welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: the final phase of the battle for raqqa, the last stronghold of so—called islamic state in syria. we have an exclusive report. this is the centre of raqqa, the very heart, if you like, of the islamic state. naim roundabout is about a few hundred metres away from here. locals call it the circle of hell. saudi arabia is set to lift the ban on women driving. but is the country really on the road to equality? a blow for president trump has his pick for alabama senator fails to win the vote. and reels rediscovered. a new movie charts a century of silent cinema history. and reels rediscovered.

hello. first for you, an exclusive report on the final stages of the battle for the syrian city of raqqa, last major stronghold of the extremist group the so—called islamic state. the current offensive by arab and kurdish fighters, with american and british support, started in june. then, is controlled most of raqqa. now, only a few hundred militants hold the centre of the city. the bbc is the only broadcaster to gain access to it. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville and cameraman darren conway sent this. you may find some of the images distressing. this is a war of annihilation, says the united states. raqqa is the battleground, and the victim. these are western coalition bombs, targeting the fighters of the so—called islamic state. more than 5,000 hit raqqa last month alone. an entire city has become a no—man‘s—land.

mile after mile, there is no life, no people. for years, is terrorised and controlled these streets. now, hundreds of those who called raqqa home have been killed by coalition bombs meant to free them. the us—led mission disputes the figure, and says that this is the most precise bombing campaign in history. they may be young, and their army new, but the men of the kurdish—led syrian democratic forces are winning. is promised a new empire would grow here. instead, the corpses of its fighters fill the gutters. first mosul, now raqqa — the caliphate is already dead. nearby, another corpse rots, likely caused by a drone strike. the threat here is from snipers.

a pause too long, or a misstep, and this female fighter would have lost her head. instead, the shot hits the wall to the right. the danger lies around corners, and in raqqa's shadows. is rarely come out and attack. they hide and wait. there are is fighters hiding near a mosque. the kurds throw everything they have at the gunmen. is return fire. all this to take just half a mile of road. gunfire. when all else fails, an air strike on the is position.

it might have done the trick. we wait for the all—clear. the instructions are simple. run that way, and be quick. but, as i get to the end of the street, it is clear the sniper is still there. he fires at us, but misses. the shots ricochet off the wall by the camera. oh, it hit right there! the deeper into the city, the greater the danger. it is an improvised war. here, arab fighters have savaged an is armoured car. like a prehistoric beast, it rumbles through a ruined landscape. commander abu abdo knows that snipers only need a tiny window of opportunity.

even in captured ground, there is always the risk that is will appear from behind. they have dug tunnels all over the city. the steel flanks of the armour shield us through yet another sniper alley. there is a sniperjust around that corner, just at the end of the street. we have to be very careful here. this is the centre of raqqa, the very heart, if you like, of the islamic state. naim roundabout is about a few hundred metres away from here. locals call it the circle of hell. for these fighters, it is critical territory to retake. but it is much more than that, because it is there that their friends were beheaded, and there they were crucified.

when they take that territory, they say, they will cleanse raqqa of the islamic state. but, before the cleansing, more blood has to be spilt. one of the fighters has been shot. is control the rooftops and our men are pinned down. there are almost in panic. they are desperate. their commrade is just out of reach. again an air strike is called in, and this time it works. finally, they can get to him. he is rushed to a field hospital, but he doesn't survive. he was 21 years old. the fighters are exhausted, they've had too many days end like this. translation: we keep going. we will sacrifice our blood for our people inside, because they're having a tough time, a really tough time.

yesterday daesh attacked us, with their men dressed as women, and there were big numbers, like 100. we thought they were civilians, and they also had children with them. and suddenly, the civilians and children went to the side of the road, and then they started to fire at us. in the six days we were inside raqqa, we didn't see a single civilian. thousands, though, are still trapped in is areas. raqqa, for them, is an iron—clad death trap. they would have to go through all of this to escape. it is not clear who is friend orfoe. raqqa was the islamic state's syrian capital. now, it is a city fit for no—one. gunfire. quentin sommerville, bbc news, raqqa. and don't forget you can get much more detail about the battle for raqqa on the bbc website.

