:00:00. > :00:20.Iraqi soldiers raised the national flag over government buildings in
:00:21. > :00:24.the city of Ramadi, but the battle against IS has brought devastation.
:00:25. > :00:29.The entire city has been severely damaged or hit by coalition air
:00:30. > :00:35.strikes in the fighting over the last few days. Floods, blizzards,
:00:36. > :00:40.tornadoes, severe weather warnings in the United States has more than
:00:41. > :00:45.40 people are killed in the past week. With much of northern England
:00:46. > :00:50.underwater, Britain's why Minister needs emergency crews who have been
:00:51. > :00:53.battling floods. And we'll hear from the kids growing up in Brazil
:00:54. > :01:09.without an education because it is too dangerous to go to school.
:01:10. > :01:12.The Iraqi Prime Minister has predicted that the coming year
:01:13. > :01:15.will see the total defeat of the Islamic State group
:01:16. > :01:20.He was speaking after the Iraqi military said it had recaptured
:01:21. > :01:25.Iraqi soldiers raised the national flag over the city centre,
:01:26. > :01:29.and celebrated their victory over IS militants who've had
:01:30. > :01:36.The defeat of IS in Ramadi is the third time this year they've
:01:37. > :01:44.been forced from one of their Iraqi strongholds.
:01:45. > :01:47.But much of the city has been damaged - and many of the thousands
:01:48. > :01:50.who fled the city will return to find nothing but rubble.
:01:51. > :01:54.Our correspondent Thomas Fessy reports from Ramadi.
:01:55. > :02:01.This is it. This is what Ramadi looks like one week into the
:02:02. > :02:07.offensive against Islamic State. We cannot really wonder outside the
:02:08. > :02:11.main streets cos there are still hidden extras of devices and booby
:02:12. > :02:14.traps all around in the neighbourhood and we cannot go any
:02:15. > :02:18.further because operations are still ongoing further in the city centre
:02:19. > :02:27.around the provincial government complex where Iraqi forces are still
:02:28. > :02:33.hunting down the remaining IS fighters. Houses, schools,
:02:34. > :02:40.buildings, pretty much the entire city has been severely damaged or
:02:41. > :02:48.hit by coalition air strikes and the fighting over the last few days. The
:02:49. > :02:54.Iraqi forces have come a long way. In May they abandoned their post and
:02:55. > :02:59.retreated from the city, effectively leaving it in the hands of IS
:03:00. > :03:06.fighters. Since then they have been trained by coalition forces and have
:03:07. > :03:13.been able to mount what has been their most significant ground
:03:14. > :03:19.campaign so far against IS. Together with Sunni tribal fighters and
:03:20. > :03:22.supported by the coalition. The test will be to see whether Iraqi forces
:03:23. > :03:26.can hold their positions and repeat their success elsewhere in the
:03:27. > :03:30.country to retake other population centres under the control of IS.
:03:31. > :03:33.With me now from Washington is Kenneth Pollack -
:03:34. > :03:35.a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings
:03:36. > :03:38.He's also a former CIA intelligence analyst
:03:39. > :03:43.and was Bill Clinton's Persian Gulf adviser.
