among the syrians it's 78%. the short-term of the humanitarian aid system compounds the difficulties of the government for jordan. we're working with them on an employment program to try and help their companies take advantage of free trade access to european markets. but that requires 15% of the employees to be refugees. we're trying to work with them to help square that circle. the third aspect, the third consequence that i think relates to the first two is that many refugees giving up the hope of legal resettlement in the u.s., are frankly, are going to take their lives in their own hands and get to europe. the european refugee crisis is not over. the push factors driving people from syria and the neighboring states to get to europe remain very strong indeed. obviously the great danger is there is a domino effect from the u.s. decision, the largest refugee resupplement country, the domino effect leads to a series of actions by hosting states like jordan and lebanon, kenya, uganda, and ethiopia. the instabilit

five million syrians have fled their homeland, and it's tragic for all syrians but particularly for the innocent children, many of whom have been killed. the mental health of the syrian children, we just received a report last week from save the children, and it's tragic. that report points out these children have lost their childhood. they've been absent from school because school does not exist in many parts of syria today. their speech has been affected, d they have many issues, including partial angina. so this is a tragic situation in syria for all. the act of war has challenged the humanitarian effort in order to get help to the people who have been victimized. we know that. i have grave concern about the trump policy as to how it is assisting in dealing with the crisis in syria. mr. chairman, let me just mention three points that concern me. first, we heard that president trump will be submitting a budget that has a 37% cut in the state department's budget. if america is going to be active in dealing with the humanitarian needs, how do we do that with a budget that is already ina

syrian and turkish citizens.o date, our situation remains unresolved.we continue to seek a dialogue with turkish officials so that we may resume our operations as soon as possible. we stand ready to correct any technical mistakes we might have made. meanwhile, we have had no choice but to shut down our presence in turkey while working closely with our partners and donors including us aid and -- we know turkey has been a generous global leader during action. it welcomes more than 3 million syrian refugees and boost one ofhe world's most important policiesn refues allowing them to earn a living for their families and offering them a path to citizenship. like the united states, turkey is a signatory to a an international humanitarian laws requiring protection of innocent civilians caught in the conflict. as an independent and impartial humanitarian organization, mercy corps mandate is to deliver essential aid to civilians in need on all sides of the conflict. and i can say that we are very proud of our principal hum

such that the air defense system used by the syrians was fired after the israeli jets returned from syrian territory. that is what the israelis say. the incident is unusual so far that israel does not normally talk about airstrikes in syria or the targets. it is understood they are .argeting hezbollah it is unusual for the syrian side that they have not normally to these airstrikes over their territory. there have been reports of them using air defense systems. they ordinarily haven't responded, and they haven't claimed to have shot down israeli jets in the past. host: why are we seeing a change in response from israelis and syrians? reporter: it comes at a time of change in syria. for the first time the syrian government is emerging from a long time of threat and feeling more secure than it has throughout the syrian conflict. run the israeli perspective, they conversely see a threat building. hezbollah has been fighting in the war alongside assad. they fear they could get a strategic foothold in syria through hezbollah and the presence of quid pro quo of the assistance given to the syrian

and they were not only syrian kurds. they were joined by members of the pkk, from syria, from a smoker iraqi kurdistan. when erdogan seal the border trying to isolate them there were protests all across turkey. and these are violent demonstrations. so here again the cease-fire that existed with the pkk now broke down. erdogan felt himself besieged by adversaries. there's a saying that even paranoid people have enemies. well, erdogan became increasingly paranoid and delusional, and his enemies and turks who witnessed his deranged behavior started to organize against them. >> so this whole complex situation in syria with assad, with isis, with the kurdish factions, how did that feedback on domestic politics now? lets go from 2013 into 2016. what are sort of a domestic political developments erdogan is facing? will get to the coup and a second but perhaps you can tell us what's that pre-coup landscape looking like? >> so there's a lot of speculation about terrorist attacks in turkey. attacks against regime targets, against

