Aleppo locals say bombing goes on despite 'suspension'

Russia said the Syrian army was suspending fighting in Aleppo to allow for the evacuation of civilians from besieged rebel-held neighborhoods, but residents and rebels reported no let-up in bombing and shelling of the opposition's ever-shrinking territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Germany after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry, said military experts and diplomats would meet on Saturday in Geneva to work out details of a rebel exit from Aleppo's eastern neighborhoods, along with civilians who wanted to leave the city.

Aleppo, once Syria's bustling commercial hub, has been largely divided between a government-held west and a rebel-controlled east since 2012. But government forces are now reported to be in control of about 75 percent of the east after a relentless three-week ground and air assault.

Lavrov said the Syrian army suspended combat late on Thursday to allow some 8,000 civilians to leave the city in a convoy spreading across a five-kilometre (three-mile) route.

But shortly after his announcement, residents told Al Jazeera that jets were still in the skies, machine gun fire could be heard and artillery shells were still falling on the remaining rebel-controlled districts in the southeast.

"The bombardment and shelling is … unbelievable. They are gaining areas every day. Until now the attacks are still ongoing in the city. Just half an hour ago there were two barrel-bomb attacks in Bustan al-Qasr… Warplanes are still in the skies," said Zouhir al-Shimale, a journalist in east Aleppo.

Although there are still many rural areas in rebel hands, Aleppo is their last major urban holdout. The prospect of its fall, following months of government gains elsewhere, has brought Assad closer to victory than at any point since the early months of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless.

South Korea President Park Geun-hye impeached by parliament

South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye and suspend her powers over a corruption scandal.

The constitutional court will now have to decide whether to uphold the motion and remove the president from office, or reject it and reinstate her.

Ms Park is accused of acting as a criminal accomplice for her friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted on criminal charges including extortion and abuse of official power.

Ms Choi is accused of coercing more than $60m (£49m) from businesses and meddling in state affairs.

The chance of provocation from North Korea is high after the impeachment vote, said prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now also the country's acting president.

He has told the defence minister the military must be prepared.

Massive protests have taken place in the capital Seoul every Saturday for the past six weeks to call for Park's resignation.

Opinion polls show overwhelming support for her to go, and the parliamentary vote also left no doubt and was passed 234 to 56.

Under the South Korean constitution, prosecutors cannot indict the president on criminal charges - except insurrection or treason - while they are still in office.

Park has previously denied any wrongdoing, but apologised to the nation.

She has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment vote, but will meet with cabinet ministers later

The five-year term of the country's first female leader was due to end in February 2018.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 10 Years of Global Leader

For 10 years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has served as the head of the United Nations and the world’s top diplomat. As his tenure comes to a close at the end of December, the United Nations Foundation is expressing our gratitude for his decade of global leadership. For the past 10 years, he has been a relentless advocate for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality, and a more peaceful, secure world. We have been privileged to work with him and look forward to continuing our support of the United Nations as António Guterres takes office in 2017. Here is a look at the legacy Secretary-General Ban leaves.

Social media helps fuel 14% rise in self-harm hospital admissions

Social media has contributed to a rise in incidents of self-harm among children, a charity has warned.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found 18,778 children aged 11 to 18 were admitted to hospital for self harm in 2015/16, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found.

That figure represents a 14% rise on the 16,416 hospital admissions in 2013/14, the data from England and Wales shows.

Youngsters aged 13 to 17 were most likely to end up in hospital for self-harm, including injuries from cutting, overdosing on pills or burning themselves.

Figures from the Childline helpline run by the NSPCC showed it delivered 18,471 counselling sessions on self-harm last year - roughly 50 a day.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "A frightening number of children and teenagers are being driven to self-harm as a way of dealing with unresolved feelings, tensions and distress in their lives.

"Knowing hospital beds are full of young people crying out for help should be a real wake-up call to all those that care for the well-being of the younger generation.

"It is vital we confront the fact that an increasing number are struggling to deal with the pressures and demands of modern-day life, to such an extent they are inflicting terrible damage upon themselves.

"It is clear from the thousands of calls Childline receives that we have a nation of deeply unhappy children."

He added: "We know this unhappiness is partly due to the constant pressure they feel, particularly from social media, to have the perfect life or attain a certain image which is often unrealistic.

"They tell us that the need to keep up with friends and the 24/7 nature of technology means they feel they can never escape or switch off, adding to the misery that many feel on a daily basis."

Childline president, Dame Esther Rantzen, added: "It is deeply disturbing that so many children and young people are ending up in hospital because they are injuring themselves so seriously.

"Self-harming is at epidemic level among young people - at Childline we hear from them every day."

Dr Max Davie, assistant officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said early intervention is essential.

