welcome to newsday. i'm steve lai. we start this hour in the midde east, where syria's president bashar al—assad says the us is behind a rebel offensive that has reignited the country's civil war. he claims washington and its allies want to redraw the map of the middle east. syria and its allies, russia, are bombarding rebel—held positions — this was the aftermath of a russian strike on a hospital in idlib. the syrian army says they've killed hundreds of rebels, while rebel groups and independent observers say many of the dead are civilians. rebel groups seized aleppo, syria's second city, in a surprise attack last week. here's our international editor, jeremy bowen. the syrian regime is striking back. in the last two days, the un humanitarian office says more than 50 air strikes hit idlib, the province that is the powerhouse of the rebels. the hospital in idlib city was among several healthcare facilities targeted.

the un says at least 44 civilians have been killed in airstrikes. air raids, body bags, civilians in another middle eastern country are grieving. a renewed syrian war will pour a lot more fuel on the fire that is consuming the middle east. it is the regime's response to the lightning offensive that swept up aleppo, including its ancient citadel. during years of war, the citadel was an impregnable regime fortress, but these men, from hts, took it almost without a fight. back injanuary 2017, i was in aleppo, in the days after the assad regime recaptured the east of the city from rebels who had held it since the war in aleppo started in 2012. there was massive destruction from russian and regime air strikes. this was all a huge victory for the regime, but in the years that followed,

the war gradually froze, but it never ended. once again, president bashar al—assad is beleaguered. he had an emergency meeting in damascus with the iranian foreign minister. assad's survival will depend again on his allies, who are worrying about their own futures. in aleppo, hts fighters are pulling down portraits of assad, the enemy. they are considered terrorists by his regime, and by the un, the us, the uk and the eu, because their roots are in al-qaeda. mina al lami follows jihadist media for bbc monitoring. she's seen hts changing its image, as syrians are mostly repelled by extremist religious rhetoric. in their messaging, they have been trying to portray themselves as more of nationalist rebel group, and basically trying to shake off theirjihadist past,

and prove that they don't have any lasting links with al-qaeda, orjihadist groups, and that they are simply after a toppling of the government of bashar al—assad. some food is getting through to civilians in aleppo, but this is another humanitarian crisis in the making. the people of this city live at one of the historic crossroads of the middle east, connected to all the region's political and sectarian fault lines. if the offensive leads to protracted fighting, it will be a major escalation in the middle east crisis. that is bad news for the whole region, and notjust the hungry and frightened people on aleppo�*s streets. i'm joined now by richard berman, a former senior advisor on the policy planning staff at the us state department and professor at stanford. what's the main thing

to understand about the surge infighting? it isa it is a terrible development because the violence that will unfold but it is also not unexpected. this is really a rep pres of the civil war that grew out of the arab spring that was then suppressed by the brutality of the asada regime and now the rebel forces, the opposition is returning to try to push the regime out of aleppo and maybe out of harm as well. —— assad regime. are these fighters capable of holding control of aleppo, and expanding their military campaign against the assad regime? i believe they are capable of holding onto aleppo, it is not clear to me if they will be able to get all the way to hama and hold onto hama. the question of whether they will be able to withstand the regime

is linked to how much has below and russia and iran are prepared to pour into syria at this point. hezbollah has been weakened in lebanon. russia is preoccupied with ukraine. iran seems to be relatively hesitant at this point so it's not clear to me if they are going to give assad the backing he needs to withstand this onslaught. {sheen withstand this onslaught. given he may not _ withstand this onslaught. given he may not have _ withstand this onslaught. given he may not have the _ withstand this onslaught. given he may not have the backing i withstand this onslaught. given| he may not have the backing he needs, how vulnerable is he? terribly unpopular. he's been a brutal dictator for all of the use of his regime. your listeners should remember that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by the regime, half, a significant fraction of the syrian population has been displaced by the regime. your news report talks about how the russians bombed a hospital in aleppo. the assad regime is not

