:00:00. > :00:11.The battle for the key Afghan town of Sangin continues.
:00:12. > :00:16.The government says it's captured part of the town from the Taliban.
:00:17. > :00:19.11 people are killed and scores more injured after
:00:20. > :00:24.a devastating storm hits the south and midwest of the United States.
:00:25. > :00:29.A deal in Syria could see several thousand rebel fighters pull out
:00:30. > :00:34.of the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus as early as Christmas Day.
:00:35. > :00:36.And Christians around the world are celebrating
:00:37. > :00:58.Christmas, with Pope Francis holding a midnight mass at the Vatican
:00:59. > :01:03.In Afghanistan government forces say they've killed 50 Taliban fighters -
:01:04. > :01:06.including a senior commander - in the battle for the town of Sangin in
:01:07. > :01:13.The Taliban, however, maintain that Sangin is still under their control.
:01:14. > :01:17.The town is on a key transport route linking Lashkar Gah,
:01:18. > :01:21.the capital of Helmand, to the province's northern districts.
:01:22. > :01:23.With fighting ongoing, more Afghan forces have arrived to
:01:24. > :01:29.British forces are also on the ground in an advisory capacity, and
:01:30. > :01:33.American planes have carried out air strikes against Taliban positions.
:01:34. > :01:38.Fighting is also taking place in other parts of Helmand.
:01:39. > :01:41.NATO formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan
:01:42. > :01:45.Since then the Taliban has been gaining ground.
:01:46. > :01:48.This included capturing, albeit briefly,
:01:49. > :01:53.Siddiq Siddiqi is a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry.
:01:54. > :01:57.He says government forces are making good progress in the battle for
:01:58. > :02:06.There is fighting ongoing in Helmand, particularly Sangin.
:02:07. > :02:12.We have had a special operation by our special forces.
:02:13. > :02:15.There were special operations last night in Sangin, which had
:02:16. > :02:20.a good result, killing a lot of Taliban including a key leader.
:02:21. > :02:24.At the moment we are also focusing on our operations.
:02:25. > :02:31.Yesterday we were able to reinforce and send reinforcements to Sangin,
:02:32. > :02:35.where our forces were for the past three or four days.
:02:36. > :02:38.Right now, the only focus is to make sure that
:02:39. > :02:44.those Taliban attacks could be repelled, and we are trying to focus
:02:45. > :02:51.Eventually, the help was there for them before they had to face
:02:52. > :02:57.tough challenges or threats by the Taliban, but yes, Sangin has
:02:58. > :03:03.We have had a lot of challenges in the past as well,
:03:04. > :03:09.it is not the first time that Sangin came under attack.
:03:10. > :03:15.The Taliban were always trying to launch massive attacks on Sangin.
:03:16. > :03:20.But yesterday, we were able to provide ammunition and help to
:03:21. > :03:27.That was a great step after two or three days.
:03:28. > :03:38.It is always like, it was not only this area.
:03:39. > :03:44.According to the resources we have, in provinces such as Helmand, which
:03:45. > :03:57.is a vast area, making sure that our people at the right support.
:03:58. > :04:01.With fighting ongoing in Sangin, and other parts of Helmand province,
:04:02. > :04:04.what is the mood like in Lashkar Gah - the provincial capital?
:04:05. > :04:10.Our reporter Orlea Atrafi is there and sent this report.
:04:11. > :04:15.I am in Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand Province.
:04:16. > :04:20.This is a province where millions of dollars were spent on foreign aid.
:04:21. > :04:25.Recently, this city has been shaken by Taliban attacks, and even now,
:04:26. > :04:30.ten kilometres that way is the frontline, where almost every
:04:31. > :04:54.And two hours' drive to the north is Sangin, where until last night
:04:55. > :05:34.Settle down! and bustle here, happy children,
:05:35. > :05:41.The storms raged across several states.
:05:42. > :05:44.I think that is a tornado brewing up!
:05:45. > :05:49.One is thought to have travelled 100 miles across land in Mississippi,
:05:50. > :05:51.where at least six people have been killed,
:05:52. > :06:01.As some fled, others hid in shelters,
:06:02. > :06:08.The roof came off and I had my dog, I was holding my dog, and it was
:06:09. > :06:21.Emergency services search through the rubble for those missing.
