hamas and israel is near. the white house it is closer than to freeing some of the 240 hostages taken by hamas last month. 0fficials hostages taken by hamas last month. officials in qatar oversee medial say their only very minor obstacles. the international committee of the red cross has further raised hopes of a deal by saying its head will meet hamas. it comes as a group of premature babies evacuated from the al—shifa hospital in gaza is now receiving medical attention in egypt. they were taken over the rafah crossing. i2 egypt. they were taken over the rafah crossing. 12 of them in more serious condition were flown to cairo for further treatment. in gaza at the hamas—run health ministry says at least 12 people were killed in an israeli strike on the indonesian hospital in the north of the territory. the israeli military says they were fired on from within the hospital and that they fired back at the source. in a moment we will have the latest on the talks to secure the release of some israeli hostages but first of this report from our senior international correspondent, 0rla guerin. alive, against the odds — premature babies rescued from al—shifa hospital. parents cluster around before they are transferred from gaza. this man seems to be identifying his son. nour has just been reunited with her twin girls. translation: i didn't know anything - about their condition. today, i saw them for the first time since the day they were born. thank god, i have been reassured that they are fine. then they are wrapped up for the journey across the border — faces of the war in gaza whose suffering caught the attention of the world. in egypt, specialists standing by with a waiting incubator. still desperately vulnerable, but now safe from harm... ..unlike about a million other children who remain trapped in gaza. in israel, families of those held in gaza are daring to hope there will be a deal to free at least some of them. this was the moment on 7 october when the hostage ordeal began. here, women being dragged away by hamas, barefoot and in terror. gil dickman�*s cousin was among them. so this is my cousin, carmel, 39 years old. she's an occupational therapist. she loves travelling, she loves music, she's a wonderful aunt. carmel gat is being held along with her sister—in—law, yarden, whose 3—year—old keeps asking when she is coming home. hamas doesn't give us any signs of life. we don't even know whether yarden and carmel, my cousin and her sister—in—law, are alive or not. the same goes for about 40 israeli children being held hostage — among them, babies. the children are expected to be freed if there is a deal, along with some women. gil knows his loved ones may not get out now. some of them are going to come before the others. and i understand that some of them are going to come before carmel and yarden. i believe if they're there, they also understand it and they want the children to come back before them. for israelis, a deal may bring dozens of hostages home. for palestinians, a few days�* respite from israeli bombings. 0rla guerin, bbc news, jerusalem. as we've been hearing, the us has indicated a deal could soon be agreed. i spoke to our north america correspondent, peter bowes, in los angeles. well, what we're hearing from president biden and the white house is optimism, but very guarded optimism, that a deal between hamas and israel could be "close", to use the word of president biden, who was responding to reporters at the white house during a ceremony to mark the thanksgiving holiday later this week in the united states — actually crossing his fingers, visibly crossing his fingers, as he was responding to the question of the release of the hostages and really very reluctant to go any further than that. and we're also hearing from the white house spokesman on national security, john kirby, reflecting what the president was saying, suggesting that the negotiations are at an end game stage. he said they're closer than they've ever been, but there is more work to be done and, really, i think reflecting that the sensitive nature of this, saying that those negotiations are continuing and are being watched by washington on an hour—by—hour basis. we know the united states has been in discussions with humanitarian groups that could well be involved in the release of any hostages. but again, there's scant detail as to which organisations or indeed where they are and what their specific role could be. but the overriding message is optimistic that, yes, a deal could be very close. it could indeed be within the next few hours or the next few days. in other news, taiwan's four on bow to the us has been chosen as a running mate to presidentialfront—runner. it is for the island's elections in january. widely is for the island's elections injanuary. widely regarded in washington as a well—connected and sappy diplomat, but china sees her as an independence day hard and beijing has sanctioned her twice. hard and beijing has sanctioned hertwice. live hard and beijing has sanctioned her twice. live now to taipei and rupert wingfield—hayes. great to talk to you. she describes herself as a warrior. why is that? that's right. that's the pseudonym she has taken on