24/12/2015 BBC World News

as far north as Scotland. The on Sunday, leading up to the New Year,

it is looking particularly stormy. So keep track of the weather and

have a good evening. The battle for the key Afghan town

of Sangin continues. The government says it has killed 18 Caliban

commander. Ten people killed and scores more

injured after a storm of the United States.

They deal in in Syria could see several thousand fighters pull-out

of the key refugee camp as early as Christmas Day.

Boats, buses and a wheelchair, the Syrian goal pushed across Europe

finally find sanctuary and we are following her a global journey.

Hello and a warm welcome to you. We begin in Afghanistan for security

forces say that they have killed 50 Taliban fighters in the battle

Helmand province. The dead are said to include a senior Taliban

commander. The Taliban maintained at the town is still under their

control. It is should huge at Greenpoint and as the key transport

link, linking the capital to the Northern districts. With ongoing

fighting more Afghan forces have arrived to help their beleaguered

colleagues. British forces are also on the ground in an advisory

capacity and American warplanes have carried out air strikes against

Taliban positions. Nato entered its combat mission in Afghanistan in

December last year but since then the Taliban have been gaining

ground. This includes capturing another city. A spokesman for the

Afghan Interior Ministry says they are making good progress. There is

still fighting going on in Helmand province. Since yesterday we have

been conducting some special operations by special forces. There

were special operations last nights which had a good result, killing

lots of Taliban and their key leader. We are also focusing on our

operations. Yesterday we were able to reinforce and sound reinforcement

to the town where are forces had been 43-4 days. Just load the only

focus is to make sure that those Taliban attacks can be repelled and

we are trying to focus on ground operations as well. -- three or

four. The help was therefore then when they had to face tough

challenges from the Taliban. The town has always been contested and

we have had a lot of challenges in the past. It is not the first time

that it has come under attack. Last year the Taliban were always trying

to launch massive attacks on it. At this time yesterday when we were

able to provide ammunition and help to the forces, they were stuck in

the town, and that was a great step after three or four days. We are

facing challenges in Helmand province. It was not only in this

town but there were other parts that the Taliban tried to attack.

According to the possibilities and these authors we have in Helmand

province and others, we do our best to make sure our forces get the

right support and that is timely. That is our main goal during an

operations. With fighting ongoing in Helmand province, what is the mood

like in the provincial capital? Our reporter is there and said the

support. I am in the capital of Helmand

province. This is a province where millions of dollars were spent on

foreign aid. Recently the city has been shaken by Taliban attacks and

even now ten kilometres behind me is the front line where almost every

day there is fighting going on. Two Hours Drive to the North is another

district where until last night over 150 security forces were surrounded

by the Taliban. They were only help just today by special forces,

advised by handful of British advisers. There is a lot of hustle

and bustle here and happy children, but under the skin this is a city on

the edge. I want to bring you some news that

has just come in. Dozens of police vehicles have converged at the

shopping mall in North Carolina after receiving reports of shots

being fired. The maul and Charlotte was crowded with shoppers when the

police arrived. Frantic shoppers ran out of stores looking for shelter.

An unnamed eyewitness told a local broadcaster that a gunman had been

shot by an officer, the police have not confirmed the incident. We will

have more from Charlotte as a constable for BBC News.

Now some other news. Cleese in Brussels have arrested a ninth

suspect in connection with the attacks in Paris last month.

Prosecutors are quoted as saying the rest of the unnamed man took place

earlier this week but wasn't reported so as not to alert possible

accomplices. President Putin has announced that

Russia will build a series of nuclear plants in India over the

next two decades. He was speaking at a joint press meeting. About seven

billion dollars worth of deals have been signed, many of which are

defence-related. And Iraq security forces are trying

to drive out the last Islamic State fighters. Government troops have

taken control of several districts and held by strikes they have

advanced towards the main administrative centre. The progress

is being hampered by suicide bombers, snipers and traps.

Tornadoes have ripped through parts of the southern United States

killing at least ten people and injuring dozens more. They have left

a path of devastation in Mississippi and Tennessee as well as leaving

thousands without power in an Indiana and Arkansas. Our

correspondent reports. The storms raged

across seven states. One is thought to have travelled 100

miles across land in Mississippi where only six people have

been killed including As some fled, some others

hid in shelters only I was holding my dog

and the roof came off. I lay down and it

went right over me. Emergency services search through

the rubble for those missing. In the worst hit areas, some towns

were completely destroyed. It is heartbreaking to see

the families who have lost their loved ones

here, lost their homes. This is a bad time of

year to do that anyway. It is never a good time

but it is certainly a bad Storms at this time of year

in the south are not unusual, but the ferocity has

taken many by surprise. In one home that was turned

to rubble there was little hope: The Christmas tree

was still standing. The deal which are still at a

delicate stage involves an agreement between rebel fighters and the

government. Our Middle East editor has more.

