syrian rebels celebrate after seizing aleppo with reports they're now sweeping south towards hama — another major city in syria. save the children says one of its staff members was killed in an air strike its staff members was killed in an airstrike in its staff members was killed in an air strike in gaza on saturday. counting is under way in ireland's general election. the leaders of the three main political parties have all been re—elected. and cate blancett talks to the bbc about her "deep concerns" on the use of ai and its role in the film industry. hello, i'm karin giannone. there have been clashes outside the georgian parliament — where for a third consecutive night, anti— government protests have been

taking place. demonstrators have been rallying in the city centre after the announcement that george would be suspending talks on its bid tojoin the european union forfour years. european union for four years. there european union forfour years. there have been clashes with police, riot police, with water cannon and tear gas. protesters have been throwing bottles and fireworks and there has been a large amount of unrestjust in the last half hour or it is after 2am local time. our correspondent, rayhan demytrie has more from tbilisi. backin back in october, when georgia held its parliamentary elections, there are a number of reports of widespread violations. there is a lot of evidence of manipulation that took place which resulted in

the figures, over 50%, towards the figures, over 50%, towards the governing georgian dream party opposition, and there was a big discrepancy between exit polls which predicted victory for opposition parties and the reality of what happened. the opposition parties quickly rejected the results and they called for an investigation into widespread allegations of vote rigging, vote buying, voter intimidation, and many otherfacts which voter intimidation, and many other facts which they said took place. the georgian dream government refused to do so and the latest was a resolution from the european parliament, also describing the october elections is being rigged and calling for an investigation and new elections. and this remains one of the main demands out in the streets here in

tbilisi and the rest of the country. the georgian president, salome zurabishvili, said she would retain her position and support the georgian people in the ongoing protest after they suspended accession talks. she has been talking to our correspondent steve rosenberg. your mandate ends, or is due to end at the end of december. but you said today, i remain your president. what do you mean by that? , ., ., ., , president. what do you mean by that? , ., ., ., that? first of all it was not due to end _ that? first of all it was not due to end by _ that? first of all it was not due to end by the - that? first of all it was not due to end by the end - that? first of all it was not due to end by the end of i due to end by the end of december. it was due to end according to our constitution upon the date when the new elected president is inaugurated. the situation is following the elections were rigged, they were not free and fair. in other words they did not happen. the parliament that

was the result of these elections is not legitimate. the opposition parties have not entered the parliament and whatever the parliament does, thatis whatever the parliament does, that is elect a government or president, is not legitimate either. so i am president because i have been elected by the people and i am president until the time when a president is inaugurated that is legitimately projected by a legitimately projected by a legitimately elected parliament. white maxi you are staying on as president? i am staying on as president? i am staying on as president. this country needs stability. everything is falling apart. this state, under the ruling of georgian dream, has lost all its institutions. there is not a single independent institution left in the country except for the presidency. all

the other institutions are completely dominated by one party rule and one man rule. so thatis party rule and one man rule. so that is not a state. that is already something different. and what we are seeing today is really the civil society taking over because the state is falling apart and civil society is very vibrant, and not only on the streets with the protests that are ongoing, and developing since the non—legitimate prime minister has decided to call a suspension, but we all know what it means, of the european pass, so people are out on the streets and will be out on the streets. there are more every day that come out. but more important, and much more unusual in a country like that, we are seeing now people

resigning from the civil service in the different ministries, in the different institutions. the central bank, for instance, where 170 people have left, for instance, where170 people have left, protesting. ministries. all the cities had spontaneous demonstrations which is new in georgia. it was always tbilisi was the centre of any protest. political parties have not entered parliament and will not enter the parliament. we are in this deep, deep crisis of the state and we need more than anything stability, so i consider that i am offering this stability for the transition. because what these people on the streets are argumentative in, and what these people on the streets are argument income is a call for elections to restore this country.

elections to restore this country-— elections to restore this count .~ . , ., ., elections to restore this count .~ . ., , ., country. what if georgian dream i . nores country. what if georgian dream ignores you? _ country. what if georgian dream ignores you? what _ country. what if georgian dream ignores you? what if _ country. what if georgian dream ignores you? what if we - country. what if georgian dream ignores you? what if we ignore i ignores you? what if we ignore them because _ ignores you? what if we ignore them because what _ ignores you? what if we ignore them because what can - ignores you? what if we ignore them because what can you - them because what can you ignore them? sure. i think that is what these people are doing on the streets despite violent actions and use of force against them. if you have walked on the streets you have seen the demonstration of force. but that is not really changing in anything their determination. and more important even as this emergence of a civil society that says its word, that was never the case. it was always here on the streets that things were decided and that is much more important when you don't have a diplomatic corps to obey your instructions. and the business today also has come out with public statements of protest and declarations to

keep the european orientation of this country. this is even more surprising different members of the georgian church now have stated their voice for supporting the european future of georgia. imilli supporting the european future of georgia-— of georgia. will you be staying in the presidential _ of georgia. will you be staying in the presidential palace? - in the presidential palace? will you be barricading yourself in there?- will you be barricading yourself in there? no, i don't like these — yourself in there? no, i don't like these forms _ yourself in there? no, i don't like these forms of _ like these forms of demonstrating. what is important and what i have announced is that i will be staying and with national form of council which will help me and civil society to have this political part of the protest because i am not leading the protest on the street, which is very spontaneous. we need stability and we need to

