live from washington, this is bbc news. rebel forces in syria launch their biggest offensive in years amid heavy fighting near the city of aleppo. protesters take to the streets of georgia's capital for a second night over the government suspending moves to join the eu. the british parliament backs proposals to allow terminally ill adults in england and wales the right

to end their own lives.

which is an opposition stronghold, people set off fireworks to celebrate the advance of rebel groups. syria and russia launched intense air strikes on the city and other areas controlled by the islamist group, hts, hayat tahriral—sham, and other opposition groups. sources in the syrian military have told the reuters news agency that the army has closed the main roads in and out of the city, as well as the airport. they've also told the news agency that moscow has promised bashar al—assad's forces extra military aid to thwart the attempted takeover, which they say will arrive in the next few days. merlyn thomas and our bbc verify team have been tracking the situation. at bbc verify, we've been tracking the advance of rebel forces towards the city of aleppo in northern syria by looking at footage posted on social media. this is a video we verified which shows military vehicles moving along a road. it was shared by a media outlet affiliated with a rebel group which appears to be leading the advance. it was posted on telegram with a caption, "starting to enter the city of aleppo."

and we have confirmed the location to be on the western edge on the western edge of the city. of the city. you can see some you can see some of the vehicles here. of the vehicles here. another video we verified another video we verified appears to show men appears to show men in military fatigues in military fatigues running through the streets. running through the streets. and we have geo—located these and we have geo—located these videos to a western suburb videos to a western suburb of the city of aleppo, of the city of aleppo, but can't confirm the identity but can't confirm the identity of the individuals seen. of the individuals seen. about 2km away from here, about 2km away from here, we've also verified we've also verified another video another video which appears to show which appears to show large crowds of people large crowds of people captured by government forces walking away from an area outside aleppo university. it's not clear who they are or where they are going, but you can see that they but you can see that they are carrying luggage. are carrying luggage. 12 years ago, 12 years ago, a peaceful uprising a peaceful uprising against the president of syria against the president of syria turned into turned into a full—scale civil war which continues to rage on. a full—scale civil war which continues to rage on. the conflict has drawn the conflict has drawn in countries from all around in countries from all around the world, devastated cities the world, devastated cities and killed civilians. the ancient city of aleppo and killed civilians. the ancient city of aleppo

has been a focal point has been a focal point of the syrian civil war of the syrian civil war captured by government forces in 2016 after four years of intense fighting. at bbc verify, we will continue to monitor the footage emerging as the situation develops. earlier, i spoke to wa'el alzayat, who used to work at the us state department in a role that focused on syria. he's since become ceo of muslim american advocacy group emgage. he told me it was a significant moment. this is the biggest shake—up of the biggest shake—up of the syrian scene since the fall of aleppo to the syrian regime and its allies. there has been de—escalation in northern syria, although with current sporadic fighting, but this could have far—reaching ramifications for the city of aleppo and its inhabitants, for the region and for the trajectory of the conflict at a time where we have seen the war between israel and hamas and then with hezbollah dominate the headlines and the facts on the ground and the facts on the ground and i think you are seeing this

new front right now that could also reshape the country and region as we look into the new year. in what way do you think talking about those broader wars we a re wars we are seeing in the middle east right now? definitely i think what we are seeing is at least is affected by the great weakening of both hezbollah as well as other iranian—backed militias in the region after a year of fighting and being targeted mainly by the israelis, sometimes by the americans in syria as well as iran's ability to support assad and what you're seeing in ukraine. the russians down in a years—long war now, and both politically and both politically and economically and militarily those two countries are busy elsewhere, and i think you are seeing that in the rapid collapse of the syrian regime defences in and around aleppo. we know that the russians have said they will send additional hardware and support to the syrian regime.

whether they are able to recapture it and what cost and even if their success in terms of the rebels�* ability to hold down the city, the ability to govern a few million

primarily russia. if it comes in the form of indiscriminate aerial bombardments or artillery, that could harm many people. in 2016 over 1 that could harm many people. in 2016 over1 million people were displaced mainly into turkiye and beyond, and hundreds of thousands were killed — i think over a million syrians died in northern syria during that entire campaign to cut aleppo by the syrian regime and so many are waiting to see what comes next. 0n the other side, what about the group itself? hts controls parts of idlib province near the border with turkiye. what do we know about their rule, their ideology? they are an ultra—orthodox group, had ties with al-qaeda, which is why they were designated terrorists,

although their leadership broke off from this group publicly and in an attempt i think to remove those pressures, sanctions and targeting primarily by the united states. that has not really worked, though many analysts, including myself, don�*t deem that it has any designs beyond syria, i.e. al-qaeda central or the islamic state, but they are still very much feared because not only their military capacity but their ideology is quite extreme, and i think more moderate even sunni muslims as well as minority groups particularly christians and others have good reasons to be concerned. i don�*t want to get ahead of the situation on the ground. it could end up being perfectly fine for the citizens there, but i think people are very wary right now and hoping for the best. the current conflicts in the middle east are tied together, so let�*s turn to lebanon, where a ceasefire between israel and hezbollah seems to be largely holding

into a third day, though both sides have accused each other of minor violations. israel�*s military has warned lebanese residents not to return home to 60 villages near the israel—lebanon border. the leader of hezbollah, naim qassem, said on friday that the group is ready to help the lebanese army build up its defences. army troops are set to deploy across southern lebanon as part of the truce deal. in his first televised address since the ceasefire took effect on wednesday, qassem said hezbollah had won a "divine "victory over israel". meanwhile, israel is continuing to hit targets in gaza, as part of its stated aim to eliminate hamas. people across gaza have mixed feelings on what the ceasefire in lebanon will mean for them. while some think the truce may be a step towards ending israel�*s bombardment where they are, others are worried that israel will in fact double down on gaza, with dire implications for civilians on the ground. i spoke tojoseph belliveau, the executive director of medglobal, a humanitarian

non—governmental organisation providing emergency response and health programs around the world, including in gaza. and i asked about the situation facing medical workers in the north of the strip. metglobal has about 300 medical workers in gaza right now running a number of different health outposts, nutritional sites and supporting hospitals, but the conditions under which they are working are extreme. it's working are extreme. it�*s hard to continue to find words to describe how horrible the situation is. just a few days ago, my metglobal colleague was hit in an airstrike my metglobal colleague was hit in an air strike on a hospital in an air strike on a hospital in northern gaza. he, as the hospital director, was in charge of a huge number of staff and trying to treat patients under such violent and extreme conditions and then he himself gets struck. he had severe bleeding, had to undergo surgery himself.

luckily, now, he is in a stable condition, but i�*ve just now learned just a few hours ago that we lost, tragically, another colleague, a medical workerfrom the hospital, was hit in a strike just a few hours ago today, and died from his injuries. so, again, it isjust almost impossible to describe how horrible, almost minute by minute the conditions are, and i can describe the day before the doctor was hit in that air strike, the doctor was hit in that airstrike, he the doctor was hit in that air strike, he wrote a message to me and other colleagues at metglobal and he said, "i want you to understand how severe and horrible this is." and he described the situation of a helicopter gunship attacking the emergency ward of the hospital. four staff members and several patients were injured

in that strike and then as others came in who tried to help the injured and still in the icu at the hospital at this moment, so itjust gives you a sense of how violent and are full the circumstances are. let me first express my condolences for the loss of your colleague. have you been able to speak to israeli authorities about these incidents and how do they respond? do they promise investigations? do they promise investigations? do they promise investigations? do they take responsibility for what has happened? unfortunately, u nfortu nately, we get very unfortunately, we get very little. of course, we speak to the of course, we speak to the israeli authorities all the time, but the pattern that we are living in right now is, unfortunately, nothing new. it seems to just compound and almost get worse and worse but we are going back to... we are 400 days into this conflict now

