syria's president, bashar al—assad, has blamed the united states and other western countries for a rebel offensive that has reignited the civil war. in a telephone call to his iranian counterpart he accused western nations of trying to redraw the map of the middle east. the rebels seized aleppo, the country's second city, in a surprise attack last week. with me is mina al lami, jihadist media specialist for bbc monitoring. great to have you with us. it is such a complicated picture. help us understand he is control —— who is controlling different parts of syria. the s rian different parts of syria. the syrian government - different parts of syria. lie: syrian government obviously controls large parts of the country. they managed to take

large parts of the country away from the raffles in the early part of the civil war. there is a small conclave of rebels that control it live province in the north—west, controlled by the most powerful islamic group, hts. itjust to be al-qaeda's branch in syria. years ago it broke ties with al-qaeda. there are the turkey backed rebels that controlled a small part of northern syria in aleppo, and the kurdish led forces that control the north—east of syria. we also have isis that carries out attacks in the country but it doesn't control territory. country but it doesn't control territo . �* , . , , ., country but it doesn't control territory-— territory. let's assume a on hts, territory. let's assume a on hrs, the — territory. let's assume a on hts, the surprise _ territory. let's assume a on| hts, the surprise offensive. they have taken over aleppo and are moving south. it is they have taken over aleppo and are moving south.— are moving south. it is a very interesting — are moving south. it is a very interesting group. _ are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it - are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it used - are moving south. it is a very interesting group. it used to | interesting group. it used to be al-qaeda's branch in syria. in 2006 in 2016 they broke ties with al-qaeda because they struggled to gain support from the local population, from rebel groups at the time, so

the al-qaeda brand was simply a big hindrance for them to get popular support. they broke ties with al-qaeda. in the past five years what they have been doing, they have been trying to reinvent themselves as a local rebel group focused on the revolution. they have created what they call a government with ministries. they wanted to move away from that picture of a militant group running a province. they want to present themselves as a legitimate government. they want to capture syria, liberate syria as they see it, along with other rebel groups and expel bashar al—assad. they said they do not have globaljihadist ambitions but they are classed as a terrorist group by the uk and us. ., ., ., , and us. how are syrians responding? _ and us. how are syrians responding? it - and us. how are syrians responding? it is - and us. how are syrians responding? it is still. and us. how are syrians i responding? it is still early da s

responding? it is still early days and — responding? it is still early days and there _ responding? it is still early days and there is - responding? it is still early days and there is a - responding? it is still early days and there is a lot - responding? it is still early days and there is a lot of. days and there is a lot of chaos. it is running a really slick pr campaign and have been putting out messages of assurance to the local population, to religious minorities saying we are not here to harm you and if we need any help you can contact us for help. of course, the local population, they are very worried. at the end of the day they do see a lot of these groups as jihadist groups, militant groups asjihadist groups, militant groups. of course groups as jihadist groups, militant groups. of course the population are worried. looking at some of— population are worried. looking at some of the _ population are worried. looking at some of the newspapers, - population are worried. looking at some of the newspapers, a l at some of the newspapers, a lot of the papers here have had bashar al—assad on the front pages. today he is blaming the us and other western countries for what is happening. how has bashar al—assad maintained his grip on syria? bashar al-assad maintained his grip on syria?— grip on syria? largely with the su ort grip on syria? largely with the support of _ grip on syria? largely with the support of russia, _ grip on syria? largely with the support of russia, iran, - grip on syria? largely with the support of russia, iran, syria |

support of russia, iran, syria malicious and hezbollah. it helped him capture and he deals with rebel areas and consolidate his power. the latest rebel offensive has really ta ken even latest rebel offensive has really taken even the rebels by surprise. they didn't anticipate that there will be a lot of collapses in the army ranks that fast. it lot of collapses in the army ranks that fast.— ranks that fast. it all happened _ ranks that fast. it all happened so - ranks that fast. it all| happened so quickly. ranks that fast. it all - happened so quickly. thank ranks that fast. it all _ happened so quickly. thank you so much. the number of migrants crossing the channel into uk has exceeded 20,000. 122 people arrived in two boats yesterday morning and that took the number of people coming across since sir keir starmer took power. the number of people crossing the challenge in small boats has proved to be a political headache for a number of governments now. today, the labour government is expected

to announce that more than 20,000 people have come to the uk in small boats since sir keir starmer became prime minister. let's look at the figures here. this is the figures here. this is the figure for 2024, just over 20,000, from july when labour took power to now. looking at previous years covering the same period, to figure this year is higher than it was last year. it is a lot lower than it was in 2022, that was a record number of crossings. it is broadly the same as it was in 2021. there was a sharp spike in october this year which contributed to that number. home office figures claim that the weather was a factor, but does that argument stand up to scrutiny? you might hear about this today, days when the met office says the weather is