prepare elections. very important in that regard is the resolution of the european parliament that is also calling for new elections. we will be the decision of the european council in december and the technical mission that they are sending to georgia that will be the one to help us review the conditions of the next election so that we have free and fair elections finally. so it has to be a transition, a transition as short as possible, to go to the next election, and as stable as possible.- the next election, and as stable as possible. fear for our stable as possible. fear for your safety? _ stable as possible. fear for your safety? do _ stable as possible. fear for your safety? do you - stable as possible. fear for your safety? do you do - stable as possible. fear for your safety? do you do you think you could be arrested? i think you could be arrested? i think i am defended by the people that are on the streets so i don't think so. i think the ruling party is very isolated and will be more and more so. what is important for us, i hope they will come to

terms with that, that we move towards a stable transition to new elections that will not put them out of power completely. they will remain in as much as free and fair elections we will give them seats in the parliament. that is georgia's president salome zurabishvili talking to steve rosenberg. syria's president assad has vowed to defeat the rebels who've taken over aleppo — however big their attacks. he said that after the biggest offensive by islamist rebels in years has taken government forces by surprise. it's eight years since the rebels were forced out of aleppo at the height of the civil war. rebel fighters, who control much of the northern city of aleppo, are now reported to be sweeping south towards another major population centre: hama. it lies south of idlib province which is now fully in rebel hands. this was the scene today in aleppo, where there are reports of queues of cars clogging the roads out of the city as some civilians flee.

this video — apparently filmed from a vehicle — shows armed men at aleppo's airport, though it has not been independently verified by the bbc. rebels have also been celebrating outside the city's ancient citadel. they're said to have met little resistance, though the syrian military says dozens of its soldiers have been killed or injured. the army says its troops have temporarily withdrawn from aleppo "to prepare a counteroffensive". warplanes belonging to russia — an ally of syria's president bashar al—assad — bombed rebel positions in the city centre. 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. 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. 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. translation: after hard workj 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. hts is 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�*s 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 has made a tactical retreat to prepare a counteroffensive. the kremlin is assad's most important ally, but it is 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 so quickly. reviving a simmering conflict at a time when the middle east is in turmoil.

as we heard from barbara there, the events in syria can be directly linked with israel's attacks on hezbollah in lebanon. the iran—backed militia group has had a strong presence in syria — notably aleppo — since the civil war there, backing president bashar al—assad's regime. but with its focus on the war with israel, hezbollah has weakened inside syria and the rebels have taken advantage of this. here's bbc arabic�*s mahmoud ali hamad. you can hardly look at what is happening in aleppo without linking it with what has happened in lebanon. you can argue that the priority for hezbollah was what is happening back home in lebanon so, aleppo for them was just not something they would like now to engage in. so they have pulled out from the city. there is a common belief among syrians in general that the syrian regime on its own without iranian or russian help can't really keep control of the city,

and this has transpired in the last 48 hours. israel's former defence minister, moshe ya'alon, has said his country is carrying out ethnic cleansing against arabs in northern gaza. mr ya'alon said benjamin netanyahu's far—right backed government was leading israel towards destruction. mr ya'alon — a right wing politician — is a noted critic of prime minister netanyahu. israel — which has forced hundreds of thousands of palestinians from northern gaza while pummelling the area with strikes — denies ethnic cleansing. this comes as there are reports of an israeli aistrike on a multistorey house in the north of gaza, killing and injuring dozens of people. and earlier, the humanitarian organisation world central kitchen said it's pausing its operations in gaza after a deadly israeli air strike hit a vehicle carrying its staff.

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 seventh 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". and in the last hour, international aid agency save the children said a staff member was killed in an israeli air strike on gaza's khan younis on saturday. in a post on the social media sitew x: the organisation wrote: save the children is devastated and outraged at the killing of staff member ahmad faisal isleem al-qadi, 39, in an israeli airstrike in #gaza. our second colleague killed in gaza. we condemn this attack in the strongest terms and demand an investigation.

for more on world central kitchen here is nick beake. they said they are they said they are shocked and heartbroken with what happened. the reports from khan younis are that three of their workers were killed earlier today. certainly there has been a lot of footage that has emerged. there are grieving relatives. some families coming to the mortuary 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. as you are saying the idf has said that it did carry out this drone strike, that it targeted a specific car, that it had been monitoring it, it had been watching it, and then the drone was called into action. and the reason they say that is because one of the men inside, the israelis claim, took part in

the hamas attacks on october the hamas attacks on october the 7th and they say that is why they carried it out. they named the kibbutz in which he was alleged to have acted. the israelis haven't put forward evidence for this claim but thatis evidence for this claim but that is what they are saying. on another story related to gaza there has been another hostage video released by hamas. what can you tell us about what is in that? that's right, this was released in the last hour or so, just looking at the some of the details of it now. it relates to a 20—year—old. he is an american israeli hostage. he was taken after the hamas attacks 1a months ago. and within this video he is extremely distressed. the way it's been edited it has been dispersed with e