street battle, with a bullet ripping through his collar bone.

“I think if the government were more stable and had put in place better youth programmes, they would not get involved in the gangs,” he says of the young men who make up a large proportion of the groups terrorising the capital.

To combat the growing violence, the UN Security Council authorised the establishment of a Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in October 2023.

Funded primarily by the US, the Kenyan-led force deployed to Haiti six months ago tasked with restoring law and order.

On a patrol in downtown Port-au-Prince, the ferocity of the gang violence is clear.

Kenyan officers drive along the streets in heavily armoured personnel carriers (APC) through once bustling areas of the capital that now lie deserted. Shops and houses are boarded up.

Burnt out cars and debris are piled high along the side streets – barricades built by the gangs to block access.

The convoy weaves its way through the rubble when suddenly it comes under fire.

Bullets slam into the APC’s armour as the Kenyan police shoot back with their assault rifles through gun ports in the vehicle’s walls.

After nearly an hour of back-and-forth gunfire, the convoy moves on.

But it is not long before there are signs of more horrific gang violence. A human body burns in the middle of the street.

One of the Kenyan police in our APC says he suspects it was a gang member cornered and killed by a rival group, his body set alight to send a gruesome warning.

The Kenyan officers on our patrol are by now well accustomed to seeing this sort of brutality on the streets of Port-au-Prince, but they also tell us they are exhausted.

Four hundred officers arrived in June – but they are hugely outnumbered. In July, Haiti’s government estimated there were 12,000 armed gang members in the country.

The Kenyans were promised additional personnel. When the UN authorised the mission, a force of 2,500 was envisioned, but that support, which was supposed to arrive in November, has yet to materialise.

Despite the situation, the force’s leadership remains optimistic. Commander Godfrey Otunge is under pressure from the Kenyan government to make a success of this mission.

The mission commander says there is “overwhelming support” for the MSS in Haiti.

“The population are demanding that our team extend and go to other places and pacify,” he says.

The uphill struggle they face is clear at a former Haitian police station, which had been occupied by a gang but has now been re-taken by the Kenyan forces.

It is still entirely surrounded by gangs and, as officers head up to the roof, they come under sniper fire.

The Kenyan officers shoot back while urging everyone to remain low.

The Kenyan officers say some of their much-delayed additional forces will arrive by the end of this year, bringing their total to 1,000.

And the support is urgently needed. There are areas in Port-au-Prince which are under such tight gang control they are virtually impenetrable for the police.

In one such area, Wharf Jérémie, almost 200 civilians were killed by a single gang over the space of one weekend earlier in December.

In total, as many as 100 gangs are estimated to be operating in the Port-au-Prince area, with boys as young as nine joining their ranks.

And the problem only appears to be growing. According to the UN children’s agency, Unicef, the number of children recruited to the gangs has soared by 70% in a year.

One of the gang leaders to whom they flock is Ti Lapli, whose real name is Renel Destina.

As head of the Gran Ravine gang, he commands more than 1,000 men from his fortified headquarters high above Port-au-Prince.

Gangs like his have exacerbated an already dire situation in Haiti, and are known to slaughter, rape and terrorise civilians.

Gran Ravine is infamous for carrying out kidnappings for ransom, a practice which has earned Ti Lapli a place on the FBI’s wanted list.

Ti Lapli tells us that he and his gang members “love our country a lot” – but when pressed on the rapes and murders gangs like his inflict on civilians, he claimed his men “do things they weren’t supposed to do [to members of rival gangs] because the same is done to us”.

The reason children join Gran Ravine is simple, he says: “The government doesn’t create any jobs, it’s a country with no economic activity whatsoever. We are living on trash, it’s basically a failed state.”

He failed to acknowledge the strangulating impact gangs like his have on Haiti’s economy. Often afraid to leave their homes for work, civilians are regularly extorted for money, too.

With 700,000 residents forced to flee their homes due to the violence inflicted by groups such as Gran Ravine, the capital’s schools have become camps for internally displaced people.

Negociant is one of those who has had to seek shelter.

She sits with her five children, squeezed onto the small section of a school balcony they now call home.

“Just weeks ago I was living in my own house,” she says. “But gangs took over my neighbourhood.”

She explains that she left for an area of the city called Solino, until that too was overrun by gangs and she fled along with hundreds of other people.

“Today, again, I’m on the run to save my life and my children,” she says.

Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos has found fatherhood a familiar experience – as it reminds him of his band’s early days.

Kapranos and wife Clara Luciani welcomed their first child last year, and the 52-year-old told BBC Scotland News departing on tours with his band is now “really difficult.”

“Saying goodbye to him is hard,” says the singer, speaking as his band prepare to release their sixth album, The Human Fear, in January.

“I’ve spent my adult life shirking responsibility, and being as irresponsible as possible, so being presented with responsibility is quite refreshing.

“A lot of people said to me that sleep deprivation would destroy me, but it was just like 2004 when the band was kicking off and I never went to bed.

“We’d be playing gigs, going out all night and then be up at 6am to fly somewhere. I slept about two hours a night back then, so this is the same – just without a hangover.”

Kapranos will be forced to say goodbye on a few occasions as 2025 goes on, with a busy year in store for Franz – now revamped and reformatted since those early days, but still adept at writing artful indie pop.

Emerging from Glasgow’s bustling music scene Kapranos, guitarist Nick McCarthy, bassist Bob Hardy and drummer Paul Thomson enjoyed chart success with inescapable singles like Take Me Out, earned a reputation as one of the country’s finest live acts and snagged the Mercury Music Prize in 2004.

That victory came as the band thought “anyone but us would win,” recalls the singer.

“It’s quite a Glasgow attitude. You’re like ‘we’re not the sort of people who win prizes’.”

Success had taken time to arrive.

Kapranos was born in England but moved to to Scotland as a child. As a teenager he became entrenched in the 90s Glasgow music scene, running club nights and playing in the likes of cult indie band the Yummy Fur before forming Franz Ferdinand.

Much has changed since their debut album won the Mercury, with The Human Fear marking the group’s first studio offering since the exit of original drummer Thomson in 2021.

Guitarist McCarthy had left in 2016.

A new line-up has formed around original members Kapranos and Hardy, with guitarist Dino Bardot, keyboardist/guitarist Julian Corrie and drummer Audrey Tait joining up.

Kapranos believes the band’s identity is intact despite the changes.

“Whenever we do a cover it always sounds like us, and I like that. We did Good Luck Babe [by Chappell Roan] on Radio 2, which is an amazing song but when we play it, it just sounds like Franz Ferdinand.

“Bob and I were talking about this before we made this record, that it’s good to be at ease with your identity and your sound.

“Knowing your voice and who you are is important. You could listen to early Birthday Party records and then those dark sombre ballads Nick Cave has been writing now, and it’s still unmistakeably him -it’s the same for PJ Harvey or Leonard Cohen.

“That really informed us making this record. I wanted people to listen to this and know it’s unmistakeably Franz Ferdinand.”