the syrians have their leather jackets on because our mother jackets.their smoking their cigarettes and their leader says, he confessed, he said he's a fox. so that's who you're dealing with in syria. which is it's different than moving to other cities. you don't disappear into damascus because your relatives are also watching you. i don't know which one or more deadly. this is the passage i will spontaneously raise. this is about a syrian child, 13 -year-olds. this chapter takes place in the spring. i had just come back from cairo where i was in lala land thinking your there at the time and that great things are going to happen. so i just landed back in damascus. the school portrait became ridiculous. it showed a chubby boy wearing a blue shirt. the background look like a blue sky swirled with the sun. rays of light rating from the center and it cast a halo around his head. otherwise i start to look like young men at 13, hunter was still us child of his age. everybody became familiar with a portrait of him. a picture of him after death, naked and bloat

among 70% of all syrian refugees are women and children. have the -- half of the syrian refugee children are not in school. millions inside of syria are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. mr. president, we cannot to forget the lessons of history. in 1939 the united states refused to let the ss st. louis dock in our country, sending over 900 jewish refugees backhe to europe where many died in concentration camps. after that tragic failure in the united states, after we turned our back on jewish refugees fleeing hitler, the united states examined its conscience and came up with a new program. it came up with a new approach and it was bipartisan. since world war ii, the american people work to set an example of the world by accepting refugees. listen to those we have been accepted and have been a part of america: over 400,000 eastern europeans after world war ii, close to 400,000 vietnamese refugees fleeing the vietnam war. approximately 650,000 cuban refugees after castro came into power. mr. president, let me note parenthetically tha

turkey sees the syrian-turkish militia as a bunch of terrorists .hat militia is allied to the pkk, the turkish-kurdish insurgent group. the u.s. has acknowledged that relationship but says it sees no evidence that the syrian kurds are actually attacking turkey. washington regards the syrian kurds as its fomost proxy forces in syria, as an extremely effective fighting force against the islamic state, and it is using the syrian kurds in its campaign to capture rocca -- in syriacapital tillerson admits there are differences between the u.s. and turkey on the syrian kurds, and there are different -- difficult choices that have be made. the main purpose of tillerson's visit today was how to secure those areas of syria where the islamic state has been driven out either by turkish backed forces or the kurdish forces. turkey would like america to support that zone of northern syria that its forces have liberated with the u.s. air , as u.s. air support could ensure security in that zone of northern syria so syrian refugees can return from turkey to that zone

whom werert of syrian.hat puts into context the difficulties these host countries are having hosting far more refugees. even more so especially in the case of lebanon. they also don't have the resources that many european countries have to deal with these kind of problems. are under a huge strain because of this refugee crisis. >> the 5 million mark having been reached, what are they asking to be done about it? this is the largest refugee crisis since the second world war. if you look at the conditions many of these refugees are thing youthe first notice is the vast majority of them aren't living in recognized camps. only a fraction. most live in informal settlements. they often have restrictions on them depending on the country legally as to whether they can work. all of these factors and many others leave them in a position where they can very easily potentially be exploited. although it is recognized that the countries are doing a very good job and a very difficult circumstances to a -- accommodate the r

syrians,t affect us primarily, because the united states is not receiving syrian refugees since the beginningr: very few. kholoud: very few compared to other countries. roger: especially germany. kholoud: especially germany, yes. so, if they are not receiving ean, there arei m a few people who have been received here, but the problem is those activists, including me, who, every now and then, try to make it to the states to talk to the people, speak to the media, and meet prominent people, etl -- let's say from the congress or politicians, decision-makers, to tell them about what's going on or the lobby -- to lobby for our cause, now we are prevented to do this. roger: do you think you will go home one day? kholoud: i will, definitely. roger: when? kholoud: i don't know. roger: and what syria will you go home to? kholoud: syria that i was dreaming about. roger: you still believe that? kholoud: yes. roger: what's the basis for your belief? just hope and faith? kholoud: and the sacrifice of my friends. we fail traitors if them, so i'll continue with this till the end. roger: till the end of time

