BBC Newshour
Weekdays 3 - 4 p.m.
Interviews, news and analysis of the day's global events.
Distributed in the United States by American Public Media.
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French MPs have ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier after passing a vote of no confidence in his minority government. Also in the programme: Georgian police beat opposition MP, we hear from an eye-witness; and the young Swedish women who want to stay at home and be traditional housewives.(Picture: Michel Barnier in the National Assembly floor. Credit: Reuters/ Sarah Meyssonnier)
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South Korean MPs have begun impeachment proceeding against President Yoon Suk Yeol after thwarting his shock move to impose martial law. Protesters in Seoul have marched on the presidential offices and parliament demanding his resignation or impeachment. We hear from one of the protesters, and lawmakers from the opposition and the president’s own party. Also in the programme: Iran temporarily releases the Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi from prison on medical grounds, and the reigning queen of the catwalk show, Anna Wintour, on changing shape of fashion. (Image: Protesters hold placards as they march toward the presidential office during a demonstration calling for the dismissal and impeachment of South Korean president in Seoul. Credit: JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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After South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law in the country, MPs blocked the controversial move and the president then reversed the move. It’s expected to be officially lifted once ministers meet later today. We speak to an MP who took part in the vote to block the plan. Also in the programme: the Taliban stops women in Afghanistan from accessing medical training; and Hollywood actress Sharon Stone recounts her experience of having a stroke. (Photo: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, 3rd December 2024. Credit: Reuters)
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The move comes as South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol disagrees with the main opposition Democratic Party over approval for next year’s budget bill. Both the ruling party and opposition have vowed to block the declaration of martial law. Also on the programme: It’s the first visit by a US President to an African country in almost 8 years, we hear about Joe Biden’s visit to Angola; and the story of the Indian princess who went undercover as a spy in France during the second world war. Posthumously, she’s become only the third woman to receive the UK's highest civilian honour for bravery. (Photo: Police officers block the entry to the National Assembly after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declare martial law in Seoul Credit: Yonhap news agency via REUTERS)
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The French Prime Minister faces a no-confidence vote as opposition MPs threaten to bring government down over the budget. Also on the programme: What does the Syrian rebel advance mean for Turkey? And the actress Cate Blanchett on playing Angela Merkel and zombie apocalypses.(Photo: French Prime Minister Michel Barnier deliver a speech to push the budget bill through the National Assembly without a vote by lawmakers. Credit: Reuters)
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The Syrian civil war, which has left around half a million people dead, began in 2011 after the Assad government responded to pro-democracy protests with a brutal crackdown. The conflict has been largely dormant since a ceasefire agreed in 2020, but opposition forces have maintained control of the north-western city of Idlib and much of the surrounding province. According to reports from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, opposition fighters seized nearly all of the city of Aleppo from the government on Sunday except for the neighbourhoods controlled by Kurdish forces. Syria’s military withdrew from the city to prepare a counteroffensive. We hear from those caught up in the fighting. Also on the programme: a rare report from West Darfur in Sudan; and how an old term - ‘’brain-rot’’ - became the new word of the year. (Picture: Syrian rebels take control of military and civilian airports in Aleppo, Syria. Credit: Bilal al Hammoud/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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Russia has been aiding the Syrian air force to carry out intensive airstrikes in Idlib and Hama provinces. The strikes come after rebel forces in the north of the country launched their rapid offensive, taking the city of Aleppo, earlier this week. We speak to a member of the volunteer civil defence group, known as the White Helmets, who are scrambling to respond to the bombings.Also in the programme: Huge protests continue in Georgia despite the prime minister appearing to row back on his unpopular pledge to suspend EU accession efforts; and Belgium becomes the first country to give legally enforceable labour rights to sex workers.(Picture: White Helmets members work at the scene of what the organisation says is a strike in Idlib. Credit: White Helmets handout/Reuters)
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Russian and Syrian warplanes carry out airstrikes on rebel territories in northern Syria. Our BBC Monitoring jihadist analyst talks us through some of the history of Syria's conflict, and profiles Haayat Tahrir al Sham, the group that now controls Aleppo. We also hear from a resident about the fear gripping people living there.Also on the programme: We hear from Georgia where there's been a third night of clashes between police and protesters, and get the government response to the claim it suspended talks on membership of the European Union. Also, why talks at the plastic waste summit in South Korea, appear to have failed.(Photo: People inspect the damage after an airstrike in Idlib, northern Syria, 01 December 2024. Credit: Bilal Al Hammoud/EPA/Shutterstock)
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Syria's president Bashar al Assad has promised to defeat those he described as terrorists and their backers, in his first public comments since a blistering rebel offensive began four days ago. Mr Assad said he would do so with help from his allies. The Jihadist-led forces have retaken swathes of land from his regime's troops, including much of Aleppo and are now reported to be approaching the city of Hama.Also on the programme: we hear from Georgia's president Salome Zourabichvili amid the third night of anti-government protests; and will the buzz surrounding Gladiator II and Wicked help to turn around the film industry's fortunes?(Picture: Syrian opposition fighters tear up a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in central Aleppo. Credit: Karam Al-Masri/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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Syria's military has acknowledged that parts of Aleppo have fallen to Islamist rebels and that it's sustained dozens of casualties. It said it was withdrawing from parts of Syria's second city in order to regroup ahead of the arrival of reinforcements. Thousands of civilians cars have been leaving.Also in the programme: We speak to a Ukrainian woman who's just lost three generations of her family in a Russian missile attack; and archaeology and commuting meet in Thessaloniki's new metro system.(Photo: Rebels drive on the international M5 highway, a route into Aleppo, Syria. Credit: Getty Images)
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A bill which would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales to end their own lives has taken a major step forward. The majority of MPs have voted to advance it to the next stage, and the bill faces weeks of more scrutiny. What does the vote tell us about British society’s changing attitude towards assisted death?Also on the programme: the BBC’s Rayhan Demetrie with the latest on protests in Georgia, after the country’s government delayed EU accession talks; and we hear from one of the artisans involved in restoring Notre-Dame Cathedral.(Photo: Activists react following the passing of the Assisted Dying Bill in Parliament Square in London, Britain, 29 November 2024. Credit: Neil Hall/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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British MPs have voted to advance a bill which could give the terminally ill the right to end their own lives. We hear the arguments for and against and examine the next steps for the bill to become law.Also on the programme, what can the European Union do to rescue relations with the former soviet republic of Georgia, and we have the first glimpse inside a restored Notre Dame in Paris, five years after a fire devastated the cathedral.(Photo : Campaign poster in the UK; Credit : Reuters)