A greatest hits compilation in 2021 and ensuing tour helped the singer make “peace with everything that we’ve done before”.

“I’m not the kinda person who likes to look back,” he adds.

“Once we make a record I never really listen to it again, so for the tour I was being forced to listen to that music again, and I found I felt pretty comfortable with it.”

Celebrating the past meant the band were also eager to try new things for the future.

The Human Fear is filled with ideas fresh to the group, from orchestral flourishes on recent single Audacious to a bouzouki being used on Black Eyelashes and the Celtic style riff pulsing through Cats.

However, while the title might suggest a record bubbling with dread, Kapranos says it’s about the opposite.

“The greatest moments in life are when you overcome fear,” he says, admitting his own childhood terror was the shark in Jaws.

“Watching horror films or riding rollercoasters gives you a buzz and we should maybe approach some wider existential fears with the same attitude.

“I remember growing up in the 80s and thinking one diplomatic slip-up would mean we’d all be nuclear toast. There’s always something to be afraid of, and you can either submit to it or stand up to it.”

Politics is something Franz Ferdinand have visited before. In 2014 they backed Scottish independence and two years later they released Demagogue, aimed at the then incoming American President Donald Trump.

However the second Presidency of Trump is unlikely to spur such a similiar reaction.

“Trump’s not my favourite man and there’s so much in worldwide politics that’s disheartening,” says the singer.

“But it’s also disheartening how everyone is going on about politics all the time. I find it wearying and I’m loathe to do my share of it. It should be obvious Trump is an idiot and self-centred, does it need me to say that?

“Some of my friends on social media just bang on about it all the time. The arts is a powerful tool of protest and we should continue to do that, but there’s a difference between that and low key whinging.”

They won’t remain silent on some issues, though.

In 2024 the group were among Scottish musicians raising concerns over possible arts funding cuts, while a short tour saw them road-test new songs in some of the country’s smaller venues.

UK dates for 2025 include the larger likes of the Barrowland in Glasgow, with a summer show at the city’s SWG3 also booked in, but supporting grassroots music remains a passionate subject for the singer.

“I spent so many years in the basement of the 13th Note in Glasgow, so it’s part of my DNA.

“To be in a dingy wee cellar with a band playing loudly – that’s my happy place.”

• Listen to Daniela read this article

There is a festive chill at Sandringham on Christmas Day morning – especially when you find yourself standing outside St Mary Magdalene Church at 5am, as I often have in my years as a royal correspondent.

Last year I watched as King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal party to church on Christmas Day, followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, holding the hands of their children as they spoke to the crowds.

The Princess kept a firm grip on playful Prince Louis as they left church, and they were given Christmas cards and presents by well wishers, along with dozens of flowers.

I could never have predicted that this was the last time we would see her in person for more than six months. I was expecting to head to Italy with the couple on a royal tour, but she wouldn’t join the Royal Family on another official engagement until Trooping the Colour in June.

On 16 January, the Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital for major abdominal surgery. At the end of March, she went public with her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy.

For her husband, it was the start of a year that he would go on to call “the hardest of his life”.

It throws up memories of Queen Elizabeth’s own “sombre year” of 1992 when there were multiple marriage breakdowns within the family and a major fire. At the time she described it with the now infamous phrase, “annus horribilis”.

In 2024, Prince William faced not only his wife’s ill health, but the King’s cancer diagnosis too, and always there in the background was the apparently unresolved conflict with his brother Prince Harry.

But it was also a year in which certain aspects of Prince William’s approach were cemented – family came first, the school run was prioritised. For the Prince of Wales, this time of turbulence appears to have reinforced what matters to him most.

Along the way, however, it has also become evident what kind of senior royal William wants to be. We’ve seen more of his apprenticeship as a global statesman, especially during the 80th anniversary of D-Day on a stage alongside world leaders – but the William way has also left some questioning certain choices he has made.

On 27 February, the Prince of Wales was due to give a reading at the thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine of Greece at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The illustrious guest list included European royalty.

Around an hour before the service was due to begin, however, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince would be unable to attend due to a “personal matter”. There were reassuring words from the Prince’s team that there was “nothing to panic about” but it was highly unusual.

Around this time, the Princess was given the news that cancerous cells had been discovered in post-operative tests.

Over the next three weeks, the couple told the children what was happening and had time to deal with their questions privately before going public.

“I think what was remarkable was just how hard it was for the Prince of Wales at the start of the year,” says a friend of the Prince. “His wife had gone in for major surgery and it became worse than expected. Then there was, ‘How do I tell my three children that Mummy is ill?'”

All of this was happening against the backdrop of the King’s own cancer treatment, which he made public on 5 February.

“At a time when he was trying to protect his wife and children, he had that terrible thought that that if his father dies then everything changes,” says the friend.

Several people who know the Prince personally or have worked with him this year told me that the spotlight on what was wrong with his wife took its toll on both William and Catherine.

“He was having to operate against the backdrop of the entire world questioning what was happening to his wife,” one friend told me.

With his father largely out of action for several weeks and the Princess away from public duty, the royal diary was looking stretched. Prince William was adamant that public duty would have to wait until the situation at home was more settled.

It offered a hint of Prince William’s way of doing things. Yes, he understood that his was a life where duty and service are expected. But for him, a man who had experienced immense loss at a young age, his wife and children were most important of all.

There were two other important factors at home that helped the Prince of Wales support his wife and children – his in-laws, the Middletons; and living in Windsor.

When the Princess made her public announcement about her diagnosis, the message was posted on royal social media accounts, and one of the first people to publicly respond was her brother James.

Alongside a childhood holiday photo of himself and his sister, he wrote: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”

Together with his sister Pippa and parents Carole and Michael, the family became key to keeping life as normal as possible for the royal children. People living locally reported seeing Carole Middleton, who lives 30 miles away in Bucklebury, Berkshire, regularly driving in and out of Windsor Castle.

And when the Princess’s surgery prevented her from driving, it was her mother who often drove her daughter to school to collect the three children.

The decision to move from Kensington Palace to Windsor Castle in 2022 also proved timely.

“Windsor has been a sanctuary. It has provided the protection and privacy the family needed this year,” said a friend.

The family live in Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom house within the Castle grounds that is secluded enough to give the family freedom that Kensington Palace, which is located in central London, could not.

Snatched photos show the Prince of Wales using an electric scooter to get around the grounds. When on royal duty, he would occasionally reveal a snippet about life at home, such as his continued devotion to Aston Villa FC, or a favoured film or TV series – earlier this year he enjoyed action film The Fall Guy and more recently he and the Princess watched spy thriller series Black Doves on Netflix.

He has also taken his children to football matches at local clubs and both he and the Princess have continued to be part of school life at Lambrook, the private school in Berkshire that their children attend. During her treatment, the Princess was still able to be on the sidelines during sports days.

All of this appears to have pushed other personal issues right down the Prince’s agenda.

The rancour between William and Harry is said to remain. Harry has visited the UK over the past 12 months but is not believed to have met his brother. They are thought to have not spoken to one another in around two years.

