eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces.the war, it was just a short drive from the syrian presidential palace. officially, it's been designated a de—escalation zone, that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in syria. after seven years, syria's war isn't ending, but it's changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is now secure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more bloodshed. how many times in the last seven years have syrians dug through the rubble for survivors? there's talk of safe corridors out for civilians, but, based on past form, the regime wants victory in eastern ghouta and the surrender of the rebels. jeremy bowen, bbc news. the charity oxfam is now investigating 26 allegations of sexual misconduct which have been reported since allegations were made against some of its workers in haiti. the charity's leaders were questioned today by a parliamentary committee at westminster when they admitted that thousands of people had cancelled their monthly

humanitarian agencies need to reach the people i eastern ghouta. over the people of eastern ghouta.them and to be able to help as many people as to be able to survive. how possible to be able to survive. how can people, how can the people of eastern ghouta be assisted at this point in time? first of all, we need have enough, or just have enough, orjust a complete to have enough, orjust a complete stop the airstrikes on eastern ghouta. there has to be a cessation of the hostilities first and then we need to open up humanitarian access corridors for the agencies to be able to enter eastern ghouta, evacuate the people in - of evacuate the people in need of medical assistance and reach the and the elderly who are children and the elderly who are suffering from extreme malnutrition. 0k, suffering from extreme malnutrition. ok, thank you very much. that is lina sergie attar, the syrian american writer, aleppo. when america announced last september that its embassy in havana would no longer be issuing visas, it marked a serious cooling of relations with cuba. it also meant that cubans woul

eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces.e syrian presidential palace. officially, it's been designated a de—escalation zone, that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in syria. after seven years, syria's war isn't ending, but it's changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is now secure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more bloodshed. how many times in the last seven years have syrians dug through the rubble for survivors? there's talk of safe corridors out for civilians, but based on past form, the regime wants victory in eastern ghouta and the surrender of the rebels. jeremy bowen, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. american officials say the north korean leader's sister was due to meet the us vice—president for secret talks during the winter olympics, but pulled out, less than two hours beforehand. mike pence was apparently due to meet a delegation from pyongyang but his officials claim it was called off after he

as the death toll rises in eastern ghouta, there has been a major military development in the north ofuta. kurdish fighters are in the northern region of afrin. rebecca rosen reports. rebecca: working tdrive out kurdish melissa, more resistance than anticipated. the observatory for human rights reported that they are armed with heavy machine guns, could the area.aving on tuesday, turkey's president saying he had the support of russia and iran in preventing syrian government forces from entering afrin. >> we have agreed with russia and iran regarding the afrin issue. these type of terrorist organizations take wrong steps. it is not possible for us to allow this. they will pay a heavy price for their mistakes. rebecca: but erdogan's rhetoric is in that of russia's foreign minister, who recommended dialogue instead of combat. >> i am convinced that turkish legal interest, with regard to ensuring security, can be fulfilled and satisfied through direct dialogue with the syrian government. turkish forces have been making slow progress. on an alreadyin tense situation between turkey and the u

does everybody in eastern ghouta believe that?ople who want to escape and just want to stop the war at any price, or do you think everybody there holds firm to the description you havejust given me of your views? well, not everyone. of course there are people who are tired and have suffered so much in this war. so, yes, some people might think of that as a solution. but, let's face it, nobody can guarantee what will happen if they decided to move us out of this area. they might take everyone to the slaughterhouses and just execute. everyone against this regime. and who fought in this revolution. if that is going to be our choice, then the entire world has not done anything. mahmoud, it is very good of you to talk to us and describe the plight there, which obviously everybody here thinks is quite horrific. we wish you all the best, very much. thank you. northern ireland was condemned today by a un committee. the committee on the elimination of discrimination against women attacked the fact that northern ireland criminalises abortio

eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces.war, it was just a short drive from the syrian presidential palace. officially, it's been designated a de—escalation zone, that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in syria. after seven years, syria's war isn't ending, but it's changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is now secure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more bloodshed. how many times in the last seven years have syrians dug through the rubble for survivors? there's talk of safe corridors out for civilians, but based on past form, the regime wants victory in eastern ghouta and the surrender of the rebels. jeremy bowen, bbc news. and staying with syria, pro—government forces have entered the country's northwestern afrin region to help kurdish militia battle a turkish assault. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan described the convoy as being made up of "terrorists" acting independently. translation: today, the regime terror group came to support terro

eastern ghouta is the last of them that has not surrendered.icans threatened a military strike against the regime and then decided against it. it was a turning point in the war. after that, the regime lost its fear of western intervention. in september 2015, russia intervened, decisively, on assad‘s side. now, he‘s more secure and he‘s emboldened, more so than at any time since the war started. and the russians are becoming the dominant foreign power in the middle east. in northern syria, the president has just sent militia men to join a fight against a turkish incursion. he wouldn‘t have the confidence to move against a nato power without the russians. and it suggests he won‘t listen to foreign condemnation of the attack on eastern ghouta. jeremie bowen, bbc news. a wide—ranging study led by researchers at the university of oxford counters suggestions that anti—depressa nt medicines can be ineffective. their in—depth analysis of 21 drugs showed they all helped patients manage their condition. andrew plant reports. they are one of the most comm

a truce meant to relieve the suffering and eastern ghouta has collapsed.sides are plumbing the other for the fighting. do not forget, you can always get dw news on the go with our app. cactus all the latest news from around the world as well as push notifications on your phone for any breaking news. you can also use the dw app to send us your photos and videos. download the app from google play or the apple store. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around for that. we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] is made possible by..." croplife america. and it's member companies and associations in the crop protection industry including: the american farm bureau foundation for agriculture. more information at: agfoundation.org. sacramento's proud to be america's farm to fork capital visit: farmtofork.com >>from arizona's majestic mountains to the crashing waves of hawaii, you'll find american agriculture at its

eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces.the war, it was just a short drive from the syrian presidential palace. officially, it's been designated a de—escalation zone, that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in syria. after seven years, syria's war isn't ending, but it's changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is now secure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more bloodshed. how many times in the last seven years have syrians dug through the rubble for survivors? there's talk of safe corridors out for civilians, but, based on past form, the regime wants victory in eastern ghouta and the surrender of the rebels. jeremy bowen, bbc news. jeremy hunt is with me. if assad's forces do manage to gain control of eastern ghouta, will that constitute a turning point in this conflict?m will be really important for the regime and the area around the capital damascus. it is not, though, the end of the war. back when the war was starting in 2012, 2013, i was able to c

515155“ 3; gig; a complete stop to the airstrikes on eastern ghouta.75 corridors for the humanitarian agencies to be able to enter eastern ghouta, and reach the children and the elderly who are suffering from extreme malnutrition. when america announced last september that its embassy in havana would no longer be issuing visas, it marked a serious cooling of relations with cuba. it also meant cubans would have to travel to the embassy in colombia making it much harderfor people to visit family in the us. andrew plant reports. a hotel room in colombia. this man is already a long way from home. he has come from cuba, bags packed with paperwork to try to get a visa to enter the usa and visit the family he hasn't seen for almost six years. translation: i'm really looking forward to this life—changing moment. all the effort will be worth it. to be with my family — that's my one and only wish. but now they must travel 2,000 kilometres to bogota in colombia. last year, president trump announced the us was suspending visa processing in havana, partially revers

there are 400,000 people besieged in eastern ghouta. even think russia and the searing government would look anyone in the eye and say all of these people are terrorists. the reality is, the attacks are documentation clearly shows the attacks have been targeting civilian areas, residential areas, well away from borders. why prevent the exit of wounded and injured people? why prevent humanitarian access to the thousands of these people? these are all violations and crimes against civilians that human rights, the international human law show are a were crime and even a bigger pattern that amounts to crumbs against eumenides. amy: do you think there's a way for the violence to and and assad to maintain power? >> i don't have a crystal ball to answer that question. as mentioned, it has been frustrating to see the international community has made it clear more than once that assad can stay in power. make the my place to comments or analysis, but what i can say is what we have to have right now is in and to the siege and an end to these attac

