an he is not a jihadist fighter, an islamist— he is not a jihadist fighter, an islamist extremist, despite his past connection— islamist extremist, despite his past connection with al-qaeda. his problem — connection with al-qaeda. his problem is that a lot of syrians don't believe him. also tonight, sir keir starmer defends the government's decision not to pay compensation to women adversely affected by rises to the state pension age. in france, as the rape trial of gisele pelicot draws to a close, we speak to the daughter of one of the 50 men accused of attacking her. we are being shot at by a gang memberfrom that we are being shot at by a gang member from that direction. we have a special report from haiti, a country where armed gangs rule the streets. chris and dianne! and after lifting the strictly glitterball, chris mccausland tells us how he hopes his victory will help change attitudes towards people with disabilities. on newsnight at 10.30pm tonight, we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day, with big interviews and our regular

panel of newsnighters — and of course, look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. the head of the most powerful group in the rebel alliance now in control in syria has told the bbc the country is exhausted by war and isn't a threat to its neighbours, or the west. ahmed al—sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled president bashar al assad less than two weeks ago. he's the leader of the hayat tahrir al sham, or hts group of rebels. in recent days, he's been trying to allay fears that a new government might restrict the rights of women, and he says the group is no longer linked to al-qaeda. many syrians, however, are sceptical. well, ahmed al—sharaa has been speaking tojeremy bowen, who's live in damascus

for us tonight. thanks, clive. ahmed al—sharaa has a long history as a jihadist fighter and in fact as a senior leader going back to the insurgency against the americans in iraq 20 years ago. so he has form. he says he has changed, breaking with al-qaeda in 2016, and he presents his organisation is an islamist group, but nationalist and tolerant of serial�*s other faiths. but as we have been hearing, people are sceptical about all of that. to talk to the bbc, he invited us to one of the symbols of the old the de facto leader of syria, ahmed al—sharaa, chose to do the interview in the presidential palace built by the assads. he told me he wasn't

surprised that the old regime collapsed so quickly. syrians, he said, needed to keep calm to tackle all the problems they face. you've made a lot of promises, you've said you will respect the mosaic of different sectarian groups here in syria, minorities as well. are you going to keep those promises? translation: the syrian . population has lived together for thousands of years. we're going to discuss all of it. we're going to have dialogue and make sure everyone is represented. the old regime always played on sectarian divisions, but we won't. we were welcomed in all the big cities by all the sects. i think the revolution can contain everybody. so this isn't going to be some kind of a caliphate, or you're not going to make syria into a country like afghanistan? because you know there are people who say that maybe you want to behave

like the taliban. translation: there are many differences between syria and the taliban. the way we govern is different. afghanistan is a tribal community. syria is completely different. the peoplejust don't think in the same way. the syrian government and their ruling system will be in line with syria's history and culture. 50 will be in line with syria's history and culture-— will be in line with syria's history and culture. . ., . and culture. so the culture of syria includes rights _ and culture. so the culture of syria includes rights for _ and culture. so the culture of syria includes rights for women, - and culture. so the culture of syria includes rights for women, it - includes rights for women, it includes rights for women, it includes education for women, it includes education for women, it includes tolerance for people drinking alcohol? is that all acceptable to you? drinking alcohol? is that all accetable to ou? �* ,, �* ~ acceptable to you? translation: when it comes to women's _ acceptable to you? translation: when it comes to women's education, - acceptable to you? translation: when it comes to women's education, of- it comes to women's education, of course. we have had universities in idlib for more than eight years. i think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%. find universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there _ universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there are _ universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there are many—

universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there are many things - universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there are many things i l alcohol? there are many things i 'ust don't alcohol? there are many things i just don't have _ alcohol? there are many things i just don't have the _ alcohol? there are many things i just don't have the right - alcohol? there are many things i just don't have the right to - alcohol? there are many things i just don't have the right to talk l just don't have the right to talk about, because they are legal issues. there will be a syrian committee of legal experts to write a constitution. they will decide, and any ruler or president will have to follow the law.— to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues _ to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues that _ to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues that you _ to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues that you face. - to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues that you face. first l to follow the law. let's talk about | wider issues that you face. first of all, this country is broken. there is a massive amount of destruction. the economy is destroyed. there are huge debts. how do you begin to start dealing with all of that when the country is under sanctions and when major powers around the world and the united nations say that you are the leader of a terrorist group? that's a political classification. we haven't committed any crimes that justify calling us a terrorist group. in the last 1a years, we haven't targeted any civilians or civilian areas or civilian targets.

