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Syrian rebel forces have entered Damascus amid reports that President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country by plane for an unknown destination after 13 years of civil war.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali says he is ready to support continuity of governance in the country.

It comes only 12 days after the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions launched a major offensive in the north-west.

The rebels first captured the second city of Aleppo and then swept southwards down the highway to the capital as the Syrian military collapsed.

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Sir Bill Browder is an American investor who made a fortune in post-Soviet Russia before falling foul of Vladimir Putin.

He’s now a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin - and discusses what it’s like to draw the ire of the Russian president and whether he's always looking over his shoulder.

You can hear the full interview here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0k8phys

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Syrian rebels are closing in on Damascus from the north and south, and have entered the key city of Homs, according to reports.

The Syrian presidency has denied reports that President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus.

The leader of the Islamist militant group HTS said their goal is the overthrow of Assad's regime.

Protesters have brought down the statue of the Syrian president's father in the suburb of Jermana, about 10km from Damascus, a witness told the Reuters news agency.

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Rebel forces in southern Syria have reportedly captured most of the Deraa region - the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

A UK-based war monitor reports that the "local factions" were able to take control of many military sites there following "violent battles" with government forces.

According to Reuters news agency, rebel sources say they had reached a deal for the army to withdraw and for military officials to be given safe passage to the capital, Damascus - roughly 100km (62 miles) away.

Meanwhile in the north, Syria's military says it is carrying out air strikes around Homs, trying to push back rebels who've reached the edges of the strategic city.

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All but three MPs of South Korea's ruling party left parliament ahead of a vote on whether to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol.

That meant the bill fell short of the 200 members required to pass it, with the opposition needing eight MPs from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to back it.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered outside South Korea's National Assembly in Seoul calling for Yoon's removal.

Earlier on Saturday, Yoon apologised for declaring martial law on Tuesday - a move that was quickly overturned by lawmakers - and said he would not impose it again.

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Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the Syrian city of Homs as rebel Islamist fighters close in. The speed at which the armed opposition is advancing across the country has surprised everyone. The Syrian army of President Assad has been retreating with little sign of resistance.

Syria’s civil war began in 2011 and led to enormous loss of life - as many as 500,000 people are believed to have been killed. Rebel fighters were forced into retreat in 2016 but now they're back and in just 10 days they have captured Syria's second largest city of Aleppo and another major city, Hama. If they also capture Homs they could cut the main road from the capital Damascus to the Syrian coast.

The threat to President Assad’s regime comes as his international allies are weakened, with Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are fighting in their own conflicts.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Hugo Bachega on the Turkey-Syria border.

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Syrian anti-government rebels were closing in on the city of Homs on Friday, as they gained new ground in a fresh offensive against President Bashar al-Assad.

This has led to tens of thousands of people fleeing Homs, Syria's third-largest city.

The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, a second major blow to President Bashar al-Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week.

Their goal is to overthrow Assad's regime, the leader of Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said.

Meanwhile, Kurdish-led forces have also reportedly seized control of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria.

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The search for a man who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York is now entering its third day, with police chasing several different leads.

Mr Thompson, 50, was fatally shot in the back on Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the search is on the right track as police have released new photos of "a person of interest" with his face uncovered.

Police say Mr Thompson was targeted in a pre-planned killing, for which they do not yet have a motive.

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Romania's constitutional court has annulled the result of the first round of voting in the presidential election, meaning the process will be restarted from scratch.

The first round was won by Calin Georgescu, an almost unknown far-right Nato-sceptic who has previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The court's decision comes after intelligence documents were declassified, suggesting Georgescu benefitted from a mass influence operation – conducted from abroad – to interfere with the result of the vote.

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French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will name a new prime minister "in the coming days", after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament.

In a 10-minute address to the nation on Thursday, he rejected opposition pressure to stand down, vowing to stay in his post until the end of the mandate in 2027.

Macron was holding talks on Friday with leaders of the Socialists, who said they were ready for a compromise in forming a government as part of a short-term deal.

The Socialists joined colleagues on the left and far right in voting to remove Michel Barnier on Wednesday, only three months after he was appointed by Macron.

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