In american politics. His surprise win in the alabama special election is the first time the conservative Southern State has sent a democrat to the senate in 25 years. Mr trump has been distancing himself from the defeated republican candidate, who he endorsed during the campaign, but the loss complicates the president s chances of passing major legislation. Alabamas new senator elect has said he wants to work with politicians from both parties. I want to sit down with folks from both sides of the aisle, both sides of the issue. I think thats where the problem is. I want to talk to people from both sides of the issue, notjust political parties, to learn what they can and make an informed decision. The result hasntjust shifted the Political Landscape in alabama, it might have impact across the country, as the bbcs nick bryant reports. Amidst all the noise and rage of american politics, its worth remembering elections are often decided in quiet suburbs. That was true in alabama, where moderate republicans didnt turn out for their partys radical, scandal hit candidate, and where many dont much like donald trump either. Its a rejection of donald trump. Tracy james is a lifelong republican, who yesterday went democrat. It was also a protest vote against the president. I do think donald trump has a problem in the republican suburbs. You dont know whats going to come out of his mouth next. You dont know whether were going to go to war with north korea. You dont know if hes going to insult a woman in congress. I think theyre very uncomfortable with that. Modern day democrats arent supposed to win in staunchly conservative states like alabama. It hasnt happened here for 25 years. No wonder the blizzard of confetti. Alabama has been at a crossroads. It has been at crossroads in the past and unfortunately, we have usually taken the wrong fork. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, you took the right road. The losing republican candidate, roy moore, thought he was on his way to washington, but he was hit by allegations, which he denies, of Sexual Misconduct against teenage girls and shunned by senior figures in the republican establishment. Thats where the anger of his dejected supporters was directed. Its really sad for the people of alabama what took place in this state tonight. You think youve been betrayed by the republican establishment . Absolutely, no doubt about that. You cant always get what you want. Its true, you cant always get what you want. A lesson for donald trump, who has strongly backed roy moore. So get out and vote for roy moore. Do it. So this is a big black eye for the president and also a failure of the trump political playbook, to deny accusations of wrongdoing as fake news and to attack accusers. With a republican majority in the senate reduced to a single seat, it will be even harderfor the president to enact his stalled legislative agenda. The democrats hope this result is indicative of an anti trump wave which will help win them back capitol hill in next years congressional elections. This senate race doubled as a battle for the soul of the Republican Movement and thus marked a defeat for conservative insurgents against the party establishment. That too is a setback for donald trump and his unorthodox brand of politics. Nick bryant, bbc news, alabama. The british Prime Minister, theresa may has suffered a significant defeat in parliament over her brexit plans. Rebel members of parliament from her own conservative party put forward an amendment, that means the government will have to put the final brexit deal through full parliamentary scrutiny. This is how the result was announced and it was close. The ayes to the right 309. The noes to the left 305. Our political correspondent, alex forsyth said the result is a blow to theresa mays authority. Its a blow for her authority, because it shows she cant get everything she wants to through the houses of Parliament Without being challenged, and sometimes by mps on her own side. And this comes just before she goes to brussels tomorrow to meet other eu leaders, so its unwelcome timing. The government did all it could today to stop this happening. But its worth saying this was a very narrow vote. There were just four votes in it, and there were 11 conservatives that voted against the government. So the numbers arent huge, but what it really highlights is, because there was a general election injune in the uk, theresa may lost her majority in parliament, and that means she has to rely on every vote, which shows just how tight the parliamentary maths is, how she is beholden to mps on her own side, and other parties, which of course makes her position in these negotiations with brussels very difficult. And tonight, weve seen it play out, the impact that can have. Lets take a look at some of the other stories making the news the Us Federal Reserve has agreed to raise Interest Rates by a quarter of percentage point the third rate rise this year. Policymakers say it underscores what they called a solid gains in the us economy. The fed also boosted its economic forecasts forecasts, projecting growth of 2. 5 in gdp in 2017 and 2018. The Vice President of ecuador has been sentenced to six years in prison in connection with corruption at the brazilian construction firm, 0debrecht. Prosecutors sayjorge glas took 13. 5 million in bribes. Hes the highest ranking politician to be convicted in the scandal. Mr glas says there was no evidence against him. Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin neta nyahu says Benjamin Netanyahu says he is unimpressed by a gathering of nations from was on countries. It follows bitter criticism of President Trumps recognition ofjerusalem as israels capital. The palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas told the meeting that his people would no longer accept an american role in the peace process. Hundreds of thousands of people most of them children face starvation in the democratic republic of congo. The crisis is centred on the central kasai region where fighting erupted last year following the killing of a traditional leader in clashes with security forces. Since then Anti Government factions have been locked in a spiral of violence with Government Troops and otherforces backed by kinshasa. The bbcs africa editor, fergal keane has gained rare access to this unfolding tragedy. Ina man made in a man made green, the place so fertile, hunger has taken over kasal fertile, hunger has taken over kasai. We walked for three months to get here. My heart was full of sadness what i saw my daughter sick. Children make up the majority of the nearly 1. 