better and the government thinks it is more likely that people will come across the channel on a small boat. there were a high number of these read days in october. in and of itself, is that an explanation for these crossings? we have looked at this issue before. we have obtained home office figures in the past. these figures in the past. these figures can be quite complicated and can be used selectively to support political arguments. the last government said the weather was not a factor when numbers fell because it wanted people to support its policy. at the time we got database dump freedom of information and migration expert said looking through all the data that we managed to get, the weather was certainly a factor. but not clear how much of a factor and if you look at this line here, there are a number of other potential influences. when you hear today that the weather might have

been a factor, it is worth bearing all of that in mind. there are a number of different factors. the government does acknowledge that it doesn't think the weather is the biggest reason. they think people are prepared to make the journey regardless of the weather and they will —— have smuggling gardens gangs that will help them do it. the big question for ministers is how they are going to get this down. it is complicated, controversial and we will hear more from the home secretary later. the german chancellor, olaf scholz, is making an unexpected visit to the ukrainian capital, kyiv. mr scholz said he wanted to use this opportunity to express solidarity with ukraine and has promised kyiv a fresh package of military aid worth more than 630 million euros. germany is currently the biggest european supplier of defence equipment to ukraine. paul adams has this update from kyiv. we don't know what the package includes and we won't know probably until later on in the day.

i think it is unlikely that it includes any reference to the taurus long—range missile. ukraine has been asking germany for that missile for a long time. it may be hoped after the britain, the us and france gave the go—ahead to use the atacms and storm shadow missiles that olaf scholz would follow suit but the chancellor has had reservations on that and regards that as an escalation and so far we have seen no indication that he's willing to budge on it. i think it is fair to say that chancellor scholz has a mixed reputation here in ukraine. as you mentioned in the introduction, germany is by far the largest european provider of military assistance to ukraine. outstripping all of its european partners by a very substantial amount. something in the region

of 17 billion euros so far. and this additional package that he's bringing him today. but, for a number of reasons, the ukrainians regard chancellor scholz as a slightly problematic figure. we have mentioned the taurus missiles already. he is also among those who are vocally opposed to the idea of ukrainejoining nato, his argument being that that is not possible while the country is at war. he is not alone in that view. president biden has essentially the same view. but it is another sticking point. and then the phone call that you mentioned between chancellor scholz and vladimir putin last month. president zelensky made it pretty clear he was unhappy with that. he said that chancellor scholz had opened a pandora's box and this was precisely what mr putin wanted, to be able to knock off one western leader after another in private phone conversations and that somehow this weakened the sense of european solidarity in opposition to russia.

i think it is bound to come up, as will the prospect of negotiations, because with donald trump arriving in the white house injanuary, there is a general expectation that we may be heading into a period of negotiations at some point next year. the united nations�* top court has started hearings on the legal obligation of countries to fight climate change, and the consequences of contributing to global warming. the international court ofjustice will hear testimony from 100 countries, the outcome of which could influence litigation worldwide. anna holligan is monitoring events at the hague. so these vulnerable small island nations are calling on the un's highest court to protect the rights of the people who are living on the front lines of the climate crisis. the hearings have just opened here. historic hearings. they will last for two weeks. each country, we're down to 97 now, each country will have 30 minutes to present their testimony.

we've just heard from vanuatu. their envoy for climate change told the judges here the profound sense of urgency exists that will reverberate for generations. so how have we got here? it's a fascinating story. this case actually originated with a group of students in the south pacific islands. they were trying to find a way to use climate litigation to protect the rights of the people. they encouraged states to get on board. it was taken to the un general assembly. the un general assembly then came up with these questions, which they posed to the judges here at the icj. the questions are, "what are the obligations of states under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for states for future and present generations?" so that's talking about pollution from human activities. the second question is,

"what are the legal consequences under those obligations for states where they, by their acts or emissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment?" so it's really, for the small island nations, about how you make those wealthy nations cover the cost of their suffering. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

the prime minister of guinea, bah oury, has appealed for calm after dozens of people were killed in a crush that followed clashes at a football match in guinea's second largest city. police fired tear gas at supporters of a visiting team when they threw stones and invaded the pitch. medical staff quoted in the local media said dead bodies and the injured filled the corridors of the regional hospital. some of the angry fans then went on to set fire to the city police station.

tomato puree which is made using forced labour in china is probably being sold by some of britain's biggest supermarkets without the knowledge of customers, a bbc investigation has found. chains including tesco, waitrose, asda and morrisons are supplied by a major italian food processor that is linked to coercive labour in xinjiang province. runa ko celina reports. tomato puree — a staple of our supermarket shop. but how is it produced — and at what cost? the tomato fields of china's xinjiang region are so big they can be seen from space. but they hide a dark secret. the bbc spoke to more than a dozen people from xinjiang's muslim minorities who have endured or witnessed forced labour in the region's tomato industry. some, like mamajan, say they were tortured.

