eastern ghouta is a suburb under siege. airstrikes have become a daily occurrence here.lence. and when half of the population that lives here are children, it's them who suffer the most. mahamoud, just three years old, survived the attack unhurt. his brother was lost in the rubble. altogether, eight civilians were pulled out of the remains of their homes. they survived this attack, but they can't escape the siege. surrounded for the past five years, the un has recently described eastern ghouta as the epicentre of suffering in syria. for almost 400,000 people, that means daily misery, with little food, winter temperatures, and heavy bombardment. once the dust settles, the children are sent out to search for firewood. this woman has lost one child to this war, and she's struggling to feed the others. eastern ghouta might be 20 minutes' drive from damascus, but food is 15 times more expensive than the capital. translation: i have six children. how am i meant to feed them? i can't even afford to buy them bread. all they have is a mouthful each. they never get full. have merc

growing desperation in eastern ghouta. intensified government airstrikes killed scores of civilians in this rebel-held area of syria. hollywood turns the golden globe awards into a night of action as stars come together and call for an end to sexual harassment. oprah: i want all the girls watching here and now that a new day is on the horizon! laura: and charting a brighter future for africa. solar powermate be the key -- solar power may be the key, and panels are now seeing across the continent. laura: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. syrian government forces backed by russia have targeted 10 medical facilities in northern syria over the last 10 days. that is what sources on the ground told the bbc. for nearly four and a half years, the rebel stronghold in the suburbs of damascus has been under siege. the area has been bombed repeatedly and thousands are malnourished. now the situation in eastern ghouta is ever more desperate. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville ha

growing desperation in eastern ghouta. the government steps up airstrikes, killing scores of civilians in this rebel—held area of syria. fears of an environmental disaster in the east china sea — china says a tanker leaking oil after a collision is in danger of exploding. charting a brighter future for africa. solar power may be the key. panels are popping up across the continent. south korean and north korean government negotiators are meeting for the first talks between their countries in more than two years. they are expected to discuss whether the north will send a delegation to the winter olympics in south korea next month. a series of north korean nuclear and missile tests, and the insults traded between pyongyang and washington, have raised tensions on the peninsula to the highest in decades. earlier i spoke to the bbc‘s sophie long who is in the south korean capital seoul just before they sat down to begin those talks, the first time there has been government—level talks between the north korean and south korean go

life under the rubble in syria — a report from the district of eastern ghouta, besieged for the paste years. after the sex abuse scandals, three executives resign from the board of usa gymnastics. a war on the predatory starfish — will australia's multimillion—dollar deal do anything to save the barrier reef? there is a last—minute deal to keep the us government in business, but not for long. congress has approved a temporary spending measure to fund the federal government, ending an acrimonious debate and a 3—day shutdown. it's now been signed by president trump to allow government to function for another 2.5 weeks. laura trevelyan reports from washington. the motion is agreed to. this was the moment the impasse was broken and the way cleared for the government to reopen. the scene in the senate was the result of behind closed doors negotiations between centrist republicans and democrats. in return for voting to fund the government for the next few weeks, democrats got this. assuming that the government remains open, it would be my intention to proceed the legislation that would add

eastern ghouta is a suburb under siege. airstrikes have become a daily occurrence here. to emergency, there seems to be no end to the violence. and when half of the population that lives here are children, it's them who suffer the most. mahamoud, just three years old, survived the attack unhurt. his brother was lost in the rubble. altogether, eight civilians were pulled out of the remains of their homes. they survived this attack, but they can't escape the siege. surrounded for the past five years, the un has recently described the eastern ghouta as the epicentre of suffering in syria. for almost 400,000 people, that means daily misery, with little food, winter temperatures, and heavy bombardment. once the dust settles, the children are sent out to search for firewood. this woman has lost one child to this war, and she's struggling to feed the others. eastern ghouta might be 20 minutes‘ drive from damascus, but food is 15 times more expensive than the capital. translation: i have six children. how am i meant to feed them? i can't even afford to buy them bread. all they h

