the syrian army says dozens of its soldiers have been killed by islamist rebels who've captured swathes of territory in the north in a surprise offensive. they're now holding the city of aleppo. the army says it's preparing a counter—attack. thank you for watching. let's get more on sir keir starmer setting out his "plan for change", explaining how the government intends to deliver on the promises labour made ahead of the election. in a speech later this week, the prime minister will announce a number of "milestones" to be achieved before the end of this parliament — which he says will drive "real improvements in the lives of working people." cabinet office minister pat mcfadden has been speaking to the bbc about these plans — which include tackling migration. let's take a listen to some of what he said. targets for net migration

haven't worked very well in the country. numerical ones. you're not going to have one. you might remember david cameron's target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands. what's happened is it's gone up an awful lot in recent years. we do want to bring it down, but the exact number that you need will always ebb and flow depending on the needs of the economy. so you're not going to have a target. we're not going to have a numerical target for net migration, but we are going to make sure that we do more to train our own workforce and do more to get long—term sick people off benefits and into work. we announced some plans on that this week. it's really important because there's been a growing number of people of working age on long—term sickness benefits, again — bad for them and bad for the economy. keir starmer called those figures that we had on thursday — shocking — the 906,000 people who came to the uk up tojune 2023.

are you saying that by getting long term unemployed back to work, by training more british workers that will just automatically bring net migration down? well, if you can train more of your own people and get more of your long term sick people into work, then there's less of a need for reliance on migration abroad. but we're doing other things as well. it's interesting that this isn't one of your missions, is it? when you look at polling, actually, immigration is the second most important issue facing the country. but it will be in the document this week. but it's not a mission. what i'm saying is we're not going to attach a numerical target. i know. the exact need will ebb and flow over, the exact need will ebb and flow over the economic needs, but we are doing more things on this. for example, returns, 9000 this year much more than... that's illegal migration. and people are concerned about illegal as well as legal migration. so we are doing more on this. but a simple numerical target of in any given year, migration has to be that number.

that hasn't worked well in the past. understood. but we do want to bring net migration down. on thursday, keir starmer accused the conservatives of experimenting with open borders. we don't have open borders, do we? why did he say that? well, he said that because if you look back to the brexit vote some years ago, people in my constituency and many other parts of the country voted for brexit. maybe not entirely, but in large part because they wanted to see a fall in net migration. since then, it's more than tripled. yeah, but we don't have open borders. well, we have a policy which, uh, when free movement ended, has resulted in more than a tripling of net migration. but we don't have open borders. why did he say that? because the results seem a lot more open than the era of free movement. 200 people have died in the channel in the last six years — 50 this year. that would suggest we don't have open borders. well, that's, as you pointed out to me a minute ago, illegal migration.

the figures he was talking about on thursday were the legal migration. so we're talking about two different things there. the sunday times reports that ministers are preparing to do a deal with brussels that will allow more eu students to come to britain. can you confirm that? no, ican�*t, because this question gets raised all the time. what we want to see with the european union is more of a normal relationship. we're not going to rerun the brexit argument. we think we can do better than the borisjohnson deal in terms of economic and trade links. but could this be one of the things that you could do better at? um, i don't think that this question of a youth mobility scheme in the way that the eu have talked about it is going to be part of that. 0k. but we are in discussions about making sure that our trading relationships with our closest and biggest partner, even after brexit, are better than they've been in the past. it's better for growth, it's better for prosperity in this country

if we can do that, because they're still our biggest trading partner and we want a normal working relationship with like—minded democracies, and that's what we want to do through the talks we're having. cabinet office minister pat mcfadden talking to victoria derbyshire. the family of a british couple missing since a tourist boat sank in the red sea have told the bbc of their "desperation" as they continue to wait for news, six days since the ship went down. jenny cawson — who's 36 — and her husband, 49—year—old tariq sinada, are believed to be among the seven people still unaccounted for after the sea story sank off the coast of egypt on monday. thousands of people have attended a vigil in beirut, to commemorate the hezbollah leader, hassan nasrallah, after his killing in an israeli air strike two week ago. across lebanon, people are going back to their homes as a ceasefire continues to hold.

in the south, despite widespread destruction, hezbollah supporters remain defiant ? and say they ve been victorious in the war, as our middle east correspondent hugo bachega reports. singing. as they return home, they also bury their dead. fighters — celebrated here as heroes of the resistance. singing. killed, they say, in a war to protect their land. this is more than a funeral — this is a show of strength and support for hezbollah. and whoever thinks they will go away — well, from what we're seeing here, this is unlikely to happen. hezbollah has been weakened by israel. some say humiliated. but it hasn't been destroyed. in lebanon, it's more than a militia — it's also a powerful political and social group. it's full of grief, full of happiness at the same time

because we came to our land and we won. we are very proud here, very proud. i lost my brother—in—law, but we are very proud in our family. if there's defiance, there's also desolation. street after street, we see almost nothing has been left untouched by the war. we find kamel — only 18 — searching through the rubble with his bare hands, trying to save whatever he can find. all my memories are here in my — house of my grandpa. all it is going. we're not having anything right now. it's no problem. we do memory again. no problem. you're going to rebuild? yes, and amazing after.