There have been new controversies around Prince Andrew in recent months too, including revelations about his links to Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who was barred from the UK after concerns about national security risks. Prince Andrew has said that he had ceased contact with Mr Yang.

But the prince did not attend the Royal Family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch.

Such matters will have been dealt with by the King but, as heir to the throne, William’s voice in family matters is increasingly significant.

Robert Hardman, journalist and author of Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, says the relationship between Charles and his eldest son “has reached a new level of understanding”.

“We still have a tendency to look at William as the kid, the apprentice, the understudy,” he says. “But he’s now been a front rank royal for 10 years. He’s been around the block more than many current heads of State.”

Unusually, much of what the Prince has said about his year has come directly from him rather than via formal statements or briefings.

During his visit to South Africa in November for the Earthshot Prize, the Prince’s environmental project, he spoke about his passion for the cause but also about the struggles of 2024.

“From a family point of view, it’s been brutal,” he told the group of us who had travelled to Cape Town. For someone who has been guarded in the past, his language was surprisingly frank.

His demeanour was open and positive too, clearly energised by Earthshot and being back in Africa, but he a gave a glimpse into how conflicted he was when he viewed his role as Prince of Wales.

“It’s a tricky one,” he said. “Do I like more responsibility? No. Do I like the freedom that I can build something like Earthshot, then yes.”

What struck me the most after spending almost a week in Cape Town was how he framed his outlook on the modern monarchy, saying he wanted to do the job with a “smaller R in Royal”.

“I’m trying to do it differently,” he admitted, “and I’m trying to do it for my generation.”

What he meant was not doing things in the same way as his father and grandmother.

Charles and William “are different characters”, observes Robert Hardman. “The King is more intellectually curious, and spiritually and theologically engaged. These areas aren’t of deep interest to William.

“The tone of their communication is different. The King remains fairly traditional. William has his own way of doing things.”

Some have questioned the William way. One critic, Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, argues against the Prince’s decision to focus his efforts on the issue of homelessness.

“[It is] crass and hypocritical of William to get involved in it, given the excessive wealth we gift him,” he argues.

However, Mr Hardman disputes the notion that William’s involvement in projects like this are inappropriate. “I think William is currently a more conventional Prince of Wales than his father was at this age. Prince Charles was a more radical heir to the throne.

“The creation of the Prince’s Trust sounded alarm bells at Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. William isn’t ringing alarm bells.”

Prince William has far fewer patronages than his father. The King currently has 669 – many maintained from his 70 years as heir to the throne. Prince William’s slimline, more focused approach leaves him with around 30.

It is a deliberate strategy: fewer projects but higher impact in the hope of bringing about social change. Those who have worked closely with him this year praise this approach.

“His contribution is unbelievable,” said Hannah Jones, the CEO of the Earthshot Prize. “He has set the vision.”

But that bold action comes with more risk.

Last month, I travelled to Newport in South Wales with the Prince to meet those working on his homelessness project in the city. It was 10 months since his wife’s cancer diagnosis, her chemotherapy was complete and William seemed to me to be less burdened by life.

He was in listening mode, and spoke to dozens of people. In some of the conversations, it struck me how many ventured into the political.

The Prince told the project team to think differently, to be disruptors and challenge the way things had always been done.

“We drive in a very non-political lane,” a royal source told me. “We use our platform to convene and shine the spotlight on a societal issue and that remains unchanged. We are feeling bullish about what we can achieve even in really hard circumstances.”

In the years ahead William will no doubt face further challenges around his role. In this current age of social media, for example, deference and respect for monarchy isn’t the mood in the room.

But it is clear from his public work that he doesn’t view his future as one filled with plaque unveilings and handshaking.

“I have to be seen to be believed,” is a quote attributed to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. For her grandson, the approach is more: “I have to be seen to be making a difference.”

Through 2024, he has ticked off meetings with many world leaders from the Emperor of Japan to the President of South Africa rounded off by the US president-elect, cementing his role on the global stage, promoting the UK with a touch of soft diplomacy.

Next November, the COP climate summit is being held in Brazil and the Prince is “looking forward to playing a role there”. An Earthshot Prize in Brazil may be a possibility too.

Ultimately, the development of Prince William as family man-meets-global statesman is ongoing – and he’s looking increasingly comfortable juggling both roles.

Four rioters have been given short jail terms for violence against football fans visiting Amsterdam for a Europa League match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Sefa Ö, 32, was handed the longest sentence of six months in jail by Amsterdam district court, while another man was given 10 weeks and two others a month’s detention each. A fifth defendant was given a community service order under the Netherlands’ juvenile law.

The judge said a prison sentence for the four was appropriate given the seriousness of the actions and the context in which they took place.

The riots broke out in several areas of the Dutch capital in early November and led to international condemnation.

The five defendants sentenced on Tuesday were the first to be tried for hit-and-run attacks that erupted in the early hours of 8 November, after incidents that took place over two days.

The court said that there was a lot of video evidence showing Maccabi fans facing extreme violence, and also pointed to footage of supporters pulling down Palestinian flags as well as chanting slogans against Arabs. Taxis were also vandalised by the fans.

The court chairman added that there had already been unrest in the Netherlands because of the war in Gaza.

While the court took “the context” of the events into account, it said there had been “no justification for calling for and using physical violence against Israeli supporters”.

• Amsterdam violence exposes tensions in society and spills over to politics
• New arrests made in Amsterdam over violence after football match

Sefa Ö was found to have given a karate-type kick to one victim, causing him to fall against a moving tram, as well as taking part in several other attacks.

The trial saw video footage appeared to show him kicking and hitting victims on Dam Square, Damrak and Zoutsteeg, and prosecutors said he had played a leading role in violence that had nothing to do with football.

Rachid O, 26, who was given 10 weeks in jail, was found to have taken part in a WhatsApp chat group called Buurthuis2, on which he referred to intended victims as “cowardly” Jews who he would never again get the chance to attack.

More than 900 people were in the group and the court said the chat had been used to pass on information to “commit violence against people of Jewish descent and/or supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv”.

Umutcan A, 24, was also found to have kicked one of the victims several times while taking part in an attack with other men and then kicked another fan on the ground. CCTV footage had shown him attacking several Maccabi fans, as well as grabbing one fan by the throat and seizing his football scarf.

He had written in messaging groups about a “Jew hunt” but told the trial he did not harbour hatred towards Jews.

Karanveer S, 26, had already been convicted of assault in 2022 and the court noted that did not deter him from taking part in last month’s attacks.

The youngest of the five, Lucas D, 19, was found to have used violence against a police officer and taken part in a separate Snapchat group calling for violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

The five all have two weeks in which to appeal.

The court said he had an illegal, high-explosive “cobra” firework in his possession at the time of his arrest. Prosecutors had called for Lucas D to be given a jail term.

Chief prosecutor René de Beukelaer had earlier rejected suggestions that the attacks had amounted to terrorism, because he said it was not the aim of the group to instill fear in the people they were targeting.

