and i'm live in zagreb. russia has launched air strikes on parts of aleppo — syria's second largest city. it comes as rebel forces have taken control of the "majority" of aleppo after launching the largest offensive against the government in years, earlier this week. let's show you these pictures of rebel soldiers patrolling the streets, and there are reports of queues of cars clogging the roads out of aleppo as civilians flee. they're also said to have seized control of aleppo airport. this video apparently filmed from a vehicle and posted on social media, shows armed men at the airport, but it has not been independently verified

by the bbc. the rebels have also been celebrating outside the city's ancient citadel. they're said to have met little resistance, though the army says dozens of its soldiers have been killed or injured. warplanes belonging to russia — an ally of syria's president bashar al—assad — bombed rebel positions in the city centre in the early hours. a monitor of the conflict — the syrian observatory for human rights — says 16 civilians were killed in a strike which hit a roundabout. the rebels�* offensive has made rapid progress since it began on wednesday, capturing numerous towns and villages in hama and idlib provinces. the syrian military says troops have been temporarily withdrawn from aleppo "to prepare a counteroffensive".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 northwest syria. this is the most serious challenge to president assad in years. a carefully planned attack, they stormed back into aleppo for the first time since assad's army forced them out at the height of the war. this time meeting almost no resistance. alhamdulillah. translation: after hard work and patience from the fighters, the city of aleppo has been completely liberated. thank god, and by god's will, we will reach horns and damascus too. this is a joint force of rebel groups led by the islamist hayat tahrir al—sham, or hts. it used to be linked

to al qaeda but cut ties from the group years ago. bts is listed as a terrorist organisation by the us and others. it controls most of the northwestern 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. the syrian army says it's made a tactical retreat to prepare a counteroffensive. 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've been weakened by israeli

attacks in the region. that's one reason the rebels were able to advance so quickly, reviving a simmering conflict at a time when the middle east is in turmoil. barbara plett usher, bbc news, beirut. demonstrators are back on the streets for a third day in georgia, in protest against the ruling party's decision to put the european union accession process on hold. they're rallying in front of the country's parliament building in tbilisi, some waving eu and georgian flags. more than 100 demonstrators were arrested on friday night in georgia as protesters clashed with police, who used water cannon and tear gas to try to disperse disperse the crowds. the country's pro—western president has promised to stay in her post, amid an escalating confrontation with the ruling

georgian dream party. salome zourabichvili's mandate is due to end in two weeks�* time. but she's called the current parliament �*illegitimate�*. the protests were sparked by the georgian dream party's decision to put off accession talks with the european union until 2028. in the last four years alone we have seen two attempts to stage and today the oppositions... in georgia there will be no ukraine. steve rosenberg is in georgia, and reports from the capital tbilisi. and just a warning, that steve's report contains pictures that some viewers may find disturbing. they're determined to be heard. this happens every day now in tbilisi. protesters attacking the protective wall outside parliament.

people are angry that the government has suspended georgia's bid tojoin the european union. and they believe that russia is pulling the strings. we want europe. we don't want russia. that's what our path is okay. and you think your government is taking georgia towards russia 7 of course. the nation of georgia wants to be in the european union. it's unacceptable for us to stop the discussion of usjoining the eu. earlier this week, violent scenes, fireworks thrown at police, the security forces deploying water cannon and tear gas. he told me he'd been hit so hard he'd blacked out. i think our citizens are now being forced to think. do they want to live in a country where peaceful protest

is being punished, and where journalists are being attacked from behind when they're speaking about what's really going on? if we want to live in a country like this, so be it. many of the protesters i've spoken to have told me that they won't give up. they intend to keep coming onto the streets until georgia's european future is secure. but from the authorities, no hint of a u—turn. no sign of an olive branch. instead, its crackdown over compromise. georgia's government accused european politicians and local agents of organising violent protest. but people here say they're fighting for georgia's future. steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. the humanitarian organisation world central kitchen says it is pausing its operations in gaza after a vehicle carrying its colleagues was hit by an israeli air strike. images from the southern city of khan younis show the wreckage of a vehicle

with its roof blown open. three people are reported to have been killed. the israeli army has confirmed it was targeting a car, saying it was carrying a person involved in the october 7th attacks. world central kitchen says it has no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the hamas attacks. 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 injerusalem. world central kitchen have released a statement, what more have they said?— have they said? they have said the are have they said? they have said they are shocked _ have they said? they have said they are shocked and _ they are shocked and heartbroken by what has happened. they haven't confirmed how many of their staff were killed today. the reports from khan younis in the south of the gaza strip, were that three of their workers were killed earlier today. certainly there's been a lot of footage that has been emerge of

