the syrian government won't allow us into eastern ghouta. the doctor doesn'flinch anymore when shells come in. she didn't think the convoy would change anything. >> [inscernible] jeremy:eople live close together in eastern ghouta. dere is nowhere to hide, plenty of places to die. the grgn-ups' war is bendin and breaki another generation. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. laura: the agony within syria. two antiestablishment political leaders say they should govern italy after an inconclusive general election resul yesterday. euthsceptic five-star through the.movemen ntforming a gove is likely to take weeks of negotiations and coalitren building. is our europe editor katya adler. luig di maio's populist party has turned italian pics on its head. now he cannot walk up on stage wi the press are hungry for him. before the election, luigi di maio and the five-star movement were dismissed by the italian establishment as naÏve populists. now he ishe man and they are the party of the moment. looking like he couldn't quite believe what just happened,

a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire has been ignored. this war started seven years ago. its horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. and for many of those who‘ve managed to flee the violence in syria, the shadow of war remains. rouaa and mustafa — two seven year olds — were born in the year the conflict began. 0ur correspondent, caroline hawley, has been following their stories. rouaa and herfriend hoda are part of a whole generation of syrians growing up as refugees. her family fled eastern ghouta in 2013, after a chemical attack. a nappy soaked in vinegar is all her parents have to try to protect her. this is home now, she says. 0ne room for the whole family to eat, sleep and study in. and even after nearly five years here, she still hasn‘t got used to the camp‘s shared toilets. but here, she is at least safe. her cousin, mohammed, was killed in an air strike in eastern ghouta this week. herfather‘s thighbone was shattered by a sniper‘s bullet and he can‘t work.

people live close together in eastern ghouta. there is nowhere to hide, and plenty of places to die. the grown—ups war is spending and breaking another generation. —— bending and breaking another generation. three men have appeared in court in leicester in connection with an explosion that killed five people in the city. they are all charged with manslaughter and arson and remanded in custody. the blast, in the hinkley road area, destroyed a shop and the flat above it. after the big freeze has come the big thaw — and it's causing problems with thousands of people losing their water supply because of burst pipes. water companies in london, the midlands and south wales are urging people to use as little as possible to conserve supplies. bottled water has been distributed to people in parts of the capital. but in cumbria, remote households remain cut off by snow and helicopters have been making drops of food and firewood, as danny savage reports. getting to the cut—off communities of the pennines can only be done on foot o

to get into eastern ghouta. the syrians refused to let them take in some surgical and trauma kits, but they carried food and medical supplies for 27,500 people. it was a start. we need to be sending gordon — — c0 nvoys start. we need to be sending gordon —— convoys at least three times a week to areas like eastern ghouta where there are serious shortages of medical equipment, supplies, food, nutrition for nearly 400,000 people trapped on the inside. the lorries moved through the final syrian army checkpoint on the edge of eastern ghouta. the fact this convoy is moving at all is a sign of resident assad's confidence. syrian armed forces are pressing ahead into eastern ghouta, that way will stop of course, with their russian allies. and if they win, and at the moment, that is the way it appears to be, resident assad will have scored a very significant it it, because for the first time since the war started, it will have secured his capital. the enclave has been controlled by islamist militias since 2012. s

a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is being ignored. this war started seven being ignored. this war started seve n years being ignored. this war started seven years ago. it's horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. a man's been sentenced to at least 30 years in jail for stabbing to death the daughter of his ex—partner at an aldi supermarket in skipton in west yorkshire. 30—year—old jodie wilsher, a mother of one, was working at the supermarket four days before christmas when she was stabbed several times by neville hord. the 44—year—old admitted killing her. he was told he may never be released. the crown prosecution service has ruled out a further review of the death of poppi worthington, the 13 month—old girl who died in barrow—in—furness in december 2012. a coroner concluded in january she had been sexually assaulted by her father paul worthington, hours before she died of asphyxia. he denies any wrongdoing. the anglo—dutch consumer company unilever, the thi

brent: that was journalist noor adam reporting from eastern ghouta. here are the stories making headlines around the world. police and local media in miami say several people have been killed after a newly-install pedestrian walkway collapsed over a highway. at least five the vehicles were crushed beneath it. the bridge connected florida international university with a student housing area. it had been in use for less than a week. slovakia's prime minister has resigned over his handling of the inquiry into the murder of a journalist. his coalition partners threatened to force a snap election if he did not step down. the murdered journalist had been investigating alleged links between slovakian politicians and the italian mafia. ♪ >> it is set up to be one of the biggest corporate takeovers ever. but the deal with monsanto has run into his neck. according to bloomberg, u.s. officials are worried about the german chemical company and the american seed and fertilizer producer, would be better for competition. talks between the two companies are ongoing

