Hello. President Bashar al-Assad's forces appear to be struggling to hold back a rebel advance in Syria. We'll bring you the latest. Meanwhile, the fallout from South Korea's aborted declaration of martial law continues and new pictures have emerged of a person New York police want to speak to after the fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare chief executive. There's been a surprise arrest linked to mafia gangsters in Italy and don't miss out on seasonal help with your Christmas shopping from an unlikely source.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Rebels advance as thousands flee Homs

The rebel offensive, which began nine days ago, is the swiftest battlefield advance by either side since civil war erupted in 2011. Credit: Getty

Islamist-led rebels are continuing their march through Syria. The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, in a second major blow to President Bashar al Assad, who lost control of Aleppo last week. The leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, told residents of Homs - the country's third largest city - "your time has come", Barbara Plett-Usher and Maia Davies report. The surprise offensive was launched last week, with the rebels advancing south. Terrified members of President Assad's Alawite minority community are leaving Homs, with video footage showing roads jammed with cars.

• Follow live developments as tens of thousands of people flee Homs.

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• Watch the moment former President Hafez al-Assad's statue is toppled in Hama. 

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• That followed the current President Assad's late brother Bassel's likeness being torn down in Aleppo last week. 

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BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Selling sex for gold in the Amazon's illegal mines

Natalia Cavalcante built a house on the profits from sex work. Picture: BBC

“It’s kind of normal. We don’t really care,” says Natalia Cavalcante, who became a sex worker in a remote Brazilian mining settlement at 24. But it is a big risk to venture as a woman into the violent and lawless mining settlements. While the environmental harm of the mines is well known, the human cost - which the UN says includes violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking - is often under reported. Thais Carrança and Emma Ailes have been speaking to locals in Itaituba. 

And finally... in cyberspace

Are you struggling with getting gifts for a tricky-to-buy-for loved one, or does the thought of festive shopping fill you with dread? Perhaps the person to turn to for help is... not even a person at all. In the UK, Josie Hughes decided to use artificial intelligence to generate Christmas present ideas for her nine-year-old brother. Find out what it suggested. 

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