0:00:04 > 0:00:12This is BBC World News, the headlines:
0:00:12 > 0:00:16It is Christmas in the Iraqi city of Mosul and Christians there are
0:00:16 > 0:00:23celebrating. It is the first time since 2014 they are free to observe
0:00:23 > 0:00:26the tradition after Islamic State was finally driven from the city
0:00:26 > 0:00:31earlier this year. The Russian opposition politician has says he
0:00:31 > 0:00:37has gathered enough support to stand against Vladimir Putin next year.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Turkey's government sack thousands more public employees linked to last
0:00:41 > 0:00:46you's failed coup and announces plans to hire more to replace them.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50And Pope Francis is conducting the traditional midnight Mass at Saint
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Peter's basilica.
0:01:07 > 0:01:14Hello and welcome to. It was past midnight in northern Iraq where
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Mosul is celebrating its first Christmas at the city was taken by
0:01:17 > 0:01:23Islamic militants in 2014. IS persecuted and drove out Christians,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27whilst many who stayed were brutally repressed. More than 10,000
0:01:27 > 0:01:33civilians are thought to have been killed in the battle to retake Mosul
0:01:33 > 0:01:44according to a recent investigation by the associated press.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56They gathered in Mosul's Cathedral, marking a Christmas they will never
0:01:56 > 0:01:58forget, the first Christmas after the war.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Under the rule of the Islamic State militants this would
0:02:01 > 0:02:03have been impossible.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05There could be no Christian worship in public.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07The community was persecuted and many fled.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09This was a coming together, not just of Christians,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Muslims helped prepare the church for this service.
0:02:13 > 0:02:23And they were here too as the worship unfolded.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Mosul was the scene of months of ferocious street fighting.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Iraqi forces and their Western allies battled to drive
0:02:30 > 0:02:40out the militants.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Thousands of civilians were killed and much damage was done.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Now the healing must begin and the Christmas service is a small
0:02:48 > 0:02:49part of that vast process.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53TRANSLATION: Without peace there is no life.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Our message is that after everything that happened with our glorious
0:02:56 > 0:02:59victory against Islamic State group and others, we must
0:02:59 > 0:03:03all call for peace.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Among those in the church, the message was being heard.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11TRANSLATION: We are from the Muslim community and today we share this
0:03:11 > 0:03:15glorious celebration with our Christian Brothers in
0:03:15 > 0:03:17the province and the city of Mosul.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20We share their joy today and we hope our brothers outside
0:03:20 > 0:03:24of Iraq from the Christian community will return to Mosul because we are
0:03:24 > 0:03:29all brothers and we are united.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Beneath the cross in the Cathedral this Christmas eve there was some
0:03:33 > 0:03:38of the best of the spirit of this time of year and nowhere
0:03:38 > 0:03:41needs it more than Mosul.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Alan Johnston, BBC News.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Now to Bethlehem, where security is tight as pilgrims
0:03:49 > 0:03:51arrive in the city ahead of a midnight mass this evening
0:03:51 > 0:03:52to see in Christmas.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Celebrations are taking place amid rising tensions in the region
0:03:55 > 0:03:58after the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's
0:03:58 > 0:04:01capital earlier this month.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Our correspondent Tom Bateman told us about the day's
0:04:03 > 0:04:09events in Bethlehem.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14Today has very much been a day of ritual, a day of festive tradition.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We watched as the procession of Christians followed the route along
0:04:17 > 0:04:23Star Street into Manger Square here up to the Church of the Nativity,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27which is the 1500 -year-old basilica, built on the site it is
