welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: from raqqa to safety. a special report on the secret deal that let hundreds of is fighters escape. it is here that they realised they could fight another day. the deal to get them out of here is the deal that no one wants to talk about. it is raqqa's dirty secret. a huge relief effort is under way after the devastating iran—iraq earthquake. a50 people are dead and thousands more injured. ala bama's republican candidate for the senate faces more calls from the top levels of his party to step aside as a fifth woman accuses him of sexual misconduct. he says it's "fake news". and from breaking bad to breaking news. we get into character with bryan cra nston. hello.

an exclusive report this hour on the secret deal that ended the three—year occupation of the syrian city of raqqa by the extremist group, the so—called islamic state. that deal allowed several hundred is fighters to escape, along with their weapons and ammunition, and theirfamilies. it saved lives and brought peace to the city — but there may still be a price to pay. our middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, has the story. even at peace, with the so—called islamic state gone, raqqa is still deadly dangerous. few of its roads have been cleared. the fighting stopped here a month ago, but there are still mines and booby traps everywhere. most of the city is a no—go zone. hardly anyone has been allowed to return. but we made it inside,

searching for a trail through the debris, looking for clues to the islamic state's escape route. the city hospital was their last refuge, and it's here where ourjourney begins. the group's final defeat came thanks not to a battle, but to a bus ride. the convoy left from here, the city hospital. they'd been holed up inside for months. on it were is fighters, their families and their hostages, but we're told their mood wasn't dejected, they weren't defeated. they were defiant. it was here that they realised that they might live to fight another day. the deal to get them out of here is the deal that no one wants to talk about. it's raqqa's dirty secret. so did kurds, arabs and the western coalition get together and agree a deal that not only allowed is to escape from raqqa,

but also allowed its fiercest fighters to roam far and wide from the confines of this city? they left the city lonely, empty and in ruins. the hunt begins here in raqqa, but would take us across northern syria and beyond. the deal started with a media blackout. the islamic state's escape was not to be televised. but, thanks to amateur footage, we see this was a convoy and a deal too large to hide. the world was told only a few dozen local fighters were being let go. no foreigners and not weapons. but the trucks were crammed full of fighters, some wearing suicide belts. all were heavily armed. after days of searching, we picked up the trail at a truck

stop on the outskirts of tabqa. here we discovered the drivers, all civilians, who drove is to freedom. they'd been hired by the kurdish—led syrian democratic forces. it was the longest journey of their lives. their trucks were rigged with is bombs, in case the deal collapsed. they'd been told they were picking up only a few hundred civilians, that it would be a quickjob. they ended up driving day and night for three days. everybody‘s been saying only a couple of hundred, at the absolute maximum, is fighters left raqqa. you took them out, tell us how many you transported. translation: we were 47 trucks and 13 buses, and is militants took their own vehicles, as well. our convoy was 6—7 kilometres long. we took out around 4000 people, including women and children. tell me about the foreigners

that were on the trucks, where were they from? translation: france, turkey, azerbaijan, pakistan, yemen, saudi, china, tunisia, egypt. there was a huge number of foreigners. this couldn't look like the islamic state's escape to victory, so the sdf insisted there would be no flags and no banners. instead, is fighters sat boldly on top of the trucks. the axle on one lorry broke, it was so overloaded with is weaponry. some of those who escaped have already made it here to turkey. raqqa was their capital, but it was also a cage. there they were trapped. the deal may have brought peace to the city, but it also allowed some of the most

battle—hardened is fighters to escape notjust raqqa, but also syria, and arrive here on europe's doorstep. the winds have carried news of the islamic state's defeat, but they bring with them a warning and a threat from a smuggler and a former is fighter. the caliphate is gone but the islamic state is still out there. quentin sommerville, bbc news, istanbul. you can find more on quentin sommerville's and riam dalati's exclusive report on "raqqa's dirty secret" by going to our website — that's bbc.com/news. you can also download the bbc news app. at least a50 people have been killed in a powerful earthquake that's struck the northern border of iran and iraq. another 4,000 were injured and casualty figures are expected to rise, on both sides of the border. relief efforts are gathering pace but the rescue operation in the kermanshah province in iran has ended. the quake — magnitude 7.3 — was centred just under 20 miles south of the city of halabja. one of the worst hit areas was sarpol—e zahab, as james robbins reports. the moment the earth

