03/01/2016 BBC Weekend News

The battle for Ramadi - our exclusive report

from inside the Iraqi city on the front line against so-called

Thousands of civilians are living among the ruins,

with little food or water - days after the Iraqi government said

In parts of the centre, their flags are still flying just a few hundred

yards from here. And resistance is stiff.

At the same time - a new propaganda video

from IS in Syria - threatening attacks on the UK.

Also tonight: After protests in Iran over Saudi Arabia's execution

of a Shia cleric - the Saudis tonight break off

Here - an extra ?40 million is promised for flood defences

in Yorkshire - but the Government's approach is criticised

And in South Africa - Ben Stokes hits the fastest ever

Nearly a week after Iraqi government forces claimed to have liberated

the key city of Ramadi from so-called Islamic State,

large parts of it remain under the extremists' control -

Thousands of civilians are trapped in Ramadi,

and the BBC's become the first international broadcaster to reach

Our correspondent Thomas Fessy travelled into the heart of the city

This is what the fight against so-called Islamic State has

Six months of brutal jihadi rule, a government offensive and coalition

air strikes have devastated the city.

We set off with Iraqi special forces to see what the victory they claimed

As we push into the centre, it is clear that the battle

This is the front line in Iraq's war against IS.

The building used to be a school, but guns have now replaced students.

The soldiers say that they have regained much of the city,

but the fight is still going on and IS militants still control

Their flags are still flying just a few hundred yards from here.

Peer through the sniper's window, and you see the Iraqi flag.

But to the right, see the black banners of

Government troops say fighting IS is the hardest of all battles.

Much of the front line is rigged with explosives,

The West has trained Iraqi soldiers for this fight.

The US, Britain and their partners are conducting

TRANSLATION: The support from coalition forces is important

to us, because without them, we would suffer a lot more

An air strike is called in as families emerge

from the front lines, Iraqi troops taking them to safety.

This woman says her house was blown up, and she told me

that she and her husband were taken by the jihadis and used

Each time, there was bombing, our homes shook.

A warm meal, and a first taste of freedom.

This woman escaped with her children, still traumatised.

Their mother tells me how IS ruled their lives.

TRANSLATION: What they did to us was terrible.

to wear the niqab.

We were not even allowed to use mobile phones.

But the war against Islamic State is not over in Ramadi.

Islamic State militants in Syria have released a video claiming

to show the execution of five men accused of spying for Britain.

The video, which we're not showing, features a masked man,

speaking English with a British accent, who threatens the UK.

With me is our security correspondent, Gordon Corera.

There are a lot of these propaganda videos released by IS. What is

different about this one? There are a lot of propaganda videos that come

out, although there are few notable elements to this video. It is only

two months since Muhammad was it, the man known as Jihadi John, was

killed in drone strike in rack. But in this video, we see a new

individual, again apparently British, judging by his accent, who

we can see here, who appears to want to take on the mantle of Jihadi John

as executioner and propagandist in chief for IS, at least when it comes

to Britain. Tonight, you can expect the intelligence services to be

trying to work out who he is, going to their databases, doing voiceprint

analysis, those kinds of things. In terms of the content of the video,

that is more predictable. You hear this individual making threats,

talking about the invasion of Britain, addressing David Cameron

and talking about air strikes. Also, his involvement in the execution of

five people alleged abuse buying for written, not Britons themselves,

they appear to be Syrian. They provide confessions, which could be

coerced. It is possible that those were actually activists trying to

get information out to the public and the outside world about what was

going on, rather than spies. It is hard to be sure, but the point of

the video is to deter people from becoming informers, because it could

be informers who helped track down Jihadi John. There is a disturbing

aspect in that there is a child in it? That's right, towards the end of

the video, there is a brief section in which for a few seconds, we see a

child, perhaps five years old, speaking English. Hard to tell from

the accent whether they are definitely British or not. We do

know some British people have gone out with children and some may have

had children out there. It is hard to be sure, but the security

services will also be investigating that to establish the child's

identity. Within the past few hours,

Saudi Arabia has announced it's severing ties with Iran,

as the diplomatic crisis between the two

countries intensifies. The Saudi government's decision

yesterday to execute a prominent Shia Muslim cleric, along

with dozens of other prisoners, has led to more protests today

in Iran, a Shia country. As our diplomatic correspondent

Bridget Kendall reports, the row is fuelling

tensions across the region. An already dangerous rift is

widening in the Middle East. In Tehran today, Iranian anger at Saudi

Arabia's execution of a prominent cleric was not abating. Death to the

house of Saud, chant the crowd, referring to the Saudi royal family.

