17/09/2016 Reporters

From here in the BBC Newsroom, we send out correspondents to bring

you the best stories from across the globe.

They killed the children, and the women.

As a fragile Syrian ceasefire takes hold, Jeremy Bowen reports

from inside the shattered remains of the city.

You can't bring back all those who died and the country

The scorched earth of so-called Islamic state - Orla Guerin joins

Iraqi forces on the road to Mosul, the last bastion of IS in Iraq.

They were driven out of this twon in just two days,

They were driven out of this town in just two days,

but the decisive battle is yet to come - the offensive for Mosul.

Is Hong Kong on a collision course with China's political masters?

Carrie Gracie meets the pro-democracy activists

turned politicians calling for independence from Beijing.

The stage is set for another serious confrontation.

But not on the streets, where it took place two years ago,

The rise and rise of France's far right -

as election season hots up in France, the father

of the National Front, Jean Marie Le Pen, tells

# No, je ne regrette rien #.

Printing people - Karin Giannone finds out what it's like to be

It is so bizarre to see yourself like this.

I can honestly say I am very honoured to have been

After five years of bloody conflict that's cost more than 300,000 lives

and seen millions flee their homes, Syria edged a little further

towards a tentative peace as a fragile ceasefire began this week.

The seven-day truce, brokered by the United States

It's aimed at stopping the fighting between Syrian government

forces and a wide range of opposition groups.

One of the worst-hit areas is the city of Aleppo,

split between the rebel-controlled east and government-held west.

Jeremy Bowen entered Aleppo just before the truce began and found

the shattered remains of what was once a thriving

In a divided, destroyed city, after thousands of deaths,

with hundreds of thousands of lost homes, no wonder

they are still sceptical a few hours into a ceasefire.

This is the west side of Aleppo, controlled by the government.

Many more have died on the east side, but the pain of death

Not much else unites a country that the war has left in fragments.

A soldier showed me a shell improvised by rebels.

He said they pack empty cooking gas bottles with explosives,

weld on a tail and fire them from home-made mortars.

So, he is saying that this is C4, which is an explosive.

Hundreds, thousands of explosions?

It was a small violation of the ceasefire, but this man

is haunted by years of shelling and by his grandchildren's fears.

He lost an eye and his son a leg to a gas bomb attack.

They killed the children, and the women.

We don't know what happened to Syria.

This Father, a Maronite priest, a Christian,

Many Syrian Christians support the regime.

He backs the ceasefire and believes pouring more weapons into

TRANSLATION: From this church I call on all the countries of the world

The money spent on weapons could feed many people and build

On the east side of Aleppo, which is controlled by rebels,

They have faced much greater firepower than the west.

Air strikes, including barrel bombs, and more recently the power

The ceasefire coincides with one of the biggest Muslim holidays

of the year and, despite widespread doubts that the ceasefire

would last, parents here, like those near the frontline

TRANSLATION: I took my kids to the swings today.

It was a risk because I don't believe in the ceasefire at all.

But I said that the kids should have fun.

I could not cross into east Aleppo, but this was close

to the frontline in the old city - a tangle of medieval

alleys that used to be the greatest souk in the Levant.

Aleppo's old city was an extraordinary human creation,

The disruption here is tragic, but it doesn't match the loss

Now, let's assume the ceasefire lasts.

First of all for a week, then perhaps for a bit longer.

The question is what can be built upon it.

Could there be a political process that inches this country

away from war and a tiny bit towards peace?

Or will it be like other attempts at ceasefires,

just a time when fighting men can rest, rearm, regroup and get

Jeremy Bowen, BBC News, Aleppo.

From the war in Syria to the conflict in Iraq now,

where the so-called Islamic State are also still proving a major

Two years ago, IS overran Mosul, Iraq's second largest city,

and went on to take control of a third of Iraq.

Since then, IS has lost much of the territory it once held

and Iraq's Prime Minister has pledged to retake Mosul

The Iraqi army's most recent victory was taking back the town

of Qayarra, some 60 kilometres to the south of Mosul.

From there, Orla Guerin sent this report.

A parting gift from the so-called Islamic state.

Oil wells set ablaze, covering the retreat

Oil wells set ablaze, covering their retreat

Defeating IS will mean a lot more scorched earth.

By the roadside, remnants of their rule.

The Iraqi troops who drove them from here are still jittery.