translation: the first | time we were told we had to pick 450kg of tomatoes. they said, "we're warning you — if you can't do it, we'll punish you". the next day, i still hadn't picked 450kg of tomatoes, so they beat me up badly in a dark prison cell. there were chains hanging from the ceiling. they hung me up there and they said, "why can't you finish the job?" china denies there is any forced labour in its tomato industry. but following extensive reports of abuse in xinjiang, the us banned all imports from the region in 2021. the uk did not. under the modern slavery act, supermarkets can self—regulate to ensure forced labour isn't used. using global shipping data, we traced the route the tomato paste takes to get to europe. millions of kilos made by one company, xinjiang guannong, were sent to one italian tomato

manufacturer, the petti group. i have a meeting with pasquale petti. posing as a client, we went undercover to meet with an executive. but all the paste produced in italy? the paste? no. if you want italian, we put italian. in this way it's more expensive. yes. nothing from china? you don't get any cheap ones? if you want, also from china. you can get cheap ones there? yes. the petti group told us they have not bought from xinjiang guannong guannong since the us sanctioned them for forced labour in 2020. but our camera filmed a tomato paste barrel clearly labelled "xinjiang guannong" produced in 2023. the petti group also supplies tomato products to uk supermarkets. it's really hard to know if tomato paste sold to consumers at supermarkets worldwide are made with tomatoes from xinjiang. to establish if any are chinese, we're sending 64

samples made by petti and other manufacturers forforensic testing. trace element analysis can give an indication as to where a product has come from. what we use that analysis for is to build a pattern or a fingerprint, which are unique to the country of origin. our testing showed that 17 tomato purees — some branded as italian — likely contain chinese tomatoes, including those sold in asda, morrisons, tesco and waitrose. the question is, were they made with forced labour? all the supermarkets said they take these allegations very seriously, but they dispute our findings. some said their own testing and audits show no evidence of chinese tomatoes in their products. the petti group said they purchased tomato paste from another chinese supplier who assured them they did not engage in forced labour. we approached xinjiang guannong. they did not respond. runako celina, bbc news.

lisa nandy has met with the bbc over the six issue over gregg wallace. lisa nandy spoke to the bbc about this matter and other workplace issues to make sure there were processes in place to deal with complaints. the comments we have seen from this individual over the weekend were completely

inappropriate and misogynistic. this comes from a bbc investigation were gregg wallace has not denied behaving in a sexually harassing nature after 30 people came forward last week with allegations of inappropriate comments. the former boss of formula 1 bernie ecclestone is selling off his entire collection of 69 racing cars. they include championship—winning machines driven by the likes of michael schumacher and stirling moss and are expected to raise more than £300 million. mr ecclestone says he doesn't want his wife to have to deal with them after he dies and he would like to know what happens to them. visitors to spain will now face more paperwork as a new law comes into force. hotel owners and car hire firms will now need to send personal information about their customers to the government. the rules will also apply to rental properties and campsites, but tourism experts have raised privacy concerns. louisa pillbeam reports. spain has long been a favourite

overseas holiday destination, but from today the 17 million people who visit from the uk each year could face extra delays before the relaxing can begin. that's because tourism bosses will be required to collect and submit additional customer data to the government under a new law aimed at improving security in the country. the new rules apply to hotels, rental accommodation, campsites and car hire firms. from today, they're required to send all customers' passport details, home addresses and methods of payment to the ministry of the interior. they'll need to submit that data daily and store it digitally for three years. businesses that breach the rules will face fines of between 100 and 30,000 euros — that's around 80 to £25,000. the consequences, i think, are going to be longer queues — not just at hotels but also at car rental locations,

where you're going to have to provide a lot of information for the first time. i dare say, within a few weeks, there will be more efficient digital ways of providing that information, but meanwhilejust hope for the best but be prepared for delays. the confederation of spanish hoteliers and tourist accommodation says it's concerned the changes will cause delays and disruption. some hoteliers say even the fear of additional delays could put some people off. we know that we already collect a lot of this data, so it won't make a great difference when people arrive at our hotel and we ask them to check in. but i think it is the fear. over the last couple to three years, we've had to contend with news of extreme high temperatures in spain in the summer. then there was the economic crisis and all of that which puts doubts in people's minds. so it is that fear and level of doubt, and people say,

