welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: fighting the so—called islamic state in syria. we have an exclusive report as president assad's forces ta ke report as president assad's forces take us to the front line. translation: we are hellbent on victory, we are not scared of death. i'm a commander on the ground and i've been wounded three times. on terror alert in rotterdam. a rock show is cancelled at the last minute. police seize a van containing gas canisters near the venue. typhoon hato hits mainland china with hurricane force winds and torrential rain. it's left at least six people dead in macau and hong kong. there's growing concern that an online auction of rhino horns in south africa will trigger an increase in poaching. in syria, the caliphate declared

by the extremist group that calls itself islamic state is crumbling. on the battlefield, it is losing ground, but the battle is being waged one town at a time. in an exclusive report, our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is on the front line of that bitter struggle. she's been travelling with president assad's forces, backed by russia and iran, as they re—take more territory, ruled for years by is. this is the man leading the syrian army against islamic state in eastern syria. general mohammed hadour wants to take us to the front

line to see their latest successes, vowing, with a soldier's swagger, to ta ke vowing, with a soldier's swagger, to take back all of syria. tens of thousands of men under his command. translation: i am hellbent on victory. we are not scared of death. i'm a commander on the ground and i've been wounded three times. this is my arm. just look at it. every inch the ruthless commander. charismatic, controversial. he's on the eu sanctions list, accused of suppressing peaceful protests in 2011. the general laughs it off, insisting he's fighting terrorism. this is now the army's forward

firing position. days ago this area was under is control. now their fighters arejust was under is control. now their fighters are just over the horizon. these soldiers tell us this latest operation destroyed the closest position is isjust on operation destroyed the closest position is is just on that rage, operation destroyed the closest position is isjust on that rage, so that's going to allow the syrian army, and its russian and iranian armies, to move forward by a number of miles. heading towards the next province of dell as author, all of it is impious hands, except for one small enclave, so that's the next big target for the syrian army. we're heading back to this desert town, passing on the way a russian convoy. moscow's military right and iran backed militias are crucial here. this is suknar, all was. when is arrived here three years ago almost everyone fled. even in ruin

it's a major prize. deuce it's on a strategic crossroads. gas fields all around here. the soldiers take us into what they say was used as a makeshift base. a box of munitions lie next to a jumble of women's clothing. the soldiers tell us is kept women here. and in many houses, they say they found chords like this hanging from hoax used, they say, for torture. trademarks of is's savage rule, but there's no one here 110w savage rule, but there's no one here now to confirm exactly what happened in this house. just outside this old wreck pulls up. the spoils of war such as they are kicked back into life. is had meant this to be a car bomb. translation: we are proud to get it

back. whatever is took, we'll take it back. lyse doucet, bbc news, suknar. on a tip—off from spanish police, dutch authorities have ordered the last minute cancellation of a rock show in the south—western city of rotterdam. the city's mayor said they'd been warned an attack was planned on a gig by an american band. police stopped a spanish—registered van containing gas canisters near the venue. this from the bbc‘s tim allman. once again armed police on the streets of a european city. a local music venue called off, people being told to go home. a concert that was cancelled after a warning of a potential terror attack. translation: the information we received from spanish police suggested there was an attack planned on a concert by an american band. the information was so serious that the police consulted with the owners. two options were considered. let the event go ahead

with increased security or possibly cancelling it. they thought it was justified to cancel the concert. the band who were supposed to perform are called the allah—las. they come from california and have had some controversy over their name and use of the arabic name for god. they were escorted away by police while concert—goers were turned away. translation: we're from around here so it's not a big problem. it's a bummer for those who came from afar. they basically came here for nothing. i'm curious to hear the reason for the cancellation. i'd like to know exactly what's going on. what information this decision was based on. not far away, a van was found with spanish number plates containing gas canisters. it's not clear if this was linked to the cancellation of the concert but the van is being examined and the driver, also believed to be spanish, is being questioned by police. this may have been a tridgedy

averted, this may have all been a false alarm, but it's now being reported this incident is not linked to last week's terror attacks in and around barcelona. tim allman, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the former venezuelan prosecutor luisa ortega dayaz says she has proof of corruption amongst the main government leaders in her country including the president, nicolas maduro. mrs ortega, who fled venezuela after she was sacked, is in brasilia to meet regional chief prosecutors. mr maduro alleges that, while in office, she ignored corruption cases sent to her. officials in brazil's amazon region say at least seven people were killed and dozens are missing after their river boat sank on wednesday morning. 25 people have been rescued so far. a search for those missing in the xingu river is under way. police believe the boat had too many passengers. australia's high court is to examine if six senior government officials including the deputy prime minister,

