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this is bbc world news america. protesters take place -- take to the streets -- to the streets in georgia over the second night of the government suspending moves to join the european union. violence in syria near the city of aleppo. and a restored notre dame preparest to open its doors five years after a fire ravaged to gothic cathedral. welcome to world news america, people are back on the streets of georgia's capital demonstrating against government plans to delay talks to join the european union. thousands of protesters gathered -- waving e.u. flags and have refused a police order to disperse. critics say that the ruling georgia dream party is trying to

move away from the e.u. and closer to russia. more than 100 diplomats and civil servants signed a letter arguing that the government's decision does not meet strategic interests. the prime minister stands by it accusing me e.u. of blackmail after they saw light -- cited irregularities. this comes after police used pepper spray and water can into disperse demonstrators on thursday. 43 protesters have been arrested. let us go straight to georgia and joining me now is steve rosenberg. you are there on the ground and what have protesters been saying and what is their message for the georgian government? steve: well, the protesters that we spoke to were absolutely furious that the georgian government had decided to suspend at least until 2028 georgia's bed to join the euro -- bid to join the european euro -- union.

they were claiming that the georgian government is in the pay of the kremlin. a lot of anger, and that is the georgian parliament behind me. there were thousands of people there earlier tonight. the police have dispersed the most of the crowd, not everyone. the bangs are fireworks being set off by some of the protesters down the road. we were very close to the water cannon when they started firing. what are clearly mixed with some kind of pepper spray, you could file. most of the protesters seem to be have -- seem to have been dispersed by the police. carl: the second night of these demonstrations. what is the sense about the situation starting to get out of hand? steve: it is unclear where things go from here. the protesters that we spoke to

said they are determined to keep going on to the streets to demand a european future. you have to remember that the aspiration to join the european union is enshrined in the georgian constitution. for more than 20 years, people were told by the authorities that they were moving along a path towards western integration into joining nato and the european union. and now, the current government has said that that is all on hold for the next four years. that is what sparked anger. the people on the streets are a lot of young people believe that juror -- georgia has a european country and future. and they were accusing their governments of turning away from the west and looking moscow. carl: about 30 seconds left. you were mentioning russia. how does all of that impact the

wider region and russia's position in europe? steve: i think it is clear that russia wants to assert its influence and regain influence that it once had in what moscow considers to be its own backyard. there is no doubt about that. we see what is happened in the ukraine, the last three years of war. and most observers would tell you that moscow is trying through various means to regain influence in other places. for example, georgia and moldova. carl: steve rosenberg in georgia. thank you. rebel forces have breached syria's second largest city on the third day of a surprise offensive. it is the first time opposition fighters have entered aleppo since being forced out in 2016. after launching this on wednesday, the islamist group

and its allies said that it aimed to deter aggression while accusing syria's government of escalation. government officials are working to regain towns in the provinces attacked on thursday. the bbc verified team have been tracking the situations. >> we have been tracking the force it -- the advance towards aleppo in northern syria by looking at footage posted on social media. this is a medio -- a video that shows military vehicles moving along the road. it was a media outlet affiliated with a rebel group. it was posted on telegram with the caption "starting to enter the city of aleppo." and we confirm the location on the western edge of the city. see some the vehicles here. another video we verified shows men in military fatigues running through the streets. and we have located this video to a western suburb of aleppo,

but cannot confirm the identity of the visual's. about two kilometers away we have also verified another video which appears to show large crowds of people walking away from an area outside of aleppo university. it is not clear who they are or where they are going, but you can see they are carrying luggage. 12 years ago, a peaceful uprising against the president of syria turned into a civil war which continues to rage on. it has drawn in countries around the world, devastated cities and killed civilians. aleppo has been a 4 -- has been a focal point having been captured by government forces in 2016 after four years of intense fighting. we will continue to monitor the footage as the situation develops. carl: let us bring in now a former u.s. special representative for syria engagements, ambassador james jeffrey, glad to have you on the

program. syrian rebels claiming to enter aleppo. how significant would that be? james: it is significant both from the standpoint of syria but from the standpoint of the larger conflict that has been going on since october of last year. arguably the last 20 years between iran and its proxies including the assad government and a mix of countries and movements. the syrian opposition, turkiye and syria and the united states. these rebel forces are directly or indirectly in terms of the al qaeda off suit under -- offshoot under turkish report launched attacks after a cease-fire that had been in place brokered by turkiye and russia in 2020. that broke down. there is finger poking --

finger-pointing on how it broke down. carl: what do you make of the syrian army? is it able to repel this type of attack? james: it has been weak and successful for not -- against the islamic state south of the euphrates. it has not been unsuccessful calming resistance to its reign in southwest syria in the last several years. it is certainly not able to stand up even with some russian bombing support, which we have seen. there are not many russian ground troops. hezbollah is occupied elsewhere and the russian bombing is not enough. carl: you mentioned hezbollah, obviously an ally of syria with iran. both of those have been weakened after strikes by israel. do you think there is a link in terms of what is going on in the broader region? james: absolutely.