Our journey was suddenly halted when a home-made bomb

Clearing this strategic town is a key victory

Troops are closing in step by step, with help from US

And what happened under the dark reign of Islamic State

We were given a tour of one of the jails.

We were given a tour of one of their jails.

A tiny space the prisoners were kept in.

Locals said up to four men could be crammed into a cell,

They were even handcuffed to the doors.

We don't know their fate. and the crimes - smuggling,

For this tribal commander, the fight here is very personal

His village, in the distance, still under Islamic State control.

I have not seen her for more than two years.

My brothers are also there, in front of me, and I can't

reach them, but we hope to retake the village soon.

Then we get access to a hidden layer built by the extremists

Well, here, deep in the hillside, Islamic State carved out a network

This was a place where they could hide, where they could take cover

It is pretty basic, but we have found some food supplies

that they left behind in their hurry to escape.

And they did have some creature comforts.

There was a electricity connected here.

Now, they were driven out of this twon in just two days,

but the decisive battle is yet to come, the offensive for Mosul.

Many have fled even before it begins.

Makeshift camps in Kurdish territory are already overflowing.

Here they are free of IS, but still prisoners of memory.

These young boys saw men hanged and beheaded.

TRANSLATION: He was escaping so they cut his head off,

They brought another five people, also dead.

Locals took the bodies and buried them.

In the coming weeks and months, the desperation here may grow,

The United Nations is warning that up to 1 million

A fresh catastrophe in this broken country.

Remember Hong Kong's so-called Umbrella Revolution two years ago,

the mass protests calling for full democracy?

Well, although they didn't change much, and China still has a big say

over who governs the territory and how, last week a new generation

of pro-democracy activists were elected to parliament.

Some of the newly-elected officials who have called for independence say

Carrie Gracie has been talking to some of them.

Umbrellas are out again in Hong Kong. This week, it is the rain, but

two years ago they were a symbol of defiance against Beijing and neither

the umbrella generation have. defiance against Beijing and neither

the umbrella generation Off a shock election victory to move off the

street and into Parliament. Thanking supporters, this 23-year-old, Nathan

Law, has not even finished college yet. But voters backed his message

that Hong Kong should choose its own destiny. If we don't have autonomy,

then our core values and system will be destroyed, so that is a very

serious issue and we will defend the with what we can. Two years ago no

one here was the one he was demanding independence. When they

broke the city to a standstill, they were only asking to choose Hong

Kong's leaders, but Beijing refused to give ground and now they are

demanding more. The right to decide whether Hong Kong should be part of

China at all. The stage is set for another serious confrontation here,

not on the street where to place two years ago, but inside the

Parliaments. China sees separatists as traitors, as enemies, and

although Hong Kong's special status gives some protection for freedom of

speech, Beijing wants punishment for anyone who uses public office the

call for independence. Beijing also wants to promote young politicians

who will back its message, like this newly elected lawyer, who has a

warning for those who upset China. If they carry on or insist on doing

this independence movement or advocating independence, it may stir

up the conflict between the mainland and Hong Kong. Some call these the

locusts, the millions of mainland Chinese who poured across the border

to stock up on foreign goods. China buys more than what will fit in a

suitcase, from real estate media, its influence is growing in every

walk of Hong Kong life. Eddie believes that that influences

damaging. He won his seat by a landslide this week, but says he now

faces death threats because he dared to highlight links between Beijing,

big business and Hong Kong's criminal gangs. I take this thread

seriously and I am seeking help from the police. Hong Kong is now a place

of political violence and threats. The freest city in China but under

an authoritarian giant, Hong Kong may be the most fragile city, too.

And with a dangerous passage ahead. and a key issue in next year's poll

is the rise of the far right. The socialist President,

Francois Hollande, whose popularity ratings are languishing around 10%

per cent, hasn't said And the former President Nicolas

Sarkozy has thrown his But there is one thing you can say

for certain about this election, Marine Le Pen and her

Front Nationale will do well. Gabriel Gatehouse in Paris has been

finding out what the rise of the far Gabriel Gatehouse in Paris on the

rise of the far right in France. The real political fortunes is

turning. A centre-left president with the lowest approval ratings in

French history is fighting for survival. His predecessor from the

central right who once claimed that dubious honour for himself is trying

to stage a comeback. But the real winner might be someone quite

unexpected, someone who does not really feel much like a winner any

more at all. John Marine Le Pen's days of standing for President are

long gone will start the year -year-old veteran of France's

colonial wars is, in many ways, a has-been, sidelined then expelled by

his daughter from the party he founded 45 years ago. But the Front

Nationale is writing hide high in the polls in his rhetoric is

striking accord. His daughter, temp two will almost

certainly reached the second round run-offs in the presidential

election. She has modernise the party, try to detoxify the brand,

but that heart says that the Front Nationale message remains true to

its founding principles. Such sentiments may be bluntly

expressed, but they are no longer the preserve of a far right fringe.

