A man filmed playing the piano while homeless went viral. Now he's raising money for others and says it's saved his life. Also: showing love with Christmas lights; how a cat saved its owner; and AI spots dolphin accents.

A car has been driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. There have been a number of fatalities and injuries.

US diplomats are visiting Syria to hold talks with the new de facto leader. Also: a new attempt to find the wreckage of missing flight MH370, and a controversial new TV game show, Beast Games.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of fatally shooting a US healthcare insurance executive, has been extradited to New York to face new federal charges. Also: the ground squirrels in California that are hunting voles.

In a major trial in France, Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men are jailed for repeatedly raping his wife Gisèle. Also, Israeli jets attack Houthi targets in Yemen, and Czech experts restore damaged Ukrainian artworks.

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa told the BBC that Syria is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the west. Also: listen to the 'earliest known country song' ever recorded.

Russia has detained an Uzbek man suspected of assassinating an army general. Russia says the suspect was recruited by Ukraine. Also: The UN warns Syria is unable to cope with large numbers of refugees returning home.

After months of deadlock, there are new signs that Israel and Hamas could be moving closer to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Also: repairs are to be carried out on Venice's "slippery" glass bridge.

Igor Kirillov died in the explosion on Tuesday. Also; a powerful earthquake flattens buildings and cuts communications in Vanuatu, and how one letter was delivered to the wrong address thousands of kilometres away.

Syria's new rulers pledge to protect minority Alawite community in Latakia after recent attacks. Also: Germany?s chancellor loses vote of confidence, and hundreds of new species are found in Mekong in south east Asia.

France to provide relief and security to people in Mayotte, after Saturday's destructive cyclone. Also: Western powers step up their engagement with the new rulers of Syria. And Serbia accuses journalists of spying.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, are feared dead in cyclone-hit Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Also: the previously unheard stories of women inside Iran?s Evin Prison, and the world's biggest iceberg - on the move again.

AI generated influencers are being criticised for creating unrealistic beauty standards and promoting unattainable lifestyle goals. But are their feeds any less 'real' than the enhanced profiles we have been exposed to for years?

South Korea's Parliament impeaches President Yoon over failed martial law bid. The USA says it?s engaging with Islamists who ousted Syria?s President Assad - and cyclone Chido wreaks havoc on French territory Mayotte.

We hear from a cafe in Massachusetts that spreads joy by asking customers to dance as they enter. Also: the toys made from cigarette butts; a community library destroyed by fire reopens; and Italy's festive Krampus Run.

Revelations of how the secret police controlled society under Assad. Also: the mystery of huge drones spotted in the US, and how fidgeting can drive others mad - and what psychologists can do to help.

Streets were packed and revolutionary music blared out across Syria to mark the end of the Assad regime. Also: health misinformation on the Diary of a CEO podcast, and why pets are the big winners this Christmas.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken holds talks with President Erdogan on establishing stability in Syria. Also: an 18-year-old Indian becomes youngest world chess champion, and Kyrgyzstan wants to update its national anthem.

US president commutes around 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people. Also: inside Syria's abandoned presidential palace, recreational use of cannabis banned in Japan, and the secret to being happy at work.

Syrian rebel fighters have destroyed the tomb of late president Hafez al-Assad, father of ousted president Bashar, in the family's home town of Qardaha. Also: "Christmas lights" galaxy reveals how Universe formed.

Security guards at presidential office in Seoul try to stop police from getting martial law documents. Also: new Syrian PM promises to guarantee rights for all religions, and humpback whale makes epic migration.

Israel attacks Syria's naval fleet as part of efforts to neutralise the country's military assets after the fall of the Assad regime. Also: New Zealander wins Spanish Scrabble championship - without speaking Spanish.

Life in Dasmascus is returning to normal despite Israeli bombing. Also: Netanyahu appears in court on corruption charges and a judge throws a spanner in the works for the Murdoch succession plans.

Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani has met the outgoing PM to discuss the "transfer of power" - a day after Bashar al-Assad fled the country. Also: Google unveils 'mind-boggling' quantum computing chip.