like most in eastern ghouta, with nowhere safe they've been driven underground. she spoke to us over a shaky internet connection. >> maybe the hardest thing in the world to be a mother here in eastern ghouta. we see our children in danger every day. we fear they will be hurt. they will be injured. when i hear the bombs i tell my children to lay on the floor. and i know it's not enough and it's not safe. >> reporter: the situation in eastern ghouta is catastrophic. doctors without borders says bombs raining down on eastern ghouta have claimed more than 1,000 lives in just two weeks. now it seems a matter of time before the regime recaptures the area. >> my message to the world is let your voice be heard. don't just -- don't just be quiet. we have to say something. i've been here for five years under siege, and i was quiet. i feared to say anything. but now i'm coming out because it's life or death. it's life or death for the people. >> reporter: a message to a world that many feel has turned its back on syria. and you know, max, this one woman says she still has h

a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is being ignored. this war started seven years ago. its horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. we begin with tonight's europa league action from the emirates as arsenal look to take their place in the quarter finals — they host ac milan in their second leg of their last 16 tie. arsenal had a 2—0 lead. ac milan took the lead. danny welbeck equalised from the penalty spot. it is still 1—1. aaron ramsey is in the arsenal side tonight for that match against milan but he was a notable absentee in ryan giggs' first squad as wales manager. ramsey will undergo minor surgery during the international break. there were a number of surprise names in gareth southgate's squad for england's upcoming friendlies against the netherlands and italy. burnley‘s solid season has been rewarded with call ups for defender james tarkowski and keeper nick pope. bournemouth midfielder cook has been call

but as we have seen with the situation in eastern ghouta with the situation in eastern ghouta with cease—fires, with deals broken between all the sites, they break down very quickly. it is significant that that military offensive is still under way. it was going on whilst that aid was being delivered. and it is not a question of if, but when the syrian government regains control, entire control of eastern ghouta. the last major rebel stronghold close to the capital for president bashar al—assad. that will bea president bashar al—assad. that will be a major victory because they say rebels have been finding more tours into the capital and dozens have been killed on their side. that said, the vast majority of the deaths have been in eastern ghouta itself. the latest we hear of that syrian government troops have reca ptu red syrian government troops have recaptured a third of that area. and operations are still ongoing. martin, thank you for that. you're watching the bbc news at five. gary oldman has led a night of british success at the oscars, winning the best actor award for his portrayal o

the un secretary—general calls eastern ghouta hell on earth. casualties go to a network of underground clinics. would change anything. what can small convoy help us, how can it benefit us? for a few days. from the grown—ups‘ war. and aluminium imports. in congress, and also from the head of the world trade organization. investigating the prime minister for alleged corruption. nir hefetz is a former spokesman for mr netanyahu. on the reported agreement. won the right to govern the country, following sunday's general election. respectively. in child marriages globally. have been prevented. unicef says south asian countries have seen the biggest reduction. has told the bbc that he is categorically not a drugs cheat. of crossing an ethical line by british politicians. instead ofjust for medical need. in this exclusive interview. sir bradley wiggins was effectively accused of cheating. drugs to boost performance and not just for medical need. wiggins came out fighting, telling me he had done nothing wrong. you crossed the ethical line. is that f

is it a foregone conclusion that they are going to recapture eastern ghouta? >> reporter: well, it looks like it's a matter of time. you know, over the past couple of weeks we've seen the regime pushing in with this ground offensive that is obviously coupled with this bombing campaign and shelling of different parts of eastern ghouta. now, they've been pushing on these different fronts, it seems, on the eastern front that is where they are making these advances, they are gaining ground. on saturday we did hear from the regime and also from opposition activists on the ground that the regime captured the town of misraba. it's not just about capturing territory, cyril, they are trying to cut off different parts of eastern ghouta, trying to disrupt rebel supply routes. when you talk to people on the ground it does feel like it's really a matter of time, the request he is how is this going to end with both sides vowing to fight to the bitter end. >> jomana, thank you very much. >>> u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson has resumed his schedule in kenya after schedu