In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and Nice, the most devastating

attacks on French soil, this election will be fought largely on

the issues of who should be allowed in this country and what it means to

be French. In this sleepy little time, the man who is nicknamed the

hyper president, the diminutive but energetic Nicolas Sarkozy is

pitching for his second run at the presidency. Nicolas Sarkozy is

running under the slogan, everything preference. It is a rallying cry

calculated to appeal to nationalist sentiment. It is also a play on a

previous slogan from a previous centre-right president, Jacques

Chirac, in the mid-19 90s who ran under a slogan, France for

everybody. This inversion tells you everything you need to know about

how far mainstream political discourse has moved to right. His

talk is all about borders, about identity. Never mind the Burke Amy,

he says he wants to widen the ban on wearing the deal in public and he

wants to rewrite the law that says that if you are born in France you

can become a citizen. -- if you aren't born in France that you can

become a citizen. To some, such rhetoric sounds straight out of the

Front Nationale playbook, but his supporters say he is simply reclaim

and the centre-right. Meanwhile, the Muslim community,

nearly 5 million strong, might be excused for feeling a little bit

under siege as the political temperature rises, parties of all

persuasions seem to be focusing much of the national thanks to on the

question of what they should or should not wear. That, some fear,

has disturbing implications for the cherished values of the Republic.

When you see the policemen on the beach ordering women to undress, we

are not any more in a state of law. It is really worrying and it is

dangerous for freedom is, in fact. None of this is wearing Mr ( in the

slightly surreal grandeur of his suburban semi retirement. It is not

hard to see why he supports Donald Trump. He is also a supporter of

Vladimir Putin, a man of authority he tells me. What is he say to those

he has poisoned the well of France's political discourse? Do you have any

regrets? # No, rien, de rien. # No, je ne regrette rien #.

If history is anything to go by, Marine Le Pen will make it through

the first round, then lose to an anyone but Lib Dem candidate, but

these are not normal times and whether she wins or loses, some of

the values she inherited from her father are making an ever deeper

mark on French politics. An amazing exhibition

at the Royal Academy of Arts here in London is converting members

of the public into 3D sculptures. We sent Karin Giannone along to see

what it's like to be turned Not a science lab at Royal Academy

of Arts. Here are a team from Madrid he normally to rid the world

scanning archaeological sites are immortalised in real life members of

the public. Today, it is my turn. So, into the Veronica Smith named

from the Greek and Latin words for true likeness. It takes 96 high

resolution pictures of my head from every angle. Thank you. That was

interesting. It was like being in a space capsule, but it was over

really quickly, just four seconds of flashes. What place does advanced

computer technology have in an esteemed venue for the arts? So,

over the last 20 years there has been an explosion in the

technologies of 3-D printing, so it seemed, could we actually play with

the idea of going all the way through from recording someone to

carving them inwards or is 3-D printing them live? Could we also

show what was possible if you do think at the highest resolution that

takes much longer. Of course, there is no artist involved. This is a

completely objective portrayal of the subject, a bit like the busts we

saw in classical times. The technology and appearance is radical

and incredibly contemporary. The physical objects are relatively

conservative and certainly in the classical tradition. That is what is

interesting for art. This is only the beginning. I think artists would

use this technology and very interesting ways in the future. And

this is what emerges, the image from the screen turned into a bust using

a variety of different materials, including wood, with 3-D printing

techniques, then exhibited in the Royal Academy itself. I wonder how

mine will turn out? Now, the finished article has arrived from

the Royal Academy and I can honestly say I have not seen it. We have

waited for this moment to unveil it and get my real reaction for the

first time. Here we go. This is so strange. It is so bizarre to see

yourself like this. I can honestly say I am very honoured to have been

immortalised in such a way. This has all been done through the computer

and through this incredible 3-D wooden carving machine.

That's all from Reporters for this week.

From me, Philippa Thomas, goodbye for now.