5 Million People displaced here. It began injune last year after a local chief rebelled against a corrupt and brutal government. He was killed. In the terror that followed, both sides committed atrocities. Translation we were sleeping when they entered our place and asked who are all these people sleeping here . We can kill the men who are here and then after killing them we will tell our chiefs and show off how many people we have killed in this village. A nurse points to the swelling caused by malnutrition. By pressing the skin, he can assess the severity of the condition. Imagine walking on these legs. With the worst fighting over, people are returning to their villages. But they find homes burned, property looted. Translation we were starving, for we have no food. We headed to the main road to look for food but there was nobody. 0nly dead bodies. Then, a young woman, weakened by disease. She has been taken home to die. At this food distribution, only half rations were being given out. The World Food Programme is running out of money to feed the hungry and is warning that many will die without international support. Money that may have helped provide nutrition and healthcare has been stolen by a corrupt elite, aided by foreign corporations. This is the heart of the matter. As i put it to the governor. As a Government Official do you any sense of shame about the looting of the corruption that has helped to bring your people to this misery . Translation this concept of corruption cannot be challenged. But it should not be tied to congo or africa and use it to justify the absence of action. The most important thing is that when you give money you get some guarantee that this money is well used. This is the government run hospital in the second city of the province. This three year old has just passed away. A distraught mother waits for news of another sick child. And a lullaby as tiny lungs fight to survive. Just some lives from so many here, hanging in the balance. European leaders are to meet in brussels on thursday to discuss the issue of migration. The talks are expected to focus on extra funding to stem the flow of people from sub Saharan Africa. It comes as more than 100 men and women were rescued from a sinking boat off the coast of libya as they attempted to cross to italy. The number of people migrants in the mediterranean has passed 3000 for the fourth year in a row. Andrew plant reports. Soaked through, shoeless and limping along. 114 migrants all from sub Saharan Africa rescued off the libyan coast as their boat began to sink beneath the water. We almost died, you know. Thanks to the libyan navy helped us out of the sea. 0ur boat almost capsized. We lost everything, it break in the middle, we thoughy all of us were going to die. These people had been on their way to europe, their boat thought to have left the coast of libya about 100km east of tripoli towards the town of misrata. Theyll now be moved to Detention Centres outside the capital. Almost 1,000 migrants arrived in sicily over the past few days, successfully crossing the mediterranean. Its estimated around 3,000 have died on the same journey. Those that succeed often complain of mistreatment at the hands of libyan guards. Meanwhile, this Detention Centre in benghazi, libyas second largest city, is restocking for the winter season with blankets and mattresses in preparation for more arrivals. The policy here is to repatriate the men, women and children who arrive. More than 4,000 sent back to their home countries this year. Translation there are still some nationalities that are difficult to deport, such as somalians, if europeans and eritreans because of the problems in their countries. But other nationalities are being deported everyones in a while. Around 164,000 migrants have arrived in europe in 2017, thats less than half the number last year. At its height in 2015, the number was more than a million. But with southern European Countries still bearing the brunt, all 28 eu leaders are due to discuss the issue at talks in brussels on thursday. Andrew plant, bbc news. Stay with us on bbc news still to come a whole new ball game how rugby is making inroads in a country that is devoted to football. After eight months on the run, Saddam Hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. Saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. The signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3. 5 years of conflict that has claimed over 200,000 lives. Before an audience of world leaders, the president s of serbia, bosnia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. The romanian border was sealed and silent today. Romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. From sex at the white house to a trial for his political life. The Monica Lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton in his place in history as only the second president to be impeached. This is bbc news. The latest headline President Trump is distancing himself from the controversial republican candidate roy moore after his loss in the Alabama Senate election. Lets get more on that story. Chris, i think it is fair to say your firm leads towards the Democratic Party. Leans. You will have heard perhaps overexcited talk by democrats about this. Is it and it hard to draw wider conclusions from this result . There were local issues, and roy moore was a uniquely polarising candidate, surely. There is no question he is a uniquely polarising candidate, one of the most flawed candidates to have a run for any office. But were also seeing a larger dynamic happening amongst the democratic race. There is, i think, a significance that comes any time you