this was eastern ghouta today, filmed by a local resident.ove, asserts itself in the most desperate places. and this was 24 hours earlier. another assertion of humanity, white helmets civil defence risking their lives to rescue children after an air strike. war is the reality in syria. since it started, every ceasefire has failed, and nothing suggests the latest attempt will be any different. jeremy bowen, bbc news. president donald trump's son—in—lanared kushner, has had his white house security clearance downgraded. until now, jared kushner, described as a senior adviser to the president, had been receiving top—secret security briefings. that won't happen anymore. through a spokesman, he insisted he's done "more than what is expected of him" to gain full clearance. correspondent peter bowes told me there has long been speculation about what exactly jared kushner‘s duties are and how qualified he is to carry them out. he has no real political experience, but he has been at donald trump's side at the white house ever since he was elected. he

humanitarian agencies need to reach the people of eastern ghouta.ve. how can people — how can the people of eastern ghouta be assisted at this point in time? first of all, we need to have a no—fly zone orjust a complete stop to the airstrikes on eastern ghouta. there has to be a cessation of the hostilities first and then we need to open up humanitarian access corridors for the humanitarian agencies to be able to enter eastern ghouta, evacuate the people in need of medical assistance, and reach the children and the elderly who are suffering from extreme malnutrition. barbara alston — lead singer of the ‘60s us girl—group — the crystals — has died at the age of 7a. # met him on a monday and my heart stood still. # da doo ron ron...# she was crucial to the sound of hit singles such as da doo ron ron and there's no other like my baby. she died a week ago in north carolina after contracting flu — but the news has only now emerged. tributes are also being paid to eddy amoo of the band the real thing — who has also died aged 7a. # you to me are everything

with every hour, yet more people are being killed in eastern ghouta.29 reported dead so far today. the syrian regime and its ally, russia, say onlyjihadist militants and rebels are being targeted, but on the ground, there is evidence of many civilian casualties. our correspondentjoins us now. has a form of words now been found that is acceptable to everyone on the security council? not yet, and they have not been negotiating this morning. negotiations ended last night, early evening. they could not agree on the final wording. the sticking point was when the ceasefire should come into effect. originally, they said it should come into effect 72 hours after the resolution was passed in new york, but because the russians have been delaying so much, western diplomats insisted the ceasefire has to come into effect immediately. they don't wa nt into effect immediately. they don't want any more delaying tactics, they need to stop the bombing in eastern ghouta. they have been demanding an immediate ceasefire but the russians won't agree to that at the moment. i

how tired think the situation in eastern ghouta is right now question what the situation is very bad time in eastern ghouta forgot to give you a brief, a brief example of what is going on right now, the storage where the un convoy, the food convoy in eastern ghouta, it was bombed by the syrian air force. that is in the last 48 hours. our collea g u es that is in the last 48 hours. our colleagues from the white helmets tried to evacuate patients from destroyed buildings and they ran out of ambulances and cars because most of ambulances and cars because most of them have been destroyed as well. and basically they have just a couple of ambulances functioning. the hospitals, seven hospitals have been targeted in the past 48 hours. five of them targeted and the doctors are running out of supplies to treat injured patients. and the children and the women who are about 50 or 60% of the injured patients, right now they really are not having a good chance of surviving those attacks if the situation continues. and this is exactly what happened back more than a year ago now in aleppo where the

this is what happened in eastern ghouta as diplomacy stuttered. was pounded. 400,000 or so people spend most of the day underground. above them, russian jets, with their syrian allies, were in action. as the russians demanded guarantees that rebel fighters would respect any truce. in eastern ghouta, men from civil defence risked their lives to rescue civilians, even though the buildings could collapse and the planes could come back. in the dust and confusion, these children were separated from their parents. the rescuers ignored the dangers. the eu condemned what it called "brutal attacks". diplomacy is supposed to find words and deeds to stop this happening. they were rushed into underground hospitals. it is hard to end a war, or even a battle, with words. especially when one side — in syria, the regime and its allies — believes victory is close. in syria, military power, the capacity to inflict pain and death, sets the pace of events. treating the wounded is one—way for humanity to push back. another is to create small pockets of normality, kind

eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces. before the war, it was a short drive from the syrian presidential palace. officially it has been designated a de-escalation zone . that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in yrria. after seven years,'s war isn't ending, but is changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is sure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, which guarantees more bloodshed. how many times in the last seven years have syrians dug through f the rubble survivors? there is talk of safe corridors out for civilians, but based on past form, the regime wants victory in eastern ghouta and the surrender the rebels. jeremy bowen, bbc news. jane: for more on the situation on the ground, i spoke earlier with the former u.s. ambassador to syria from 2001 to 2003. ambassador, thank you very much for coming in. this is thought to be the deadliest fighting for the last ree years. what do you read into the timing of it? why would the syrian government take this sort of action now

tonight, there are reports of a possible chemical attack in eastern ghouta.t. in eastern ghouta today, a measure of calm after a week—long storm of airstrikes. in small numbers, people ventured out from underground shelters to assess the damage, but there were reports of airstrikes continuing in some parts of the rebel—held enclave. once again, children were among the dead. today is the first day of the ceasefire resolution. still there is warplanes in the atmosphere, still shelling, but it is less bad than before. the vote last night for a month—long ceasefire didn't specify exactly when it would start or how it would be implemented, and there's another problem. in eastern ghouta, it's a disparate group of rebels fighting the regime, including some extremist elements that have been linked to al-anda, and the ceasefire doesn't cover them. government forces are massed around the edge of the enclave, with reports of clashes as they try and advance. tonight, we spoke to the most powerful group on the ground, jaysh al islam, which claims to have killed and kidnap

eastern ghouta is the last of enthem that hasn't sured.n 2013, eastern ghouta was hit by a cmical attack that killed hundreds. the amerans threatened a military strike against the regime, and then decided against it. it was a turning point in the war. lost itst, the regi fear of western intervention. in september 2015, russia intervened decisively on assad's now he is more secure and he is emboldened, more so than at any time since the war started.ns and the russre becoming the dominant foreign power in the middle east. in northern syria, thedent has sent in militiamen to join the fight against the turkish incursion. he wouldn't have the confidence to move against i need a power -- a move against a nato power without the russians, and it suggests he will not listen to foreign condemnation o attack on eastern ghouta. jeremy bowen, bbc news. laura: horrific scenes in syria. billy graham has been called a great man who gave hope and guidance to generations of americans. the evangelist spent his 60-year -- he died at the age of 99. martin bash

rebel—held eastern ghouta is the worst affected zone, and it's been impossible for aid convoys to get help. the vote had been delayed repeatedly. but the haggling meant that it avoided a veto from russia, an ally of the syrian government. this is how it finally got through, about two hours ago. translation: the results of the vote are as follows... the draft received 15 votes. the draft is hence adopted unanimously. as solution a01 for the year 2018. —— as resolution. so, that was the moment this ceasefire was approved. to some, it was unexpected. but it's been broadly welcomed by all sides. earlier, i spoke to panos moumtzis, the un regional humanitarian coordinator for the syria crisis. i asked him asked him about his reaction to the plan for a 30—day truce. finally, really, after days of deliberation of the security council, finally the resolution has passed unanimously. this is very much welcome. the most important part is the implementation of the resolution, of course. and we want to see immediate cessation of hostilities. on our side, as humanitarian actors, the un, ngos are al

in eastern ghouta today, a measure of calm after a week—long storm of airstrikes.numbers, people ventured out from underground shelters to assess the damage. but there were reports of airstrikes continuing in some parts of the rebel—held enclave. once again, children were among the dead. today is the first day of the ceasefire resolution. still there is warplanes in the atmosphere, still shelling, but it is less bad than before. the vote last night for a month—long ceasefire didn't specify exactly when it would start or how it would be implemented, and there's another problem. in eastern ghouta, it's a disparate group of rebels fighting the regime, including some extremist elements that have been linked to al-qaeda, and the ceasefire doesn't cover them. government forces are massed around the edge of the enclave, with reports of clashes as they try and advance. tonight, we spoke to the most powerful group on the ground, jaysh al islam, which claims to have killed and kidnapped dozens of government troops today. translation: when the regime is not abiding by the un