barnabyjoyce, are eligible for public office. under australia's constitution, politicians are not allowed to hold dual citizenship. if mrjoyce is ruled ineligible, the government may lose its majority and threaten prime minister malcolm turnbull‘s hold on power. at least 30 people have been killed following an airstrike on the outskirts of yemen's capital, sanaa. houthi rebels, who control the capital, say the attack was carried out by the coalition led by saudi arabia. the un refugee agency in yemen has accused both sides of maiming and killing children. the country is in the grip of a cholera epidemic and threatened with widespread famine. here's our middle east editor, jeremy bowen. the attack on the hotel left another room ina the attack on the hotel left another room in a devastated country and dozens more dead. it will also be seized on by those who believe the

saudi led coalition selects its targets without regard for civilian lives. safeguarding noncombatants is the legal obligation of any belligerent in a war. the war has created what is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis. disease has swept through yemen, more than 500,000 have contracted cholera. the un estimates 80% of the population needs humanitarian assistance. more than1 million needs humanitarian assistance. more than 1 million under fives are acutely malnourished. the current conflict in yemen started in march 2015 when a coalition led by saudi arabia intervened in eight civil war. the declared aim was to restore the internationally recognised government. it had been thrown out of sanaa, the capital, by an alliance of houthis, a powerful army from the north, and forces loyal to

ali abbas allah, the former president. he once said that governing yemen was like an sing on the head of snakes but the saudi move was also a message to iran, its rival across the gulf, to keep out of its backyard. the iranians have given some help to the houthis, though much likely less than the saudis claimed. all sides in the war have contributed to the disaster in yemen. war crimes, the un has said, have happened with alarming frequency. but yemen's food crisis, which is starving millions, has been made much worse by the blockade imposed by the saudi led coalition. earlier this year cranes in the port of food aid were destroyed by saudi led airstrikes, paralysing docks which the un had been using to import food aid. this week in the capital sanaa tension has been

rising. the ruling alliance between the houthis and the former president is fracturing. both sides are pairing for big rallies tomorrow. a new intensification of the war will only deepen yemen's man—made disaster. jeremy bowen, bbc news. south africa is holding its first online auction of rhino horns, despite strong opposition from some conservationists, who fear it will further encouridge poaching. hundreds of horns, which can fetch tens of thousands of dollars a kilo, are up for sale, though they cannot be exported because of a long—standing global ban on the international trade. nomsa maseko reports from johannesburg. south africa's environmental affairs department was ordered by the court to allow 264 rhino horns to be auctioned off, starting today. this comes after a high court ruling set aside a moratorium on the domestic trade of rhino horn. in 2009, before south africa hosted the football world cup, the government issued a temporary moratorium on the domestic trade

in rhino horn, due to international pressure by conservationists. they are also walking up towards the feeding ground... in 2015, a rhino farmer approached the court to set aside the moratorium, arguing that it had been in place for too long. and the court ruled in his favour, to once again allow domestic trade in rhino horn. i firmly believe that this is the way to save rhinos from extinction. to breed them better, to protect them better. one of the ways to protect them better is not to make the horn completely unavailable to everybody. before 2009, when you could buy horn legally in this country, there was virtually no poaching. after 2009, it has escalated out of control. the poaching is out of control in this country. the government is still

in the process of finalising policies for the domestic trade in rhino horn. this means they could potentially issue export permits under the personal effects provision. the auction has been organised by the biggest rhino owner in south africa, and his website says the auction will take place over three days. potential buyers have to pay a refundable deposit, after which they still need to apply for a government permit. mr hume says he hopes to target the 400,000 south african chinese population. but conservationists are against this auction. according to the convention, there is no legal international trade in rhino horn for commercial purposes. that means that this auction can only be done within the borders of south africa, this trade. however, as far as we are aware, there is very little demand for rhino horn in south africa. it is also published

in chinese and vietnamese, and it does appear as if it has been angled for some kind of exporting trade. since the beginning of this year, more than 500 rhinos have been poached in the country, and all eyes will be on this auction, to see what effect it will have on rhino conservation. nomsa maseko, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: lottery fever grips america, with the second highestjackpot ever of $700 million. here's the first african—american to accept the presidential nomination ofa accept the presidential nomination of a major party and he accepts 45 yea rs of a major party and he accepts 45 years ago to the day that martin

luther king declared i have a dream. as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky. an orange, glowing disc that is lighter than anything save the moon. a neighbouring planets, mars. there is i'io neighbouring planets, mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it will take months, and billions of dollars, to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 yea rs, clock has been off duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmakerjohn vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: on the frontline in syria. president assad's forces retake more territory from the so—called islamic state.