no problem. at all times, we had to travel guided by hezbollah minders — a sign they're still very much in control here. it's no surprise that hezbollah is claiming victory. but is this really a victory? hugo bachega, bbc news, southern lebanon. the food charity world central kitchen is pausing its operations in gaza after a vehicle carrying its staff members was hit by an israeli air strike. three of the charity's staff members were killed. the israeli army say that the target of the strike had taken part in october 7th attacks. world central kitchen says it had no knowledge that anyone in the car was linked to the attacks.

israel has not yet provided any evidence for its claim. separately, british aid agency save the children said one of its staff members was also killed on saturday afternoon in an israeli air strike in khan younis. this is the children's charity second member killed in gaza. elsewhere in gaza, concern is growing for the worsening living conditions, which is largely due to the recent drop in temprature, as well as the strong wind and rain that has recently hit the region. a senior nhs emergency department nurse, mandy blackman, is working at the uk—med field hospital in al mawasi, gaza. she told me how she's managing. the recent drop in temperature, the wind and the rain has sort of increased the challenges that we face, really. with regard to the hospital, we've had to do some emergency repairs to the roof because we had a few leaks. and obviously we want to have optimum conditions for our patients in the hospital. our patients themselves, many of them live in — well, all of them live in tents

— and many of them live on tents in the beaches. and we've had one example of a family whose tent was washed away from the beach in khan yunis. their son's a patient in the hospital. and while they've been supporting him here, they've had to try and find somewhere to live. they�* re unsuccessful at the moment. but they're still trying to do that. when we talk about the tents, they're not tents as we would know it. they're very flimsy, really — just tarpaulin and a very slight wooden frame. there's no integral groundsheet. the conditions are damp. and this has worsened the medical conditions of patients, as well. and what are you seeing in the patients? is it largely injuries? what sort of conditions are you treating them for? we're seeing a variety of conditions. so, yes, we do see injuries from explosive injuries. we do see that. but we're also seeing,

especially for our paediatric patients, a rise in gastrointestinal conditions and bronchial pneumonia. and often the patients will have both of those conditions. and many of these patients are living in suboptimal living conditions, as i've just described. and also they're malnourished, or at least not receiving the adequate nutritional intake that they would need. and their living conditions are damp, they don't have access to any heating, it's difficult to get firewood to cook. so, yes, it's definitely having an impact on the conditions that we see and the severity of those conditions as well. and what about your supplies and your ability to get in the supplies that you need? so our supplies, it's a very fragile supply chain, and a lot of our equipment is still waiting to come into gaza. food is very scarce here. everything is at a premium. an egg would cost around $3.

and there's a scarcity of all basic food items at the moment. so people are... it's a real challenge for them to find food and for us to find food as well. mandy blackman. talks to agree the first—ever global treaty to limit plastic pollution have entered a final day in south korea, with negotiators remaining divided over key issues. it's estimated that more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year. 0ur environment correspondent, jonah fisher, has this report. the world is drowning under discarded plastic. and if we carry on as we are, things are only going to get worse. at the moment, the united nations estimates that about 20 million tonnes of waste plastic ends up in our oceans and seas every year —

and it's getting everywhere. tiny fragments — microplastics — have been found from the top of everest to the antarctic ice. and that's why negotiators have spent the last week in south korea trying to finalise a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. the thorniest issue — whether the agreement should include cuts in how much plastic we make. according to the united nations, that's 430 million tonnes a year, and on track to treble by 2060. just 9% of our plastic waste ends up being recycled, with most of it heading to landfill or being burnt. it's not hard to see why many of those at the talks insist that turning off the tap of plastic production has to be the starting

point for any treaty. mopping the floor when the tap is open is useless. we love plastic. it helps our cars and planes to be lighter, but we've got to get rid of the polluting plastic that is basically choking the oceans and ruining our health. but not everyone agrees. most plastics are made from fossilfuels, and a group of oil—producing countries have been blocking efforts to put cutting production in the agreement. with activists fearing a compromise and a weak treaty, it may be that a line is drawn in the sand, and in what would be a rare move for un talks, a tougher treaty is put to a vote. there's more than 100 countries, including some that are tremendously important plastic producers that are ready to take the actions that are required. what would be meaningless is if we do a fake agreement

built on the lie that we can recycle our way out of this crisis. the science is clear. we need to step up, and it's going to be up to political leadership in terms of whether we get a good deal or a bad deal. will this be the day the world finally gets serious about its damaging addiction to plastic? jonah fisher, bbc news. some victims of the infected blood scandal have been told interim compensation payments of £100,000 due to be made before christmas have been put on hold. it is thought at least ten families have received letters saying applications approved this month cannot move forward until they submit new paperwork. the cabinet office minister nick thomas—symonds said civil servants have been told to work as quickly as possible to make payments. more than a million mortgages issued in the past three years will still be being paid off by home—buyers into pension age. the latest data shows that two in five new mortgages have terms that see homeowners still making payments in retirement.