0:04:27 > 0:04:31believed Christ was born. That happens every year, there is a
0:04:31 > 0:04:36ritual tradition to all of this. Then we expect midnight Mass will
0:04:36 > 0:04:42take place both with the most senior Roman Catholic clergymen of this
0:04:42 > 0:04:47area where he will talk to the gathered congregation, and also the
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, who always attend
0:04:49 > 0:04:56this event each year. There is a sort of bubble of festivity in
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Manger Square, but outside of that this takes place against a backdrop
0:04:59 > 0:05:07of growing hostility. We have had two and half weeks of daily clashes
0:05:07 > 0:05:11between Palestinians and Israeli troops ever says Donald Trump's
0:05:11 > 0:05:14announcement on Jerusalem.You mentioned the announcement that
0:05:14 > 0:05:21Jerusalem is now the capital of Israel according to the US. I
0:05:21 > 0:05:25understand that to us has gone down since the announcement was made.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Sadly the tourist economy in Bethlehem has taken a severe dent
0:05:29 > 0:05:34ever since the announcement was made. It was not just the fact the
0:05:34 > 0:05:38US initially advised many of its citizens not to attend the occupied
0:05:38 > 0:05:42West Bank and not to go to the old city of Jerusalem, but it was also
0:05:42 > 0:05:47the fact that many pilgrims and domestic tourists were worried about
0:05:47 > 0:05:52coming to Bethlehem and were worried about those clashes. I was talking
0:05:52 > 0:05:56to a hotelier yesterday who said for about ten days before Christmas eve
0:05:56 > 0:06:08things were pretty bad. Some
0:06:12 > 0:06:15hotels had zero occupancy, the place had been emptied in many ways. I
0:06:15 > 0:06:18spoke to the Mayor of Bethlehem a bit earlier and he was keen to put a
0:06:18 > 0:06:20gloss on it. He said there had been bad weather, and otherwise people
0:06:20 > 0:06:23were showing up. Hundreds of people here came to enjoy the celebrations
0:06:23 > 0:06:25during the day and they will continue into the night. But there
0:06:25 > 0:06:31is no doubt that this has dampened the mood.Let's show you these live
0:06:31 > 0:06:37pictures coming out of that in city and Saint Peter's basilica where
0:06:37 > 0:06:42thousands of people are gathered were Pope Francis is conducting the
0:06:42 > 0:06:49traditional Christmas Eve Mass at Saint Peter's.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54There are also thousands outside the basilica in Saint Peter's Square.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00People travel from all around the world to attend this event. They
0:07:00 > 0:07:06attend to hear the Pope delivery the traditional homily and beside over
0:07:06 > 0:07:15the service. It is not quite midnight in Vatican City, it is just
0:07:15 > 0:07:23a little bit after ten. But that midnight Mass is under way.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Thousands inside Saint Peter's basilica and thousands outside as
0:07:25 > 0:07:40well watching the Pope conducting the midnight mass.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45The Russian opposition says he has got the number of seats he needs to
0:07:45 > 0:07:50be registered in the election in March. He told a meeting in Moscow
0:07:50 > 0:07:55that the support he has got in 20 cities in Russia proves he is a
0:07:55 > 0:07:59viable alternative to Vladimir Putin. Sarah Rainsford has more. In
0:07:59 > 0:08:03this huge tent on a river beach on the outskirts of Moscow there are
0:08:03 > 0:08:08hundreds of people who have been queueing for some hours now to show
0:08:08 > 0:08:11their support for the anti-corruption activist who wants
0:08:11 > 0:08:16to be president of Russia. He says Russians have had enough of Vladimir
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Putin and corruption and that Russia needs to change and he argues he is
0:08:20 > 0:08:26the man to do that. These people agree, they have come to sign up to
0:08:26 > 0:08:29nominate him as their official candidate, the beginning of the
0:08:29 > 0:08:34official process for registration. But the problem is because of a
0:08:34 > 0:08:37criminal conviction, which he says is politically motivated, he will
0:08:37 > 0:08:43not be allowed to register.I think he is the only real candidate for
0:08:43 > 0:08:52president will stop I do not want to live in a corrupted country and I
0:08:52 > 0:09:03have hope only for this man Navalny. Everyone is raising their red cards
0:09:03 > 0:09:11to show that they support Navalny. TRANSLATION: We are ready to win
0:09:11 > 0:09:17these elections and we will win. I say this without irony. This year we
0:09:17 > 0:09:22have seen that Putin does not have mass support anywhere. Even with all
0:09:22 > 0:09:29his resources he has no support. There is just melancholy and
0:09:29 > 0:09:37emptiness.Mr Navalny has to bring the signatures of his supporters to
