welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: power games in lebanon. politicians warn iran and saudi arabia against waging proxy war for control of the country. it looks like a new trans—pacific trade deal is moving forward without the usa. canada drops its objections. american tv comedian, louis ck, admits claims of sexual misconduct against him are true. and supermodel, naomi campbell, tells the bbc that current allegations about sexual abuse in the fashion industry are "just the beginning." hello, and welcome to bbc news. the crisis in lebanon has

intensified, with the leader of the militant shia group, hezbollah, now accusing saudi arabia of declaring war on his country. it comes just days after the lebanese prime minister, saad hariri, announced his resignation while in the saudi capital. the un and others in the international community have warned other countries against using lebanon as a pawn in a wider regional confrontation between the major sunni power saudi arabia, and shia—dominated iran. from the lebanese capital, beirut, 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. 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 diffuse 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.

rex tillerson has said people should not use lebanon for proxy conflict. he said the us supported independent lebanon. the remaining members of a major pacific trade deal abandoned by the united states have agreed to a new framework, after days of stalled talks to revive the pact. according to the canadian trade minister, francois—philippe champagne, the breakthrough in vietnam on the sidelines of an annual asian economic summit, is welcome news. it comes after president trump took his "america first" message to the region and made it quite clear to leaders the us would no longer tolerate what he called chronic trade abuses. andrew plant reports. big progress. that was canada's verdict as their prime minister arrived for this gathering in vietnam, describing a deal being worked on here, the trans—pacific partnership, as a long hoped—for trade agreement. justin trudeau!

any such deal had seemed in doubt, after us president donald trump very publicly abandoned the idea earlier this year, saying it was bad for america. mr trump arrived in vietnam after a visit to china, where he praised his hosts. but in vietnam that affability evaporated in a speech to asian leaders. that tone was at times sharp, of robust rejection of the way america and asia had done business in the past. it shows japanese leadership. now that the us is out of this negotiation for the time being, we would like to push the tpp forward to distract the us. donald trump arrived in vietnam after a visit to china, praising the hosts. but in vietnam, that affability evaporated. ina vietnam, that affability evaporated. in a speech to asian leaders, he was

sharp, a robust rejection of the way america and asia had done business in the past. we were told someday soon everyone behave fairly and responsibly. people in america and throughout the indo pacific region have waited for that day to come, but it never has. speaking immediately afterwards, the president of china praised asia's economic potential and championed openness. it was a gathering many are seeing as the moment america stepped away from its former role in the region, a sign that influence here is perhaps less important to the us president than a good deal for the american people. andrew plant, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to the white house bureau chief. he has been travelling and covering the asian visit of

donald trump. i asked him about the framework agreement given america dropped out last year. the official sta nce dropped out last year. the official stance will be not at all but the donald trump in his first days in office, one of the most significant things he did was to pull the united states out of the trans—pacific partnership. he has made it clear that he is looking at bilateral, one—on—one, trade deals, and does not want to be involved in these more bilateral deals. the fact this happened while he is in vietnam is highly symbolic. we are just looking at pictures of presidents and prime ministers are rising for apec. we just saw vladimir putin going in. —— arriving. it was interesting listening to donald trump and xi jinping outlining their views for

the region. starkly different. absolutely. it is ironic that president xijinping of absolutely. it is ironic that president xi jinping of china delivered a speech we might have heard by a us president in previous yea rs heard by a us president in previous years talking about open trade, levelling the playing field, all of that, while we have the president of the united states talking about a more narrow vision of trade and putting america first, although i thought it was more remarkable that he did say he does not blame china and other countries for taking advantage of the united states, but is blaming previous us administrations. he says he will not allow this to happen under his administration. he was not giving any details about how the us might retaliate against countries it thinks are engaging in unfair trade. what do you think regional leaders are making of this new president? well, for most of them, this is

