two more teenagers who also went to syria we re teenagers who also went to syria were also stripped of

more now on syria. one of those who is now in a camp having left the islamic state enclave is the british teenager shamima begum. she joined the group when she was 15. the british government has been facing criticism over the decision to revoke her citizenship to stop her returning to the uk after her baby son died in a syrian detention camp last week. chris mason reports. babyjarrah and his mum, 19—year—old shamima begum. she gave birth in a camp used to hold islamic state group fighters with their wives and children. at less than three weeks old, her son has died from pneumonia, and is buried here. the shadow home secretary, diane abbott, said leaving the two of them in a syrian refugee camp was morally reprehensible, and a stain on the conscience of this government. shamima begum is one of around 50,000 people, mostly women and children, living in this camp in north—eastern syria. both a refuge and detention centre, those who chose to join is are now fleeing the fighting and ending up here. cha

and it's notjust in iraq and syria. is has active franchises in afghanistan, in libya, egypt's and beyond. and, yes, there will be more attacks in the west, too. now, we can't always say that the attacks were planned or commissioned by the group, but that's not the point. the point is that the ideology alone is enough to inspire those attacks. and the ideology is very much alive. to understand why, just look at the places where it started. syria's civil war is not yet over. iraq is still divided, too. then there's everyone else with an interest in the region. america, russia, iran, turkey, all with their own different agendas. and you have splits along sectarian lines, along ethnic lines, along regional lines. and as long as those rivalries exist, the middle east is going to remain a deeply unstable place. fertile ground for those who don't mind mixing extreme violence with a narrow, medieval version of islam. and remember, groups like is, like its predecessors, were able to cause mayhem without actually occupying any t

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria. and you can find much more on the conflict in syria and our website, including an analysis of where the victims of war crimes will receive justice. that another top stories, justice. that another top stories, just go to the website and you can also download the bbc news app. the maker of the medication oxycontin, purdue pharma, has reached a $270 million settlement in a lawsuit which claimed its opioids lead to the deaths of thousands of people. the state of oklahoma brought forward the suit to the drug maker, which is owned by the billionaire sackler family. the settlement is the first from a wave of lawsuits that accused the company of marketing painkillers and helping to create the opioid epidemic in the us. here's john sopel with more. oxycontin came to the market in 1996 and it was seen as a major breakthrough in chronic pain management. it was massively over prescribed, but its addictiveness was underestimated, it's alleged. and nowadays, drug opioid is accounting for 150 deaths

let's start with syria. donald trump took everybody by surprise late last year by declaring he was going to pull out the 2,000 military personnel the us has in northern syria. we now see claims that the last is — so—called islamic state — stronghold has fallen in northern syria. do you believe that the pentagon pulling out all us forces remains a wise strategic decision? i believe that the global coalition and all nato allies — and nato is part of that global coalition to defeat isis — has made enormous progress. not so many years ago, isis controlled a territory as big as as the united kingdom — millions of people. now they have lost the territory they controlled. that is a big achievement. then we have — and nato will continue to be part of that coalition, for instance, by having a training mission in iraq. because our idea is that we need to train local forces, enabling them to prevent isis... but i asked you specifically about a pull—out of us forces. because interestingly, despite donald

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria. for centuries, one of hinduism's holiest sites, sabarimala temple, in india's southern state of kerala, has banned women between the ages of ten and 50 from entering its grounds. when the country's supreme court ruled the custom was illegal, it sparked violent protests by conservative hindu groups across the region. nevertheless, two women did enter, but one of them has paid a huge personal price. our correspondent sangita myska has been to kanaka durga's home town to hear her story. symbolising the fight for equal rights in india, kanaka durga, who broke with nearly 1,000 years of religious tradition, and who hindu extremists are now threatening to kill. she lives under 24—hour police protection, and this is why. this is kanaka and a friend entering the sa barimala temple. weeks earlier, india's supreme court had ruled that a ban on women between the ages of 10—50 going inside was illegal. kanaka is a2. outside, conservative religious groups erupted in protest. priests conducted

