welcome to bbc news. our top stories: in mosul thousands of trapped as forces close in on islamic state militants. our correspondent speak to those who managed to escape. we got our freedom but it cost us a lot, i lost my house, my children were injured. donald trump speaks to the palestinian leader and invites him to the white house. the deadly effect of ebola on gorilla population. and the pitfalls of life television. the moment a guest is upstaged by his children right here on bbc news. welcome to the programme. it is

iraq's second city and the last major stronghold of the so—called islamic group in the country. iraqi forces said they are within weeks of driving the extremists out of mosul. the battle began five months ago. government forces are now in control of the east of the city, in a green, but in the west of mosul, heysel are still very much in control and there are concerns for thousands of civilians trapped in particular those in the old city. our correspondent and cameramen close to the front line have sent this report. escaping the battleground and the terrors of the caliphate. fleeing western mosul on foot during a lull in the battle. countless numbers are likely to follow, their life reduced to a few bundles. streets, now liberated, but deserted, many didn't leave

until the fight came right to their door, like abdul razsack. at 76, forced to leave home for the first time in his life. he told us a mortar landed nearby, just moments before. his ten—year—old grandson, and name sake, clutching his school bag though his only lessons here were in war. "i'd like to go back to school right this minute", he said. so—called islamic state stopped him going years ago. now back in iraqi hands, for what it's worth, several more neighbourhoods. troops remain watchful. the militants are about a mile away. explosion.

they were driven from here just four days ago. this is the engineering department of mosul university. on the is curriculum here, only fanatism and death. well, this was a place of learning, it was a source of pride for the people of mosul, and you can see what's become of it. it was also a key strategic location for the so—called islamic state, it gave them high ground to dominate the area. it was heavily defended by uzbec fighters and this is just one of the areas that's going to have to be rebuilt when the battle for mosul is finally over. some uzbec militants are still lying where they fell, no decent burial for those who terrorised a city. nearby, a suicide belt they didn't manage to use. at dusk, iraqi forces gather for the next advance.

armoured vehicles give some protection against car bombs, but they won't fit in the narrow streets of the old city. troops move undercover of darkness and this time on foot. hunting the extremists, who once controlled almost a third of iraq. some of the hardest fighting may be ahead, going house to house and street to street beneath a sky lit only by embers of battle. in the pitch darkness few signs of life, but hundreds of thousands of civilians remain here, running low on food and water. shagri abdullah and herfamily are sheltering in an abandoned house because theirs was destroyed. three of her loved ones are in hospital, victims of a mortar attack. she shows us how they hid

when is fighters stormed in to use them as human shields. "one went to the roof", she says, "and he started to shoot. he attacked the army and we escaped from this store. later we found another is still hiding here and they came and shot him in the head." shagri's neighbourhood has been reclaimed from the militants, but her life is changed utterly. "we got our freedom", she says, "but it cost us a lot. i lost my house and my children were injured." her beloved mosul will never recover, she believes,

not even in 30 years. what future for a broken city in a fractured nation even after the extremists are pushed out? there are fears that when iraqis finish fighting is, they may begin fighting each other. orla guerin, bbc news, mosul. russia's president, vladimir putin has praised the co—operation developing between russia and turkey over military operations in syria. it follows talks in moscow with turkish president erdogan. the two leaders said ties were returning to normal, after their relations soured last november when turkey shot down a russian bomber on the syrian border. speaking to a news conference, president erdogan said the special relationship between the two countries will go even further. translation: we have discussed

issues keeping our agenda at busy as well as what we can do in order to ove i’co m e well as what we can do in order to overcome them. we want to take the historic and special relationship between turkey and russia even further. sadly we have lost precious time because of the incident in 2013 that hurt us badly. translation: as a translation: as a result of co—ordinated actions, the ceasefire in syria is in place. the level of violence has dropped immensely. we agree with turkish colleagues on a further cooperation in fighting terrorist groups. as bbc russia's olga ivshina now reports, there are common interests, despite the two countries differing priorities when it comes to syria. moscow and ankara's concern for the

future of syria is different but it is also different from the one the us have. for putin and president erdogan, it is easier to talk to each other rather than turk in that triangle — us, turkey and russia. russia has a ready taken at the ground it needs. they helped to reca ptu re ground it needs. they helped to recapture aleppo, to retake palmyra. turkey tries to secure a buffer zone between syria and its borders. on that they have much more ground for cooperation and talks rather than each of the side has with the united states because they are such a powerful player. president trump has invited the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas, to the white house. he extended the offer in a phone call with mr abbas, in what's believed to be their first contact since mr trump took office. our correspondent