i understand some countries will be worried by that designation, but it's not true. now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted, because they were targeted at the old regime. the victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way. ahmed al—sharaa struck me as a highly intelligent and politically sophisticated man, and like a lot of politicians, he seemed reluctant often to give a straight answer to a straight question. sol often to give a straight answer to a straight question. so i don't necessarily think he is immediately going to be reassuring all of the doubters. i spoke to the un special envoy to syria today, and he said, give them three months. that's the period of the interim government. give them the benefit of the doubt until then. give them the benefit of the doubt untilthen. of give them the benefit of the doubt until then. of course, give them the benefit of the doubt untilthen. of course, he give them the benefit of the doubt until then. of course, he also made the point that it has only been 12 days since they took over this

country. days since they took over this count . g , �* ., country. jeremy bowen, live in damascus _ sir keir starmer has defended the government's decision not to pay compensation to the group of women adversely affected by rises to the state pension age. he says taxpayers "couldn't afford" the £10.5 billion bill. the group is known as the waspi women, which stands for women against state pension inequality, and they argue that more than 3.5 million women born in the 19505 lost out because they weren't properly informed about the changes. here's chris mason. when i turned on the radio this morning, there was anger pouring out of the speakers. it's deeply offensive and deeply patronising. i did take responsibility, but someone else moved the goalposts. absolutely disgusting. three years of pension for me, that would have been £30,000. the anger and the questions... have you betrayed the waspi women, prime minister? followed keir starmer to parliament.

an independent report concluded millions of women were not properly informed that the state pension age was going up and deserved compensation for that. the government said sorry, but said no to handing over any money, despite the impression that the prime minister and others had left in opposition. he lined up for many photos with waspi women saying he'd have their backs, and he has just betrayed them in the scandalous way possible. anger opposite the prime minister and on his own side too. we did promise them that we would give them justice. does the prime minister really understand how let down waspi women feel today? i do understand the concern, of course i do. i set out the history, mr speaker, but the research is clear that 90% of those impacted did know about the change. and in those circumstances, the taxpayer simply can't afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds of compensation,

but i do understand the concerns. some campaigners dispute that 90% figure. neither labour nor the conservatives promised compensation in their election manifestos, but labour had done before, and frequently expressed their support for the campaign. for years, the prime minister and his cabinet played politics with the waspi women. the deputy prime minister said conservatives were stealing their pensions. she promised to compensate them in full — another broken promise. now they admit we were right all along. here was the now chancellor four years ago, and the deputy prime minister two years ago. oh, and the prime minister too, photographed with anne potter, who i talked to earlier on politics live. i have to say, i am so disappointed in this current labour party,

because they led us up the garden path. they gave us the information that "oh, yes, we want to support you," they signed our pledges, they showed interest, and at the end of the day, when i heard that announncement yesterday, which came out of the blue, i was absolutely flabbergasted. the problem for the government here is that this all amounts to a spectacular failure of expectation management. the campaign thought sir keir starmer was on their side, and now realise he wasn't. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. the rate of inflation has risen for the second month in a row, with prices going up at their fastest rate since march. it's up from 2.3% to 2.6%, with fuel and clothing among the main drivers. faisal islam is here with all the details. thanks, clive. interest rate decision tomorrow

and inflation numbers today, with a sense that the british economy is leaving this year with a whimper rather than a bang, growth dipping and this is what has happened with inflation. it's ticked up in november, though not as high as during the energy shock, but it's forecast to stay around 3% most of next year. at 2.6% this is now again the highest in the industrialized g7 nations, though we're waiting forjapan 5 numbers — they re expected to be similar. but the headline way we measure the cost of living doesn t include for many the biggest cost — living in a house or flat, and separate figures showed rent rises near their all time high for the uk, up above 9% over the past year. that includes an actual record for england driven by london and the north west, up at double digits. tonight, in the us, there was a further interest rate cut, but there have been some significant

