this is bbc news. i'm gavin grey. our top stories: saudi arabia has ‘declared war on lebanon' says of hezbollah, after accusing them of detaining prime minister hariri in riyadh. american comedian louis ck says accusations of sexual misconduct made against him by five women are true. at the halfway mark towards brexit — an ultimatum from the eu. the uk has two weeks to clear up its position on a divorce bill if it wants trade talks to start. and supermodel naomi campbell on sexual harassment and diversity in the fashion industry. hello and welcome to bbc world news. a new faultline opening up in the middle east has prompted calls for calm among international leaders.

saudi arabia has been accused of declaring war on lebanon by the leader of hezbollah, a lebanese group with close ties to iran. it follows the resignation of the lebanese prime minister a few days ago who is now in the saudi capital. there are fears lebanon is increasingly becoming a pawn in a wider regional confrontation between the major sunni power saudi arabia, and shia—dominated iran. the un secretary general has warned of ‘devastating consequences‘ if the conflict erupts. from the lebanese capital beirut, our middle east correspondent martin patience sent this report. for a region in turmoil, beirut served as a sanctuary from the violence. but now it finds itself at the centre of the growing struggle between saudi arabia and iran. speaks arabic.

in a move that has stunned lebanon, the prime minister resigned suddenly last weekend. not at home, but in saudi arabia. he lashed out at iran, accusing it of destabilising the entire region. today, iran‘s proxy in lebanon shot back. the leader of hezbollah claimed riyadh was holding the prime minister hostage. in a bid to defuse the crisis, the french president emmanuel macron stopped briefly in the kingdom. he met the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman, who is pursuing a tough line against iran. many in lebanon on share his view that tehran is too influential. some people are seeking dividends in lebanon for the role that they played in syria. those people are iran and hezbollah?

yes, they‘ve openly expressed that. that we fought isis in syria, we drew isis away from lebanese borders and therefore we need to be recognised. during the civil war here in the 1980s, the city was divided by warring parties. and this building was on the front line. but today, lebanon is divided by the regional struggle. and the country‘s seen as a pawn by the bigger players. everyone‘s reassuring us that everything will be ok but that doesn‘t mean that it is. but we‘ve been through worse, so we are trying, just hanging on there. it's a play of power and we're in the middle but it's always like this for lebanon. for 30, 40 years. but the fear is the dynamic is far more dangerous than in the past. in the last few decades we‘ve never been so close to the precipice. in many ways the threat of regional war has never been this real, if you like.

beirut famously partied through its civil war. and tonight, it‘s no different, but this is a region on edge, and the international community is calling for calm. earlier we spoke to fawaz gerges — who‘s professor of international relations at the london school of economics. he specialises in the middle east. he explained the regional politics at play, and how much of a gamble saudi arabia was taking in involving lebanon in its power struggle with iran for regional dominance. the fact is that hezbollah, one of the most powerful players in lebanon now is really organically linked with iran. in a way iran has established a dominant position in

lebanon, by taking on hezbollah in lebanon, by taking on hezbollah in lebanon, the saudi government has demanded that the lebanese state a cts demanded that the lebanese state acts against hezbollah. what does this mean, it means that if the lebanese government does act there will be a civil war. the lebanese government will lose against hezbollah, because hezbollah is more powerful than the lebanese state itself. lebanon is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it will bea rock and a hard place, and it will be a new theatre, and you battle field between the two regional heavy rates, saudi arabia and iran. —— heavyweights. in two years nothing would change in lebanon, hezbollah is the most powerful player in lebanon. wall street journal is reporting that us special counsel robert mueller is investigating whetherformer white house national security adviser michael flynn was offered up to $15 million to forcibly remove a muslim cleric living in the us

