worth noting, islamic state group has not played any part in the battle in aleppo. so even while the syrian army is finalizing and finishing the battle there, it seems that the end will be imminent. that in no way will the broader area of the -- bully broader war with syria -- in no way will the broader war in syria come to an end. they are still able to mount these types of attacks elsewhere in the country. you, adam pletts, reporting from beirut. adam was talking about the situation in syria. the islamic state group also still holds the city of mosul in iraq, but a major international operation to take mosul back has been going on for two months. iraqi forces and their allies have killed more than 2000 islamic state group fighters involved in that battle for mosul, which has been around for a third of their total number. correspondents were with iraqi special forces, fighting the i.s. group in eastern mosul. you can hear their report. fire] e gun >> an assault on the in the east of the iraqi city. minutes,e first three someone gets hit. a staff officer leads the o

he was pointing to islamic state. he was saying they have attacked christians, in the middle east, now on european soil. what do you make of that kind of language, given that islamic state, in their statement to date, admitting they were apparently linked to the attack, they are talking about targeting citizens of coalition countries from crusader nations? well, i would first of all saved there were a wide number of countries in the global coalition who are not christian nations. it is easier for the islamic state to claim responsibility for an attack thatis claim responsibility for an attack that is european, then an attack on turkey, for instance. in turkey, the attack a couple of months ago, they have not claimed responsibility for that. perhaps because it is more difficult for them to do so because turkey is a muslim country. what they are going after is any country a memberof the they are going after is any country a member of the global coalition, whether or not you consider that country to be christian, muslim,

you can follow the instructions of the islamic state and then pledge allegiance to the islamic state. yeah, i think we will see such a declaration in a couple of days. anchor: inevitably, politicians on the far right and the not so far right will draw a line between the influx of migrants into germany and an event like this. how -- is that fair? >> i'm not sure if that is fair. i think it is natural that there is a debate about security policies. i find it very questionable if that should be connected to our debate about immigration, immigration policies, but somehow i think if that debate is held in a tempered manner and in a civilized manner, then, of course, we cannot avoid it. people have a right to know and talk about it. if somebody starts to question the immigration policy of germany that is totally legitimate, but i don't think that such attacks should be held as evidence or as a smoking gun to whatever failures, presumed failures in our immigration policy. anchor: when an attack like this happens, people will draw conclusions, this happened and this happened and therefore one

islamic state captured mosul two—and—a—half years ago. now the iraqi army is on the offensive but the ground is littered with hidden explosives and booby—traps left by is. when we get there, gents, please be aware of your footing, in case there's any mines or anything that hasn't exploded yet. there you are. and then you will be able to say, "well, i told them!" just off the main road are some well—to—do family houses which is used as a bomb factory. they've smashed through the walls and heaped up earth to protect themselves from attack. the earth comes from the tunnels and bunkers which is carved out under the houses. islamic state is a formidable enemy with experienced soldiers from saddam hussein's old army, fighting alongside the religious extremists. he says the tunnel‘s just here. oh, my god, yes. yes. this is the main tunnel entrance. it's quite deep, full of rubbish and stuff that's collected there, i suppose, when it was captured. itjust runs all the way, what is that, about 200, 300 yards, to the main road, so they could

islamic state says its fighters carried it out. petra kvitova has had surgery on her playing hand after what seems to be a random knife attack in her own home in the czech republic. she is likely to be out of action for at least three months. much more to come for you and bbc news, including best. —— including visa. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: out of the stratosphere — and into history: we talk to the man who made a fifteen minute freefall to earth. we saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach, and people started to run, and suddenly it was complete chaos. united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noreiga. the pentagon said the operation had been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal objective, to capture general noreiga and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke sl

the islamic state is fighting hard right now. again, you have to look at the wear and tear that they are absorbing with this. the continued strikes, pressure we're putting on them. the inability for them to move forces between two major concentrations here and ultimately i think that will have an accelerating effect. and allow us to move a little faster. yes, i'm not in the business of giving dates for this. we're going to move at the pace of our partners and continue to kind of keep the momentum going. >> broader question about iraq before asking one on syria would be of course a lot of people have said, as tough as the fight is in mosul and you've underscored seriousness and difficulty, the number of people losing their lives, it's a serious business no doubt but people have said that's in a way the more manageable proposition compared to what follows and the day after. everyone from my colleagues, general petraeus, many others have argued it's really building that enduring multi-sectarian consensus that's going to be the chall