on eastern ghouta.en, bbc news. the government has ordered a review into the way medical problems, caused by nhs treatments, are dealt with. it follows three high—profile campaigns related to the the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, the hormone pregnancy test primodos and the use of vaginal mesh implants. the uk has seen the strongest six months of productivity growth since the recession of 2008, according to the latest figures from the office for national statistics. there was also a better than expected rise in wages in the first 3 months of the year. but unemployment was also up for the first time in two years, as our economics editor kamal ahmed explains. bring on the robots, more efficient in helping this firm in hastings make electrical equipment more quickly. and the more quickly you make things, the more you make every hour, and the more wealth you create. that's productivity. since the financial crisis, our productivity performance has been pretty poor, but over the last six months there has bee

with airstrikes bounding eastern ghouta again today, monitors assay that more than 270 people have beenilled since sunday. no, it is not the first time that ghouta has come under attack. back in 2013, the government allegedly bombed it with chemical weapons. we want to warn you that you may find the images in our next report upsetting. reporter: for a war that has been raging for nearly seven years, the images are no less shocking and no less harrowing. this boy's parents' fate is unknown. and what will become of him? in towns already reduced to shells, any hospital still standing is completely overwhelmed. since sunday, the syrian government, reportedly aided by russian forces, have stepped up its bombardment of this enclave, with little regard for those who inhabit it. reporter: and still,r jets keep coming. if what happened in homes in aleppo are anything to go by, they will not stop until there's no one left. those who survived this are being starved in their own homes. >> the situation is getting worse and people are forced to stay underground to avoid the shelling, unable to go on

we wait to see if that will happen in eastern ghouta.13 medical facilities have 13 medicalfacilities have been targeted. schools, bakeries, food tricks, main roads and even ambulances. rescue workers are not able to help, they are running out of medical equipment and themselves being targeted. people inside eastern ghouta described the situation as hell. there were mortars falling into damascus. the government and russia are determined to clear the area from what they describe as terrorists, but eastern ghouta has been besieged forfive years and completely sealed off for 50 days. unicef has issued a statement saying they are running out of words to describe the situation, and the un special envoy said to might be seeing another aleppo scenario. aleppo was also bombed out and seized until the moment where both rebels and civilians gave up and were bussed out of their own hometown towards idlib in the north, where it is also being bombarded. for the people in eastern ghouta, they have been living the walk the seven years, they are tired of

this was eastern ghouta today, filmed by a local resident.y, love asserts itself in the most desperate places. and this was 24 hours earlier. another assertion of humanity, white helmets civil defence risking their lives to rescue children after an air strike. war is the reality in syria. since it started, every ceasefire has failed, and nothing suggests the latest attempt will be any different. jeremy bowen, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. president donald trump's son—in—law jared kushner will have his security clearance downgraded. he will now be unable to view many sensitive documents to which she's had full access. live now to our north america correspondent, peter bowes. a spokesman says it is not unusual for security clearances to take this fun. what does this mean exactly and how his affect mr kushner‘s ability to do his job? the spokesman refers to do his job? the spokesman refers to the dozens of other people in the white house working with this interim clearance. this is the level of clea ra nce interim

--those who call eastern ghouta me. more than a week oshelling has led to the deaths of 500 people, oft from tomorrow, russia will order a daily paus the shelling so civilians can escape. yet another sign of just how much sway russia has in the war. the truce may take attention away from the securityil's earlier resolution, which no exact start date, looked over before it had begun. >> resolutions are meaningful if they are effectively implemented. that is why i expect the resolution to be immediately implemted and sustained, particularly to ensure the fmmediate, safe, unimpeded, and sustained delivery humanitarian aid and services. reporter: from tomorrow, this is what civilians in eastern ghouta will try to escape. this fooge shows the aftermath of a suspected chlorine attack. it shows young children struggling to eathe the use of struggling to breathe. using chlorine gas is weapon is banned under international law. this is an enclave of the law iy where the rule of difficult to implement and harder to enforce. isruss