reporter: eastern ghouta is a suburb under siege. the airstrikes have become a daily occurrence here. racing from emergency to emergency, there seems to be no end to the violence. and when half of the population that live here are children, it is them who suffer the most. mahmoud, just three years old, survived an attack unhurt. his brother was lost in the rubble. altogether, 8 civilians were pulled out of the remains of their homes. they survived this attack, but they cannot escape the siege. surrounded for the past five years, the u.n. has recently described eastern ghouta at the epicenter of suffering in syria. for almost 400,000 people, that means daily misery, with little food, winter temperatures, and heavy bombardment. once the dust settles, the children are sent out to search. she has lost one child and is struggling to keep the others. eastern ghouta might be 20 minutes drive from damascus, but food is 16 times more extensive -- expensive than the capital. >> i have six children. how am i meant to feed them? i can't even aff

most of the dead were in eastern ghouta, near damascus.hting on civilians. the department store house of fraser has confirmed it's asking landlords to reduce the rent it pays for some of its shops. the group is set to release christmas retail figures next week — with some analysts suggesting its takings over the christmas period were disappointing. joe lynam has more. it is one of the key brands on our high streets with 59 stores and more than 7000 staff. we do not yet know how christmas was for house of fraser but we know it has asked if landlords to cut the rent. so what do people think when they think of house of fraser? it has got the shops that i like to browse and within the department store so it is quite easy to just go from one place to the next. it has a lot of good quality brands, and quite a lot of variety. i think it has a good reputation for good quality products. and i know all the high street has been affected at the moment and is not doing well. in terms of reputation is up there with jon lewis, maybe a bit more down—marke

this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, massive airstrikes in eastern ghouta. people reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions, the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them was also killed. idlib, another rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here too. a car bomb at the weekend which killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel ho. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few and far between, and medicine is scarce. as the planes move away, though, people still come out to scavenge useful supplies from between the lumps of concrete and broken buildings. reports suggest more than 100 may have died from rebel and syrian army forces during the latest skirmish, as the military compound in harasta was freed. more than 340,000 people have been killed in syria since the conflict began almost seven years ago. let's take a look at some more stories making the news now... the us ambassador to the united nations, ni

now, the situation in eastern ghouta is becoming ever more desperate.spondent quentin sommerville has this report, which includes some distressing images. after almost seven years of war, the syrian regime knows how to break people. in rebel—held eastern ghouta, regime bombs brought down this building. child after child is brought out by the british—backed rescuers, the white helmets. with bare hands, bloodied with effort, they crawl through the collapsed floors deep inside the building. a hand reaches out to this three—year—old. she is safe, but she has lost almost everything. her parents and four brothers died here. these are regime air strikes. eastern ghouta is close enough for the rebels to harass the capital damascus. for more than 1,600 days, the regime has laid siege to them. one child in ten here is malnourished. amar is 30 months old, and has known only hunger since even before she was born. translation: she looked like this since she was born. i couldn't eat well when i was pregnant. she's malnourished. she needs eggs and milk. she's been cry

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.r siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there's every danger that tomorrow, there will be more of the same. the department store house of fraser has confirmed it's asking landlords to reduce the rent it pays for some of its shops. the group is set to release christmas retail figures next week, with some analysts suggesting its takings over the christmas period were disappointing. joe lynam has more. it is one of the key brands on our high streets, with 59 stores and more than 7,000 staff. we don't yet know how christmas was for house of fraser, but we know it's asked its landlords to slash the rent. but do shoppers still like the department store? it's got the shops i like to browse in within the department store, so it's quite easy to just go from one place to the next. yeah, there's lot of good quality brands, and quite a lot of variety as well. i think it has a good reputation for good quality products. but i know all of the high street has been affected at th