popular by any means so if he loses his foreign support, he will lose. loses his foreign support, he will lose-— will lose. with that in mind, who would _ will lose. with that in mind, who would be _ will lose. with that in mind, who would be standing - will lose. with that in mind, who would be standing by l will lose. with that in mind, | who would be standing by to take over? tell us more about these rebels, it is a co—ordinated force from my understanding and there are multiple different parties joining in together.- multiple different parties joining in together. that is correct. — joining in together. that is correct, among _ joining in together. that is correct, among the - joining in together. that is. correct, among the islamist party who are coming from the west, hts is the strongest but there are others as well. it is a diverse group of religiously driven critics of the regime. at the same time there are kurdish forces coming from the north who are also opposed to the regime and are not at all islamist in their orientation but as is remarked in the news reportjust now, hts, other islamist groups are caught in a

fundamental tension between a pan islamist agenda and on the other hand nationalist aspirations so hts may be trying to reinvent itself as a syrian national liberation force as opposed to one devoted to the spread of radical islam. we will leave it there, thank you for sharing your perspectives today. former senior adviser at stanford. meanwhile, there have been signs of a break in the ceasefire between israel and lebanon. israel launched a wave of airstrikes on southern lebanon on monday evening, hours after the lebanese militant group hezbollah fired two mortars at an israeli army post in an area occupied by israel. the attack was the first by hezbollah since a ceasefire went into effect last week.

the united states and france have said that israel had violated the ceasefire, though israel denies this. in georgia, thousands of protesters are in the capital tblisi for a fifth night in a row. once again, there have been extensive clashes with police, with protsers throwing fireworks at officers who are shooting tear gas and water cannons. the protesters are furious about what they see as the government's increasing ties to russia, a country that currently occupies 20% of their land. last week, the prime minister said he'd put european union accession talks on hold, despite polls suggesting widespread support for membership, sparking this latest round of demonstrations. our russia editor steve rosenberg sent this report from tblisi. at night, georgia's capital looks and sounds like this. a standoff between the security forces and anti—government protesters. this is happening night after night now in tbilisi, protesters firing fireworks

and the riot police responding with tear gas. once again, georgian police dispersed thousands of protesters. earlier, we saw university staff and students gathering for a protest, angry that their government suspended georgia's bid tojoin the european union. georgians see that this way georgia is dragged into russia's orbit, basically, and also becomes a fully autocratic country. so that's a turning point. and now i think there is this feeling of "now or never". they marched through the city... chanting ..calling for others to join them, and they declared that georgia was europe. no one in georgia knows where this confrontation is heading, how it's going to end, and who will tire first, the protesters

or the authorities. georgia's prime minister suggested that what was happening on the streets was a foreign—funded revolution that had failed. not everyone has joined the protests. scarf—seller giorgi told me he has friends in europe, but also in russia. but he admits he's shocked by video images of police beating protesters. translation: the way some of the police kicked our sons and brothers, how could that happen? but i do have friends in the police. and on the other side there are youngsters whose hearts beat for this country. georgia needs to sort this out on its own without anyone interfering. the authorities say they will sort this out — their way, but the use of force hasn't kept protesters off the streets or extinguished their hope. steve rosenberg,

bbc news, tbilisi. the president of georgia, salome zourabichvili, has been among those criticising the strong police response. she has been in a standoff with the ruling georgia dream party, and is on the side of the protesters. she says last month's elections were rigged, the current parliament is illegitimate and has vowed to stay in herjob when her term ends in a couple of weeks. in an interview with the bbc on monday evening, she called for more western support. you are calling on western countries to back what you are calling a national movement in your country, referring to the protesters on the street. what exactly are you asking the eu and the us today? well, the same thing they have been doing now for more than 30 years since the independence of georgia, which is to support us in our path towards european integration, euro—atlantic integration, which is enshrined in our constitution and has been supported by our partners, but also the georgian population, more than 80% of them. all over this year, whatever was happening, including the war or the