:06:22. > :06:25.In the worst hit areas, some towns were completely destroyed.
:06:26. > :06:29.It is heartbreaking to see their families that have lost their loved
:06:30. > :06:34.ones, lost their homes, this is a bad time of year to do that anyway.
:06:35. > :06:38.It is never a good time, but it is certainly a bad time right now.
:06:39. > :06:42.Storms at this time of year in the South are not unusual, but the
:06:43. > :07:01.The Christmas tree was still standing.
:07:02. > :07:03.There's been a large explosion at an industrial gas plant
:07:04. > :07:08.The accident happened when a truck exploded as it was discharging
:07:09. > :07:13.butane cooking gas at a plant in the industrial town of Nnewi
:07:14. > :07:16.in Anambra State, where people were queueing to refill their bottles.
:07:17. > :07:20.Media reports say dozens of people were burnt to death,
:07:21. > :07:23.with some reports putting the number of dead at a hundred.
:07:24. > :07:27.Factory workers and passersby also caught up in the fire.
:07:28. > :07:34.Saudi fire investigators are examining the burnt out remains
:07:35. > :07:37.of part of a hospital where at least twenty five people were
:07:38. > :07:40.killed and more than one hundred injured early on Thursday.
:07:41. > :07:44.The fire broke out on the first floor of the general hospital
:07:45. > :07:56.The fire ripped through the hospital in the middle of the night, taking
:07:57. > :07:59.the maternity and intensive care units.
:08:00. > :08:11.Witnesses say it happened quickly, giving little time
:08:12. > :08:14.TRANSLATION: A nurse came to me and informed me of the smell of
:08:15. > :08:20.I took several people with me and headed towards the area.
:08:21. > :08:22.At the foot of the stairs we were met with loud
:08:23. > :08:27.We were unable to control the situation.
:08:28. > :08:37.Inside, the signs of devastation are clear.
:08:38. > :08:40.Fire investigators are already working to establish exactly what
:08:41. > :08:55.happened and how the blaze went on to claim so many lives.
:08:56. > :08:58.TRANSLATION: We know when the fire started but we don't know if it was
:08:59. > :09:01.Following instructions from his Highness,
:09:02. > :09:04.the governor of the province, a commissioning enquiry has been
:09:05. > :09:07.set up and results will be announced as soon as they are available.
:09:08. > :09:10.This year, Saudi Arabia has seen a string of deadly public
:09:11. > :09:18.It was also a crane collapse at Mecca's Grand Mosque,
:09:19. > :09:24.Saudis have taken to social media to criticise the government
:09:25. > :09:34.Criticism of the ruling family is frowned upon, but accidents like
:09:35. > :09:41.this can only increase the pressure on them to improve safety standards.
:09:42. > :09:45.President Putin has announced that Russia will build a series
:09:46. > :09:48.of nuclear plants in India over the next two decades.
:09:49. > :09:52.Mr Putin was speaking at a joint press briefing during
:09:53. > :09:55.talks with the visiting Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.
:09:56. > :09:59.About seven billion dollars worth of deals are being signed during
:10:00. > :10:02.Mr Modi's trip, many of them defence-related.
:10:03. > :10:05.Police in China have issued a security warning over
:10:06. > :10:10.The US and British embassies are also issuing warnings to
:10:11. > :10:14.their nationals to exercise heightened vigilance because
:10:15. > :10:21.The British Embassy has information suggesting that Westerners in
:10:22. > :10:25.the Sanlitun area could be targeted on or around Christmas Day.
:10:26. > :10:28.Italian authorities in Rome and Milan are banning car travel from
:10:29. > :10:32.city centres at the beginning of next week because of air pollution.
:10:33. > :10:36.Both cities have also ordered public transport to cut ticket prices.
:10:37. > :10:41.Experts blame the smog on the unusually calm, dry weather.
:10:42. > :10:44.In Iraq, government forces are still trying
:10:45. > :10:48.to drive out the last Islamic State fightersfrom the city of Ramadi.
:10:49. > :10:51.Military units and Sunni tribal fighters have taken
:10:52. > :10:55.control of several districts but are making slow progress.
