25/12/2012 BBC News

Good evening. At the close of her Diamond Jubilee year, the Queen has

used her Christmas message to say she is humbled by the public

response to the celebrations. She's also paid tribute to those at the

heart of London 2012 - the athletes and also the volunteers who helped

make the Olympics and Paralympics such a success. Our Royal

Correspondent Nicholas Witchell reports. Morning service at

Sandringham. The royal party, led by the Queen, who missed church on

Sunday because of a cold, and the Duke of Edinburgh who missed

festivities last year when he was in hospital, both looking fit and

well today. Prince Harry is in Afghanistan and the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge were spending the day privately in Berkshire at

the Middleton family home. In her Christmas message, the Queen spoke

of a year of great celebration, saying the enthusiasm that greeted

her Diamond Jubilee had been memorable. It was humbling that so

many chose to mark the anniversary of the duty passed to me 60 years

ago. She recalled the Thames river pageant, when she was struck by the

friendship and fellowship of those taking part. On the barges and the

bridges and the banks of the river, people undaunted by the rain. There

was a tremendous sense of common determination to celebrate,

triumphing over the elements. same determination had been evident

again, the Queen said, when the Olympic flame had reached Britain.

The flame itself drew hundreds of thousands of people on its journey

around the British Isles. It was carried by every kind of deserving

individual. The Queen paid tribute to the athletes who had inspired

the nation with their achievements in the Olympics and the Paralympic

Games, and a special tribute to the Those public-spirited people came

forward in the great tradition of all those who devote themselves to

keeping other people safe and As she reflects on this Christmas

night, there is certainly a lot for the Queen to look back on with

pleasure, and more to look forward to, with the birth of a special

great grandchild in prospect in 2013.

In his Christmas address, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

in England and Wales has attacked the Government's proposals on gay

marriage. The Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols said

the process has been undemocratic and shambolic. Our Religious

Affairs Correspondent Robert Pigott reports. With carols, candles and

Holy Communion, Roman Catholics at Westminster Cathedral proclaimed

the joy of Christmas. The Archbishop of Westminster used the

occasion to criticise the Government's plans for gay marriage.

Ministers say no church will have to provide same-sex weddings, but

Archbishop Nichols accused them of behaving in an Orwellian fashion to

create a sham version of marriage. The process is shambolic. There was

no announcement, no green paper, no statement in the Queen's Speech,

and yet here we are on the verge of primary legislation. From a

democratic point of view, it is a shambles. In his last sermon as

Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams acknowledged that recent

census results showed a decline in the proportion of people who

identified themselves as Christians. He also conceded the Church had

lost credibility by voting not to create women bishops. But he

insisted people still heard about the church. Her after the vote last

month, what struck me was how many people who would not have said yes

to the census question turned out to have a sort of investment in the

church, a desire to see the Church look incredible. Rowan Williams had

a bearing and presence of a holy man, widely revered by Anglicans,

often misunderstood by others. His extraordinary intellect was largely

wasted by a church preoccupied by disputes about sexuality. The

Church will now look to Justin Welby for hard-nosed leadership to

overcome its own divisions and win the respect of an increasingly

sceptical society. In his Christmas message, Justin Welby said it was

easy to be despondent about the church, but he insisted its work

for the poor and depressed revealed its true value.

In Rome, Pope Benedict wished a crowd of thousands in St Peter's

Square a Happy Christmas in 65 languages. He called for an end to

the bloodshed in Syria and condemned the conflict for leaving

the country wounded and deeply divided.

Two children and a 32 year-old woman were killed today in an

accident on the M6 motorway. It happened just before lunchtime when

the vehicle they were travelling in left the road. Part of the route

through Staffordshire was closed in both directions for several hours.

Within a few minutes of the crash, two air ambulances landed on the M6.

The car involved is surrounded by fire engines and ambulances, as

emergency workers tried to help those inside. The crash happened on

the northbound carriageway of the M6 in Staffordshire. The road was

closed for nearly five hours, causing long tailbacks. Despite the

best efforts of paramedics and a doctor at the roadside, the

children - two boys - could not be saved. They were pronounced dead at

the scene, as was a 32 year-old woman. The driver of the car and

another female passenger were seriously injured. If Christmas Day,

and the fact two children were involved here, it just adds an

extra gravity to the sadness. Words can't describe how sad this is

today. A accident investigators are now trying to piece together the

circumstances of the crash, and the police are appealing for witnesses

to come forward with information about the accident which claimed

three lives on Christmas Day. Egypt's election commission has

officially announced the result of the country's referendum on a new

constitution with nearly two thirds of voters backing it. The

constitution is backed by President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood,

and will enable Egypt to elect a new parliament. But only a third of

those eligible to vote cast a ballot, and opponents of the new

constitution claim it is pro- Islamist and doesn't do enough to

protect minorities. The American actor Jack Klugman has

died in Los Angeles at the age of 90. Let me give you a lesson in

anatomy. The Kneebone is connected to the shin bone... He was probably

best known as Quincy - the no- nonsense crime-fighting pathologist,

but he was also in the highly successful sitcom The Odd Couple.

In the 1980s, he lost his voice due to throat cancer, but later trained

himself to speak again. More now on Christmas celebrations

- as you heard earlier, Prince Harry is not with the Royal Family

this Christmas. Instead he is one of the thousands of soldiers in

Afghanistan. Our defence correspondent Jonathan Beale

reports now on their Christmas, far from family and loved ones. In

Afghanistan, Santa makes his deliveries by military helicopter.

Loaded with mail and presents for loved ones in remote bases across

Helmand. As well as getting on with their everyday tasks, there has

been time to make camps feel more like home, making decorations one

way of getting into the Christmas spirit. Although it is not quite

the same. I am quite a home bird, I like being at home with my mum and

family. What are you going to miss most about Christmas here? Probably

sat on my sofa eating! And opening the presents back home. Christmas!

Who has been a good little boy, then? All right, boss, have you

been good this Christmas? Those parcels have reached the frontline,

thousands of miles away from home it is a boost to morale. As is the

traditional Christmas dinner. In Lashkar Gah, it was accompanied by

a choir. Out here, comrades have become immediate family. Merry

Christmas. Outside, the reason why they are still here. To bring some

semblance of stability to Afghanistan. And the threat has not

gone away. 46 British troops have lost their lives this year. We're

always very aware of the cost along the way, the friends we have lost.

And behind the smiles, there's the remembrance and always a twinge of

sadness that, for a lot of people, Christmas will not be good this

year. It might be Christmas, but for many British troops in Helmand,

it is like any other day with this patrol going off to help train

Afghan police. It will soon be left to them. Within two years, all