ultra—long — or extended — mortgages have become more popular during a time of higher interest rates as people aim to spread the cost. but this will ultimately make the loan more expensive, and experts say it raises serious questions over financial planning for retirement. romanians are voting in the country's parliamentary elections which has been overshadowed by the disputed result of the presidential poll a week ago. the current government is a coalition of social democrats and national liberals, which is being challenged by centre, right, and far—right parties. a recount of the presidential election is also happening today, after a legal challenge to the suprise victory of the pro—russia candidate. belgium has become the first country in the world to pass a law to give labour rights to sex workers. they will be entitled to health insurance, pensions, sick days and maternity leave. this is an unprecedented effort to regulate the sector — the profession is already legal in some countries,

but establishing employment rights is a globalfirst. 0ur gender and identity correspondent sofia bettiza sent this report from brussels. in brussels, in the heart of the european union, these sex workers have something big to celebrate. belgium has passed a new law that will give them labour rights and employment contracts. they will be entitled to health insurance, pensions — even maternity leave. if somebody who works at a store can get maternity leave, why not somebody who works as a sex worker? you know, when you have been pregnant and you have just given birth, i do not think it is possible to start working as fast. the new law is a first in this industry. for mel, the best thing about it is that sex workers under their contracts can refuse any client and any sexual act. i think it's great — i am very proud to be a belgian sex worker and that we are so far ahead. one of the key changes this law

brings is that employers — or what many called pimps — would be able to work legally for the first time, following a set of strict rules. anyone convicted of a serious crime will not be able to operate. this is an erotic massage parlour. they employ 15 sex workers. is this legal? he chuckles. er... it will be. it will be legal with the new law that's coming. now, it's like a grey zone. it's difficult. what do you think about the new law? i think it's important to have rights, like any otherjob, because, for me, it'sjust like any otherjob and we need to be protected from the bad employers. but not everyone agrees that this law is a good thing. critics point to the fact that sex work often leads to the exploitation, abuse and trafficking of millions of women around

the world, and that treating it as a regularjob and normalising it can be dangerous. this law will lead to more people being trafficked because it opens a new market, and when you open a new market you create demand. that demand for sex work has been happening for millennia — even when it's strictly prohibited. there are millions of sex workers around the world, and many of them are pressured to do things they don't want to do. for victoria — a former escort who campaigned for the law — that's exactly why they need labour rights. i had to work in unsafe conditions, and i wanted to change that. i really wanted for everyone who came after me a better working life if you choose sex work. i'm sure that the labour law will give sex workers a better life.

sofia bettiza, bbc news, brussels. there's just over three weeks until christmas, so depending on how organised you are, you might be heading to the high street to do some present shopping. this time of year is massively important for independent shops, which face the challenge of competing against larger retailers. 0ne town in shropshire had made a big push to support them. kate baldock reports. a community cafe in the heart of wellington, and adding something different to the high street. the boardroom gaming cafe brings people together to play old—school traditional games, and that's their unique selling point. over the last three years, they've gone from offering 80 games to over 800 — something which has been attracting customers here since the resurgence during covid. sitting around a table, moving some game pieces physically with your hands — itjust brings that connection together as a family,

as friends, or asjust the community. they also have a retail element to support the cafe, but ownerjon drew says they can't compete with the large online retailers. we buy a game for £10 and need to sell it at 20. they'll buy it for £5 and sell it at ten, so you can see where, say, the profit margins just don't really exist for us in that manner. the boardroom cafe here is one of many businesses across telford and wrekin to benefit from the council's thrive and revive scheme. it offers businesses grants of up to £10,000. little betty's gift company has also received some financial backing from the scheme. 0wner elisa thomason started her etsy company five years ago, and says she's had to learn new skills to be able to compete in the online marketplace. she says having a physical presence on the high street is important, and her shop trade alone has increased by 14%. she's also opened a new balloon shop within the last month.

we saw a slight dip in the footfall, so we decided to open up a balloon shop on the other side. we got support with the local council for that with the regeneration grant, so we've opened a balloon side and hope that that will kind of see us through the next year 01’ so. and championing local businesses is key to the town's survival. in 2019, wellington had a really poor above—the—national—average rate of vacant units — it was 15%. we're now just under 4%. about 50 new independent businesses have opened up. and the zero—waste little green pantry is one of them. keli king started her business on a market stall five years ago, and was then offered a grant to open an empty shop in the town, following covid. she also trades online and says it's a major part of her business. we have a website as well that we've had for about two or three years, and that really allows people to connect with us before they even step through the door.