why she has been washed in the last three years as taiwan's positives. it is a subtle jibe at the chinese foreign ministry where we have seen so—called wolf warriors, the wolf warrior diplomacy of china in the last few years when the chinese foreign ministry diplomat became much more aggressive in their tone and rhetoric and they became known on the social media in china as wolf warriors. it is taiwanese response to say i am a cat warrior a lot more subtle and clever than a wolf. that's the idea behind that but hsiao bi—khim is a significant change to the presidential race because she is younger than any other candidate, a woman, she has very serious international experience in america and she is much more popular amongst young taiwanese people that her presidential running mate, william lyne, the current president. what to expect today? what's happening where you are? today? what's happening where ou are? ., ., , today? what's happening where ou are? ., .,, , , ., ~ you are? right now as we speak, the are you are? right now as we speak, they are going. _ you are? right now as we speak, they are going, william - you are? right now as we speak, they are going, william lyne, - they are going, william lyne, lai ching—te the current president and bi—khim hsiao are going to the presidential election commission to registered the candidacy. starting a statement adding friday all candidates have to register and they will be the first to do so this morning and that kicks off the official campaign. we had about a month and a half, reduction is at the start ofjanuary, so and a half, reduction is at the start of january, so we have a little over a month and a half and this is one from this week onwards but the real election campaign will go into full swing. campaign will go into full swina. ., , ., ., swing. how is the opposition to net swing. how is the opposition to get shaping _ swing. how is the opposition to get shaping up? _ swing. how is the opposition to get shaping up? -- _ swing. how is the opposition to get shaping up? -- ticket. - swing. how is the opposition to get shaping up? -- ticket. it'sl get shaping up? -- ticket. it's been a very — get shaping up? -- ticket. it's been a very chaotic _ get shaping up? -- ticket. it's been a very chaotic few - get shaping up? -- ticket. it's been a very chaotic few days | been a very chaotic few days for the opposition ticket. the old opposition party, the kmt, which ruled taiwan for half a century in the second half of the 20th century, it can that has been really liking. there is a third independent that the taiwan people's party candidate, his own party, he has been doing surprisingly well in the race. last week those two parties, the tpp and old kmt said they were unified to have a joint presidential ticket and they were sitting having late—night negotiations through the weekend and on saturday it all fell apart, clearly they could not reach an agreement so we're back having now three parties fighting this out and the head of foxconn, a billionaire businessman in the race. we have four men, three in their 60s and one in their 70s fighting to get the dpp out of power, the dpp has been in power here for the last eight years. power here for the last eight ears. , ~ ._ , years. rupert wingfield-hayes in tai ei years. rupert wingfield-hayes in taipei with _ years. rupert wingfield-hayes in taipei with the _ years. rupert wingfield-hayes in taipei with the latest - years. rupert wingfield-hayes in taipei with the latest in - in taipei with the latest in the race for the taiwan's president. thanks. south korea's president, yoon suk—yeol and first lady kim gun—hee have arrived in the uk for a state visit. they are the guests of king charles and queen camilla. it's only the second state visit of the king's reign. as our reporter, nicky schiller, explains, there will be a lot of pomp and ceremony on show over the next few days. unionjacks and south korean flags are already flying outside buckingham palace for the state visit of president yoon and the first lady kim keon—hee. it's 10 years since a similar visit to the united kingdom by a south korean president. now, ahead of the state visit, in new malden, which is home to one of the largest korean communities in europe, there was a kimchi festival at the weekend celebrating the traditional dish of fermented and salted veg. it is one of many events taking place to mark 140 years of friendship between the two countries. i think it's really exciting, especially as a british korean, to celebrate this unique relationship between the uk and korea. and i think especially the fact that the president is coming, this is a really important state visit that hasn't happened for, i think, a really long time, so i feel the british korean community are really excited about this event. so what's on the agenda for the state visit? well, tuesday is the main day of events. king charles and queen camilla will formally welcome the president and his wife during a ceremony at horse guards' parade in london. the south korean leader will inspect a guard of honour. the president and the first lady will then take part in a carriage procession to buckingham palace. following a private lunch, the