grieving relatives and some families coming to the mortuary to see their loved ones in body bags. 0ne to see their loved ones in body bags. one of those body bags had a t—shirt with the name of the charity emblazoned on it. the idf as you said said they did carry out this drone strike, and it did target a specific car that had been monitoring and and they say one of the men inside took part in the hamas attacks on october the hamas attacks on october the 7th. they named the kibbutz that he was alleged to have acted. the idf haven't put forward any evidence for this... ., ., , ., , this... on another story released _ this... on another story released there - this... on another story released there has - this... on another story| released there has been this... on another story - released there has been another hostage video... yes released there has been another hostage video. . ._ hostage video... yes this has

been released _ hostage video... yes this has been released in _ hostage video... yes this has been released in the - hostage video... yes this has been released in the last - hostage video... yes this has | been released in the last hour or so. been released in the last hour orso. it been released in the last hour or so. it relates to a 20—year—old, who is an american israeli hostage, he was taken after the hamas attacks 1a months ago. in this video he is extremely distressed. the way it is edited it is interspersed with episodes of him being extremely upset. he appeals to the prime minister benjamin netanyahu to ensure his release. in english he directly addresses president elect trump saying that he needs to bring about some sort of deal to ensure the hostages are released. a group representing the hostages families say they are shocked by this and that as it stands the lives of their loved ones are hanging by a thread and they are urging the israeli government once again to do all they can to secure the release of their loved

ones. at least 10,000 people have been protesting in london calling for a ceasefire in gaza. this is the first major weekend demonstration in london since a truce in lebanon between hezbollah and israel came into force. 0ur reporter louisa pilbeam is at the rally. we have reached the end point of the march here in whitehall, and that is relevant because the around 10,000 people that we have estimated, and that's just by our calculations that have come down here today, have a message for the british government today. they want the support for israel to cease to end. and they have been chanting today, stop the bombing now. now, people have been saying, stop arming israel and we won't be silenced. now, the organisers have told me that this is their 22nd of these protests and saying that there are around 10,000 people here. i actually attended one of the marches back in february of this year, and there

were a similar number of people who attended then. so it shows that the support has been kept up for this now. i also spoke to people here today and the organisers about the ceasefire deal that has been secured in the week with lebanon, and they said that while they are happy that that has been done for lebanon, they fear that that firepower from israel will now be focussed on gaza and there will be a sense of refuelling and restocking arms. now, as i said, there are a lot of people down here today, but it has been well organised from what we have seen and it has been peaceful. some mps who backed the assisted dying bill say they want to see changes before they would give it final approval. the proposal would grant terminally ill adults in england and wales the right to end their life with the help of a doctor. some mps who voted in favour of the bill yesterday say they want it to go

through further scrutiny before it becomes law. the first results have been declared in ireland's general election, amid a tight race to be the largest party. sinn fein has said it's hopeful of winning the most seats in the parliament in dublin for the first time. but the parties which led the outgoing coalition government say they're both performing well in the early tallies. a final result isn't expected until the end of the weekend. let's speak to our chief presenter caitriona perry, who's in dublin for us. how is the account going? seats have now been sailed out of the hundred and 7a... as third seat is automatically field. two seats have gone to the fine gael party. both

getting over the quota and winning those seats just in the last hour or so. the big story of this election so far based on the tallies and the first preference votes that are starting to come in, is that performance of sinn fein tied with fianna fail and fine gael. we are not sure who is going to emerge as the top party. the other story is the we are told, collapse of the green party. it looks like they may get at best, to seats —— two seats. it is still really early days. candidates are rated in order of preference which means that

counting take some time to do. it will be the end of tomorrow, possibly monday morning before we get a full sets of results. and then the business of government begins. the taoiseach arrived and she is very excited about the performance of a party. she is looking to form a government with the smaller parties and we are hearing the same from fianna fail and fine gael. thank you very much for the update. a third night of protests in tbilisi... let's talk to our correspond it how is it looking

tonight? correspond it how is it looking toni . ht? . correspond it how is it looking toniaht? . , correspond it how is it looking toniht? ., . ., correspond it how is it looking toniaht? ., tonight? large crowds are back on the streets _ tonight? large crowds are back on the streets of _ tonight? large crowds are back on the streets of tbilisi - tonight? large crowds are back on the streets of tbilisi and - on the streets of tbilisi and many other cities across georgia. protests have spread to other towns. here in the capital to pc which has been the focal —— to pc which has been the focal point for mass demonstrations. the riot police have also been deployed in large numbers. these special equipment such as water cannons... in the past hour or so, there have been more protests outside georgian public broadcaster building, with the protesters demanding airtime. claiming that the georgian public woodcutter is not doing what it is supposed to do and is spreading lies.