so it's really a permanent shop front that's open all hours — people can go on there and find out a bit more about us before actually coming into us and shopping with us for the first time. keli says her business is going from strength to strength, and business leaders here say wellington is a town holding its own — a reflection, they say, of the time and investment into boosting their high street. the princess of wales has sent an emotional christmas message calling for "love, not fear" ahead of her carol concert next week. catherine is returning to public duties after being treated for cancer. 1,600 people have been invited, including the families of the children killed in the southport attack. simonjones has this report. it's become an annual tradition, the princess of wales' christmas carol service. but much has changed for catherine over the past year. in march, she revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer.

she's now completed a course of chemotherapy and is returning to work. a chance to take stock of the importance of loved ones, especially during difficult times. in a letter written to the 1,600 people who will attend friday's together at christmas service, catherine delivers a very personal message. she says... 0n social media, the prince and princess of wales have posted pictures of the invitations for the service being printed in the traditional way. catherine's letter to the congregation will appear in the order of service. the olympic cycling champion sir chris hoy, who has terminal prostate cancer, will light a candle — as will lindsey burrow, the wife of the former rugby league star and motor neurone disease campaigner rob burrow, who died injune. catherine's first official public engagement after her cancer treatment was a visit to southport, to meet the bereaved families of three children killed in a knife attack.

the families have been invited to the service. kensington palace says christmas is a chance to mark the many people who have worked to support those in need. simon jones, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith—lucas. hello. today, the 1st of december, marks the start of winter, meteorologically speaking — but, actually, things aren't feeling particularly wintry because we've still got mild air with us, so we are looking at another mild day ahead, and there's some outbreaks of rain at times. won't be raining all day — the rain is moving its way through on this cold front, which is tracking gradually from west to east, not moving particularly quickly — just lingering longest in the far south east of england, east anglia, parts of lincolnshire, as well — looking wet in the middle part of the day here. but once that eventually gets out of the way towards the east, we see a return to sunnier skies for the rest of the uk. some scattered showers moving in, mainly for western parts of scotland, northern ireland, western england and wales, as well. top temperatures, though — 13, 1a, perhaps 15 somewhere where we do see that sunshine coming through later on.

fairly breezy conditions — the winds coming in from the south—southwest — but a change in wind direction through this evening and overnight across parts of scotland and northern ireland — colder air moving in here — even some snow showers across the highest ground of scotland. could be a bit of frost around in the north, still mild towards the south on monday, but that colder air will slowly sink south through the day as this area of low pressure clears towards the east. so higher pressure building from the west for a time, and that means that we're going to be seeing these northerly winds bringing this colder air mass right across the chart into tuesday, as well. for monday, though, we've got this area of cloud and rain pushing out of scotland, in across northern and central parts of england. some gusty winds — a0 or 50 mile per hour gusts — around these north sea coasts, with some showers, and around some irish sea coasts, as well. still reasonably mild in the south — nine to 11 degrees — that rain lingering around the london area later in the afternoon. but colder — low—to—mid single figures — across parts of scotland. and then you can see the blue colours extending more widely across the map —

monday night — it's going to be quite a chilly night, with temperatures a few degrees either side of freezing as we start the day on tuesday. so a chilly start, some frost and some fog around on tuesday, i think. that'll gradually clear. quite a lot of dry weather, but we've got this area of rain moving in from the west. across scotland, as that bumps into the colder air, we could see for a time a little bit of snow over the hills. so only four orfive degrees for some of us. even further south, we're looking at mid single figures. so a colder—feeling day monday into tuesday, and then things gradually turn milder again through the rest of the week, and staying pretty unsettled, really, throughout your first week of december.

live from london, this is bbc news. masterchef presenter gregg wallace responds to complaints about his behaviour on the bbc show saying they've come from "a handful of middle—class women of a certain age". the syrian army says it's preparing to counterattack the rebel forces that captured the city of aleppo. sir keir starmer is to outline key policy targets he expects ministers to meet as part of what he is calling a "plan for change". in georgia, a third night of clashes with riot police as thousands protest

against a decision on suspended eu membership talks. hello, welcome to the programme. we start here in the uk where the masterchef presenter gregg wallace has responded to allegations of misconduct while filming the tv show. he stepped aside earlier this week after a bbc news investigation revealed a string of claims of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour against him. mr wallace's lawyers have strongly denied that he engages in sexually harassing behaviour. in a video posted on instagram, mr wallace said there had been "13 complaints" from "over 4,000 contestants" that he'd worked with in 20 years on the show. i can see the complaints coming from a handful of...middle—class women

of a certain age, just