the so—called islamic state group have claimed the attack. but tonight investigators say the individuals who did these are still at large. translation: we don't know with any certainty whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or with several. we don't know with any certainty whether he or they had any support. and now, just like nice, paris, brussels, berlin mourns. and the german chancellor must reassure her citizens. angela merkel is under pressure. just the suggestion that an asylum seeker may have been responsible has reignited a national debate over whether her refugee policy has put the country at risk. it would be particularly hard to bear, she says, if it turned out that the person who did this was someone who sought protection and asylum in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. tonight, a stillness in the heart of berlin. what, after all, is there to say? another terror attack in another european capital and 2a hours later it seems no—one here knows who did

the ice -- islamic state organization claims responsibility for the attack in berlin. 12 people died almost 50 wounded a vehicle plowed into shoppers. the driver is still at large. wasssador andrei karlov shot to death yesterday in ankara. who firedce say a man at a mosque was not a far right extremists. three people were wounded, too seriously before the gunmen kill themselves. ♪ the islamic state group has claimed responsibility for last night's attack on a christmas market in berlin. 12 people killed and almost 50 wounded when a truck plowed into crowds of people. police say the driver is still on the loose after they released a man arrested last night because of a lack of evidence. michelle has the latest. michelle: debris still scattered across the road at this christmas market in berlin. a horrific reminder of monday night's tragedy. tributes have been pouring in after a man plowed this massive into ththe market, killing at least a dozen people and wounding scores of others. police arrested a 23-year-old man of pakistani origin on monday night. released less than 24 hours lat

it isa so—called islamic state, continues. it is a long slog. and for many residents, the only way is out. three more months, iraq's government says, the action may take. maybe next year will be better. but many iraqis giving up. they flee their battered city with nothing but bags and suitcases. here, hull becomes the second uk city of culture tomorrow. : paterson reports. hull, city of culture 2017. many were surprised when it was chosen. tomorrow it's year in the spotlight begins. last—minute preparations continue. it's great. 0ne preparations continue. it's great. one of its most famous residences very excited. we always thought culture was rugby and fish and chips. now it is more. it is art, it is history, it is a wonderful feeling, its new buildings, a new confidence. people are proud. hull is promising at least one cultural event every day of 2017, with £32 million being spent. what are you hoping the city of culture will achieve for hull? i want nationally and internationally people to see this is a fantastic city with great stories, g

so called islamic state releases footage showing amri pledging allegiance to them. the un security council passes a resolution demanding a halt to israeli settlement building on occupied building on occupied palestinian land. round the clock work on the railways — that means no trains on many lines this christmas. storm barbara begins to kick in. it is already causing power cuts and difficult travelling conditions with worse to come. 90 mph winds are forecast. salmonella dices back in management in his firstjob since being sacked as england boss. coming up: we celebrate the lives of those who died this year, including david bowery, in review 2016. we remember, part two. —— bowie. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the man suspected of the berlin christmas market attack has been shot dead by police in italy. anis amri had been missing since the attack on monday — it appears he left germany for france, before crossing into italy, able to move undetected around the continent, despite a europe wide manhunt. italian police stopped him in the early hours this m

the so-called islamic state is taking responsibility. a russian ambassador killed in turkey flown to moscow . six people have been detained into the investigation in the gunmen. the man who made the worlds highest parachute jump talks about whether you could try it with the right suit. >> they had to get me from 135,000 feet to the ground safely if i did nothing. if you are capable of doing nothing, i think you can do it. laura: welcome to our viewers in america and around the globe. police in germany say the driver of the truck that crashed into a christmas market in berlin yesterday may still be at large. the only suspect has been released due to insufficient evidence. the islamic state has taken at -- i taken responsibility for the attack. reporter: first light this morning. the violence of this attack dawns. the lorry crashed through the christmas crowd, shattering everything and everyone in its path. this picture was taken in the immediate aftermath of the attack. bodies are scattered under the twinkling lights. moments earlier, the