win a red state, especially one as historically read as alabama. So i think what you are going to see, in terms of going into 2018, the critical mid term elections, is a lot more excitement amongst the democratic race, a lot more excitement amongst fundraisers and donors, and more importantly, you are going to see, i think, real energy in some of these red state like arizona and nevada, which is more of a purple states, of the democrats picking up some of those critical seats. So i dont want to exaggerate the significance, but you have to understand and appreciate that this is an incredible body blow not only to the Republican Party but to donald trump. One thing that surely is to significant, chris, is alabama is a significant demonstration of the power of the black vote, when people can get to the polls and are actually allowed to vote. What does that tell you . Well, what is interesting in alabama is you have two dynamics. 0n well, what is interesting in alabama is you have two dynamics. On one side you have a very flawed candidate who depressed his bases turnout but the other side you an incredibly excited democratic base. The African American turnout was incredibly significant. I am very close to the folks that ran the games campaign. They were not expecting, even though they were incredibly aggressive in terms of their grassroots turnout efforts, they were not expecting the turnout to be close to 30 , and that is what the polls showed in terms of the African American vote. Significant gains in terms of women, young people. So if you are looking forward to 2018, from the Democratic Pa rtys forward to 2018, from the Democratic Partys perspective, they see that as the type of energy and excitement that you want in your base in a mid term election, considering that a mid term election is more about the base, whether republicans and democrats turnout, that it is about winning over swing voters. On that point, now republicans have the smallest possible margin in the senate, 51 49. What does that mean in terms of donald trump doing what he promised his voters . A lot of those people were not interested in politics and if he is unable to deliver they may be less interested in him next time. That is a very bad points. Right now he has some trouble. The really interesting question is going to be when does mr jones get seated . There are questions about whether he gets seated before the critical vote on taxes or after. The Republican Party needs a win, from their perspective, on taxes. Going into next year, his entire legislative agenda changes, because the margins are going to be smaller in the senate, it is basically down to one vote, two votes if you include the potential for a tie and a Vice President breaking it. It is going to be, i think, really hard for the president to push any significant legislation through the congress, particularly through the congress, particularly through the congress, particularly through the senate, unless he gets democratic votes. And he hasnt been able to get democratic votes because he doesnt appeal to the Democratic Party agenda, and senators who are up party agenda, and senators who are upfor party agenda, and senators who are up for election or not, and their policy priorities. So he will have a really tough time in those mid term elections right now. Thank you very much. Here in the uk, eight people have been sentenced for smuggling drugs into prisons by using drones. Police have identified at least 49 drone flights carrying contraband thought to have been worth as much as 1. 6 million. Daniel sandford has the story. Cameras originally set up to take pictures of wildlife, catching instead britains most prolific drug smuggling gang. Recording the pilot, mervyn foster, time and again flying the drone from the field outside hewell prison in worcestershire, its illegal cargo hanging underneath on fishing line. From the field, the smugglers had a view directly into the jail and the prison block, where the drones cargo was pulled in through the windows. Over the months, the gang grew in confidence and sophistication. They had started by simply throwing the drugs over the prison wall. But then they started using drones, and they added to the contraband mobile phones, weapons, screwdrivers and even a freeview box with a remote control. Cameras inside the prison caught one of the ringleaders, john hickinbottom, with an improvised hook used to catch the fishing line and recover the contra band. The gang, led by armed robber craig hickinbottom, is thought to have smuggled in over £1 million worth of drugs and phones, continuing even after they had been arrested and charged. The contents of the loads, on at least 49 flights, were specifically ordered by individual inmates from the midlands to scotland. The recent epidemic of drones being used to airlift contraband into prison grew from nothing injust four years. We didnt see this one come in. So the drones literally came from nowhere, they were flown in, and it actuallyjust was a game changer for us. So we had to really look at our systems, procedures, and methods of gathering intelligence against the gangs, for opportunities to breach the perimeter and the walls here. To crack the case, officers downloaded the memories of the drones they seized, and linked that to mobile phone calls the smugglers were making. The prisons minister has had to invest millions of pounds in a new National Network of police and prison officers working together, which helped catch this game. What weve shown here is that this is the most prolific gang weve come across and weve been able to deal with them. They are going to be serving jail time. That is huge success. But, with huge profits being made by the smuggling gangs, keeping drones away from prisons is going to be a lengthy battle. Daniel sandford, bbc news, at hmp hewell in manchester. The white house has appeared to contradict his secretary of state. Rex tillerson said the us was ready to talk any time north korea would like to talk. White house officials said no discussions can be held with young gang until it improves its behaviour, and that donald trump has not changed his