and the shaky daily truce goes into effect for a fourth day in syria's eastern ghouta an agonizing wait for those trapped there to see if anything can finally get through. i'm brian thomas welcome to the show today is the final day of campaigning before italy goes to the polls this weekend and the result of sunday's general election is anything but a foregone conclusion there were demonstrations last night in rome the capital as protesters turned out against the extreme right wing party which held its final campaign rally in rome that party wants to abandon the euro and leave the e.u. now despite tensions out that rally no violence broke out the election pits a right wing coalition led by former prime minister silvio berlusconi now he's facing a center left alliance led by another former prime minister material renzi now the other main player the anti establishment five star movement the issue that has been driving this election campaign and will determine who wins is migration let's cross over now to max often the bureau chief in brussels max you were reporting in italy last week what'

ghouta where they've surrounded a number of places this is a tactic that they've used in the past once they surround them they use their military pressure to try and extract some political pressure and that is to convince fighters to give up the battle that we may not be at that stage yet but what we do have is an agreement to a low we think somewhere in the region of a thousand injured people people who've been injured in this offensive since it began at the beginning of january to move out of the area to somewhere safer somewhere where they can be treated for their injuries and this effect of splitting water effectively in three hour what impact is it having on civilians on the ground . why it's hard to to know exactly because of course we're not there but what they see is that this fighting is continuing what the russians have essentially done is isolate a number of places that makes it difficult for the groups that are fighting them to communicate it makes transport very difficult and if they're surrounded of course then it's essentially becomes a free fire zone so it makes it diff

one monitoring group says they now control 10% of eastern ghouta. disturbing footage has emerged, showing aid workers carrying an injured man into a van, being targeted in an air—strike, but then managing to escape. from neighbouring lebanon, yolande knell reports. after days of air strikes and shelling, fighting on the ground in eastern ghouta has recently intensified, and the uk—based monitoring group the syrian observatory for human rights says that government forces have now recaptured two areas of the east and south—east of the besieged enclave, where an estimated 400,000 people are trapped. rebels, in turn, shelled damascus. more than 100 civilians are reported to have been killed in eastern ghouta since the united nations security council called for a ceasefire one week ago. shouting. on another front in the many—sided syrian war, turkey says it has captured a kurdish town in the northern region of afrin. at least 36 pro—syrian government troops sent to support kurdish forces are reported to have been killed by a turkish air strike.

her family fled eastern ghouta in 2013, after a chemical attack. a nappy soaked in vinegar is all her parents have to try to protect her. this is home now, she says. one room for the whole family to eat, sleep and study in. and even after nearly five years here, she still hasn't got used to the camps shared toilets. but here, she is at least safe. her cousin, mohammed, was killed in an air strike in eastern ghouta this week. herfather‘s thighbone was shattered by a sniper‘s bullet and he can't work. her sister was hit by shrapnel. they're just one of so many families scarred inside and out by syria's war. a barrel bomb killed mustafa's parents, broke both of his hips and lodged a piece of shrapnel in his brain. he has severe nerve damage down his left side. it's hard for him trying to keep up with his peers, but he's determined. back at home, his grandmother brings out a photograph of his father, ibrahim. but mustafa is now losing the memory of what his parents were actually like. once a week, mustafa comes for physiotherapy. beside him is beni

in the past month, president assad's forces have retaken, they say, 70% of eastern ghouta. translation: according to the information we have, individual militant units are ready to lay down their arms and leave eastern ghouta, but they are waiting for the command from their western patrons. seven years of civil war have driven 12 million syrians from their homes, while more than 400,000 are dead or missing, many buried amid the rubble in the dozens of towns destroyed by the conflict. the attorney general in massachusetts is looking into claims that data from facebook users may have been used in bed us election. cambridge and all it to cart —— a former employee of cambridge analytica, claims that 50 million profiles were accessed. the two companies deny any wrongdoing. our business correspondent joe lynam explains. this is all about protection of personal information and data. it all started with the creation of an app four years ago by the university of cambridge. that app harvested loads of data from facebook users, 270,000, in fact. but in addition to there, their fri

a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is being ignored. this war started seven years ago. its horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. thousands of pupils around the country have been taking part in the bbc‘s school report day — finding stories in their local area, and producing their own news bulletins. the focus of this year's project is fake news and how to spot it as our wales correspondent sian lloyd has been finding out. these pupils have been learning how to unpick fact from fiction. in the online world they have been born into, it's a skill that is more important than it's ever been. as part of bbc school report, resources will now be available to help young people across the uk, but these pupils at maesteg school are ahead of the game. they have researched their own project into fake news. fake news is when someone shares a fake news story online, and then other people have seen it and shared it with their friends, and their friends have shared it with their friends. so