he pledged allegiance to the islamic state. the un security council demands israel stop building settlements on occupied palestinian land. israel's chess -- chief ally stands aside, letting the resolution passed. they call it shameful. ♪ >> i am brian thomas, a very warm welcome to the show. investigators in germany are focusing on a lot of questions right now. anis amri embarq on an odyssey through europe -- embarks on an odyssey through europe. he believed to cross into france after the attack, then into italy, this despite an international manhunt. he finally ran into police during a routine stop in milan. italian authorities did not even know he was in the country. reporter: outside milan train station, two people stop a man acting suspiciously at 3:30 in the morning. on his armory -- anis amri drew a gun when asked for his papers. a policeman was injured. the italian interior minister confirmed the dead maman is the one whose dna was found in the cap of the truck involved in monday's attack berlin. >> accordiding to our

the taxi driver later kidnapped and murdered white militants from so—called islamic state. humanitarian aid for people stuck in one of the most dangerous places on earth. syrians caught in the crossfire of syria's conflict. three years ago, these convoys were at the heart of those efforts. now, two men have been found guilty of infiltrating them. syed hoque, a former probation officer, and mashoud miah, used the aid missions as cover to send cash to fighters. hoque sent these pictures by his nephew, who was fighting with a group affiliated with al qaeda. he was advised to behead his enemies, but not mutilate them. aid convoys were infiltrated, and the goodwill of charities was abused, by taking money and goods from the uk out to syria to help terrorists. reactions in the public gallery highlight how emotive these issues have been for muslim communities. alan henning, taken hostage by so—called islamic state in december 2013, and murdered nine months later. he went into syria on one of the convoys used by the guilty men. alan henning, taken hostage by islamic state in dece

the so—called islamic state group have claimed the attack. but tonight investigators say the individuals who did this are still at large. translation: we don't know with any certainty whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or with several. we don't know with any certainty whether he or they had any support. and now, just like nice, paris, brussels, berlin mourns. and the german chancellor must vr must reassure her citizens. angela merkel is under pressure. just the suggestion that an asylum seeker may have been responsible has reignited a national debate over whether her refugee policy has put the country at risk. translation: it would be particularly ha rd to translation: it would be particularly hard to bear if it turned out that the person who did this was someone who sought protection and asylum in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. tonight, a stillness in the heart of berlin. what, after all, is there to say? another terror

so—called islamic state releases footage showing amri pledging allegiance to them. more questions about the police investigation as it emerges amri was able to travel from germany to france and then italy after the attack. also tonight. the round the clock work on the railways that will mean no trains on many lines this christmas. president putin faces the world's press, and says he is not worried about donald trump's talk of a new arms race. and why a third of the homeless say they have been attacked on our streets. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news, we'll look ahead to the start of a busy christmas fixture list, with chelsea top of the tree. but can they stay there? good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the man suspected of the berlin christmas market attack has been shot dead by police in italy. anis amri had been missing since the attack on monday — it appears he left germany for france, before crossing into italy, able to move undetected around the continent despite a europe—wide manhunt. italian police stopped him in the e

state with that calling from islamic state with this happening, with the nice attack as well, many point their fingers towards some kind of islamist link. i suppose it is one of those things where we have watched the encroachment of more and more things. once you could say about unattended baggage, that is something to be afraid of. now you can see someone with a bag, it does not have to be unattended. there are bag searches to make people feel safer. and it isn't particularly difficult to get hold of a lorry. it isn't difficult to have a license to drive a heavy goods vehicle, it isn't particularly difficult to force somebody else with a licence to let you have the lorry. the question arises, we can't keep fighting the weapon because the weapons ciggy changes. the question is then the target. in that case, what do we do? do we never go to places? do we carry on doing what we wa nted places? do we carry on doing what we wanted to do for the rest of the weekend, it is super brave. on the front of the ft, echoes of nice ata on the front of the ft, echoes of nice at a seasonal market. i cov

