:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to BBC News. My name's Mike Embley.
:00:07. > :00:11.The Iraqi army says it's liberated Ramadi from Islamic State
:00:12. > :00:19.We report from inside the shattered city.
:00:20. > :00:29.Pretty much the entire city has been severely damaged or hit by coalition
:00:30. > :00:32.air strikes in the fighting over the last few days.
:00:33. > :00:34.America's wild winter weather continues, but now it's snowstorms
:00:35. > :00:38.causing major disruption, with thousands of flights cancelled.
:00:39. > :00:40.Much of Northern England remains badly affected
:00:41. > :00:44.A series of severe weather warnings remain in force.
:00:45. > :00:47.US basketball legend Meadowlark Lemon dies at the ages of 83.
:00:48. > :00:48.His Harlem Globetrotters career spanned three decades
:00:49. > :01:10.It's being hailed as a significant step forward
:01:11. > :01:12.in the campaign to defeat so-called Islamic State.
:01:13. > :01:13.Iraqi forces, backed by US airstrikes, say
:01:14. > :01:25.they've liberated the city of Ramadi.
:01:26. > :01:31.The US Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, says it's important to
:01:32. > :01:34.maintain peace in the city and prevent the return of the militants.
:01:35. > :01:41.Much of Ramadi has been damaged. Many of the thousands who fled will
:01:42. > :01:42.return to find nothing but rubble. Our correspondent Thomas Fessy
:01:43. > :01:46.reports now from Ramadi. The remains of Ramadi,
:01:47. > :01:48.a city ravaged by war. This is a place that has suffered
:01:49. > :01:51.over a decade of sporadic conflict, but a week-long battle
:01:52. > :01:54.against so-called Islamic State has We set off with Iraqi forces as
:01:55. > :01:58.they continue to secure the city. They have cleared the main streets,
:01:59. > :02:01.but tension is still high so we were only allowed out
:02:02. > :02:04.of the convoy for a few moments. This is what Ramadi looks
:02:05. > :02:09.like one week into the offensive We cannot really wander out
:02:10. > :02:13.of the main streets because there are still hidden
:02:14. > :02:16.expose of devices and booby traps This is them abandoning the city
:02:17. > :02:30.to Islamic State fighters in May. They were trained by coalition
:02:31. > :02:33.forces over the last few months and mounted an offensive with Sunni
:02:34. > :02:36.tribal fighters to retake the city. The US, Britain
:02:37. > :02:38.and the coalition partners conducted The Iraqi flag is back on top
:02:39. > :02:49.of the former government building here, only a few pockets
:02:50. > :02:54.of resistance remain. This success will boost the morale
:02:55. > :02:57.of Iraqi forces, so far conceded not TRANSLATION: There is no big
:02:58. > :03:10.challenge with Daesh, and if we take the whole of the
:03:11. > :03:13.province we can move on to Mosul. We are providing
:03:14. > :03:19.our forces with weapons. This is what it took
:03:20. > :03:24.to reclaim Ramadi. Iraqi troops are close to
:03:25. > :03:29.victory here, but the city has This has been the most significant
:03:30. > :03:38.ground campaign against Islamic State so far, but it has taken
:03:39. > :03:41.months to see it start, and the For more on the liberation of Ramadi
:03:42. > :03:46.and all of our stories go to our website - for live
:03:47. > :03:48.updates, analysis More than 100 fighters and civilians
:03:49. > :03:55.from a rebel-held area in Syria have crossed safely into nearby
:03:56. > :03:58.Lebanese territory, and leave
:03:59. > :04:06.the western town of Zabadani, where they'd been under
:04:07. > :04:08.siege by Syrian government forces. The siege has gone on
:04:09. > :04:10.for months with Hezbollah fighters
:04:11. > :04:13.advancing from one side Fighters, with their families,
:04:14. > :04:24.waiting to be bussed out A deal that took months to
:04:25. > :04:28.finalise has finally materialised. Brokered by Iran and Turkey, with
:04:29. > :04:32.the UN's blessing, the Red Cross is now able to escort them out of
:04:33. > :04:35.Zabadani, to reach rebel-controlled But they must travel many miles