few images services fromm bombings in eastern ghouta on tuesday. journalist and servers repeport the regime has continued to pound the and click. forces loyal to bashar al assad have retaken much of eastern ghouta an estimated eighty percent controlling the rental area is one of their priorities. he divided it into three pockets each ds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped inside. the u. n. says the civil trainees attacks on eastern ghouta by the regime and against our friend by turkish h h h h h h h h h h. if we are today reach rating our call for the protection and safety. as well as. a full on handed continued humanitarian communities rice. and hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped by his fighting and dying of aids. eastern ghouta has been under siege for five years evacted to government shelters or still strugglin. brought overcrowded makeshift facilities the lack of everything. there's been another s.tate of texas the latest . in a string of bombings president trump has made a very sick individual or individual

i live in eastern ghouta. i have always loved eastern ghouta, as i love my country, syria, as you love your country, emily. we were caught in the middle of the brutal siege since the beginning of 2013. we have been caught in the sarin attacks, which killed over 1200 people. 1200 people, can you believe it, in the 21st century, were killed because of sarin gas in syria? me, myself, my family, were among the people who suffered, wounded because of that attack. and... many were unlucky that they died. many milestones. did you think that would be the end of the war? did you think that would be the turning point? exactly, exactly. i thought the first time i held somebody who was shot by the assad regime, i thought that's it, nobody will allow this maniac to keep on killing innocent people just because they asked for some freedom. but nobody even cared. when the siege was very tight among us, we had to eat the grasses from the land and the ground. i thought, that's it. when many of the world leaders drew red lines t

in eastern ghouta alone, more than 45,000 syrians have fled their homes in recent days. unhci is responding to urgent humanitarian needs on the ground but we are today reiterating our call for the protection and safety as well as a full, unhindered continued humanitarian access to both the newly displaced and the hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped by fierce fighting and in dire need of aid. reporter: for the injured who failed to escape, makeshift clinics like this one are a final source of hope in a daily struggle for survival. brent: here are some other stories now making headlines around the world. saudi arabia's crown prince has kicked off a high three-week tour of the united states. first stop, washington dc to be president donald trump. the american prison praise what he called a quote, great friendship with the saudi crown prince, who in turn help ties between washington and riyadh. harvey weinstein's former company has filed for bankruptcy months after the oscar-winning producer was accused of multiple sexual assaults. weinstein was fired as chairma

another asked strike on eastern ghouta hassan abdel aziz finds shelter in his basement dozens of people hide in the town sprawling tunnel system sometimes they stay several days but no place is totally secure against the repeated shelling and air raids. and if you want to see the full length version of that exclusive report from eastern guta we're broadcasting it throughout the day reporter program alternatively you can also find it on our website dot com for now we're going to turn to some of the other stories making news around the world two german journalists who were arrested on friday in greece have been released the pad be making a t.v. report about migrants in a region close to greece's border with turkey when they mistakenly and to the restricted military area greek or. that it was satisfied that the journalists and accidentally. trade chiefs from the u.s. the e.u. and japan have been holding talks amid fears that new u.s. import tariffs could trigger a trade war u.s. trade envoy robert lie ties met japan's hero she has seco and the e.u. says cd amounts to them they want to know

the strategy seems to be to cut eastern ghouta in half. negotiations between the rebel groups and the russians have been going on for quite some time. it is not clear if the objective is a ceasefire or the effective surrender of the rebels. the biggest rebel group says it is regrouping after a retreat. the fighting is still going on, for the regime the prize is the end of the last major rebel enclave around damascus. for the rebels, these are desperate moments. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. italians are voting in a general election against the backdrop of a bitter debate on immigration. latest indications point, once again, to no clear majority for any single party. well, let's cross live to rome. my colleague karin giannone is there for us. it has been a fierce campaign. we get the results soon. a fierce campaign indeed. the polls close in just under an hour. italians really do not have a clear idea of what the likely outcome is going to be. as you mentioned, no party looks like it will get the necessary a0 descent to secure a majorit

terrible pictures from eastern ghouta. counter—terrorism experts from around the world will be gathering here in london tomorrow to discuss, among other things, the threat posed by the islamic state group. much of the focus at the counter terror congress will be on policing, but it is in syria where the recent progress against is has been undermined. thousands of kurdish fighters that made up the backbone of the syrian democratic forces, have diverted to the battle in afrin where kurdish militia have been facing attacks from turkey. the sdf is the most effective force on the ground in syria. and the allies need the kurds to finish the fight. joining us now is jennifer cafarella, a senior intelligence planner at the institute for the study of war. thanks very much for coming in, i know you have been studying what is happening in syria. to what extent has the coalition campaign against islamic state been halted because the kurds have effectively left the fight to defend their brothers in arms? the offensive has been halted