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Russia's Central Electoral Commission. If they reject his
0:09:40 > 0:09:46candidacy, he says he will go on fighting. He has talked about
0:09:46 > 0:09:51boycotting the elections, protest, a strike. He wants to prove he is a
0:09:51 > 0:09:54viable alternative to Vladimir Putin and what happens here over the next
0:09:54 > 0:09:58few days will be the first real test of that.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04Let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news:
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Tunisia has banned all airlines from the United Arab Emirates from
0:10:07 > 0:10:14landing in the country. It comes two days after the UAE and Tunisian
0:10:14 > 0:10:18women flying through its territory. The UN says this was due to security
0:10:18 > 0:10:21information.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24The first of the group of 80 Venezuelan activists have been
0:10:24 > 0:10:28released from prison in what is called a gesture of Christian
0:10:28 > 0:10:33goodwill. The government says all those general tab plotted to
0:10:33 > 0:10:37overthrow the president. Freda Ramos, a former provincial Mayor,
0:10:37 > 0:10:43insists he has not committed any crime.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Tens of thousands of people are homeless after a tropical storm
0:10:46 > 0:10:48in the Philippines that's left more than 200 dead and
0:10:49 > 0:10:50another 150 missing.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Rescue teams are struggling to reach some of the affected areas.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Our World Affairs Correspondent Richard Galpin reports.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59At last, some aid now getting to those most in need, after this
0:10:59 > 0:11:03latest storm to hit the Philippines begins to subside.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Troops helping deliver supplies here in the
0:11:06 > 0:11:12southern region of Mindanao, which lay right in the path of the storm.
0:11:12 > 0:11:22Reaching these impoverished areas has not been easy.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25They were hit by a landslide, mudslides, caused by
0:11:25 > 0:11:28an inordinate amount of rainfall that caused the ground to move and
0:11:28 > 0:11:33killed people innocently.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38As well as surging currents from swollen rivers that went over their
0:11:38 > 0:11:41banks,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43it swept people out of their homes and killed
0:11:43 > 0:11:45many others as well.
0:11:45 > 0:11:52The speed with which the rivers were turned into
0:11:52 > 0:11:54lethal torrents over the weekend caught people here by surprise.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Many drowning in their own homes, others
0:11:56 > 0:11:57buried under mudslides, including children.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The call for people to evacuate in good time before the
0:12:00 > 0:12:01storm didn't have an effect.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04The storm passed over some of the poorest areas in the whole
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Philippines.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08At least 200 people are known to have died.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Large numbers are still missing, and tens of
0:12:13 > 0:12:16thousands have been forced to move away, in search of emergency
0:12:16 > 0:12:17shelter.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20In Rome today, Pope Francis offered prayers for the people of
0:12:20 > 0:12:27Mindanao in his weekly blessing to the crowd on St Peter's Square.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32TRANSLATION:Merciful Lord, take in the souls of the dead and comfort
0:12:32 > 0:12:36those who are suffering as a result of this calamity.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Let's pray for these people.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44At least Tropical Storm Tembin has now been moving
0:12:44 > 0:12:47away from the Philippines.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49It's currently over the South China Sea,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52where it's picking up strength again and has been categorised as a
0:12:52 > 0:13:02typhoon.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06It's expected to hit Vietnam later this week.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Meanwhile, the people of the southern Philippines
0:13:08 > 0:13:11continue the search for loved ones.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14They will be hoping for much more help to reach them in
0:13:14 > 0:13:15the coming days.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20With me is Sarah Keith-Lucas from BBC Weather.