However, he did say there were instances of antisemitism exchanged on a messaging group.

“I can well understand that the Jewish community in Amsterdam was left afraid because of this violence, but that’s different from saying that was the goal of the suspects,” he told Amsterdam’s AT5 TV channel earlier this month.

Liam Payne’s girlfriend has shared a message about experiencing sadness and grief during the Christmas holidays following the singer’s death earlier this year.

Payne died in October after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

Kate Cassidy – who had been in a relationship with the One Direction star since 2022 – said: “As the holidays are here, I realise it is a time for happiness and joy, but it is also a time of sadness and grief for so many.”

In an Instagram stories post, she said she was sending love to those “carrying grief this holiday” and called on people to be gentle with those experiencing grief over Christmas.

“The holidays can feel different for everyone,” she says, and wishes everyone “a love-filled and healthy holiday season this year.”.

In October, Cassidy revealed on social media that Payne wrote a note to her shortly before his death predicting they would get married within a year.

In her tribute to him after he died, she called Payne “my best friend, the love of my life” and said that she had “lost the best part of myself”.

Payne’s sudden death led to an outpouring of grief from his family, friends and fans around the world.

The Wolverhampton-born singer shot to fame when he auditioned for the X Factor in 2010 at the age of 16 and became part of One Direction.

While the boy band went on to achieve phenomenal success across the globe, Payne himself acknowledged that it came at a cost and admitted that he used alcohol to cope with the band’s increasing fame.

His death prompted a debate about the duty of care in the music industry, particularly for young people.

In November, Argentinian authorities confirmed that three people were charged in connection with the singer’s death.

Toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body.

A post-mortem examination determined his cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external haemorrhage”, as a result of the fall from the hotel balcony.

According to the prosecutor’s office, medical reports also suggested Payne may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.

Payne’s funeral was held in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last month and was attended by friends, family, and his One Direction bandmates.

Millions of Americans across the US are bracing for difficult weather conditions during the Christmas holiday, with storms threatening to further disrupt one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Up and down the east coast, the first storm of the winter blanketed cities from Boston to Baltimore with ice and snow.

Meanwhile, California residents are cleaning up the aftermath of a storm that brought hurricane-forced winds, flooding and high surf on Monday, killing one man.

The weather events further complicate travel plans for Americas who are already facing air travel delays following a ground stop of American Airlines flights due to a technology issue.

On the east coast, winter precipitation is expected to impact travel for many as heavy snow falls in areas such as Boston and New York, while Baltimore and Washington DC braced for precipitation and ice.

On the west coast, Monday’s storm caused a pier to collapse and threw three people into the Pacific Ocean.

Waves from that storm reached 60ft (18m) and forced some evacuations. Flooding and high surf warnings remain in effect on Tuesday.

Weather is not the only thing impacting holiday travel on Tuesday, with technological issues adding further stress as millions of Americans hurry to their destinations.

Early Tuesday, American Airlines flights were halted after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a “nationwide groundstop” due to a “vendor technology issue”.

The groundstop was lifted about an hour after it began and flights resumed, but not without creating a ripple of delays.

Delays continued into the day on Tuesday with some departures taking off two hours after they were scheduled.

American Airlines apologized for the inconvenience and said: “It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible”.

While many morning flights were delayed Tuesday, most afternoon flights are scheduled to depart on time.

A Nasa spacecraft is attempting to make history with the closest-ever approach to the Sun.

The Parker Solar Probe is plunging into our star’s outer atmosphere, enduring brutal temperatures and extreme radiation.

It is out of communication for several days during this burning hot fly-by and scientists will be waiting for a signal, expected at 05:00 GMT on 28 December, to see if it has survived.

The hope is the probe could help us to better understand how the Sun works.

Dr Nicola Fox, head of science at Nasa, told BBC News: “For centuries, people have studied the Sun, but you don’t experience the atmosphere of a place until you actually go visit it.

“And so we can’t really experience the atmosphere of our star unless we fly through it.”

Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018, heading to the centre of our solar system.

It has already swept past the Sun 21 times, getting ever nearer, but the Christmas Eve visit is record-breaking.

At its closest approach, the probe is 3.8 million miles (6.2 million km) from our star’s surface.

This might not sound that close, but Nasa’s Nicola Fox puts it into perspective: “We are 93 million miles away from the Sun, so if I put the Sun and the Earth one metre apart, Parker Solar Probe is four centimetres from the Sun – so that’s close.”

The probe will have to endure temperatures of 1,400C and radiation that could frazzle the onboard electronics.

It is protected by a 11.5cm (4.5 inches) thick carbon-composite shield but the spacecraft’s tactic is to get in and out fast.

In fact, it will be moving faster than any human-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph – the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

Parker’s speed comes from the immense gravitational pull it feels as it falls towards the Sun.

So why go to all this effort to “touch” the Sun?

Scientists hope that as the spacecraft passes through our star’s outer atmosphere – its corona – it will solve a long standing mystery.

“The corona is really, really hot, and we have no idea why,” explains Dr Jenifer Millard, an astronomer at Fifth Star Labs in Wales.

“The surface of the Sun is about 6,000C or so, but the corona, this tenuous outer atmosphere that you can see during solar eclipses, reaches millions of degrees – and that is further away from the Sun. So how is that atmosphere getting hotter?”

The mission should also help scientists to better understand solar wind – the constant stream of charged particles bursting out from the corona.

When these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field the sky lights up with dazzling auroras.

But this so-called space weather can cause problems too, knocking out power grids, electronics and communication systems.

“Understanding the Sun, its activity, space weather, the solar wind, is so important to our everyday lives on Earth,” says Dr Millard.

Nasa scientists face an anxious wait over Christmas while the spacecraft is out of touch with Earth.

Nicola Fox says that as soon as a signal is beamed back home, the team will text her a green heart to let her know the probe is OK.

She admits she is nervous about the audacious attempt, but she has faith in the probe.

“I will worry about the spacecraft. But we really have designed it to withstand all of these brutal, brutal conditions. It’s a tough, tough little spacecraft.”

If it survives this challenge, the probe will continue its mission around the Sun into the future.

War-hit Sudan is sliding into a “widening famine crisis” that has been marked by worsening starvation and a surge in acute malnutrition, an independent group of food security experts says.

Famine has spread to five areas, with 24.6 million people – about half the population – in urgent need of food aid, the experts said.

The hunger crisis has been caused by the 20-month civil war that has devastated Sudan.

Various mediation efforts aimed at ending the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far failed.

The army and RSF had jointly staged a coup in 2021, but a power struggle between their commanders plunged the country into a civil war in 2023.

It has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with the UN-backed Famine Review Committee (FRC) warning that a “greater catastrophe” could unfold if the conflict did not end.

The committee is linked to the Integrated Food Phase Classification (IPC) – a global initiative by UN agencies, aid groups and governments to identify famine conditions.

On Monday, Sudan’s military-backed government announced it was suspending its cooperation with the group, accusing it of issuing “unreliable reports that undermine Sudan’s sovereignty and dignity”, Reuters news agency reports.

