this is bbc news. the headlines at 7... in syria, the evacuation of eastern aleppo starts again. rebel fighters reportedly set fire to buses due to help people leave north of the city. it comes as russia says it will veto a french—drafted resolution to send un officials to monitor the evacuations in the city. the trade secretary, liam fox, says britain could remain a member of the eu customs union after brexit. ahead of another strike by southern rail conductors tomorrow, the rmt leader, mick cash, denies accusations his union is using the dispute to take on the government. jamie vardy and gareth bale are among the stars who could be named this year's sports personality of the year at a ceremony in birmingham. and sportsday will bring you the day's premier league

action in half an hour, including southampton‘s victory over rivals bournemouth. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the evacuation of eastern aleppo has hit another stumbling block. it had been due to resume — after a pause lasting three days — on condition that the rebels allowed civilians to leave two villages which support president assad. then the rebels attacked the buses sent to the villages of foah and kefraya. but some buses did set off from eastern aleppo — taking more rebel fighters and their families away from their former stronghold which is now controlled by syrian government forces. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville has this report. you may find some of the images distressing.

if only the ceasefire in aleppo hadn't collapsed, then this might never have needed to happen. they are doing the best they can here, but this hospital is barely functioning. these are not surgeons. there are none left in eastern aleppo, so nurses perform the operation. it is a caesarean. translation: the child has a birth defect. we immediately brought the mother here to the operating room for a caesarean, which we are doing now. the mother is in a bad way and her baby boy even worse. but everyone here is at their wits end. eastern aleppo is out of options. translation: as soon as the patient arrived, i told the red cross that the patient needed emergency surgery but there was no answer because the evacuation is still suspended. some of the sick made it out of here on

thursday but not nearly enough. after 2a hours, the ceasefire collapsed. there are now 100 badly injured people trapped here. he has been stuck here for three days, says this man. he has a head injury. we have tried to leave but they stopped us. and here is one of the hold—ups. rival factions attacked buses that were meant to free trapped sick and injured in shi'ite villages. only when they are freed will be regime allow convoys to again leave eastern aleppo. and only after aleppo‘s misery would you consider this salvation. this is a camp in idlib. evacuees are brought here. when they arrive, they have nothing. the buses that bring them are so crowded there is no room for luggage, but here, there's relief.

translation: rockets, russian jets and warplanes all bombing us, barrel bombs dropped over us. we kept fleeing from one place to another. there was hunger, poverty and sleeping in the streets. finally, the red cross got us out. this woman made it here with her twin girls. the camp may be crowded but here the sisters can breathe again. translation: it is better than it was in aleppo, there is no bombing. we have new friends walking and playing together. there was a food shortage back there. we are eating more here. we hated life but here we are eating biscuits and everything. that is what is at stake here. every minute and every hour of the ceasefire that is lost, is another moment of life denied to the children of aleppo. we can speak now to tauqir sharif — a british aid worker involved in the evacuation of civilians who's currently in idlib province. thank you forjoining us here. what

are conditions like in its lip? —— idlib. there is still indiscriminate bombing going on all over idlib, even though there was supposed to be a ceasefire in place in aleppo there has not been a ceasefire in idlib and surrounding areas. there is a fear that idlib will become the new aleppo. are those fears justified from what are seeing? yes. there is a whole heap of fear on the ground at the moment. some of the actions you saw today with regards to burning the buses, it is definitely something that is coming out of this fear. i heard you guys describing

buses being burned as being burned by the rebels. i would claim the opposite. it is in fact an angry mob of people who are unhappy with the rebels who burned the buses. it is important for viewers to understand there are 13 places that are under siege by the regime in syria at the moment. these two villages are the only two villages that are besieged by the rebels. there was a deal in place regarding two other places and people being swapped or taken out from those besieged areas. this is where you saw people eating grass. there was lots of pressure to get food into the areas. this is why people are angry. why is the russian and syrian regime taking advantage

of this situation? there is already a deal in place regarding these other areas and people should be swapped from these areas only got a will not accept people from aleppo being taken advantage. that is why they burned the buses. many of us on they burned the buses. many of us on the ground, i am completely against the ground, i am completely against the burning of the buses, the situation. even though i believe the russian and syrian regime are taking advantage of the situation and whatever situation now in right now, they are taking advantage of it. i think it was really bad about the buses. who is in control of the checkpoints? what we are hearing is the evacuations have been halted. i am quoting, in the absence —— absence of security guarantees for the evacuees. who is at the checkpoints and what are they finding once they are evacuated?