all say that the syria they knew is gone. it's not only the bricks and mortar of the country that have been torn apart, but families and the very fabric of society. tonight, nura has managed to get through to relatives back home. she asks how the situation is. there's no stability, she's told, in the whole of syria. it's an answer that will keep her in lebanon for now. and in the camps here, many other families are caught between the hardships of refugee life and the risks of returning. mishal husain, bbc news, in the beqaa valley. families have told the bbc about how they've lost loved ones to a bizarre cult. universal medicine was found to be a socially harmful cult by the new south wales supreme court. its main centre and leader, serge benhayon, is based in australia, but its european headquarters are based in a village in rural somerset. rachel stonehouse has been investigating. kasha clifford was 12 when she says her mum moved to somerset to follow universal medicine. one of the main things i can remember was turning eve

all say that the syria they knew is gone. it's not only the bricks and mortar of the country that have been torn apart, but families and the very fabric of society. tonight, nura has managed to get through to relatives back home. she asks how the situation is. there is no stability, she is told, in the whole of syria. it is an answer that will keep her in lebanon for now. and, in the camps here, many other families are caught between the hardships of refugee life and the risks of returning. mishal husain, bbc news, in the beqaa valley. a former british royal marine has broken the world record for rowing solo across the atlantic. he is also the first physically disabled person to row the 3,500 mile crossing. eliza philippidis reports. hooray! wake an artificial leg didn't stop lee spencer shaving 36 days off the record set in 2002. when he left portugal, in europe, he had a definite goal. to get across the ocean faster than anyone else had ever done. he landed in french guiana on monday, and now he is the man to beat. i've tak

aleem maqbool, bbc news, in qamishli in northern syria. a teenage boy has been stabbed to death in isleworth, in west london. the 17 year—old was given first aid but died at the scene. following the attack, police in the area have been given increased powers to stop and search anyone they suspect of carrying a knife. ben ando reports. inch by inch, brick by brick. searching for clues and answers, after another teenager is stabbed to death in london. the youngster involved, who's not yet been formally named, was with friends in nearby syon park. police say a car pulled up, a gang of men got out and gave chase. the youngster ran into this residential estate and was stabbed by the front door of one of the blocks. one woman said at least one of the gang was wearing a mask. the first police officers to get here say they found the boy still alive, barely conscious and unable to speak. they carried out cpr and tried to save his life, but they were unable to, and he died at the scene. in isleworth, shocked residents woke up to the news that lond

in syria, where a final assault is expected soon. over the past six years the so—called islamic state caliphate has shrunk from the size of britain to less than a square mile on syria's border with iraq. the syrian democratic forces today paused military operations to allow the last civilians to leave. many travel to camps for the displaced and those facilities are now overwhelmed with people. joining me from damascus is dr fran equiza — the unicef representative in syria. thanks forjoining us. we have been talking especially about the death of the two and a half week baby son of the two and a half week baby son of the two and a half week baby son of the british teenager shamima begum and she was in a camp in north—eastern syria, what are conditions like in these camps, which ijust said, are now overwhelmed with people who have fled different cities? thank you for having me. we have seen in the camp that there were 10,000 people leaving in november, now it is 60,000 people. a huge number of people coming from baghouz where peop

what about syria's future economically. what will happen to the country, which has really been destroyed, in many ways. well you should ask. the real struggle that is going to continue is an economic struggle. bashar al—assad has won the battle in many ways for syria. but economically he cannot reconstruct the 2019 budget he has put together. it isa the 2019 budget he has put together. it is a little bit less than $9 billion. that is smaller than the budget of lebanon lord jordan, which are much smaller countries. 0nly budget of lebanon lord jordan, which are much smaller countries. only $1 billion has been allocated for reconstruction. most international agencies are saying it will take half $1 trillion to rebuild syria. that tells you something of the terrible situation syria is in. the western countries, they are putting crushing sanctions on assad to bring him down economically when they could bring him down militarily. this means that the war will continue in an economic arena. and the syrian people are going to be l

the american military intervention in iraq and syria and libya and other places. we're not going to go back to thatjust now, that point has been heard. maria, what then — we've heard about the regional dimension of this, but what about the global ideological dimension if some of these fighters are... we've seen president trump saying, "take your fighters back to europe," and a lot of european governments, including the uk government, not actually wanting to take them back. is there a risk of the permeation, as trump puts it? well, i think the real risk is that we have these two — coming back to your mirror metaphor — we have isis and the white supremacist movement in a kind of terrorist guerilla war against each other, which is being used by national governments and becoming part of a geopolitical struggle. i keep remembering the huntington book, the clash of civilisations, which was really supposed to set out a path for american power in the world after the end of the cold war, what was the grand battle that america was going to be part of? i sort of feel l