and deliver him to turkey. wall streetjournal says that flynn was allegedly offered the cash in exchange for fethullah gulen. the muslim cleric is viewed by turkey‘s president erdogan as a political enemy. turkey also blames gulen and his followers for the failed coup attempt last year. one of the reporters on the piece, james grimaldi explains the allegations. what the fbi is investigating is a meeting that occurred in manhattan in mid— september. this wasjust a month before the inauguration —— mid—december. this was just after michael flynn was named national security adviser. it is a follow—up toa security adviser. it is a follow—up to a meeting that we have report had that happened in september. in this meeting money was discussed that involved michael flynn and his son michael flynn junior. the involved michael flynn and his son

michael flynnjunior. the exact details of this are not known, we know the fbi is looking into it, we think that they have information about this. it is an alleged plot, but the idea was that because the extradition efforts were failing with the justice extradition efforts were failing with thejustice department, as they we re with thejustice department, as they were unable to convince them to do it in were unable to convince them to do itina were unable to convince them to do it in a legal way, but they would find some extra legal way to do it, and somehow the money would end up with the flynn family. the comedian louis ck has admitted to claims of sexual misconduct made against him by five women. the allegations were first brought to light by the new york times. in responding to the article, louis ck said he was remorseful for his actions. the bbc has been speaking with cara buckley, a culture reporter with the new york times and part of the team that broke the story.

after harvey weinstein, a lot of women came forward claiming sexual assault i hardly one scene, we heard that —— hardy wine sting. we heard that —— hardy wine sting. we heard that women who have negative experiences with louis ck, wanted to talk, and we have this through intermediaries, we had a lot of tips following the wine sting story, and louis ck had rumours swirling around him of sexual misconduct for years and years, it was said that different people, different names we re different people, different names were put to those rumours, none were ever substantiated, but now these women decided that they, it was the time to come forward with it because the landscape feels different now, it feels safer now that other women are stepping forward and being believed. there is a sense of inevitability, as more examples of misconduct and more women step forward. i cannot imagine it is the end of it, this is sexism, misogyny,

it isa end of it, this is sexism, misogyny, it is a long tradition in the world, and certainly no industry seems immune to it. i would be shocked if this is the end of it, i would definitely expect more win —— women to step forward and more men to have to step forward and more men to have to a nswer to step forward and more men to have to answer for what they have been accused of doing. earlier our la correspondent, peter bowes gave me the latest. even before this admission he was being dropped left right and centre by the studios and hollywood organisations that he deals with, under many hbo, the television network has dropped him, they are also saying that the back catalogue of his appearances will be taken down from their 0ndemand services, fx, the network that has been screening his series louie, says it is very troubled by the allegations,

he had film coming out next week, the star isjohn malkovich who plays a film director who gets involved with young women, and the director of that film is louis ck, that has been completely scrapped. is there any way back for him, do you think? at this stage there is difficult to see how there is a way back to him, the response from hollywood has been very swift, as it has with others, people like kevin spacey, it is difficult to see how any of these key characters can come back after such a devastating news against them, allegations that are very serious that could potentially we will have to wait and see, result in criminal charges, certainly these are matters that as far as the authorities are concerned, if they receive formal complaints they would investigate. he is facing a very serious situation, and as with all of these cases, the mood here in

hollywood is, what next? are there more allegations to come out? statement from louis ck is quite unusual, he talks about being remorseful, he talks about not being able to forgive himself, but reading through the entirety, i cannot see a sorry through the entirety, i cannot see a soi’i’y oi’ through the entirety, i cannot see a soi’i’y or an through the entirety, i cannot see a sorry or an apology to the women who complained. you are right, there is no apology, there is no straightforward of being sorry for what he acknowledges he did. he uses the phrase that he is "remorseful", thatis the phrase that he is "remorseful", that is not quite the same as flatly saying he is sorry to those women who he exposed himself to and other sex acts that we can go into. it is a statement that is long, it is unusual in that he is seemingly quite open about what he did, but does stop short of an apology. the uk has two weeks to make it clear