The IPC had first identified a famine in August at the Zamzam camp in Sudan’s Darfur region, where about half a million people were taking refuge.

In its latest report, the FRC said that famine had now also hit the Abu Shouk and al-Salam camps in Darfur’s besieged city of el-Fasher, as well as two areas in South Kordofan state.

“Famine is the most extreme manifestation of human suffering, representing a catastrophic collapse of the systems and resources essential for survival,” the FRC said.

“It is not merely a lack of food but a profound breakdown of health, livelihoods and social structures, leaving entire communities in a state of desperation,” it added.

The FRC predicted that five further areas in Darfur could face famine by May, and there was a risk of it spreading to 17 other areas.

“In areas of high conflict intensity, the hostilities severely disrupted farming activities, resulting in farmers abandoning their crops, looting and stock destruction,” it added.

Both Darfur and South Kordofan have been hit by some of the worst violence, with scores of civilians killed, raped and abducted by gunmen.

In May, US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said that some estimates suggested up to 150,000 people had been killed in the conflict across the country.

• BBC reveals fighters accused of massacre in Sudan
• BBC hears of horror and hunger in visit to Darfur massacre town
• Sudan – where more children are fleeing war than anywhere else

Former US President Bill Clinton has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for the flu, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received,” Angel Ureña wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC on Monday evening for tests and observation after developing a fever.

The 78-year-old was last admitted to the hospital for six days in 2021 in California after developing an infection that reached his blood.

The 42nd US president, who served in the White House from 1993 to 2001, is also known to have suffered with heart issues in the past.

In 2004, aged 58, he had a quadruple bypass surgery after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease and, ten years later, he had a clogged artery opened after complaining of chest pains.

He has been active since leaving office, starting what later became known as the Clinton Foundation, which partnered with American Heart Association to form the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Not long after his second surgery, the ex-president – known for his love of fatty foods – went vegan. He told Politico in 2016, “I might not be around if I hadn’t become a vegan. It’s great.”

Clinton was also active on the presidential campaign trail this year, as he travelled the country to boost Vice-President Kamala Harris’s bid for president.

Last month, he released his latest book, Citizen: My Life After the White House.

Four rioters have been given short jail terms for violence against football fans visiting Amsterdam for a Europa League match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Sefa Ö, 32, was handed the longest sentence of six months in jail by Amsterdam district court, while another man was given 10 weeks and two others a month’s detention each. A fifth defendant was given a community service order under the Netherlands’ juvenile law.

The judge said a prison sentence for the four was appropriate given the seriousness of the actions and the context in which they took place.

The riots broke out in several areas of the Dutch capital in early November and led to international condemnation.

The five defendants sentenced on Tuesday were the first to be tried for hit-and-run attacks that erupted in the early hours of 8 November, after incidents that took place over two days.

The court said that there was a lot of video evidence showing Maccabi fans facing extreme violence, and also pointed to footage of supporters pulling down Palestinian flags as well as chanting slogans against Arabs. Taxis were also vandalised by the fans.

The court chairman added that there had already been unrest in the Netherlands because of the war in Gaza.

While the court took “the context” of the events into account, it said there had been “no justification for calling for and using physical violence against Israeli supporters”.

• Amsterdam violence exposes tensions in society and spills over to politics
• New arrests made in Amsterdam over violence after football match

Sefa Ö was found to have given a karate-type kick to one victim, causing him to fall against a moving tram, as well as taking part in several other attacks.

The trial saw video footage appeared to show him kicking and hitting victims on Dam Square, Damrak and Zoutsteeg, and prosecutors said he had played a leading role in violence that had nothing to do with football.

Rachid O, 26, who was given 10 weeks in jail, was found to have taken part in a WhatsApp chat group called Buurthuis2, on which he referred to intended victims as “cowardly” Jews who he would never again get the chance to attack.

More than 900 people were in the group and the court said the chat had been used to pass on information to “commit violence against people of Jewish descent and/or supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv”.

Umutcan A, 24, was also found to have kicked one of the victims several times while taking part in an attack with other men and then kicked another fan on the ground. CCTV footage had shown him attacking several Maccabi fans, as well as grabbing one fan by the throat and seizing his football scarf.

He had written in messaging groups about a “Jew hunt” but told the trial he did not harbour hatred towards Jews.

Karanveer S, 26, had already been convicted of assault in 2022 and the court noted that did not deter him from taking part in last month’s attacks.

The youngest of the five, Lucas D, 19, was found to have used violence against a police officer and taken part in a separate Snapchat group calling for violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

The five all have two weeks in which to appeal.

The court said he had an illegal, high-explosive “cobra” firework in his possession at the time of his arrest. Prosecutors had called for Lucas D to be given a jail term.

Chief prosecutor René de Beukelaer had earlier rejected suggestions that the attacks had amounted to terrorism, because he said it was not the aim of the group to instill fear in the people they were targeting.

However, he did say there were instances of antisemitism exchanged on a messaging group.

“I can well understand that the Jewish community in Amsterdam was left afraid because of this violence, but that’s different from saying that was the goal of the suspects,” he told Amsterdam’s AT5 TV channel earlier this month.

Dozens of people have died after a passenger plane crashed with about 70 people on board in Kazakhstan, local officials say.

Authorities in Azerbaijan, where the flight originated, say there were at least 30 survivors.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 caught fire as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau.

The plane was en route to Grozny in Russia but it was diverted due to fog, the airline told the BBC.

Footage shows the aircraft heading towards the ground at high speed with its landing gear down, before bursting into flames as it lands.

The airline said the plane “made an emergency landing” about 3km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

It took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday, and crashed around 06:28, data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

Reports from Russian media say the aircraft collided with a flock of birds before crashing, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Officials from the countries involved have stated different numbers for those who were on board and for those who survived.

The airline said 62 passengers and 5 crew members were on board the Embraer 190 but other reports put the total at 72. The reported number of survivors ranges from 28 to 32.

Those on board were mostly Azerbaijani nationals, but there were also some passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Azerbaijan Airlines said flights between Baku and the Russian cities of Grozny and Makhachkala would be cancelled while an investigation into the incident was completed.

Unverified video footage showed survivors crawling out of the wreckage, some with visible injuries.

Both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched investigations into the incident. Embraer told the BBC it was “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.

The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.

Embraer, a Brazilian manufacturer, is a smaller rival to Boeing and Airbus, and has a strong safety record.

You can get in touch with BBC News via this link.

President-elect Donald Trump ran on a platform of isolating the US from foreign conflicts like the Ukraine war, increasing tariffs on foreign trade partners, and rebuilding domestic manufacturing.

But in recent days he has suggested a more outwardly aggressive approach for his foreign policy.

At first, he joked about Canada being an additional US state. Since, he has threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal. He also reiterated a desire from his first term to own the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, which is not for sale.

The US is unlikely to take control of any of these regions. But these statements could indicate that Trump’s “America First” vision includes flexing the superpower’s muscle beyond its borders for US trade and national security interests.

