live from london. this is bbc news. the syrian army says it has lost control of the key city of hama. rebel forces claim to have seized the city's prison, releasing hundreds of inmates. police in new york continue the hunt for the man — who shot dead the boss of one of the world's biggest health companies. they say shell casings found at the scene had words inscribed on them. michel barnier has resigned as prime minster of france after only three months in office. president macron is due to address the nation this evening. "country first, party second" — prime minister keir starmer unveils his �*plan for change�*,

setting out pledges on extra police officers, more housebuilding and fixing the health system. hello, i'm ben brown. let's bring you some significant developments from syria — where islamist rebels have made another breakthrough in their surprise offensive against the goverment and seized a second major city — hama. this footage shows rebels, entering the city — apparently unopposed. you can see rebels riding through the near—empty streets and being welcomed by cheering local people. the rebels then turn the cameras round and film themselves celebrating. the syrian army says the syrian army says it has now withdrawn it has now withdrawn its forces from hama — its forces from hama — effectively ceding control effectively ceding control there to the rebels. there to the rebels. the rebel campaign to seize the rebel campaign to seize the city began just two days ago and comes the city began just after their suprise capture of aleppo last week, of aleppo last week, which reignited the war which reignited the war

in syria. in syria. and these are the live pictures from new york, where un security council is meeting on syria. earlier today turkish president erdogan told united nations secretary general that the syrian government needed to rapidly engage with its people to achieve a political solution, and added turkey was working to de—escalate tensions. barbara plett usher is in beirut.

there the government did put up resistance, damascus sent reinforcements of soldiers to fight them off. and they have been fighting there over the past couple of days. but now they have managed to take the city. they have moved into hama. they have actually seized control of the prison there and released inmates. and the army said it was redeploying outside hama in order to prevent civilian casualties. so it seems to be another big retreat by the army and another big victory for the rebels. and that's really going to send shock waves through damascus. this city is on the road to damascus. and there is one other major strategic city, homs, in between hama and the capital. and the rebels have said they're going to move on to that city. let's speak to un deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the syria crisis, david carden — who hasjust led a mission to idlib in north—west syria meeting aid workers there.

what is the humanitarian pitch in syria at the moment? the humanitarian _ in syria at the moment? tue: humanitarian pitcher in syria at the moment? tte: humanitarian pitcher is in syria at the moment? he humanitarian pitcher is very grim, and where i was yesterday, it lived, already 3.5 million people displaced, 800,000 in tents after 13 years of conflict and the un has been running a cross—border humanitarian operation into idlib and aleppo, but what happened after the cessation of hostilities a week ago, an additional 100,000 people have fled their homes, and i went to idlib yesterday to assess the needs of colleagues and see how best we can respond to help them, and what they told me,

was that they were scared of air strikes, they said the health facilities had been hit. four hospitals were hit in one day in idlib as well as schools and a water station, and one man said he went to the market to buy food for his family, and 13 people were killed in an air strike. he was severely injured and he told me he was lucky to be alive. 50 and he told me he was lucky to be alive. . , and he told me he was lucky to be alive. ., , , .,, ., be alive. so many people have fled their _ be alive. so many people have fled their homes _ be alive. so many people have fled their homes during - be alive. so many people have fled their homes during the . fled their homes during the long years of the war in syria and now it seems to have flared up and now it seems to have flared up again, causing more misery to the civilian population. tt is causing huge misery for the civilian population, and what we are trying to do is help them, as best we can, and the doctors and nurses in the hospital i visited are doing a heroicjob, but the problem is,

they have not been paid in four months because of lack of funding, and you walk around the hospital and you feel cold, there's not enough money for there's not enough money for the heating. this isjust one of 80 hospitals that has had to cut services in recent weeks and months. so we need support for that. the people who are affected, ultimately they want to go home, they want safety and security but they do not feel as if they have it at the moment. so until then, they need support to meet their basic needs. i spoke to people in a reception area and they had received a humanitarian response, they had received mattresses and tents and blankets and cooking pots but they did not have fuel to enable them to support their heaters and to cook their food and there was a lack of latrines. the humanitarian response plan for syria for the

past year is about 30% funded and this is the lowest level. we requested just over $4 billion so we really urge our donors to step up and support us to enable this to help the most vulnerable right now. syria has been off the headlines for a while because we have been focusing on conflicts in ukraine and gaza and lebanon, and syria which was on the front pages, has not been recently, but now it is once again because of this rebel offensive, so your message to the outside world is, pay attention and give more help because the people really need it? ., , ., , help because the people really need it? . , . , . ., need it? that is a very clear message — need it? that is a very clear message and _ need it? that is a very clear message and thank- need it? that is a very clear message and thank you - need it? that is a very clear message and thank you for| message and thank you for helping me to deliver the message, and the other message is that we urge all parties to the conflict to comply with