The Saudi government says he was put to death falling star terrorism, but

in Iran, he now has martyr status. A street today was named after him

right outside the Saudi embassy, which last night was stormed by a

furious crowd, which set fire to posters of the Saudi king.

Eventually, the police moved in and made 40 arrests. Imran's moderate

president said the attack was unjustified. But addressing clerics

today, Iran's supreme leader took a harder line, warning that Saudi

rulers would face a blind vengeance for spilling a martyr's blood. And

this evening, the Saudis retaliated. The Saudi Foreign Minister accused

Iran of distributing weapons and planting terrorist cells across the

region. In response, he said the Saudi kingdom was severing

diplomatic relations and ordering all Iranian diplomats to leave

within two days. This row isn't only over the recent Saudi executions, it

is also about tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims which go back

centuries. Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's biggest Sunni

dominated power. Iran is the predominant Shia power. Not

surprisingly, the two are bitter rivals. And because the executed

cleric ten from Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, it was probably inevitable

that his death would cause trouble. And across the Middle East, there

will be repercussions. In Syria Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed

opposite sides, pro and anti president Assad. Now, getting them

to bury differences to unite against so-called IS extremists will be much

harder. They also compete for influence among Shia and Sunni

communities in Iraq. For the past year, they have been engaged in a

fierce and bloody proxy war in Yemen. The worry is that tensions

will now snowball. These protests today were in Bahrain, another

country where Shia and Sunni are divided. Tonight, the United States

appealed for calm, but it's not clear that they are in a mood to

listen. Bridget Kendall, BBC News. The government's pledged an extra

?40 million for flood defences in Yorkshire, after it was battered

by rain over Christmas. But concerns have been raised

about nationwide levels of funding. Drainage experts have warned

that the number of homes at risk of flooding could almost

double within 20 years, unless there's a significant

increase in spending. Our political correspondent

Chris Mason reports. Look beyond the water,

and you find resentment, It is about preparation

and forward planning. People are upset about it,

and there is a lot of anger. Now the Government's promised ?10

million to repair and improve the barrier on the River Foss

that failed, leading to 600 The problem was that the Foss

barrier, the electrics were in danger of failing

and if it had been stuck down without the pumps operating,

we would have seen 1,800 houses flooded, three times as many

as we did see flooded But flooding, of course,

is nothing new. The Somerset Levels, two years ago,

and familiar argument is about flood The Association of Drainage

Authorities points out that the annual cost of flood

and storm damage is estimated It also says that the number

of households in England and Wales at significant risk of flood damage

could increase from 330,000 currently to 570,000 in 2035

as a result of a reduction in our capacity

to manage water levels. This is an argument

about more than money. Crises like flooding can help shape

the perception of the Government Ministers are proud of trying

to create what they describe as a northern powerhouse,

but opposition MPs returning to Westminster this week

will suggest that We've seen cuts from this

Government from 2010, apart from a brief blip

when they were shamed into action Now all we're getting is ?40

million, only spent in Yorkshire. It is not enough money to make up

for the backlog of repairs that have Ministers insist that flood defence

spending is going up and will reach But the consequences

of heavy rain continue. This was Llanelli,

in Carmarthenshire, today. Here and elsewhere, more people

are asking if their homes People in parts of eastern Scotland

are being warned to expect more flooding, with heavy rain

is forecast in areas which are still clearing up

after the damage caused last week. In all, more than 30 flood warnings

are in place in Scotland - as our correspondent

Catriona Renton reports. People in Ballater are still coming

to terms with last week's flooding. When the water came

down here, it got up You've seen pictures of it,

just at the bottom of this wall. Then obviously into the house,

blew the manhole covers off. But the people I have

talked to, I mean, It came up within

about ten, 15 minutes. And then stayed up for a while,

then the levels went down again, but in that time frame,

it just wiped the caravan site, went through all the

houses, devastation. With persistent rain

since yesterday, and an already swollen River Dee, this flood

barrier is providing reassurance. yesterday, we had a large number

of locals coming up to us and saying that, you know, really they felt

a lot safer with the fact And that they would sleep better

in their homes at night. And this was the dramatic moment

when the Aberdeen lifeboat team used rockets to help reconnect

power across the river. Upstream, 450-year-old

Abergeldie Castle, near Balmoral, is on the brink

after the river eroded the banks. So far, this flood

barrier hasn't had to be tested yet, but this

is a waiting game. The Met Office amber warnings

are still in place for more than 24 hours, so people in affected parts