we are not going to go back to that just syria. we are not going to go back to thatjust now, that point has been heard. we have had about the regional dimension or what about the global ideological dimension of some of these fighters, we have seen president trump sing ticket fighters back to europe and a lot of european governments including the uk not wanting to take them back. is there a risk of the permeation?” wanting to take them back. is there a risk of the permeation? i think the real risk as we have these two, coming back to the mirror metaphor, isis and white supremacist movement and a terrorist gorilla war which is being used by national governments and becoming part of a geopolitical struggle. i remember the and becoming part of a geopolitical struggle. i rememberthe book of and becoming part of a geopolitical struggle. i remember the book of the clash of civilisations which were supposed to set out a path for american power in the world after the cold war, what was the grand battle america was going to be part of? i f

in syria, i've been in a war zone for six years. from syria, he told the bbc he's been stripped of his citizenship, seen as a threat to national security. i've got the home office's letter here. it says, "you're aligned with an al-qaeda aligned group." no, of course not. i mean, i came out here to help the innocent people that were being massacred by the bashar regime. there's many expats like myself, doctors, engineers, educated people, that have come here legitimately and sincerely to help the syrian people. because mr sharif‘s father is pakistani, the home office says he wouldn't be stateless. it's racist, the british government, if they believe that i'm pakistani by birthright, to a country that i've never lived in. if i was a white aid worker, that worked for oxfam, i don't think you'd be asking me the same questions. but you don't deny that you've picked up a weapon and you have fought in syria? i've defended myself and i've defended the syrian people. i don't deny that, no. and i don't think there's anything wrong with that

our correspondent is in northern syria for us now. it looks very calm and peaceful where you're standing. but that has been an area of intense fighting in recent months. yes and we have been here over the past couple of weeks or so, and last weekend we were told there was still 5000 people potentially inside that area and that last on clave of the islamic state group, while earlier this week we saw with our own eyes a terrible onslaught, huge offensive against the final on clave through the night and then through the day. hours of bombardment at the camp. and it was felt by forces leaving the front line, in those days they we re the front line, in those days they were telling us that the territory had pretty much been one back and that clashes that remained in recent days would just be against individual militants were hiding in a very complex tunnel network in and around the area and that appears to have been what has been going on in the past couple of days. as well as a clean—up operation to remove unexploded ordinance and potent

and he and his group are more thanjust i am from syria, damascus. and he and his group are more than just one ofa and his group are more than just one of a dozen metal bands in a city that has now endured eight years of conflict to dig what is it like playing a gig in damascus when the war is on? ok. iwill tell you playing a gig in damascus when the war is on? ok. i will tell you this. all the gigs we did in damascus, mortar shells were dropping. i won't even mortar shells were dropping. i won't eve n ex press mortar shells were dropping. i won't even express how it is. so what explains the global appeal? volume isa explains the global appeal? volume is a part of it. heavy metal has to be loud. but it is also a way of life to dig a community. heavy metal gets a bad rep. it revels in the imagery of firebreathing dragons and that sort of stuff but it is welcoming and inclusive. we really are. but i think the fact that we are. but i think the fact that we are is what makes it such a wonderful genre and culture because eve ryo ne wonderful genre and cul

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

the child of shamima begum — the british teenager who joined the islamic state group — has died in syria. new satellite images of a facility near pyongyang suggests north korea may be preparing to launch a missile or a satellite. the american actorjussie smollett faces new charges following claims he falsely reported that he was a victim of a hate crime. venezuela's power cut crisis continues and leaves crucial services paralysed. the government says it's sabotage carried out by the opposition. and international women's day ends in a face—off in istanbul. police and security forces say the march was unauthorised. welcome to bbc news. friends of shamima begum's family say it is shocking that britain did not protect her new born baby which has died in a syrian detention camp. the teenager who ran away to join the islamic state group has been stripped of her uk citizenship. she had already lost two babies and had wanted to return to britain. daniel sandford reports. when the bbc first interviewed shamima begum 2.5 weeks ago, she'd just given birth to a baby boy, jerrah. in his short life,