international humanitarian law, and what that means is that civilians need to be protected, what we call civilian objects need to be projected, like hospitals, like schools —— need to be protected. and also humanitarian aid workers need to be protected. and also i think they deserve better, quite frankly, because they are doing their best to help the most vulnerable. t doing their best to help the most vulnerable.— doing their best to help the most vulnerable. i see some lines coming _ most vulnerable. i see some lines coming in _ most vulnerable. i see some lines coming in from - most vulnerable. i see some lines coming in from the - most vulnerable. i see some lines coming in from the un | lines coming in from the un secretary—general antonio rgerg terrace saying tens of thousands of civilians are at risk in syria —— antonio guterres. we need to do our part to calm the situation and to help the long—suffering people of syria, he says, those are the words of the un secretary—general. are you

surprised the fighting has flared up once again with the rebel offensive? we flared up once again with the rebel offensive?— flared up once again with the rebel offensive? we had heard about plans — rebel offensive? we had heard about plans and _ rebel offensive? we had heard about plans and everybody - rebel offensive? we had heardj about plans and everybody has been somewhat surprised by the speed of developments over the past week, it is a very fast moving environment, and we are committed to staying and delivering to help the most vulnerable people and we deliver our aid assistance break —— based on an assessment of need and the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality, but a key part is also protection. that is what i was talking about earlier. people need to be protected because ultimately what they want, they one humanitarian assistance for daily needs but what they really want is to return home in safety and security in the un secretary—general has already called for a cessation of

hostilities and we fully support him in that call. he has called _ support him in that call. he has called for _ support him in that call. he has called for all parties in the war, he says they are obligated to protect civilians, but thank you very much for your time and good luck with all of your work, david. your time and good luck with all of yourwork, david. tt is all of your work, david. it is very much _ all of your work, david. it is very much appreciated. - police in new york city are still hunting a gunman who shot dead the boss of one of the world's biggest healthca re companies. investigators say they've found one clue to who might have been responsible: the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" were carved into the shell casings recovered at the scene of the attack. this is the moment that 50—year—old brian thompson was fatally shot in the back and the leg in manhattan — close to times square. the suspect appeared to be

waiting for thompson, who ran united healthcare, outside the hilton hotel. the suspect then fled the scene on foot and was last seen riding an electric bike through central park. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik has the latest about the search. there are plenty of clues for investigators to comb through. you mentioned the latest kind of breaking one there. shell casings recovered on the scene had words written on them "defend, delay, depose." and those are a reference to tactics that are used by insurance companies in america to try to get out of paying for people's health care. their legitimate health claims. and so that may potentially offer some clues into a motive here. but investigators are also looking at cctv footage. the suspect was seen in a starbucks cafe before the shooting. they're using facial recognition technology

to try to identify him, even though he's wearing a mask, because they believe enough of his features were visible in that footage. they also say that he bought several items, including a protein bar, water, and then threw them away in a trash can. so they believe they have a coffee cup and that water bottle to scan for any dna evidence. also, ben, they're looking at a location in upper east side manhattan where the suspect may have been the night before the shooting. so lots of footage to comb through. there are drones, canines, combing every inch of this city to see where the suspect may have gone. but certainly this is an incident that has really captured the attention of so many here because of the circumstances in broad daylight in a touristy, safe area of manhattan. and also just the fact that this is an executive of one of the country's largest

companies, largest insurers. and certainly there has been a lot of talk about the insurance industry in this country and what this may mean if the motive is related to that. yeah, because i mean, although america is, you know, kind of used to gun violence in some ways, you could argue, but this sort of targeted assassination of a very senior business executive, pretty rare. absolutely. in this part of manhattan, in this kind of targeted fashion, extremely rare. it has really kind of made this murder mystery quite something that people want to see how it will be solved, what will have been the reason behind it. people, you know, on the internet looking at if the shooter was kind of a trained assassin and somebody who was actually just disgruntled by having perhaps insurance claims denied, looking at what were the circumstances around this. but for people who knew

brian thompson, his family, his co—workers, they have put out statements describing him as such a lovely individual and one that they are shocked to have lost in this way. now to the political turmoil in france — where president macron will address the nation in a few hours time. it follows michel barnier�*s resignation as prime minister, after his government was toppled in a no—confidence motion on wednesday evening. this is mr barnier arriving at the elysee palace to see president macron who only appointed him prime minister three months ago. he's the first french prime minister to be forced out like this in more than 60 years. his government collapsed after mps of both left and right voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him, after he had had used special powers to force through his budget without a vote.