and kurdish backed rebels, but also the syrian army. i am joined now by the former head of the french military mission at the united nations. for being with us on france 24. isis is under pressure under several fronts spree at a looks like it may be a matter of time before this group, which rose to prominence in 2014, may be completely wiped out. is there some truth to that? .> certainly on the iraqi side it is just a matter of time. most will be able to -- will be difficult to capture. it is morean side difficult and complex. not because they are fighting better than in iraq, but because the opposition is very scarce and if a cold. have the syrian government, you have the russian, the coalition, the kurds, which everything is complex. the turks don't want the kurds to be part of the liberation. isfact the syrian government aligned with these kurds and the russians. the syrian alliance with the kurds don't want them to go to long beach. it is much more complex. islamiconly have more state on the syrian side -- that is why it is a proble

we are worse off than the syrians. >> ( translated ): at the moment because of the syrians employmentwent down a lot. they work on the cheap, and because they work for low wages, the situation for turkish workers is bad now. >> ( translated ): they are our guests here. why should we complain? one day when things are okay again in their own land they will go back. >> reporter: but zahir bhatah is planning to stay, along with his four year old autistic son, anver. he didn't dare take a rubber dingy to greece. >> the sea is very dangerous. my son is very small. and he cannot swim. i have many friends who drowned in the sea so i was too scared to travel to europe so i decided to stay in izmir. >> reporter: bhatah used to be a heart surgeon in damascus. in izmir he worked as a baker for a while. he's applying for turkish citizenship under president erdogan's initiative. >> i think it's better for me to find a chance to work as a doctor in turkey. >> reporter: other refugees are taking turkish lessons to improve their chances of assimilation and employment. last year at ramadan the turkish

among 70% of all syrian refugees are women and children. have the syrian children. the syrian refugee children are not in school. millionse ma inside of syria are in00 urgent need of humanitarian assistance. mr. president, we cannot to forget the lessons of history. in 1939 the united states refused to let the ssa lose stock in our country. sitting over 900 jewish refugees backhe to europe where many died in concentration camps. after that tragic failure in the united states, after we turned , our back on jewish refugees fleeing hitler, the united states examined its conscious st and came up with a new program. it came up with a new approach and it was bipartisan. since world war ii, the americag people work to set an example of the world by accepting refugees. listen to those we have been accepted and have been a part of america. over 400,000 eastern europeans after world war ii. close to. close to 400,000 vietnamese refugees fleeing the vietnamfugr war. approximately 650,000 cuban refugees after castro came into power. let me note that for hispanic united states s

syrian they had some money in their pockets. after a few months, they ran out of money they don't have any income, they don't have anyha work, or trade., so they had to choose between begging and sending the kids to work. c >> reporter: turkey is hosting more refugees than any other country. aid agencies warn of growing racial tension, and in the back streets of izmir there's clearre resentment from turks about the impact refugees have on the labor market, at a time when there's 12% unemployment nationally, a seven-year high. >> ( translated ): the turks should first think about their own people, retired people are t starving. i can't even find work with the minimum wage. we as turkish citizens can hardly make a living.ha do you understand? we are worse off than the syrians. >> ( translated ): at the moment because of the syriansnt employment went down a lot.en they work on the cheap, and because they work for low wages, the situation for turkish workers is bad now.is >> ( translated ): they are our guests here. t why should we

the syrians have no other choice but to stay in the camp.rs into the war, the world has forgotten them. time for business news -- brent: time for business news. reporter: the unexpected decision from the fed yesterday, usually higher rates boost in the u.s. dollar, but currency fell following the monetary policy announcement. while the fed dropped hints it would bump up interest, people were not impressed, and the dollar stands at a five-week low. let's head straight over to new york where our man on wall street is standing by for us. the dollar has dipped despite investors being prepared for an interest rate hike. why is that? >> the increase in interest rates was expected, and already priced in to the green back, and the federal reserve hinted at two more rate increases for the remainder of the year, so that is not too aggressive. another reason why the dollar traded lower. also chatter that the european economy might do better than recently expected, another reason not to see the take of the u.s. dollar. >> trump is outlining his u.s. bud