on terror alert in rotterdam. a rock concert is cancelled. police seize a van containing gas canisters near the venue. a maximum category—ten storm has made landfall on the southern coast of china's guangdong province. typhoon hato has brought hurricane—force winds and downpours. earlier, hato hit hong kong and neighbouring macau. it has been classed as the worst typhoon in the region for five years. joining me now is reuters journalist samantha va rdas, in hong kong. samantha, how is it there? good morning to you. look, a huge clean—up operation is under way right across the city. as you can probably see, authorities have cordoned off that area. there is a huge tree which has come down and thatis huge tree which has come down and that is just evidence that the danger is still very much present even though that typhoon has made its way up to china. now, authorities were warning yesterday that it was just too dangerous to

come outside. now, many people are returning to work this morning after having to stay at home yesterday, as it was just too dangerous. and we believe the economic loss from yesterday was something like £400 million to £800 million, so extremely significant, so obviously the damage bill will be so much more. now, sadly we are hearing reports that a number of people have been killed as a result of this storm. we are hearing mixed reports as to the total number but we do believe that around ten people were killed yesterday. now, we believe one of those people was an 83—year—old man, who sadly fell into the water. now, that is absolutely devastating. as you could see, those huge waves being churned up in our iconic victoria harbour yesterday as well is the huge waves crashing on to some of the city's beaches. so devastating results from that huge storm. samantha, we were saying it is the first time in years that the

threat level has been so high. were you there for the worst of it? it can be pretty terrifying, i know. yes, look, i live in the heart of the financial centre here in hong kong and it was quite eerie. the centre was put into complete darkness, obviously nobody came to work yesterday. and you know, i was running around at peak hour, when usually people are piling into work, but the streets were left absolutely deserted, and you can see why. i mean, the danger was just extremely high. many people were forced to evacuate their homes, in 1—off, as you say, the worst storms they have seen you say, the worst storms they have seenin you say, the worst storms they have seen in years. samantha, thank you very much indeed. polls have closed across angola and the vote counting has begun following a general election, marking the end of nearly four decades in powerfor presidentjose eduardo dos santos. some rural polling stations, where the start of voting was delayed, were allowed to remain open for a short period. the former defence minister joao lourenco, is widely expected to win, but mr dos santos will remain in control of the governing mpla party.

the bbc‘s mayeni jones is in angola's capital, luanda. shortly before polling stations closed, the electoral commission here in angola announced that polling stations that had opened late would be given an extra hour to vote. many stations outside the capital, particularly those in remote areas, opened late across a number of the election furniture, ballot papers and other materials that are needed to vote had to be taken over there that are needed to vote had to be ta ken over there by that are needed to vote had to be taken over there by helicopter. and according to the electoral commission, those helicopters had technical issues. these polling stations in remote areas are given more time to vote, but the opposition is concerned that, because it is night—time now here in angola, the safety of the ballots could become the most. a number of these remote areas have a shortage of electricity. in the capital here, voting today went fairly smoothly. i went to a number of polling stations where people told me that they wa nted where people told me that they wanted to see change, particularly

young people. 60% of the population of angola is under the age of 25, and they have been particularly badly affected by the economic crisis. there has been a shortage of jobs in the country, and unemployment is rising in the under 20 fights. next up we are waiting also for election results which are expected on thursday. those will be preliminary results, with full results coming in a couple of weeks. propaganda is a key tool for kimjong—un keeping power in north korea. information in the country is highly controlled, and propaganda posters are a common sight. getting posters out of the country is a process fraught with difficulty, but the bbc met a south korean who has one of the biggest collections in the world. i collect north korean art. my name is choi sangkyun. i have been in pyongyang about 20 times. i've been collecting

about 300 propaganda art. well, the message is peace is possible only by fighting. the dove stands for peace, i think. the children are very happy with the rifle, kalashnikov gun. i think, first of all, the posters like this, these are the real remnant or real history of what is going on now, today, in recent times, in north korea. well, in pyongyang, there are many

creative artist groups, and they own their own shop. they are belong to the people's army. they are more focused on propaganda art. the fine art painting is part of the — a very strong tool to achieve socialistic revolution. on the way to the paradise named communism, the painting is a powerful tool for them. so it does work. well, in just a few hours' time, america could have its newest instant multimillionaire, or perhaps many multimillionaires, with the second—largest powerball jackpot in us history set to be drawn. the jackpot pool has now reached