occupation of our territories. that determination has never flinched, and today also we see on the streets that the georgian population wants nothing else and nothing more than its independence and its european past. that's what the people on the streets are very calmly, very peacefully demanding — our vote back, our european future back. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news in the uk. the former chairman of the countess of chester hospital, where serial killer lucy letby murdered babies, has said his decision to not invite the doctors who suspected her to an important meeting was "a big personalfailure". sir duncan nichol has spoken publicly about the case for the first time at the public inquiry into what happened. the masterchef presenter gregg wallace has apologised for comments he posted online about his accusers, who've been claiming sexually harassing bahaviour.

he says he "needs to take some time out". downing street says the video, in which he says allegations about improper language and behaviour come from "middle—class women of a certain age", were completely inappropriate and misogynistic. the presenter denies the claims. queen camilla will miss parts of an official visit tuesday by the emir of qatar due to a lingering viral chest infection. on the advice of doctors, the 77—year—old will not be there for the arrival, but will attend the state banquet in the evening. you're live with bbc news. presidentjoe biden is facing sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle after issuing an official pardon for his son hunter, who was facing almost certain prison time. injune, hunter biden was convicted of firearms offences, becoming the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime. in september, hunter pleaded guilty to tax violations.

president biden previously said he wouldn't pardon his son, but on sunday he reversed that position, saying hunter had been unfairly targeted for political reasons. our north america editor sarah smith reports. as the biden family gathered to celebrate thanksgiving this past weekend, hunter biden was there, right alongside his dad, and it was here the president decided to give his son the gift of a full and unconditional pardon, despite his previous promises not to do so. i'm extremely proud of my son, hunter. he has overcome an addiction. he has... he's one of the brightest, most decent men i know, and i am satisfied that i'm not going to do anything. i said i'd abide by thejury decision, and i will do that, and i will not pardon him. president biden wants americans to forgive that naked hypocrisy, which could spare his son a prison sentence. at a children's event

at the white house today, the first lady tried to be heard over the christmas songs, as she said, "of course i support a pardon for my son". the reaction, as swift as it is predictable — righteous indignation from biden�*s opponents. first came the decision, now the outrage. president biden pardons his son. he lied to us repeatedly, saying that he wouldn't pardon hunter. i figured he would, and it's unfortunate that, you know, when you expect the worst, you oftentimes get it, and he did pardon him, because hunter biden was the bag man for the biden crime family. hunter biden�*s offences include failing to pay tax in los angeles from 2016 to 2019, and lying on a gun purchase form, claiming he wasn't taking drugs, when he was an addict. injune this year, he was convicted of illegally purchasing and owning a gun. in september, he pleaded guilty to the tax offences in la. his pardon, though, covers any and everything he may have done from the start of 2014 until now. hunter biden has been

extensively investigated by republicans in congress, looking for corruption and hoping to tie it to his father. with a pardon that predates his controversial business dealings, he'll now be protected from further prosecutions. and they have taken the light of my dad's love... ..the light of my dad's love for me, and presented it as darkness. joe biden says he believes hunter was the victim of politically—motivated prosecutions that would never have come to court if he wasn't the president's son. sound familiar? yes, it's the same argument donald trump uses about all the cases against him. on social media, he called hunter's pardon an abuse, a miscarriage ofjustice. joe biden says he hopes americans will understand why a father and a president would make this decision. well, it's easier to understand why a dad would do it than a politician who knows what the consequences could be. amid the fallout from his son's pardon, president biden arrived

in angola for his first and only trip to africa as president. during the three—day visit, he is due to highlight a us loan for a new railway that stretches more than 1,300 kilometres or 835 miles. it will connect mines in neighbouring african countries to the angolan port city of lobito. it would also give the us or direct access to essential minerals. the project is seen as a direct challenge to china's dominance of the region's infrastructure. the un's new relief chief, tom fletcher, says the sudanese region of darfur is facing famine and that people are being used as pawns in the conflict. human rights groups are describing recent ethnic—based massacres possible genocide. fewjournalists have been able to visit darfur, which is mainly controlled by the paramilitary rapid support forces, since the war began. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is travelling with the un team. her report begins in a refugee