us—backed syrian forces are trying to take it back.use the dam could be about to collapse. this image was released by the is news agency which says it shows a burnt control room. the un warns that would mean catastrophic flooding. syrian forces say the dam is fine. we'll monitor the situation and bring you news. meanwhile, in the syrian city of homs the second phase of a major evacuation is getting under way. thousands of rebel fighters and their families are leaving the al—waer district as part of a deal backed by russia. here's lyse doucet. time and again this is how battles have ended over the course of the syrian war. a local deal. today it is the fighters from al—waer and their families who are being forced to leave. children carrying all their worldly goods that they can bring with them. infants in their arms. the elderly, the injured in wheelchairs. many of the fighters carrying their automatic weapons. these buses will take them further north close to the turkish border where they'll continue their battle against syrian governm

and many say they want a syrian as a second wife, but only secretly. always ask them: aren't syrian women worth just as much as turkish women? don't they have the same rights? >> gaziantep, a city of a million and a half, is just a hundred kilometers from the syrian border. it has taken in more than 250 thousand refugees from the fighting in syria, three quarters of them women and children. most of the women are widows; their husbands died in the civil war. in their despair, they are easy prey. >> turkish men think these women can be had cheap -- as a wife or second wife. some of them couldn't get to know a woman in a normal way. they're too ill or too old. >> a syrian wife costs half as much as a turkish one: about 15 hundred euros. for a refugee family with nothing, that's a lot of money. word has spread that they are being exploited. >> i still wouldn't give up my daughter. they are merely abused for two or three months and then sent back again. >> polygamy is illegal in turkey, but in conservative, patriarchal anatolia, many men don't care about th

has airlifted syrian democratic forces in any large numbers to a location.is the first time they have crossed the euphrates river anywhere in the vicinity of r akha itself. the airbase is 40 kilometers west. it has been held by islamic state group since 2014. they carried out in massacre when they captured it for the first time from syrian government forces and killed 160 plus of their soldiers, executing some of them and placing their heads on spikes in the city. something of a notorious history because of that. it gives the syrian democratic forces the possibility to start andng south of the river finishing the encirclement of that town which is already pretty much entirely surrounded to the north with the closest approach of syrian democratic forces only about five to 10 kilometers outside on the north side of the river. the u.s. backed militias are treading very carefully near a dam on the euphrates river. what are the risks and the fears? it is still held by islamic state group. taking it back is going to be that much more difficult because of the conce

to suddenly throw open its borders, allow liberalization because many of the syrian who is ended up in turkey and who may have extremist backgrounds are actually -- are actually security threats to e.u. member state. so in my view there's zero prospect that the e.u. can provide visa liberalization to turkey. there's always been a racist tendency among europeans stronger today than ever before. and my question is is, why suddenly two summers ago were there more than a million refugees who took flight from turkey and decided that they wanted to go to denmark or to germany rather than stay where they were? partly it has because they had a futility about ever being able to go home. i think we have to acknowledge that. but i wonder what conditions were going on in the camp and the treatment of asylum seekers denied work permits by turkey that created a desire for them to leave turkey, a great hazard, set sale to greece which turns into a warehouse for refugees and seek a brighter future in northern europe which has shown itself to be deeply hostile towards immigrants. so there are a lot of

now those syrian troops are back inside the city.ved classical monuments in the middle east. the destruction here now a symbol perhaps of the civil war that continues to consume syria. sarah corker, bbc news. in other news: egypt's highest appeal court has found the former president, hosni mubarak, not guilty of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him from power. since his arrest six years ago, the former president has spent most of his time in a military hospital. it is unclear whether he will return home. scientists in britain have created artificial embryos using two types of stem cells from mice, in what they say is a world first. the researchers at cambridge university say their artificial embryo is unlikely to develop into a healthy foetus but they hope it will lead to improving fertility treatments. scientists in france say they've developed a new treatment based on gene therapy for people with the serious blood disorder known as sickle cell disease. doctors claim their patient is free