what it will pay to the eu when it leaves — or talks on a trade deal won‘t start next month. that,is the ultimatum from the eu‘s chief negotiator, michel barnier. he says it‘s vital that the uk make concessions and increase its offer. the brexit secretary david davis says good progress has been made in talks so far, though how to resolve the border between ireland and northern ireland, remains a sticking point. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, has been following today‘s talks in brussels. time is a precious commodity, and don‘t the uk and the eu know it. we‘re halfway now between the date of our eu referendum and actually leaving the club. expect many more face—offs along the way. by now, round six of brexit negotiations, all attempts at bilateral banter have gone. this is a serious business. ..says david davis. it is. the eu is the uk‘s biggest trading partner, and the government still hopes to keep

european relations close even as we untangle ourselves from the eu. but relations now are strained. the uk wants to talk about trade and the future. the eu response, make more headway in real and sincere progress, as they put it, by the end of this month or forget talk of trade until at least february next year. citizens rights are not yet resolved but progress has been made. the border of ireland remained a big problem. the eu thinks it can be

resolved next year though the uk project did an eu proposal to keep northern ireland in the single market and customs union. the massive sticking point right now is money, the eu wants cast—iron possibly written guarantees that the uk will honour financial agreements made while an eu member. but that is what task for in two weeks. the eu is really trying to pile on the pressure, it wants that money. 0therwise brussels threatens to dash the prime minister‘s hopes in this room in december at a summit of eu leaders. what theresa may wants is a green light from their eu cou nterpa rts green light from their eu counterparts to go ahead with what is known as "stage two" of the brexit negotiations, that is talk of trade and transition deals. 0n brexit negotiations, that is talk of trade and transition deals. on both cards of the channel —— sides of the channel, companies eight for news. and uncertainty is bad for business. but trade experts say eu—uk fallout over

brexit divorce issues will seem child‘s play compared to complications when it comes to trade. the real obstacle is to come, when britain tries to negotiate a new trade deal with the eu. and it‘s looking for something that‘s as good as or better than what it has now, which will be extremely difficult to achieve, because why would 27 countries, each of which has a veto, agree unanimously to give britain something better than what they have? can britain get a new trade deal with the eu by the time it leaves in march 2019? not in my opinion. no—one can stop time, of course, but when it comes to brexit, time can be stretched, negotiations extended. if everyone agrees. but in brussels and london, there is little appetite for that. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: a bloody assault on a journalist caught on camera. italian police arrest the brother of a jailed mobster. people in berlin linked hands and

celebrated. with nobody to stop them, it wasn‘t long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. it is keeping the structure itself. it is keeping the candidate‘s name always in the public eye that counts. success or failure depends not only on public display but on the local campaign headquarters and the heavy routine work of their women volunteers. yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. the palestinean authority state of mourning has been declared for the leader who symbolised the hopes for independent statehood. in the wake of the colombian volcano disaster, rescue teams are trying to reach thousands of survivors who managed to clamber onto rooftops and trees above the sea of mud. after 17 years of discussions, the decision was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers, who had long felt only begrudgingly accepted amongst

the ranks of clergy, suddenly felt welcomed. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: saudi arabia has "declared war on lebanon", says the leader of hezbollah, after accusing them of detaining prime minister hariri in riyadh. american comedian louis ck says accusations of sexual misconduct made against him by five women are true. president trump has taken the "america first" message abroad and made it quite clear to asia pacific leaders that the us would no longer tolerate what he called chronic trade abuses. speaking in vietnam he made it quite clear he would never agree to a deal which put the us at a disadvantage. but at the same event

china‘s president grabbed the mantle of globalization. the bbc‘sjonathan head reports from the summit. fresh from a feel—good blast of bonhomie in beijing, president trump arrived in da nang, the base from where the us waged its war in vietnam 50 years ago, with a much tougher message. apec is a free—trade forum, founded with strong american participation, just as the cold war ended. past presidents have used these summits to promote us values, like free trade and civil rights. but not this one. speaking to a hall full of east asia‘s business and diplomatic elite, mr trump at first showered them with flattery. but then changed tack with a litany of complaints, many directed at china, though he never named the culprits, of countries taking advantage of america, breaking the rules of free trade. we can no longer tolerate these chronic trade abuses. and we will not tolerate them.