:10:56. > :10:58.American planes have been striking targets in the city
:10:59. > :11:02.but the ground troops' advance is being hampered by suicide bombers,
:11:03. > :11:08.In Syria, a UN-brokered initiative could see
:11:09. > :11:12.several thousand rebel fighters and their families, including members
:11:13. > :11:17.of IS, pull out of a district in the south of Damascus in and
:11:18. > :11:21.The deal, which is still at a delicate stage,
:11:22. > :11:26.involves agreement between rebel fighters and the government.
:11:27. > :11:32.Our Middle East Regional Editor Sebastian Usher has more.
:11:33. > :11:41.Well, what I understand is it could start as early as Christmas Day, as
:11:42. > :11:45.tomorrow. It's a deal that will involve some ISIS fighters in the
:11:46. > :11:49.intricacy and complexity of what's going on in Syria, but in
:11:50. > :11:53.particularly in this camp, Yarmouk. Some of the fighters there pledged
:11:54. > :11:58.allegiance to the ISIS. There was a big battle about eight or nine
:11:59. > :12:02.months ago. Conditions became almost unlivable for the people trapped.
:12:03. > :12:06.Ban Ki-Moon described it as the time as the deepest circle of hell. From
:12:07. > :12:10.the UN's perspective, this deal is essentially about making the camp
:12:11. > :12:13.safe again for the people that are still there, estimated maybe
:12:14. > :12:18.15-18,000 people. That's what they're getting out of it. The
:12:19. > :12:22.Syrian Government has one of the big threats on its doorstep removed.
:12:23. > :12:26.This is the closest that IS got to Bashar al-Assad and his palace in
:12:27. > :12:29.the centre of Damascus. And for from the fighters as we have seen in
:12:30. > :12:32.other several deals, which has happened in the last couple of
:12:33. > :12:35.years, they reached a point of stalemate, looks like they don't
:12:36. > :12:38.feel there's anything left for them to fight for there. They get their
:12:39. > :12:45.wounded out, they get their families out. Some of them, as I say, will go
:12:46. > :12:51.to Raqqa, but majority will go north in the province of Idlib. We're
:12:52. > :12:54.seeing a new push of a peace effort. In January we're seeing a big
:12:55. > :12:57.conference. This will be looked back on if it happens, as a small
:12:58. > :13:05.positive sign. Stay with us because we have more on
:13:06. > :13:10.the impact of the war in Syria. We'll be following the incredible
:13:11. > :13:12.journey of a Syrian girl by boat, buses and a wheelchair across Europe
:13:13. > :13:16.in search of sanctuary. We saw this enormous tidal wave
:13:17. > :13:19.approaching the beach, and people started to run,
:13:20. > :13:23.and suddenly it was complete chaos. United States troops have been
:13:24. > :13:27.trying to overthrow the dictatorship The Pentagon said the operation had
:13:28. > :13:32.been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal
:13:33. > :13:36.objective, to capture General Noreiga and take him to the United
:13:37. > :13:38.States to face drugs charges. The hammer
:13:39. > :13:41.and sickle was hastily taken away. The Russian flag was hoisted over
:13:42. > :13:44.what is now no longer the Soviet Union, but the Commonwealth
:13:45. > :13:47.of Independent States. Day broke slowly over Lockerbie,
:13:48. > :13:50.over the cockpit of the Pan-Am's Maid of the Seas,
:13:51. > :13:54.nose-down in the soft earth. You could see what happens when a
:13:55. > :13:58.plane eight storeys high, a football Christmas has returned to Albania
:13:59. > :14:06.after a Communist ban lasting more Thousands went to midnight mass
:14:07. > :14:10.in the town where there were The latest headlines: The battle
:14:11. > :14:23.for the key Afghan town of Sangin The government says it's captured
:14:24. > :14:30.part of the town from the Taliban. At least 11 people have been killed
:14:31. > :14:33.and scores more injured after a "particularly dangerous"
:14:34. > :14:36.storm has hit the south A court in Thailand has sentenced
:14:37. > :14:46.two Burmese migrant workers to death, for the murder of two British
:14:47. > :14:48.tourists. They were killed on the holiday