syria, eastern ghouta is essential for asset. five miles away from the heart of damascus. the rebels have been shelling damascus almost on daily basis. of course the rebels don't have the same weapons that the assad regime has. this is really a vequestion of securing damascus. >> live for us in london. thank you for the context. we'll stay in touch with you. "cnn newsroom" will be back after the break. ♪ it's time for the 'ultimate sleep number event' on the only bed that adjusts on both sides to your ideal comfort, your sleep number setting. and snoring? does your bed do that? don't miss the final days of the ultimate sleep number event! save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed with adjustable comfort on both sides. ends sunday. visit sleepnumber.com for a store near you. >>> live, coast-to-coast in the united states and viewers around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom." thank you for being with us. i'm george howell with the headlines we are following. former trump campaign manager, paul manafort is facing charges h

eastern ghouta is surrounded by syrian government forces. a short drive from the syrian presidential palace. officially, it's been designated a de—escalation zone, that is an empty phrase. force decides what happens in syria. after seven years, syria's war isn't ending, but it's changing. president assad, with the help of russia and iran, is now secure, but syria is linked into a web of war and power politics, said the uk wantedrte—lead—a global and standards, not a "competitive race to the bottom". labour claims the uk will face massive de—regulation after brexit, threatening the quality of food and the environment, as well as long—standing workers' rights. here's our political correspondent vicki young. the uk has decided to carve out a different path to the european union. but ministers don't seem to be preparing for a sharp change in direction. the message here in vienna was more about reassurance. david davis denying accusations from labour that the government plans to sweep away rules that protect workers or the environment. they fear

well going back to the issue of eastern ghouta. t. since sunday, there's been a sharp increase in syrian military attacks on ghouta — dozens of airstrikes a day have been hitting the besieged enclave, and the death toll is now approaching 200 in those three days. for the quarter of a million or so people who live there, it's been one of the worst times in more than six years of conflict. we are witnessing some of the worst fighting of the entire conflict and the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. including medicalfacilities. who has received reports of attacks on five hospitals in eastern ghouta and is working to verify these reports and the casualties. we continue to call for unimpeded access to eastern ghouta to provide medical supplies that will mean the difference between life and death for the very sick and injured and for the immediate evacuation of urgent medical cases. from the outset, geography defined the conflict in ghouta. its location on the eastern outskirts of damascus made it easy for rebel groups to

and for the people of eastern ghouta, there has been no let—up. natural. i think it could take a long time for the powers to work out a ceasefire that is meaningful, in which relief can be actually provided to this particular area. it is a complicated situation. you have the syrian regime backed by the russians and the iranians on one side, bombing the area. and then rebel forces reportedly not allowing people to leave. i mean, to the extent that these reports can be believed. could you expand on that little, because i am curious about why it has been difficult. if people are suffering to the extent that they are, it should be able to come to some agreement that lets aid agencies in, for example. all things being equal, that should be very easy. but to dealing with geopolitical interests. eastern ghouta is very close to the capital damascus, the seat of the assad regime, and it has its interest in not letting up, in terms of its onslaught against the rebels. likewise, the rebels do not want a situation where they are weakened and they lose this cr

today was a very miserable day for eastern ghouta.s and many shellings and bombings. the worst thing in eastern ghouta we didn't see before is helicopters, meaning there are barrels of tnt. 0ne barrel can destroy one neighbourhood completely. that is what most fearing for the civilians here in eastern ghouta. syrian government forces and their russian allies are determined to clear this area of opposition fighters and take back full control of the capital, damascus. but with the death toll rising to the highest in a single day, this year, the question is, at what price? lina sinjab, bbc news, beirut. president trump is now supportive of improved background checks for people buying guns, according to his spokeswoman. since the deadly high school shootings in florida last week, the president has largely focused on mental health issues and criticising the fbi for missing warning signs about the gunman. but a campaign led by school students, survivors of the parkland attack, seems to be gathering pace. laura westbrook has the latest. cass