a whopping $us700 million. bbc correspondent david willis joins us from washington. to tell us more. they have been drawing this twice a week since june. that is 21 rollovers, making the total chack what prize now in excess of $700 million —— jackpot prize. that is the second—highest, if it gets one, in american history. i bought if it gets one, in american history. ibought mine if it gets one, in american history. i bought mine earlier on at a convenience store. there was a row of people out the door, i can tell you, and they call people like me, i can tell you, jackpot chases. they are the sort of people who don't normally buy a powerball ticket, but i read clues to do so when they see figures like $700 million, and go out and join the frenzy. so there is a lot resting on this, like tom and if you hear that over the next few days i have cleared my desk, you

will know it has worked out pretty well. if you don't pop pop up for the next bulletin, we will draw our own conclusions. there is some marketing, isn't there? some suggestion the odds have been manipulated to rack up the size of that jack. you are right, and over the course of the last couple of yea rs, the course of the last couple of years, actually, here in the us, they have made the lottery slightly harder to win. now, what that has done is it has pushed up the total prizemoney, and the effect of that has been, well, quite successful. more people have taken part in it. but i have to say that the odds have also decreased quite eager to get me. there is apparently a one in 292 million chance of this little to get winning me that 700 million dollar jackpot —— little to get. now, that has been likened by one commentator to the same odds of being struck by lightening while at the same time

being eaten by a shark. so maybe i shouldn't put too much emphasis on this one. through gritted teeth, we wish you the very best of luck. and here are two pampered cats. they have just inherited $300,000 after their wealthy owner died in new york. the bequest formed part of a $3 million estate left by ellen frey—wouter, which included her home in the bronx. two carers who used to look after the elderly widow are now caring for the cats, and all grooming and pampering will be paid for out of their trust fund. match more on that and on all the news any time on the bbc news website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello there.

as we head towards the bank holiday weekend, there is some much quieter weather on the way, which is just as well, after all the heavy rain and flooding that we had in northern ireland, and here in north yorkshire, too. that rain, on the last of the muggy air that swept across the uk. behind it, fresher conditions followed, and we saw the cloud breaking, and some sunshine. and over the next few days there'll be some more sunshine. there'll be a few showers around, more particularly towards the north—west of the uk. now, the wet weather came on that weather front there. that has long gone out into the north sea. still dawdling, perhaps, towards the northern isles for a while. lower pressure towards the north—west, this is where we will see most of the showers. higher pressures towards the south. not a big high pressure, but higher pressure. hence the drier weather here. a sunny start across much of the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england, and some sunshine further west, as well, across the south—east of england and wales. just the chance of a little bit more cloud, and maybe one or two light showers.

the odd shower coming into the north—west of england, as well. much of north—east england, and indeed eastern scotland, starting dry and sunny. still some rain up towards shetland, and a few showers arriving towards the highlands. most of northern ireland starting the day dry. but i think we will see some showers, or even longer spells of rain, pushing in closer to that area of low pressure in the north—west, and turning wetter again in western fringes of scotland. a few sharp showers for the north—east of scotland, and possibly towards the north—east of england. most of england and wales in the afternoon, though, will be fine and dry, with some sunshine. pleasant enough, with light winds for the most part, and temperatures near normal for this time of year. it will turn chilly, though, in the evening, especially across much of england and wales, where we'll have clearer skies. up towards the north—west, a bit more of a breeze, perhaps, and still the chance of more cloud and some rain. but temperatures will be a bit lower than they have been recently. into friday, lots of sunshine, probably more sunshine on friday for southern england, midlands, east anglia and lincolnshire. bit more cloud bubbling up further

north, a few showers for scotland. some of these could be rather heavy, and some longer spells of rain arriving into northern ireland, too. so temperatures here a little bit lower, but warming up towards the south—east, with more sunshine, probably getting into the mid—20s. towards the north—west, though, we've got that area of low pressure as we head into the weekend, threatening to bring some more showery rain here. this area of low pressure in biscay could bring the risk of a shower to southern and eastern england, particularly on saturday night. but on the whole, it looks like it will be dry for much of england and wales. some sunshine, and feeling pleasantly warm in the sunshine, with light winds, too. further north, some showers, most of the showers for scotland and also across northern ireland. goodbye. this is bbc news, the headlines: in syria, the caliphate declared by the extremist group that calls itself islamic state is crumbling. it is losing ground one town at a time on the battlefield as president assad's forces, backed by russia and iran, as they re—take more territory that's been ruled for years by is. dutch authorities have ordered the last minute cancellation

of a rock show in rotterdam. the city's mayor said they'd been warned a terror attack was being planned on a concert by an american band. police later stopped a spanish—registered van containing gas canisters near the venue. a maximum category ten storm has made landfall on the southern coast of china's guangdong province. typhoon hatt—oh has brought hurricane force winds and downpours. typhoon hato has brought hurricane force winds and downpours. earlier hato hit hong kong and neighbouring macau. it's been classed as the worst typhoon in the region for five yea rs. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk.