the three main parties. and cate blanchett talks to the bbc about her deep concerns on the use of ai and its role in the film industry. in syria, fighting has erupted in aleppo for the first time since rebel forces were forced out of the city by government troops in 2016. the army says dozens of its soldiers have been killed or injured and islamist rebels are now reported to control the majority of the city. we've received these pictures of rebels patrolling the streets and celebrating outside the city's ancient citadel. this was the centre of aleppo in the early hours, after russian and syrian warplanes intervened in support of government forces,

bombing rebel positions. russia is an ally of president bashar al—assad's regime. the rebels�* offensive has made rapid progress since it began on wednesday, capturing numerous towns and villages. the syrian military says troops have been temporarily withdrawn from aleppo to prepare a counteroffensive. a reminder of the recent history of aleppo — the city was the scene of one of the bloodiest sieges of syria's civil war, which first broke out in 2011. this week's offensive is the largest against the syrian government in years. our correspondent, barbara plett usher, is monitoring developments from neighbouring lebanon. a stunning victory for the rebels. even they overcome with its swiftness and success. just three days after launching a surprise offensive from their stronghold in north—west syria. this is the most serious challenge to president assad in years. they stormed back into the city after assad's army force them

out at the height of the war. translation: after hard worki and patience from the fighters, the city of aleppo has been completely liberated. thank god. and by god's will, we will reach damascus two. they are led by hayat tahrir al sham. it used to be linked to al-qaeda, but cut ties from the group years ago. they are listed as a terrorist organisation by the us and others. it controls most of the north—western province of idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold after more than a decade of civil war. that war began in 2011, triggered by popular protests against assad's rule. russia intervened in 2015, turning the tide against the advancing rebels. the battle for aleppo in 2016 was a crucial point. syrian and russian forces gained control after a gruelling siege. the war has mostly gone quiet since, with

occasional eruptions. the last major one in 2020 when syria and its russian allies attacked idlib. now again russian warplanes are bombing aleppo, back in government forces trying to drive the rebels out. the kremlin is assad's most important ally, but it's now also fighting a war in ukraine. iran and the lebanese hezbollah are also sending fighters to syria, but they have been weakened by israeli attacks in the region. that is one reason the rebels were able to advance quickly. there are fears now they may be reigniting the embers of the long—running civil war. barbara plett usher, bbc news, beirut. let's speak to our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab. when it comes to those russian air strikes, what kind of a difference have they made?

well, little difference, to be honest, monitoring the situation overnight after sending message is to president assad that the forces should take control of aleppo again they started bombing rebel areas in aleppo for the first time since there event is started. but throughout the day we had seen that the rebels have advanced and are taking large parts of the capital, of the city aleppo, and even the government forces announcing they had withdrawn and admitting that the rebels have taken control of aleppo. so this is really very interesting time to see how this operation is taking place when president assad is loyalists are also weakened in the region, especially his brother and iran. we are waiting to see the development what is going to happen next, are the rebels going to hold control over

aleppo or they will be some sort of negotiations taking place. all of this is going to be clarified in the days to come. the opposition fighters have announced a curfew starting at 5pm local until tomorrow on the service is also a time to regain control over the city and calculate their next step ahead.— the city and calculate their next step ahead. can you tell us a bit more _ next step ahead. can you tell us a bit more about - next step ahead. can you tell us a bit more about these - us a bit more about these rebels, this opposition grouping? rebels, this opposition growing?— rebels, this opposition a-arouin? ~ ., grouping? so, you know, the opposition — grouping? so, you know, the opposition have _ grouping? so, you know, the opposition have been - grouping? so, you know, the i opposition have been defeated big time by the government forces over the past decade of the revolution but there were groups of them that are stationed in aleppo, they are mainly islamist fighters of different groups backed by the turks, and they are also forming a coalition of what is called in the syrian national army. but most of it consists of the xds who broke up ties

with al-qaeda and they seem to be rebranding themselves and presenting themselves as a national army. these are the ones who took the control of this operation. there are words to say that it has been given a green light by turkey but if you look at how they operate their media campaign, how they are trying to preserve safety and reassure people that no one is going to be targeted within aleppo, you feel that there is a big preparation that has been ongoing behind this campaign before it starts, and ijust took advantage of the timing, where president assad's allies are busy somewhere else, that they have advanced to take over they have advanced to take over the city of aleppo.— the city of aleppo. thank you very much — the city of aleppo. thank you very much for— the city of aleppo. thank you very much for bringing - the city of aleppo. thank you very much for bringing us - the city of aleppo. thank you very much for bringing us up| the city of aleppo. thank you l very much for bringing us up to date there. reporting there from neighbouring lebanon. more on what is happening in aleppo in syria on our website.

here in the uk senior doctors providing end of life care are urging ministers to fix palliative services, after mps voted in favour of legalising assisted dying for terminally ill people in england and wales. the association for palliative medicine wants the government to set up a commission to examine how to improve the care its members provide to patients. it is warning about the impact of a lack of funding and poor co—ordination of services. the department of health has been asked for comment. here's our health correspondent, catherine burns. after 11.5 hours of debate, it came down to this. the ayes to the right, 330. the noes to the left, 275. the ayes have it, the ayes have it. | unlock! 0utside parliament, campaigners were waiting anxiously for news and then forsome, celebrations. but also a bittersweet moment, with others wishing this had come in time for their loved ones. my dad took his own life because he could no longer endure the pain that he was in.

um, you know, my whole family, the whole experience could have been different. we could have talked about it together. you know, we could have sat down and could have been calm. we could have been with my father at the end. and, i mean, ultimately, my sister wouldn't have had to have found him after he took his own life. this question has always been divisive, and some people are devastated. i think it has an impact on people who are vulnerable, who will very quickly go from having a right to die to having a duty to die. this bill would only be relevant to certain people. they'd have to be over 18, registered with a gp in england and wales and be expected to die within six months. they must have the mental capacity to decide and clearly express their wishes. it's also worth highlighting who wouldn't be impacted — anyone under 18, people who are in pain but not with a terminal diagnosis, or who are not mentally capable of deciding this.

this result might be historic, but it's not law yet and it might never get to that stage. the next step is a lot of scrutiny and dealing with unanswered questions, like how can doctors definitively say that someone only has six months left to live? how to protect vulnerable people who might feel pressurised into doing this. how much will it cost and how will it be funded? but really, at the heart of this is one key question — how can people have the best possible death? palliative care can help make people comfortable at the end of their lives. about 450,000 people across the uk need it every year. they don't all get it, though. about 100,000 have to go without. some argue the government should be prioritising this. we would encourage them i to start a conversation, um, about putting this right, - about making making palliative care something we can be really proud of. -

um, what concerns me is that now that this bill is passed, . there may be less impetus to do that _ and also, we know there i is a finite amount of money to be used for the nhs. but mps backing the bill think it's helping to focus attention on palliative care. of course, assisted dying is not a substitute for palliative care. it is not an either—or. we have some of the best palliative care in the world in this country and when it can meet the needs of terminally ill people, it is second to none. but surely when it cannot, the choice of an assisted death should be one component of a holistic approach to end—of—life care. this conversation is far from over. even if the bill does become law, it would take two or three years for an assisted death in england or wales. catherine burns, bbc news. reports from gaza say three staff members of the american—based food charity, world central kitchen, have been killed in a drone strike on the territory.

images from the southern city of khan younis show the wreckage of a vehicle with its roof blown open. the israeli army has confirmed targeting a car, saying it had killed an october 7th attacker. world central kitchen has not yet commented on the attack. seven members of its staff were killed in idf strikes on their convoy in gaza in april, in what the israeli military described as a "grave mistake". let's speak to our correspondent nick beake in jerusalem. what more can you tell us about the incident? as you say, there is this video and various photographs that have emerged of the aftermath of this drone strike. it was in the city of khan younis in the south of the gaza strip. we see quite clearly a white car that has been very badly damaged. there is a very distinctive hole in the roof, that is where

the missile came through. eyewitnesses had me telling the reuters news agency that this happened while a big crowd of people were getting ready to receive a flower. and there were reports on the palestinian media that three employees of this charity, world central kitchen, were among those who were killed. there is also a video that shows three bodies in white bags and next to them are various possessions which are various possessions which are burnt and damaged, and they show an id card, also a laptop and some clothing, all of which bear the name of the charity. now, the israeli military is saying that, yes, it did strike this particular vehicle, the reason for that is that they say they have been tracking it, they have been watching it and then decided to launch this drone attack on it because they say inside was someone who was involved in the october seven hamas attacks last year. we don't know what alleged role

they were supposed to have played but certainly the israeli say that yes they carried it out and this is the justification for put they are putting forward. we justification for put they are putting forward.— justification for put they are putting forward. we are yet to hear from _ putting forward. we are yet to hear from world _ putting forward. we are yet to hear from world central- putting forward. we are yet to i hear from world central kitchen but this is not the first time that i can second on their workers. that i can second on their workers-_ that i can second on their workers. ., ., ., , workers. you are right, it was back in april _ workers. you are right, it was back in april when _ workers. you are right, it was back in april when a - workers. you are right, it was back in april when a convoy i workers. you are right, it wasj back in april when a convoy of three cars was targeted, seven people were killed in that particular drone strike, three of them are british security staff, former military, who were helping to look after other members of the charity as they distributed food around they distributed food around the gaza strip. after that, the israel defense forces said that what had happened it really was in breach of what they would expect, they say there were grave errors and subsequently to pretty senior commanders were fired as a result of that but certainly i think people will be looking again at exactly what has happened this morning in gaza.— morning in gaza. nick, 'ust in terms «i morning in gaza. nick, 'ust in terms of looking * morning in gaza. nick, 'ust in terms of looking at _ morning in gaza. nick, 'ust in terms of looking at theh terms of looking at the situation with lebanon, what is

the situation there, in terms of the violence that we have been seeing up until that ceasefire had been negotiated? has it die down?— has it die down? certainly israeli operations - has it die down? certainly israeli operations have - israeli operations have continued overnight. we have seen 32 people killed, according to palestinian medics. they say that is the latest figure. meanwhile, a delegation of hamas officials have been travelling to egypt, they have been in the capital cairo and the hope there is that they can try and reignite peace talks. of course, there was the ceasefire agreement between israel and hezbollah that was signed this week. there was of course some hope that that might lead to some pause or stopping of the fighting between israel and hamas. 0f fighting between israel and hamas. of course, that is a much more difficult situation to try and resolve. but america has said that it would redouble its efforts in light of what was achieved with hezbollah and israel. we have to wait and see whether anything concrete comes

out of these talks that are supposed to be taking place in cairo today and whether they need to the wider talks being reignited and some sort of progress being made there. . as progress being made there. , as alwa s, progress being made there. , as always. many — progress being made there. , as always, many thanks _ progress being made there. , as always, many thanks for bringing us up to date. nick beakejoining us live bringing us up to date. nick beake joining us live from jerusalem, thank you. the authorities in nigeria say 27 bodies have been recovered from the scene of a boat accident in central kogi state. at least 2a survivors have been rescued and are receiving treatment at various hospitals. more than 100 people are still missing. it is the third such accident in nigeria in the last two months. now it's time for a look at today's sport with tulsen tollett. hello from the bbc sport centre. the premier league action continues over the coming hours, with arsenal away at west ham. raheem sterling hasn't played much football since joining the gunners, but mikel arteta says you can expect that to change.

i would like to see him more, to be fair, and this is down to me. he is trying his best. his application, his commitment around the team, has been exceptional. now it is time for me to give him more minutes. four other games in the premier league alongside that one. incoming leicester manager ruud van nistelrooy will be in the stands as he watches his new side, away at brentford. crystal palace take on newcastle. nottingham forest are up against ipswich and gary 0'neil�*s wolves face his former club bournemouth. south africa have thumped sri lanka by 233 runs to win the first test in durban. having been set 516 to win — player of the match marco jansen who took 7 wickets in the first innings for the proteas managed 4 more in sri lanka's second innings. the tourists were dismissed for 282 after a lowest ever 42 in test cricket in the first innings with the second test getting under way on thursday. england's cricketers are on the verge of inflicting a rare defeat on new zealand

in christchurch, after the third day of the first test. the tourists had built a first—innings lead of 151 and then threatened to embarrass the new zealand batters, by reducing them to 64—3 before kane williamson launched a rescue act. but a crucial 2 wickets in 3 balls, for chris woakes, broke the resistance, and it means the hosts are just 4 runs ahead, with only 4 wickets left. therefore england should be chasing a target within their reach when they take to the crease in their second innings. that partnership tomorrow morning... if they can get into their work early, i think especially now that the ball has gone a little bit softer, i think it showed that the new ball is really dangerous. and once it does flatten out you can put things under pressure. hopefully we can build on that lead and give us something to bowl for the last day. australia's lucas herbert surrendered his outright lead of the australian open and will go into the final round tied with american ryggs johnstonjohnston shot a li—under 68 on saturday to pull level with herbert,

who could only manage an eve—par 72, to share the lead at 1a—under at kingston heath, which is hosting the final two rounds after rotating with the victoria golf club for the opening two rounds. in the women's event, south korean veteran shinji—yai is two shots clear of australian world number six hannah green. south african two—time defending champion ashleigh buhai is two strokes further back. in nfl news the kansas city chiefs secured a play off spot in the afc thanks to a 19—17 victory over the las vegas raiders. patrick mahomes became the franchises career leader in touchdown passes as he helped the reigning super bowl champions to a slender win while the raiders continued their losing streak which now runs to eight. for mahomes he knows his team can improve. we just hold ourselves to such a high standard, we don't feel like we're our best football altogether and it seems like everyday, defence is good, vice

versa, we have to find a way to build up and play great as a full entire team, find ways to get wins, that is what we are going for. but our goal is to get to the super bowl so we will continue to get better and better so we are we will be playing our best football by the end of the year. if mclaren pick up a 1—2 in the formula one sprint race which is under way in qatar and get maximum points over the weekend then they would win the constructors' championship. mclaren are 2a points clear of ferrari as the battle continues and all the latest of course on the bbc sport website. i'll be back with more a little bit later. vote counting in ireland's general election has begun, after an exit poll put the three main parties virtually neck and neck. a final result isn't expected until the end of the weekend.

0ur ireland correspondent chris page reports. the political future of ireland is looking uncertain at the start of a long weekend of accounts and calculations. the first preference votes are being checked, tallied, and recorded. the exit poll last night suggested that sinn fein would be ahead by a very slim margin. it appears that despite many having written the obituary for sinn fein over the past couple of months that we may emerge from these elections as the largest political party, which i think will be a phenomenal result. if the results of the exit poll are reflected in the actual counting of the votes, sinn fein will be in with a chance of winning the most seats in the irish parliament for the first time. but it still won't have an obvious pathway to lead the next government. the sinn fein leader mary lou mcdonald would aim to put together a coalition with other left—wing parties. but they might not have enough numbers to get an overall majority.

the current prime minister, known as the taoiseach, is simon harris of fine gael. he has ruled out sharing power with sinn fein. so has his main partner in the last government, the fianna fail leader micheal martin. the centre—right parties are hopeful they will return to office together. in terms of the regional analysis and i suppose the early indications are that we are competing well, and i think we are well disposed in many constituencies and certainly in the mix, which is an early positive sign at this point. the number of independent candidates who are elected could also be pivotal. for politicians and voters, the outlook for this country is unpredictable. chris page, bbc news, dublin. a memorial service for the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, has been taking place in edinburgh. around 400 people attended the invitation—only event at st giles' cathedral. alex salmond died last

month in north macedonia at the age of 69. there have been a few speakers at the memorial, including alex salmond's niece. alexander elliot anderson salmond. to the world he was a political giant, a strong leader, a fearless campaigner. to us, he was a dearly loved husband, brother, and uncle. the actress cate blanchett has told the bbc she is "deeply concerned" about the impact of artificial intelligence in the film industry. she is due to star in a new film called rumours — an apocalyptic comedy about a group of world leaders trapped in a forest. speaking to laura kuenssberg, she said the issues facing wider society were even greater. it's a very public facing industry that we're in.

and i think the discussions around ai were not mainstreamed until the writers' strike really brought it into public discourse. so i think it's — i think it's very real. i mean, you can now completely — the voice will happen first and the image comes second. you can totally replace any...if anyone, any person forget whether they're an actor or not. if you've recorded yourself for — i think it used to be 30 seconds, but now i think its three or four. um, you can be — your voice can be replicated. and are you concerned about that? deeply concerned. and i'm... yeah, of course. and it's absolutely pointless. you see these tesla robots and you think — our film looks like a, you know, a kind of a...a sweet little documentary compared to what's going on in the world. and you think — there are some things that you think, well, that will benefit humanity. and i'm looking at those robots going, and driverless cars, and there'sjust certain things, ithink, and i'm not a curmudgeon.

i'm a very curious human being. and i just look at these things and think, i don't really know what that's bringing anybody. sometimes there's this experimentation for its own sake — which is creativity to one... when you look at it in one way, but then it's also incredibly destructive, which of course is the other side of creativity. and do you think that there is...can you, you know, can you see a day where actors actually could be replaced by ai creations? is that something that worries you? i'm less concerned with myjob prospects, than i am concerned about the impact it's going to have on the average person, on old age pensioners, on, you know, people who are already working three jobs to try and be below the poverty line. you know, that's my concern. i'm worried about us as a species. it's a much bigger problem! cate blanchett, there. and for viewers in the uk — you can see the full

he interview on �*sunday with laura kuenssberg' on bbc one at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, plus — of course — on the bbc iplayer. i will be back at the top of the hour, and i can promise it is a real me, not ai. much more on our website. for the time being, thanks for watching bbc news. hello there. we'll be seeing a big change happen weather—wise over the last 2a hours or so. the mild air is back, along with plenty of cloud. a lot of moisture around. bit of a damp, misty feel to things. this continues through the weekend. plenty of dry weather, but some outbreaks of rain at times. mostly tomorrow. for today — well, saint andrew's day, some of the best of the sunshine is across northeastern areas of scotland, and generally to the north and the east of high ground. weather fronts waiting out in the wings.

a brisk southerly wind picking up through the day, and it's that that's scooping up the milder air. so temperatures are above the seasonal average. for the rest of this afternoon, then, still some breaks in the cloud across parts of aberdeenshire, down through the east of the pennines, for northeastern areas of wales and to the east of the high ground in northern ireland, as well. the wind picking up through the day, but a mist on some of our western hills, a few spots of drizzle, but temperatures generally between 12 and 15 or 16 celsius, and we'll keep the strength of that southerly southwesterly wind as we head through tonight. there will be some outbreaks of rain moving from northern ireland into western scotland, down through wales and central southern england as we head into tomorrow morning. a few clearer spells following on behind, but it is a mild night across the board, and, for many of us, temperatures will stay in double figures. let's take a brief look at sunday, then. so still this weather front pushing further eastwards, bringing outbreaks of rain, some heavier showers, but also some brighter conditions towards western areas across northern ireland, western scotland, down through wales, central southern england, the south west by the time we get to the afternoon —

but watch out for a rash of showers here too. across east anglia it's rather cloudy for much of the day, with further showers as we go through the afternoon, perhaps, but it does stay mild — temperatures again at 12 to 1a or 15 degrees. but that is about to change, because on sunday night into monday we draw down a northerly wind with some cold arctic air, so there will be a drop in temperature. and then, as this front gradually pushes southwards on monday, just across parts of the pennines and certainly the scottish hills, there is the risk of some transient snow, perhaps. temperatures starting to dip, particularly towards northern areas, as we head through monday. we'll keep the double figures in the south, but generally turning cooler into the start of next week. it will be quite unsettled at times, then it turns milder by thursday and friday. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: russian and syrian jets have bombed islamist rebels, after they seized most of syria's second city aleppo. it comes after the insurgents continued their surprise four—day offensive. syria's military has acknowledged dozens of casualties among its forces. it's being reported that three workers from world central kitchen have been killed in an israeli drone strike in gaza. the israeli army confirmed they had targeted a car

in khan younis and said they had killed an october 7th attacker. palliative care campaigners in the uk have called on ministers to improve funding for end of life care, after a vote in the commons in favour of legalising assisted dying in england and wales. counting is under way in ireland's general election, with an exit poll suggesting a tight race between the three main parties. the cost of living, the housing crisis, and immigration are reported to have been among issues weighing on voters. now on bbc news, the media show. 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.