falls in global stock markets because it looks like there will now be fewer rate cuts there next year than expected. and the question for tomorrow's uk rate decision is if we get a similar message here on fewer cuts next year, though few expect a rate cut in britain tomorrow. in france, the trial of 50 men accused of raping a 72—year—old grandmother, and encouraged to do so by her husband, is expected to end tomorrow. gisele pelicot has been praised for waiving her right to anonymity and standing up to her alleged abusers in court. her husband, dominique, has admitted that over ten years, he recruited men online to rape his wife after he'd drugged her with prescription sleeping pills. here's andrew harding. it all happened here, in a quiet village in southern france. a retired electrician, dominique pelicot, was experimenting with drugging his wife gisele, putting her to sleep. over the years, the drugs made her increasingly sick.

she believed that she had a brain tumour, and for ten years, she's been going from one doctor to the other without knowing what was happening to her. in fact, her husband was contacting local men online, inviting these strangers at night into the couple's bedroom and filming them as they abused gisele's drunk and unconscious body. and filming them as they abused gisele's drugged and unconscious body. it is possibly one of the most shocking aspects of this case, how easily he found 50, maybe 100 men in the neighbouring area, willing to participate in this. it's harrowing to think about. because it suggests that it's everywhere? yes. so, who were these local men? we've seen them in masks outside the court. the french police eventually identified 50 of them and put them on trial alongside dominique pelicot.

one man hasjust agreed to meet me anonymously, his daughter speaking here on his behalf, arguing that her father thought the couple had both consented. translation: he did not understand how this could have happened. he was tricked by dominique pelicot. but your father admits that he raped her, he raped gisele pelicot. translation: yes, but not intentionally. maybe he should be punished. he should have realised, but ten years is too much. it's unfair. but dominique pelicot said the others were as guilty as him. i'm a rapist, like the others in this courtroom. they knew everything. and then, crucially, came the grotesque videos filmed by dominique pelicot, hard evidence that is so rare in rape trials. in the video, you can hear gisele pelicot snoring, so it's absolutely obvious

that she is sleeping. and for the defendants, it's very complicated for them to defend themselves and to pretend, "well, i didn't rape her", with this kind of proof. it is here in this courtroom that dominique pelicot will soon learn his fate. he will be sitting in the blue chair there as usual, surrounded by all the other accused. the prosecution is asking for 20 years for pelicot and ten for many of the other men. but in so many ways, this trial is really no longer about the accused. instead, it is gisele pelicot who has quietly taken centre stage, an inspiration to so many women. it doesn't take, you know, a lawyer. it doesn't take a minister, it doesn't take a government official to make an impact for women's rights. itjust takes a woman with guts. gisele pelicot could have

remained anonymous. instead, she embraced a public role, the victim who refused to feel shame. andrew harding, bbc news, avignon. a 19—year—old, who was filmed inhaling laughing gas before crashing his car and killing three of his friends, has been jailed for nine years. thomasjohnson was driving at almost 100 miles an hour, when he hit a tree in oxfordshire, killing elliot pullen, daniel hancock and ethan goddard. a criminology student has been convicted of murder and attempted murder, after stabbing two women he didn't know on bournemouth beach last may. the jury at winchester crown court was shown cctv footage of amie gray and herfriend leanne miles being attacked late at night by nasen saadi, who's 20 and from south london. the prosecution said it seemed he "wanted to know what it would be like to take a life". here's duncan kennedy.

amie gray lived for football and family. head coach, team leader, inspiration. she'd never met nasen saadi, but in may this year, he decided he wanted to find out what it was like to kill someone. he randomly went to bournemouth beach and is seen here lurking near amie and herfriend, leanne miles, chatting by a fire. saadi first goes past them, then turns back, and then went over and stabbed them, killing amie and seriously wounding leanne. saadi's planning for this took on incredible detail. he researched how police dealt with dna evidence, whether hotels in bournemouth had cctv cameras, and whether it was easier to run across pebble beaches or sandy beaches. in police interviews, saadi had denied any involvement. i'm only accused of mistaken identity.