you will also find more from quentin, including a 360—degree guide to the city. that is at bbc.com/news. the mexican emergency services say they will continue searching for another three days looking for possible survivors after last week's earthquake. more than a0 people are still missing, but hopes are fading of finding anyone else alive. 331 people were killed in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. chaotic scenes to show you from uganda's parliament now, as mps debated the contentious removal of the presidential age gap. punches were thrown, and chairs, too, after it was claimed one mp had taken a gun into the chamber. the age limit is controversial because the current president is 73 years old, and the limit for re—election is capped at 75. the french president, emmanuel macron, has set out an ambitious plan for reforming the european union, saying that in its current form it was too weak, slow and inefficient. he called for a european military intervention force and a common budget.

mr macron also proposed halving the number of eu commissioners. women in saudi arabia will soon be allowed to drive for the first time. it is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving. the law will be changed nextjune. rights groups have been campaigning about the issue for years, with some women having been imprisoned for defying the rule. farah al sweel is from riyadh. she moved to new york in 2016 and now works there as an international civil servant. for over 25 years, women have campaigned for the right to drive in saudi arabia. some have been imprisoned for daring to get behind the wheel. this decision ends the conservative islamic kingdom's status as the only country in the world where it is forbidden.the shock announcement was made at the un in new york on tuesday. a royal decree has been issued in saudi arabia, giving women the right to drive. this is a historic day for saudi society, for men and women. saudi arabia has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women

and is known for its gender segregation rules. this decree, which risks riling religious conservatives, is part saudi arabia's reform drive, aimed at improving its global reputation. the us state department described it as a positive sign. we are happy to hear that. give saudi women are now able to drive, certainly here in the united states we would certainly welcome that. i think it is a great step in the right direction for the country. it follows a national celebration this weekend where women were allowed into a sports stadium, previously a male only arena, to watch concerts the first time. 0ne political analyst says allowing women to drive is another sign that the pace of social change is picking up. this has been for a long time a thorn in the side of the kingdom. that is why it is getting such limelight and positive coverage around the world, i think.

although this was not the only issue on the un rights and women's rights agenda when it comes to saudi arabia. but yes indeed, it is historic. the order should come into effect byjune 2a next year. it has been described by campaigners as a real victory. a glorious day for women's rights. this news just this newsjust in. alabama voters have elected conservative roy moore as the republican nominee to fill a us senate seat, dealing a blow to president donald trump and other party leaders who had argued that rival luther strange was a better bet to advance their priorities in washington. strange was appointed to the us senate earlier this year to fill the seat vacated byjeff sessions, whom trump picked to be his attorney general. let's talk to david willis in washington. david, this became a very curious contest. very curious contest my

your absolutely right, mike, yes. and roy moore is a right—wing firebrand evangelical conservative. he isa firebrand evangelical conservative. he is a man who has branded homosexuality evil. he has condemned same—sex marriage. and he actually lost hisjob as same—sex marriage. and he actually lost his job as the state of alabama's... lost his job as the state of alabama's. .. 0n the lost his job as the state of alabama's... 0n the state of alabama's... 0n the state of alabama's supreme court for refusing to re m ove alabama's supreme court for refusing to remove a massive statue to the ten commandments that he put up there. well, he has proven a very popular candidate in the last few weeks. but, ironically, it was not this antiestablishment candidate... excuse me, so this antiestablishment candidate... excuse me, so sorry this antiestablishment candidate... excuse me, so sorry about that. it was not this antiestablishment candidate who got the backing of donald trump, but the very establishment candidate, luther strange. even in the final weeks of the campaign, donald trump was

forced to concede that he might have backed the wrong horse, if you like. it is difficult to imagine how he got this so wrong, but he did back the wrong horse. and it will be a roy moore who goes through to take on the democratic candidate in the run—off in december. on the democratic candidate in the run-off in december. and curious too to see the former right—hand man steve bannon andy brexit secretary nigel farage campaigning for the other candidate against mr trump's candidate — what does it stay about the state of the republican party? you know what, i think this raises two matt big questions tonight, mike, this result. it raises the question about donald trump's ability to harness his base support to vote for an established republican candidate, a preferred candidate of his own party. but it also raises the question about mainstream candidates versus far

