good morning, welcome to breakfast with sally nugent and jon kay. our headlines today. the syrian president, bashar al—assad, has fled the country and has reportedly sought asylum in russia after rebels take control sought asylum in russia of the capital damascus. sought asylum in russia there are scenes ofjubilation as people celebrate the end of decades of dictatorship. the bbc was the first western media to reach damascus — we'll speak live to our correspondent in the syrian capital. after storm darragh, commuters face delays and disruption as the clean—up operation continues. the rap starjay—z is accused of raping a 13—year—old girl at a party in the year 2000. he says the claims are idiotic and an act of blackmail. the impact of heading in football — campaigners call for more to be done to protect players from harm.

take £150, and a garden shed, and with a lot of ambition and hard work maybe you, too, could build a multi—million—pound clothing empire. we meet the brothers from bolton who did exactly that. chelsea on the charge they come out on top in a seven—goal thriller against tottenham as their expensively assembled squad show signs of clicking. good morning. after the disruption caused at the weekend by storm darragh, at the weekend weather is much quieter. a cold and frost it out of scotland and northern ireland but here we will see such an atrocity. milder in england and wales, cloudier, with some sunshine and blustery. it's monday 9th december. our main story. the president of syria, bashar al—assad, will be given asylum in russia, according to state media. he fled to moscow after rebels took control of the capital, damascus.

the un security council is expected to hold an emergency meeting later today to discuss the fall of assad's regime — which has been described by us president biden as a "fundamental act ofjustice" — but also a moment of risk. in a moment we'll speak to our correspondent lina sinjab, who's in damascus. but first, our middle east correspondent hugo bachega has this report. tears of happiness. gunshots celebrate the moment many in syria waited decades to see. they are free of the assad regime, and their country is at a turning point. it was an astonishing campaign by rebels. they advanced quickly. last week they took aleppo. 0n the weekend, homs. and in a matter of hours, they were in damascus. in some places, they faced no resistance.

the army was unable — and apparently unwilling — to stop them. this is the end of a brutal regime that didn't tolerate dissent. the assads crushed any kind of opposition. they killed, arrested and tortured their critics. when the rebels arrived in the capital, they went straight to a well—known prison to set the inmates free. this is their leader, abu mohammad al—julani — head of the islamist group hayat tahrir al—sham. he took a victory tour of damascus, visiting the historic umayyad mosque. my colleague was there for bbc arabic. a historic moment in every sense of the word. abu mohammad al—julani here for the first time in the great umayyad mosque. the rebel commander has been playing down past links to al-qaeda, saying he wants to build a syria for all its people.

the president fled as the rebels closed in, a statue of his father was pulled down, and his residence in damascus was stripped bare by looters. people carried what they could, without anyone to stop them. for assad himself, russian state media says he and his family are now in moscow, and that they will be granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. his fall is a major setback for his allies, russia and iran, but has been welcomed in the west. we will engage with all syrian groups, including within the process led by the united nations, to establish a transition away from the assad regime. we have taken note of statements by the leaders of these revolutionaries and they are saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility we will assess not just their words but their actions. syrians are hoping for peace, but they fear chaos and even more violence.

this is a fractured country. different groups with different goals control different areas. many are celebrating now, but the road ahead is farfrom clear. hugo bachega, bbc news, on the turkish—syrian border. the bbc is currently the only british broadcaster reporting inside damascus — with our middle east correspondent reporting inside damascus — with our middle east correspondent lina sinjab among the first to arrive in the syrian capital yesterday afternoon. and shejoins us now live from damascus. good morning. what is the situation like this morning as we are all waking up? like this morning as we are all waking up?— like this morning as we are all waking up? like this morning as we are all wakina-u? ., , , waking up? good morning. this is the earl hours waking up? good morning. this is the early hours of — waking up? good morning. this is the early hours of the _ waking up? good morning. this is the early hours of the morning _ waking up? good morning. this is the early hours of the morning here - waking up? good morning. this is the early hours of the morning here in - early hours of the morning here in damascus, 9am, a bright day and it is starting to pick up. there is little movement on the streets as we understand and it is not yet clear

whether today will be the day where life will go back to normal. yesterday was the big date for syrians, shops were closed, all public institutions were closed. people, most people were staying put at home, watching developments and waiting for what would happen next. todayis waiting for what would happen next. today is an assessment day to see if some businesses will come back to life, probably some of the supermarkets and shops will open for people as needs, but it is hard to tell at this moment whether public institutions are going to go back to operating, people expecting this will be a slow movement, that they will be a slow movement, that they will be a slow movement, that they will be some chaotic operation but hoping that things will be under control. ., ., ., , control. you were one of the very first journalists _ control. you were one of the very first journalists to _ control. you were one of the very first journalists to make - control. you were one of the very first journalists to make it - control. you were one of the very first journalists to make it inside | firstjournalists to make it inside syria yesterday. what was that moments like? it syria yesterday. what was that moments like?— moments like? it was really incredible. _ moments like? it was really incredible. in _ moments like? it was really incredible. in the _ moments like? it was really incredible. in the early - moments like? it was really | incredible. in the early hours moments like? it was really - incredible. in the early hours we