starts shaking violently. a man runs for his life from the control room of this dam, as massive boulders are hurled around outside. the dam wall was not breached. but, elsewhere, devastation. in iran, the border town of sarpol—e zahab was hit hardest. as entire walls collapsed, many families did manage to flee their homes, but others were crushed or buried. at a local hospital, there were many stories of narrow escape. translation: i fell from the balcony down. the earthquake was very strong. translation: the earthquake shattered the window, which fell on me, and it wounded my hand and my face. rescue has been made more difficult by the mountainous terrain. iranian authorities are pouring resources in, but landslides and power cuts are slowing both rescue efforts and the task of establishing the full extent of casualties. this quake was 7.3 in magnitude

and happened in a known danger zone. the surface of the earth is made up of tectonic plates, and, in this case, the arabian plate has been moving roughly northwards against the eurasian plate at a rate of two centimetres — just under an inch a year. forces build up and eventually are very suddenly released with devastating effect. the destruction in iran is greater than in neighbouring iraq, where a major rescue operation is also under way. the bbc‘s rami ruhayem is there. this area is one of the hardest hit in iraq by sunday's earthquake. we're told seven people were inside this home when it collapsed. two of them were killed and others were injured. several other buildings suffered similar damage to this one, but, fortunately, they seem to be the exception rather than the rule, and most of the other homes in the region managed to withstand the impact of the earthquake.

for the survivors, night—time is the toughest. in rapidly falling temperatures, families are huddled around fires. even where buildings are intact, fear of after—shocks will keep people outdoors. james robbins, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. myanmar‘s military has tried to absolve itself of any wrongdoing against the country's muslim rohingya population. 600,000 rohingyas have fled to neighbouring bangladesh with many stories of abuse by the army. the military‘s own investigation concludes that no soldier has shot an innocent civilian, nor engaged in sexual violence. international creditors holding $60 billion of venezuelan bonds have met government officials but say there are still no major proposals to renegotiate its debt and avoid a default. president maduro blames the economic crisis on the sharp decrease in the international price of oil and sabotage by the united states. britain's chief brexit negotiator, david davis, has promised that parliament will get a binding vote

on the terms of any deal to leave the european union, but not on brexit itself. he told parliament if mps rejected the settlement, britain would leave with no deal. one pro—eu mp described the apparent concession as in fact a sham. roy moore — republican candidate for the senate in alabama — has now been told by some of the most senior figures in his party that he should step aside, in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. moore — who's been publicly backed by president trump's former senior aide steve bannon — says the claims are "fake news" and he won't quit the race. he's accused of initiating sexual contact with a 14—year—old when he was in his 30s, and today, a fifth woman came forward — saying she was sexually assaulted when she was 16. the area was dark and it was deserted. i was alarmed and i immediately asked him what he was doing.

instead of answering my questions, mr moore reached over and began groping me. he put his hands on my breasts. i tried to open my car door to leave but he reached over and he locked it so i could not get out. our la correspondent, peter bowes has the latest details. well, this is the latest woman to come forward. five are now accusing him of sexual assault. another woman telling the story of when she was a teenager and he was in his 30s, when she alleges that she was assaulted by him and you just heard part of her quite graphic story. he continues to deny all the charges. he says this is a witch—hunt against him. he says this is simply his political opponents trying to get people to speak out, get these women to speak out against him. not many of his senior members