turkey will continue to fight organizations,st particularly the islamic state group, until the safety of its guaranteed. compromising this is out of the question. >> president erdogan speaking there a short while ago. cease-fire doesn't cover the islamic state organization, the formally known as the front, as well as fighters from ypg military group. for more, we're joined live by correspondent. jasper, erdogan calls this a window of opportunity that's not to be wasted. but the big question must surely be, will this cease-fire actually work after its predecessors all largely failed? i'm highly skeptical of it. for the reasons whihich you mentioioned just now. not a universal cease-fire. it does not include the kurds nonor the islalamic state group. and those are two of the biggest forces in the field. and it's unclear whether it .ncludes the front, now now, turkey wants to go on the occurred and the islamic state. and those two groupups will figt back. the turks -- in one day, turkishstate killed 16 soldiers. entails is cease-fire contininued fighting in some pas of the battleground a

what the islamic state has done is taken the alaki message and put it on steroids. jenna: in 2002 we had ilaki in custody and was let go. we are very grateful for her and you, tom, for the analysis that you bring together for us. thank you very much. i encourage the viewers to check out the journal. jon: two dozen tornadoes, an update next. investigators in california details about his wife's kidnapping, they weren't going to make public and he might have compromised the probe, our legal panel weighs in this is todd hardy. a fitness buff, youth baseball coach-and lung cancer patient. the day i got the diagnosis, i was just shocked. the surgeon in dallas said i needed to have the top left lobe of my lung removed. i wanted to know what my other options were. and i found that at cancer treatment centers of america. at ctca, our experts examine a variety of therapies, treatments and technologies to identify a plan specifically for each patient. my doctor understood that who i am was just as important as what cancer i had. we talked about options. my doctor told me about

islamic state in syria. and yet, he was... he was us watchlist. he was free to move away germany —— around germany. i just he was free to move away germany —— around germany. ijust want he was free to move away germany —— around germany. i just want to he was free to move away germany —— around germany. ijust want to pull back and talk about what we're dealing with. the last leaders, so—called islamic state have released a video of people burning to death turkish soldiers. border guards. people who have not shot and killed anybody in their lives. they are in uniform, but that is not the point. they have shown these people being burned alive as thejordanian pilot was. i've not seen the video, just the report. it is a 20 minute video showing the intense pain and suffering with them being burnt alive in gruesome detail. that is what you are dealing with here. that is the mentality, cruelty and barbarity of this organisation which has no place in the middle east or in our lives. thank you. our

the distance to the islamic state is getting shorter. the associated press just reported that he was apparently under surveillance by german intelligence. >> oh, really, i have not seen that. >> for months now. it is puzzling that the very people that are under surveillance are being watched are somehow able to essentially slip the yolk and still doing these terrible acts. >> as you are on your way, information about his name did come up. information of his name did come out, anis amri, is what they are calling him now. >> they have not said that they claim responsibilities. what do you make of all that? >> exactly, the outlet that took responsibility for it is a mock which is isis -- >> so if there is associated press. >> exactly. this very much is an official claim of responsibility by isis. >> all of the previous attack that we have seen where isis claims credit, it is always amri taking credit first. >> do you think he's inspired by isis or directed? >> it is too early to tell. officials are quick to call this thing as a lone wolf at

the so—called islamic state group have claimed the attack. but tonight investigators say the individuals who did these are still at large. translation: we don't know with any certainty whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or with several. we don't know with any certainty whether he or they had any support. and now, just like nice, paris, brussels, berlin mourns. and the german chancellor must reassure her citizens. angela merkel is under pressure. just the suggestion that an asylum seeker may have been responsible has reignited a national debate over whether her refugee policy has put the country at risk. it would be particularly hard to bear, she says, if it turned out that the person who did this was someone who sought protection and asylum in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. tonight, a stillness in the heart of berlin. what, after all, is there to say? another terror attack in another european capital and 2a hours later it seems no—one here knows who did

the islamic state is fighting hard right now. then, you have to look at tear they are-- observing -- absorbing with this. haveately, i think we will an accelerated effect on them, and we will be able to move after. but yes, i am not giving any date for this. we are going to move at the pace of our partners and try to keep the momentum going. moderator: my follow-up question on iraq is that -- it is difficult to fight in mosul, as you have already touched on. people have said that will be the more manageable proposition compared to what follows in the days after. from general petraeus to many others, they have argued that it is really about building that enduring consensus that will be the challenge. arealize that is going to be challenge for many people and not just you. one part that i think is within central command purview is how towork with sunni tribes build up police forces or national guard to give them more sense of protection for their own people. you see any headway in that general proposition? gen. votel: i do. admitte