well, the constitution means there can't be another general election in france untiljuly next year, so for the moment politics and government seem to be in a state of some paralysis. 0ur correspondent mark lowenjoined me earlier to talk about the pressure president macron is now facing. i mean, he has said that his intention is absolutely to see out the rest of his presidential term. which would be until the next presidential election in 2027. he says he has no intention of standing down. but you're right, i mean, there is a lot of anger against him and a lot of people who feel that he is the person who has brought this country to a state of complete division and stasis. now, so far, we'vejust had a very short statement from the elysee palace behind me saying that president macron accepted the resignation of now outgoing prime minister michel

barnier, and says that michel barnier will only lead a government that conducts day to day business over the next few days, we assume, until a successor is appointed. now, will president macron name his chosen successor in this evening address tonight? we just simply don't know. he will speak during at 8pm, which is the time that there is the evening news here in france. so it's prime time. he may say, you know, i've listened and i'm going to take some time to name a successor, or he mightjust come out and name one. he is under real pressure, though, to act fast, given the political turmoil and economic instability that is happening in this country. we will have more from mark in the coming hours as we hear from president macron. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

here, the prime minister

keir starmer has set out what he�*s calling labour�*s �*plan for change�* — setting out the goals for his government to achieve. it focuses on six specific areas — with promises on improving living standards, shortening healthcare waiting lists, speeding up the transition to clean energy, housing, policing, and doing more to make children ready for school when they enter their reception year. 0pposition parties say it�*s a desperate relaunch, just months into office. 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. if i keep coming back here, i could be the nextjames bond. well, like 007, the prime minister certainly knows about targets. he was at pinewood film studios where dense, lengthy novels are turned into something altogether more eye—catching. in that spirit, the five sprawling missions for government, which labour set out in opposition, have been condensed into six targets, or milestones, to underline what the government is for. the purpose of this government is to make our public services and our economy work

for working people. the job of these milestones is to take our country forward, drive reform through the public sector. it is not about making the government look good. so, yes, they are risky for us. country first, party second. by focusing on living standards, the health service, policing, housing and early years education, labour insiders say they�*re prioritising policies which people will be able to feel in their pockets and see in their local communities. but the prime minister also emphasised the government would not let existing planning rules stand in the way of big new projects. we will send a very clear message to the nimbys, to the regulators, blockers, bureaucrats, the alliance of naysayers, the people who say, "no, britain can�*t do this. "we can�*t get things done in our country." we say to them, you no longer have the upper hand, britain says "yes."

keir starmer was asked what had happened to some of his previous pledges, including securing the borders. immigration and control of immigration must be delivered, that is a foundational principle that any government must do. so that�*s clear, then. back at westminster, the liberal democrats suggested keir starmer�*s milestones could be on the road to nowhere, while the conservatives said that back at westminster, the liberal democrats suggested keir starmer�*s milestones could be on the road to nowhere. this is a government that broke its promise to pensioners, broke its promises to businesses, to working people, to farmers, the list goes on. it is all very well them coming up with a bunch of pledges today, but they have a track record of not doing what they say they will do, so why should we listen to them now? keir starmer has set out his priorities up until the next election

but by implication it means some other policies will now be put in the political slow lane. a couple who buried their 3—year—old son in their back garden have been convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child. its believed abiyah yahsarahyalah died from starvation — his remains were found at their former family home in birmingham in 2022. 0ur correspondent phil mackie — who is at coventry crown court — has been following the story for us. he gave this update. en plex and tragic case involving the death of a

this is a complex case and a very tragic one because it involves the test of the young child and missed opportunities to intervene before and after he died. his remains were found in a shallow grave in birmingham probably two years after his death, and also a child who was lost to the system, and we have just had the verdict come through, guilty of allowing the death of child and cruelty as well and also perverting the course of justice. this was the yashir ayala�*s arrest in december 2022. he made sure his wife was filming as he was screaming. there was also a young child living in the cramped, squalid space. they were all so badly malnourished they could barely walk. leave now! if they hadn�*t been taken to hospital, at least one of them may have died. i�*m a disabled person that can�*t hardly move. the child who we can�*t identify survived and is being cared for. the couple had been living off grid in a caravan in somerset, relying on charity handouts. during questioning, they revealed they�*d