camp in chad on the border. a people dispossessed, and displaced — the people of darfur. this is an informal refugee camp in chad, just across the border from sudan. the women wait to receive food for theirfamilies, praying someone will help. translation: we used to get food from our farms. - when the war began, we couldn't farm and the animals ate our crops, so we were left with nothing. people who escaped the spectre of famine, the horrow of war. translation: when we were fleeing, our young | brothers were killed. some were too young to walk. our elders escaping with us were killed. yes, within ourfamily, they killed my uncles,

my aunties, all the men in ourfamily. translation: they kill| people, they rob people, they take their food, they take your belongings. they take everything. they don't know if their husbands and fathers are alive or dead. in all my years of reporting, i've never seen a crowd as big as this. everyone we meet here says they come from el—geneina, just across the border, and everyone has a story of the horrors of this war — a story of a massacre, of a frenzy, of killing, of days so dark it's regarded as the worst atrocity in sudan's brutal civil war. then, there's a rush. word spreads — un food is being delivered. there's also not enough of it crossing this border into sudan.

not enough attention to this crisis. this is daft for, the place which has seen all of the worst of the worst. ethnic cleansing, starvation, rape. it happened here two decades ago, it's happening again, and getting worse. we're travelling to el—geneina, with the first high—level un team to enter darfur, across this land controlled by the paramilitary rsf, locked in battle with sudan's government. this is what the women fled — blackened houses, blasted shops. you can still taste the smoke. the rsf accused of terrorising non—arab communities. they deny it was their deed. i know that this situation is very, very hard, very tough. i know that sometimes

you must feel that the world has forgotten you. more people pushed from place to place. they need everything but this war. translation: we've suffered so much. - when this war started, some people supported the army, some supported the rsf, but we, the displaced, are neutral. what can you do to protect people? we've got to do much better. ultimately, it's about getting a peace process going, putting the international pressure on the parties. now, that's not easy, but we've got to be here. it's also about food, and delivering much more, to prevent famine from spreading, to prevent people from dying. lyse doucet, bbc news, darfur. the french government could be heading for collapse, pushing europe's second—biggest economy deeper into political crisis. the french prime minister, michel barnier, has used a special procedure to force

his controversial social security budget through without a vote in parliament. he says it's needed in order to reign in the spiralling government deficit. the use of that parliamentary loophole triggers a vote of confidence, and both the hard right and left wing parties say they will vote against mr barnier. barring a last—minute surprise, barnier�*s fragile coalition will be the first french government to be forced out by a no—confidence vote since 1962. here's our paris correspondent andrew harding. this was the moment michel barnier declared that he would haggle no more. france's ice—cool prime minister telling mps that he was forcing through a strict new national budget, and they could either back him or vote him out of office. in which case, he warned — to the sound of heckles — france could plunge into financial turmoil. "we'll be entering unknown territory," said barnier. but the immediate answer from marine le pen was, "bring it on."

the leader of the hard—right national rally said her party would vote to get rid of the current government. "the french have had enough," she said. "things have gone from bad to worse." france is in a financial pickle, with soaring debt. trouble here could spread throughout europe. but the crisis is, at heart, political, sparked by this summer's elections, which resulted in a spectacularly gridlocked parliament, unable to agree on anything. "marine le pen wants to be france's next president, and she holds some strong cards right now." she's gambling that any fresh chaos here will be blamed on this man, not her — president emmanuel macron. arriving in saudi arabia tonight, he's never looked so politically fragile. he may cling on to power, but his promise to strengthen the centre ground of french