:04:36. > :04:46.before they reach their destination. This is
:04:47. > :04:48.the border crossing with Lebanon. The passengers will go into Turkey,
:04:49. > :04:53.and then back into Syria The deal would not have been reached
:04:54. > :05:01.if there wasn't first an exchange of Shia fighters in northern Syria,
:05:02. > :05:06.so that they could leave town with The government besieged Zabadani,
:05:07. > :05:10.and the rebels responded by besieging Fuaa and Kefraya
:05:11. > :05:14.in the north, the two Shia towns loyal to President Assad,
:05:15. > :05:17.who are also fighting the rebels. The Zabadani deal happened
:05:18. > :05:20.after a similar deal was meant to If implemented, some areas
:05:21. > :05:27.around government-controlled Damascus will be cleared
:05:28. > :05:29.of opposition fighters, ahead This will leave the north
:05:30. > :05:36.of the country under opposition control, but also under government
:05:37. > :05:44.bombardment. Let's round up some of the other
:05:45. > :05:46.main stories: A grand jury in Ohio has cleared two
:05:47. > :05:50.white police officers in the fatal shooting of
:05:51. > :05:53.a 12 year-old black boy last year. Tamir Rice was shot while playing
:05:54. > :05:56.with a pellet gun in a park. The prosecutor claimed the
:05:57. > :06:01.shooting was human error and said there was no evidence to indicate
:06:02. > :06:04.criminal action by the officers. The jury's decision has been
:06:05. > :06:07.criticised by the teenager's family. The US Secretary of State,
:06:08. > :06:09.John Kerry, says Iran has taken a significant step towards
:06:10. > :06:12.fulfilling its nuclear commitments, by sending
:06:13. > :06:14.a large quantity of uranium abroad. Mr Kerry was speaking after Iran
:06:15. > :06:19.dispatched a shipment of more than 11 tonnes
:06:20. > :06:24.of low-enriched uranium to Russia. The oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia
:06:25. > :06:29.has posted a record budget deficit In Spain,
:06:30. > :06:39.the emergency services have been They've been burning for more than
:06:40. > :06:43.a week in the north of the country At least one small town
:06:44. > :06:47.had to be evacuated. It's proving difficult to bring
:06:48. > :06:49.the fires under control because At least 43 people have died over
:06:50. > :06:54.the past few days as a result of severe storms across southern and
:06:55. > :06:57.western parts of the United States. Flash floods,
:06:58. > :06:58.tornadoes and snow have destroyed The governors of Missouri, Oklahoma,
:06:59. > :07:07.and New Mexico have declared states It took just minutes for roads to
:07:08. > :07:11.become rivers in parts of the south and Midwest. This man is lucky. The
:07:12. > :07:20.trees stopped his car from being swept away. Help was also nearby. In
:07:21. > :07:23.Missouri and Illinois, at least 11 people have died in flash floods,
:07:24. > :07:29.including four international soldiers. Most were killed when
:07:30. > :07:33.their cars were cars were washed away in high waters. It certainly is
:07:34. > :07:36.sad that we lost some people so close to home in such a small
:07:37. > :07:39.community. It makes us all pretty sick to our stomachs. As rivers
:07:40. > :07:42.continue to rise, people have been warned not to travel. We're known
:07:43. > :07:47.for getting, like, 40 inches a year. We got a fourth of that this
:07:48. > :07:51.weekend. So it's a crazy year. A state of emergency has also been
:07:52. > :07:55.declared. This is probably one of the earliest that we've seen a flood
:07:56. > :08:01.on the Mississippi River for this high, probably, for the record,
:08:02. > :08:05.probably for this time of year. In Texas, this is the devastation
:08:06. > :08:11.caused by one of the most powerful tornadoes to hit this state.
:08:12. > :08:15.Twisters with winds of over 200 miles per hour swept through the
:08:16. > :08:19.town of Garland. Thousands of homes have been destroyed. 11 people have
:08:20. > :08:24.been killed and there are warnings that that death toll could rise.
