aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria.y to rescue more than 1,000 people from a cruise ship in stormy seas is continuing into the night. the first passengers have already been airlifted to safety. the viking sky sent out a distress call after suffering an engine failure off the southwestern coast. an eyewitness says the ship is being battered by waves up to ten metres high. all 1300 passengers are expected to be taken off the ship, one by one. earlier, i spoke to the travel journalist, 0dd roar lange, from the scene in norway who described how the rescue operation unfolded. the rescue work is still going on. it's five helicopters flying in and out. the ship is about two kilometres away, out to sea and it is still blowing away. the waves are even more heavy than earlier today because the wind direction is changing. so this is a very, very difficult rescue operation going on now. where are the people being taken to? have you spoken to or seen any of them? yeah, yeah. they are taken to a sports hall about two kilometres from

the bbc's aleem maqbool has been f given rare access to onee camps in northern syria, where many of thosetured have been he. aleem: what should be done with the captured men and women of the ismic state group? it is one of the most urgent issues now that the last enclave has been wonack from i.s. hundreds of men and women who joined the group from 40 countries are in this camp in northern syria. they include ilhan from the netherlands, who admits to having joined i.s. but has no idea where she will face trial. >> you are asking theovernment to take us back. aleem:yo idid go back to holland, what do you think would happen? >> i go to prison. remy chii hope with my family. aleem: you could accept that? >> yeah. because i know i made a mistake. aleem: well, you understande there ople around the world who will be watching this -- >> yes. aleem: leave her there. with few countries taking back i.s.-groomed nationals, dealingn with them has eft to the ill-equipped kurdish administration. this isn't a prison. it is, as you can see, a camp in a war zone. the longer it goes on,ore there is a risk t

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in baghouz, syria.risen again and now stands at more than 32.5 million. according to the latest quarterly figures, the employment rate is 76.1% — the highest since records began in 1971. today's figures also show the rate of unemployment fell below 4% for the first time since 1975. the first funerals for the victims of the mosque attacks in new zealand have just begun. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has arrived back in christchurch where the attacks took place last friday to pay her respects. clive myrie is there for us. yes, two burials are taking place as eyes ultimate coup of the victims of these atrocities. there has been consternation that the bodies are not being given back to them quick enough for burial. under islamic law the dead should be buried within 2a hours. authority said they are working as fast as they can to speed up working as fast as they can to speed up the process. 21 victims had been identified in the body is handed backin identified in the body is handed back in th

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria.'s been the international reaction to the elimination of so called islamic state in syria? in a statement, president trump was typically strident about the development. he said isis‘s loss of territory is further evidence of its false narrative. they are losers and will always be losers. we will remain vigilant by aligning global efforts to fight isis until it is finally defeated. meanwhile, the british prime minister theresa may said on twitter: also taking to twitter, nato secretary generaljens stoltenberg said: he said nato remains committed to our common fight against terrorism. joining me from kent in southern england is diana darke, syria specialist and author of ‘the last sanctuary in aleppo‘ and ‘my house in damascus.‘ bulky forjoining us. bulky for joining us. i bulky forjoining us. i spotted one of your last tweets on this development. you wrote that was the easy pa rt development. you wrote that was the easy part now the battle will be much tougher. what did he mean? we have

aleem maqbool sent this report from northeastern syria.democratic forces who raise their flag over baghouz today — the final slither of territory recaptured from the islamic state group. undoubtedly a moment of triumph for the local forces who have sacrificed so much in the fight. "we are gathered here, sons of this great country," says kino gabriel from the sdf, "to confirm our total victory over the islamic state group and their fall." the land has been won back after a major offensive earlier this week with syrian forces advancing on the ground backed by air strikes from the us—led coalition. but throughout, while marking the significance of the achievement, have been the voices of caution. we still have much work to do for an enduring defeat of isis. we have been clear that the campaign is not over. isis or daesh remains a significant threat in the region, the united states, our partners, and our allies. the land has been won back after a major offensive earlier this week with syrian forces advancing on the ground backed by air strikes

aleem maqbool, bbc news in baghouz, in syria. that we have been covering over the last few days. counterterrorism offer a —— offices in australia have carried out two raids. security officials say the properties in new south wales are in town is just north of sydney. you suffer least that the primary aim of the activity is to formally obtain material that may insist new zealand police. stay with us here on bbc news. —— that may assist new zealand police. rescue workers in papua province in indonesia have rescued a five—month—old baby — trapped for hours in the rubble of a collapsed building after flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain swept through the region. at least 73 people have been killed across the province. many areas still remain inaccessible as rescue teams are struggling to search for survivors. nga pham has more. they don't know his name, but his rescue was a small miracle. the baby was pulled out alive after being trapped for six hours under the damaged house of his parents. their whereabouts are u