were at the lebanese crossing border among hundreds of syrians waiting for the board is to cross in, and as we moved ahead towards the syrian border it was like there was no government presence, no official customs duty control, they were empty. we crossed in easily. we were saying lots of rebels on the way, waving a welcome for us and we made it through, directly to the main square, where people and the rebels were celebrating. 0f square, where people and the rebels were celebrating. of course, you know, it was the first day of the announcement of the toppling of assad regime, people were excited and celebrating but there were others concerned about the chaos that will come and they are hoping that will come and they are hoping that they will be some sort of rule of law to ensure safety and stability in the country and that will be the big test for the opposition. will be the big test for the opposition-— they test in syria and the test for the international community is how foreign governments respond.

0ur political correspondent harry farley is in westminster. what has been the reaction so far from politicians in the uk? cautious su ort from politicians in the uk? cautious support from _ from politicians in the uk? cautious support from the — from politicians in the uk? cautious support from the prime _ from politicians in the uk? cautious support from the prime minister- from politicians in the uk? cautious support from the prime minister forj support from the prime minister for the downfall of the syrian regime. sir keir starmer is in the middle east by pure coincidence, on a visit to the uae and saudi arabia, just as the region goes through another major upheaval. he is there to discuss economics and we can expect this element and the situation in syria to feature much more prominently. in london last night scenes ofjubilation as syrians here the downfall of the regime but one of the key questions the uk government and other western governments is how to engage with the rebel group that has replaced bashar al—assad's government. hayat tahrir al—sham are set up as an affiliate of al-qaeda but has broken

ties. it remains a prescribed terrace —— grow terrorist group. keir starmer was asked if he would deal with the rebel group last night. he said it was early days. i welcome the fact that assad has gone. the syrian people had to put up with his brutal regime for far, far too long. we're talking to regional allies. it's very important now that there's a political settlement, a political way forward, and it's very, very important that we emphasise that civilians and minorities must be protected in this process. but very, very pleased that assad has fallen. the un already says that syria is the world's largest refugee crisis. secondly to avoid and widen my volatile situation the uk has already given £45 billion in aid, the largest ever contribution in aid from the uk government to any single

crisis. thirdly to avoid jihadist groups thriving, and you had the prime minister referring to minority groups. there are concerns from some that they could now be at risk. harry in westminster, thank you. we will keep an eye on the fast changing situation in syria throughout the programme. sally has more of the morning's news and still recovering after the terrible weather at the weekend. it may have eased off slightly but not everything is quite back to normal. railway operators are warning of more disruption and delays today, after storm darragh battered the country this weekend. 0ur reporter steve knibbs is outside cardiff central station for us. good morning. how things looking? morning. the good news is i have looked at the departure boards and it is a much better picture than it was over the weekend. engineers have been working, clearing hundreds of trees from the tracks. they were coping with floods and power cuts and fences being blown onto the line. there were also problems with

crews and trains being in the run place, logistical challenge to get back to normal. the good news is this morning there are a lot of roots back on. the advice is to always check your journey roots back on. the advice is to always check yourjourney before you leave this morning but in terms of in wales, there is confidence that the majority of the services east of swansea will run as normal. gwr expects to run trains between swansea and london, they still need to do several checks on the line, but there are pockets of the network that i still closed. all the information is on the national rail website, so the advice again, do check your journey before website, so the advice again, do check yourjourney before you leave this morning. in terms of the roads overnight the severn bridge, one of the main bridges licking with them wales reopened, and in terms of the power cuts, the latest information from the energy networks association was around 7pm yesterday, seeing 180,000 people still without power but we expect that to be a much improved situation this morning, so

after the damage of storm darragh, things are getting very much back to normal this morning and improving through the day. normal this morning and improving through the day-— normal this morning and improving through the day. the rapperjay—z has been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13—year—old girl alongside sean "diddy" combs at a party in the year 2000. the lawsuit — which was initially filed in october against mr combs — was refiled last night, naming his fellow rapper. both men deny the allegations. 0ur los angeles correspondent emma vardy�*s report does contain some flashing images. sean combs — also known as p diddy — has been facing a string of lawsuits accusing him of violence, drugging victims, sexual assault, and rape. a number of the claims have been made in connection with parties thrown by the hip—hop star. but now jay—z, the prominent rapper and billionaire entrepreneur, is the first celebrity to be accused in connection with cases involving sean combs. the woman, who has anonymity, says she was 13 when she was raped

by both the rappers at an awards afterparty in the year 2000. she says she began to feel drowsy after being given a drink at the event, and that she was raped by the two men in a nearby bedroom, before she ran out of the party. the civil lawsuit was previously filed against sean combs in october, but now jay—z — whose real name is shawn carter — has been added as a defendant. in a statement, jay—z called the civil lawsuit a blackmail attempt, and said the allegations are heinous. sean combs has denied all the allegations he is facing, and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him. he's currently in jail in new york, awaiting a criminal trial for sex trafficking next year. emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles. the welsh government will give more details this morning of proposed new legislation to tackle the serious risks posed by hundreds of disused mining tips. landslides caused by torrential rain have led to renewed fears over the safety of the disused sites. if passed, the bill would lead to the creation of a new organisation to inspect and manage