He said: "One way of providing this early intervention is for all schools to deliver comprehensive Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE) education, teaching children about emotional well-being and addressing challenging mental health issues such as eating disorders, self-harm and suicide in addition to other important topics like positive relationships, sex education and the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We want children with mental health problems to get the help they need.

"That's why we are investing £1.4bn to help every area in the country transform services for young people with all mental health conditions, including self-harm."

:: Contact Childline on 0800 1111

Conservatives hold Sleaford and North Hykeham in by-election

Conservative Party candidate Caroline Johnson has won the Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election.

Dr Johnson won 17,570 votes, beating UKIP's Victoria Ayling, who had 4,426.

In her acceptance speech, she said: "I look forward to strengthening the Government's majority in Parliament so Theresa May, our Prime Minister, can get on with the job of triggering Article 50, leaving the European Union and building a country and economy that works for everyone."

UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said it was "a great result" for his party, even though UKIP's share of the vote was 2.2 percentage points down on 2015.

He said: "If someone would have offered me second place at the beginning of the campaign, considering we were in the middle of a leadership election and the party resembled a bit of a shambles over the summer, I would have bitten their hand off."

Labour suffered a disappointing night - slipping from second place at the 2015 General Election to fourth, behind the Liberal Democrats.

Vernon Coaker, Labour MP for Gedling in Nottinghamshire, said: "It was a difficult seat. Let's remember this is a safe Tory seat, UKIP came here expecting to do much better than they did so it's a bad result for them.

"But clearly for us, this was not the result we might have hoped for."

Since it was formed in 1997, Sleaford and North Hykeham has only elected Tory MPs.

Tory Stephen Phillips had a majority of more than 24,000 votes in last year's General Election.

However, he quit in November citing "irreconcilable policy differences" with the Government's approach to Brexit.

Syria 'agrees to Aleppo ceasefire' to allow civilian escape, says Russia

The Syrian army has halted attacks on Aleppo to allow civilians to escape, according to the Russian government.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Bashar al Assad's forces had stopped airstrikes - despite the Syrian president saying earlier this week that he had rejected a plea from rebels to stop fighting.

According to Mr Lavrov, Mr Assad's position has changed.

Speaking following a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Germany, Mr Lavrov said: "I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians."

In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, Mr Assad said the possibility of a truce in Aleppo was "practically non-existent, of course".

Damascus is yet to react to Mr Lavrov's announcement, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said fighting had eased following the deaths of 19 civilians on Wednesday.

An AFP correspondent in the east of the city backed up the claims, saying airstrikes had been halted and artillery fire was far less intense.

During a three-week offensive, government forces seized about 80% of east Aleppo, which has been a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012.

The US, UK and France have joined calls for a truce, warning of a "humanitarian catastrophe".

Overnight, more than 100 people who had been trapped amid heavy clashes in the city were taken to hospitals or shelters after being evacuated by Red Cross and Red Crescent aid workers.

Tens of thousands of children in Aleppo are "sitting targets" in the ongoing fighting, according to Save the Children Syria director Sonia Khush.

She said: "It defies belief that after nearly six years of suffering through this war, the international community is still willing to stand by as civilians are bombed with seeming impunity."

Robert the Bruce revealed in new images based on dug-up skull

Historians have digitally reconstructed the face of the Scottish king Robert the Bruce.

The images reflect evidence that the warrior king had leprosy which disfigured his nose and upper jaw.

The facial images were based on the cast of a human skull which was excavated in the 19th century from Robert the Bruce's burial site at Dunfermline Abbey.

Robert the Bruce was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.

His is one of Scottish history's most celebrated warriors, having defeated Edward II's English army at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

The reconstructed images depict a large and powerful head that would have been supported by a muscular neck and stocky frame.

However, historians believe the skull dug up in Dunfermline indicated Bruce suffered from an unidentified ailment, possibly leprosy, which laid him low several times during his reign and was the probable cause of his death.

The project to put a face to the skull was led by Dr Martin McGregor, a senior lecturer in Scottish history at the University of Glasgow.

He was inspired by the discovery of the skeleton of King Richard III of England beneath a car park in Leicester in 2012.

Dr McGregor said: "The case of Richard III revealed how far the technology had advanced.

"I saw an opportunity to apply the technology to the skull held here at Glasgow, first to test the credibility of its connection to Bruce and then to try to add to our knowledge of Scotland's greatest king."

The facial reconstruction was carried out by Professor Caroline Wilkinson from John Moores University.

She said: "Using the skull cast, we could accurately establish the muscle formation from the positions of the skull bones to determine the shape and structure of the face.

"But what the reconstruction cannot show is the colour of his eyes, his skin tones and the colour of his hair.

"We produced two versions - one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy.

"He may have had leprosy but, if he did, it is likely that it did not manifest strongly on his face, as this is not documented."