politics is in trouble. andrew harding, bbc news, paris. in london, the holiday season is in the air. trafalgar square's christmas tree comes from norway every year. it's a tradition started in 19117 to recognise the uk's assistance to norway during the second world war. this year's tree is 20 metres tall and weighs around a ton. it'll be decorated and lit up in an official ceremony on december 5. to downing street, the tree lighting took place a little earlier. our prime minister sir keir starmer and his wife were joined by nhs workers and members of the palace, the police, rather, for the ceremony and decorations are also up at the white house in washington, dc including 83 christmas trees, 10,000 feet of

rubin, 28,000 ornaments and more than 165,000 lights. you can see they spared no expense on those decorations. thank you forjoining us and i'll be back shortly. that's all for now — stay with bbc news. hello, there. the rest of this week looks like one of two halves. we'll certainly have some quieter, colderweather for the next couple of days, with some decent spells of sunshine, could see some snow on the hills across the north through tuesday night, and then, as we push towards the end of the week, it turns milder, but very much wetter and windier, as deep areas of low pressure move in off the atlantic. so we're in this ridge of high pressure, though, for tuesday, and this wedge of colder air, as you can see on the airmass chart, so it will be a colder start for many for tuesday morning. very cold across scotland,

perhaps down to —7, —8 celsius over the highlands and the grampians, and there will be some freezing fog patches around. some fog patches further south, too, which may lift into low cloud, but for many, it'll be a dry and a sunny day, with light winds. but across south—west england, northern ireland, western scotland, we'll start to see a weather front pushing in, bringing outbreaks of rain and increasing breeze here, but for most, it stays dry through the day, but a cold one to come, temperatures struggling to get above freezing across scotland, to around four or five degrees in the south. but as that rain bumps into the cold air across scotland during tuesday evening, we could see a spell of fairly significant hill snow here, with some accumulations, and maybe some for northern england, the cumbrian fells, north wales, as we move through tuesday night. but as the weather front moves southwards and eastwards, it tends to fizzle out, so no more than a band of cloud, with a few showers across southern areas. but again, it's going to be another cold night to come, a touch of frost in there, and possibly some ice, too. so, wednesday, then, it should be a mostly dry day once again, thanks to a ridge of high pressure. so plenty of sunshine around, one or two showers around coastalareas, but later in the day, we'll start to see the next weather front arriving

across western areas. that will bring increasing cloud, breeze and also some rain, with temperatures lifting here, but another chilly day to come, elsewhere. it's all change, though, beyond wednesday. thursday, friday, we'll start to see a deep area of low pressure spread across the country, bringing a spell of very wet and windy weather, with widespread gales, and another one hot on its heels. so we'll see wet and windy weather early on thursday push its way eastwards, a bit of sunshine, then the wind, the rain, the gales start to build up again, as another system pushes in from the south west, but that'll be ushering in some milder air, with temperatures ranging from 10 to 1a or 15 degrees from north to south across the country. could see a spell of potentially very stormy weather friday night into saturday, this is certainly one to watch, and then for part two of the weekend, it'll turn colder but brighter once again. take care.

a usjudge once again rules that elon musk is not entitled to a record—breaking pay package. and as playstation turns 30, we look back at the console that revolutionised gaming. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. donald trump says he will block japan's nippon steel from taking over us steel, writing on social media he said it is totally against the once great

and powerful us steel being bought by a foreign company. nippon steel have been looking to close the $15 billion deal before the new president takes office in january. before the new president takes office injanuary. the attempted takeover has faced opposition from powerful us trade unions and the outgoing presidentjoe biden. more on this developing story when we get it. a usjudge has ruled that tesla ceo elon musk is still not entitled to a record—breaking pay package. it comes after months of legal wrangling, with shareholders approving the $56 billion compensation, and saying the ruling might lead musk to leave the electric vehicle company. the bbc�*s lilyjamali told me about the background this was a pay package worth 56 billion dollars which would have been the largest pay package for a ceo of a publicly traded company. it was awarded a couple of years ago and it was contingent on elon musk

meeting targets having to do with revenue and targets.