25/12/2015 BBC News

The Queen highlights the Christian message of light triumphing over

She said the world had confronted "moments of darkness" in 2015,

but there was always room for optimism.

But the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope often read

The light shines in the darkness and the

In Cumbria, troops have arrived to help bolster defences

against the threat of further flooding.

And a charity single by NHS staff, beats Justin Bieber

The Queen, in her Christmas Day broadcast, has spoken of the world

having to confront moments of darkness over the past year.

But she also talked about the Christian message of light

overcoming darkness, and described Christmas as a time

for people to remember "all they have to be thankful for."

Here's our Royal Correspondent, Nicholas Witchell.

On a damp day, the Queen departed promptly after the service,

leaving younger members of the family to spend a few moments

In her Christmas broadcast, the Queen

There was much to be thankful for, she said,

but, though she didn't identify any particular incidents,

It is true that the world has had to confront moments

But the Gospel of John contains a verse of great

hope, often read at Christmas carol services.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not

70 years after the end of the Second World War,

she paid tribute to those who had served, and the strong Christian

theme continued when she spoke about people who were forced

Despite being displaced and persecuted

throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging message was not

one of revenge or violence, but simply,

On a personal note, there was a reference to the birth

in May of another great grandchild, Princess Charlotte.

One of the joys of living a long life is watching one's

children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren,

And this year, my family has a new member to join

I'm looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned

I may have happy birthday sung to be more than once or twice.

That, of course, was a reference to the fact

that in four months' time the Queen will celebrate her 90th birthday.

Yet, despite the passing of the years, 2016 will,

Nicholas Witchell, BBC News at Buckingham Palace.

The Army's been brought in to help protect flood-hit

With up to six inches of rain forecast for the area today,

the government's emergency committee, Cobra, has been

From the village of Braithwaite, here's Clare Fallon.

If you look down here now, the river has already overflowed

Christmas Day in Cumbria and along with yet more rain

came the military, drafted in to prepare for the threat

A lot of the houses down the street are very low-lying. They could yet

hit again. We want to avoid that at all costs, really. This was our

beautiful kitchen, we have only been here a couple of years and now it's

all gone. When water poured into this home three weeks ago it

happened so quickly that the only way out was through the windows. It

wasn't too bad, just a foot or something. We got my mum to come

over here for safety. Next thing, the water just came. Here in

Braithwaite, as in many parts of Cumbria, it doesn't seem to have

stopped raining through December. In some places they have been flooded

three times in as many weeks. Now with more rain forecast and a

weather warning in place, although it can do is wait, watch and hope

that it doesn't happen again. Claire Fallon, BBC News, Braithwaite.

An explosion at a gas depot in Nigeria, is thought to have

It happened at a butane gas plant in the south of the country,

and triggered a blaze that lasted more than five hours.

Officials say the victims were waiting to fill up gas bottles,

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has met his Pakistani

counterpart Nawaz Sharif, on a surprise visit

Mr Modi was returning to India from Afghanistan when he stopped

off, a trip that coincided with the Pakistani Prime Minister's

Mr Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Pakistan since 2004.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has used his

sermon to warn that an 'apocalypse' unleashed by so-called

Islamic State, means Christianity is facing elimination in the region

Meanwhile Pope Francis has appealed for reconciliation after a year

Our Religious Affairs Correspondent, Caroline Wyatt has more.

Happy Christmas. Good will and a cheery greeting from the Archbishop

of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as he arrived at Canterbury Cathedral. But

as Christians gathered to celebrate the birth of Christ at services

across the world, his message today was a sombre one. The Archbishop

focused on the devastation unleashed by the Islamic State group in Syria

and Iraq, saying it used force and indescribable cruelty. He compared

it to a modern day Herod, the biblical king who massacred babies

will try to kill Jesus. They hate difference, whether it is Muslims

who think differently, Yazidis or Christians. And because of them, the

Christians face elimination in the very region in which the faith

began. That was a message echoed in Rome today. Where Pope Francis was

greeted with enthusiasm by pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square. He too

called for peace in a world of conflict. TRANSLATION: My thoughts

also turn to those affected by brutal acts of terrorism,

particularly the recent massacres that took place in Egyptian

airspace, Beirut, Paris and Tunis. The Pope asked for prayers and

strength for all Christians persecuted for their faith, calling

them the martyrs of today. Closer to home, in North Yorkshire, the

Archbishop of York took Christmas service to those who couldn't come

to his at a prison. There he offered words of hope for those who were in

prison, lonely, or feeling lost and abandoned, saying the message of

Christmas was one of hope and salvation. Caroline Wyatt, BBC News.

Finally, a hospital choir from south London has reached the top

of the charts, taking coveted Christmas Number One spot.

The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, fought off fierce competition

from the Canadian singer, Justin Bieber.

I can officially announced that the UK's official Christmas UK number

12015... The moment the choir had been waiting for. Yellow mac NHS

choir with A Bridge Over You. # When you're weary... The single

was raised to help raise money for health charities and the National

Health Service. That's what it was all about, it was for all the other

people in the NHS, so I'm really hoping it gives them a lift. I'm

amazed. I hoped, but I didn't think it would happen. Justin Bieber is

such a big superstar worldwide. Justin Bieber, last week's number

one, asked his 70 million-plus Twitter followers to help the NHS

choir to win the chart battle. Charity singles often take the

Christmas chart, an extra factor here, the way it also celebrates the

work of the NHS across the entire country. With the new number one

being announced on Christmas Day itself, it seems appropriate that

this year in particular should see people at all levels of music,

together with members of the public, together with a chance, to send

their own seasonal message. -- together with the charts.

The next news on BBC One is at 11.35 tonight.

Until then, from me and the team, a very happy Christmas to you.

Merry Christmas. Sadly, very little goodwill from the weather this

festive season. But I have found some Christmassy weather, some snow

falling along the tops of the hills in northern England. For many of us

it felt and looked a lot more like Easter today. A photograph from

Suffolk earlier. We will keep milder weather across the South and sadly

the wet weather across the North through the night and Boxing Day.

Increasingly we will see snow across the hills and mountains of Scotland,

and it was a wet across Scotland, Northern Ireland and much of Wales

overnight. Really mild across the South, temperatures in the teens.

Further north, colder, close to freezing in Shetland and only a few

degrees above across Scotland and northern England. We will keep the

wet weather tomorrow across much of northern England. The Met office has

an amber be prepared warning across Cumbria and parts of Lancashire, a

sensitive area with lots of rain over recent weeks with more

downpours to come tomorrow and a threat of flooding. Potential

problems across North Wales and parts of Scotland, East of Scotland,

as the rain keeps going. Feeling really cold with the wet weather. In

the south, generally dry with some brightness possible, but overall

cloudy. Temperatures of 14 or 15. Staying mild with more rain for the