russia agrees to a daily five—hour ceasefire in syria's eastern ghouta.bour leader jeremy corbyn sets out his vision for trade post brexit, calling for the uk to form a new customs union with the eu. it could spell trouble for theresa may's strategy. every day, outside source features bbcjournalists working in over 30 languages. your questions are always welcome. #bbcos is the hashtag it's six months since hurricane harvey hit texas, killing 68 people and forcing more than 40,000 to flee their homes. more than 60 inches of rain fell, causing devastating flooding. laura trevelyan reported from houston on the impact of harvey last august, and has returned to find out how people made homeless by the ferocious storm are faring. houston underwater. this was the catastrophic flooding caused by hurricane harvey. as record rainfall saturated the city, again using neighbourhoods and turning lives upside down. it's an emotional moment for gloria, clutching snoopy as she shows where she was rescued from as the floodwaters rose. as she shows where she was rescued fro

and a ceasefire in syria's eastern ghouta collapses.he un can't deliver aid to hundreds of thousands trapped there. and on newsnight, you will hear about the tragic death of zack cox, about the tragic death of zack cox, a british man who fell to his death 40 a british man who fell to his death a0 metres working on a stadium in qatar. what all went wrong. good evening and welcome to bbc news. snow and freezing temperatures have caused major disruption across many parts of the uk today, with forecasters warning that there is much worse to come this week. parts of south—east and north—east england, scotland and north wales are badly affected. there has been disruption on many major roads, including a fatal crash which left three people dead. rail journeys have also been badly affected, with southeastern cancelling more than 100 services between kent and london. more than 560 schools were shut across england, wales and scotland, and forecasters say some rural communities may be cut off. the met office has issued amber warnings for tomorrow,

that is what they are fearing, the civilians here in eastern ghouta.vernment forces and their russian allies are determined to clear the area of opposition fighters and take back full control of the capital, damascus. but with the death toll rising, the debt is, at what price? president trump is now supportive of improved background checks for people buying guns, according to his spokeswoman. since the deadly high school shootings in florida last week, the president has largely focused on mental health issues and criticising the fbi for missing warning signs about the gunman. but a campaign led by school students, survivors of the parkland attack, seems to be gathering pace. laura westbrook reports. cassie bernall, 17. steven curnow, 1a. .. this is their message to those in power. 17 students laid down in front of the white house, the same number of children murdered in the school in florida last week. they are demanding congress take action on gun control. one of the survivors of the shooting had this to say to donald trump. he is going to see in our

the skies over eastern ghouta were supposed to fall silent. but a five hour humanitarian pause brought little relief to besieged residents in the rebel held on klav strikes reported during the pause and observers say that syrian government war planes resumed their bombing as soon as it ended. but we pray to god for help what kind of ceasefire is this without attacks and barrel bombs. humanitarian corridors set up to allow residents to leave and aid to enter went largely unused rebels claim people are refusing to leave on buses out of fear of being captured by government forces. and my bottom and we're meant to pick up the wounded from eastern guta and take them to the clinic in the suburbs of damascus on humanitarian grounds. the. syria's ally russia accused the rebels of preventing people from leaving and blamed them for failing to uphold the truce ordered by president vladimir putin. that the militants are intensively shelling the a not a single civilian escape to the humanitarian corridor or to get into it. moscow's plan falls short of the

. >> we bring this kocouncil somer of the voices of the eastern syrian area of eastern ghouta wait fo waiting for the council to act. a doctor treating patients in the makeshift hospital described the situation she is facing. we are mental and emotional wrecks. there is nothing more we can do. we are bled dry. in a haunting video, the doctor walks into a room with the crying mother, and she says, quote, i am waiting for my son to die. at least he will be free of pain. i wus just making bread for him when the roof fell in. he is going straight to heaven, at least in heaven there is food. another message that we received yesterday that i think that was said to you in all of the closed consultations, but it is important to it is a again. was one that was an emergency call from a doctor in eastern ghouta, quote, we have a horrible situation here. we are being targeted with all kinds of weapons, nonstop. we lack everything. water, food, medical supplies, shelter. this is a disaster. everyone is just waiting to die. today, the security kocouncil finally took a step towards addressing the de