On Sunday, Trump told a conservative conference in Arizona that Panama was charging US ships “ridiculous, highly unfair” fees to use its namesake canal.

After taking charge of building the canal in the early 20th century, the US turned full control over to Panama in the 1970s via a treaty. But this week, Trump said that if the “rip off” did not stop, he would demand the canal be returned to the US – though he did not specify how.

Trump added he did not want the Panama Canal “falling into the wrong hands” and specifically cited China, which has significant interests in the waterway.

“There’s a real US national security interest… in controlling its neutrality,” Will Freeman, a fellow on Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said of Trump’s remarks.

“Trump’s statement is mostly about that.”

China is the second-largest user of the Panama Canal after the US, according to data. It has major economic investments in the country as well.

In 2017, Panama cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognised it as part of China, a major win for Beijing.

The Panama Canal is not only essential for US trade in the Pacific, Mr Freeman said – in the event of any military conflict with China, it would be needed to move US ships and other assets.

He also noted Trump’s frequent comments about trade partners’ unfair treatment of the US, as well as the president-elect’s pledge to sharply increase tariffs on foreign goods, particularly those from China.

Trump’s complaints about shipping fees seemed to reflect his views on trade, Mr Freeman said.

While the statements might be “coercive”, said Mr Freeman, it remained to be seen “whether canal authorities lower fees on US cargo in response to the threat”.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has released a statement saying that the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country – and would remain so.

Over the weekend, Trump said in a social media post that the US “feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for reasons of national security and global freedom.

The US maintains Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The territory is rich with natural resources, including rare earth minerals and oil, and occupies a strategic location for trade as global powers seek to expand their reach in the Arctic Circle.

Russia, in particular, sees the region as a strategic opportunity.

Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland in 2019, during his first term as president, and it never came to fruition.

Greenland’s prime minister, Múte B Egede, responded to Trump’s latest comments this week: “We are not for sale and we will not be for sale.”

Still, Trump continued emphasising his public statements online.

On Truth Social, Trump’s account showed an image of an American flag being planted in the middle of the Panama Canal.

His second-eldest son, Eric Trump, posted an image on X that showed the US adding Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada to an Amazon online shopping cart.

For Trump, promises to use America’s might to its advantage helped propel his two successful presidential campaigns.

It was a tactic he used during his first presidency, threatening tariffs and the deployment of “armed soldiers” to steer Mexico into beefing up enforcement along its US border.

Heading into his second term, Trump could plan to use a similar playbook once he takes office on 20 January.

While it remains to be seen what will happen, Denmark has expressed a willingness to work with his administration.

It also announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland, hours after Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia made a “conscious choice” by launching a major attack on his country’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.

Ukraine’s air force said it had detected 184 missiles and drones, but many were shot down or missed their targets.

It said there were casualties from the strikes but gave no figures.

Moscow confirmed the attack and said its goal had been achieved.

The attack led to power cuts across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, where some residents sheltered in metro stations.

Russia’s defence confirmed its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on “critical” energy facilities in Ukraine.

It added that the strike had been a success and all targets were hit.

This was the 13th major attack on Ukraine’s energy sector this year, the country’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said.

In September, President Zelensky said 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had been destroyed by Russian bombs.

Responding to Wednesday’s attacks, Zelensky said the timing had been a “conscious choice”.

He called them “inhumane” and said work was being done to restore power as soon as possible.

“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not distort Christmas”, he added.

This is the second time Ukraine has celebrated Christmas Day on 25 December. It traditionally followed the Julian calendar, like Russia, where Christmas falls on 7 January.

In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest – the attack left half a million people without water, electricity or heating in bitterly cold temperatures, the regional governor said.

Ukrainians across the country woke to sound of air raid alarms, and were told to shelter as the attacks unfolded in the morning.

Kyiv residents sheltered in metro stations, with one local telling Reuters news agency that she felt angry and frightened.

“Of course, I want to be at home and celebrate, but we had to shelter because it’s scary to stay at home,” Sofiia Lytvynenko said.

Another Kyiv resident, Oleksandra, said that despite the attack, “Christmas is not cancelled”.

She told Reuters that she planned to enjoy traditional Ukrainian food and drink with family and friends after it is safe to leave the shelter.

Ukraine’s state-owned power company, Ukrenergo, warned Ukrainians that power cuts could last until at least the end of the day.

It has imposed usage restrictions while it tries to restore service.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strikes as “Christmas terror”.

He said a Russian missile went through Moldovan and Romanian airspace “reminding that Russia threatens not only Ukraine”.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the strike and confirmed that a missile was detected in the country’s airspace.

Romania said it did not detect a missile in its airspace.

Elsewhere, four people were killed and five others injured by Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the region’s acting governor.

An investigation by the Israeli military has found that the actions of their forces on the ground likely influenced the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August by Hamas.

It said the “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages”.

The probe also found that the soldiers were unaware of the hostages’ presence when they began their operation in the Rafah area. The hostages’ bodies were later recovered.

The killings sparked anger in Israel, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets demanding the government reach a ceasefire deal.

In late August, the Israeli troops found the bodies in an underground shaft in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah. The military said they were killed just before the soldiers reached them.

The probe said that Israel’s chief of the general staff “concluded that this was a painful and tragic event, with the extremely difficult outcome of the brutal murder of six hostages by Hamas”.

In a statement, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the investigation proved once again that the return of all those captured by Hamas during its deadly 7 October 2023 attack on Israel would only be possible through a deal.

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced increased pressure, with critics saying he has not done enough to secure the release of the hostages.

Israel responded to the Hamas attack by launching air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed during the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says. Almost 2m people – 90% of the population – have been displaced, according to the UN.

The UN and aid agencies have described the humanitarian situation in the enclave as “apocalyptic” and warned on several occasions that Gazans are on “the brink of famine” – accusing Israel of deliberately obstructing aid deliveries – something Israel denies.

According to Israel, 251 Israelis and foreigners were seized in last year’s Hamas attack.

Ninety-six of them are believed to still be held, with the remainder released, rescued or their remains recovered. Sixty-two are believed by Israel to still be alive. Four other hostages have been held since 2014 and 2015.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages are continuing.

Mr Netanyahu recently said that there had been “some progress” but that he could not say when the talks would be concluded. So far no breakthrough has been achieved – despite Palestinian officials telling the BBC they were very close to reaching a deal.

The King and Queen have attended a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, with the Prince and Princess of Wales and other royals by their side.

Excited crowds watched on as the monarch and his family headed into St Mary Magdalene Church, Norfolk. A woman who previously had ovarian cancer told the BBC she was able to wish the King and Catherine well after their own cancer diagnoses.

It was announced last week that Prince Andrew would not attend the annual gathering after an alleged Chinese spy was found to have links to the royal.

The service took place hours before the King’s Christmas message is due to air – it will be delivered from a former hospital chapel.

The King, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales were joined by the prince and princess’s three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Also in the walking party were the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex.