there has been a major upset on the ground. there are many different groups controlling these areas. not one groups controlling these areas. not u groups controlling these areas. not one group controlling these areas. it is made up of different rebel factions and different militias. the general public has basically, in a sense, started a revolution. they are very unhappy that the rebel groups have not been able to unite and are upset that aleppo was lost. for this reason, many of the anarchist groups, many just for this reason, many of the anarchist groups, manyjust normal people who are protesting and revolting, have started to break down checkpoints. just the other day, a crossing was cut. there has been a whole heap of security issues here on the ground. you work with an aid group. what sort of care are the

sick and the injured getting once they have left aleppo and some of these other towns that are besieged? i'd just got the end of your question. i am talking about the conditions. for example the sick and injured finding once they are evacuated. you work with an aid group yourself. what sort of conditions are they finding once they are out of aleppo or the other besieged towns? it is a very good question. at the moment, the situation is very dire. we are just coming up into the beginning of winter. it is getting really cold. you have to understand. we have only had one wave of people evacuated from aleppo city. the charity organisations here on the ground are finding it very difficult to deal with the influx of people. the first day when people were evacuated, before the ceasefire broke down, we

found there was literally hundreds of people on the streets with nowhere to go. at the moment, they are opening up mosques, schools, and temporary housing facilities. we have big tents will be our housing refugees. until we can find a more sta ble refugees. until we can find a more stable refugee camp or move them into turkey, we will support them in whatever way we can. people are coming out with no money and whatever they can carry in their hands, basically. yankee very much. speaking to us live from idlib province. —— thank you very much. we will be —— and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages. at 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers — our guests joining tonight are martin lipton, deputy head of sport at the sun and martin bentham, home affairs editor at the london evening standard. thatis

that is the papers at 10:30pm and then again at 11:30 p.m.. that's returned to our top story. 0ur correspondent is in beirut will stop what is the latest ui hearing from beirut? the hope that it is not a setback, just a delay. because of what one part of the rebel groups had caused to the buses that were about to escort and evacuate pro—government residents and fighters. we are not sure which part of the rebels set the fires but it is allegedly... now there is a delay

in the deal. the deal was not halted. some new buses were sent up north to resume the evacuation. we are still waiting to see when it is actually going to happen. the government earlier said residents of eastern aleppo were evacuated out of the besieged eastern aleppo. that has not been confirmed by residents who are trapped or by monitoring groups who are reporting on the story. what sort of reaction have you been hearing regarding this un security council meeting? brasher has said it will definitely be vetoing it. what sort of reaction are you getting? it is not surprising that russia will beat the resolution to allow un monitors to monitor the evacuation and allow aid in. they have been supporting president assad. for people on the

ground, they understand the situation. they know there is no hopein situation. they know there is no hope in the international community, mainly because russia has the upper hand and control of the ground. any solution that will get them out of their misery, that solution will only be provided by russia but also by other allies on the ground, who are controlling lots of details on the ground. we will leave it there for now. thank you very much. the international trade secretary liam fox has refused to rule out britain remaining a member of the european customs' union after brexit, which could limit the ability to cut free trade deals. he told the bbc‘s andrew marr that he was "instinctively a free trader" and he would have his say in the cabinet. here's our political correspondent, ben wright. there's some flash photography in his report. at the moment, british businesses know the score. we are full members of the eu single market with its free movement of goods,

services and people. we are also members of the eu's customs union, the biggest in the world. the huge question is, what will brexit bring? this morning, the trade secretary suggested we could remain partial members of the customs union. we wa nt we want to look at all the different things. i hear people talking about hard brexit and soft brexit as if it is a boiled egg we are talking about. it is a little more complex. turkey is in part of the customs union but not other parts. we need to look at the cost. the customs union includes all 28 eu nations at but also turkey, monaco, san marino and andorra. all can trade freely with each other. but they must impose the same tariffs on good outside the customs union. they are also barred from doing bilateral trade deals that other countries. that is why the trade secretary would like a half way house, but there

will be trade—offs. the former chancellor, now free to speak without a government script urged ministers to be careful. we should do this on the basis of a hard—headed assessment on what is in our national and economic interests. yes, it is true that the grass may be greener outside of those arrangements, and we may be able to conduct new free trade deals with australia and the united states and so on, but that should not come at a price of giving up the existing free trade arrangements with germany and france. and you think we can keep those? that is where i would be starting from. you cannot say we are a beacon of free trade in the world and then the main thing we can achieve is a huge act of protectionism, the biggest in british history. popping up again to offer his brexit services, nigel farage, friend of president—elect donald trump, the former ukip leader told the bbc he wanted to be a bridge between the new trade department and the us