couple will lay a wreath at the korean war memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. the day will continue with a visit to westminster abbey, including the grave of the unknown warrior. the president will then address members of both houses of parliament and other guests at the palace of westminster. in the evening, king charles and president yoon will both make speeches at the state banquet at buckingham palace. on wednesday, a trip to number ten downing street is on the cards. the president will have a bilateral meeting with prime minister rishi sunak. it's worth remembering that state visits aren'tjust ceremonial. they're diplomatic, too. they allow the government to further what they see as british national interests. it won't be an occasion for much formal business. that's not how it's done. he will meet both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, but these will be courtesy calls. i think it would be highly unlikely that any very major policy issues would be discussed. and finally, one question — will president yoon sing? # a long, long time ago... # cheering this was his rendition of american pie, one of his favourite songs, during a white house dinner with president biden in april this year. could we perhaps see him sing a british classic during his visit? # that i could make those people dance # and maybe they'd be happy for a while... # cheering around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at other stories making headlines in the uk. the government's former chief scientific advisor sir patrick vallance has been given, giving evidence to the covid enquiry and he says key measures to stop the spread of the virus were not introduced early enough and that the former prime minister borisjohnson prime minister boris johnson was prime minister borisjohnson was bamboozled with the science. four men have been found guilty of murdering a 28—year—old woman in liverpool. ashley dale was shot dead with a machine—gun in her home in august last year, after a long—running feud between her boyfriend — the intended target — and a gang of drug dealers in the city. it was one of several high—profile shootings on merseyside last year. the uk prime minister has promised tax cuts to boost economic growth ahead of the chancellor's autumn statement on wednesday. rishi sunak said he was able to move on to the next phase of the government's economic plan after inflation fell to 4.6% last month. you're live with bbc news. most of the employees at the pioneering artificial intelligence company — 0penai — have threatened to resign over the sacking of their ceo. ina in a letter to directors, 743 out of 770 0penai workers said they wanted sam altman and co—founder greg brockman reinstated, and the board to resign. the pair have already agreed to join microsoft to lead a new advanced artificial intelligence team. zoe kleinman has the story. the stakes are about as high as they get. not only in terms of cash — billions of dollars of it in investment — but also the future of the world itself and the way we all live, if you believe the extraordinary promises made about the power of artificial intelligence. 0penai, the creator of chatgpt, has now got through three ceos in almost as many days — sam altman, mira murati, and emmett shear. the cards were reshuffled after sam altman, the friendly face of ai and co—founder of 0penai, got the boot. and now, microsoft has thrown him a bone. hundreds of millions of people use this product every week. and, yeah, over the last weekend, things just seem to have imploded. it was absolute chaos and it sort of showed that no company, no team is immune from the laws of corporate physics. one bad decision can be enough to derail everything. it's been a wild weekend and despite all this drama, we still don't know what spooked 0penai's board so much that they decided to suddenly fire a popular boss. they said sam altman hadn't been honest with them. was he working on a project they didn't agree with? had they discovered a secret new ai development? or was it something very human? was it all about making money? inside 0penai, many staff want their old boss back. today, the firm's chief scientist admitted he was wrong to support the firing of sam altman and signed a letter alongside other workers saying they may choose to resign. not many people turned up for work at its san francisco headquarters this morning. remember, this is a multibillion—dollar company with an ai tool used by thousands of millions of people. but ultimately, this is a very human story. 0penai is nothing without its people, is the message from staff. zoe kleinman, bbc news. more on the staff revolt at 0penai on asia business reporter are in a few minutes. i've been speaking to ai scientist margaret mitchell, who told me that it all boils down to conflicting visions about the risks and benefits of the technology. let's turn now to some other stories making headlines around the world: schools have reopened in the indian capital, delhi, 12 days after being closed because of severe air pollution. the city's air quality index has improved, but is still hazardous by international standards. a week ago, requests from officials not to let off firecrackers for divali were largely ignored. that increased air—contamination levels. 