What I understand is that it could start as early as Christmas Day. It

is a deal that will involve some Isis fighters in the complexity of

what is going on pledging. There was a battle in the camp and conditions

there became almost unlovable for the people who were trapped. The

Secretary General described as they did the circle of hell. On the

perspective of the UN this deal is about making the camp said again for

the people who are still there. There are about 15,000 - 18,000

people. The Syrian government have one of the big threats on his

doorstep removed. This is the closest that I got to Damascus. --

Isis. They have reached a point of stalemate where it looks as if they

do not feel there is anything left to fight for there. They get winded

and their families out. Some of them will go to rack up, but the majority

will go north. We are seeing a new who shattered peace effort in

January will see a peace conference and the Syrian government and

opposition leader there. This will be looked back on as a small

positive sign. Do stay with us on BBC News because

they have much more run the impact of the war on Syria. We will be

following the incredible journey of the Syrian girl by boat, bus and if

wheelchair across Europe in search of century. -- in a wheelchair.

They broke slowly over Lockerbie. The plane was no stone in the soft

earth. You can see what happens when a plane eight stories high false

from 30,000 feet. Christmas has returned to Albania after the

communist bandmaster more than 20 years. Thousands went to midnight

mass where there were anti-Communist rise ten days ago.

This is BBC World news. Our latest headlines: As fighting continues in

the key Afghan town, the government say they have killed a top Taliban

commander and dozens of militants. Ten people have been killed and

scores more injured after a particularly dangerous storm hit the

south and midwest of the United States.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of being offered drugs to cope

with Hydra pressure -- high blood pressure. The now experts are saying

the drug should be continued for some people who have normal blood

pressure. Our correspondent reports. We're

used to thinking blood pressure is high, low or normal. This research

suggests that blood pressure -- that people with normal blood pressure

should be given drugs to lower health pressure is there a risk of

other health problems. They look to studies involving more than 600,000

people and found that a relatively small drop in blood pressure would

reduce the risk of stroke and heart failure by about 27%. That makes a

big difference to people who are had a heart attack or stroke. Medical

experts think that the study today will be two new guidelines about who

needs blood-pressure medicine. There is a lot of work to do across the UK

to identify the people at high risk and treat their blood pressure, but

this is telling us that we should be looking closer at bringing people's

blood pressure down lower than we previously would have done.

Lifestyle changes, such as do more exercise and drinking less, a lot of

help reduce blood pressure. I especially say they are good healthy

habits for many of us. Saudi Arabian Fire investigators are

examining the bell tower remains a part of a hospital with at least 25

people were killed and more than 100 injured early on Friday. The fire

broke out on the first floor of the hospital. Our correspondent reports.

The fire ripped through the hospital in the middle of the night.

Some of the more vulnerable patients caught up as it took hold

of maternity and intensive care wards.

Eyewitnesses say it got out of control quickly.

It left little time for those inside to escape a fire they say

TRANSLATION: A nurse came to me and told me about a short circuit

I took maintenance supervisors with me as well as the nurse.

We were met with smoke and loud screams from men and women upstairs.

We were not able to control the situation.

Inside the scale of the devastation is clear.

The charred remains of beds and medical equipment are the only

remaining signs of the care given in these wards.

Fire investigators are already working to establish exactly

what happened and how the blaze went on to claim so many lives.

TRANSLATION: We know when the fire started but we do not know

if it was caused by an electrical fault or something else.

Following instructions from His Highness, the governor

of the province, a commission of inquiry has been set up

and its results will be announced as soon as they are available.

This year Saudi Arabia has seen a string of deadly

Most prominent was the crush at the Hajj pilgrimage

There was also a collapse at Mecca's grand mosque and a fire at a complex

Saudis have taken to social media to criticise the Government

Whilst criticism of the Saudi royal family and government is frowned

upon, the death toll from incidents like this can only increase pressure

on them to improve the safety standards of the kingdom.

More than half of the refugees that have fled to Europe this year are

from Syria, escaping the war back home. Some countries have welcomed

the new arrivals, including Germany, one young Syrian girl has found

sanctuary. She was pushed across Europe in a wheelchair and the BBC

has been following her story. In a new country it is a season of

change. Three months after reaching Europe, this girl has found a new

life. Germany is as I expected her to be. She is beautiful. She is

waking up earlier and going to school every day and doing that kind

of stuff. I love doing that. This was how she arrived. Suffering from

cerebral palsy, her epic journey from the Middle East was made in a

wheelchair with her sister and a family friend. I first met her in

September stranded on the close fund Guinean border. I have to be an

astronaut to go out and see. I want to meet the Queen. On she travelled

across European borders. Into detention camps. IM a prisoner so it

is not good. -- I am a prisoner. Do you know where you are going? To

some camp. You don't know where they are going to send you after this? I

don't know, I am lost. On to Germany and a reunion with her beloved

brother who was already seeking asylum.