:03:44. > :03:50.What is your assessment of what has happened in Ramadi today? I think it
:03:51. > :03:55.is an accomplishment, but I would describe it as a modest
:03:56. > :04:00.accomplishment. We should remember as your correspondent pointed out
:04:01. > :04:05.that the Muddy fell to Daesh, Isis, in May. It has taken seven months
:04:06. > :04:09.for them to retake it. It is good they did so, they have developed
:04:10. > :04:13.capabilities to do so, but we should remember that about 10,000 Iraqi
:04:14. > :04:19.security force personnel have basically been besieging Ramadi in
:04:20. > :04:25.those seven months and now is the right 1000 Isis fighters, Rob Lee
:04:26. > :04:31.more like 500 fighters, so you had a huge disparity in the ratio. That is
:04:32. > :04:37.a force that should have taken the city months and months ago. What it
:04:38. > :04:41.speaks to is the problems in terms of political cohesion of the Iraqi
:04:42. > :04:45.government and its ability to move forward with these kinds of
:04:46. > :04:50.operations. It is good that they did so, and it does speak to a certain
:04:51. > :04:57.amount of military capability, but also speaks to the problems
:04:58. > :05:00.persisting on the Iraqi side. How confident are you they will be able
:05:01. > :05:11.to hold onto this area or perhaps even go further to Mosul. ? Is there
:05:12. > :05:18.a long way from Mosul, literally and figuratively. Ramadi is an oversize
:05:19. > :05:21.tyrant. It was a significant accomplishment, I do not want to
:05:22. > :05:25.take that away from them, but the capabilities have demonstrated in
:05:26. > :05:32.retake in Ramadi, this was a 6-8 week process, it is nothing like
:05:33. > :05:36.what would be encountered in Mosul, and the key questions are, can they
:05:37. > :05:45.hold Ramadi against an Isis counterattack? Kami prevent Ramadi
:05:46. > :05:54.from seeing an outbreak of Sunni-Shi conflict, and can be turned Ramadi
:05:55. > :05:59.into a wider offensive going in other directions? Either of those
:06:00. > :06:03.would be a competent for the Iraqis to develop a sense of momentum and
:06:04. > :06:08.the sense that this is more than a one-off but a changing of the tide.
:06:09. > :06:12.We heard from the Iraqi prime minister today saying that he
:06:13. > :06:17.predicted 2016 would see the total defeat of Islamic State in the
:06:18. > :06:20.country. Very confident words from him, but given what you have told
:06:21. > :06:26.us, perhaps it will not be as easy as that. It will not be as easy as
:06:27. > :06:29.saying that, but perhaps the premise will be proven right. But there is a
:06:30. > :06:35.long way to go from what the Iraqis have a conflict in Ramadi. Again, it
:06:36. > :06:41.is an important victory but a modest one. Going from that to retaking
:06:42. > :06:44.Mosul and destroying Isis, the Iraqis are long way from that. Thank
:06:45. > :06:46.you for joining us. At least 43 people have died over
:06:47. > :06:49.the past few days as a result of severe storms across southern
:06:50. > :06:51.and western parts of Flash floods, tornadoes and snow
:06:52. > :06:54.have destroyed hundreds The governors of Missouri,
:06:55. > :06:57.Oklahoma and New Mexico have It took just minutes for roads
:06:58. > :07:09.to become rivers in parts This man is lucky, the tree stopped
:07:10. > :07:15.his car from being swept away. In Missouri and Illinois at least 11
:07:16. > :07:24.people have died in flash floods. Including four
:07:25. > :07:27.international soldiers. Most were killed when their cars
:07:28. > :07:31.were washed away in high waters. So close to home and in
:07:32. > :07:38.such a small community. As rivers continue to rise people
:07:39. > :07:42.have been warned not to travel. We get 40 inches a year and it
:07:43. > :07:45.all came this weekend, A state of emergency
:07:46. > :07:52.has also been declared. This is one of the earliest
:07:53. > :07:56.we have seen a flood on the Mississippi River,
:07:57. > :07:58.this is probably a record for this In Texas this is the devastation
:07:59. > :08:06.caused by one of the most powerful Twisters with winds of over 200
:08:07. > :08:13.miles an hour worked Thousands of homes have been
:08:14. > :08:21.destroyed, 11 people have been killed and there are warnings
:08:22. > :08:25.that the death toll could rise. Some are trying to
:08:26. > :08:27.pick up the pieces. They're spending the Christmas
:08:28. > :08:32.break trying to clear up. Temperaturess have dropped in Texas
:08:33. > :08:38.and blizzard conditions have closed This may be more seasonable weather
:08:39. > :08:44.but across southern and Midwestern states they're hoping this