of the party are supporting him now. we have heard from mitch mcconnell, the senior republican in the senate, saying that he believes the women. he is not the only senior member to say that. they have all indicated that they believe it should step aside. he is questioning why those accusing him as he puts it had taken so long to come forward but more and more is emerging about his background. yes. we are beginning to piece together, if these stories are to be believed, a pattern of behaviour, but there are two very significant sides to this story and they appear to be poles apart. if you listen to his supporters in the state of alabama, people who have known him for a very long time say he is a proud citizen, they think he has had a distinguished career in the law as a judge, as a district attorney and they believe he is the kind

of politician who when he says something, he is going to get it done and when he is elected, he follows through. he is the antithesis some would say of many politicians around the country who don't deliver. they are still standing by him. and it looks like because of the rules, his name will remain on the ballot paper and his election is in a months‘ time. the 12th of december. they can't change the names of the candidates. as long as he is determined to stay in the race, it looks like the voters of that state will ultimately have their say. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: despite paris and the push to curb global warming, carbon dioxide emissions are up. a new warning for the world. berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced

round their liberated territory. and, with nobody to stop them, it wasn't long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. it's 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 palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning for the leader who symbolised his people's 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 discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers who'd long felt only grudgingly accepted amongst the ranks of clergy suddenly felt welcomed. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: a bbc investigation has revealed the secret deal that allowed hundreds of is fighters to escape the syrian city of raqqa with their weapons and ammunition. a huge relief effort is trying to help thousands affected by sunday's earthquake on the iran—iraq border. at least a50 are dead, many more injured. in the german city of bonn, protesters have interrupted a presentation by white house advisers promoting fossil fuels. the campaigners broke into song. # we proudly stand up until you keep it in the ground # the american officials were at an event on the sidelines of a un climate conference.

climate scientists have now said that global carbon dioxide emissions look set to rise for the first time infouryears, mainly thanks to greater use of coal in china. our science editor, david shukman, has the story. for more than a week now, the people of delhi have been suffering in air that has become toxic — smog created by countless engines burning fossil fuels, including coal. coal is one of the biggest sources of pollution worldwide. power stations such as this one in poland belch out gases including carbon dioxide, and despite promises to clean up, emissions are actually increasing. for countries in the path of devastating hurricanes, like the ones that struck the caribbean earlier this year, this is depressing, because global warming may bring more extreme weather. and it seems to them that little is being done to stop it. this is very worrying for us. i would hate to say that it sounds a death knell, but it translates into that, given that this summer we've had such an active hurricane season. we know what irma and maria

did to the region. this new research finds that more and more carbon dioxide is being released from power stations, factories, and different forms of transport. and this matters, because the gas traps heat in the atmosphere. now, this graph shows how emissions of carbon dioxide have risen over almost three decades. in the last few years, they have been levelling off, which was seen as a positive sign. but this year, look — there has suddenly been an increase of 2%. so what is happening, and who is to blame around the world 7 well, in america, emissions of carbon dioxide have fallen slightly, and that is despite president trump wanting to leave the paris agreement. in europe, they are on course to be down, as well. but in china, they are up, as the economy picks up and more coal is burned. climate scientists say it is vital that less coal is used, if we are to have any chance of heading off the worst of global warming. but president trump is promoting the coal industry, and he wants america to help other countries to use it. there are countries that have said coal is going to be part

of our energy mix for the foreseeable future, you know, many of them in asia, and some in africa, as well. and they have been clear that, because coal is going to be part of their energy mix in the future, they want support for cleaner coal technology. so there is now a battle over a fuel that many economies rely on. there are plans to make coal cleaner, to use it without releasing carbon dioxide. but this is not much of a reality so far and, in the meantime, there are warnings that emissions need to fall rapidly, not rise, as they are now. the british foreign secretary has admitted for the first time that he made a mistake in handling the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british woman held in prison in iran. boris johnson apologised for the distress and suffering he had caused her and herfamily by wrongly saying she was training journalists in iran.