:08:25. > :08:30.Some are trying to pick up the pieces. They're spending their
:08:31. > :08:35.Christmas break trying to clear up. But it is a new threat, snow.
:08:36. > :08:39.Temperatures have dropped in Texas. Blizzard conditions have closed
:08:40. > :08:43.roads and cancelled flights. This may be more seasonable weather but
:08:44. > :08:49.across southern and mid-western states, they're hoping this is the
:08:50. > :08:52.last in a week of deadly storms. Laura Bicker, BBC News, Washington.
:08:53. > :08:55.And severe weather has caused problems in other countries too.
:08:56. > :08:57.Flooding forced thousands of people in southern Brazil to leave their
:08:58. > :09:00.homes, while in Argentina areas north of the capital, Buenos Aires,
:09:01. > :09:04.And Paraguay didn't escape the bad weather either.
:09:05. > :09:05.Flooding has caused major problems there too.
:09:06. > :09:08.The British Prime Minister has defended the Government's spending
:09:09. > :09:10.on flood defences, during a visit to York to meet communities
:09:11. > :09:15.of a north-south divide in investment,
:09:16. > :09:21.saying more per head was spent on flood defences in the north.
:09:22. > :09:26.There are 45 flood warnings in force across northern England,
:09:27. > :09:29.nine of which are severe, and at least five are in the York area,
:09:30. > :09:39.It's only from the sky that you can appreciate
:09:40. > :09:42.the expanse of ground covered by these floods, and it's from the air
:09:43. > :09:46.An RAF Chinook was flown in to bring machinery to help
:09:47. > :09:54.The only way to bring this equipment in is by air, because all along this
:09:55. > :09:57.stretch of the River Foss, the roads are extensively cut off.
:09:58. > :09:59.The River Foss flood barrier failed here on Boxing Day
:10:00. > :10:04.The Environment Agency says it chose to leave the gate open as
:10:05. > :10:08.keeping it closed would have caused even more properties to flood.
:10:09. > :10:11.The airlift brought new equipment to get defences working again with
:10:12. > :10:14.the aim of pumping water away from the River Foss, which has not
:10:15. > :10:24.With such widespread flooding has come a massive emergency
:10:25. > :10:29.response involving soldiers and rescue teams from across the UK.
:10:30. > :10:33.Meeting some of them the Prime Minister defended his government's
:10:34. > :10:38.Here in Yorkshire for instance we have spent ?100
:10:39. > :10:43.million on flood defences since I became Prime Minister.
:10:44. > :10:45.We are planning to spend another ?280 million,
:10:46. > :10:49.That is obviously of no comfort to the people who have
:10:50. > :10:54.All of our hearts go out to them, because to be flooded is
:10:55. > :10:59.It is even more terrible when it happens at Christmas or New Year.
:11:00. > :11:04.As David Cameron spoke to leaders in the city centre,
:11:05. > :11:06.Meanwhile out in the city centre the rescuers continue.
:11:07. > :11:09.Wheels are no use along here, and travelling by boat is the only
:11:10. > :11:12.way for teams like this one from the West Midlands to reach people.
:11:13. > :11:15.We have been deployed three times in the last 12 hours, ranging
:11:16. > :11:19.from medical emergencies, assisting the ambulance crews to get people
:11:20. > :11:24.from the addresses that are already inaccessible by land ambulance.
:11:25. > :11:28.All day, those stranded in their homes have been ferried to safety.
:11:29. > :11:31.Whether by boat or by piggyback, the job to get absolutely everybody
:11:32. > :11:40.The Environment Agency has called for a complete rethink
:11:41. > :11:43.of Britain's flood defences along with extra measures including better
:11:44. > :11:46.waterproofing of homes but experts warn that extreme weather is likely
:11:47. > :11:50.to become even more familiar in the years ahead.
:11:51. > :11:58.Our Science Editor David Shukman reports.
:11:59. > :12:00.The astonishing sight of a torrent running down
:12:01. > :12:07.A glimpse of the huge volumes of water causing such serious
:12:08. > :12:12.The emergency response is now well drilled.