:08:45. > :08:46.is the last in a week Here in Britain, Prime Minister
:08:47. > :09:01.David Cameron has been visiting areas affected by flooding
:09:02. > :09:03.in the North of England to see the damage caused by
:09:04. > :09:05.days of heavy rain. More bad weather is
:09:06. > :09:07.forecast for this week. Our correspondent Judith Moritz
:09:08. > :09:10.reports from the city of York, where river levels
:09:11. > :09:11.have now stabilised. It's only from the sky that you can
:09:12. > :09:16.appreciate the expense of ground covered by these floods and it's
:09:17. > :09:21.from the air that help An RAF Chinook was flown in to bring
:09:22. > :09:26.machinery and help repair The only way to bring this equipment
:09:27. > :09:37.in is by air because all along this stretch of the River Foss,
:09:38. > :09:40.the roads are extensively cut-off. The Foss flood barrier failed
:09:41. > :09:43.here on Boxing Day after water got The Environment Agency said it chose
:09:44. > :09:47.to leave the gate open, as keeping it closed
:09:48. > :09:50.would have caused even more The airlift brought in new equipment
:09:51. > :09:58.to get the defences working again, with the aim of pumping water away
:09:59. > :10:01.from the river Foss, which hasn't flooded
:10:02. > :10:04.here since the 1980s. With such widespread flooding has
:10:05. > :10:07.come a massive emergency response involving soldiers and rescue
:10:08. > :10:10.teams from across the UK. Meeting some of them,
:10:11. > :10:14.the Prime Minister defended his government spending
:10:15. > :10:18.on flood protection. Here in Yorkshire for instance
:10:19. > :10:21.we have spent ?100 million on flood defences since I became
:10:22. > :10:24.Prime Minister and we are planning But that is of no comfort
:10:25. > :10:32.to the people who have been To be flooded is a terrible
:10:33. > :10:41.experience and even more terrible when it happens at
:10:42. > :10:43.Christmas, or New Year. As David Cameron spoke to one team
:10:44. > :10:46.in the city centre he was heckled It wasn't clear if she was attacking
:10:47. > :10:57.government policy in general, or a lack of investment in defending
:10:58. > :11:02.York against flooding. Meanwhile, out in the city centre,
:11:03. > :11:06.the rescue continues. Wheels are no use along
:11:07. > :11:08.here and travelling by boat is the only way for teams like this
:11:09. > :11:11.one from the West Midlands We've been deployed three times
:11:12. > :11:17.in the last 12 hours, for medical emergencies,
:11:18. > :11:20.assisting and ambulance crews to get people from the addresses
:11:21. > :11:26.that are not reachable. All day, those stranded at home have
:11:27. > :11:31.been ferried to safety, The job, to get absolutely
:11:32. > :11:39.everybody to dry land. Judith Moritz reporting
:11:40. > :11:52.there from York. The US Secretary of State John Kerry
:11:53. > :11:55.says Iran has taken a significant step towards fulfilling its nuclear
:11:56. > :11:59.commitment by sending a large quantity of uranium abroad. He was
:12:00. > :12:05.speaking after Iran dispatched a shipment of more than 11 tonnes of
:12:06. > :12:09.uranium to Russia. The oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia has posted a
:12:10. > :12:18.record budget deficit of $19 billion for the year. Revenues were sharply
:12:19. > :12:24.down as a result of reduction in oil prices. -- $19 billion. The city
:12:25. > :12:29.will attempt to raise revenues from sources other than oil. In Spain
:12:30. > :12:33.services have been battling wildfires which have been burning
:12:34. > :12:36.for more than a week in the north of the country due to an unusual dry
:12:37. > :12:40.spell. At least one small town had to be evacuated. It is proving
:12:41. > :12:47.difficult for the authorities to bring the fires under control
:12:48. > :12:53.because of strong winds. Still to come, we will have all the sport.
:12:54. > :12:55.There were eight fixtures in the endless Premier League, including a
:12:56. > :12:59.goalless draw between Manchester United and Chelsea, again that many
:13:00. > :13:00.have speculated could decide the future of manager Louis Van Gaal.
:13:01. > :13:15.We'll hear from him shortly. De La Mer House is a care home
:13:16. > :13:19.in Walton-on-the-Naze just a short This morning police were called
:13:20. > :13:25.after reports that a woman had Officers and ambulance
:13:26. > :13:32.crews arrived. The woman, thought to be
:13:33. > :13:34.in her mid-80s, had died. She had apparently been shot,
:13:35. > :13:38.allegedly by a man who is also It is an unusual investigation,
:13:39. > :13:42.both parties involved are resident The next of kin have been informed.