them in future. a man in his 40s has died and another was injured after a majorfire in cumbria. firefighters were called to the blaze in kirkby lonsdale early yesterday morning, with reception centres being set up nearby for those who had to leave their homes. the chancellor, rachel reeves, says she wants a relationship with europe built on mutual trust and respect, ahead of a meeting with her counterparts in the eu today. she'll be the first chancellor to attend the eurogroup talks since brexit. and after 149 shows across the world, taylor swift's record—breaking eras tour has finally come to an end. her last show in vancouver wrapped up what has become the highest—grossing musical tour in history. the concerts — which began in march 2023 — have racked up over $2 billion

in ticket sales, with fans' dancing at her shows triggering seismic events. i don't know what that means a. apparently a mini earthquake in seattle because they were bopping around so much. she's described the tour as "the most exhausting, all—encompassing, but most wonderful thing that has ever happened" in her life. i will be the only people who didn't go? i i will be the only people who didn't to? ~' ., i will be the only people who didn't to? ~ . i i will be the only people who didn't go?_ i think - go? i think we are. i think everybody _ go? i think we are. i think everybody does _ go? i think we are. i think everybody does micro - go? i think we are. i think everybody does micro we | go? i think we are. i think- everybody does micro we tried! an bod everybody does micro we tried! anybody else — everybody does micro we tried! anybody else went. _ everybody does micro we tried! anybody else went. after - everybody does micro we tried! anybody else went. after that i anybody else went. after that blustery weather _ anybody else went. after that blustery weather that - anybody else went. after that blustery weather that sally i anybody else went. after that l blustery weather that sally was talking about for many over the weekend, carol can tell us how the fresh week is looking. good morning. good morning. i good morning. lam good morning. i am glad to say it this week— good morning. i am glad to say it this week is — good morning. i am glad to say it this week is looking a lot quieter than _ this week is looking a lot quieter than it— this week is looking a lot quieter than it did — this week is looking a lot quieter than it did over the course of the weekend — than it did over the course of the weekend with storm darragh. high pressure _ weekend with storm darragh. high pressure building in, it will be dry. _ pressure building in, it will be dry, settled and colder, we will have _ dry, settled and colder, we will have frost _ dry, settled and colder, we will have frost and patchy fog, some freezing — have frost and patchy fog, some freezing. fairly cloudy across england _ freezing. fairly cloudy across england and wales this week. this morning. —

england and wales this week. this morning, that is a scenario. a lot of showers — morning, that is a scenario. a lot of showers coming in, some heavy today— of showers coming in, some heavy today come — of showers coming in, some heavy today come across the south—east and channel _ today come across the south—east and channel islands. we are also looking at gusty— channel islands. we are also looking at gusty winds. blustery winds generally across england and wales, brighter— generally across england and wales, brighter skies in the north. after a cold start— brighter skies in the north. after a cold start in— brighter skies in the north. after a cold start in scotland and northern ireiand, _ cold start in scotland and northern ireland, with some patchy freezing fo- ireland, with some patchy freezing fog in _ ireland, with some patchy freezing fog in the — ireland, with some patchy freezing fog in the west, that were left, we will see _ fog in the west, that were left, we will see sunshine. the cloud we currentiy — will see sunshine. the cloud we currently have across eastern scotland _ currently have across eastern scotland tending to break up. temperatures, only four in glasgow today— temperatures, only four in glasgow today but _ temperatures, only four in glasgow today but nine in plymouth. as we head _ today but nine in plymouth. as we head through the evening and overnight, underthe head through the evening and overnight, under the clear skies in scotland _ overnight, under the clear skies in scotland and northern ireland, it will he _ scotland and northern ireland, it will be cold, frosty. they will be some _ will be cold, frosty. they will be some freezing fog patches once again — some freezing fog patches once again for— some freezing fog patches once again. for england and wales, still quite _ again. for england and wales, still quite gusty winds across the south—east and the channel islands, with still— south—east and the channel islands, with still a _ south—east and the channel islands, with still a few showers. under this cloud, _ with still a few showers. under this cloud, temperatures holding up. overnight— cloud, temperatures holding up. overnight lows between three degrees and 7 degrees. could be as cold as -10 in _ and 7 degrees. could be as cold as -10 in parts — and 7 degrees. could be as cold as —10 in parts of the highlands. that's— —10 in parts of the highlands. that's where we'll start tomorrow with clear — that's where we'll start tomorrow with clear skies, mist and fog

patches — with clear skies, mist and fog patches tending to left, bit more cloud _ patches tending to left, bit more cloud in— patches tending to left, bit more cloud in the south. not as many showers — cloud in the south. not as many showers and not as windy as today, either _ showers and not as windy as today, either 0ur— showers and not as windy as today, either. ourtemperatures showers and not as windy as toda