right candidates, and clearly the electorate, albeit in alabama, which is, you know, the deep south, and of course things are different down there, but nonetheless they have given the option gone for the hard right candidate and i think it underlines the sort of challenge that the republican leadership here in washington might be facing in the future. because this was less, i think, a backlash against donald trump. more at backlash against other people who had supported luther strange, including the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. he has quite a job on his hands, i think, if this is the start of a trend. david, thank you very much for that. thanks to you for being with us. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: bypassing brain damage. a pioneering implant restores consciousness to one patient for the first time in 15 years. ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home

to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: the battle for the syrian city of raqqa — the last major stronghold of so—called islamic state — is entering its final phase. just a few hundred is fighters are holding the centre of the city. the king of saudi arabia has issued an order allowing women to drive for the first time. president trump will travel to put arrigo next week. most of its 3.4 million people are still without power, clean water and medicine is also scarce. i'm joined now by rickjervis, the national correspondent for usa today. he joins us from austin, texas. last time we spoke to you, one week ago, you were there and put arrigo.

how was that when you left? it was pretty bad. there are still widespread destruction, there is a looming humanitarian crisis happening. it was really bad immediately after the storm that now things are growing worse because people are running out of supplies, running out of food. there is still no water. gas is extremely scarce. every inch of that island has been impacted by this so it is a widespread humanitarian crisis and it is growing. looking at what they have been saying, those 3.4 million people, they seem to to the president, really, we are us citizens, you know. correct. there are people trying to remind other people about that um that these are american citizens, this is a us

territory and it should be dealt with as swiftly as disasters back in texas and florida were. there were questions about whether it is, or not, being dealt with in the same manner. the governor has been quite explicit. i know he said we are in the midst of a disaster that it is a possible the president will get a rough ride? it depends. one thing about prison‘s personal reaction to it and he has been delayed in talking about puerto rico and visiting puerto rico but there are fellow assets there on the island. fima are out there, they have been out there since the storm arrived. they are reacting. the question is is it enough? do we need a larger

response to that crisis? apart from talking about the size of the island's debt, the president has spoken about how far away it is and how we may be difficult to get a bed that it how we may be difficult to get a bed thatitis how we may be difficult to get a bed that it is getting through? it is. the fortunate part is that there we re the fortunate part is that there were many federal assets there for hurricane irma already and had gotten their to help the island recover from hurricane irma. gotten their to help the island recoverfrom hurricane irma. some of the surrounding islands as well such as stjohn and saint thomas. the assets were there, they stayed in place. as soon as hurricane maria passed they basically mobilised immediately. bout was fortunate, that they were there already, and have been mobilising to the past five or six dayss. in france, a man who'd been in a vegetative state for 15 years has begun to show signs of consciousness thanks to an experimental therapy. the pioneering treatment involved implanting a nerve stimulator in his chest.

within a month he was able to respond to simple instructions, turn his head and even follow an object with his eyes. researchers believe the results are potentially very exciting but need more work. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh reports. for 15 years, the patient in france had been completely unaware of the world around him following a car accident and severe brain injury, until a medical team in lyon restored some consciousness. they did it by stimulating the vagus nerve which connects the brain to other organs. surgeons implanted a nerve stimulator in the man's chest and this was linked by wire to the vagus nerve in the neck and then an electrical pulse was introduced. after treatment, the team report that the patient could follow an object with his eyes and slowly turn his head when asked, though he remains largely paralysed and unable to talk. cathy rentzenbrink‘s brother

matty spent eight years in a vegetative state. he died after a judge agreed with the family that his feeding tube should be withdrawn. she says this research may raise false hopes. the debate will be muddied because everybody reading the headlines will say, "oh, doctors have woken someone up," whereas actually, to say that someone's been in a vegetative state and now minimally conscious is... well, a lot people thinking being minimally conscious is worse. this research raises ethical issues about the long—term care of vegetative patients. last week, a judge in london ruled that legal permission is no longer required to withdraw feeding tubes when doctors and relatives agree. a decision that is likely to be challenged. fergus walsh, bbc news. long before the days of motion pictures there was the silent film. a huge library of these movies was once housed in dawson city, canada, but was

eventually destroyed. in 1978 a small portion of well—preserved reels from that collection were discovered beneath a swimming pool. filmmaker bill morrison has turned the unearthed archive into a feature called dawson city: frozen in time. the bbc caught up with him. i first heard about it in the late 19805 i first heard about it in the late 1980s and always thought it would