and that is similar to what we are seeing in the damascus suburb of eastern ghouta today. >> using a mix of air strikes, shelling and truth, damascus is gaining ground in the beseiged suburb but it is destroying it in the process. 400,000 people are believed to be surrounded, and activists inside are saying civilians are fleeing underground shelters as troops advance. an aid convoy scheduled to try to get into eastern ghouta did not go and the humanitarian quarters that have been set up were empty again today. it's not clear how long it will take syrian forces to retake eastern ghouta, what is clear is once it does, there will be a massive reconstruction effort needed. here in aleppo 14 months after the government forces retook it from opposition forces, there is still no power in half of the city. the half of the city that does have power only gets it about 12 hours a day and that is one of the many steps needed to rebuild. seth doane, cbs news, aleppo. >> up next, she's helping alzheimer patients preserve their life stories before it's too late. testing for 60 minutes testing for 6

ghouta. who is syrian and has friends in eastern ghouta. and ahmad khansour who is living in eastern ghouta. his house was destroyed in a bomb attack. thank you all the talking to us. want to get a sense of the scale of what is happening. what is happening. us a sense of what life is like that now? now? it is a pleasure to spend friday morning addressing this situation. morning addressing this situation. but not under the bombardment around me. me. almost 1000 people have died and over 3000 are injured. over 3000 are injured. the situation here is deteriorating rapidly. here is deteriorating rapidly. sophistication —— suffocation after we were targeted with toxic gases. we were targeted with toxic gases. people are terrified. it is a confusing situation because so many civilians are dying. so many civilians are dying. but there are unconfirmed reports about chlorine gas. about chlorine gas. your home, i know it was bombed last week. week. you managed to get yourself and your family out? family out? people are displaced internally inside

i'm here with the syrian army and i'm ready to help leaving eastern ghouta we have ambulances here with the words of the list here around the clock to provide first aid to people from eastern guta a medical labs also work twenty four hours have provided the girls equipped with all modern facilities medical workers also ready. there were some people who wanted to leave eastern ghouta but all of a sudden we only saw a gunman opening fire using mortars to intimidate civilians. it's a place is very close to damascus the syrian capital is bringing them up right there's eastern cuba coming up now. it's been occupied by various rebel islamist groups for years in fact it's been under siege this whole area since twenty thirteen here to the north a good feeling camp and that's where it's hoped the refugees will be going to that are fleeing the ones that do manage to get out not many at the moment those who say now efforts to provide safe passage for those desperate to escape being coordinated with the syrian red crescent buses now ambulances are on standby there trying to help the people inside t

food supplies driven into eastern ghouta. on board, enough to feed 12,000 people in an area where 400,000 have been under siege since 2013. humanitarian groups say it is not nearly enough. many like abu kassem are fleeing their homes, taking only what they can. translation: our situation is catastrophic. have no clothes, no underwear, no food. we just have these sheep. we left everything behind. the aid is meant to reach civilians in eastern ghouta, a rebel enclave outside the capital damascus. estimates are that around 940 people have died here since intense bombing began last month, 200 of them children. translation: we heard this aid convoy will arrive. this is not a solution. the solution is to stop the air strikes. we are bringing in food to eat but if people are dying, what use is that? some militants have been given permission to leave, syrian state tv here showing what it said were rebels and their families being driven away. hospitals and health centres have been destroyed in the bombing. doctors say a mass resupply

a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is being ignored. this war started seven years ago. its horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. you're watching bbc world news america. still to come on tonight's programme: taking a closer look at micro—plastics. why the world health organization is concerned about what's in our water. in a remote part of kenya, there's a series of islands where health care facilities are rare. but help is at hand from a group called the safari doctors who travel long distances by boat, by road and by air, to bring free medical aid to the islands‘ increasingly isolated people. david wafula went to see them in action. this is an isolated village on a remote island on kenya's coast. the people here are isolated from basic amenities including healthcare. help is available but it is an overnight sail away. as day gives way to night, the volunteers known here as safari doctors make their way here to the village. the last box with medicine has been put on the dh