and the pattern of egregious and the pattern of egregious and consistent violent attacks against not only civilians but against medical workers and medicalfacilities, and medical facilities, explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law. i briefly want to ask are there any humanitarian corridors open right now to get staff in or to get aid in or medical supplies? there are amongst the various entry points into gaza, some of them are open some of the time, but it is extremely difficult to go through the administrative procedures and hurdles to get anything in, and then, as you well know, once things get in, the situation of looting has become so chaotic and violent inside of gaza that evenif and violent inside of gaza that even if you are able to get some of the few medicines and essential items in, it is very difficult to get them distributed to where they need to be. it is a fraction right now. we talking ten to 15%, perhaps, of what is needed

in humanitarian aid is getting through those points right now. people have been back on the streets of georgia�*s capital, demonstrating against government plans to delay talks tojoin the european union. earlier, thousands of protesters gathered at the parliament building in tbilisi, waving eu flags. they refused a police order to disperse. critics say the ruling georgia dream party has tried to move the country away from the eu and closer to russia. and our russia editor steve rosenberg has more. i�*m outside the georgian parliament building in the centre of tbilisi. there are thousands of anti—government protesters here setting off fireworks. protesters a re here. the other side, down the road, are the police. lots of police. long lines of police and water cannon, too. a few minutes ago, we saw the water cannon being used to try to disperse the crowds. people here are furious that this week their government suspended, they say until the end of 2028, georgia�*s bid tojoin

the european union. and people here are angry because the aspiration tojoin the eu is enshrined in this country�*s constitution. so the protesters have been accusing the government of kowtowing to moscow, being in the pay of the kremlin. it is very important for all the georgians to be here, for everyone to see, the whole international world, to see that georgians are europeans and we want europe. we want a better future, and we don't want to be part of russia anymore. you see what is happening. you can totally see how they are treating us, i how they are treating the pe0ple _ who has a free will to be in europe. i unfortunately, this - is really disappointing. and the government who are making the decisions for us, | especially when they are not representing _ a georgian people's will, it is really disappointing. this feels like a crucial moment for georgia because for more than 20 years, this country has been on a path to western integration

towardsjoining nato and the eu, but that now seems to be on hold. canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau has arrived in florida for a dinner with president—elect donald trump, as the incoming us leader promises tariffs on canadian imports. mr trudeau was seen exiting a hotel in west palm beach before leaving in a motorcade that was later seen entering mar—a—lago. the trip comes after donald trump sent shock waves across canada when he announced pending import tariffs against neighbours canada and mexico as well as china in social media posts on monday. more than three—quarters of canadian exports, worth $423 billion, went to the united states last year. mps have backed proposals to legalise assisted dying in england and wales in a historic vote that could pave the way for a change in the law. it is the first step in giving terminally ill people the right to choose to end their own life. highlighting the magnitude of their decision, the result was met by mps

not with cheers of approval, but with complete silence. it was a free vote, meaning lawmakers could vote with their conscience as opposed to following party orders. the bill passed with 330 mps in favour, and 275 against, a majority of 55. it�*ll now go to further rounds of debate. so, which other countries have assisted dying and what are the rules there? here�*s our medical editor fergus walsh. since mps last voted to reject assisted dying in 2015, there�*s been a dramatic rise globally in the number of countries changing the law. now more than 300 million people live in jurisdictions where the state will help eligible people to end their lives. one of the first was oregon in the united states in 1997, where it�*s available to terminally ill, mentally competent adults expected to die within six months. it must be approved by two doctors. patients self—administer

the lethal dose. so it�*s very like the system being proposed for england and wales. but here, a high courtjudge would also need to approve it. two thirds of patients who die have cancer, around one in 10 have a neurological condition and one in ten heart disease. asked about their end—of—life concerns, nine in ten worry about losing autonomy. two thirds cite loss of dignity. four in ten worry about being a burden on family and friends. around one in three prescribed a lethal dose, don�*t use it. across the united states, assisted dying has spread to ten states, more than double the number a decade ago. in 2016, canada introduced medical assistance in dying, initially just for the terminally ill. in 2021, it was extended to those experiencing