0:13:20 > 0:13:26why is this storm is so powerful and why has it done so much damage? It
0:13:26 > 0:13:31rapidly intensified when it was to the east of the Philippines. We had
0:13:31 > 0:13:34a conducive atmospheric condition so the wins in the atmosphere were not
0:13:34 > 0:13:40varying very much, so the storm really developed vertically and very
0:13:40 > 0:13:44quickly. The other thing is the sea is pretty worn across that region,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49warmer than average. We are coming out of El Nino conditions which
0:13:49 > 0:13:54means we can to see bigger storms across this part of the world
0:13:54 > 0:13:59because the sea is warmer, adding more fuel to these big typhoons.Is
0:13:59 > 0:14:02the southern Philippines prone to these storms? Do we normally see
0:14:02 > 0:14:10them in this area?Normally they are further north. Sometimes they reach
0:14:10 > 0:14:14further south, so it does see typhoons and tropical storms, but it
0:14:14 > 0:14:20is usually a bit further north in the Philippines, so this particular
0:14:20 > 0:14:26typhoon, is track, it is slightly odd that it is by South.Where is it
0:14:26 > 0:14:31going next?It is heading out into the South China Sea and it is
0:14:31 > 0:14:36intensifying once again. It is producing winds of 185 kilometres an
0:14:36 > 0:14:40hour. It is heading toward southern parts of Vietnam and is likely to
0:14:40 > 0:14:45make landfall on the southern tip, to the south of Ho Chi Minh City. It
0:14:45 > 0:14:49could cause devastating flooding across a wide part of southern
0:14:49 > 0:14:56Vietnam. We are expecting about 300 millimetres of rain to fall across
0:14:56 > 0:14:59southern Vietnam with coastal flooding and even inland there could
0:14:59 > 0:15:03be flooding issues, as well as the damaging winds that will be sweeping
0:15:03 > 0:15:08across Vietnam. It will then head out into the Gulf of Thailand,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12probably a bit weaker, but still bringing damaging winds and rain,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17before heading towards southern parts of Thailand. Wye we will keep
0:15:17 > 0:15:20an eye out on that storm.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come...
0:15:23 > 0:15:26We'll go to Japan to meet the priests who see
0:15:26 > 0:15:28in the new year with a smile in what's known as
0:15:29 > 0:15:38a laughing ceremony.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach and people
0:15:47 > 0:15:52started to run and it was complete chaos.United States troops have
0:15:52 > 0:15:55been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of General Manuel
0:15:55 > 0:16:02Noriega. But it has failed indispensable objective. It captured
0:16:02 > 0:16:06General Noriega and took him to the United States to face drugs charges.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10The Russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the Soviet
0:16:10 > 0:16:15Union, but the Commonwealth of Independent States.The day broke
0:16:15 > 0:16:20slowly over Lockerbie, over the cockpit of the plane nosed down in
0:16:20 > 0:16:23the soft earth. You can see what happens when a plane eight stories
0:16:23 > 0:16:29high and a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet.Business has
0:16:29 > 0:16:33returned to Albania after a Communist ban lasting more than 20
0:16:33 > 0:16:37years. Thousands went to midnight mass when our anti-Communist riots
0:16:37 > 0:16:43ten days ago.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46ten days ago.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47This is BBC World News Today.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51The latest headlines:
0:16:51 > 0:16:56It is Christmas in the Iraqi city of Mosul and Christians are celebrating
0:16:56 > 0:17:00for the first time since 2014 when they have been free to observe the
0:17:00 > 0:17:03tradition after Islamic State was finally driven out of the city.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05tradition after Islamic State was finally driven out of the city.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Hundreds have come out to support Russian opposition
0:17:07 > 0:17:09politician Alexei Navalny, who says he has enough backing
0:17:09 > 0:17:14to challenge Vladimir Putin in elections next year.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17An international medical NGO is waiting to hear the fate of seven
0:17:17 > 0:17:20children in urgent need of cancer treatment who are trapped
0:17:20 > 0:17:24in the besieged area of eastern Ghouta close to the Syrian capital
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Damascus.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations wants
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow them to
0:17:32 > 0:17:34evacuate the children.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38They are among more than 130 children needing urgent
0:17:38 > 0:17:40medical treatment there.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42It's been under siege now for four years.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45A short while ago we spoke to Hamish de Bretton-Gordon an advisor
0:17:45 > 0:17:47for The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I started by asking him to tell me about the process of negotiating
0:17:50 > 0:17:53with the Syrian president.