now those syrian troops are back inside the city.he best—preserved classical monuments in the middle east. the destruction here now a symbol perhaps of the civil war that continues to consume syria. sarah corker, bbc news. and ben is here with all the business news. we start injapan — on a huge day for computer games giant nintendo. it starts selling its latest device — the switch. it's kind of hybrid machine — combining a home console and a mobile device in one. and it's safe it say it is a massive gamble for nintendo, which is trying to recapture its glory days as a games company in a fast changing industry. some are even calling it "make or break". let's show you why: gaming is very big business and growing fast. according to consultants newzoo sales will top $100 billion for the first time this year. but there's another first. gaming on mobile devices — mostly smartphones — will take the biggest share this year — with estimated sales of 42.5 billion. that will put it ahead of home consoles and pcs for the first time. it's somethi

translation: over one point five monthly syrian troops ove rca m e point five monthly syrian troops overcamef march they took control of palmyra. a half months. 0n the 2nd of march they took control of palmyram a half months. 0n the 2nd of march they took control of palmyra. it was feared that the ruins had suffered further destruction after drones and satellite imagery seems to show further damage whilst it was under the militants control. but today syria's antiquities chief said there was less damage than archaeologists have feared. palmyra had already lost its famed triumphant arch, its central temple of bell, and dozens of antiquities in the museum. should the militants retake the ruins once more, it is not certain it gives a vine. —— it is not certain it could survive or stop it is the evil of china's biggest political event of the year, the people's congress —— it is the eve of. beijing has said they will raise the defence budget by 7%, which is the lowest rise in military spending in the country and around a decade and it comes against the backdrop of growing tensions in the backdrop

these were once anow those syrian troops are back inside the city.ngst the best—preserved classical monuments in the middle east. the destruction here now a symbol perhaps of the civil war that continues to consume syria. sarah corker, bbc news. the french presidential candidate, emmanuel macron, has unveiled his policy agenda promising to boost the economy and fight corruption. mr macron, who's running on a centrist manifesto, had been criticised for being too vague. and it's emerged police have searched the home of one of mr macron‘s rivals, francois fillon. mr macron now finds himself in the unusual position in this election of being the only major candidate not facing possible criminal charges as our paris correspondent, lucy williamson reports. his stage may not be as glitzy as the oscars, but emmanuel macron knows how to play the star. never mind that critics describe his campaign as "blah blah land" — all talk, no real policies. today, this 39—year—old first—time candidate came armed with plenty of them. he has promised big tax cuts, spending

one group that has brought under the free syrian army banner but also thejihadi under the free syriane jihadi this is who incorporate the group formerly known as al nusra front. there have been rebranding is and redrawing of alliances. in response government forces have deployed warplanes, there have been air strikes, more than 42 monitors. tanks have been seen heading into the areas in preparation for a counterattack. germany's center—left social democratic party has confirmed martin schulz as its new leader and the man who'll run against angela merkel in the country's general election in september. a former president of the european parliament, mr shulz was given an unprecedented endorsement from the party base — winning all of the 605 votes. boot, the leader after the second world war got 99.7 but that is when he was trying to unite the party. nobody has done anything like that since then. how much of a threat is he, where is he in the polls if they can be trusted ? he, where is he in the polls if they can be trusted? he was declared they chan did it for the chancellor back in janu

anyhim it was never really syrian spring, but rather in a an endless syrian winter or burningship summerslim extremism. that wasn't how it felt six years ago when syrians contracted what he calls the virus of hope, the hope that another life was possible and that syrians were able to invent it. he calls hope syria's original sin, a crime committed with passion and a crime the country continues to pay for. host: let's wrap up with something a little bit lighter. you might remember robert kelly, the famous protagonist of that youtube video. interviewing a life when he was gatecrashed by his children. guest: he was beating out about the impeachment of south korea's president on the bbc. he shot to stardom when his toddler and baby stormed into his office and started wrecking havoc. you won't remember what his wife first in. kelly has appeared again on the bbc with his family once more, this time intentionally. he talked about the minor mistake that turned his family into youtube statars >>>> 120 wld leadersrs cooped up in one building.g. >> that big meeting going on in copenhagen,, i if the