unbearable suffering. in 2027, it�*s due to be extended to those with a mental illness. a doctor or nurse can administer the lethal dose. what about europe? well, switzerland legalised assisted suicide in 1942. more than 500 britons have died at dignitas in the past two decades. the netherlands and belgium legalised assisted dying more than 20 years ago, where it�*s also permitted for children. austria and spain recently changed the law. in all these countries in europe, you don�*t have to be terminally ill to qualify. it�*s also now offered in new zealand and most parts of australia, but solely for the terminally ill. patients can self—administer the lethal dose or ask a health professional to do it. campaigners here who want assisted dying promise that the safeguards

in england and wales will be the tightest in the world. but opponents say the experience of other countries show it will be a slippery slope, putting the vulnerable at risk. an explosion that damaged a canal in kosovo is now said by the prime minister to be an act of terrorism. there were no immediate reports of injuries and the cause of the blast was not clear. kosovo president vjosa 0smani blamed "serbian criminal gangs" for the attack, without providing evidence. the head of a water company told local news that an explosive device was thrown into the canal. the canal supplies water to two coal—fired power plants that provide nearly all kosovo�*s electricity. polls have closed in ireland�*s general election after a three—week campaign. an exit poll suggests a very tight race between the three main parties. the outgoing government is a three—party coalition of fianna fail, fine gael and sinn fein. for more, here�*s our ireland

correspondent chris page. the general election count begins at 9 in the morning and the exit polls suggest it will be tight, tense and very unpredictable. the poll indicates that sinn fein has a very narrow lead in the race for first preference votes, but it�*s very close indeed between the three main parties to be the prime minister or taoiseach. simon harris who�*s been in thejob forjust seven months, his main coalition partner, also taoiseach earlier in the government term, her party has been the main opposition group since the last general election in 2020. during that time,

it has become the biggest political party in northern ireland and it will push hard for a referendum on irish unity by 2030 if it did take power here in dublin. but even if sinn fein were to win the most seats in the irish parliament for the first time, it could well still have an uphill task in assembling a coalition of other left—wing parties which would command an a overall majority. results of that poll of the irish national broadcaster rte, the irish times and trinity college dublin put sinn fein on 21.1% and fine gael on 19.5%. we should get the actual first preference, the total number maybe by tomorrow evening but then the counting will move on into sunday transfers will come into play on the margins between victory and defeat for these 174 seats could be very small indeed. 5.5 years ago, flames ripped through paris�*s notre—dame cathedral, completely devastating the historic building. now the gothic icon has been

revealed to the public once more after hundreds of thousands of euros of restoration work. french president emmanuel macron toured the building live on tv, giving people the first look inside since much of it was destroyed or damaged in the blaze. the cathedral has been completely renovated. years of soot were cleaned up, giving the space a brand—new look. andrew harding sent this report. the scaffolding has come down. and like a burns patient shedding her bandages, notre—dame is revealed today — whole again after years of delicate surgery. inside, the cathedral is a dazzle of light. the ash, debris and centuries of accumulated grime all gone. france�*s president, emmanuel macron, ushering in the cameras this morning for the first time since the fire and revelling in a risky promise kept — to rebuild this broken miracle of stone, glass and timber in just five years.