:12:13. > :12:16.The sight of rescue teams all-too-familiar,
:12:17. > :12:18.but these seem to raise questions about why the defences were
:12:19. > :12:21.overwhelmed in the first place and a major review is now underway.
:12:22. > :12:24.We always, after instances like this, look at what happened, what
:12:25. > :12:27.we can take from that, but we need to do differently in the future.
:12:28. > :12:31.This will be no different to any other incident we
:12:32. > :12:35.Many of the challenges are nothing new.
:12:36. > :12:38.In 2007, serious flooding in the north
:12:39. > :12:43.and west of England left 300,000 people without running water.
:12:44. > :12:47.There was a detailed study back then into what went wrong.
:12:48. > :12:51.That review into the flood defences in the country called for a long
:12:52. > :12:55.list of improvements but have lessons been learned since then?
:12:56. > :12:57.The study called for better coordination
:12:58. > :12:59.between the emergency services and far better equipment like
:13:00. > :13:07.It also wanted key infrastructure far better protected.
:13:08. > :13:10.Roads, rail lines, power networks, many have been flooded
:13:11. > :13:15.And it said sandbags should no longer be relied upon.
:13:16. > :13:18.That new technology using plastic or metal should be used instead.
:13:19. > :13:21.But even now sandbags are still proving vital.
:13:22. > :13:25.This comes as many people claim the areas hit hardest in northern
:13:26. > :13:33.There is a real discrepancy people are starting to get angry across
:13:34. > :13:38.the North, in the levels of funding going into the North compared to
:13:39. > :13:43.I think council leaders will come together and work to lobby
:13:44. > :13:51.The Government denies this, pointing to this map of flood defence
:13:52. > :13:56.Those marked in blue are being planned and it says a ?2.3 billion
:13:57. > :14:01.But as the floodwaters linger and the calm conditions today make way
:14:02. > :14:03.for another storm tomorrow night, the arguments will intensify.
:14:04. > :14:16.Over how much is spent on flood defence and where.
:14:17. > :14:19.Stay with us on BBC News. Still to come:
:14:20. > :14:26.We hear from the kids growing up in Brazil without an education,
:14:27. > :14:32.Japan settles its dispute with South Korea over its use of Korean women
:14:33. > :14:34.as sex slaves during World War II. But is it all too little and too
:14:35. > :14:39.late? The most ambitious financial
:14:40. > :14:41.and political change ever attempted has got underway with
:14:42. > :14:44.the introduction of the euro. Tomorrow in Holland we're gonna use
:14:45. > :14:47.money we picked up in Belgium today, tomorrow it'll be in France,
:14:48. > :14:49.and it's the same money. George Harrison, the former Beatle,
:14:50. > :15:00.is recovering in hospital after being stabbed
:15:01. > :15:05.in his Oxfordshire home. A 33-year-old man from Liverpool is
:15:06. > :15:08.being interviewed by police The latest headlines: The US
:15:09. > :15:45.defence secretary says the Iraqi army's capture of Ramadi from the
:15:46. > :15:59.Islamic State group is a significant Rain and snow storms are causing
:16:00. > :16:01.major disruption in the US. At least 40 people have been killed in the
:16:02. > :16:02.past week. The Japanese Prime Minister,
:16:03. > :16:06.Shinzo Abe, has hailed the start of a new era in relations with South
:16:07. > :16:09.Korea, following a landmark deal on the issue of Korean women used as
:16:10. > :16:13.sex slaves in the Second World War. Japan has apologised
:16:14. > :16:15.for the treatment of women forced to It has also agreed to set up
:16:16. > :16:19.a compensation fund Some historians estimate that over
:16:20. > :16:26.200,000 Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forced
:16:27. > :16:28.into sexual slavery during World War The dozens
:16:29. > :16:35.of surviving women have asked for a formal apology specifically
:16:36. > :16:38.addressed to themselves, and a direct compensation
:16:39. > :16:44.from the Japanese government. With only days left until the end
:16:45. > :16:48.of the year, the timing of the talks was highly symbolic, and the
:16:49. > :16:53.expectations for results were high. Japan's foreign minister apologised