you look at iraq and syria and you see they. you look at iraq and syria and you see a they. you look at iraq and syria and you see a lot of people are now living in decimated cities, they actually do not see the coalition against isis, the 17 nation coalition, as necessarily being on their side. 80% of the city of raqqa was destroyed. the city of mysore. it would be easier to rebuild them in some other location. —— mosul. so it is hard to think those planes up above were on their side. added to that, donald trump, he was announcing that us forces were going to leave and leave them vulnerable and also, within a conflict between turkish forces on the one hand, the syrian regime and, of course the kurds, who performed the lame shed of those forces fighting isis in syria. you touched on the demographics. there is a $25 million bounty on big daddy. he has not been seen for a long time. -- the ice leader. there is no proof he has been caught in the strikes. he has gone to ground. it is a part of what isis will build to demonstrate that it has lasted longer than the entirety of

but came to syria. exactly. 2500 children born to mothers who are owed an obligation from their own states. we can't keep passing this problem around. if you are a citizen of a country remain that country's responsibility. but we also found 50 children completely unaccompanied without anyone to look after them and they are of course not in the spotlight but they are the number one concern of save the children. ki rsty one concern of save the children. kirsty mcneill from the charity, thank you very much for being with us thank you very much for being with us today. internet users should have greater control over personal data to ensure their own safety online. it's part of a proposal to change the way big tech companies are regulated. it follows a report from the house of lords communications committee which says companies are failing to regulate themselves effectively. our business correspondent rob young has more. molly russell was 14 years old when she took her own life in 2017. she had viewed graphi

now, one of the sisters, zara, had already had a son in london when she travelled to syria. she gave birth to two of the children subsequently, while also has two sons, one of whom was born in britain. that means between them they have five children. now, if this story is correct that the british government has strip them of their citizenship, the question is what happens to the children. the home secretary, sajid javie, has been very clear that when he makes this decision to revoke citizenship of those who have gone to join islamic state, he says their rights are unaffected and preserved, but if these children need to come back to these children need to come back to the uk, as their mothers want them to, how is that going to be done if the two sisters, their mothers, i know longer british citizens? are they split from their mothers does they split from their mothers does the government actually say in this case we will allow the mothers to come back as well? well, clearly these are complicated and difficult issues but the government's policy and strategy here is under criti

quentin somerville, bbc news, deir ez—zour, syria. the us is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads them to hamza bin laden, son of osama bin laden, who ran the islamist militant group al-qaeda and approved the 9/11 terror attacks. american officials believe hamza was groomed as his father's successor and is emerging as a key leader. it's thought he's on the afg han—pakistan border. let's get more on this from our washington correspondent chris buckler. chris, i think they believe he is on the afg han— pakistan chris, i think they believe he is on the afghan— pakistan border, don't they? gas, but they cannot be sure at this stage —— yes. that's why they are offering such a large reward for information for him. they believe he could be in afghanistan, he could be in pakistan, they have also talked about iran, but what is very clear from what they are saying is that they believe he is a threat and he is someone of concern to the united states. and, certainly, since his father's death back in 2011, whe

i am just it is not on the ground in northern syria... i amjust asking... it is not on the ground in northern syria... iamjust asking... iwill not give advice simply because we know it is a difficult issue and because nato allies have different views on that. turkey has one view and if the us another. the fact that the us and turkey are sitting down and talking on how to address the specific situation in northern syria. the broadest picture we have made great achievements in the fight against isis. the fight is not over. we need to continue to fight daily ash in the middle east and other areas. we need to train local forces so they can look after their own country better. you allude to the very real political problems between turkey and the united states, two key members. turkey is intent on buying russian s 400 missiles at that very sophisticated missiles which the americans believe would fundamentally compromise their security as part of the nato alliance. are you worried about that missile purchase? that is a difficult issue because we