jane: very briefly, is thereyt ng left in eastern ghouta? are there any rebels there? jeremy: there are a lot of people in eastern ghouta, maybe 400,000, and probably -- hard tm say, but ees go between 10,000 and 20,000 armed rebels. it is a large area. the cityimits of eastern outa is about the same size as san francisco. yo 're talking about a ba with a lot of people. jane: jeremy bowen, thanks very much indeed for joining us. today prime minister theresa may set out her vision for brexit , and the hard facts which will need to be faced. mrs. may said the u.k. will have to pay money into me european union agencies to maintain access to them, but she re her commitment that the u.k. would not be part of the eu's single market or customs union the bbc's rob watson repor. rob: what a challenge she facedt to setritain's future relationship with the eu amid the political divisions at home and profound skepticism abroad. acknowledging possible downsides to brexit for the fime, she said britain had to face up to hard facts. prime minister may: in certain ways, our access to

thousands of people have been rebel-heldia's area of eastern kuchar. doctor -- eastern ghouta. overwhelmy they are by casualties. this report by jeremy bowen contains distressing snes. of people arends fleeing eastern ghouta, trudging into an uncertain future that looks better now than the deadly present. these are the people who spendng weeks hidi in basements from the shelling.ou eastern ta is a big area, and this isn't happening userywhere. many tens of thods are still besieged. a this was filme cameraman who gives his material to the bbc. the attack happened outside his buildi. a small boy was caught up in it. he is deaf, so hhasn't heard warnings to take over. -- take cover. the cameraman woied the boy would bleed to death, and told us the eight minutes it ok for the ambulance to arrive were the t he had endured since t battle for eastern ghouta began. he is carried into thela nce, where he was squeezed thin to the bodies of dead. he has seen a lot of death. he said the boy was a soul he wanted to save. m have been following a doctor, a pediatrician f underground hospital

that convoy was finally allowed to enter the eastern ghouta. there are 46 trucks in all, but according to the un three of those trucks were empty and the reason for that according to the un was that the syrian authorities had removed most of the medical supplies from the charts, including trauma pats. the reason that apparently happened was because the syrian government does not want the syrian government does not want the rebels to receive treatment. but in total more than 25,000 people, most of them civilians, will receive some assistance today. do you think that today's move means the temporary daily ceasefires are starting to work? this humanitarian convoy starting to work? this humanitarian co nvoy was starting to work? this humanitarian convoy was supposed to move into eastern ghouta during that five hour pause in the fighting, but according toa pause in the fighting, but according to a bbc correspondent on the ground the syrian government carried out several air strikes during that period. there was also heavy artillery fire. what we hav

war crimes are being committed on syrian civilians in eastern ghouta, says the un. it calls for those responsible to be prosecuted. snow blizzards bring chaos across europe. at least 60 people have died in sub—zero temperatures. and britain's prime minister sets out her hopes for brexit. eu officials say her speech lacked details. hello and welcome to the programme. the international monetary fund has joined international condemnation of president trump's plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. it says such a move will not only hurt other countries, but also those of the united states. stock markets have fallen since the announcement. our washington correspondent chris buckler reports. steel is essential to america's economy, but inside the us for many yea rs economy, but inside the us for many years it has been an industry in decline. donald trump blames cheap imports. however, his solution of new tariffs has sparked fears of a trade war. and led to increasingly heated language from many of america's trading partners, including china, canada, an

eastern ghouta has been ununder siegee since 2013. it has been five years now and the people lack everything. they lack food, they have to dig their own wells to find waterr anand access toto medical facils is extxtremely difficult. hospititals and ambululances hae been targeted by the shelling many times, whicich partly exexplai the very high number rf casualties we have b been reportrting recently. humanitatarian organizatations n damascusus are monitoring the situation very closely. 8 c convoys are ready to go, but nothing can happen as long as the fighting is ongoing. >> chloe reporting from beirut on that horrific condition the civilians of eastern ghouta are facing. two weeks since 14 schoolchildren and three teachers were killed and one of the worst shootings in american history. return totoay students thclclassroom toto the floririda highgh school, d donald trumumpd talks at the white house control.g gun the u.s. president said restricting the availability of weapons should not be the only solution. -- has the story. president

in the south, tens of thousands of people have been fleeing the rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta outside damascus. it's been subjected to a syrian government offensive. harry darkins reports. leaving before it is too late. reports say at least 20,000 people have fled and military offensive in eastern ghouta on saturday alone. leaving almost everything behind, escaping the death throes of syria's last rebel stronghold. we wanted to leave three months ago, but the rebels did not allow us. they starved us. this isjust ten miles away from the presidential palace. in the last month, regime forces, strongly backed by russia, have reta ken strongly backed by russia, have retaken 70% of eastern ghouta. they have slowly carved it up into three is shrinking pockets. all held by different rebel groups. translation: according to the information we have, individual units are ready to lay down their arms and leave eastern ghouta, but they are waiting for the command from the western patrons. as ever in this cruel war, civilians pay the price of military action. a monitoring group say that more