0utdoor air—contamination levels. outdoor activities, including sports, remain suspended. 0verwhelming floods in the horn of africa linked to the el nino weather phenomenon in recent weeks have claimed over 100 lives. civilians in the region — particularly kenya, somalia and ethiopia, who are usually accustomed to drought — now are racing to find dry shelter and avoid waterborne illnesses. heavy rainfall is expected throughout the rest of the month. and — colombian pop star shakira has reached a deal with spanish prosecutors to settle a tax—fraud case just as spanish prosecutors to settle a tax—fraud casejust as her trial was set to begin. the singer paid a 7.5 million euro fine. shakira has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. a court in italy has sentenced more than 200 people to jail, in the biggest anti—mafia trial seen in decades. it targeted the country's most powerful criminal syndicate — the calabrian ndrangheta — which dominates europe's cocaine trade. more than 300 defendants — including mobsters and white—collar collaborators — had been on trial in a specially built bunker courthouse. the longest sentences — 30 years — were given to clan bosses. 0ur reporter, sofia bettiza, has more. this is the culmination of a huge trial which lasted nearly three years, against the italian mafia group known as ndrangheta. now, more than 200 people have been convicted after an italian court heard thousands of hours of testimonies, including from former mafia members. and the fact that informants decided to testify was crucial here. it is very rare for anybody to come forward because the ndrangheta is based on family ties and connections. now, the witnesses shed new light on how the ndrangheta operates, from using ambulances to transport drugs to hiding weapons in churches. and they also described the brutality of the ndrangheta. basically, anybody who tried to oppose them was threatened and they would find dead puppies, goats, or dolphin heads — dolphin heads — dumped on their doorstep. now, the ndrangheta is based in southern italy and is made up of approximately 150 italian families and their associates. but this goes far beyond italy. the ndrangheta is now operating in more than 40 countries and they have become one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world. they are involved in all sorts of criminal activities and they dominate the cocaine trade here in europe. and so these convictions are a significant victory for anti—mafia prosecutors in italy and in the rest of europe. hundreds of pakistani taliban fighters recently raided the culash valley, a popular tourist destination in pakistan, killing five people. the valley is surrounded by the hindu—kush mountain range, bordering afghanistan and pakistan. from there, this report. dance, music and joy... music plays ..are all taken over by uncertainty and despair. in the breathtaking landscapes of pakistan's kalash valley, a recent taliban attack has left its mark. shyra, mother of two, puts on a brave face, but fears a dark future. translation: it a dark future. translation: ., , , translation: it happened in the da , and translation: it happened in the day. and then _ translation: it happened in the day, and then drones _ translation: it happened in the day, and then drones flew- translation: it happened in the day, and then drones flew the - day, and then drones flew the whole night. everyone said taliban had come to target kalashis. they're coming to kill kalashis, target their worship places, because we are non—muslims. either they would force us to change our religion or kill us. there was quite a lot going on in my mind. i was thinking to leave, but then — where to go? thinking to leave, but then - where to go?— thinking to leave, but then - where to go? unlike the rest of the country. — where to go? unlike the rest of the country, kalash _ where to go? unlike the rest of the country, kalash valley - where to go? unlike the rest of the country, kalash valley hasl the country, kalash valley has a more liberal approach towards life and death. they have a unique religion and a rich culture. singing they dance when happy, and dance when mourning. they worship a pantheon of gods and goddesses and hold festivals inspired by the seasons in the farming year. music plays during these festivals, anything is possible. their women can declare their love, and their marriages — and even elope. but living in this maze of tiny houses, they face big challenges. just a few kilometres from here lies the porous border between afghanistan and pakistan. that is where hundreds of pakistani taliban, known as tpp, attacked border posts just a few weeks ago. five security officials were killed that day. the group's militants mainly reside in the neighbouring afghan provinces, and the plan was to capture this strategic valley. gunfire this shepherd was present in the pastures when taliban attacked. gunfire translation: when i saw them, were so— translation: when i saw them, were so many mep. there were lots of— were so many mep. there were lots of trees in the area and the rocks _ lots of trees in the area and the rocks where they were hiding _ the rocks where they were hiding. seeing them gave me a fair idea — hiding. seeing them gave me a fair idea that there were at least — fair idea that there were at least 200 taliban militants. one — least 200 taliban militants. one was— least 200 taliban militants. 