the rebel area of eastern ghouta home to 400,000 is north—east of the capital damascus.nder siege is just outside the capital. this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, mass massive airstrikes in eastern ghouta. and this on thursday, 20 reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions the rescue teams moved m, explosions the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them also killed. idlib, a rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here, too. a car bomb at the weekend killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel hq. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few and far between and medicine is scarce. as the planes move away, though, people still come out to scavenge useful supplies from between the lumps of concrete and brick building. reports suggest more than 100 may have died from rebel and syrian army forces during the latest skirmish as the military compound was freed. more than 340,000 people have been killed

in rebel—held eastern ghouta, regime bombs brought down this building.ght out by the british—backed rescuers, the white helmets. with bear hands, bloodied with effort, they crawl through the collapse add floors of the building. a hand reaches out to this three—year—old. she's safe but she's lost almost everything. her parents and four brothers died here. these are regime air strikes. eastern ghouta is close enough for the rebels to harass the capital damascus. for more than 1600 days, the regime's laid siege to them. one child in ten here is malnourished. amar is 13 months old and has known only hunger since even before she was born. translation: she looked like this since she was born. i couldn't eat well when i was pregnant. she's malnourished. she needs eggs and milk. she's been crying for the entire day today. the doctor says she needs newt ricks food. there is food in ghouta but not on these shelves. prices of sugar, rice and other basics have more than quadrupled. the poorest suffer because of the siege and rebel pro—tearing. this is the worst maln

residents of eastern ghouta reported smelling gas shortly after being shelled.cted to weeks of sustained air strikes and ground attacks, reportedly killing at least 85 civilians in recent weeks. for more on this i spoke to bbc middle east analyst alan johnston a little earlier. 0ur colleagues in syria are getting these reports from early this morning, reports from eastern ghouta that there was a strong smell of chlorine hanging in the air after one of the attack, people immediately had itchy eyes and problems breathing — classic symptoms of a gas attack. something like 50 people were affected but health workers said later that only a handful needed reach hospital treatment. 0nly minor respiratory problems. a chlorine gas attack would be absolutely terrifying but the fact is that chlorine is not as dangerous nor harmful as other forms of chemical weapons. we have heard of chemical weapons. we have heard of chlorine gas attacks a number of times down through the years of the syrian civil war but not so much in recent months. the syrian government a lwa ys recent m

most of the dead were in eastern ghouta, near damascus.act of the fighting on civilians. online casino operators are failing to prevent money laundering and protect problem gamblers — according to the gambling commission. it has set out "significant concerns" in a letter to all uk operators. the commission said many of them were failing to spot signs of financial crime and compulsive gambling. the department store house of fraser has confirmed it's asking landlords to reduce the rent it pays for some of its shops. the group is set to release christmas retail figures next week — with some analysts suggesting its takings over the christmas period were disappointing. joe lynam has more. the key brands on our high streets. we don't yet know how christmas was for house of fraser, but we know it has asked its landlords to slash the rent. but do shoppers are still like the department store? it's got the shops i like to browse in within the department store, so it's quite easy to just go from one place to the next. yeah, there's lot of good qualit

child cries these children in eastern ghouta have known no other life.strikes, blood being wiped away, not the pain, nor the fear. and it stalks the old, too, already broken by years of a punishing siege. the history of syria is written here, amongst these stones. three—year—old samer was buried yesterday by his uncle. his father is badly injured. many now say syria's war is over, but it is not — not yet. lyse doucet, bbc news, damascus. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: after days of heavy snow, trains finally reach the tourists trapped in the swiss resort of zermatt. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of kobe were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.t forces have had this area under siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there is every danger that tomorrow there will be more of the same. president trump has hit back at the author of a book which claims that his administration is chaotic, and he is mentally unfit to be the president. in a tweet, mr trump called himself a very stable genius and speaking at a news conference in camp david where he had been discussing his policies for the coming year, the president criticised the journalist michael wolff as a fraud. he said the book, fire and fury, was made up, and he rejected the author's claim that he had enjoyed unparalleled access to the centre of power. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: from moscow to bethlehem and beyond, orthodox christians are beginning their celebrations of the eastern christmas. an ambulance service has apologised to the family of a pensioner who died after waiting nearly four hours for help to arrive. the 81—year—old woman

