China has begun military drills around Taiwan - weeks after Washington announced one of its biggest-ever arms sales to the island. We hear from a senior US congressman.

Also on the programme:

President Trump says he's unhappy after Russia accuses Ukraine of mounting a drone attack on one of President Putin's homes. But did they? We speak to our Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg.

And we hear from the actor Warwick Davis who's just been awarded an OBE.

A US judge has temporarily blocked the detention of British social media campaigner Imran Ahmed, who took legal action against the US government over having his visa removed. The Center for Countering Digital Hate founder was among five people denied US visas after the Trump administration accused them of seeking to "coerce" tech platforms into censoring free speech. He told us he is being targeted for his work monitoring social media giants.

Also on the programme: as the US carries out missile strikes against alleged Islamist targets in northern Nigeria we hear from a BBC reporter on the ground; and research finds women were more likely to be portrayed performing traditional roles in TV adverts this year, we ask why.

Two British campaigners are among those US has denied visas for being 'radical activists'. We have reaction from a Labour MP. Also: Bethlehem and Ukraine on Christmas Eve, diplomatic gifts, Winnie The Pooh.at 100, and the Colorado military base that tracks Santa.

Pro-Palestinian remand prisoners staging the largest organised hunger strike in over 40 years are to continue, after the government refused a meeting. We hear from the sister of one of them - and ask whether the government should now intervene.

Also on the programme:

The latest Epstein files include an email from Balmoral in which Ghislaine Maxwell is asked if she's found some new "inappropriate friends". We have the latest.

And what do Christmas cracker jokes do to our brains?

The government says it will prohibit trail hunting too as part of its Animal Welfare Strategy, 21 years after banning fox hunting. We hear from a former Conservative minister and a Labour MP on a tradition that divides the country - and ask whether Labour's relationship with farmers is terminally broken.

Also:

Remembering Chris Rea, the self-effacing singer-songwriter from Middlesbrough whose deep gravelly voice beguiled millions, though not always himself.

And amid calls for every school to have a choir, we hear what impact regular singing has had in one primary school in London.

The US justice department has released some of the so-called Epstein files - the long-awaited documents related to its investigations into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The justice department faced a legal deadline to release the files by Friday, following months of pressure on Trump from both inside and outside his party. A number of famous faces are pictured - including former US President Bill Clinton, and musicians Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Also on the programme: Two Palestinian men have told the BBC they were beaten and sexually abused by prison guards while in Israeli detention.

And we hear live from Miami ahead of the controversial boxing bout between influencer Jake Paul and former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

European leaders are locked in to negotiations tonight about seizing frozen Russian assets to help fund a major loan for Ukraine. But opposition remains, including from Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban.

Also on the programme:

The bookmakers favourite, Rory McIlroy, is the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. We'll have reaction from a former Irish golfing champion.

Why are younger people the most lonely in the UK? We put that question to three people in their 20s and 30s.

Police have arrested two people "for racially aggravated public order offences" after they allegedly "shouted slogans involving calls for intifada" at a pro-Palestinian protest in central London. The arrests came hours after the Met and Greater Manchester Police said they would arrest people holding placards and chanting the phrase "globalise the intifada" - a reference to an uprising in the Palestinian territories in which thousands of Israelis and Palestinians died.

Also on the programme: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich must "pay up now" to victims of the war in Ukraine or face court action. Mr Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, pledged in 2022 that the £2.5bn he made from the sale of the club would be used to benefit victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And three white-tailed eagles, recently reintroduced to the United Kingdom, have gone missing, prompting concern from conservationists.

British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan are to be buried on Wednesday, the Chabad of Bondi has confirmed. Australian officials are investigating claims that the two gunmen took part in military-style training in the Philippines.

Also on the programme: The BBC understands that the UK is set to rejoin the EU's Erasmus student exchange scheme, five years after leaving it as part of the post-Brexit deal with the European Union. Water voles have been spotted for the first time in almost two decades by conservationists in Oxfordshire. And, we speak to the Welsh couple who have defied odds of more than 24 trillion to one, and won the National Lottery for a second time.

Germany's Chancellor says "huge progress" has been made in Berlin during negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. His optimism was echoed by US President Donald Trump who said, "we're closer now than we have been, ever." But questions remain over security guarantees for Kyiv and whether they'll be asked to surrender territory. We hear from a Foreign Office minister and a senior Ukrainian MP.

Also on the programme: a day after the deadly attack on a Jewish celebration in Sydney, we discuss the security implications and hear from a survivor.

And a BBC investigation finds nearly 90 flights linked to Jeffrey Epstein flew to and from UK airports, some with British women on board, who may have been trafficked.