0ne wasjust a least 200 taliban militants. one was just a few steps away from _ one was just a few steps away from me _ one was just a few steps away from me. at around 3am, a drone flew_ from me. at around 3am, a drone flew in _ from me. at around 3am, a drone flew in. drones started flying, and then_ flew in. drones started flying, and then it was they started hacking _ and then it was they started backing off the next day, because they were scared now. i thought. — because they were scared now. i thought, "if we couldn't move out that— thought, "if we couldn't move out that day, it would be very difficult — out that day, it would be very difficult for us to survive." this— difficult for us to survive." this talk_ difficult for us to survive." this talk almost shut both tourism and shepherding, as kalash remained closed for days. 0n the other hand, authorities maintain there is no threat to kalash or its people. translation: in kalash, things are normal. but the fear is there. so it will take some time for this to rebuild. we are increasing the number of police at the border post and engaging the local people. numbering less than 4,000, the kalashi community has to live with forced con sayance and restrictions on their ancient traditions. now, with an increased taliban threat, many — like shyra — ponder their options. where should they go if the taliban attack again? that's all for now. do stay with bbc news. hello. the weather's fairly quiet at the moment — typical autumn weather, really. towards the end of the week, possibly a little dose of winter on the way. but let's concentrate on the here and now. so tuesday, a rather cloudy day across england and wales, but across scotland and northern ireland, i think some sunshine on the way. now, the satellite picture shows that we're sort of in between weather systems. we have got thicker cloud on the way. that will be in place across the country on wednesday. but before that happens, this area of high pressure nosing across the country, and that means that the morning will have been sunny across scotland and northern ireland and also quite chilly, whereas we've got the thicker cloud across the bulk of england and wales, with temperatures between seven and ten celsius. so later on in the morning, i think it stays fairly cloudy across east anglia, parts of the midlands and the south. some showers too. you can see that breeze off the north sea. but sunshine developing across many parts of northern england and wales. the opposite is true across scotland and northern ireland. after that crisp, sunny start, thicker cloud moving in and perhaps some spots of rain. and then take a look at wednesday — really thick cloud across the northern half of the uk, a stronger breeze and also some outbreaks of rain. but the temperatures will be a little bit higher. this is relatively mild atlantic air, so in some spots, up to about 14 degrees, for example, in belfast. and then thursday and into friday, we see some big changes going on in the air. this cold front is expected to sweep southwards across the uk, opening up the doors to stronger winds and colder air sweeping in from the northern climes, all the way from the norwegian sea. and, yes, that does mean that we'll see some wintry showers, particularly across the scottish hills. now, thursday isn't going to be too chilly. i think temperatures will quickly, later on in the day, drop in the north. but i think in the south, we're still talking about 13 or so. now, thursday isn't going to be too chilly. i think temperatures will quickly, later on in the day, drop in the north. but i think in the south, we're still talking about 13 or so. by friday, after the passage of that cold front, you can see a north—westerly or northerly wind, some wintry showers there across the scottish hills, but also a lot of crisp sunshine. and with that colder air, temperatures only around four degrees in the lowlands of scotland, maybe about eight or nine in the south. bye— bye. feeding frenzy in silicon valley. 0penai staff say they will walk if bosses are not reinstated. plus, the young woman helping thousands around the world access menstruation products. hello and welcome to asia business report. we begin with the chaos at 0penai where there is a growing rift between employees and the company's upper management. nearly all staff of the ai are threatening to walk if the company's former bosses are not reinstated. meanwhile other tech industry giants seem to be trying to take advantage the growing discontent stop cloud—based software for salesforce and microsoft have said they'd be willing to employ 0penai's researchers. north america business correspondent erin delmore has the latest from new york. what began as the firing of 0penai ceo and co—founder sam altman on friday is now a stand—off between hundreds of open ai employees and the company board. nearly all of their