despite years of broken promises, we were told that some day soon, everyone would behave fairly, and responsibly. people in america, and throughout the indo—pacific region have waited for that day to come. but it never has. you can come to summit meetings like this, and asia holds plenty of them, and come away with the impression that not very much happened. but not this one — with his speech in da nang, donald trump has announced america‘s withdrawl from the leadership role it has played in asia since the second world war, a role that has profoundly shaped this region. right after his speech was that of his recent host china. xi jinping‘s tone was softer, no threats or warnings here, but an invitation to asian countries tojoin a reforming china, and a none too subtle dig at the new american isolationism. translation: 0penness brings progress, while self

seclusion leaves one behind. we, the asia—pacific economies, know this too well from our own development experience. we should put in place a regional cooperation framework that ensures consultation among equals, wide participation and shared benefits. mr trump‘s tough talk on trade will go down well with many americans, but here in asia, while some governments will welcome his no—nonsense approach to diplomacy, you can almost feel american influence shrinking, and china waiting to take up the mantle. jonathan head, bbc news, da nang. italian police have arrested the brother of a jailed mobster in a suburb of rome for a bloody assault on a journalist captured on camera and that has shocked the nation.

roberto spada attacked the tv broadcaster, breaking his nose. the cameraman continued filming during the attack in 0stia and, a warning, there are graphic images from the start of tom donkin‘s report. the questions by the journalist on the right may have been uncomfortable but the reply was vicious, bloody and brutal. after daniele piervincenzi‘s nose was broken, he was repeatedly hit by a baton. his cameraman kept rolling. the attacker was roberto spada, brother to a convicted mobster. the questions put to him were about his family‘s connections to a far right political group known as casapound. he‘s now been arrested. this attack has shocked italy and even here in 0stia, a notorious seaside suburb of rome, people have been outraged and unafraid to show it. translation: let's hope this demonstration helps to remind everyone that journalism,

asking questions, is the essence in a democracy. without freedom of the press, independence of the press, democracy weakens, and look here in 0stia, we‘ve reached the bottom. covering suspected links between extreme right wing politicians and organised crime is sensitive business here in 0stia. its local government was dissolved two years ago by police who said city hall had been infiltrated by the mafia. it‘s because of this local elections here last sunday were being closely watched. casapound made big gains and journalists like daniele piervincenzi were asking why. but the group have condemned the violence and distanced themselves from roberto spada. rome‘s mayor has tweeted footage of the attack, calling it unacceptable, and expressed solidarity with the victim. she‘s organised a rally on saturday against violence which will serve as another reminder of how mafia rule still dominates italy‘s national conversation.

tom donkin, bbc news. naomi campbell, one of the biggest names in modelling over the last three decades, has been a vocal critic of the inequalities in the fashion business. she took british vogue to task for its lack of diversity prior to the appointment of its first black editor. will gompertz has been speaking to her in new york about her views on diversity and sexual harassment in the industry and her own sometimes controversial behaviour. i think it‘s a positive message to put out, an all—black cast for the pirelli calendar. doing alice in wonderland. are you feeling that there is a change? that‘s what i feel. interesting, isn‘t it? that‘s what i‘m starting to see, which is great. but let‘s hope that it‘s not a trend, and it remains that way, and they continue to choose with a diverse mind. have you been turned down because of your colour? many times in my past. but it‘s not something that i let deter me and stop me.