barbara plett usher is following events in the state department. earlier she told us what the white house has been saying about this visit. only to confirm that it is going to happen and i suppose we would expect it would happen because mr chubb has talked about wanting to facilitate a middle east peace deal and it would have to take into consideration at the palestinian view in some point but palestinians have been concerned by his stand so far. he came into office saying he would be the most pro— israel president. the first foreign visitors to the white house we re foreign visitors to the white house were from israel. he has been ambivalent about support for a two state solution and he is chosen for his ambassador someone in the far—right of the political spectrum as well as one of his key advisers in the white house, he has cast an

envoy who with his son—in—law, an orthodox jewry, although envoy who with his son—in—law, an orthodoxjewry, although he is not spoken publicly. —— due. jew. in other news: the world is facing its greatest humanitarian crisis since the united nations was established in 1945, according to the organisation's humanitarian chief. stephen o'brien told the security council that 20 million people in four countries — somalia, south sudan, yeman and nigeria — were facing starvation and famine and that without collective global efforts, many people would die. the polish prime minister has accused french president

francois hollande of trying to blackmail her country in a row over thursday's re—election of eu leader donald tusk. at the end of an eu summit, beata szydloshe said it was unacceptable for mr hollande to threaten to stop funds because poland was "not behaving properly". the united states defence secretary, james mattis, has pledged a full investigation into military personnel who shared nude photographs of female colleagues on social media. speaking at the pentagon, marine core general robert neller said appropriate action would be taken against anyone involved. you all know we're looking at allegation that marine corps females have been victims of cyberbullying non consensual sharing of images and completely disrespectul sharing of content — these allegations undermine everything we stand for as marine corps and as marines. tens of thousands of south koreans have come out on the streets

of seoul to celebrate a court decision to remove president park geun—hye from office. the constitutional court upheld a parliamentary vote to impeach ms park, over her role in a corruption scandal. steve evans reports, from seoul. amazing scenes outside court, as pro—park protesters clashed with police. officers struggled in a tug of war to stop a bus being turned over. two protesters died. moments earlier, inside court, president park was sacked. the chiefjustice said the president had broken the law and the trust of the people. tonight, anti—park protesters have been holding a victory rally. i certainly felt shivers going down my spine and i'm sure i'm

not the only one in south korea today to feel this way. it's such an extraordinary thing in the history of our country, to see a president removed through a democratic constitutional mechanism. in 2014 and 2015, park met the head of samsung. the court decided a deal was done. samsung would give £30 million to park's best friend. in return, park got the national pension fund to back a samsung merger. and samsung bought a horse for park's best friend. price? $1 million. the country is now deeply divided. there will be an election within two months, and that may well end up with a more left—wing government, which will be more accommodating towards north korea, and more antagonistic to the united states. for three months, protesters have chanted that president park must go.

tonight, she spends her last night in the presidential palace. she may yet end up behind bars. steven evans, bbc news, south korea. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: marching through washington — hundreds of native americans and their supporters protest against the controversial dakota access pipeline. the number of dead and wounded defied belief. this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours the soviet union lost an elderly sikh leader and replaced in with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots.

then they started firing at our huts and we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he is 90. he travelled from memphisjail to nashville prison in an eight—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. will it change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really, i've never been married before. this is bbc news. the main headlines: in mosul thousands are trapped as iraqi forces close in on islamic state militants. donald trump speaks to the palestinian leader mahmood abbas by phone and invites him to the white house. hundreds of people from native american tribes

have marched through the streets of washington to protest against the controversial dakota access pipeline. protestors say leaks from the oil pipeline will pollute water supplies and endanger sacred sites. tom donkin reports. a show of tribal strength on the wet streets of washington, dc. members of the standing rock nation and their supporters have carried their anger across several states from north dakota, angry over the controversial pipeline which they say will pollute their water and upset their sacred sites. undeterred by the heavens opening, tribal members walked united. people come out here and they may think the rain is incumbent weather but it's a blessing, if you will, because we are talking about the protection of