we commend turkey for a peaceful solution to the nearly six-year syrian conflict.i also came here to deepen our countries trade and investment ties. bilateral trade between our two countries is more than $17 billion in 2016 and we are eager to grow that number. american and turkish scientists collaborate in research to improve energy efficiency health and education under the framework of the u.s. turkey science and technology agreement and we are also fostering public-private partnerships to support technology-based innovation and entrepreneurship. we will work with the turkish government and the private sector to expand economic corporation that benefits both of our countries. the united states and turkey share many broad goals for the region. reducing iran's ability to disrupt the region, finding a settlement in syria that allowed syrians to return home and supporting iraqis to build a strong independent and inclusive government in baghdad. in the united states the people of turkey have been trusted allies to a partner who is committed to its safety and security

these were once anow those syrian troops are back inside the city.classical monuments in the middle east. the destruction here now a symbol perhaps of the civil war that continues to consume syria. sarah corker, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a new informal diplomacy? indonesia's president video logs the visit of the saudi king. first the plates slipped gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards and it was a matter of seconds before the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll. the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and so my heart went bang and bang. the constitutional rights of these marchers have their rights as citizens of the united states and they should be protected even in the right to test them out so they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i k

refugees and indeed all syrians temporarily from coming to the united states.o you react to that? it seems almost cruel. >> i think it is terrible. why? because 20, 30 years ago -- in the country, i think maybe it was right but in these days when the terrorism operates in completely different grounds through the social media, i think first of all my suggestion to president trump should look for the root of the terrorism and to learn more about terrorism, like -- all of these people. and i think if you understand the roots of the terrorism, then you can fight the terrorism. i suggest more intelligence, to learn more about what is happening in our own country, because if you go back to the old terrific atful terror list attacks here, none of them came from this country, but shutting the door on these people, innocent people who may be seeking shelter, they are seeking shelter. so i think it is the wrong thing because at the end of the day, shelter can be provided by only radicals and isis, including and these kids seeking shelter becoming the terrorists because t

we are hearing that the syrian army is entering palmyra.ou for hanging on for us. it is worth saying that you met and interviewed president assad in october. you are in aleppo in november. we don't have a lot of time, but palmyra is well known. how important is it in the war of the future in the country? not an much. it has been a hot potato exchange between isis on the regime since 2013. the key cities here are raqqa, the self proclaimed capital of isis. and a border town on the iraqi town. and a border town on the iraqi town. and the gas fields in the basin that the regime needs to generate electricity. those are the big three places that the regime really needs to run isis. i think this is more a symbolic victory for the regime. we have been reporting on the huge setbacks for isis, but it does seem that the coalition has been supporting the rebels and this is being chipped away. we are told that these talks in geneva edging forward. what hope you see from them? where do you see the country, ultimately? the regime has always been very str

six years later, the syrian war has claimed more than 320,000 lives.entirennocents, country has become a torture chamber. a place of savage horror and absolute injustice. as the conflict injures its seventh year, this is the worst man-made disaster the world has seen since the second world war. reporter: an independent u.n. report found the syrian government guilty of several war crimes, including use of chemical weapons, cutting off the water supply around the , damascus, and delivery bombing a school in october. the u.n. also said the group allied with the rebels as well as u.s. backed kurdish groups were responsible for recruiting adolescent. on monday, the u.n. charter relief agency reported that 2016 was the worst year on record for syrian children. over 650 were killed in the conflict just last year. 850 were recruited by armed groups and forced to join the fighting. the u.n. commissioner accused the syrian government of waging war on its own people and suggested that russia has been complicit. they have pushed back hope for and into the senseles