also had a son, abiyah, who�*d died two years earlier and been buried in the garden of theirformer home in birmingham. his remains were found in this shallow grave. while they lived in the house, the couple were constantly posting increasingly bizarre videos of themselves, but tellingly, none of their son. the man was studying medical genetics at university when, because of online conspiracy theories, he rejected modern medicine. along with his partner, he withdrew from society. their beliefs mixed west african religion with new age mysticism, and the couple practised an extreme form of veganism. it�*s been impossible to establish the exact cause of abiyah�*s death, but experts said he probably starved because he wasn�*t getting enough nourishment. no one could get through to them. they became aggressive and defensive whenever challenged. he is an extremely arrogant man who placed himself as the head of a fictional country, to the extent that they�*d even made their own passports. such was the extent

of their delusion. and there�*s only one disciple, as she described herself, was naomi. being abiyah�*s mother, who i think is an incredibly weak minded individual and has gone along with whatever he�*s said. one of the many tragedies in this case is that there were lots of people raising concerns about what was going on inside the house. neighbours confronted the family. the police visited on a number of occasions, but there was no intervention and abiyah died and was buried in the garden without anyone knowing. do you have a child? none of your business. my child is none of your business. in 2021, the police did try to find abiyah. by then, he was already dead. but they left without finding his makeshift grave. that�*s not your business. there was a mix up later when they checked records, and so the case wasn�*t followed up. it�*s an incredibly sad case. it�*s incredibly harrowing to think of the medical evidence that we�*ve heard at court, to think about how

much pain abiyah would have been in. and my heart goes out to abiyah. and the fact that there was opportunities to save him, um, and he wasn�*t saved. by the time they were stopped, their second child was also severely ill. a safeguarding review is being carried out to see whether procedures can be improved. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham. film awards season is underway and wicked has been named best movie of the year by the national board of review in the us. the blockbuster based on the musical wicked has only been out for a few weeks, but this award puts it in the running for an oscar nomination and a nod at the golden globes nominations on monday. the national board said wicked represents the pure magic that movies can bring to audiences. amongst the other awards — best actor went to daniel craig for his performance in queer.

whilst nicole kidman took best actress for babygirl, in which she plays a high—ranking executive who has a romance with an intern. plenty to come including the political crisis in france. hello there! today we�*ve had another dose of rain and gusty winds too, sweeping in from the atlantic. things will get worse though for the start of the weekend. this is where we see storm darragh arriving, named by the met office. the biggest impacts will come from the strength of the wind, though there�*s still the risk of flooding with more rain and there�*ll be some snow over the scottish hills for a while. this is where darragh is developing in the middle atlantic from this area of cloud here. now ahead of that, we�*ve had this cloud bringing the rain across the uk,

moving quite quickly thanks to gusty winds. so it�*s heading out of the way overnight. skies will clear. there�*ll be a few showers for a while, but generally skies are going to be clearing and it will be a cooler night tonight. shouldn�*t be too cold because there�*s still a bit of a breeze through the night. greatest risk of a touch of frost will be across some eastern parts of scotland. things will be a little bit quieter for the start of tomorrow with some early sunshine, but it�*s not going to stay that way because very quickly, actually, it�*s going to cloud over from the west and as storm darragh approaches this is where we see the winds starting to pick up as this rain comes into western areas as well. now it�*s a mild day today. temperatures tomorrow are not going to be as high, around about 7 to 9 degrees, but it�*s on friday night that the winds really start to pick up everywhere as the centre of the storm tracks across the uk, bringing rain but also that snow over the scottish hills. now, as the centre of the storm moves out into the north sea, it�*s then, as we move into saturday, that the winds really strengthen even further, particularly across the western side of the uk. we�*ve got this amber wind warning from the met office. these areas throughout much of saturday, actually, from the early hours onwards,

could see damaging gusts of 70 to 80 miles an hour and some disruption is likely as well. it is going to be a windy day everywhere. we�*ve got these showers or longer spells of rain rotating around the centre of the storm, which is by this stage out into the north sea, and there could be a bit more snow over the scottish mountains, but it will be windy everywhere. i think on saturday the winds may start to ease in the afternoon across these western areas, but really pick up around some of those north sea coasts and those temperatures aren�*t changing too much. on saturday, again, around 6 to 9 degrees. looks like it�*s going to be windy on sunday as well. the storm is going to start to move away. some windy weather on sunday, just not quite as windy. and then the high pressure will build for the start of next week.

bitcoin bonanza — prices surge over 100 thousand dollars as president elect trump picks a crypto friendly candidate to run the top us financial watchdog. and — more oil in the the pipeline — but not yet. 0il producing nations agree to keep production cuts in place until april — amid uncertainty about the global economy — and the incoming trump administration welcome to business today. i am ben thompson.