that airtime was granted and some of the protested were speaking live on air saying they wanted to deliver the news of what is truly happening in the capital to the regions. the latest development is the statement from the president who said that she will not be leaving her office as she said the current parliament is illegitimate and cannot nominate a new president. the current president salome zourabichvili wants to see this country turned back on its path to european integration.-

to european integration. there is a president _ to european integration. there is a president who _ to european integration. there is a president who is _ to european integration. there is a president who is pro-eu i is a president who is pro—eu and pro—western, the governing georgian dream party which wants to draw the country closer to russia... remind us what happens in the elections backin what happens in the elections back in october that has led to claims that the governing party is not constitutional? back claims that the governing party is not constitutional?— is not constitutional? back in october when _ is not constitutional? back in october when georgia - is not constitutional? back in october when georgia held l is not constitutional? back in| october when georgia held its parliamentary elections, there are a number of reports of white widespread violations. there are a lot of reports of manipulation that took place which resulted in the figures of over 50% towards the governing georgian dream party. the opposition... and there was a big discrepancy between the exit polls and the victory for opposition parties and the reality of what happened. the

opposition parties quickly rejected the results and called for an investigation into widespread allegations of vote rigging, vote buying, voter intimidation, many otherfacts intimidation, many other facts which intimidation, many otherfacts which they said took place. the georgian dream government refused to do so and the latest resolution from the european parliament also describing the october elections as being 0ctober elections as being rigged and calling for an investigation and new elections. and this remains one of the main demands out in the streets here into pc and in the rest of the country. 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. there are some things though you think, well that will benefit reality, and i'm looking at those robots and thinking and... and driverless cars not mac i'm not a curmudgeon, and are very curious thing, ijust look curmudgeon, and are very curious thing, i just look at these things and think i don't really know what that's bringing anybody. sometimes this is a experimentation for its own sake. which is creativity when you look at it in one way, but then it is creativity when you look at it one way, but then it's also just destructive which is a course is the other side of creativity. course is the other side of creativity-— course is the other side of creativi . ., , ., creativity. can you see a day where actors _ creativity. can you see a day where actors could - creativity. can you see a day where actors could be - creativity. can you see a day i where actors could be replaced by ai creations, is that the thing that worries you? i’m thing that worries you? i'm less concerned _ thing that worries you? i'm less concerned with - thing that worries you? i“n 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 people

who are already working three jobs to try and be below the poverty line. that's my concern. i'm worried about isis species. it's a much bigger problem. cate blanchett there. and if you're in the uk you can see the full interview on �*sunday with laura kuenssberg' on bbc one at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, plus — of course — on the bbc iplayer. christmas has officially kicked off in croatia, with zagreb's main christmas market opening today. the city has been voted europe's best christmas market destination for three years in a row, but now, it's decided to with withdraw from the annual competition. guy de launey is at one of the markets in zagreb. just watching and listening to where you are. it sounds so magical. tell us more about what you see there. we magical. tell us more about what you see there.- magical. tell us more about what you see there. we had a beautiful performance - what you see there. we had a beautiful performance here i what you see there. we had a beautiful performance here of the nutcracker on ice. given a little zagreb twist with some

of the local characters from local legend here in zagreb for performing as well. that was done by professionals as well as one of the skating clubs here. a big crowd of people watching him. now everyone is waiting for their go on the ice, i have bought my skates. i know you wanted to see me gliding around on the ice, but perhaps that is not going to happen this time, sorry to disappoint. happen this time, sorry to disappoint-— happen this time, sorry to disappoint. happen this time, sorry to disa oint. ~ ., �* , disappoint. we wouldn't put you under that _ disappoint. we wouldn't put you under that much _ disappoint. we wouldn't put you under that much pressure - disappoint. we wouldn't put you under that much pressure on - under that much pressure on live tv. how important is the selection of christmas market there in zagreb for croatian�*s tourist industry. it’s there in zagreb for croatian's tourist industry.— tourist industry. it's a huge art of tourist industry. it's a huge part of the _ tourist industry. it's a huge part of the economy, - tourist industry. it's a huge part of the economy, the i part of the economy, the tourist industry, producing around 5% of the country gdp. but they're painfully aware that that comes injuly but they're painfully aware that that comes in july and august. people do that that comes injuly and august. people do think of croatia as a summer

destination. zagreb is one way destination. z