:13:43. > :13:46.We have told those who need to know. Police say a weapon has been
:13:47. > :13:57.recovered and a man in his mid-80s has been arrested on
:13:58. > :14:26.suspicion of murder. Japan and South Korea have reached
:14:27. > :14:29.an historic deal to settle the issue of comfort women, women who were
:14:30. > :14:35.forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the Second World
:14:36. > :14:38.War. Estimates suggest some 200,000 women were involved. The issue has
:14:39. > :14:42.strained relations between the two countries for many years South Korea
:14:43. > :14:48.not satisfied by previous attempts to heal the breach. But under this
:14:49. > :14:51.agreement, Japan will give it .3 million dollars to funds to care for
:14:52. > :14:58.the 46 abused women who were still alive. Japan's Prime Minister is
:14:59. > :15:19.also issuing an apology, and accepts Japan's deep responsibility.
:15:20. > :15:27.Dozens of surviving women have asked for an apology specifically directed
:15:28. > :15:31.to themselves. With only days left until the end of the year, the
:15:32. > :15:38.timing of the talks was highly symbolic. Expectations of results
:15:39. > :15:39.were high. Japan's Foreign Minister apologised for shaming the honour
:15:40. > :15:47.and dignity of the woman, and offered over 8 million US
:15:48. > :15:51.dollars to help the women. But it is unclear if Japan's admission of
:15:52. > :16:05.responsibility was legal or just humanitarian. TRANSLATION: As prime
:16:06. > :16:09.minister of Japan, Prime Minister Abe versus apologies for those who
:16:10. > :16:16.underwent physical and psychological wounds as comfort women. Dozens of
:16:17. > :16:24.former comfort women were glued to the television as it unfolded. This
:16:25. > :16:33.former comfort women remembers what was an ordeal. I was forced on a
:16:34. > :16:38.train. Later we crossed the border into China. I was sent to a place
:16:39. > :16:42.where a rather comfort women. I wondered why they called
:16:43. > :16:44.us comfort women. I was forced to have sex
:16:45. > :16:47.with many men each day. It was so horrible that some
:16:48. > :16:49.women killed themselves. Earlier in the year the South Korean
:16:50. > :16:52.president called for a resolution to the comfort women
:16:53. > :16:55.dispute by the year's end, marking the 50th anniversary
:16:56. > :16:58.of diplomatic relations. Few have believed that a quick
:16:59. > :17:03.breakthrough could be reached and some criticised
:17:04. > :17:07.that the discussions were rushed Officials described today's
:17:08. > :17:12.resolution as final and irreversible, but it is unclear
:17:13. > :17:15.if the deal would satisfy the expectations of all surviving
:17:16. > :17:35.victims. Let's go live to New York and
:17:36. > :17:43.doctorate professor of Chinese and Japanese. Does this resolution draw
:17:44. > :17:49.a line for you today? Yes, I would say I still remember in 2007 when
:17:50. > :17:55.Prime Minister Abe said that there was no evidence for Japanese army
:17:56. > :18:03.being directly involved in forcibly recruiting woman and bringing them
:18:04. > :18:08.to front line brothels. So today's agreement from Prime Minister Abe
:18:09. > :18:13.apparently made progress in his attitude over the issue. However
:18:14. > :18:19.there are still some ambiguities and issues that remain. Talk me through
:18:20. > :18:27.those ambiguities. You sound somewhat surprised that this apology
:18:28. > :18:36.has come now and not before. Right. First of all, the news report is
:18:37. > :18:41.talking about the governments of Japan and Korea talking about
:18:42. > :18:46.getting the agreement down by the end of the year. But we don't know
:18:47. > :18:53.whether both parties consulted with the victims. To the scholars and
:18:54. > :18:58.researchers on this issue, the comfort women issue is not an issue
:18:59. > :19:04.about state politics or diplomats and relations, it is an issue of
:19:05. > :19:10.human rights about sufferings of hundreds of thousands of women, and
:19:11. > :19:16.human beings, their lives was damaged, ruined by the war. It is
:19:17. > :19:21.more important for us to know how the victims, the women themselves,
:19:22. > :19:30.thought about the agreement, whether they think the apology is
:19:31. > :19:32.acceptable. I know you have done extensive research on this issue.