syrian arabs that we're supporting with supplies and training and u.s.al operations personnel on the ground and now the marines, if we're going to use that as the force we probably will need additional fire power. and i know that that is what the united states would like to do because you know we talked about just time and distance. the kurds are right there, they pretty much surrounded raqqah, where as the turks and even the syrian army are miles away. as the general said, the people in the isis fighters in raqqah are planning attacks against the west he needs to get in there and eliminate the pocket, to do that will require more fire power that is on the ground right now and that will require the president to decide just what our fire power is and what troops we'll put on the ground in syria. >> so we had the kurdish offensive, almost ready to go with the assault. you have the turkish-backed rebels, other regimes that want to be part of this liberation. if it does get to it with the multi lateral forces, could you have forces loyal to the syrian govern

we have the syrian army territory towards the syrian army territory towards the west.ea george the turkish border is controlled by kurdish forces. the americans are working with the kurds. the turks consider them to be terrorists, quite a difference of opinion. they held a joint news conference. rex tillerson was asked whether the us and turkey saw eye to eye on the issue of kurdish fighters. here is what he had to say. let there be no mistake. there is no space between turkey and the united states and our commitment to defeat isis. notjust in syria and iraq, but as members of the greater coalition to defeat daesh anni where daesh shows its face on planet earth. they will be confronted by the coalition. rex tillerson is referring to islamic state as daesh. is there a united front between the americans and the turks? we sort out the help of our bbc turkish correspondent. rex tillerson praised turkey's military efforts in northern syria against islamic state. but he didn't really a nswer against islamic state. but he didn't really answer the journalists' question regardi

so we'll speak to the aunt of a dead syrian boy who became the symbol of the crisis. she attended the address and will join us after the break. ♪ announcer: get on your feet for the nastiest bull in the state of texas. ♪ ♪ (crowd cheers) ♪ so how old do you want uhh, i was thinking around 70. alright, and before that? you mean after that? no, i'm talking before that. do you have things you want to do before you retire? oh yeah sure... ok, like what? but i thought we were supposed to be talking about investing for retirement? we're absolutely doing that. but there's no law you can't make the most of today. what do you want to do? i'd really like to run with the bulls. wow. yea. hope you're fast. i am. get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change. investment management services from td ameritrade. >> this decision came late tuesday night after his address to congress. the president talked about taking strong measures against isis and not allowing the u.s. to become a sanctuary for extremists. >> as promised, i directed the department of defense to dev

government, syrian kurds, turkish army and turkish-backed syrian rebels.hey're all fighting each other. you're going to put americans into the middle of that. for example, today there are reports that turkish artillery was shelling those syrian kurds and shelling those syrian army positions. the americans are very close to where that shelling is happening. they won't target the americans, but an errant shell, a misplaced location, bad things can happen. >> form u.s. ambassador to syria, robert ford, thank you so mu much, sir, i appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> obviously we wish those men and women the very best. >>> coming up next, illegal border crossings drop 40% in the last month between mexico and the united states. the trump administration is taking credit. should they? people confuse nice and kind but they're different... nice tells you what you want to hear. but kind is honest. this bar is made with cranberries and almonds. so, guess what? we call it cranberry almond. give kind a try. [student] i can just quit school and get a job. [ex student] dad

since the beginning of the syrian conflict in march of primarilyforeign-born u.s. based individuals were inspired by a foreign terrorist organization. they were citizens of 26 different countries. the trump administration believes they have found the first seven and now six countries. they believe this will deny terrorist activities to the united states. this from another memo. the same department, homeland security. under president trump, the office of intelligence analysis, most foreign-born u.s. based, radicalizedemists, several years after entry to the united states. limiting the ability of screening officials to prevent entry because of national security concerns. the point was it wasn't like a terrorist would stand in line for two years to become a refugee to the united states and go through all the background checks and live in a refugee camp. those who were committing terrorist activities had arrived in the united states. included in the ranks were many who had borne in the united states -- had been born in the united states. most people don't know, mr. pre