administration. number 10 said there was no job vacancy. six months on after the vote to leave the european union, everyone agrees that brexit will happen but if ministers know how, they are not telling us. at the moment, all options seem to be on the table. this is not a question of the uk asking for a deal, in the spring britain will begin discussions with 27 other countries who are determined to get a deal that works for them. in syria, the evacuation of civilians in eastern aleppo is hit by another setback as rebel fighters reportedly set fire to buses. liam fox says britain could remain a member of the eu customs union after brexit. ahead of another strike by

southern rail conductors tomorrow, the rmt leader dismisses claims his union is using the dispute to take on the government. the general secretary of the rmt transport union mick cash has dismissed claims that it's organising strikes as part of a conspiracy to bring down the government. he distanced himself from reported remarks by the rmt‘s president, sean hoyle, suggesting trade unions were coordinating industrial action to oust the conservatives. here's our business correspondent, joe lynam. some media reports suggest that trade unions are trying to bring down the gutman. the rmt national president was pretty clear on the subject. they are talking about the left trying to bring down the government. there was the national shop stewards network. 0ther left—wing organisations are coordinating to bring the government down. guess what? we are. mick cash

dismissed the idea. when not about looking at conspiracies to bring down the government. 0ur looking at conspiracies to bring down the government. our members are oi'i down the government. our members are on strike this week because they have concerns about safety and the travelling public. five macro the public might feel caught in the middle as they face a winter of discontent. 400 guards at southern rail will start another day of stoppages tomorrow. around 3500 crown post office workers are on strike this week and 1500 baggage handlers could disrupt holiday plans before christmas as could a500 british airways cabin crew who are set to park their trolleys on christmas day. 0ne former conservative transport minister thinks there is a link between these industrial disputes. i don't think it is a coincidence these disputes are happening now. i think there is co—ordination and they are determined to bring misery on people who will be travelling this year at this time. here on downing street they will be more than aware of how annoying christmas strikes are to the public.

even though this government has introduced new rules to make it tougherfor trade unions to go out on strike, some ministers want to go further. that could be tricky. it may feel as if there is a spike in industrial disputes, but compared to the 1970s, this year barely scratches the surface in terms of total number of days lost to strikes. that will be cold comfort to southern rail passengers who will endure a fourth day of disruption this week. a canadian woman has been killed in a shoot—out between police and gunmen injordan at a castle popular with tourists. four police officers were killed in the attack in the mountainous city of karak. there are reports some people had been taken hostage. richard lister reports. armoured personnel carriers racing through the streets of karak. they are responding to a series of shootings in and around the town by several gunmen.

the security forces desperately tried to establish who is firing and from where. there is panic, confusion and more gunshots. this amateur footage shows police and special forces closing in on the gunmen who have now taken refuge in the crusader castle and are still firing on those around them. the medieval citadel draws tourists from around the world, and there were initial unconfirmed reports that some had been taken hostage. others were able to get out as the battle raged around them. this is where most of the casualties were found. all were jordanian except for one canadian woman who was killed. tonight, the city appears calm although it is unclear what happened to the gunmen. there will be relief the attack is contained but it will be another blow tojordan‘s reputation as a sea of calm in a region of crisis. a suicide bomber has killed at least

a0 soldiers in aden in south yemen. many others were wounded. the so—called islamic state group says it carried out the attack, which targeted a crowd of soldiers as they were queueing up to receive their salaries near a military base. it's the latest in a string of such attacks on army recruits. a week ago, islamic state militants killed 50 troops in aden, which is under the control of the internationally—recognised government of yemen. palestinian police say israeli soldiers have shot dead an arab teenager during a confrontation in the west bank. hundreds of people have attended his funeral in bate reema near ramallah. palestinian officials say the shooting took place when troops entered the village and were confronted by youths throwing stones. the israeli military says security forces were responding after being attacked by rioters. the government is drawing up plans to make all civil servants

and holders of public office swear an oath to uphold british values. the communities secretary, sajid javid, says he wants people to set an example to newly—arrived migrants. but labour dismissed the idea as a "gimmick". the conservative mp and former culture secretaryjohn whittingdale has been giving his reaction to the idea. i think it is a good idea that he pulled taking up public office should make a declaration that they subscribe to british values. i am a member of parliament. every election following that when parliament returns, each mp takes an oath of allegiance. we swear allegiance to the queen and her successors. that is part of the procedure of becoming a member of parliament. this is a similar kind of suggestion. the shadow home secretary diane abbott says making public officials swear an oath to british values

would make little or no difference, she's been speaking on the murnaghan programme. i have nothing against this but it will not make a difference a difference for the problems of radicalisation or integration. you will identify the problems of people born in this country who feel many of the institutions and values of britain do not apply to them, or they want to destroy them. i do not meet many people like that. i have a very diverse population in hackney, muslims, west indians, people from turkey. they are living in london, in this country, because they value what this country has to offer and they respect the institutions, particularly people originating from the commonwealth. i don't think the oath will make any verifiable difference. more than 200 million women around the world are victims of female genital mutilation, according to the world health organisation. the practice is illegal in the uk.