it is thought to be used as an islamic state base. they were forced to his draw from the site when they came under sustained attack. rebel forces say they have taken back in neighborhood from i.s. fighters. our correspondent has the details. >> one building after the other, these homes are being secured and cleared of any sign of the islamic state group. after coming up against stiff resistance, iraqi special oppositions forces -- eric a special operations forces helped capture the neighborhood from -- iraqi special operations forces helped capture the neighborhood from islamic state group. >> they have left weapons behind, so we're looking for them. we also have word that some of the fighters are wearing civilian clothes and are in these houses. >> tens of thousands of mosul residents have left the city to escape the military offensive. iraqi security forces are being backed by kurdish fighters, sunni arab fighters, and u.s. led coalition aircraft. here in the east of the city, their presence has brought a sense of stability. >> we l

during the years the united states claimed to have been fighting the atomic state, the islamic state gained more and more and more territory after the fall of libya were after we overthrew gaddafi. it gained more territory in a rack and gain enormous territory in syria. something new emerged in the world. a terrorist organization that had actually turned itself into a real state the meaning of his governing these territories, running municipal facilities, collecting taxes. this was something new and exceedingly dangerous. so putin said we have a choice. who do we want in damascus, the capital of syria? , the presidentd of syria, or do we want the islamic state in damascus? this was the key difference with the u.s. the obama and have pursued a policy of overthrowing assad. killing with terrorists in syria, some of whom we have ,unded as mr. roth well knows because they claimed to be anti-assad, meant in fact as we ,ursued the war against assad russia decided it'd had enough because it believed syria was vital to its national security. it intervened in the war has been turned around. t

but, as i said, islamic state is a monster, a huge monster. they managed for the last two or three years to recruit a lot of people. we can see what happened in germany, they declared responsibility for the attack on the christmas market, and also they declared responsibility for other atrocities. it seems, unfortunately, we will see a lot of terrorist acts somewhere in europe, but also in the middle east. it is sad to say that, but this is what we can see, 0k, what i can see in my crystal ball. 0k. well, in that case, i think we will leave 2016 behind and hope for a better 2017. that's it for dateline london's look ahead to 2017. you can contact the programme on twitter @gavinesler, and you can argue with our guests, if that's the way you want to go. we are back next week at the same time, please make a date with dateline london. goodbye, and happy new year. the good news is the fog isn't quite as dense, widespread or long—lasting as dense, widespread or long—lasting as it has been recently. it was a murky start across southern england an

we wait for the inevitable claim of responsibility from islamic state. i'm sure that will come whether they orchestrated the attack or not. a couple of striking beings in the times coverage. “— striking beings in the times coverage. —— things. the suspicion is that the truck was hijacked. it belonged to a polished delivery company. contact with the driver was lost at four pm some time before the incident, leading to speculation that it had been hijacked —— them out. there was a quote that the driver wore a mask. as he ran off, he tore off his mask, which we had not seen before. that is quite interesting. if it is linked to islamic state, and the indication perhaps with the comparisons to nice is that there may be the case, if terrorism is proved to be responsible for this, actually trying to disappear into the crowd is something that did not happen in nice. it may well have been because this man actually died in the front of the scab, but having said that, so of the scab, but having said that, so many islamic state volunteers have no problem

the number of russian whose have been fighting in the islamic state for the islamic state is probably in the range of about 5,000. so you have to think about how russia is seeing its place in the world, the threats that its officials will face. they will see this as, you know, one instance in what's probably a long future of retaliation for what they've done in syria. >> what do they do about it and where? >> they have to look at home, for terrorist attacks. remember, they have faced cases like the storming of theaters. major, major attacks on civilian targets, that it's been going on there for, at this point, decades. i think what they're looking at now is the possibility it will continue, it will intensify and that as their actions in syria are better known and more -- more brought up as grievances they'll have more attacks like this in the future. >> graham wood, thanks for being with us. appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> taking you to a holiday market in this country as the united states obviously watching what's going on careful lif and stepping up security. >>> just in, as donald