:14:49. > :14:51.island of Koh Tao last September. The BBC's Jonathan Head reports
:14:52. > :15:00.from nearby Koh Samui. Arriving
:15:01. > :15:03.at court to hear their fate. Two young Burmese men,
:15:04. > :15:05.charged with a horrific crime They had been doing what so many
:15:06. > :15:14.young British people do at their Their bodies were found last year
:15:15. > :15:24.on this beach early one morning. The crime scene was never sealed,
:15:25. > :15:30.evidence was poorly handled, But when they detained
:15:31. > :15:38.the two suspects, they were put through a bizarre re-enactment
:15:39. > :15:40.and they both also retracted their earlier confessions, saying they had
:15:41. > :15:46.been threatened and beaten. There were many doubts expressed
:15:47. > :15:48.about the prosecution case, not just by defence lawyers but
:15:49. > :15:50.by international forensic experts, in particular
:15:51. > :15:53.about the central piece of evidence, the police DNA test, which
:15:54. > :16:03.the defence said was unreliable. None of that was enough to sway
:16:04. > :16:09.the judges, who insisted they were up to international standards,
:16:10. > :16:12.and enough to justify a guilty The emphatic outcome
:16:13. > :16:18.of this drawnout trial that some -- The emphatic outcome
:16:19. > :16:21.of this drawnout trial gave some satisfaction to the family of David
:16:22. > :16:24.Miller, who attended the hearing. We believe that
:16:25. > :16:26.the result today represents justice It is our opinion that
:16:27. > :16:30.the evidence against these two is They raped to satisfy
:16:31. > :16:36.their selfish desires They have shown no remorse
:16:37. > :16:43.during the trial. It was a very different experience
:16:44. > :16:46.for the mothers of the two convicted In court, defence lawyers had failed
:16:47. > :17:00.to convince the judges of the flaws they said riddle
:17:01. > :17:05.the prosecution's case. Now they plan to appeal
:17:06. > :17:07.against the verdict, The president of Nigeria,
:17:08. > :17:11.Mohammadu Buhari, has told the BBC that, technically, the security
:17:12. > :17:14.forces have won the war against Mr Buhari, who came to power
:17:15. > :17:18.in April on a pledge to defeat the group by the end of the year,
:17:19. > :17:22.says the militants could no longer mount conventional attacks and had
:17:23. > :17:24.been reduced to suicide bombings. But Boko Haram is reported to
:17:25. > :17:47.have killed more than 1,000 Well, you can put it in a nasty
:17:48. > :18:04.way, as you want, but I assure you, we haven't failed. The states are
:18:05. > :18:16.free from Boko Haram. I think there are two or three local governments.
:18:17. > :18:27.Boko Haram has used IEDs, in Doctor and eight at young girls to explode
:18:28. > :18:34.in mosques and marketplaces, they have been reduced to that --
:18:35. > :18:41.indoctrinated. Conventional attacks on centres of communication and
:18:42. > :18:50.populations in towns and so on, they are no longer capable of doing that
:18:51. > :18:53.effectively, so I think technically we have won the war. Because people
:18:54. > :19:00.are going back into their neighbourhoods. We have a committee
:19:01. > :19:05.on the ground liaising with local governments and so on. People are
:19:06. > :19:12.going back. The major problem now is rehabilitation. Over 1.5 million
:19:13. > :19:19.people internally displaced persons. Repairing infrastructure,
:19:20. > :19:30.schools, health centres. The number of bridges that were bombed. We have
:19:31. > :19:36.dealt with Boko Haram. Your critics say you are playing the blame game,
:19:37. > :19:39.spending time leaving the previous administration instead of thinking
:19:40. > :19:45.of how to take Nigeria out of its present situation. What have you to
:19:46. > :19:49.say about that? I think they have been unfair. I have just been
:19:50. > :19:56.telling you and Nigerians know that Boko Haram was effectively over 16
:19:57. > :20:09.local governments before in the city states. These states are absolutely
:20:10. > :20:15.free. There are three or four local governments maximum in their hands.