she was in fact on holiday. he'll be meeting her husband richard ratcliffe this week. our special correspondent lucy manning has been speaking to him. they sing a mother singing with her daughter just a week before her arrest. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe has now been separated from three—year—old gabriella for a year and a half. with her health deteriorating in an iranian prison and the words of politicians here appearing to harm her case, her husband has this message for the foreign secretary. i want you to solve this mess in your name. and i stand by that. i think it's not a mess that's entirely the foreign secretary's making, by any means, but it is a mess that his name has been attached to and it is getting deeper and more complicated because of that. he will take these requests to a meeting with the foreign secretary this week. you're going to go to iran. and when you go, i'd like to go with you. i'd like to be on that plane, i'd like to be standing next to you, for the symbolism that has. the second thing was that nazanin be given diplomatic protection. that is within the gift

of the government. mrjohnson had been less than clear in backing the family's account that mrs zaghari—ratcliffe was in iran visiting relatives when she was arrested. when you look at what nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was doing, you just, you know, she was simply teaching peoplejournalism, as i understand it. today, labour demanded answers about mrs zaghari—ratcliffe's case from the foreign secretary, who had to return from brussels. it is not good enough. if it is a matter of pride that the foreign secretary is refusing to admit simply that he has made a mistake, well, then i feel bound to say to him that his pride matters not one ounce compared to nazanin's freedom. mrjohnson was apologetic. it was my mistake. i should have been clearer. i apologise for the distress... i apologise for the distress and anguish that has been caused to mrs zaghari—ratcliffe and her family. ministers are considering if diplomatic protection can be given to mrs zaghari—ratcliffe, which would turn it from a consular issue into a more serious dispute between the uk and iran. but it's not clear if this would help her.

mrs zaghari—ratcliffe's employers were insistent herjob was an administrative one. we don't work in iran. to start with, the thomson reuters‘ condition doesn't work there. and we have no relations with iran. but on top of that, she was really on holiday. and, let me tell you, she's not spy material at all. her familyjust want her home. young gabriella cried when her visit to her mum in prison this weekend was cut short. lucy manning, bbc news. britain's prime minister has made her strongest criticism yet of russia. at the lord mayor's banquet in london, theresa may said russia must choose a very "different path" from the one that had seen moscow annex crimea, foment conflict in ukraine and launch cyber attacks on governments and parliaments. russia has fomented conflict in the donbass, repeatedly violated the national airspace of several european countries,

and mounted a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption. this has included meddling in elections, and hacking the danish ministry of defence and the bundestag, among many others. it is seeking to weaponise information, deploying its state—run media organisations to plant fake stories and photoshopped images, in an attempt to sow discord in the west and undermine our institutions. so i have a very simple message for russia. we know what you are doing, and you will not succeed. because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of western nations to the alliances that bind us. prime minister theresa may there. and rafael nadal has announced that

he is pulling out of the atp finals due to a knee injury. he had been struggling with injury in his defeat at the hands of david goffin. the spaniard pulled out of the paris masters earlier this month and appeared to be in pain towards the end of his opening match at the 02 arena in london. a real shocker here if you're italian, or a football fan of any kind. italy — shown here in training —— has failed to qualify for the world cup. that's the first time that's happened since 1958. they could only manage a draw against sweden who will make the tournament in russia. the new stage adaptation of the 1970s film network, a satire on the obsession with ratings in tv news, had its world premiere tonight in london. its star, bryan cranston, from breaking bad, has been speaking to our arts editor, will gompertz, about the impact of social media

on news and the current climate in hollywood. they met at the national theatre. a very interesting perspective, because i've never sat out here, looking that way. it's quite an impressive set, though, isn't it? you were an overnight success, you could argue. i was. wow, yeah. at 50-ish. although they may look the same... bryan cra nston became an international superstar in the hit tv show breaking bad, playing walter white, a chemistry teacher who becomes a drug—dealing criminal. breaking bad was a phenomenal experience for me. it changed my life completely. and here he is, in another life—changing role... i'm as mad as hell, and i'm not going to take it anymore! ..in the national theatre's stage adaptation of the 1970s film network, in which his character, howard beale, loses it on air and becomes a ratings sensation. in the ‘70s, it was clearly a satire. network in 2017 is no longer a satire. it is — it is profound, and it is what we're living in.