macron thanked the team responsible for saving the soul of france. translation: we were told it wasn�*t possible, that it was crazy. we�*d do it wrong. but you came together with determination and you achieved what seemed impossible. it was late on april 15, 2019, that notre—dame burst into flames. it�*s still not clear if a cigarette or an electrical fault was to blame. the spire�*s collapse, prompting a global groan of anguish and then a collective flood of generosity. the french state, which owns the cathedral, hired 2,000 craftsmen using new and ancient technologies to patch up the gargoyles, restore the famous bells, clean acres of stained glass,

and carve 1,200 oak trees to replace notre—dame�*s mediaeval roof beams. the grand opening may be a week away, but for the workers, this is the time to celebrate. for all of us, we are very proud today to have been lucky enough to work on this cathedral. for france, it's the symbol of france, of paris. of all the french people that were crying in 2019. and now this is a new way for all the french people. this is a profound, rousing moment for all of france and at a time of deepening political polarisation, the rebirth of notre dame is a reminder of what this society can achieve when it pulls together, and when the money is right. the tourists are now waiting for their chance to see the inside of a building not only rescued but transformed. andrew harding,

bbc news, paris. i�*m afraid to tell you that a chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur has eaten the banana from an artwork he bought last week for $6.2 million. justin sun outbid six others to acquire the now—famous piece. he bought the right to display the installation, along with a guide on how to replace the fruit, which was simply a banana, duct taped to a wall. after eating the banana, mr sun said it tasted �*much better�* than other bananas.�* stay with us here on bbc news. more at the top of the hour. hello. this is the weekend when november turns into december, but it�*s not going to feel like it weather—wise. in fact, it is going to feel very mild, often cloudy. there will be some rain, equally a little bit of sunshine. now, we�*ve got a frontal system that has been pushing its way eastwards. behind that, a south—westerly flow, a very mild but moist south—westerly flow, so, yes, there will be a lot of clouds, some mist and murk in places, but this very mild air

is working its way northwards across all parts of the uk. so a mild start to saturday morning, but with a lot of cloud, some mist and murk, particularly for coasts and hills in the west, a few spots of rain through the day, parts of northern england, northern ireland and scotland, equally a few brighter spells northeast wales, northeast england, northeast scotland, areas with some shelter from the breeze. but look at the temperatures — 13—15 degrees, very mild indeed for the last day of november. it will be quite windy out there, those winds actually strengthening across western parts as we head into the evening ahead of the arrival of this frontal system that will push its way eastwards overnight. bit of showery rain running ahead of that. so, some outbreaks of rain through the early hours of sunday morning. again, it�*s going to be really very mild, temperatures holding up in double digits for most as we head into the second half of the weekend. so here goes our frontal system, pushing its way eastwards during sunday. that is going to bring some outbreaks of rain. sunday, probably the wetter

of the two weekend days for england and wales, as these outbreaks of rain push eastwards. scotland and northern ireland seeing sunny spells and showers, that brighter but showery regime spreading to most areas before sunday afternoon is done. still very mild, 12—14 degrees. but we will see a bit of a change as we move out of sunday and into monday. we do start to pick up these northerly winds, which, for a time, will bring something colder southwards across the uk, but that is unlikely to last all that long. we see frontal systems returning from the atlantic. from midweek onwards, things will turn milder, but they will also turn quite a lot more unsettled, with some wet and potentially very windy weather to end the week. so next week looks like this, briefly turning a bit colder, milder again later, but more unsettled.

hello, i�*m ros atkins. and i�*m katie razzall. this week on the media show, a high—profile presenter defection from the bbc. also, drake and kendrick lamar�*s hip—hop feud is heading to court. and how christmas became the british equivalent of the super bowl when it comes to advertising. that�*s all coming up on the media show.

we�*re going to start by talking about someone who i�*m sure is familiar to many of you. good evening. welcome to the bbc news at ten. mishal husain is one of bbc news�* biggest stars. she�*s one of the presenters of the today programme radio show. she also presented one of the election debates earlier in the summer on the bbc. and she�*s leaving. yeah. she has been hired by bloomberg to present a new global interview series. alex farber is the times�*s media correspondent. he�*s been reporting on her career plans, and he joined us. so it's a story that i had been following for some time. over the summer, mishal had made some comments to the sunday times in which she had alluded to the fact that she was thinking about what might come next for her when her time on the today programme came

to an end.