i used it to drive me. lupita nyong‘o did an instagram post today, criticising a front cover where they have airbrushed out the frizziness of her hair. she won‘t be happy about that. she‘s not happy about that. why would they do that? she doesn‘t understand. see, it‘s... i mean, i understand why she‘s upset. ioo%. and what about the darker side of naomi, the angry...? there isn‘t an angry any more. i don‘t really let people push that button. other issues in the fashion industry. the abuse of vulnerable young people, specifically women, but young men, as well. i‘m saddened, and i‘ve made it clear whatever i can do to use my voice, in supporting models of my industry, and what i do, i will. it‘s never happened to me. but i don‘t want it to ever happen to anyone. it shouldn‘t happen to anyone, period. how big of a problem is it? well, it seems to be a big problem.

and i think, before it gets better, it‘s going to get worse. i think we‘re going to have to hear about it lots, it‘s going to have to come out before... i mean, they‘re trying to find a solution, i know. and... i think it‘sjust the beginning, really. the lid‘s been opened. and so... it has emerged that donald trump‘s round of golf with the japanese prime minister last sunday didn‘t happen as smoothly as it first appeared. aerialfootage happen as smoothly as it first appeared. aerial footage shows a player, now identified by local tv as shinzo abe, hit his ball out of the bunker. he then loses his balance as he tries to climb out. he falls head over heels kick into the sand. he quickly picks himself back up sand. he quickly picks himself back up and is dusted down. i‘m sure that should be a two shot penalty! this is bbc news.

we are having to look into the atla ntic we are having to look into the atlantic for some elements of this weekend‘s weather for some parts of the british isles. what was tropical storm rena would be giving us gale force winds, but it will import some really warm and moist tropical air, which will manifest itself on parts on saturday as a lot of cloud and rainfor on saturday as a lot of cloud and rain for the southern half of the british clouds, much fresher aspect of the weather as we into scotland. wintry showers across high ground. at least there‘s sunshine to speak of and that assist into the afternoon. some of the showers turning wintry, down to about 300 metres or so. but at least there will be sunshine to speak of. northern ireland, a cloudy afternoon. a bit of brightness perhaps and brightening sky is coming from the north of england, especially down the eastern side,

but generally speaking as you come back through the midlands towards the south of wael zain in the southern counties of england it may be one of those afternoons where the rain sticks around for the greater pa rt rain sticks around for the greater part of the day, so that will be a nuisance in cardiff, but at least there will be brighter skies for the visit of samoa to murrayfield. the thicker cloud thickens even more in southern counties of england and wales for a time through the night. keeping up the rainfall. further north the skies remain clear for some. showers still perhaps and again wintry across high ground. 0nce again wintry across high ground. once the front in the south pulls into the near continent. —— continent, the air flows down from the north to the south. never a warm direction. all of us will experience that marked change in the field of the day on sunday, remembrance sunday of course. a scattering of showers around the exposed shores, fully exposed to the northerly wind.

down the spine of the country there could be a good deal of sunshine, but it will do nothing for the temperatures. seven, eight, nine degrees for many. next week starts cold and frosty, then it gets a little bit milder in the middle of the week and there will be some rain around. so there‘s a frosty start for the greater part of england and wales and the eastern part of scotland, i tear the first signs of that change into something milder as we bring the fronts into parts of scotla nd we bring the fronts into parts of scotland and eventually into northern ireland. from monday into tuesday no more than northerly, the isobars are cranked into a westerly, and that‘s why the weather will become milder. this is bbc news, the headlines: the leader of hezbollah has accused saudi arabia of —

in his words — declaring war on lebanon. in a televised broadcast, hasan nasrallah said the saudi government had detained lebanon‘s former prime minister in the country. the american comedian louis ck has admitted that claims of sexual misconduct from five women are all true. he apologised to the cast and crew of several projects he‘d been working on. the eu‘s chief brexit negotiator says the uk has two weeks to clarify its position of the payment of its so—called divorce bill. michel barnier said that would allow trade talks to begin when eu leaders next meet. grazia magazine has apologised to the hollywood star lupita nyong‘o, after it airbrushed out some of her hair on the cover of its november issue. now on bbc news it‘s time for inside out. hello and