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria.contin, purdue pharma, has reached a $270 million settlement in a lawsuit which claimed its opioids lead to the deaths of thousands of people. the state of oklahoma brought forward the suit to the drug maker, which is owned by the billionaire sackler family. the settlement is the first from a wave of lawsuits that accused the company of marketing painkillers and helping to create the opioid epidemic in the us. here isjohn sopel with more. oxycontin came to the market in 1996, and it was seen as a major breakthrough in chronic pain management. it was massively over—prescribed, but its addictiveness was underestimated, it's alleged. and nowadays, drug opioid is accounting for 150 deaths a day, 50,000 a year. and in the richest country in the world, astonishingly, the death rate, the life expectancy rate, is actually falling, because so many people are dying from opioids. let's get some of the day's other news: algeria's army chief of staff has demanded president abdelaziz bouteflika be d

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria.re are calls for the full publication of the report into alleged collusion between russia and donald trump's presidential campaign. special counsel robert mueller submitted his long awaited report yesterday after a two—year inquiry. republicans claim it vindicates president trump. here's our north america correspondent chris buckler. for months, the special counsel robert mueller has been investigating the election of a president to the fury of donald trump. and with this final report now delivered, this man, the us attorney general, is deciding what should be made public. william barr left for the department ofjustice this morning. he is hoping to be able to release mr mueller‘s main findings this weekend. the key questions are whether the trump campaign colluded with russia during the 2016 election and whether the president tried to obstruct justice. donald trump didn't appear too worried today. he was golfing at one of his courses in florida and he has been consistent in his positio

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria.liest sites, sabrimala temple in india's southern state of kerala, has banned women between the ages of ten and 50 from entering its grounds. when the country's supreme court ruled the custom was illegal, it sparked violent protests by conservative hindu groups across the region. nevertheless, two women did enter, but one of them has paid a huge personal price. our correspondent sangita myska has been to kanaka durga's home town to hear her story. symbolising the fight for equal rights in india. kanaka durga, who broke with nearly 1000 years of religious tradition, and who hindu extremists are now threatening to kill. she lives under 24—hour police protection. and this is why. this is kanaka and a friend entering the sa barimala temple. weeks earlier, india's supreme court had ruled that a ban on women between the ages of 10—50 going inside was illegal. kanaka is a2. outside, conservative religious groups erupted in protest. priests conducted so—called cleansing rituals at the site bec

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in baghuz, syria.n union to delay britain's withdrawal beyond march 29. theresa may is to request an extension in the deadlocked brexit process until the end ofjune, or possibly, as one cabinet source told the bbc, forfar longer. the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier has said theresa may must be clear about what the extension is for and how long it should last. 0ur europe editor katya adler has this assessment. i think the eu will grant an extension through gritted teeth, and it is not going to be that straightforward. why will they grant an extension? because they want to avoid an ideal brexit at the end of the day. the eu chief negotiator said that no deal is still possible to happen if there isn't a deal or there isn't an extension and everybody should keep repairing —— preparing. this decision comes down to the 27 eu leaders, and they want to the 27 eu leaders, and they want to avoid an ideal brexit if they can because they want to avoid the blame game that would inevitably follow and 0dile brex

our correspondent aleem maqbool sent this report.ic forces who raise their flag over baghuz today, the final slither of territory recaptured from the islamic state group. undoubtedly a moment of triumph for the local forces who have sacrificed so much in the fight. "we are gathered here, sons of this great country," says kino gabriel from the sdf, "to confirm our total victory over the islamic state group and their fall." the land has been won back after a major offensive earlier this week with syrian forces advancing on the ground backed by air strikes from the us—led coalition. in the end, this is what the so—called caliphate was reduced to. un—used suicide vests, crumpled flags and the squalid remains of a pitiful camp. and many of the militants who exerted brutal and murderous control over huge swathes of iraq and syria have either been killed or captured. both throughout, while marking the significance of the achievement have been the voices of caution. we still have much work to do to achieve an enduring defeat of isis. we've b