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

the latest scenes in syria as families flee the chaos. as the self—styled islamic state's last stronghold collapses, the humanitarian crisis deepens, and some of those seeking sanctuary are foreign—born women who supported is. an increasingly difficult legal question for western nations — should they be allowed home, or kept out for good? the bbc has learned more of the british women who went to syria have been stripped of their citizenship. what do we know about the women whose names havejust emerged? they are called reema and zara iqbal, from east london. they left for syria in 2013 and, between them, they have five children. amber rudd, the former home secretary, deprived them of their citizenship in her last year in power. like shamima begum, their children were born british, and lawyers and charities have argued that whatever the wrongs of the parents, the children have rights the uk must protect. today, a minister defended the decision not to rescue ms begum's baby, who died days ago. this is a war zone. the mother chose to jo

but came to syria. exactly. around 2500 children born to mothers who are owed an obligation from their own states. we can't keep passing this problem around. if you are a citizen of a country you remain that country's responsibility. but notjust 2500 of foreign nationals — we also found 50 children completely unaccompanied without anyone to look after them and they are of course not in the spotlight but they are the number one concern of save the children. kirsty mcneill there. we can cross live now to paris where yellow vest protestors are at charles de gaulle airport. a few moments ago there was a man in a fez who was dancing around. the mid seems very cheerful, in contrast to some of the protests. this is the seventh weekend in succession opponents of president macron have demonstrated. they wear these yellow vests because all drivers in france are required to carry them. originally this was a protest about fuel pricing and it has of course become a much wider protest now expressing frustration abo

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

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

young british men brought ruin to syria. when they came here, they burned their passports and vowed never to return. they are the most committed extremists. they have lost their caliphate and their citizenship. for many, there will be no way back. quentin somerville, bbc news, north eastern syria. police are to be given more freedom to use stop—and—search powers in an attempt to reduce knife crime in england and wales. more police officers, at less senior ranks, will now be able to authorise the tactic in several areas where knife crime is high. campaigners have questioned the effectiveness of stop—and—search and described the move as "disappointing and regressive". our home affairs correspondent dominic casciani has the details. another knife off the streets, found in a stop—and—search in north london. some a0 fatal stabbings so far this year. now police in the seven most affected areas are being given a search power banned when theresa may was home secretary. the whole government agree that stop—and—search

quentin somerville, bbc news, syria. a day of mourning has been declared in ethiopia to remember 157 people killed in sunday's plane crash. the boeing 737 max—8 came down within minutes of taking off from addis ababa on its way to the kenyan capital, nairobi. the passengers came from more than 30 countries. from nairobi, alistair leithead reports. there is very little left of ethiopian airlines flight 302. this is where it crashed, just moments after takeoff. there were 149 passengers and eight crew on board. from the relatively small area, aviation experts believe it would have plunged very quickly from the sky and exploded on impact. eyewitnesses describe the intensity of the impact. translation: it came directly from the sky downwards. we heard a huge explosion, there was no fire before it crashed but once it crashed we saw a huge cloud of smoke. the flight, bound for nairobi, took off from the ethiopian capital, addis ababa, at 8:38am local time. butjust 6 minutes later it disappeared off the radar. it crashed near

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

they are now living in detention camps in syria with their children. our home affairs correspondent dominic casciani reports. the latest scenes in syria as flee the chaos, the humanitarian crisis deepens, and some of those seeking sanctuary are foreign—born women who supported is. now the bbc has learned that more of the british women who went to syria has been stripped of their citizenship. they are called remake pal —— zara iqbal and reema iqbal, they left for syria in 2015 and have five children between them. amber rudd, the former home secretary, deprive them of their citizenship in her last year in power. the home office trip to british nationality for more than 100 terrorism suspects. it is not yet clear how many more the current home secretary sajid javid has kept out but with more reports of children trapped in camps through no fault of their own, questions have been asked about whether ministers are properly considering their fate. shamima begum, stripped of her citizenship, after her baby boy was born ina citizenship, after her baby boy

all say that the syria they knew is gone. it's not only the bricks and mortar of the country that have been torn apart, but families and the very fabric of society. tonight, nura has managed to get through to relatives back home. she asks how the situation is. there is no stability, she is told, in the whole of syria. it's an answer that will keep her in lebanon for now. and in the camps here, many other families are caught between the hardships of refugee life and the risks of returning. mishal husain, bbc news, in the beqaa valley. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: it has been ruled a socially harmful cult by the new south wales supreme court. we track down the group known as universal medicine. also on the programme: it is the pineapple pull—apart, and it has gone viral — 18 million at the last count. we will be finding out why it is so popular. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief, this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours, then