the islamic state wants these kinds of acts to occur. they want the u.s. and its european allies to alienate muslim within our midst. we should ask ourselves why they want that and do we want to fall into that trap? al qaeda and isis for years were hoping we would turn on muslims within the united states and western europe. it never happened. it would be very sad after all these years of preventing that and of stealing that tory from al qaeda and asis because that's whey they see this as, a victory. we should not hand that to them now. that's very sad to see that. sean, i have to turn the subject to domestic matters and you know why. your company, crowdstrike has been in the news for perverse reasons for the targets and it's been great advertising for you, you were called in after the fact, too late, it turned out, for the dnc hack and others involved in this overarching russia story. as we talked about last night, we're watching "meet the press" sunday morning, john podesta talking to chuck todd reveals he had spoken once, one contact with the fbi in earl

but some groups — including so—called islamic state — are not part of the agreement. the announcement was made in moscow from where our correspondent steve rosenberg reports. for nearly six years, syria has been torn apart by civil war. a country reduced to ruins. a conflict that has left more than 400,000 people dead. there have been peace initiatives before which brought no peace. but today russia announced a breakthrough. in the kremlin, russia's defence minister handed vladimir putin a list of syrian opposition groups that had signed up to a ceasefire with president assad. 60,000 rebels, he said, would stop fighting. this is how president putin summarised the deal. translation: three documents have been signed. the first document between the syrian government and the armed opposition is about a ceasefire on the territory of the syrian arab republic. the second document is a set of measures for monitoring the ceasefire. and the third document is a statement about readiness to start peace talks on ending the syrian conflict. the syrian government was persuaded by ru

so called islamic state, have now claimed responsibility. the german chancellor, angela merkel, leads tributes to the dead during a special church service near the attack site. the brandenburg gate is illuminated in honour. translation: we do not want to live with the fear of evil paralysing us, even when that is sometimes hard. we will find the strength to live as we in germany want to live: free, together and open. the rest of the stories this hour: the body of the russian ambassador to turkey has arrived home in moscow. andrey karlov was shot by an off—duty police officer while he gave a speech at an art gallery in ankara yesterday. nicola sturgeon has set out plans for protecting scottish interests post—brexit. the first minister says scotland could stay in the european single market, without the rest of the uk. coming up on bbc news, we look at the incredible british successes at the incredible british successes at the 3016 30 olympic and paralympic games. good evening and welcome to bbc news. a man, arrested on suspicion of killing

turkey says 1a of its soldiers have been killed fighting islamic state militants in syria — the biggest losses since it sent troops across the border. the russian president orders tighter restrictions on alcohol, after 65 deaths from consuming toxic bath lotion. hello. police forces across europe are searching for a 24—year—old tunisian man suspected of being behind the berlin truck attack, in which 12 people were killed. it's emerged that anis amri had been under surveillance for six months this year, before the operation was halted. german officials say he could be armed and dangerous — they've offered more than $100,000 for information leading to his arrest. 0ur correspondent, jenny hill, reports from berlin. you're looking at europe's most wanted man, anis amri, the main, the only, suspect in the investigation into an attack which shattered germany. prosecutors warn he may be armed, dangerous, and they are offering a 100,000 euro reward. translation: there's a new suspect. we are searching for him. we'll keep investigating every lead. we issued a issued a warrant for this susp

so—called islamic state releases footage showing amri pledging allegiance to them. two british men are convicted of using muslim aid convoys from the uk to syria to provide cash for extremists. star wars actress carrie fisher has been taken to hospital after reportedly suffering a heart attack on board a flight from london to los angeles. round—the—clock work on the railways, that means no trains on many lines this christmas. and all smiles for big sam, as he returns to the premier league as crystal palace's new manager. also in the next hour, we will be taking a look at tomorrow's papers, including the i, which says europe's open—border policy has been blamed for allowing the berlin lorry terror suspect to flee more than 1,000 miles, across three countries. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the hunt for the man who is believed to have carried out the berlin christmas market attack is over. anis amri, who had evaded capture for four days, was killed in milan during a shootout with two police officers. train tickets found on his body indicate that he had tr