leaving behind his career with syrian premier league club al—majd. signed a contract with a jordanian second division team. translation: yes, it is a success story. it was a dream to play with the club. i was playing for a club back in syria, and it became a dream to play for a club here injordan. when i first came here, i suffered a lot. i had many problems with my documents and my passport. but every time i face a problem, i am more determined to move forward. thank god i made it. and this is the beginning of the road. back in malaysia, those fortunate enough to be pursuing world cup hopes are focussing on the biggest game of their careers. but this syrian team also had a unique perspective on why sport matters so much — and so little. richard conway, bbc news, malacca, malaysia. one month into the renews offensive to retake the iraqi city of mosul from the so—called islamic state, there is new evidence of the suffering of its people. thousands have fled the fighting in the western half of the country's second city in recent weeks, but 500,000 peop

he met and interviewed syrian president assad in october and visited aleppo in november.uture of syria. not very much. it has been a hot potato exchange between isis in the regime since 2015. the big key cities here are raqqa, which is the self—proclaimed capital in syria of isis and a border town on the iraqi border, very important. and the gas fields in the home base and that the regime needs to generate electricity. those are the big three places that the regime really needs to run isis. i think this is more a symbolic than a significant victory for the regime. we have been reporting on the huge setbacks for isis, but it seems that the coalition has been supporting the rebels, and that is being gradually chipped away. we are told that peace talks in geneva edging forward. what hope to see from them? wed you ultimately see the country?” hope to see from them? wed you ultimately see the country? i am very pessimistic about will be any progress between the regime and the opposition. the regime has been very strong in its view of negotiations. whether we got strong, it ref

they concluded the syrian forces.syrian air force dropped weapons on the eastern part of a aleppo. the evacuation amounted to forced displacement. rebel groups are accused of crimes including shelling western aleppo, withholding aid and using civilians as human shields. they say there is no evidence linking russia to crimes involving chemical weapons despite being closely involved with bombing campaigns. another key finding concerns of this fatal attack on an aid convoy last september. after reviewing evidence including witness evidence and satellite images, it has been concluded the syrian government was responsible. what happened in aleppo shows how much the warring parties disregarded international law and our little they fear a counter the tip. we hope oui’ they fear a counter the tip. we hope our report not only documents the events in aleppo but also that it helps to show that those responsible for this situation one day are brought tojustice. palmyra has been entered by the syrian army. pro—government forces on

syrian rebels begin to leave the city of homs after a four—year battle with government forces. the rebels this amounts to surrender and for the rebels this amounts to surrenderand a for the rebels this amounts to surrender and a forced displacement. also ahead, we will look at what the jailing of a russian opposition leaderfor taking part jailing of a russian opposition leader for taking part in anticorruption leader for taking part in anticorru ption rallies means leader for taking part in anticorruption rallies means for politics under putin. live from our studios in singapore and london. you're watching bbc news world news. you're watching bbc world news. it's newsday. glad you could join us. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 9am in north—east australia, where what's being described as a monster cyclone is due to make landfall over the next few hours. tens of thousands of people, including tourists, have been evacuated from coastal areas amid warnings of winds gusting up to 250km/h and dangerous tidal surges. trees are already being blown down by the wins. cyclon

these pictures were filmed by the syrian civil defence, known as the white helmets.airstrikes, this man was convinced it must be the russian air force. the attack on al—jinah was not an isolated incident. syrian activists reported a surge in airstrikes on thursday, targeting areas west of the city of aleppo controlled by opposition rebels. in another village, sheikh hilal, the syrian observatory for human rights said a russian as strike killed two people. there has been no comment from the russian government. syria's civil war has now lasted more than six years. around 400,000 people have been killed and millions injured or displaces. there is supposed to be a ceasefire in force, and another round of peace talks is due to start next week. but, on the ground, the killing continues. bill hayton, bbc news. in other news: britain's prime minister, theresa may, has rejected a call for a second referendum on scottish independence, saying now is not the time. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has called for a second vote between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. the pr