—— a great story to tell. the irony is that getting rid of these films was an inadvertent act of preservation. it is the story about the recovery of these films but also a story, principally, about the town and what it took to get their. most archivists can recognise dawson city film collections because it has these white thing greer water damage on either side of the sprockets. there is a sequence towards the end of my film were cobbled together some examples from some of the characters scenes, reacting to the horror of this encroaching decay. i think it is a film that was at least 120 years in the making. we have footage from the 1896, the same year that gold was discovered in dawson

city. a silent march of african—americans 100 years ago, protesting violence towards african—americans. mob violence and lynchings. and there is the 1919 world series which does chicago white sox famously threw in exchange for cash. up through the silent era and then going through when it was discovered in 1978. it took a long time to tell the story about why those reels had sat in the archive for yea rs those reels had sat in the archive for years without anybody touching them. it is anybody‘s guess. but i think there is still gold down there. there is 533 reels that don't exist anywhere else. those represent 372 different titles and of those 372 different titles and of those 372 titles, a xserve did 124. one

third of the titles that exist in the collection are in some way glimpsed in my film. i have not even seen glimpsed in my film. i have not even seen the entire collection myself. i leave my film here as an arrow for future archivists who wish to explore more and more. finally, a museum has opened in tokyo dedicated to the japanese avant guide artists rio kusama. she uses mirrors to create infinity rooms and is fascinated by the use of polkadot. her art sells for more than any other contemporary female artist. you can get in touch with me and the tea m you can get in touch with me and the team via twitter. good morning.

yet again, if you had some sunshine yesterday you probably had some warmth, and in fact in the london area we saw highs of 22 degrees, with some sunny spells, as you can see from this weather watches from twickenham. but things are set to change. this low pressure is moving in, bringing wet and windy weather by the end of the day for many of us. we start off with the west—east divide across the country. a bit of patchy mist and fog slowly lifting away, but the wind will strengthen and cloud and rain gathers. some of it quite heavy in northern ireland by the middle of the afternoon. the best of the weather is likely to stay into the south—east corner and we could have temperatures again into the low 20s. by the end of the afternoon across the south—west of england and parts of wales we'll start to see some rain arriving. east wales, though, you might get a bit of brightness. 17—18 degrees. the heaviest rain into northern ireland where it

will feel dismal. not a bad end to the afternoon in much of northern england and eastern scotland. cloud thickening up, the winds strengthening across western fringes of scotland. so that weather front sweeps its way eastwards through the evening and overnight and in actual fact it's moving at quite a pace. there will be some rain, some of it heavy, for all of us at some point through the night, clearing away in all but eastern fringes towards dawn. with clearer skies and lighter winds we could see some patchy mist and fog forming. more favoured spots for it to linger perhaps through south—west england and wales first thing. but again the further west on thursday you'll see the best of the sunshine. after a cloudy and damp start there is a slow improvement through eastern fringes, but we might keep a bit of cloud across east anglia and the south—east. the highest values, 14—20 degrees. now, as we move out of thursday and into friday, things are set to change. that's partly because of what's happening across north america, with a cold plunge of air coming out of canada, mixing with very warm, moist air in the caribbean, and that's going to strengthen the jet, which will in turn deflect these areas of low

pressure across the uk. a spell of wet and windy weather moving into friday is likely, that wull sweep steadily eastwards, behind it a better clearance — brighter weather to come. 14—19 degrees the high. this pattern continues into the weekend. saturday could be a day of sunshine and showers before another significant area of low pressure brings wet and windy weather for sunday. this is bbc news. the headlines: the battle for the syrian city of raqqa, last major stronghold of the extremists who call themselves islamic state, is entering its final phase. the current offensive by arab and kurdish fighters, with american and british support, started in june. just a few hundred is fighters are left now, holding the centre of the city. king salman of saudi arabia has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time. the order is due to come into force next june, after years of campaigning, and punishment of women found

driving while female. saudi arabia has been the only country in the world that does not permit women to drive. president trump has been dealt a major blow after his choice to contest a vacant senate seat for the republicans in alabama lost a primary run—off vote. luther strange was beaten by roy moore, a hardline christian conservative, and ally of former white house chief strategist steve bannon. now on bbc news: the youngest and most vulnerable are paying