0:17:53 > 0:18:01We have done it before. This time last year we approached the Syrian
0:18:01 > 0:18:05government and also President Putin, the Russian president, to allow a
0:18:05 > 0:18:11ceasefire to allow us to get 500 children out of Aleppo. In that case
0:18:11 > 0:18:15it worked. So we decided when we heard about the seven children with
0:18:15 > 0:18:21curable cancer to go down the same route. Yesterday we approached
0:18:21 > 0:18:26Bashar al-Assad's office and we spoke to him via intermediaries who
0:18:26 > 0:18:31told us that he knew exactly the problem is at the moment and he knew
0:18:31 > 0:18:35about these children and he would consider whether he would allow a
0:18:35 > 0:18:40ceasefire and we have been told to call him back on Tuesday morning to
0:18:40 > 0:18:46hopefully get that ceasefire in place and then we can go in there
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and get the children out and get them the medical treatment they so
0:18:49 > 0:18:54desperately need.It is almost an insight into how President Assad is
0:18:54 > 0:19:01running this war, the fact that he personally is going to have to
0:19:01 > 0:19:07consider whether you can undergo this evacuation. It yes, I think it
0:19:07 > 0:19:12is a horrendous situation. Discussions with the UN and the
0:19:12 > 0:19:18World Health Organisation and they have told me they had been trying to
0:19:18 > 0:19:25get these children out for the last four months. It seems that the only
0:19:25 > 0:19:29way to do it is to apply directly to the president who seems to have the
0:19:29 > 0:19:33gift of life and death for these people who is prepared to do it.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39This has been an horrific conflict and the city has been besieged for
0:19:39 > 0:19:43four years. 400,000 people are trapped there with very little food
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and no medicine. It is a desperate situation and also it is a long way
0:19:47 > 0:19:55from perfect, it is worth doing. If we can save these seven children may
0:19:55 > 0:20:01be we may also be able to get out the other 125 children who we
0:20:01 > 0:20:04understand our desperately in need of sophisticated medical support
0:20:04 > 0:20:09which they cannot get there.These children that need treatment, do you
0:20:09 > 0:20:15know how long they might have before it may be too late?I am not a
0:20:15 > 0:20:20medical person so I would not go into specifics here. We understand
0:20:20 > 0:20:26some are more ill than others, but they certainly have a few weeks. I
0:20:26 > 0:20:32understand these types of cancer, the earlier you start treatment, the
0:20:32 > 0:20:37prognosis is very much one of survival. I have been speaking to
0:20:37 > 0:20:40the doctors there recently and they have reaffirmed to me that if these
0:20:40 > 0:20:45children get the right treatment, they have a very good chance of
0:20:45 > 0:20:50surviving and a very good chance of a full life. Without that treatment
0:20:50 > 0:20:56the prognosis is very much worse and they will die.That was an adviser
0:20:56 > 0:20:59for the union of medical care and relief organisations.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00relief organisations.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03More public sector employees in Turkey have been sacked
0:21:03 > 0:21:06for alleged links with the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08blamed for last year's failed coup attempt.
0:21:08 > 0:21:102,700 employees have been sacked through a public decree.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14They include military personnel.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17In total, around 150,000 civil servants have now been sacked
0:21:17 > 0:21:20since July last year.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23After the sackings, the government announced plans to hire more
0:21:23 > 0:21:27than 100,000 public sector workers in the coming year.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31I asked our Europe regional editor Mike Sanders if there was any due
0:21:31 > 0:21:38process to find the sacked employees guilty before their sacking.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Well, it is difficult to ascertain exactly how they are selected. It
0:21:41 > 0:21:46could well be that they are just announced by colleagues for whatever
0:21:46 > 0:21:51reason. It is very difficult for someone to approve or disapprove the
0:21:51 > 0:21:54government's allegation that they have been involved in the attempted
0:21:54 > 0:22:00coup back in July last year. The main criteria is that they have some
0:22:00 > 0:22:08kind of association with this cleric who is based in the United States.