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria.eenager has been stabbed and killed in west london. scotland yard say the victim, believed to be a 17—year—old boy, was found seriously injured after reports of a fight outside a block of flats in union lane, isleworth. our correspondent ben ando reports. inch by inch, brick by brick, searching for clues and answers after another teenager is stabbed to death in london. the youngster involved, not yet formally named, was with friends in the nearby park last night. a car pulled up, a gang of men but out and give chase. the youngster ran into this residential estate and was stabbed by the front door of the plot. one woman said one of the gang at least was wearing a mask. the first police officers young said they found the boy alive, barely conscious and unable to speak. they carried out a cpr to try and save his life but were unable to, and he died at the scene. shocked residents woke up to the news landing stabbing epidemic had reached their neighbourhood. we came down and they said ther

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria.so been talking about this today. she has issued a statement in which she says... a teenager has been stabbed and killed in west london. scotland yard say the victim, believed to be a 17—year—old boy, was found seriously injured after reports of a fight outside a block of flats in union lane, isleworth. earlier we heard from our news correspondent jane—frances kelly from the scene. a crime scene tent is still behind me, that is where the teenager was found last night. officers were called at about 10:35pm after reports of a fight. they found a 17—year—old boy with serious wounds, stab wounds. they gave him first aid, an ambulance arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. the detective fronting the investigation said that the teenager earlier had been at nearby syon park with a group of people and that a car pulled up, a group of males got out and they chased him from syon park to this block of flats where the attack took place. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, who is on the bre

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria., issuing a statement in which she says: a short time ago, the us secretary of state mike pompeo, who's visiting beirut, said despite is being defeated, their threat remained. our mission there has not changed, we still have work to do to make sure that radical islamic terrorism does not continue to grow, thank you all very much. the headlines on bbc news: hundreds of thousands of people are marching through central london demanding another brexit referendum. meanwhile, theresa may has written a letter to mps — warning a third meaningful vote won't take place next week without ‘sufficient support‘ for her brexit deal. and in other news, american—backed kurdish forces declare victory over islamic state after capturing the group's last remaining stronghold in eastern syria. in sport wales will have to play their opening euro 2020 qualifier without aaron ramsey, the midfielder has not recovered from a thigh injury and will not play in the qualifier against slovakia tomorrow. dan qualifier

aleem maqbool, bbc news in baghouz, in syria.port centre. good evening. the line—up for the fa cup semifinals is complete, bright and with a lestienne through, they needed penalties to get through championship strugglers millwall. patrick gearey reports. they don't hide it at millwall. premier league visitors know what they are about to walk into. for this quarter—final, the den was a freezing cauldron — even the weather designed for maximum discomfort. it took until the second half for the lions to strike. alex pearce escaped his handler. the roar must have carried to westminster. millwall are in very real danger of being relegated to the third tier. and yet here wasjed wallace, beating his man, putting it on a plate for aidan 0'brien. 2—0, 11 minutes left. pandemonium. brighton were going out with a shrug against a side a division below them. finally, jurgen locadia gave them a bit of gumption. but only one minute of the 90 remained, plus stoppage time, and we were deep into that when solly march took aim and somehow took this

aleem maqbool, bbc news in baghouz, in syria.ernment protesters who surrounded the presidential building in the capital, belgrade. it marks an intensification in opposition demonstrations, which have been taking place for a number of months in the balkan state. caroline rigby, has more. the message was clear. thousands gathered outside the presidential palace in belgrade to demand the resignation of serbia's president and his allies. at times using force, they clashed with police. inside, the president made a defiant address in an effort to demonstrate his control. although rather than being broadcast on state tv, his message was posted on instagram. translation: dear citizens of serbia, i am forced to address you in this way. especially to the thousands and millions of people who are worried about the situation in our country. to all of you who defy the pressure of the fascist to want to ruin our country. as you can see, i am still at my workplace in the presidency building. i am not going to flee anywhere. but serbia's premier