eastern ghouta was home to around one and a half million people that number has fallen to less than four hundred thousand. who. can't get over there where the pump is there were apartment buildings with hundreds of families. and. the shelling has destroyed everything going so. the people here refuse to give up struggling every day just to survive they have to be creative for. each one of these hoses leads to an apartment. or residence by fifteen minutes of power years so they can fill up their water tanks during a lull in the fighting many people go into the streets children especially happy to be outdoors but that changes quickly. one just launched an air strike. at the greengrocer's hasan abdel aziz has little to choose from possibly garlic cabbage and cauliflower all in small amounts it's been a long time since tomatoes and potatoes were lost office here. now you know i'm studying right now the farms of kuta have all been destroyed there's no longer any ark of cultural land here most people have something to grow things in their own gardens you know this. is the owner of a small shop

another asked strike on eastern ghouta hassan abdel aziz finds shelter in his basement dozens of people hide in the town sprawling tunnel system sometimes they stay several days but no place is totally secure against the repeated shelling and air raids. correspondent for an beirut can you tell us what have the situation is like for residents right now. well it's absolutely appalling it's very very hard for people there to live they have even for the last two weeks essentially signing on through to unit that they stored remember the last. since two thousand and thirteen smuggling to the dark hours the sort of jobs of these material and fuel supplies leave last year the door was abandoned was completely absolutely absent and god must not in the box you just answer. this is super media and in their words these are really his days in their lives they don't come because of the bible in trials absolute absence at twice the price of five times more than our money did the earlier the need age the need help and as you pointed to the reports the aid has suddenly gone to eat isn't enough but hundr

the strategy seems to cut eastern ghouta in half. it is not clear if the objective is a ceasefire or the effect of surrender of the rebels. the biggest rebel group says it is regrouping after a retreat. the fighting is still going on. for the regime at the major enclave around damascus. for the rebels these are desperate moments. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: crown prince mohammed bin salman of saudi arabia has arrived in egypt. it's his first foreign trip since he became heir to the throne. prince mohammed was welcomed at cairo airport by president abdel fatah al sisi. saudi arabia and egypt are close allies. voters in switzerland have rejected a proposal to abolish the mandatory licence fee for public broadcasting. in a referendum, more than seventy percent said no to the change. the swiss pay almost $500 a year for the public broadcaster, which runs tv and radio channels in all four national languages. the annual session of china's parliament, the national people's congress, has opened in beijing.

it was another day in the life and death of eastern ghouta. the bbc‘s been following dr amani ballour, a paediatrician in an under ground hospital, through the worst days of attacks. this was filmed for the bbc, the syrian government won't allow us into the enclave. dr amani and her colleagues were dealing with the results of an air strike on a market, more than 20 dead and 90 injured. translation: the hospital is stuffed with injured people, including women and children. their injuries include brain damage, fractured and amputated limbs. a child's arm was amputated. some children were seriously wounded, others were killed. dr amani examined a boy who'd been brought in, presumed dead — she found a pulse. they went to work to get him to breathe. he was rushed into intensive care, but it was a false hope, a few hours later he was dead. in a siege surrounded by casualties, the world shrinks to a few essentials. the most important is survival — living through this day to have the chance to start another. 0n the battlefield the syrian army, h

another asked strike on eastern ghouta hassan abdel aziz finds shelter in his basement dozens of people hide in the town sprawling tunnel system sometimes they stay several days but no place is totally secure against the repeated shelling and raids. correspondent. developments for us from beirut in neighboring lebanon and thanks for taking the time the syrian army says it advances have divided into several parts the rebel forces are disputing that claim what are you hearing about the situation on the ground. all be very is a city no museums actually in quite a strong position right now and that's actually not surprising the top military the rebels are far weaker will they have to sit in a team added with their russian military might the bustle ethel's that they're also using what we've got in here to do that now is that in fact the regime has entered the center that dealt with as an excuse of she claiming but and they have but they are perhaps always stating that if she wins at that point because of the bells are also persisting under the weather also fighting it as officially not sat n