the problem is and i have to caution, it is like in your last episode where you talked about georgia which has specific issues but is part of the larger west versus russia. the same in the middle east. you have a general conflict raging 20 years between iran and its proxies that reach a critical point on october 7 at your goal. and now you are seeing an offensive being launched by various american allies with at best reluctant american support. that is enough in terms of diplomatic and military weapons deliveries to help both the turks who artificially -- who artificially uninvolved -- are officially uninvolved, and israel that has turned its attention to syria to stop weapons flows to allow has below to recons -- hezbollah to

reconstitute. carl: so many different moving pieces, so can we zoom in on the rebel group itself? what more do we know in terms of its ideology, backing, and military strength? james: the military strength has always been significant. it was initially one of the two syrian offshoots of al qaeda. the other one became the is laws think -- islamic state. it claims that it is an opposition group fighting assad, not conducting terrorist activities. they have not launched international a terraced attacks in many years. they are on the international terrorist lists in the u.k. and u.n.. they are not doing anything to challenge us or our allies and

partners. they are focusing on the assad regime. they occupy an important area along the border with turkiye, in the northwest of the country. there are 3.5 million refugees from assad there. they have provided them with some help from turkiye, enough sustenance, shelter and other things to keep them from fleeing into turkiye. they are a major player in this struggle. carl: really interesting stuff, the former u.s. representative to syria, thank you. a cease-fire between israel and hezbollah seems to be holding although both sides accuse each other of minor violations. the military has returned -- has ordered lebanese residents to return home. the leader of hezbollah said that the group is ready to help the lebanese army build up its

defenses. army troops are set to deploy as part of that deal and in his first televised address on wednesday, he said that hezbollah had won a divine victory over israel. >> we will work to strengthen them in on -- lebanon's capabilities and resistance will be ready to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of lebanon's weakness along with our partners, first and foremost the army. carl: israel continues to hit targets in gaza in -- as part of the day-to-day attempts to eliminate a lot -- hamas. people have mixed feelings about what the cease-fire will mean for them. while they think that it could be a truce toward -- a step towards the end of the bombardment while others think that israel will double down on the territory. let us bring in victoria, a former u.s. deputy national security advisor during president-elect trump's first

administration. first of all, i have been speaking with the one who helped lead the negotiationa for the seat -- negotiations for the cease-fire. he said he believes this would be one that donald trump will support. what are your thoughts on that and is he right? victoria: well, i have seen the reporting and it is no surprise that the incoming administration is talking to the outgoing administration. we did the same thing in 2016 to get the lay of the land, the best advice. you may or may not choose to follow it, these are different presidents. there is a sense of sharing best information and what has happened over the course of the last four years and where they see possibilities. that is unsurprising and he has been very involved in the israel-lebanon negotiations. the problem with the deal is one

of the key actors, hezbollah. they do not have a very good track record of fulfilling commitments. the fighting could end tomorrow if they gave up their extra military, the non-lebanese armed forces and armaments that they are getting from iran. carl: part of the deal that we heard earlier that the u.n. peacekeepers and the lebanese armed forces are monitoring the cease-fire in the territory that hezbollah is meant to be leaving. how confident are you that those two groups are able and willing to keep the peace? victoria: that is a problem, they have not been able to keep the peace over the course of recent decades. also under the terms of the deal, israel reserves the right to go back in with some kind of mechanism for coordination with the united states and lif so they can do mock bob operations it -- mop up operations if

necessary. this could be ended tomorrow by hezbollah and the problem is they are not a good actor and they are designated foreign terrorists organization. they have a habit of regrouping and attacking again. it is sort of kick the can for the next 20 days. but certainly israel needs a rest and resupply. so for those reasons i think that the incoming would support this. carl: the focus now will be likely turning to the conflict ongoing in gaza. how do you expect the trump administration coming in might approach negotiations between hamas and israel and the issue of freeing the remaining hostages? victoria: very important to remember that there are at least seven americans and hopefully half of them are alive among the 101 hostages that remain. i think president trump has been clear, he wants a deal.

if hamas and those holding the hostages have any hope with a productive admit -- relationship with the incoming administration they will be advised to let them go, possibly the day of the inauguration the way that iran did in 1981. that is something the president takes seriously and had a great record of hostage recovery during his first term. that will be the top priority and then winding up the war on terms favorable to infants -- to israel, obviously, but getting the killing stopped. many of us worked hard on an offer with the peace through prosperity plan. i am sure like -- i'm sure that ideas like that will be back on the table of the palestinians wish to touch on it -- wish to have it. carl: iran was the focus of donald trump's first administration, obviously taking the u.s. out of the nuclear deal