water and so the house the grandfathers rain on us, that means they are here with us. so this isn't increment weather, it's a blessing. in the first week of his presidency donald trump side executive orders to revive the project, which had been put on hold by the obama administration. the pipeline is worth $3.8 billion and will stretch overfour worth $3.8 billion and will stretch over four states. it will be a boon for the industry and create thousands of jobs long for the industry and create thousands ofjobs long way, one of donald trump's top priorities. but under the present‘s on hoteljust down the road from the white house, tribal members set up camp, erecting atb as tribal members set up camp, erecting atbasa tribal members set up camp, erecting a tb as a sign that they and this issue are not going anywhere. some of the other news now. volkswagen has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and obstruction of justice by cheating diesel emissions tests. at a plea in detroit, they

draw a line under the scandal in the us, following a deal reached in january. the cause of death of russia's ambassador to the un will not be released by new york city's medical examiners office. vitaly churkin died suddenly while at work last month. they say international agreements give him international immunity, respecting his right to privacy even after death. the ebola outbreak in west africa centred on the devastating impact on humans. but the disease has also had a huge effect on the gorilla population. a third of the world's gorillas have been killed by ebola in the last 30 years alone. it's because when a group is infected, around 95% of them die. with all four species of gorilla now critically endangered, researchers from cambridge university, here in the uk, want to immunise them in the wild. our science correspondent

rebecca morelle has this report. in the african forests, an animal at risk of vanishing forever. gorillas already face many threats, from poaching to habitat loss, but perhaps the most worrying is ebola. the deadly disease is thought to have wiped out many thousands of these great apes. now a vaccine could be the answer. so we put it on the sides of the nose and they got under the tongue. this scientist has carried out a small trial on captive chimps, the last before bio medical research on these animals was banned in the us. he found a vaccine protected them against the virus and now he wants to use it on gorillas in the wild. ebola and other diseases are a huge threat. if these were our children, we vaccinate our children, right? we vaccinate our pets. we vaccinate domestic livestock. we vaccinate wildlife in the developed world. why aren't we vaccinating our closest relatives in africa? the deadly toll of ebola in humans

is all too well—known. the 2013 outbreak in west africa killed more than 11,000 people. now, though, there's an effective human vaccine. ebola in humans and gorillas is closely linked, the virus can cross between species. some argue that gorillas should now be immunised, too. gorillas are one of our relatives and saving them from extinction is now a number one priority for conservationists and an ebola vaccine does offer some much needed hope, but there could be significant risks. finding a method to get a dose of the vaccine into every gorilla would be difficult. there's also a risk that it could harm the animals, instead of helping them. we, as great ape conservationists, are concerned about any unintended impacts on the health of the target apes, such as introduction of a disease that might spread amongst the intended population that we're trying to protect.

the future of these animals is hanging in the balance. the forests are currently free of ebola, but it's inevitable it will strike again. conservationists need to decide whether the risk of vaccinating or not vaccinating is one they're willing to take. infinity may be an abstract concept but that hasn't stopped japanese artist, yoyo kusama, from trying to show it at an exhibition in washington. my colleague jane o'brien went to have a look. it is easy to get lost in 1—off yoyo kusama's infinity broomes, even though they are physically quite tiny. —— one of. mayoress and the lights walked perceptions of what is real and what is illusion. —— warp our perception. we are living in a time when almost everything we see is through digital technology,

social media, e—mailing. so that is so social media, e—mailing. so that is so much a part of our lives and our perception that she reminds us that there is this other aspect of experiencing space that sometimes is more tactile. to understand how kusama reached infinity, you need to step into her white room. as a child growth we had a vision of hope polkadot is. it led to numerous as. visitors are encouraged to stick them everywhere in this room, even them everywhere in this room, even the leak obliterated the white and leading to oblivion, which brings us back to infinity. at first being in this room makes me feel incredibly happy. this room makes me feel incredibly happy- i this room makes me feel incredibly happy. iam this room makes me feel incredibly happy. i am surrounded by glow—in—the—dark pumpkins, for goodness sake. but after a couple of secondsit goodness sake. but after a couple of seconds it becomes disturbing because this is probably the closest any of us will come to seeing what