:16:54. > :16:55.for shaming the honour and dignity of the comfort women, and offered
:16:56. > :17:03.over $US8 million to help them. But it not clear whether Japan's
:17:04. > :17:05.admission of responsibility was TRANSLATION: As Prime Minister of
:17:06. > :17:14.Japan, Prime Minister Abe expresses anew his most sincere apologies
:17:15. > :17:19.and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful
:17:20. > :17:22.experiences, and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds,
:17:23. > :17:28.as comfort women. Dozens of former comfort women were
:17:29. > :17:30.glued to the television as news Former comfort woman Lee Ok Seon
:17:31. > :17:40.remembers what was TRANSLATION: I was forced
:17:41. > :17:47.on a train. Later I realised we had crossed
:17:48. > :17:53.the border into China. I was sent to a place where
:17:54. > :18:01.there were other comfort women. I wonder why they called
:18:02. > :18:03.us comfort women. I was forced to have sex
:18:04. > :18:06.with many men each day. It was so horrible that some
:18:07. > :18:13.women killed themselves. Earlier in the year,
:18:14. > :18:18.the South Korean President called for a resolution to the comfort
:18:19. > :18:23.women dispute by the year's end, marking the 50th anniversary
:18:24. > :18:27.of diplomatic relations. Few have believed that
:18:28. > :18:32.a quick breakthrough could be reached, and some criticised that
:18:33. > :18:35.the talks have been rushed to Officials described today's
:18:36. > :18:42.resolution as final and irreversible,
:18:43. > :18:44.but it is unclear if the deal would satisfy the expectations
:18:45. > :18:49.of all surviving victims. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance
:18:50. > :18:52.has announced a series of measures intended to strengthen
:18:53. > :18:53.government finances including a rise in the prices paid
:18:54. > :18:57.by consumers for energy and water. State revenues have
:18:58. > :18:59.been hit by the decline It posted a record budget deficit
:19:00. > :19:14.of $98 billion for 2015. Saudi Arabia, if you look at their
:19:15. > :19:18.revenue, it is about 70% for oil. In the last year the revenue was behind
:19:19. > :19:21.20% and the kingdom has had to come to grips with this as the oil price
:19:22. > :19:28.continues to plummet. Because of the global access in oil, it looks like
:19:29. > :19:32.prices will continue to be low in the next deal, even as world demand
:19:33. > :19:37.is expected to rise. So Saudi Arabia has had to deal with that. On the
:19:38. > :19:42.one hand we have seen OPEC try to protect their market's share against
:19:43. > :19:46.competitors, by not cutting the price of oil, but on the other hand
:19:47. > :19:52.we have also seen Saudi Arabia try to go to other routes for income,
:19:53. > :19:58.looking to invest. If you look to September, when in the US we met
:19:59. > :20:02.with several executives across business sectors in health, mining,
:20:03. > :20:06.education, trying to basically get them onboard to come to Saudi Arabia
:20:07. > :20:14.and to invest their survey could diversify the economy.
:20:15. > :20:20.One of the founding members of the British band motorhead has died. He
:20:21. > :20:22.was known for fast and furious guitar and the voice of a man who
:20:23. > :20:40.some with gravel. No one sounded quite like Mode
:20:41. > :20:46.ahead. Fast, raucous and very loud. And nobody looked quite like the
:20:47. > :20:59.scene. Those teeth, that head-up acquisition, those whiskers. But it
:21:00. > :21:03.wasn't always like this. He played with the band that lit up the
:21:04. > :21:08.ballrooms in the 1960s. I was a terrible guitarist. I was getting
:21:09. > :21:15.away with murder. Just move your fingers around very fast. And then I
:21:16. > :21:19.got onto a space I hadn't played before and it was great. I went
:21:20. > :21:31.straight into it and I ended up in Auckland. -- hawkweed. They made
:21:32. > :21:34.their biggest hit. Their usual vocalist couldn't get it right and
:21:35. > :21:38.at the last resort they asked Lemmy to have a go. They didn't want me to
:21:39. > :21:43.sing. They tried everybody else, except me, cause I was the new guy.