their first well, for most of them, this is theirfirst opportunity well, for most of them, this is their first opportunity to see him upfront and personal. some have come to washington and had conversations. shinzo abe notably rushed to the us after donald trump was elected president. they have a close relationship. i was in the room yesterday when he was giving that speech and they were polite. but there was not any cheering donald trump had gotten used to hearing when he was on the campaign trail. i think he knew this was going to be a bit of a tough crowd and they would not necessarily like the message he is delivering. more broadly, there is delivering. more broadly, there is concern about what sort of leadership there will be by the united they strategically in this region. —— the united states. the trans—pacific region. —— the united states. the tra ns—pacific partnership was supposed to be a ball walk against china not only in terms of trade but strategically as well. —— barrier against. let's ta ke

let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. protestors in australia have clashed with police outside a political fundraising event attended by the country's former prime minister, tony abbott. demonstrators called on the immigration minister to end offshore detention and bring refugees to australia. it comes after a refugee camp on manus island was closed last wee, october 31st, prompting around 600 men to barricade themselves inside. a lawyer representing the former us national security adviser, michael flynn, has rejected allegations he was involved in a plot to seize a dissident muslim cleric and return him to turkey. a statement said the allegations, first reported by the wall street journal, were outrageous and false. reports allege general flynn and his son were offered $15 million to deliver the cleric fetullah gulen to turkey, where he is accused of being behind last year's failed coup. three chinese students in france have been injured by a car which ploughed into them near the city of toulouse. the driver of the vehicle was immediately arrested. french media reported that he is believed

to have a history of mental illness, and the incident isn't believed to be terror—related. one of the latest hollywood figures to be accused of sexually harassing women has admitted that all of the allegations against him are true. five women have made claims against the american comedian, louis c.k.. he expressed remorse for his actions. peter bowes reports from los angeles. louis c.k. louis c. k. has louis c.k. has admitted he subjected five women to various acts of indecency, including stripping naked and performing a sex act in front of them. two of his accusers say it happened in a hotel room in 2002 at

a comedy festival. in a statement he said the stories were true and he is now aware of the impact of his actions. he said this. he adds this. the statement does not include an apology to the women. hello, everybody. it is nice to see all of you. he is best known as a stand-up comedian. he is also a successful writer, producer, and actor. hollywood's responds to the allegations against him has been swift. his latest film has been scrapped. he was dropped by several tv networks. and netflix has cancelled plans for a stand—up special. they cited his

unprofessional and inappropriate behaviour with female colleagues. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. the uk has two weeks to make clear what it will owe to the eu when it leads. that is the ultimatum from michel barnier. he says it is vital the uk make concessions and increase its offer. the brexit secretary, david davis, says good progress has been made in talks so far with regards to the a necessary. 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 eu and the uk's brexit negotiators feel they keep repeating themselves, but the other side isn't listening. 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. so where are we on the brexit divorce issues, and what does "real and sincere progress" mean? citizens' rights are not yet

resolved but progress has been made. the border of ireland remains a big problem. the eu thinks it can be resolved next year, though the uk rejected 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. a lot to ask for in two weeks. the eu is really trying to pile on the pressure — it wants that money. otherwise 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 the green light from her eu counterparts to go ahead with what is known as "stage two" of the brexit negotiations. that is talk of trade

and transition deals. on both sides of the channel, companies ache for news. uncertainty is very 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. this is bbc news.

stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the answer to a thousand—year old riddle may have been found. why did the mayans build mexico's ancient pyramids? berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced around their liberated territory. and, with nobody to stop them, it was not long before the first attempts were made to destroy 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 has declared a state of mourning 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 result 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: amid growing tension between saudi arabia and the iranian—backed hezbollah movement, the united states has warned other countries against using lebanon for proxy conflicts. the 11 remaining members of the trans—pacific partnership have agreed a new framework to revive the proposed trade deal, following the us withdrawal earlier this year. the battle of passchendaele was one of the longest and bloodiest campaigns of the first world war. it resulted in almost 700,000 deaths.