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.forces have had this area under siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there is every danger that tomorrow, there will be more of the same. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. days after he was pardoned and freed from jail, peru's former president alberto fujimori has called for national unity. the comments on social media are being seen as an attempt to return to political life, following his early release from a 25—year sentence for human rights abuses and corruption. news of his pardon sparked mass protests and accusations of a political deal. the saudi authorities have confirmed the arrest of ii princes who staged a sit—in protest at a royal palace in the capital riyadh. they're being held at a maximum securityjail, pending trial. officials said they were protesting against having to pay their own utility bills as part of wider economic reforms in saudi arabia. police in cyprus say they're holding an israeli citizen, who's accused o

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital. have had this area under siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there is every danger that tomorrow, there will be more of the same. donald trump has again attacked the author of a controversial book that accused him of being unstable and incompetent. the us president told a news conference at camp david that he had been a tremendous success, and that the book, fire and fury by michael wolff, was a work of fiction. here is david willis in washington. boarding a flight to camp david for meetings with senior members of his party, the image of donald trump that leading republicans would like to project — one of order, professionalism and control. instead, the president is battling claims contained in this book that senior advisers share the view that he is mentally unfit for office. so the commander—in—chief took to social media to assert: later, he took aim at the book's author, michael wolff, who had been given access to the white house to write it. i consider it

child cries these children in eastern ghouta have known no other life. latest air strikes, blood being wiped away, not the pain, nor the fear. and it stalks the old, too, already broken by years of a punishing siege. the history of syria is written here, amongst these stones. three—year—old samer was buried yesterday by his uncle. his father is badly injured. many now say syria's war is over, but it is not — not yet. lyse doucet, bbc news, damascus. attacks on hospitals and other health facilities have become commonplace in syria, according to the children's charity unicef. they're struggling to cope with the numbers of children seriously injured in the conflict. bbc news has been following two young girls, rahaf and qamar, badly burned when a shell hit their home in syria six years ago. they've both had operations injordan where they now live. caroline hawley has been back there to see how they're getting on. qamar barely remembers the day, six years ago, that changed the course of her life. she was only three when a shell hit the family home in homs, s

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.es have had this area under siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there is every danger that tomorrow there will be more of the same. the american astronaut, john young, has died at the age of 87. he was one ofjust twelve men who have walked on the moon, and he flew the first space shuttle mission. he enjoyed the longest career of any space astronaut, serving nasa for 42 years. tim allman has been looking back at his life. if anyone had the right stuff, it wasjohn if anyone had the right stuff, it was john young. here if anyone had the right stuff, it wasjohn young. here he is preparing for the launch of the first space shuttle. he had been working for nasa for more than 20 years at this point, but when the needed an astronaut for their most daring mission, there was only one choice. he was fascinating, devoted, and passionate, and really fearless, and just a role model do so many astronauts, including the six people up astronauts, including the six people up on

these children in eastern ghouta have known no other life.air strikes, blood being wiped away, not the pain, nor the fear. and it stalks the old, too, already broken by years of a punishing siege. the history of syria is written here, amongst these stones. three—year—old samer was buried yesterday by his uncle, his father is badly injured. many now say syria's war is over, but it is not — not yet. lyse doucet, bbc news, damascus. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: two journalists in myanmar have been charged under the country's official secrets act. they could face up to 1a years in prison. also on the programme: from taking up painting to cope with depression, to having your murals displayed across singapore, we will have one woman's artistic journey. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief! after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown

this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, massive air strikes in eastern ghouta. — 23 people reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions, the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them was also killed. idlib, another rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here too. a car bomb at the weekend, which killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel ho. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few and far between, and medicine is scarce. as the planes move away, though, people still come out to scavenge useful supplies from between the lumps of concrete and broken buildings. reports suggest more than 100 may have died from rebel and syrian army forces during the latest skirmish, as the military compound in harasta was freed. more than 340,000 people have been killed in syria since the conflict began almost seven years ago. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. three women have accused the australi