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in baghouz, syria.least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone id—eye fears of at least 1,000 dead in mozambique after cyclone idie hits the country leaving a 30 mile stretch of land under water. theresa may asks for more time — the prime minister will tomorrow write to the european council president to lay out the government's plan for delaying brexit, but an impatient brussels wants a concrete strategy. new zealand's prime minister has vowed never to say the name of the christchurch mosque gunman. it comes as people gather in the city for a burial ceremony for one of the victims. 50 people were killed in last friday's attack. the owner of a hotel in northern ireland where three teenagers died outside a disco on st patrick's day has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. michael mcelhatton, the owner of the greenvale hotel in cookstown, is one of two men being questioned by police. lauren bullock, morgan barnard, and connor currie died after a crash. police are continuing to examine cctv footage.

aleem maqbool, bbc news in north—eastern syria.ce suits that fit women properly. nasa says the suits are available in medium, large and extra—large but they only have in small. prosecutors have dropped all charges against us actorjussie smollett for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack. the empire star had denied 16 counts of lying to police. our correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles for us now. this is a very unusual case. mr smollett came forward and said he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack but when the authorities started to investigate, they say that he had in fact made up they say that he had in fact made up the story that he had filed a police report and they say he did it because he was dissatisfied with his salary and he had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. well, now, out of the blue, prosecutors have decided to drop the case, saying they have looked at all of the circumstances, the fact that he does volunteer work, and decided this is the best outcome

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria.r family, has agreed to pay nearly $275 million to settle a law suit brought by the state of oklahoma, claiming it helped fuel the opioid crisis in the country. it's one of several firms named in the claim, which alleged they used deceptive practises, to sell opioids. the companies deny the claims. our north america editor jon sopel is in washington. how significant could this prove to be, do you think? well i think this isa be, do you think? well i think this is a landmark settlement and may well prove to be the tip of the arrow, as many other drugs companies face potential legal action. oxycontin came to the market in 1996 and was seen as a major breakthrough in chronic pain management. it was massively overprescribed, but its addictiveness was underestimated, it is alleged. and nowadays, drug opioid is accounting for 150 deaths a day. 50,000 a year, and in the richest country in the world, astonishingly, the death rate, the life expectancy rate is actually falling because so many pe

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in northern syria., issuing a statement in which she says: a teenager has been stabbed and killed in west london. scotland yard say the victim, believed to be a 17—year—old boy, was found seriously injured after reports of a fight outside a block of flats in union lane, isleworth. speaking at the brexit march, sadiq khan responded to the tragic stabbing of the teenager in islesworth yesterday. i've been in touch with the commissioner and it's heartbreaking. it's a 17—year—old boy who's lost his life because of a knifing. and my thoughts and prayers, as i'm sure those of londoners are, are with his family. the police are following a number of lines of enquiry. there is currently a section 60 in place. that means, in that area, the police are able to stop and search anybody without the need for reasonable suspicion to see if they could be carrying a knife or an offensive weapon. there are extra resources in isleworth, in that part of london, and i would say to the public, if anybody knows or has any infor

aleem maqbool, bbc news in north—eastern syria.rom the united nations suggest more than 1.8 million people in mozambique have been affected by the storm, and some face life—threatening situations. aid agencies say thousands of survivors are yet to receive any help. 0ur southern africa correspondent, nomsa maseko, sent us this report. beyond the airport where international air organisations have set up base, a tent of communities such as this one, hundreds were brought here. this is now nearly two weeks since cyclone idai struck. the hundreds of people here have told me harrowing stories. an elderly woman told me how she saw water sweeping away her son, her only son. people are desperate here, people want help, but most of the things that they have told me in terms of the type of help they want are resources to rebuild their homes. it could be much worse for these people, because there are still thousands more who are still desperate for help and aid organisations are yet to reach them. coroners in england and wales could be given n

two months, it's thought there are still large numbers of civilians inside. 0ur correspondent aleem maqboolontline in baghouz. in baghouz, the final battle ground, is fighters have been blasted into retreat, building by building. they've been rained on by missiles, from the us—led coalition. but we're taken right to the front line, through the desolation, by the local forces on the ground, still in combat with them. so, these positions here were occupied by islamic state group fighters in just the last few days, they've been beaten back. their ever shrinking so—called caliphate state is nowjust a small area just around the corner of this building. if you peep around the corner, you can see the buildings they still occupy. but even though... even though they've been bombarded and pushed back and given lots of opportunities to surrender, it's very clear that there are some fighters who just won't lay down their arms. we got a sense of the squalor in which the is fighters and theirfamilies have been living, before they were forced on. the pitiful remnants of a new territory that attracted thou