and that he was asked by his uncle to pledge allegiance to the so—called islamic state. and they say that the nephew was also sent money from his uncle in germany at some stage via a third party through the post, to help get him to, they presume germany, although they didn't specify where, so that he could join him and the cleric he was following there. the queen's granddaughter zara tindall and her husband mike tindall have lost their baby, a spokeswoman for the couple has said. equestrian champion zara and former england rugby player tindall announced at the end of november they were expecting their second child. in a statement the spokeswoman said: "very sadly, zara and mike tindall have lost their baby. at this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy." the status quo guitarist rick parfitt has died suddenly in hospital in spain at the age of 68. in a statement, his family said he'd died as a result of a severe infection, after being treated for complications following a shoulder injury. a short time ago, i spoke tojeff rich who played with status

we have seen over the last year or so three islamic state inspired attacks in germany. this has highlighted, for many people, the folly of that policy. for many, in fact for the majority of germans, still according to opinion polls, the open door policy is something they should continue to have faith in, offering asylu m continue to have faith in, offering asylum to those trying to flee the war in syria. a lot of pressure in germany, on angela merkel, because of this attack is similar to what happened in nice earlier in the year, and could have been inspired by islamic state, perpetrated by a refugee. the latest pictures we have from berlin. a survey of hospital trusts in england shows that overseas patients not entitled to free health care left the nhs with unpaid bills totalling almost 30 million pounds last year — a sharp rise on the previous 12 months. more than 120 trusts were asked to provide data on overseas patients — 104 replied. the government recently reminded hospitals of their legal duty to recover the money, and encouraged them to ask to see passports

the army sent troops and the islamic state militants. syrian refugees started returning backed by turkish government. turkey has been overwhelmed by the refugees. but the result is another reason why supporting. >> translator: now we are moving towards syria. we don't need terror organizations like the kurdish democratic union party and kurdish peoples protection forces. >> through the presence in the area along the turkish city, the government say is to create a buffer zone with pressure on the kurds. the turkish army is guarding along with free syrian army. turkey is also helping to rebuild schools. inside turkey, steps are also being taken. here in syria, workers in preparation to work inside syria, they are selected by turkish government. the aid is to rebuild services and also to provide refugees with jobs. they have been hoping to return to his hometown where his brother still live. >> translator: what's the situation there? >> the road is open again. >> reporter: now that they have security, there's renewed hope for the future. he

contacts with so—called islamic state? what has come out this afternoon is a video, a posthumous video. it was recorded by him. it is a kind of selfie video where he has gone around like that in berlin, where he is pledging allegiance to the leader of isis, in which he talks about revenge for the air strikes. it is clearly following the is narrative that attacks on europe, they justify them is narrative that attacks on europe, theyjustify them because they is narrative that attacks on europe, they justify them because they are coming under pressure militarily in iraq and syria. he has got his various insults for all non—believers, as he puts it. it is a fairly typical ies video. by is? —— inspired by is? a fairly typical ies video. by is? -- inspired by is? it is certainly inspired by is and there's no question he is pledging his allegiance to the caliphate and the caliph himself. there are people who have actually gone to join is, spent time in syria, lent a horrible tactics and things and then come back to europe.

certainly on the ground with our partners, through our targeting of key leaders in the islamic state network, through our targeting of threat -- or of their financial resources, looking at how we improve our capabilities to address the ideology and the narrative, the toxic narrative that comes out of here and how we enable partners in the area to do this. so what we are trying to achieve essentially against -- in a broad sense is we are trying to present the islamic state with a lot of dilemmas that we have to deal with simultaneously and that strategy in very broad terms, military strategy, i think is working and i think it is beginning to expose the cracks and certainly i think it's helping us with reducing the size of the physical caliphate. it isn't just about the physical caliphate, there is a virtual caliphate that goes along with this that has to be addressed and in many ways we are doing that and we will continue to do that in the future. so that's kind of the big idea. as many of you are tracking here in iraq the main focus is on -- is on mosul, the iraqi security forces und