She shares this flat with her older sister. She dreams of walking and to

start physical therapy. Her parents are still living as refugees in

Turkey where they fled to escape the fighting. What is your Christmas

which? To see red periods. -- to see my parents. To have a family

reunion. She has come this far by force of her own personality,

beloved family, and the kindness of strangers. There is no telling what

she may achieve in the years to come.

At court in Thailand has sentence scumbags sentenced to people to

death for the murder of British to this. They were killed last

September. Our correspondent reports.

Arriving at court to hear their fate - two young Burmese men charged

with a horrific crime on a holiday island.

David Miller and Hannah Witheridge had been doing what so many young

Britons do at their age - backpacking through Thailand.

Their battered bodies were found last year on this beach

From the start, the police investigation was marred

When they detained the two suspects, they were put

They both also retracted their earlier confessions,

saying they'd been threatened and beaten.

There were many doubts expressed about the prosecution case,

not just by the defence lawyers but also by international forensic

experts, in particular about the central piece of evidence,

the police DNA tests, which they said were unreliable.

None of that was sufficient to sway the judges, who insisted the tests

were up to international standards and enough to justify a guilty

The emphatic outcome of this drawn-out trial gave some

satisfaction to the family of David Miller, who attended the hearing.

We believe that the result today represents justice

It is our opinion that the evidence against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo

They raped to satisfy their selfish desires and murdered to cover

They have shown no remorse during the trial.

It was a very different experience for the mothers of the two convicted

In court, the defence lawyers had failed to convince the judges

of the flaws they said riddled the prosecution's case.

Now, they plan to appeal against the verdict,

Some sports news now and following Louis Van Hal's angry outburst at

the media on Wednesday, the Manchester United captain, Wayne

Rooney, says that the team are behind a manager. Speculation is

mounting that Van Gaal's job is under threat as the team have not

won in six games, the longest run since 1998. They have also lost

their last three games. Wayne Rooney has insisted that Manchester United

tried to get the results to turn things around.

Many people will be celebrating Christmas on Friday. Perhaps this

some time off work to recover from the excess food and drink. Not for

footballers in the Premier League. Leaks in Germany, Spain and France

has started their winter break but here in England players are getting

ready for three games in the space of the week. Deliverable manager

says that the winter schedule makes winter tired in the New Year --

makes players tired in the New Year. There is a good reason why the big

English clubs have not been that successful, there are too many

tournaments. There are too many games, the biggest league in Europe,

you want always be successful, that is how it is. You have no break. In

the preseason all the English clubs travel to Asia and things like this.

I think everyone knows that it is not the way. But you cannot change

it? Anyone can change it. Not me, I am German and I cannot come here and

tell you to change it. But you cannot want and do everything. But

that is not my decision. Everyone knows that, I knew it from Germany.

It is funny to see football over Christmas, but we do not have the

break. The cricket team's preparations for

it to the New Zealand hasn't hampered by protest from within the

team. The 2020 captain and the one-day captain have refused to

train with another player at a fitness camp. The player was banned

from the sport for a minimum of five years in 2011 after being charged

with spot fixing. The ICC lifted their sanctions earlier this year.

He told the head coach that he would not attend any part of the camp in

which the man would participate. Pakistan will be playing 31-day

internationals during their tour. Australia will decide between Shaun

Marsh and Raeburn is to open alongside David Warner in Saturday's

second test against the West Indies. There are also looking to prove

themselves. Josh Hazlewood leads the attack just one year after coming on

to the site. I have a bit more responsibility and I have definitely

felt that in the second innings. You do get the ball in your hand more as

well. I am a leading bowler. I seem to thrive on that extra

responsibility. The good thing about our bowling attack is that

everything has something different. I try to take wickets I a strike

bowler. I sometimes get more runs. You have to work on partnerships. It

is about having something different. The West Indies struggled to compete

in the first test going down by an innings and 212 runs. The captain

said his side has to improve. I think one good performance could

turn things around, that is how we need to look at it. We can be

negative and we need to find ways to pick ourselves up. One good game

could lead to a turn around and that is the way I'm taking it going

forward. Pope Francis is leading Christmas Eve Mass of St Petersburg

-- at the Vatican. It is one of the most important matters of the year

for Catholics celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. This is the first

of many masses to take place around the world but many people choosing

to stay up late into the night to attend Mass as the ushering

Christmas Day. Children at the heart of the celebration. They were

invited to come from the countries that the pontiff had visited. Tens

of thousands of people are expected in Saint Peters Square to hear the

pontiff a traditional speech at 11am. You're with BBC