in syria, i've been in a war zone for six years. from syria, he told the bbc he's been stripped of his citizenship, seen as a threat to national security. i've got the home office's letter here. it says, "you're aligned with an al-qaeda aligned group." no, of course not. i mean, i came out here to help the innocent people that were being massacred by the bashar regime. there's many expats like myself, doctors, engineers, educated people, that have come here legitimately and sincerely to help the syrian people. because mr sharif‘s father is pakistani, the home office says he wouldn't be stateless. it's racist, the british government, if they believe that i'm pakistani by birthright, to a country that i've never lived in. if i was a white aid worker, that worked for 0xfam, i don't think you'd be asking me the same questions. but you don't deny that you've picked up a weapon and you have fought in syria. i've defended myself and i've defended the syrian people. i don't deny that, no. and i don't think there's anything wrong with that

quentin somerville, bbc news, syria. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: after the ethiopian airlines crash and the loss of 157 lives, we look into the plane's safety record. also on the programme: the world's biggest democracy announces dates for its general election. indian prime minister narendra modi seeks another term in office. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 24 hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years hisjunior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much do you think? i don't know re

she fled syria in 2014. first of all, i believe your family is in first of all, i believe your family isina first of all, i believe your family is in a assad held area. what are they telling you about whether they are encountering islamic state fighters there? thank you for having me. first, there are no islamic state fighters under assad territory, however they have been relocated to close areas in the eastern side of the area, where a lot of religious 90s reside. however, the situation under assad areas is very about people living there, especially economically and there, especially economically and the human rights situation. —— minorities. for example, the oil is not reaching people, particularly in the winter and the heat, people are not able to access basic everyday life needs like his, like electricity, and however, when it comes to isis, they have been relocated recently, many sources say, from inside of the city, which is inside the south of syria and many other sources in the north say that the

his mother travelled to syria as a 15—year—old in 2015. the home office had recently taken the decision to strip her of her british citizenship. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has this report. when the bbc first interviewed shamima begum two and a half weeks ago, she'd just given birth to a baby boy, jarrah. in his short life, he lived in one internment camp and then another. his mother said her two other children had already died at the end of last year. losing my children, the way i lost them, i don't want to lose this baby as well, and this is really not a place to raise children, this camp. now, medical staff in the roj camp where she's living and the local military forces, the sdf, have confirmed to the bbc that her baby died on thursday in a nearby hospital, after having breathing difficulties. he's already been buried. the family are devastated. the family are not surprised. there were concerns about the child's welfare. shamima has lost her food card, she's made that quite clear, and wasn't able to feed herself, let

isis sprang out of sunni communities in syria and iraq. the territory that isis controlled — islamic state so—called "daesh" in arabic — the territory they controlled has been taken from them but the ideological wellsprings of what became a much stronger movement than al-qaeda was 20 or 30 years ago have got to be addressed. that is why i'm putting emphasis to you, on recognising that there are issues and dilemmas in respective foreign fighters. but also making the point to you that unless we address the humanitarian development, political conditions, across syria and iran, then we are asking for difficulty if not trouble further down the line. just to give you a sense of how delicate the situation is, you've got the assad forces to the east of the kurdish area, you've got the kurds in the middle, you've got iraq on the eastern side... sorry you've got the assad forces on the west, the iraqis on the east, the turks to the north and the trump administration threatening to withdraw the 2000 american troops who are holding the reign at

yago riedijk fought for is and is currently in prison in syria. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville who did the interview, is in northern syria and sent this report earlier. we know that when we spoke to shemima begum that her husband had been detained by the kurdish authorities when they surrendered as the islamic state was in its final days. he was being held in a detention facility somewhere in north—eastern syria but we couldn't find him. we were told he was being questioned by the authorities, usually the americans and that he wasn't available for the media. late last afternoon, we got a call to come to an unspecified location where he was being detained and that he was. she memo moved over when she was 15. you met in raqqa, she was at the women's centre, you married her when she was 15 years old. how in any way is that acceptable? you were 23? you thought that was ok? to be honest, when my friend came and he said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, i wasn't really interested, because of her age. but, iaccepted re