:20:16. > :20:24.And I have told you that they cannot now marshal forces and attack towns
:20:25. > :20:38.or attack military installations and so on as they used to. I don't think
:20:39. > :20:48.this is bad. We reorganise the military, we have got some hardware
:20:49. > :20:53.for them, and we have got to retrain with the British and Americans, with
:20:54. > :20:58.the French. A lot has been done. And I think people in those states where
:20:59. > :21:00.there used to be the fighting, they know what has been happening.
:21:01. > :21:02.Across the world, Christians have begun marking
:21:03. > :21:04.Christmas with services, including at the Vatican where Pope
:21:05. > :21:08.The Pontiff led the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics into
:21:09. > :21:25.He's warned against what he called society's intoxication with
:21:26. > :21:28.should be inspired by the simplicity of the life of Jesus.
:21:29. > :21:35.About 10,000 people attended the service.
:21:36. > :21:38.In the holy city of Bethlehem, the West Bank town where it is believed
:21:39. > :21:41.that Jesus was born, events have been overshadowed by recent violence
:21:42. > :22:01.But large crowds turned out there to mark the occasion.
:22:02. > :22:10.It was attended by dignitaries including the Palestinian President
:22:11. > :22:15.Mahmoud Abbas. They had been called to it turn off Christmas tree lights
:22:16. > :22:16.in solidarity for victims of violence and terrorism -- to turn
:22:17. > :22:16.off. The Bethlehem mass was dedicated
:22:17. > :22:19.to victims of violence and their families, including the millions
:22:20. > :22:22.affected by the fighting in Syria. More than half
:22:23. > :22:24.the refugees that have fled to Europe this year are from Syria,
:22:25. > :22:27.escaping the war back home. Some countries have welcomed
:22:28. > :22:28.the new arrivals, including Germany, where one young
:22:29. > :22:31.Syrian girl has found sanctuary. Najeen Mustaffa was pushed
:22:32. > :22:33.across Europe in a wheelchair. The BBC's Fergal Keane has
:22:34. > :22:43.been following her story. In a new country it is a season
:22:44. > :22:52.of change. Three months after reaching Europe,
:22:53. > :22:57.Najeen has found a new life. Germany is as I expected
:22:58. > :23:07.her to be, beautiful. My life is regular
:23:08. > :23:10.as I wanted it to be, and I can wake up and go to school
:23:11. > :23:18.everyday, and it is kind of nice. This is how she arrived,
:23:19. > :23:24.suffering from cerebral palsy, her epic journey from the Middle
:23:25. > :23:27.East made in a wheelchair with her I first met her in September,
:23:28. > :23:33.stranded on the closed Hungarian I would like to be an astronaut,
:23:34. > :23:38.to go out and find an alien! And on she travelled,
:23:39. > :23:48.across European borders. Najeen,
:23:49. > :24:03.do you know where you are going? No, they said to some
:24:04. > :24:05.camp or something. Of where they are going
:24:06. > :24:13.to send you after this? Until Germany,
:24:14. > :24:21.and a reunion with a beloved brother Najeen shares this flat with her
:24:22. > :24:35.older sister, and dreams of walking, But her parents are still living
:24:36. > :24:45.as refugees in Turkey, where they If I asked you what your Christmas
:24:46. > :24:49.wish is, what is it? To have a family reunion,
:24:50. > :25:06.if they could arrive. Nujeen has come this far by force
:25:07. > :25:09.of her own personality, the love of family
:25:10. > :25:12.and the kindness of strangers. There's no telling what she may
:25:13. > :25:34.achieve in the years to come. Radars and anti-missile systems
:25:35. > :25:37.usually deployed against places like North Korea, Russia and China are
:25:38. > :25:39.assisting in the search for Santa Claus.
:25:40. > :25:42.According to the experts at NORAD he's already visited countries
:25:43. > :25:45.in Asia and the Middle East and he's now bound for Africa,
:25:46. > :25:49.Updates of his location can be found on the NORAD website
:25:50. > :25:53.The Santa tracker has its origins in the 1950s when a child misdialed
:25:54. > :25:56.a telephone number hoping to speak to Father Christmas and ended up
:25:57. > :25:59.It then developed into an annual event.
:26:00. > :26:11.You're watching BBC News. Stay with us throughout.
:26:12. > :26:16.It could be a white Christmas over some northern hills today.