today, saadi was found guilty of murder and attempted murder. a police officer gave amie's family reaction. amie will never be forgotten. she touched the lives of so many. the immense support and love shown by everyone reflects just that. amie's life has been brutally taken, but now she can rest in peace. amie's team—mates tonight paid their own tribute to her in this poignant video. she has given us something that is now irreplaceable in my life, so i think we all feel the same. she is irreplaceable. saadi will be sentenced to life imprisonment in march, his desire to kill the source of misery and loss for two innocent friends. duncan kennedy, bbc news. victoria's in the chair for newsnight, coming up over on bbc two shortly. tonight we hear from the

tonight we hearfrom the mother of tonight we hear from the mother of a young girl who was operated on by a now disgraced surgeon at the world—famous great ormond street hospital. it world-famous great ormond street hosital. , . , . ., hospital. it is really important for other peeple _ hospital. it is really important for other peeple to — hospital. it is really important for other people to know _ hospital. it is really important for other people to know what - hospital. it is really important for other people to know what has i other people to know what has happened, to understand if they are being _ happened, to understand if they are being gassed lighted as well that they are — being gassed lighted as well that they are not alone, that this is what _ they are not alone, that this is what is — they are not alone, that this is what is going on.— they are not alone, that this is what is going on. jodie says had senior managers _ what is going on. jodie says had senior managers at _ what is going on. jodie says had senior managers at the - what is going on. jodie says had senior managers at the hospital acted sooner on concerns of whistle—blowers, herfamily acted sooner on concerns of whistle—blowers, her family wouldn't have suffered. that is newsnight at half past ten on bbc two and iplayer. haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth, with the capital, port au prince, largely controlled by criminal gangs. despite the deployment of an international security force to help restore peace, there's been a recent upsurge in gang violence, especially following the resignation of the country 5 third prime minister this year. a bbc team has travelled to port au prince, and while they were there, one gang alone killed almost 200 civilians. nawal al—maghafi, producer jasmin dyer and cameraman

jack garland's report contains graphic images some viewers may find distressing. downtown port—au—prince. now the scene of daily street fighting between gangs vying for control. once one of the city's most populated areas, it's now a ghost town. we're with the kenyan police on a patrol. they're here to support the haitian forces, as part of a multinational response to restore law and order. it's not long before we come under fire. gunfire. we're being shot a gang member from that direction, so the guys... ourjust our just retaliating. and then this. a human body burning in the middle of the street. we're on our way to meet the leader of one of the most

prominent gangs here, filming ourjourney under cover. reynold estina, notorious for kidnapping, is wanted by the fbi. your gang and gangs like yours have spread terror across the city. you have raped people, you have killed people. translation: when we capture an enemy, we are celebrating i a victory, so sometimes the group gets excited. they capture somebody and they do things they weren't supposed to do with them, because when it's been the other way round, they would have done the same to us. gang warfare has driven 700,000 people out of their homes, to overcrowded schools like these where sexual violence and drug use is rife. this is the third place negosiat has had to make home. she tells me she's too afraid to sleep here. she stays up to watch over her five children. translation: my neighbourhood was taken over by gangs. - i left and went to live in solino for safety.

today, again, i am on the run to save my life and my children. the violence is escalating, a clear sign the kenyan strategy is failing. 2,500 personnel were due to be deployed but only 400 are here. they tell us they're making progress and take us to see a former police station that they've now retaken. but the area is still surrounded by gang snipers. the police fire some warning shots. they can shoot from here. so just that building over there, the red with the blue, is where the snipers are shooting at you? you heard the shot? yeah. stay down now. the violence permeates every stage of life here. shayna is two years old. she, like 760,000 children in haiti, is starving. translation: i would like my kids to be able to eat -

bread, even if i can't. i would like to get proper care for my child, too. i don't want to lose her. but as the situation here continues to deteriorate, haiti risks losing an entire generation. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news, port—au—prince, haiti. nearly 60,000 homes in and around southampton, are without water because of a fault at a supply works. water stations have been set—up to provide bottled water, and more than 20 schools have been forced to close. southampton general hospital has also been affected. southern water says the problems, could last into the weekend. a record number of children in england, around 160,000, are currently having to live in temporary accomodation with theirfamilies, provided by local councils. but often the homes, b&bs and hotels are unsuitable, with children living in shocking conditions. now the government has set out how