aleem maqbool, bbc news in north—eastern syria. time for a look at the weather.owards the end of the week. most also spring on the way, high teens. the weather looking pretty quiet this evening, one thing we do not have to worry about. fine weather across most of the uk. tomorrow, a little change compared to what we have had to do. i would point out the fact there will be a little bit more cloud in the sky tomorrow compared to today pass skies. by the end of the night, temperatures will have dipped down a couple of degrees in towns. that means a touch of frost outside of city centres. and tomorrow's weather, still some cloud across scotla nd weather, still some cloud across scotland and the north west, like today, but more generally tomorrow across england and wales, there will be that cloud building up, so partly cloudy tomorrow rather than sunny. 14 celsius, not too bad tomorrow, 12 in edinburgh. and if we skip to thursday, and even warmer day on the way. rebecca is absolutely right, some showing on the way, and take a look at those temperatures. could hit 18 c

aleem maqbool sent this report from northeastern syria.

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in qamishli in northern syria.ave opened in thailand where voters are casting their ballots in the first general election since the military ousted the government of yingluck shinawatra in 2014. nick beake is in bangkok for us. it looks like some people are turning out to vote chris makes good morning from the centre of bangkok. they have been voting for about an hour. people casting their votes. there is a dizzying array of candidates, more than 30 faces for people to contemplate. it is either for the military orfor people to contemplate. it is either for the military or for the smaller parties hoping to form a new government. we had a message from the king urging people to vote for good people and keep out forces he described as bad. lots of people to contemplate as they cast their ballots today. when do you think we will see a result? it is unlikely there will be one outright winner. five o'clock local time will get an indication how the various parties have done. but that is only the start of the process becaus

two months, it's thought there are still large numbers of civilians inside. 0ur correspondent aleem maqboolttle ground, is fighters have been blasted into retreat, building by building. they've been rained on by missiles, from the us—led coalition. but we're taken right to the front line, through the desolation, by the local forces on the ground, still in combat with them. so, these positions here were occupied by islamic state group fighters in just the last few days, they've been beaten back. their ever shrinking so—called caliphate state is nowjust a small area just around the corner of this building. if you peep around the corner, you can see the buildings they still occupy. but even though... even though they've been bombarded and pushed back and given lots of opportunities to surrender, it's very clear that there are some fighters who just won't lay down their arms. we got a sense of the squalor in which the is fighters and theirfamilies have been living, before they were forced on. the pitiful remnants of a new territory that attracted thousands from around the world and brutalised s

our correspondent aleem maqbool is in northern syria — a short time ago he gave us this update.uz over the last couple of weeks or so, last week we were told there were 5000 people potentially inside that area, that last enclave of the islamic state group. earlier this week we saw with our own eyes a terrible onslaught, a huge offensive against that final enclave through the night and then during the day, hours of bombardment of the camp. it was felt by forces. those leaving the camp in those days, they were telling us the territory had pretty much been won back and clashes that remained in recent days would just be against individual militants who were hiding in a very complex tunnel network in and around baghouz, and that appears to be what has gone on in the last couple of days. as well as a operation to explode unexploded ordnance and booby—traps, and there is a feeling that there has been lots of cleaning up of the bodies of potentially many hundreds of those killed in this final offensive. the syrian democratic forces have announced, and they have been very careful to anno

aleem maqbool, bbc news in north—eastern syria. this is beyond 100 days.at crash is to be extradited back to the uk. jack shepherd fled to georgia before the end of his trial last year. after months in hiding, he handed himself in to police. steve rosenberg sent this report. for ten months, he had been on the run. 2500 miles away in georgia. hailing from british justice. run. 2500 miles away in georgia. hailing from britishjustice. —— hiding. today, jack shepherd was ordered back to britain. last year at the old bailey, jack shepherd had been convicted in his absence of the manslaughter of charlotte brown. they had been out on a date on his speedboat, when it had crashed on the river thames. charlotte was killed, and jack shepherd charged with manslaughter by gross negligence. but ahead of his trial, he had fled to georgia, where he was eventually tracked down injanuary, and handed himself in to georgian police. shepherd told the court he had already decided to return home foran had already decided to return home for an appeal hearing in the manslaughter c