The royals were greeted at the foot of the steps of the church by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams. Inside, the National Anthem was sung before the first hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful.

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The Christmas morning church service is a big event in the royal calendar, bringing together the Royal Family for a public appearance, with crowds and photographers capturing the moment.

Afterwards, the royals spend Christmas at their Sandringham estate, which has been the customary seasonal meeting place for the family since 1988.

Shelly from Shrewsbury in Shropshire said she had joined the crowds for the first time this year to support the King and Catherine.

Earlier this year, the pair announced their cancer diagnoses within weeks of each other – the King in February and the princess the following month.

“I was spending Christmas on my own and I wanted to turn a negative into a positive and I wanted to be here, really, for Catherine and Charles because of the journey that they’ve had,” Shelly told the BBC.

“She [Catherine]’s had a really tough year, and I just want to give my support”.

Also in the crowd was Diane from Oldham who shook hands with the King, Prince William and Catherine and their youngest son Prince Louis.

She told the BBC that it meant a lot to her, as an ovarian cancer survivor, to speak to the royals.

Diane said she was able to wish the King and Catherine good health for the new year, and that she has written to Catherine on various occasions about cancer and has had “lovely replies”.

“People don’t realise how it [cancer] does affect you as a family, so I wanted to be here to see the whole family and see them celebrate Christmas.”

While Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York did not attend the service, their daughter Princess Beatrice – accompanied by her husband, property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and his son Christopher Woolf from a previous marriage – did.

Prince Andrew’s absence was confirmed after Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang, was named as being an alleged Chinese spy who had been banned from entering the UK.

The man, reported to have been part of an operation to get close to figures of influence, was described by judges of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission court as having an “unusual degree of trust” with the prince.

Prince Andrew’s office said nothing sensitive had ever been discussed with Mr Yang.

The prince is seldom seen in public since apologising for his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and no longer takes part in frontline royal duties.

Later on Christmas Day, the monarch’s traditional speech was broadcast as usual on television and radio.

It was recorded earlier this month in the Fitzrovia Chapel, central London, and marks the first time in more than a decade that the Christmas message has been recorded from a place that is not in a royal palace or estate.

Fitzrovia was once the chapel of Middlesex Hospital.

The location suggests that healthcare and supporting community links could be themes for the annual speech.

Kensington Palace released a video in September which showed Catherine announcing that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment, and promoted the message that “out of darkness can come light”.

She recently marked her biggest return to royal duties after finishing chemotherapy by hosting a carol service at Westminster Abbey. The event was dedicated to individuals who have shown love, kindness and empathy to their communities.

Meanwhile, the King’s regular sessions of treatment continue, but as a sign of a positive response he has plans for a busy schedule of engagements and overseas trips in 2025.

A suspect accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a subway train has been charged with murder in a New York court.

Sebastian Zapeta allegedly set the unidentified woman’s clothes on fire, and then fanned the flames by waving a shirt around her, which caused the flames to fully engulf her, according to the criminal complaint.

The 33-year-old faces charges of first and second degree murder, as well as arson for the attack on Monday. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Friday.

Wearing a white jumpsuit over a black hooded sweatshirt, Mr Zapeta did not speak when he was formally charged in court on Tuesday.

The suspect’s attorney did not speak to reporters after the arraignment.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday’s incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

She said the woman was on a stationary F train in Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing – which became “fully engulfed in a matter of seconds”.

Although officers extinguished the flames, the victim died at the scene.

Officials say they have police body camera footage and surveillance footage from inside the subway as well as witness statements.

Officers said the woman, who they have not named, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at about 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when the man approached her.

The victim was “motionless” when she was set on fire, but detectives were still establishing whether or not she was asleep. “We’re not 100% sure,” said the NYPD’s Joseph Gulotta.

There was no interaction between the pair before the attack, Mr Gulotta said, adding that police did not believe they knew each other.

Describing how police were alerted to the incident, Ms Tisch said: “Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate”.

“What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames.”

An immigration official said that Mr Zapeta entered the US illegally in 2018 and was detained and deported. The official said he subsequently unlawfully re-entered the US.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the fire, but he did not flee immediately.

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch said.

She explained that police were therefore able to obtain “very clear, detailed” pictures of him from the responding officers’ body worn cameras. The images were circulated by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they had recognised the suspect on another subway train, Ms Tisch told reporters.

The man was located after officers boarded the train and walked through the carriages.

He was arrested at Herald Square station – which is located near the Empire State Building in Manhattan. He was found with a lighter in his pocket, Ms Tisch said.

“I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help,” Ms Tisch added. “They saw something, they said something and they did something.”

The birth of Jesus Christ – a seminal biblical event – has been the subject of many paintings by Western artists, who have often applied the ideas of beauty and creativity prevalent there while depicting the event on canvas.

These works are among the most widely available representations of Christian art, shaping how the world views this biblical event and subliminally divesting those outside the West from influencing it.

But over the centuries, artists in India have sought to express their vision of this event by painting Jesus’s birth and other Christian themes in their own style.

Some have done so consciously, others unconsciously, but the end result is a body of work that breathes new life and meaning into the event of Christ’s birth, and Christianity itself.

Here are some paintings from Indian art history that present Jesus’s birth from a uniquely local perspective.

Mughal emperor Muhammad Jalaluddin Akbar is credited with introducing northern India to Christianity by inviting Jesuit missionaries to visit his court.

The missionaries brought with them holy scriptures and European artworks on Christian themes which influenced court painters. Akbar and his successors also commissioned many murals with Christian themes and some court painters began infusing these paintings with elements of Islamic art.

Neha Vermani, a historian of South Asia, talks about a painting made by Mughal court artists which featured emperor Jahangir in the nativity scene, which traditionally feature Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

“Mughal rulers saw themselves as being ‘just’ rulers, capable of maintaining harmony and balance in their kingdoms; they were ‘universal rulers’. Allowing different religions to co-exist was integral to how they saw themselves and wanted themselves to be remembered,” Ms Vermani says.

The 18th Century painting below features typical stylistic elements of Mughal art, including highly stylised figures, vibrant colours, naturalism and ornamentation.

Born in 1887 in what is now India’s West Bengal state, Jamini Roy is celebrated for creating a unique visual language by bringing together elements of Bengali folk art and Kalighat paintings – a distinctive art form that originated in the vicinity of a renowned temple in Kolkata city.

Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director of art firm DAG says that art critic WG Archer once observed that Christ represented a Santhal figure (the Santhals are an Indian tribal group) for Jamini Roy.

“The simplicity of Christ’s life and his sacrifice appealed to Roy, making his paintings on Christian themes at least as important as those on Hindu mythology, all of them rendered in the folk style of modernism that he made distinctively his own,” he says.

Born in 1902 in the western state of Goa, Angelo de Fonseca is credited with creating unique Christian iconography that married Eastern and Western influences with his Goan sensibilities.

In his paintings, Mary isn’t depicted as a fair maiden in a blue gown, but looks very much like an Indian woman with brown skin, dressed in a sari and wearing a mangalsutra (a piece of traditional Indian jewellery worn by married Hindu women).

