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In Syria’s capital Damascus, hundreds of people marched on the streets for the funeral procession of activist Mazen al-Hamada.

Mazen had been an outspoken critic of Bashar Al-Assad, and his was among dozens of bodies found in Seydnaya prison.

More than 110,000 people disappeared under Assad’s regime.

The BBC’s Yogita Limaye reports with Sanjay Ganguly, Aamir Peerzada and Leen Al Saadi.

Warning: Video contains distressing images.

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Today, NHS England medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis has said a sharp rise in flu cases “are adding to our 'quad-demic' worries”.

What is a quad-demic and how worried is the NHS? Adam is joined by BBC health editor Hugh Pym and Nick Hulme, the Chief Executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, to discuss the rise in hospital flu cases as well as problems caused by Covid, RSV and Norovirus, and how hospitals will cope with the strain.

Plus, the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has doubled down on his housebuilding targets, promising “builders not blockers” for the planning system. Alex explains the jigsaw puzzle of planning regulations, local government and politics.

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Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:28 - The Quad-demic

20:16 - Adam and Alex Forsyth discuss Keir Starmer’s house targets

Rates of bowel cancer are rising among younger adults, with no clear reason why, experts are warning.

Although the disease still affects older people far more often, the increase in many countries among the under-50s is concerning, Cancer Research UK says.

England is one the countries with the biggest rise, averaging a 3.6% increase per year, researchers report in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Poor diet and obesity may be among the risk factors involved, the researchers say.

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Twelve people guarding incoming aid lorries were among those killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, local medics and the Hamas-run Civil Defence authority have said.

Seven guards were killed in a strike in Rafah while protecting aid lorries from violent armed theft, which UN workers say is the main obstacle to getting supplies into southern Gaza.

Another attack left five guards dead in Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said it "conducted precise strikes on armed Hamas terrorists" who had planned to hijack the lorries.

"The occupation once again targeted those securing the aid trucks," Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the AFP news agency.

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Romania and Bulgaria have been given the green light to become members of the European Union's (EU) border-free Schengen travel zone.

It means that from 1 January 2025, it will be possible to drive all the way to France, Spain or Norway without a passport.

The decision was long awaited in Bulgaria and Romania. Both countries joined the EU 17 years ago.

But for truck drivers, the border bureaucracy is not over yet.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air force and navy have conducted hundreds of strikes since Saturday night on targets across Syria.

The IDF said these strikes have taken out an estimated 70-80% of Syrian strategic military assets, from Damascus to Latakia.

Earlier, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented more than 310 strikes by the IDF since the Syrian government was overthrown by rebels on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Syrian rebel group that ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, that Israel would "respond forcefully" if they allow Iran to "re-establish itself in Syria".

He has previously expressed a desire for peaceful ties with the new Syrian government, and cast its interventions as defensive.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has defended his shock decision to declare martial law last week, saying he did it to protect the country's democracy.

In a surprise televised address on Thursday, he said the attempt was a legal decision to "prevent the collapse" of democracy and counter the opposition's "parliamentary dictatorship".

Yoon has suggested that he would not step down ahead of a second vote to impeach him in parliament on Saturday.

The president and his allies are facing investigations on insurrection charges, and he and several of them have been banned from leaving South Korea.

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Syrian rebel forces have said they plan to close the notoriously harsh prisons run by ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

They also said they plan to hunt those involved in the killing or torture of detainees.

Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, in a statement seen by the Reuters news agency.

Videos showing thousands of prisoners being freed from Saydnaya prison - referred to as a "human slaughterhouse" by rights groups - surfaced after the collapse of the Assad government on Sunday.

Almost 60,000 people were tortured and killed in the prisons run by Assad, UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

As he fights a extradition to New York, Sumi Somaskanda and Caitríona Perry join Adam to discuss the case, and the social media obsession with the case.

Also, Chris and Alex Chalk, former Conservative justice secretary, are on talking about Labour’s announcement that they will inject £2.3 billion towards making more capacity in the prisons system.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:30 Luigi Mangione

14:05 Adam and Chris speak to Alex Chalk about UK Prisons

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In this episode of Path to the Presidency, recorded on 5 December, the BBC’s Sumi Somaskanda, Caitríona Perry, and Nada Tawfik discuss how the world is readying itself for Donald Trump's return to the White House.

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