:19:33. > :19:40.Have you spoken to any of the women you know and asked what their
:19:41. > :19:43.reaction is? I have not had a chance to speak to the woman lately because
:19:44. > :19:55.the news came very suddenly, but during my research we interviewed
:19:56. > :19:58.women and heard their voices. Years ago some Chinese victims were
:19:59. > :20:07.contacted by re-searchers to see if they think is the kind of
:20:08. > :20:14.arrangement they had was acceptable. Chinese comfort women feel that is
:20:15. > :20:18.not appropriate. What they want is not simply a money solution. They
:20:19. > :20:24.want ace and see apology, official apology, from the Japanese
:20:25. > :20:26.government, and recognition of the war crimes done to the woman who
:20:27. > :20:33.suffered so much during the war. Manchester United are still looking
:20:34. > :20:41.for their first win in eight, after being held to a goalless
:20:42. > :20:44.draw against Chelsea There was a grittier
:20:45. > :20:48.performance from the hosts, as Louis van Gaal's
:20:49. > :20:50.side ended their run Wayne Rooney returned
:20:51. > :20:54.to the starting line-up and he, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial all
:20:55. > :20:59.had chances to break the deadlock. United remain in 6th,
:21:00. > :21:01.while champions Chelsea go up The game was overshadowed by talk
:21:02. > :21:21.over the future of the Dutchman van When you are so attacking, when you
:21:22. > :21:26.are so pressing, when you stand on the midline and giveaway three
:21:27. > :21:32.chances, yes, I have thanked my players for the performance because
:21:33. > :21:39.I think it was a good performance. But of course we need a victory. It
:21:40. > :21:44.gives a lot of hope also for the fans, I think.
:21:45. > :21:47.Arsenal are top of the Premier League this evening after beating
:21:48. > :21:50.Defender Gabriel Paulista headed the ball in for the opener
:21:51. > :21:53.and his first goal in English football, while Mesut Ozil
:21:54. > :21:55.continued his fine form by making it 2-0 after the break.
:21:56. > :21:58.It means the Gunners move a point ahead of Leicester City,
:21:59. > :22:01.who host Manchester City, who are now in fourth, on Tuesday.
:22:02. > :22:03.Elsewhere there was a 7 goal thriller at Goodison as Stoke beat
:22:04. > :22:08.Bottom side Aston Villa lost again - this time at Norwich.
:22:09. > :22:11.West Brom beat Newcastle 1-0, West Ham came from behind to beat
:22:12. > :22:21.Southampton 2-1 and it was 0-0 between Palace and Swansea.
:22:22. > :22:22.England's cricketers are in a commanding position
:22:23. > :22:26.at the close of play on day three of the first Test with South Africa
:22:27. > :22:28.in Durban - they have a lead of 261 runs.
:22:29. > :22:33.Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali with four wickets each.
:22:34. > :22:36.Steven Finn took the final two, South Africa losing their last six
:22:37. > :22:44.England were 48 for 2 having lost captain
:22:45. > :22:46.Alastair Cook for just 7 and Alex Hales for 26.
:22:47. > :22:50.Nick Compton then went for 49, just shy of his half century,
:22:51. > :22:53.while Joe Root was the hero of the day with an unbeaten 60.
:22:54. > :23:03.England will resume their second innings on Tuesday on 172-3.
:23:04. > :23:15.Three of the junior of has a number of shanty towns often associated
:23:16. > :23:17.with criminality. Over the past years hundreds of thousands of
:23:18. > :23:22.students have had classes cancelled because of shoot out near their
:23:23. > :23:23.schools. We spoke to in 11-year-olds to learn how violence affects their
:23:24. > :25:41.lives. To 11-year-olds talking about daily
:25:42. > :25:43.life in Rio de Janiero. The BBC has been showing the extent of the
:25:44. > :25:48.destruction in the battle for control of the Iraqi city of Ramadi.
:25:49. > :25:52.As the army was declaring victory over IS, one of our correspondence
:25:53. > :25:53.to districts. He said nobody dares to step into the streets for fear of
:25:54. > :25:55.booby traps. Don't forget you can get
:25:56. > :26:03.in touch with me on Twitter.