Biblical scenes unfold in local settings and feature motifs and elements that speak to an Indian audience.

Through his art, he tried to counter the narrative of the West being the cradle of beauty and artistic creativity.

“Fonseca wanted to situate Christianity – which has largely been viewed as a western religious tradition – within the Indian subcontinent. It was from this angst that his watercolours painted Christianity anew,” Rinald D’Souza, director of the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa, told the BBC.

A court in Turkey has sentenced the owner and architect of a hotel which collapsed in an earthquake in 2023, killing 72 people, to jail.

The owner of the Isias Grand, Ahmet Bozkurt, and architect Erdem Yilmaz, were each given 18 years and five months, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Bozkurt’s son, Mehmet Fatih, was sentenced to 17 years and four months, it said.

The hotel, in the south-eastern city of Adiyaman, was hosting a school volleyball team from Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus and a group of tourist guides when the quake hit last February.

The three men were convicted of “causing the death or injury of more than one person through conscious negligence”, Anadolou said.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel said the sentences were too lenient and that authorities would appeal, AFP new agency reported.

“Hotel owners did not get the punishment we had expected,” Ustel said. “But despite that, everyone from those responsible in the hotel’s construction to the architect was sentenced. That made us partially happy.”

More than 50,000 people died in Turkey and Syria in the quake on 6 February 2023.

Some 160,000 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged, leaving 1.5 million people homeless.

The Turkish government said a few weeks later that hundreds of people were under investigation and nearly 200 people had been arrested, including construction contractors and property owners.

A group of 39 people, including boys and girls, teachers and parents from Famagusta Turkish Education College, had travelled to Adiyaman for a volleyball tournament when the earthquake struck.

Four parents were the only survivors among them. They managed to dig themselves out of the rubble, while 35 others including all the children were killed.

The volleyball group had picked the seven-storey Isias Grand, along with as many as 40 tourist guides who were there for training.

It was one of Adiyaman’s best-known hotels but it collapsed in moments.

The Isias had been operating since 2001 but, according to scientific analysis, gravel and sand from the local river had been mixed with other construction materials to form the columns supporting the building.

The sheer scale of building collapses in the earthquake prompted widespread criticism of the Turkish government for encouraging a construction boom while failing to enforce building regulations, which had been tightened after earlier disasters.

King Charles has delivered a personal message of gratitude to health workers who have supported him during his cancer treatment, in his annual Christmas speech.

In a candid message, he offered his “heartfelt thanks” to the doctors and nurses who helped with the “uncertainties and anxieties of illness”.

The King also praised the efforts of those building links between different communities in what he called the “anger and lawlessness” of the summer riots.

Diversity in ethnicity and faith is a sign of “strength, not weakness”, said the King’s message.

This year’s Christmas broadcast was delivered in the Fitzrovia Chapel in London, the first time a venue outside a royal residence had been used for over a decade.

It had been the former chapel of the Middlesex Hospital, reflecting the theme of paying respect to those working in the health services.

“All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical,” said the King, but the “measure of our civilisation” is how people are supported at such moments.

The King’s message, recorded earlier this month, expressed his gratitude for “selfless” medical professionals and volunteers who used their skills to “care for others – often at some cost to themselves”.

He acknowledged the help for others in his family, with the Princess of Wales receiving a cancer diagnosis this year.

And he thanked the public for their kind words and messages, after his own cancer diagnosis was revealed in February.

The broadcast showed him meeting cancer patients, when he returned to public engagements in April, during a visit to University College London Hospital.

The King’s treatment will continue into 2025, but as a positive sign of progress, he is planning a busy schedule of visits and overseas trips next year.

Another major theme of the speech was a focus on community cohesion.

The King praised the efforts of those who had sought to build bridges between communities after the summer riots, that had followed the knife attack in Southport.

“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair. To repair not just buildings, but relationships,” said the King.

“Diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provides strength, not weakness,” said the King, who praised efforts to “respect our differences, to defeat prejudice”.

The King’s words echo the Christmas message given by his mother the late Queen Elizabeth in 2004, when she addressed community tensions, saying “diversity is indeed a strength and not a threat”.

In a speech earlier this year on Commonwealth Day, the King had also stressed the same message that “diversity is our greatest strength”.

The Christmas broadcast included pictures of Prince William and Catherine thanking emergency workers who responded to the Southport knife attack, in a visit which had included a meeting with bereaved families.

Accompanying the speech a community choir sang the carol Once in Royal David’s City. And a Christmas tree seen in the broadcast has since been donated to a hospice in Clapham.

There were words of sympathy from the King for those at risk in wars around the world, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The King commended the “remarkable veterans of that very special generation” as he recalled the 80th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings.

The broadcast followed the convention of showing working royals, so there were no sightings of either Prince Harry or Prince Andrew.

King Charles is spending Christmas Day in Sandringham in Norfolk.

Crowds gathered in the morning to watch him going to a church service with his family, including Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Chocolate maker Cadbury has been dropped from the list of royal warrants for the first time in 170 years.

The Birmingham-based chocolatier was awarded its first royal warrant as chocolate and cocoa manufacturers by Queen Victoria in 1854, but it has lost its royal endorsement under King Charles.

Cadbury’s US owners, Mondelez International, said it was disappointed to have been stripped of its warrant.

The King has granted royal warrants to 386 companies that previously held warrants from Queen Elizabeth II, including John Lewis, Heinz and Nestle.

Companies holding the Royal Warrant of Appointment, granted for up to five years, are recognised for providing goods or services to the monarchy.

Among the King’s new list of warrant holders are many firms selling food and drink, such as Moet and Chandon, Weetabix and chocolate makers Bendicks and Prestat Ltd.

Warrant holders are allowed to use the coat of arms of the royal they are associated with on packaging, as part of advertising or on stationery.

Earlier this year, the King was urged by campaign group B4Ukraine to withdraw warrants from companies “still operating in Russia” after the invasion of Ukraine, naming Mondelez and consumer goods firm Unilever, which has also been stripped of the endorsement.

“Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.” a Mondelez spokesperson said.

Unilever added it was “very proud” of the long history its brands had supplying the royal household, most recently receiving a warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Prof David Bailey, from Birmingham Business School, said the decision to strip the chocolate manufacturer of its warrant would affect its costs, as the brand would have to remove it from all packaging.

A royal warrant was a “kind of seal of approval,” which was thought to bring significant benefits to the UK economy, he added.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Prof Bailey said British companies also benefited from being awarded the royal endorsement.

“What is a royal warrant for, if it isn’t to help British jobs and British production?” he asked.

The British chocolate giant celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year, after founder John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop selling cocoa and drinking chocolate in Birmingham on 4 March 1824.

The brand expanded when his sons took over the business, eventually building the Bournville factory which became the biggest cocoa manufacturer in the world.

US food company Kraft took over the brand in a controversial takeover in 2010, with Cadbury going on to become part of its Mondelez division in 2012.