infinity must look like and once you grasp that you realise how utterly insignificant you really are. most people inside these rooms immediately reach for their cellphones. this is after all be ultimate selfie. but not so fast, says the museum. if you are in this infinity mirror room and you don't stop and put down your phone, you're not truly experiencing it, because it is this moment in which you are alone in because most and it's a very compelling and poignant experience. —— the cosmos. very compelling and poignant experience. -- the cosmos. get past the showstopping infinity broomes and there's plenty more to tickle the censors. voluptuous sculptures, dots, appendages, dots and more dots. kusama is arguablyjapan‘s's

most important contemporary artist. this show reveals why her appeal is global. that's absolutely stunning. now i'm sure you don't need reminding that bbc world news is brought to you live. which means there's scope for some hitches. i suspect you've already seen how earlier my colleaguejames menendez was interviewing professor robert kelly, at his home in south korea, via webcam. he had some very important points to make, but was overshadowed by his two young children. take a look at this. it happens all the time, the question is how democracy deals with those scandals. what will it mean for the wider region? i think one of your children just walked in. for the wider region? i think one of your childrenjust walked in. you think shifting sands in the region? relations may join de think shifting sands in the region? relations mayjoin de make change? —— may change? i would

relations mayjoin de make change? —— may change? iwould be relations mayjoin de make change? —— may change? i would be surprised if they do. pardon me. my apologies... what is going to mean for the region? my apologies. sorry. south korea's policy towards north korea has been severely limited in the last... oh my gosh! what a professional. i think those kids need their own show and their mum is fantastic. that was live on television and that has gone absolutely viral online. we have much more on our website of course. no more surprises from me. you can get in touch with me and some of the tea m get in touch with me and some of the team on social media. thanks for watching.

a pretty quiet weather story into the weekend and the start of next week. it will be pretty mild. many places will be dry. saturday looks like the driest day of the weekend for most places and that's because inglis and wales are close to the high pressure. —— england. a weather front slowly makes inroads on saturday morning across northern ireland and scotland. most of the rain will be light and patchy but there could be the odd heavy burst. elsewhere it will be dry, some mist and murk and hill fog. these are the temperatures, 8— 11. outbreaks of rain and this will eventually clear through much of scotland, lingering in the northern isles and the north—east, leaving a legacy of cloud and a few spots of drizzle and mist and murk. the same for northern ireland. the bulk of england and wales, it should be a dry start. a lot of cloud around. a bit of brightness to begin the morning across the south. temperatures about

mine— 11 degrees. that's an improving picture across southern and south—eastern areas through the day. a bit of dry air off the near continent, so cloud should break up and we have sunny spells. that will boost temperatures. further north, a bit of brightness in scotland and northern ireland. the central slice will have the weakening weather front. double—figure values, up to 17 degrees in the south—east. the weather looks fine for the six nations rugby at home and in italy, with sunshine and temperatures of 15-16 with sunshine and temperatures of 15— 16 degrees in rome and at home. south we see the change. the weather front south we see the change. the weather fro nt m oves south we see the change. the weather front moves in from the west, strengthening the rain. turning wet in england and wales. a damp end to the night. sunday morning, it looks like it will be mild. outbreaks of rain, low cloud and mist and murk. sunday looks more wet for many places, especially england and wales. brightening sky is further west for northern ireland and

western scotland. a couple of showers around. little bit cooler and fresher. 10—11 degrees. maybe as high as 12— 13 in the south—east. the wet weather eventually clears on sunday night and into monday and tuesday. high pressure builds, so it will be fine and there should be dry weather around, but also a lot of cloud. you could see some rain getting to northern ireland and scotla nd getting to northern ireland and scotland on tuesday. quite a benign picture into next week. it will stay mild for many. whether sunshine brea ks mild for many. whether sunshine breaks through, it will feel very mild. —— where the sunshine breaks through. the latest headlines from bbc news. iraqi security forces are closing in on the heavily—populated old city of mosul as the fight to dislodge islamic state continues. thousands are still trying to escape. president trump has invited the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas, to the white house. the invitation was made during a phone—call the first contact between the two leaders since mr trump took office. volkswagen has pleaded guilty

in an american court to three criminal charges linked to the diesel emissions scandal. the plea is part of a deal which means the company will pay fines of more than four—point three—billion dollars. tens of thousands of south koreans have come out on the streets of seoul to celebrate a court decision to remove president park geun—hye from office. the impeachment comes because of ms park's alleged role in a corruption scandal. i will be back at one o'clock. and now a look at what life is like for families