choudary, that people are fleeing the islamic state? >> reporter: despite documented evidence of tens of thousands of people desperately fleeing isis -- [ crying ] choudary claims more are arriving. >> people are coming into the islamic states. christians coming back to mosul, embracing. you don't show those because it doesn't fit your agenda. >> reporter: and then the floodgates open with the reasons why choudary says he hates us. >> freedom of expression. freedom of religion. they sound very nice but where is the freedom and expression for people in guantanamo bay? and people tortured in abu ghraib and i bet you loved that, didn't you, fareed? do you hold that up as an example of libber ti, democracy, the american way, the american life? you know, george bush flushed those down the toilet saying we can flush them away because we're talking about terrorism. >> reporter: but the united states intervened in bosnia to protect muslims. intervened in afghanistan and supporting a government that has been elected twice by the afghan people. >

of course the islamic state group is fighting for dear life and trying all means possible to hold onto it. they are carrying out suicide bombings and all kinds of attacks with handmade explosives. our soldiers have been martyred in these final stages. saide turkish military some of the fighting had been centered on a hospital area that had been used by the islamic state as a weapons and ammumunition store. lots --t ankara launched the euphrates operation to prevent the kurdish militia from linking its territory along the border. after quick gains early on in the turkish armies push has slowed as the extremists pull all the last stops to cling on to their territory. turkey has suffered increasing casualties. tributes are being paid to the late russian ambassador to turkey. an off-duty policeman fatally shot him on monday as he was giving a speech at an art exhibition. diplomats and family members rather to bid farewell to the 62-year-old ambassador. the turkish president has now publicly pointed the finger for the killing at the exiled turkish opposition cleric. for more on reaction to

what needs to be done to get a handle on the islamic state group in syria? -- it decisive fight moves very interestingly. there are two major fights, aleppo and mosul. aleppo is essentially finished and done as far as we can tell. we now move to the fight over mosul. if mosul is taken -- and i think, again, one needs to be careful about the future, but i think the prediction there because the u.s. is so determined that isis be eliminated from iraq -- i think coming up to the next three weeks into the new year, mosul will fall. if mosul will fall, that will put significant pressure on isis theiry ultimately lead to defeat. certainly in terms of the u.s. and the u.s.-led coalition, the isis and theof caliphate they set up is a major strategic aim here it is a clear aim and one that is materially -- is a major strategic aim. it is a clear aim and one that militarily achievable. it involves these complicated these powers that is shot through with sectarian issues and politics between the sunni and shia regimes and populations. it is still likely that isis will b

but some groups, including so—called islamic state, are not part of the agreement. the announcement was made in moscow from where our correspondent steve rosenberg reports. for nearly six years, syria has been torn apart by civil war. a country reduced to ruins. a conflict that has left more than 400,000 people dead. there have been peace initiatives before which brought no peace. but today russia announced a breakthrough. in the kremlin, russia's defence minister handed vladimir putin a list of syrian opposition groups which had signed up to a ceasefire with president assad. 60,000 rebels, he said, would stop fighting. this is how president putin summarised the deal. translation: three documents have been signed. the first document between the syrian government and the armed opposition is about a ceasefire on the territory of the syrian arab republic. the second document is a set of measures for monitoring the ceasefire. and the third document is a statement about readiness to start peace talks on ending the syrian conflict. the syrian government was persuaded by r

to the north, the battle to take mosul, iraq's second city, from so—called islamic state continues. it's a long slog, and for many residents the only way is out. three more months, iraq's government says, the action might take. maybe next year will be better, but many iraqis are giving up, as they flee their battered city with nothing but bags and suitcases. in today's football, chelsea continued the remarkable run that's taken them to the top of the premier league, with a 11—2 win over stoke. liverpool and manchester city both had the chance to close the gap on them in the late kick off. the match at anfield finished 1—0. a short time ago with liverpool winning by one goal to nil, thanks to a goal scored afterjust 7 minutes. it means liverpool stay second — now 6 points behind leaders chelsea. in scotland it was the turn of old firm rivals celtic and rangers who met at ibrox at lunchtime — as our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. it remains one of football's fiercest and noisiest rivalries. amid the customary cacophony, though, a minute's silence in memory of the 66