0:22:08 > 0:22:14The government accuses him of being behind the coup. But as his
0:22:14 > 0:22:18organisation has no official membership list, how can someone
0:22:18 > 0:22:24prove that they are or not involved with it?They are hiring thousands
0:22:24 > 0:22:30to replace the people they have sacked because the public service
0:22:30 > 0:22:34has effectively been decimated. Absolutely, the schools especially.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39There has been a shortage of teachers in the class and among this
0:22:39 > 0:22:44latest hiring round there will be 20,000 new teachers. It is very
0:22:44 > 0:22:48difficult for the people who have been sacked to get their jobs back.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Once they have been sacked they will not get another job in the public
0:22:53 > 0:22:56sector, so they are in dire straits because their welfare benefits will
0:22:56 > 0:23:02be stopped as well because of the manner of the sacking. And there is
0:23:02 > 0:23:07a stigma attached to being associated to the true no matter how
0:23:07 > 0:23:10unfounded that might be.There is another decree that has been
0:23:10 > 0:23:16announced, effectively nudity for civilians. Can you explain that?In
0:23:16 > 0:23:19November last year the government announced an immunity for service
0:23:19 > 0:23:24personnel who were involved in stopping the plot, so if they had
0:23:24 > 0:23:28been deemed to use excessive force they would not get prosecuted for
0:23:28 > 0:23:32that and they would not lose out financially or in terms of their
0:23:32 > 0:23:36promotion. This has now been extended to civilians who were also
0:23:36 > 0:23:41involved in stopping the coup plotters. But there is a great worry
0:23:41 > 0:23:44because there is a vague wording. It says people involved in suppressing
0:23:44 > 0:23:51the coup on July the 15th last year, or the continuation thereof, or
0:23:51 > 0:23:54other terror acts. Opposition politicians have been quick to go on
0:23:54 > 0:24:00Twitter to say it is so open ended it could encourage Bridger Landis to
0:24:00 > 0:24:05take action against people suspected of, for whatever reason, of being
0:24:05 > 0:24:13coup plotters even now.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Champagne and fireworks may be part of your New Year's ritual,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18but at one shrine in Japan, they have an entirely
0:24:18 > 0:24:20different way of saying 'out with the old, in with the new'.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Rylee Carlson explains.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23It's a New Year's ritual in Osaka, Japan.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Filing into this shrine looking for a fresh start.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Here they follow the chief priest.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And then, on his cue...
0:24:32 > 0:24:37PRIEST:Ha, ha, ha!
0:24:37 > 0:24:41CROWD:Ha, ha, ha!
0:24:41 > 0:24:44This is a laughing ceremony to forget the bad they have
0:24:44 > 0:24:47experienced throughout the year.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48TRANSLATION:I laughed all the bad things away.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53I hope next year will be filled with laughter.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56The ritual is based on a Japanese myth that
0:24:56 > 0:25:01says laughter opens the Cave of the Sun Goddess.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06The priests keep them going for about 20 minutes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It spreads throughout the temple.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15Laughter is contagious, as they say.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20And here in Japan, so is the hope of a happy New Year.
0:25:20 > 0:25:28Rylee Carlson, BBC News.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33That is one way of doing it. Before we go let's show you the pictures of
0:25:33 > 0:25:39the last two known dancing bears from an animal charity. They were
0:25:39 > 0:25:44rescued.They suffered a lifetime of cruelty after being sold to their
0:25:44 > 0:25:51owner for the illegal centuries-old practice of bad dancing. Police and
0:25:51 > 0:25:55animal charities spent more than a year tracking down the two sloth
0:25:55 > 0:25:59bears and they were eventually traced near the border with India.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04They are now being cared for.