"all right, we'll do something else this time." spanish authorities say the extra information will help them track criminals and terrorists, making the country safer for those who live there and for those enjoying a holiday. louisa pilbeam, bbc news. in australia it has been a challenging year for the music industry, with many venues shutting down and major festivals cancelling events. it has prompted the federal government to hold a parliamentary inquiry into the challenges facing the sector, as phil mercer reports from sydney. # he's always late...#. live music was once the soundtrack to a thriving industry in australia. but a decline that began with the covid—19 pandemic and lockdowns has continued. musicians say it's the biggest crisis they've faced in a generation. many can barely make a living. i think it's really quite sad. i wish that australians

would have put as much energy into music as they do with sport. i think, culturally, music is not very respected. since i've been singing here, i think the the standard fee for a musician hasn't changed. in fact, it's gone down. many venues are facing higher insurance and other costs. on top of that, audiences are staying away because of cost of living pressures. small to medium venues are under pressure to survive. venue sustainability is a critical part of the puzzle. you lose a venue, you lose a community. you lose the infrastructure. and when they go, they don't come back. australia, though, is trying to reinvigorate its music industry. a national development agency was set up last year to provide support and investment. the federal parliament is also investigating the sector's challenges and opportunities. the aim is to bring

the audiences back. the great club in sydney was run for four years by alison avron, but rising business costs and an expensive noise dispute with neighbours have forced her to close the popular venue. my soul had been ripped out. i'd let so many people down. it wasn'tjust me. you know, my agents lost their jobs, my staff lost their jobs. and then the musicians and their gigs that were coming up. it sort of caused such a stir. while many small to medium venues are struggling, interest in big acts is sky high. more than 500,000 fans flocked to see taylor swift on her australian tour. katy perry and taylor swift put on a good showm and they've got the money to do it. and people want to know that when they go out they are going to be entertained. they don't really want to take as many risks. music gives a voice to culture. but in australia, parts of the industry are facing a battle

to rediscover their rhythm. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. stay with us here on bbc news. hello again. we've had some rain, some showers around through this morning, but one thing that all of us will notice as we go through today is how much colder it's going to turn. we've had a few rainbows spotted by our weather watchers this morning. that one was from york earlier on today. that's because we've had some showers, as i said. it's the cold air that's moving southward at the moment across the uk. the arctic air is going to mean the temperatures taking a big drop compared to where they were yesterday and the weekend. you can see this band of rain during this afternoon across north wales into northern england, eastern england. some sunny spells ahead of that and some sunshine coming out

behind that, as well. we still have that northerly wind bringing in some showers, which could turn wintry over the higher ground of scotland. temperatures here four or five celsius. further south temperatures will drop away as the afternoon goes on, so about eight or nine degrees later on. tonight, the area of rain will continue to clear away and, with a rather brisk northerly wind, we will continue to see a few showers coming in around those north sea coasts, but for many of us, with clear skies, it's going to turn quite cold. there will be a frost around tonight, as well. temperatures could be as low as —6 or —7 degrees in northern areas of scotland. throughout tuesday, for most of us, a fine start to the day. we mightjust see one or two mist and fog patches, a bit of cloud. a few showers clinging to cumbria, into lancashire, as well, but for most a dry day with some sunshine. we've got some rain that's going to spread its way into northern ireland, into western scotland. it's going to bump into the colder air so we could see some snow on that leading edge. another chilly day for many of us with those highs about four to seven degrees.

tuesday night, as that rain continues to move in, there will be a bit of snow across the higher ground of scotland, perhaps some fleeting snow across northern areas of england, as well. we could see about one to three centimetres of snow over the higher ground of northern scotland overnight into wednesday morning. that is something to keep an eye on. as we go through wednesday that weather system just fizzles away, really. into wednesday and thursday we've got low pressure moving in, so a return to some milder conditions, but wetter and windier conditions for many of us on wednesday and thursday. we'll keep a close eye on that one. temperatures, though, about 11 or 12 celsius. it will turn colder again as we go into the weekend, as the weather quietens down from the wet and windy weather for the end of the week. bye— bye.

against its presenter gregg wallace. mr wallace has dismissed the claims — he says they have come from middle—class women of a certain age. in the past half—hour, number ten has described that as "inappropriate and misogynistic". also on the programme this lunchtime... president biden provokes a storm of controversy by granting an unconditional pardon to his son hunter, who had been facing a jail sentence. the 91—year—old victim

of the post office scandal who says she's only been offered a third of what she should get in compensation. you talk about christmas and goodwill — where is the goodwill towards the people, the sub—postmasters here? there's none. and that sinking feeling — homes evacuated in south wales after a huge sinkhole opens up on a housing estate. and coming up on bbc news: the buffalo bills are into the nfl play—offs with five games to spare. they beat san francisco 49ers for their fifth afc east title in a row. good afternoon. there are calls for the bbc to consider pulling the current series of masterchef, over the allegations of inappopriate behaviour by its presenter gregg wallace.

yesterday mr wallace dismissed the complaints,