. what kind of approach will be seen when he takes office once again. victoria: there will be a tremendous spotlight on the iranian nuclear program which has made extraordinary leaps in doubt -- leaps in brown's over the past 2 -- over the past four years. they have gone to enriching at less than 10% to now over 60 and some say close to 80%. that is a different world than what president trump handed to president biden. that will be one of their top priorities and most serious issues that they will have to deal with. one of the next announcements that will come in terms of the transition will be the iran envoy which will stand -- which will send a strong signal. carl: victoria coates the former deputy national security advisor to donald trump, thank you. victoria: thank you. carl: let us look at some other stories making headlines around the world.

the british parliament has back proposals to allow the terminally ill in england and wales the right to end their own lives. it was passed by a majority of 55 and will go to the next parliamentary stage for further scrutiny. several countries admit -- allow assisted dying but the rules vary. the proposals in britain are considered among the strictest. rescue efforts are continuing in uganda where the number of people who have died and landslides triggered by heavy rain has risen to 20. dozens of people are missing after landslides varied homes. the army has intensified search and rescue efforts while the army is encouraging residents to relocate saying it is too dangerous. a new zealand daisies chip which crashed into a coral reef where caught fire and sank last month had been left on autopilot. the crews assumed it was under

manual control when it experienced manual -- steering problems. it did not follow procedures to check if that was the case. all 75 on board was evacuated safely but the vessel is slowly leaking oil into the ocean. sweden announced -- has asked china to cooperate with the investigation over the severing of doak -- of two data cables. a chinese ship is suspected of causing the damage. the swedish prime minister said that investigators were determined to search the vessel to find out what happened. it has been anchored near denmark since the cables were severed last week and china denied any involvement in that sabotage. the french president emmanuel macron toured notre dame live on television given the public a first look inside the building and's much of it was destroyed or damaged in a major fire. the cathedral has been completely renovated with years of soot getting cleaned up

giving the space a new look. andrew: the scaffolding has come down and like a burns patient shedding her bandages, notre dame is revealed, whole again after years of surgery. inside, the cathedral is a dazzling light, the ash, debris and grime all gone. france's president ushering in the cameras this morning for the first time since the fire. and reveling in a risky promise kept, to rebuild this broken miracle of stone, glass and timber in five years. macron thanked the team responsible for saving the soul of france. >> we were told it was not possible, that it was crazy. we would do it wrong, you came

together with determination and you achieved what seemed impossible. andrew: it was late on april 15, 2019 that notre dame burst into flames. it is unclear if a cigarette or electrical fault was unclaimed -- was to blame. the spire collapsed prompting a groan of anguish and then a flood of generosity. the french state hired 2000 craftsmen. new -- using new and ancient technologies to patch up the gargoyles, restore the famous bells, clean acres of stained glass and carve 1200 oak trees to replace notre dame's medieval roof beams. the grand opening might be a week away, but for the workers this is the time to celebrate. >> for all of us we are very

proud to have been lucky enough to work on this cathedral. >> this is the symbol of france, paris, and all of the french people that were crying in 2019. and now this is a new way for all of the french people. andrew: this is a profound moment for all of france. but a time of deepening political polarization, the rebirth of notre dame is a reminder of what society can achieve when it pulls together and when the money is right. the tourists are waiting for their chance to see the inside of a building not only rescued but transformed. bbc news, paris. carl: i have been speaking with the president of the friends of notre dame de paris and i asked him what this means for france. >> i think it is a very big event for the nation of france,

but also for the whole world because this is the achievements of this restoration phase. and it is the reopening that we aimed at after the terrible fire of april 15, 2019. i think this is a key milestone and a great significance for us in france, but also on the international level and especially for the american people who have been very staunch supporters. carl: we got the sneak peek into the restoration process today. what was your reaction when you saw the images of what those workers were able to achieve? michel: the foundation i think contributed were invited. and so i was really stunned by the beauty of the interior of the cathedral, which is now completely restored and very

bright with the walls a kind of golden color, and also the paintings, which are restored and all of the chapels. so it was really stunning, and especially we had the royal nave without seats which was -- which was a respective usual in the past but it is not so usual nowadays. carl: notre dame will officially reopen to the public on december 7, 5.5 years since that fire. you can find all of the day's news on c.com/news and you can see what we are working on any time on our favorite social meet -- on your favorite social media sites. thank you for watching world news america. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ >> good evening. geoff bennett and i'm then the vase our way. on the news hour tonight, the country of georgia is rocked by

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