this inundation of information, that our children can access. not only horrific acts of real violence on their cellphone, but pornography, and anything and everything is accessible now. it's not good for society. brya n bryan cra nston there. bryan cranston there. and just briefly our main news again: a bbc investigation has revealed the secret deal that allowed hundreds of is biters to escape the city of raqqa with their weapons, ammunition, and families. —— is fighters. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter.

i'm @bbcmikeembley. hi there. yesterday was a pretty chilly day, with temperatures between five and seven celsius. it was even cold enough for a bit of snow in scotland. i know many of us go nuts for snow, but these scenes are likely to be short—lived, because the air is going to be turning a little bit milder today. the cold weather we had yesterday was due to these northerly winds moving down across the uk. but we've had a change of wind direction over the last 12 hours orso, dragging in much milder conditions. a weak weather front lying across central portions of the uk will thicken the cloud up, to bring us some spots of light rain or drizzle. but still, for most of us it is a cloudier, milder kind of day. now, first thing in the morning, these are the kind of temperatures you'll be contending with as you head outside the door, typically around 6—10 degrees. a little bit colder than that across rural parts of southern england, and perhaps cold enough

for a touch of frost in sheltered parts of northern scotland first thing. but, for most of us, it is quite a mild start to the day. it's mild because it's cloudy, so cloudy skies for much of england and wales. notice that cloud, thick enough to give us some bursts of rain, particularly across wales, but also some dampness at times getting across the midlands and into east anglia. north—east england, particularly over the pennines, also pretty grey. a lot of cloud first thing in the morning, too, for northern ireland, but 10 degrees in belfast, mild conditions here. best of the early—morning sunshine will be across much of scotland, although there will be a few showers in the far north. through the rest of the day, slow changes overall. it will brighten up, though, for north—east england. the best of the sunshine continues to be in scotland. otherwise, a lot of cloud for northern ireland, england and wales, continuing to be thick enough for occasional patches of rain, not really amounting to too much. temperatures up on those of yesterday, 10—12 degrees for most. still a little on the cool side for the north and eastern parts of scotland.

now, for tuesday night, if we see some cloud breaks, we may well see things turning rather foggy. otherwise, it stays cloudy for england and wales, and that cloud will help keep temperatures up, 8—11 degrees. the colder conditions there in scotland, again, with a frost, and probably becoming a little bit sharper, as well. bear in mind, though, for wednesday, some of us may well start off with some dense patches of fog. the thickness of the fog will depend on the length of those overnight cloud breaks. but, even if it doesn't start off foggy where you are, across england and wales, it will be grey — fog or cloud being the order of the day. further west, after a bright start in scotland, we'll see a band of rain moving into western areas. still quite cool for north—eastern parts of scotland, but otherwise temperatures around about where they should be, really, at this time of the year. for thursday, we keep rather cloudy conditions for much of the country. a band of rain slips southwards. cooler, fresher conditions following to the north—west. that's your latest weather, bye for now. this is bbc news. the headlines: the bbc has uncovered details of a secret deal that let is fighters escape from raqqa when it fell to us—backed

forces last month. hundreds of so—called islamic state fighters and their families escaped in exchange for hostages. some of those who left included is's most notorious criminals. a huge relief effort is under way following the earthquake on the iran—iraq border — that left at least a50 people dead and thousands more injured. communities left homeless by sunday's quake are spending a second night in the open. officials in iran are setting up relief camps for those displaced. roy moore — the republican candidate in alabama election race for the senate — has been told by senior party figures he should step aside in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. roy moore dismissed claims he initiated sexual contact with a 1a—year—old nearly a0 years ago as "fake news" the church of england is telling its schools that children should be free to explore their identity