crying these children in eastern ghouta have known no other life.way, not the pain, nor the fear. and it stocks the old too, already broken by years of a punishing siege. the history of syria is written here amongst these stones. three—year—old samer was buried yesterday by his uncle, his father is badly injured. many now say syria's war is over. but it's not, not yet. lyse doucet, bbc news, damascus. the children's charity unicef says that attacks on hospitals and other health facilities have become commonplace in syria, with less than half of the country's health facilities operating at full capacity. they're struggling to cope with the number of children seriously injured in the syrian conflict, which is now entering its eighth year. bbc news at ten has been following the story of two young girls, rahaf and qamar, who were badly burnt when a shell hit their home in syria six years ago. they've both undergone operations in jordan, where they now live. 0ur correspondent, caroline hawley, has been back to tojordan to see how they're both getting on.

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.years. people here come under attack almost daily. there's every danger that tomorrow, there will be more of the same. the headlines on bbc news: donald trump launches a fresh attack ona donald trump launches a fresh attack on a new book which claims he is unstable, calling it a work of fiction. an ambulance service says it is "truly sorry" following the death of an elderly woman in essex, who waited almost four hours for paramedics to arrive. air strikes on a rebel—held areas of syria are thought to have killed at least 17 civilians. sport now...and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's nick. philippe coutinho's four—and—a—half—year spell at liverpool is at an end after he joined barcelona for a fee worth up to £142 million. the brazilian playmaker quickly became a firm favourite at anfield afterjoining the club from inter milan. he made 201 appearances for liverpool and he was the club's leading goalscorer last season with 1a. jurgen klopp hasjust confirmed the move a

eastern ghouta lies on the edge of damascus. from here, rebels can fire into the capital.der siege for years. people here come under attack almost daily. there is every danger that tomorrow there will be more of the same. we are getting reports from syria that unmanned aircraft have attacked the main russian airbase. pro—government facebook pages say the russian base at latakia came under two waves of attack by the unmanned vehicles. they say the airbase defences shot down all the drones. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: here in britain, prime minister theresa may is going to reshuffle her cabinet on monday and tuesday next week. three senior ministers have resigned in the last two months. there had been speculation that change was imminent, but no date had been confirmed. the saudi authorities have confirmed the arrest of ii princes who staged a sit—in protest at a royal palace in the capital, riyadh. reports say they were protesting against saudi royals having to pay their own utility bills as part of new government austerity measures. poli

also ahead at least seventeen people were killed by government airstrikes in syria's eastern ghouta area. arm come on the high rally in the wall where anger it growing over the issue of the ballot diner encouraged me and from street to tweet. and the status of refugees could become a key issue in coalition talks in germany. first chinese and south korean teams as searching for thirty two same is missing after an oil tanker they were in collided with a freight ship in the east china sea the tanker operated by iran's top oil shipping company caught fire after the collision it was carrying one hundred thirty six tons of crude let's get the latest from our correspondent in beijing rob mcbride rob what more do we know about what happened. that's right the concern at this hour is very much for the crew members who are missing as you said this isn't a rainy and oil tanker and most of the crew are a rainy and some thirty to be exact with two bangladeshis the crew on the other vessel we are told is there as a crew of twenty one all of those have been accounted for they have been rescued this coll

organizations last at least seventeen people were killed by government and strikes in syria's eastern ghouta area and a model sports toughest challenge the nine thousand kilometer to colorado gets underway in peru. and oil tanker has caught fire in thirty two crew are missing after a collision with a kaga ship off the coast of china it happened off shanghai where the young sea river meets the east china sea says she looking for the missing sailors from iran and bangladesh who work for a leading even in shipping company rescue a save the twenty one crew on the other ship involved in ages from rob a bride who joins us from beijing rob what what's the latest on the search for those missing say it is. well the priority for the years very much for the well being of those sailors they are still missing unaccounted for this is an iranian tanker most of the crew thirty to be precise are rainy and with two other bangladeshi seafarers as you mentioned there the crew of the other vessel twenty one crew members we are told all chinese nationals they have been rescued they have been accounted for this co