today, the largest number of first world war field guns ever assembled, fired a salute to the fallen, exactly 100 years since passchendaele was captured, as robert hall reports. in a muddy field near the franco—belgian border, the thunder of the guns. every one of these weapons had fired during the battles of the first world war. today, they sounded their tribute a century on from the day canadian troops finally took the hilltop village of passchendaele. the fighting was part of a plan to capture high ground and reverse the course of the war north of ypres, but wet weather slowed and thwarted the attacks. allied forces advanced just five miles. allied and german armies lost well over half a million men, killed or injured, hundreds disappeared in a sea of mud. 64 volunteers, some of them serving

soldiers, manned the guns. they represented the seven nations which shared the horrors of that summer and autumn. my grandfather was killed in action at hill 60 in the battle of passchendaele. i have always had a feeling he should be remembered. all of our young soldiers are very aware of the poignancy of what has gone before them. recent wars in iraq and afghanistan really hit home but it makes them more interested in the history that came before that. being here is important to them and it means a lot. in the drizzle, with the smell of cordite in the air, thoughts turn to the young men who walked into that smoke and fire so long ago. for us to be able to represent and portray the 36th ulster division that gave so much at that time, it's a unique, proud, privileged moment for us.

those young fellas from that long time ago gave everything, didn't know whether they would be alive within the next hour. the next minute. what they gave was unreal. this weekend, britain and europe will remember conflicts across the decades. here, as the guns fell silent, the focus was on one terrible battle, on lives ruined, on those who never came home. robert hall, bbc news, northern france. 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. 100%. 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... the mayans were an ancient people who built huge elaborate cities and now a team of scientists may have

discovered crucial information about the ruins of chichenitza. in the jungles of mexico, a marvel and a mystery. this pyramid was built by the mayans sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries. now archaeologists are going underground to try to answer a crucial question. why was it built here? it seems the answer is pretty simple. translation: the aquifer, the water that sustained the city, that sustains the life of the peninsula. we can see the consequences, even negative ones, that may come from the fact that these buildings are built above bodies of water. the yucatan peninsula is dotted with underground rivers and natural wells. the mayans seem to have built their city right on top. scientists developing 3d images showing the cavities underneath the pyramid. there are also tunnels and passageways all around the area.

another mystery that is still to be resolved, as this extraordinary relic of the past gives up some of its secrets. stay with us and bbc news. hello. 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 rina won't be giving us gale force winds, but it will import some really warm and moist tropical airs, which will manifest themselves on the start of saturday as a lot of cloud and rain for the southern half of the british isles. a much fresher aspect to the weather as we head into scotland.

wintry showers across high ground. at least there's sunshine to speak of and that persists into the afternoon. some of the showers turning wintry, down to about 300 metres or so. snow will lie on high ground of scotland, but at least there will be sunshine to speak of. northern ireland — a cloudy afternoon. a bit of brightness perhaps and brightening skies 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 wales and into the southern counties of england it may be one of those afternoons where the rain sticks around for the greater part of the day, so that's going to be a nuisance in cardiff, but at least there's going to be brighter skies for the visit of samoa to murrayfield. the thicker cloud thickens even further in southern counties of england and wales for a time through the night. just pepping up the rainfall. further north the skies remain clearfor some. a dotting of showers still perhaps and again wintry across high ground. once that set of fronts in the south pulls into the near continent,

notice that the air flows down those isobars from the north to the south. never a warm direction. all of us will experience that marked change in the feel of the day on sunday, remembrance sunday of course. yes, a scattering of showers around the exposed shores, fully exposed to the northerly wind. but 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, the eastern part of scotland too, but here the first signs of that change into something milder as we bring the fronts into parts of scotland and eventually into northern ireland. from monday into tuesday, no more the northerly, the isobars are cranked into a westerly, and that's why the weather will become milder.

this is bbc news. the headlines: there is growing concern that a power struggle between saudi arabia and iran is fuelling the political crisis in lebanon. the american secretary of state has warned other countries against using the country for proxy conflicts, following a crisis triggered by the resignation of its prime minister. it looks like a new trans—pacific trade deal is moving forward without the usa. canada has dropped its objections in talks on the sidelines of the annual asian economic forum being held in vietnam. one of the latest figures in american entertainment to be accused of sexual misconduct, the comedian, louis ck, has admitted that several allegations made against him are true. five women had accused him of various acts of indecency. in a statement, louis ck expressed remorse for his actions. let's have a quick look at what's making the front pages of some