German officials have told the BBC that a decision by the new Islamist authorities in Syria to erase evolution from the school curriculum is troubling - a concern that is echoed by many Syrians. We hear from Germany's Special Coordinator for Syria and from Syrian writer Rima Flihan. Also on the programme: The US Surgeon General has called for risk warnings on alcoholic beverages, similar to the labels on cigarettes, following new research that links the drinks to seven types of cancer; and why a New York judge is insisting on sentencing US president-elect Donald Trump days before his inauguration.

(Photo: Head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, meets with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Damascus, Syria January 3, 2025. Credit: Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham/Handout via REUTERS)