we begin in syria where a cease fire has gone into effect in the besieged area of eastern ghouta there the capital damascus it was brokered by russia the area is the last remaining rebel stronghold near damascus and hundreds of thousands of people have been under siege by government fighters there for almost five years it comes to syrian opposition members say that they will boycott talks that russia is hosting in sochi next week the decision was announced at the u.n. sponsored negotiations in vienna which have been extended for a day though there's been no breakthrough. we listen to many good n.t.'s concerning . commitment but none of them will deliver somehow and. we are we are tired of that we need real involvement we need real commitment and the ball is in the russian court and the say that they have the upper hand in syria. and they were responsible for saving this region for a long time and they can bring it to commit itself to international legality was aleutians and if they won't they can meanwhile turkish forces continue their operation against kurdish fighters in afrin in nor

or about this and this is all just zero live from doha also coming up syria's eastern ghouta bombs just hours after a fragile cease fire comes into effect. that was on sunday and is being called a study billionaire prince detained in riyadh for more than two months and allegations of corruption is set free plus. a nation divided protesters in honduras clashed with police as the president was sworn in for a second after a disputed election. the taliban says it was behind a bomb attack in afghanistan's capital that killed at least ninety five. five people and injured more than one hundred fifty others they expose of this were hidden in an ambulance the bomber to get through security in couples green zone the city's most heavily protected area it's the second successful taliban attack in a week despite tight security jennifer glass reports. another day of carnage on the streets of kabul this time the bomb was in an ambulance the driver pretended to be taking someone to a nearby hospital but instead he detonated his device on a crowded street the taliban said it was targeting policemen havi

these children in eastern ghouta have known no other life. they survived the latest airstrikes. blood being wiped away. the pain, nor the fear. already broken by years of a punishing siege. the history of syria is written here amongst these stones. this three-year-old was buried yesterday by his uncle. his father is badly injured. many now say syria's war is over, but it is not. not yet. lyse doucet, bbc news, damascus. jane: you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, the economic crisis in venezuela is forcing many to go without medical supplies. we report on how the lack of contraception is taking a huge toll. in europe, thousands of people who had been stranded in the alps because of unusually heavy snow are now seeing some relief. trains have begun running to the swiss resort of zermatt, and helicopters are fearing people out. -- ferrying people out. reporter: after 2 days cut off from the rest of the world, zermatt is open for business again. the train line blocked by snow is now clear. and for those who are really in a huge hurry, the he

eastern ghouta is supposed to be a deescalation zone in assyrian civil war.ave tell a different story. more airstrikes on sunday and more victims on the ground. the syrian government is targeting a coalition of two hardest groups known as the army of islam. but the fighting is taking place in an area is home to 400 thousand people. since the start of the year, according to human rights groups, around 200 people have been killed bya bomb around 200 people have been killed by a bomb on shelling. after three yea rs of by a bomb on shelling. after three years of siege, there are shortages of food, fuel and basic services. the syrian government is also moving into rebel held areas in idlib province copper covering dozens of villages. some are controlled by groups loyal to the free syrian army pulled up others by another group which includes former supporters of al qaeda. they say they have managed to hold the government advance, but that can be independently confirmed. local reports say around 200 people we re local reports say around 200 people were killed during