:21:44. > :21:50.And then they have to ask me because else would do it. Thrown out, he
:21:51. > :21:57.formed Motorhead and got back to basics. After a faltering start they
:21:58. > :22:04.recorded their breakthrough album. The title track came their abdomen
:22:05. > :22:13.and they never looked back. -- became. Lemmy in breast rock 'n'
:22:14. > :22:20.roll excess, the girls, the booze, the drugs and the incessant touring.
:22:21. > :22:27.I've been on the road for almost three years. I'm actually only 17!
:22:28. > :22:37.On Sunday that it feel it as much as others. By any reasonable standards
:22:38. > :22:42.he shouldn't have survived. But, unlike many of his contemporaries,
:22:43. > :22:45.he just kept on rocking. If I was to die and be on my deathbed regretting
:22:46. > :22:50.decisions I have made, I'm not interested in that. I want to die
:22:51. > :22:55.completely satisfied that I did the best I could.
:22:56. > :23:02.Lemmy, dead at the age of 70. The long-time busker more player with
:23:03. > :23:10.the Harlem Globetrotters has died at the age of 73. He had a 24 year
:23:11. > :23:11.career and was a star player for the Globetrotters as they toured the
:23:12. > :23:26.world. It was the dazzling book shocks and
:23:27. > :23:29.dads that earned him the title of clown prince of basketball, title
:23:30. > :23:33.for one of the most well-known ambassadors for the sport. More than
:23:34. > :23:40.100 countries, he travelled almost every night during his career with
:23:41. > :23:45.the famous if fake basketball team. From humble origins in North
:23:46. > :23:49.Carolina, Lemon had the skills to play professionally but chose the
:23:50. > :23:54.life of an entertainer. Some people ask me, how many games have you
:23:55. > :23:58.played? I say, I don't even care. That wasn't the main thing. Nobody
:23:59. > :24:05.wants a loser. We definitely won't losers. I just wanted to be out
:24:06. > :24:10.there and entertain. With a career that spanned 24 years between the
:24:11. > :24:13.1950s and 1970s, Lemon front of the historically African-American team
:24:14. > :24:18.as it toured the southern US, delighting fans with his athleticism
:24:19. > :24:23.and showmanship. Over the decades the team has played around the globe
:24:24. > :24:27.entertaining world leaders and endearingly out. In 1959 Lemon T in
:24:28. > :24:32.the Moscow where their performance on over basketball fans and earn
:24:33. > :24:37.them a leader with the then -- meeting with the then leader. Of the
:24:38. > :24:42.court he pursued motivational speaking, becoming a minister. He
:24:43. > :24:46.met children at basketball camps and youth prisons, hoping to inspire
:24:47. > :24:50.them through the game. While he may be gone, in the minds of priests and
:24:51. > :24:56.prime ministers, presidents and everyday players, maybe even if you
:24:57. > :24:57.former prisoners, the legacy of the crown prince will live on for some
:24:58. > :24:59.time yet. Courts in Sweden have ordered
:25:00. > :25:02.a temporary ban on wolf hunting in parts of the country days before
:25:03. > :25:08.the hunting season is due to begin. Environmentalists see
:25:09. > :25:10.a victory for animal rights, but hunting groups say they will
:25:11. > :25:12.appeal against the bans. Wolves are not endangered in Sweden
:25:13. > :25:15.but their numbers are small. The country's Environmental
:25:16. > :25:17.Protection Agency estimates A warning now for Australians, as
:25:18. > :25:25.crocodiles could be lurking in floodwater submerging
:25:26. > :25:27.the northern parts of the country. When the town
:25:28. > :25:29.of Daly River was being evacuated, saltwater crocodiles were reportedly
:25:30. > :25:32.spotted in the flooded streets. They've apparently
:25:33. > :25:35.been seen attacking family pets. More heavy rain is forecast
:25:36. > :25:38.for parts of the Northern Territory More on that and all the news on the
:25:39. > :25:48.BBC website. And you can get in touch with me
:25:49. > :26:07.and most of the team on Twitter. There is some rain around
:26:08. > :26:10.at the moment, and there is going to be more heavy rain
:26:11. > :26:16.during the course of Wednesday.