it intends to spend £1 billion, designed to prevent and deal with homelessness, to tackle what ministers are calling the worst housing crisis in living memory. michael buchanan has the story. imagine cooking in this kitchen, in this house you didn't choose, when you have to live with this. i have to spray this house every morning. i have a lot of this, different types of it, to spray all the house before my kids start coming downstairs to eat their breakfast. this is how i live. the family were made homeless in april after their landlord sold the house they were in. they were placed here in west london by the local authority, enfield council. ok, let's go. you know we don't have much time. it's called temporary accommodation, and it's 25 miles from the children's school. this journey is the helljourney, and we've been late

to school all the time. the driving almost always falls to fauzia, as her husband's at work. where i live now, it takes me almost two hours to get to work. where they now live means mohammad has to get up shortly after midnight to start his shift at 3am, delivering doughnuts. while her children are at school, fauzia sometimes parks up and sits for six hours, unable to drive any more. it's affecting everyone in the house, because now they are missing, like, their childhood, everything. they can't do any activities. returning home, of course, is not appealing. there is mould and damp, the windows don't shut, and flies and maggots aplenty — problems the family have regularly reported to the council and the letting agent. but the biggest issue is the broken drainage system that repeatedly spews sewage into the bathroom.

as i've been standing here, the excrement in the toilet bowl has risen noticeably and it's in danger of overflowing again. there is also excrement in the shower and on the floor, and the smell is just unbearable. it's like a garbage chute but, like, i somewhere that we have to live in. so this smell is here... yeah. ..and you cook in here? yeah. and for all this, the rent is over £2,500 per month. all the time, i'm crying. the journey home often takes the family more than two hours. i get tired, and then when i get tired, i take a shower, - then i go to sleep immediately. i don't even get time to do my homework. i sometimes i get detentions as well for not doing homework. _ we contacted enfield council about the family, and within 48

hours, they'd been rehoused. the council apologised, saying they thought the drainage problem had been resolved by the letting agent. the new property is closer to school, fit to live in, but still not a permanent home. michael buchanan, bbc news. two nasa astronauts who went for an eight—day stay to the international space station lastjune and have been stuck there ever since, have been told they won't be able to return to earth, until march at the earliest. sunita williams and butch wilmore were left stranded for six months, because the boeing starliner capsule they arrived on was unfit to return them to earth. the comedian chris mccausland made history last weekend, becoming the first blind person not only to take part in strictly but to win it. and he dedicated lifting the glitter ball to his dance partner dianne buswell, and to anyone who's ever doubted themselves.

he's been speaking to noor nanji. the moment of victory... chris and dianne! chris mccausland, strictly�*s first ever blind contestant, getting his hands on the glitterball trophy. after three months of tangos, salsas and foxtrots, finally time to rest those sore feet. chris, you've had a few days sleep now. how are you feeling? i'm still aching. i still haven't recovered fully. everyone was completely blown away by your dance moves. how did you learn the routines? often i would have to get on my hands and knees and feel her feet and feel her legs and see what she wanted me to do. chris and dianne were among 15 couples at the start, but they quickly impressed, including with the blackout dance moment, which went viral on social media. the blackout wasn't really to put dianne into the dark, it was to put the audience into the dark and the viewers into the dark. i never expected dancing to be emotional. i didn't expect people to be moved

and for people to cry. i didn't expect to cry on it. there has been some controversy surrounding strictly. did you have any reservations in taking part? i think the bbc have gone out of their way to listen to what has happened and try and make it as, you know, create a supportive environment. i had no problems but you can't get away from the fact that it is hard. chris was praised throughout the series for defying expectations of what a blind person could achieve on the dance floor, but he says he doesn't think blind people need inspiring. for me, it's not being a role model to people with disabilities, it's changing other people's, everybody else's attitudes to what is possible. raising people's expectations because that is where the difference is. noor nanji, bbc news. and if you want to continue watching the bbc news at 10pm, please turn over to bbc one, or you can watch on iplayer. next, it's newsnight.