residents of eastern ghouta reported smelling gas shortly after coming under attack.tained attack, with air strikes and ground attacks reportedly killing at least 85 civilians in recent weeks. for more on this, we spoke to bbc middle east analyst alan johnston a little earlier. well, our colleagues in syria are getting these reports from early this morning — reports from eastern ghouta that after one particular attack, there was a very strong smell of chlorine hanging in the air. people immediately having problems with breathing, itching of the eyes and so on — classic classic symptoms of a gas attack. reports that something like 50 people were affected, but health workers suggesting later that only a handful of them seemed to need brief hospital treatment before going home — only minor respiratory problems. a chlorine gas attack would be absolutely terrifying, but the fact is chlorine is not as dangerous, as harmful as other forms of chemical weapons. we have heard of chlorine gas attacks a number of times down through the years of the syrian civil war, but not so mu

growing desperation in eastern ghouta. rebel—held area of syria. is in danger of exploding.uture for africa. solar power may be the key. panels are popping up across the continent. than two years. a delegation to the winter olympics in south korea next month. in decades.

suburb have resorted to holding last talks with the government's ally russia the meetings on eastern ghouta have been taking place in no man's land as the rebels tried desperately to keep their last bastion around the capital as the fighting continues there are some four hundred thousand civilians are struggling to survive the winter with medical and food supplies running low and cull temperatures setting in. the fog of dust from buildings reduced to rubble was still thick as people began transporting the injured and pulling out the dead. twenty three people were killed in ears strikes in eastern guta on monday night. no you made there to be the warplanes didn't stop day and night they show only civilians and tall good residential neighborhoods and markets eastern ghouta is a short drive to the capital damascus which is remained relatively calm throughout the war but the lives of the four hundred thousand people here are very different the never ending stream of bombs has created shortages of everything from food to fuel. the last two weeks have been especially intense one hundred twenty si

eastern ghouta is another. 0bviously, that is one of the areas. eastern ghouta is another.s go against the general narrative we have seen in syria. yes, it does. the syrian government, assad has repeated over and over again that he intends to take back all of syria. the united states is of course occupying almost 30% in the north. it has helped to encourage setup the north. it has helped to encourage set up a government there. but there are still big rebel enclaves. that is where we will see a lot of fighting. they had been under deconfliction zones, but those are collapsing, so we are going to see more fighting in those regions. and in idlib, there are about 2 million people, many of the rebels have fled to this area. turkey does not want them to be driven inside turkey. it has moved troops into the region. syria, of course, wants to get rid of those people. there is a big number of al-qaeda people there as well. so this is going to become an increasingly fraught battle ground. we have seen a lot of focus on the vulnerable, the children especially. as we said, there are ov

well the syrian government is also intensifying attacks on the rebel held the mosque a suburb of eastern ghouta it managed to take back their only military base in the area for bread fight this new footage shows the aftermath of some of the latest air strikes over the madeira area in eastern according to the syrian observatory for human rights three people including one child were killed on monday duma an ar been are also reported to have been targeted eastern ghouta is home to around four hundred thousand people have been on the government's siege for more than one hears the tasha game reports now on the developments in holland's. sound all too familiar to many syrians as the war enters its eighth year the concern in the province is just how large the scale of the death and devastation could be. syrians here remember what happened in two thousand and sixteen when government forces regained control of aleppo once syria's biggest city. i don't know them the mold i was tempted you bashar we will look leave we will die in syria we are all civilians why do they do this then america then the arab le

when another deescalation zone is in the damascus suburb of eastern ghouta the syrian government's bombardment of the rebel held on claims intensifying rebel fighters a desperately trying to cling on to the territory even resorting to talks with syria's ally russia four hundred thousand civilians are struggling to survive the bitter winter with medical and food supplies running low natascha going to name as more. the fog of dust from buildings reduced to rubble was still thick as people began transporting the injured and pulling out the dead twenty three people were killed in strikes in eastern guta on monday night. no home team of the derby the warplanes didn't stop day and night they shell only civilians and tall good residential neighborhoods and markets eastern ghouta is a short drive to the capital damascus which is remained relatively calm throughout the war but the lives of the four hundred thousand people here are very different the never ending stream of bombs has created shortages of everything from food to fuel. the last two weeks have been especially intense one hundred twenty six