Civil defence workers in Syria are trying to reach underground cells to release some of the nation's tens of thousands of political prisoners. Also: More than 150 mostly elderly people are killed by gangs in Haiti.

Moscow has given asylum to Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad. Also: Trump threatens to take the US out of NATO, and Zelensky says 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the conflict with Russia.

The latest from our correspondents across the region on what this means for Syria, its people and its future.

Syrian rebels said President Assad had already fled as they declared their capture of Damascus. Reports said that he left the capital by plane for an unknown destination.

Syrian President's grip on power wanes as another strategic city falls to Islamist rebels. Also: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is rededicated in front of world leaders and the conman in India who duped families into thinking he was their long lost son.

Syria's army says it's bolstering defences around the capital, Damascus, as rebels intent on overthrowing President Assad converge on the city.

We're at an Italian film festival with a difference, for actors who become the voice of Hollywood stars and achieve fame in their own right. Also: California's canine mayor; and why diplomacy can work better in a sauna.

Both candidates in Romania's presidential election have denounced a court's decision to quash the results. Also: why it's hard to be a woman in Iceland, and the bid to save handwriting in the age of the computer.

In Syria, Islamist-led rebels continue their rapid advance. The UN says 300,000 have fled their homes as rebels reach the outskirts of Homs. Also: Romania will rerun its election, and how to survive a polar bear attack.

Islamist rebels celebrate the capture of the Syrian city of Hama. Also: US Police search for the gunman who shot dead a health insurance boss on the streets of New York, and a faster way to predict the weather.

The Syrian army says it?s withdrawn from the city of Hama after intense clashes. Also: health workers in Sierra Leone will be among the first to receive an Ebola vaccine, as part of a nationwide campaign.

The French government has collapsed after PM, Michel Barnier, was ousted in a no-confidence vote, after forcing through his budget. Also: Mexican police make their biggest ever seizure of the synthetic drug fentanyl.

South Korean MPs have begun impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol after thwarting his move to impose martial law. Also: jailed Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi is temporarily released.

The president of South Korea has reversed his shock decision to impose martial law. Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered the deployment of troops hours earlier, accusing the opposition of being criminals and anti -state forces.

Female students studying midwifery in Afghanistan have been told to stay away from classes. Also: Joe Biden is in Angola on his first visit to Africa as US president, and Jaguar unveils its new luxury electric car.

Israel said it struck targets in Lebanon after vowing to retaliate for an attack by Hezbollah, with both sides accusing each other of violating last week's ceasefire. Also: protecting the price of pasta dishes in Rome.

The UN's humanitarian chief is calling for action to help people in the Darfur region of Sudan - we have a special report on the horrors of the civil war. Also: President Biden pardons his son Hunter.

The Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, has described help from Iran and Russia as "vital" in the fight against a surprise rebel offensive. Also: did Louis the XV really keep a rhinoceros at the palace of Versailles?

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Syria's President Assad has insisted he will defeat the rebels who have attacked Aleppo. Also: Georgia's president vows to remain in post after her term ends, and why killer whales are wearing dead salmon on their heads.

We hear from a Ukrainian refugee who says cold water swimming has helped her tackle depression and keep moving forward. Also: making fuel from washed up seaweed; how a community rescued a pod of whales; and driving rats.

The terminally ill in England and Wales could soon have the right to end their lives as MPs vote in favour of assisted dying. Also: Rebel forces take control of parts of Aleppo in Syria, and a big weekend for Hollywood.

Emmanuel Macron praised workers for restoring Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral, five years after the fire. Ukraine faces blackouts as Russia targets energy facilities, plus an interview with the world's best nurse.

Putin says Russia's attack on Ukraine's power grid was in response to the use of US-made missiles. Also: Syrian rebels launch a major offensive in Aleppo province, and Greenland opens a new international airport.

Hundreds of thousands across Ukraine are without power after Russia launches a massive attack on its energy infrastructure. Also: The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding.

A fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah is holding, but both sides are on alert. In the US, Donald Trump's incoming cabinet have received bomb threats. Also: will Parisians embrace Les Misérables in French?