laura: we saw the espalling pictf what was happening in eastern ghouta. the white house said was put on notice some time ago. there was that one airstrike by the trump administration against the syrian military. does the u.s. have any influence? brian: it could if it wanted to, but it doesn't appear to want to. there is no serious debate in america today abouumsyria. the tradministration has a rhetorical approach in speeches and saying it is putting actors on notice, but besides that strike in april of lasyear, ere doesn't seem to be any impetus for effort at all for the u.s. to engage in a serious wa laura: if eastern ghouta falls he syrian government, wh will the state of the war be? brian: the state of the war has multiple fronts. we talk about syrians having two sides in the civil war. there are so many other actors, rtand it has acted like a that has sucked in powers like turkey and iran. the war will go on, unfortunately. and unless there is a sense of justice and stability in some places, it could go on for many more years. ank youbrian katulis, fo

eastern ghouta is the last of them that has not surrendered.chemical attack that killed hundreds. the americans threatened a military strike against the regime and then decided against it. it was a turning point in the war after that the regime lost its fear of western intervention. in september 2015 russia intervened, decisively, on assad's side. now he is more secure and he is emboldened, more so than at any time since the war started. and the russians are becoming the dominant foreign power in the middle east. in northern syria the president has just sent militia men to join the fight against the turkish incursion. he would not have the confidence to move against nato power without the russians. and it suggests he will not listen to foreign condemnation of the attack on eastern ghouta. jeremie bowen bbc news. our top story this evening. two victims of the black cab rapist john worboys have won a landmark legal battle against the metropolitan police. and still to come: jumping forjoy — britain's women's curling team are through to the semi—fi

with every hour, yet more people are being killed in eastern ghouta.t 29 reported dead so far today. the syrian regime and its ally, russia, say onlyjihadist militants and rebels are being targeted, but on the ground, there is evidence of many civilian casualties. the international committee of the red cross says more than 20 of its staff have been dismissed in the last three years for sexual misconduct. the disclosure is the result of an internal review of the swiss—based organisation which has more than 17,000 staff worldwide. 0ur diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley is following developments. it says that since 2000 and 1521 staff members were either dismissed 01’ staff members were either dismissed or resigned for paying for sexual services, this is banned by the icrc, even in countries where prostitution is legal. 0f icrc, even in countries where prostitution is legal. of other two members of staff did not have their contracts renewed and ahead of the icrc said he was deeply saddened to report these incidents, he said he was concerned that cas

moscow wants guarantees that rebel fighters in eastern ghouta will respect a halt to the fighting. reporter: these crackling bright lights have all the hallmarks of a firework display. but they are designed to celebrate. activists say they are proof that the syrian government is hiring indiscriminate cluster bombs into residential areas. and after a fifth night of regime pounding, this rebel-held bastion looks like this. the grieving takes place amid the search for life. >> i knew he would go. i told his grandmother he would go. he didn't want to continue living in terror. i wish it had been me who was killed instead of my son. i wish it had been me who was killed, so i wouldn't have to grieve or you -- for you, my son. reporter: some have lost hope. others cling to it. the work of first responders here made ever harder by treacherous conditions and the lack of medical supplies. as death rains down from above, world powers are still arguing about how to stop it. >> the special envoy for syria reiterates that the humanitarian situation of the civilians in eastern ghouta is appalling

and the same things with eastern ghouta.when i'm talking to my friend and my colleague there, they -- we all of us know that this ceasefire is not real and not actual. it's just like as we say it like awards and papers. and unfortunately, i'm going to say here, because have i this opportunity and the space here to say like and send this message. i hope this is be real, at least to look to that its moral things, and it's the responsibility from the media and from the politician to stop this war. every day this war is going and the bomb over us going. there is children killed there is a woman and men killed who have nothing to do with this war. and i think this is responsibility. and to start from here, from the media, including the politicians work who care about the human rights. >> yes. and you mentioned that. of course over the weekend, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley, had a message for syrian leader bashar al assad. let's just take a listen for a moment. >> the assad regime needs to stop its militar