we have information that militant units are ready to lay down their arms and leave eastern ghouta but they are awaiting commands from their western sponsors we call on all forces that have influence over the bandit units to encourage them to leave the area to avoid unnecessary loss of life it. also said he believed the united states was preparing for cruise missile strikes in the mediterranean the persian gulf and the red sea meanwhile in syria's north turkish led forces are attacking could ish rebels in the town of a free in more than two hundred thousand civilians have fled their homes in the last three days according to the kurdish red crescent which also said that turkish bombers had destroyed the city's only hospital. lab near band village and berg is a journalist speaking to us tonight from airball in northern iraq and he recently returned from syria. a lot of civilians from africa have fled where are they heading. they're actually they're fleeing to syrian government healthcare or. small towns close to. cyrano observatory there's like around fifty thousand civilians that's left

recapturing eastern ghouta would mark a major victory for president bashar al assad. from would be the was sent back the rebels since the opposition was ousted from houston that relates twenty sixteen. on wednesday the un security council calls for a ceasefire to be implemented across syria. and expressed concern about the country humanitarian situation. but the syrian unanimous that defended this old rejected it we would like to remind everyone that the military operations in eastern ghouta a targeting terrorist organizations. in accordance with international humanitarian law. saudi. aid workers who went on monday set some civilians and all seen some light for weeks as it being sheltering underground. it is estimated now more than nine hundred civilians being killed in the three weeks old. but it is now time for the full thing now series reports from lebanon this week the government that has just carried out its first senses of palestinian refugees. despite being second or even third generation refugees tens of thousands of palestinians still live in camps weather pr

further south, on the outskirts of damascus, eastern ghouta has been under siege since 2013. translation: we wanted to leave three months ago, but the ghouta rebels did not allow us. they starved us. in the past month, hundreds have died amid repeated bombings, as the government tries to reta ke bombings, as the government tries to retake the area and drive out the rebel groups hiding here. this temporary shelters now overwhelmed. this man says his family fled as the syrian army forces approached. people were hungry, they were in good health, and they became thin. they beg for money. the rebels have a lot of money, and farms that cost millions. in the past month, president assad's forces have reta ken, president assad's forces have retaken, they say, 70% of eastern ghouta. translation: according to the information we have, individual militant units are ready to lay down their arms and leave eastern ghouta, but they are waiting for the command from the western patrons. seven yea rs of from the western patrons. seven years of civil war has driven 12 million syrians from their h

the strategy seems to be to cut eastern ghouta in half. negotiations between the rebel groups and the russians have been going on for quite some time. it is not clear if the objective is a ceasefire or the effective surrender of the rebels. the biggest rebel group says it is regrouping after a retreat. the fighting is still going on, for the regime the prize is the end of the last major rebel enclave around damascus. for the rebels, these are desperate moments. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. for the first time since the end of the vietnam war, the united states has sent an aircraft carrier to the country. the us navy says the visit by the nuclear—powered carrier the uss carl vinson is intended to symbolise growing military ties between the two countries. crown prince mohammed bin salman of saudi arabia has arrived in egypt. it's his first foreign trip since he became heir to the throne. prince mohammed was welcomed at cairo airport by president abdel fatah al sisi. saudi

in the last month, regime forces, strongly backed by russia, have retaken 70% of eastern ghouta. they have slowly carved it up into three shrinking pockets. all held by different rebel groups. translation: according to the information we have, individual units are ready to lay down their arms and leave eastern ghouta, but they are waiting for the command from the western patrons. as ever in this cruel war, civilians pay the price of military action. a monitoring group say that more than 1400 civilians have been killed in the region in the past month. on saturday, dozens were reportedly killed by air strikes in one town. 250 miles north of eastern ghouta in the turkish controlled conclave of afrin, another incident. it may technically be the same country, but it has become a very different war. here, it is turkey flexing its muscles. its military has waged a nearly two—month long offensive in the area, slowly pushing us—backed kurdish militia out. it says they have links to kurdish groups inside turkey which ankara has fought for decades. now civilians are rushing to use the o

is calling for an immediate ceasefire in syria's eastern ghouta and has threatened to act alone if the international community doesn't more than a thousand people have died since the government intensified its offensive in the rebel held enclave last month as christian salome has more from the united nations cities bleeding inside and dogs two weeks after agreeing to a cease fire the security council learned their words were having little of facts for civilians on the ground in syria in eastern loan according to the u.n. more than one thousand have died in recent weeks amid continued shelling the united states said it was prepared to offer a second resolution calling for an immediate end to all military action in eastern guta and damascus city the massacre nikki haley backed her words with a threat we support the united nations political process that seeks to end the war in syria. but we also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and end human suffering most especially the outlaw syrian regime the united states remains prepared to act if we must