of Scotland will have to wait and see what the weather

has to throw at them. A member of Labour's Shadow Cabinet

has warned that the party needs a diverse front bench,

in response to reports that Jeremy Corbyn is planning

a reshuffle to remove those who disagree with him

on key policies. Michael Dugher, the shadow

Culture Secretary, made a plea for unity - saying Labour

was a "broad church ,not

a religious cult". Let's join our political

correspondent Alex Forsyth What is the response from Jeremy

Corbyn likely to be? It is no secret that the Labour leader disagrees

with some of his senior team on some key policy issues, like Hilary Benn,

the Shadow Foreign Secretary, who supported air strikes in Syria. Or

Maria Eagle, the Shadow Defence Secretary, who supports the renewal

of the Trident nuclear weapons system. And there is widespread

speculation that Jeremy Corbyn will reshuffle his Shadow Cabinet perhaps

as early as this week to remove those who disagree with him. The

risk is that by doing so, he will deepen the divisions in Labour,

because some say that runs contrary to Mr Corbyn's own claim to welcome

debate and differing views. But others say Labour must speak with a

united voice on these key issues. So while Jeremy Corbyn wrestles with

yet another leadership dilemma, some backbenchers are warning that all

the time Labour is focused on its own internal issues, it can't be an

effective opposition to the government. Alex Forsyth, thank you.

With all the sport, here's Olly Foster at the BBC Sport Centre.

The England all-rounder Ben Stokes says he was just trying to score

as many boundaries as he could beacuse it was too hot to run

He made 258 in the Second Test against South Africa,

the fastest Test double century by an Englishman.

His 399 run partnership with Jonny Bairstow for the sixth

Test cricket is often about waiting, not when Ben Stokes goes

It took him three deliveries to hit his first four.

Stokes batting like a man who believed he could stick one

on top of there, against a team still officially

Some see shades of Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff.

No Englishman has got there quicker in Test cricket.

Simply breathtaking. For South Africa, winding.

Jonny Bairstow had been operating in the shadows by comparison,

He had waited a long time for his first Test century.

No English pair had scored this many in nearly 60 years of Test matches.

When he was eventually run out, Alastair Cook

There was no following that, after all.

It is a surreal feeling, it hasn't sunk in yet. Proud is definitely a

word I would use. If your opponents have scored 629

runs, there can be a tendency But there is a time

for patience as well as power. Wickets would not come

that easily again. Dean Elgar had 44 before

Nick Compton caught him. The South African captain

led them to the close. Tomorrow, they will need guts

and a little genius. England players were wearing black

armbands today in memory of the Sussex bowler

Matthew Hobden, whose death The 22-year-old was in the England

performance programme and was due to travel to South Africa

later this month. His death is currently

being treated as "unexplained". There were two matches

in the Premier League today, the goals are on Match

of the Day 2 after the news, or following Sportscene if you're

watching in Scotland. Either way, I've got

the results, if you want them. Chelsea beat Crystal Palace

3-0 at Selhurst Park. Interim manager Guus Hiddink says

they can still qualify The other match today

was at Goodison Park. Fourth placed Tottenham drew

1-1 against Everton. Harlequins are up to third

in the Rugby Union Premiership. They beat Worcester

at the Sixways Stadium. Their wing Charlie Walker scored two

of their three tries and at one Worcester rallied, but Quins hung

on for the victory, 24-20. Gary Anderson has retained his PDC

World Darts Championship title. The Flying Scotsman beat

Jackpot Adrian Lewis seven sets to five in an enthralling final

at Alexandra Palace, Lewis was a double champion himself,

but Anderson prevailed to claim To mark the 40th anniversary

of the Prince's Trust, the Prince of Wales has been

speaking about the difficulties In an interview for an ITV

documentary, he said that at first "people didn't see

the point" of the Trust. Our royal correspondent

Peter Hunt reports. Not an audition for Royals Got

Talent, rather an Ant and Dec documentary about the future king,

focusing on the Princes Trust, which for 40 years has helped

disadvantaged young people. A lot of people thought

you were pretty mad, that a prince of the realm would go

out and help disadvantaged children and youngsters and help them

get on the right path. We had to overcome people

who don't see the point. In their quest to understand

the Trust, which has helped hundreds Ant and Dec also quizzed Charles'

son about his father I'm a lot more emotional

than I used to be. I never used to get too

worried about things, but now the smallest things can make

to well up a bit more. You get affected by things that

happen around the world or whatever a lot more as a father,

just because you realise It puts it all in perspective,

the idea of not being around During filming, Charles became

a grandad for the second time. He's delighted that his doting

doesn't yet extend to some duties. It is very nice having

a granddaughter. There may be somebody to keep an eye

on me when I am tottering about. You have to go to the gym

after all the food you have eaten. You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.