now, officers who specialise in fighting fgm, are spending the run up to christmas trying to stop young girls from being taken abroad, and forced to undergo the practice over the school holidays. our home affairs correspondent, june kelly, reports. heathrow airport, and families have already started heading off for christmas. has everyone got enough pro formas. . . ? sergeant natalie reseigh of the met police is briefing colleagues, officers from the border force and charity workers. ok. so, we need to make sure we are engaging with the passengers, trying to identify if any offences have ta ken place. this team are on the lookout for young girls who are being taken to countries, often in africa and the middle east, where female genital mutilation is practised. are you able to just very quickly, i know you are busy, just tell me how many children you've got on board the flight today, please? as in the summer, officers know that families can use the christmas holidays to take a child abroad to undergo fgm, thinking that

during the school break, she'll have some time to recover. the police say a girl can be told that it's all part of the christmas celebrations and being a woman. but hibo wardere, a campaigner who works with the airport team, says communities have to learn that fgm is child abuse. she was cut as a six—year—old in somalia. you are going through emotional things. psychological stuff. physically, you are in pain constantly, but nobody ever sits down and says, let's talk about what happened. that never happens. it's done, that's it. you have to move on after that. the team are concerned about one youngster, who has been taken out of school before the official end of term. a phone call to the school confirms the mother's story as to why they are travelling, and they are finally allowed to board. this is our last opportunity to engage with families before

they fly off to countries where fgm and other harmful practices might be conducted in the school holiday period. what we're doing is we're speaking to people to see what they know about it. a big part of this exercise is trying to raise awareness of fgm. i don't think it should be practised on any little girl. never ever. so i am so happy to see them around, going to make a campaign like this. the airport team will be back at heathrow in the coming week, trying to spot young girls who could be vulnerable and to stop them from travelling and suffering this christmas. just to bring you some breaking news was that it has been reported that the un security council has agreed a french drafted resolution on un monitoring of the evacuation of

aleppo. other vote has been scheduled for monday. in the time this has taken place, russia has said it will veto the resolution that was drafted by france and had been circulating their own resolution in the meantime. saying what they believe is unachievable. a vote on monday regarding un monitoring of the evacuation from aleppo. the 2016 bbc sports personality of the year will be announced in just a few hours. people can vote for 16 contenders, who've been shortlisted for the prestigious award. andy swiss has this report. final rehearsals for a famous night. robbie williams among those providing the entertainment after a year in which british sport has certainly hit the high notes. there is a bumper 16 contenders for 2016. boxer nicola adams, footballer gareth bale,

triathlete alistair brownlee, dressage star sophie christiansen, sprinter and cyclist kadeena cox and athlete mo farah. there is cycling's golden couple jason kenny and laura kenny formerly laura trott. andy murray, swimmer adam peaty and hockey captain kate richardson walsh. how about show—jumper nick skelton, dame sarah storey, footballerjamie vardy, gymnast max whitlock or golfer danny willett? viewers' votes will decide tonight. one thing is already settled, michael phelps will receive a lifetime achievement award, the american swimmer finishing his career in rio with a record 23 olympic titles. but the main trophy is very much up for grabs. after andy murray's triumph 12 months ago, whose name will be etched on this special sporting year? a rare asian elephant calf has been

born at chester zoo. the baby, who is yet to be named, was born to 12—year—old mother sundara after a 22—month gestation. she's the 19th elephant to be born at the zoo in its 85—year history. keepers say both mother and daughter were doing well. asian elephants are officially listed as endangered, and calves are born into captivity in the uk only once or twice a year. prince harry has revealed he no longer struggles with his royal role, and says he feels the need to "make something" of his life. speaking in an itv documentary about his charity work in lesotho the prince said losing his mother at a young age made him question his position, but that he now views life "very, very differently". secunder kermani reports. what is it that you are making? clothes, obviously. laughter prince harry looks in his element as he helps out in a centre teaching life skills

to young people affected by hiv. it is run by a charity he co—founded ten years ago in the small south african state of lesotho. sentebale have helped more than 21,000 people, many of them teenagers. and harry's clearly passionate about its work. hiv/aids is the number one killer of adolescents across sub—saharan africa. because kids don't take their drugs? lesotho is an example. you have a bunch of kids who have no idea about hiv. they are not allowed to talk about it. and now that we have the drugs and pills to be able to give these kids a healthy, happy long life, yet we're not educating them or empowering them to make their own decisions. harry first visited africa in 1997, not long after his mother's death and he says he still feels a connection to the continent.