view. So what is going on . I was frankly rather surprised that secretary tillerson said we would talk with no preconditions and he would be prepared to sit there and talk about the weather. It is not a question of preconditions. It is a question of preconditions. It is a question of preconditions. It is a question of what is the framework of the talks. The framework was that all parties agreed on the purpose of the talks, which was denuclearisation. Today we have a situation where north korea does not agree to denuclearisation. Citing perhaps as we say in colorado secretary tillerson got a little out on the edge of his skis. In brazil, football is like a religion, the entire country seemingly obsessed with the exploits of the national team. But one of the Fastest Growing sports in brazil is rugby, and proponents of the oval shaped ball are hoping the game can change lives, as tim allman reports. Well, thats the question being asked at this favela in rio de janeiro. Boys and girls playing a different kind of ballgame. Something that took a little getting used to. We arrived four years ago, with four 0xford rugby players, and the reaction from the kids was obviously, like, what are you doing here . This is quite an isolated favela, so there was a mixture of having an oval ball and having four massive rugby players from the uk and one from australia coming was a bit of a shock. The kids train twice a week, supported by volunteer coaches. But, if they want to play, they have to go to school. This isnt just about sport. It is also about raising ambitions. Translation in brazil, they say for example that because im black i will never manage anything in life, that ill obviously become a builder or a drug trafficker. Being a builder is a good job, but why cant i become an architect, a doctor, or a lawyer . Translation i find it cool, and it keeps us busy. Doing a sport we love, as well as going to school, allows us not to worry about whats going on in the favela. The team from the favela even get the chance to play against a side from a private school. Crossing social divides, improving lives in brazil, they know how important sport can be. Tim allman, bbc news. Cricket now, and play is under way on the first day of the third ashes test at the waca, in perth. England are 2 0 down in the five match series, so they need a win to prevent the aussies from winning the ashes. Well, england won the toss, elected to bat, and a few moments ago were 46 1. Alastair cook was out for seven. A baby king penguin has made its first public appearance in singapore, the first of its kind to be hatched in the birdpark very nearly a decade. It is called maru, which means round injapanese. It seemed very curious about the new family members. And you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. Im bbcmikeembley. Well, after a very brief mild spell, those temperatures are coming down again for the next few days, and into the start of the weekend. And, for thursday, its low pressure which dominates the scene. Tightly packed isoba rs across the country meaning fairly windy, and theyll be blowing in lots of showers, particularly to Western Areas of the country. And these showers will be of a wintry mix during the overnight period and first thing on thursday. Some snow to the Higher Ground of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, wales, maybe the south west of england, and some wet sleetiness down to lower levels for a time too. So, first thing on thursday, we are again looking at an ice risk, particularly from the midlands, north wales northwards, so watch out for these. There could even be some lying snow around on some of the higher routes, for example the pennines and across scotland. But we start thursday off on quite an unsettled note. Its going to be windy, particularly in the west, maybe gales in exposure, showers here and wintry over high ground and wintry showers in parts of wales, the north west england. Ice to watch out for too. Largely dry to start in eastern and south eastern parts. Therell be some early sunshine around, but it will be quite chilly. Same too east of the pennines, and eastern scotland. But further west, loads of showers and again some heavy and even sleetiness down to lower levels as well. And then, through the day, very little change. It stays blustery, i think the winds slowly easing down through the day. Theyll continue to be strong across the north, and certainly the south west, with gales here. Plenty of showers with wintryness again over Higher Ground and central and eastern parts of the country should be drier, with some sunshine. But notice the temperatures down on wednesdays values, in single figures for all. Its going to feel cold if you add on the wind. Then, as we head on in towards friday, we open the floodgates again to the arctic, as this area of low pressure moves across in towards scandinavia. So it does mean a cold, frosty start in places for friday, and also a risk of some ice. But i think, generally speaking, friday is looking like a quieter day. We should have more in the way of sunshine around, lighter winds for many. Still fairly breezy around the coasts, where well see wintry showers at times. Now, that cold air is with us obviously through friday and into the start of the weekend. But then, for the second half of the weekend, well start to see this plume of milder air slowly making inroads. A cold start on saturday, again watch out for ice. Some sunshine around through the morning. I think thats slowly fading as more cloud piles in from the west, maybe with a few showers, and its going to be another cold day. For sunday, though, there is more cloud generally. I think sunshine will be very few and far between, and there will be a few showers, but that milder air slowly making inroads. This is bbc news. The headlines the Democrat Doug Jones has spoken of a new momentum in american politics after he clinched a surprise victory in the Alabama Senate race. Democrats are calling for the postponement of a final vote on President Trumps planned tax reform. The president wants that vote to be held next week. The british Prime Minister theresa may is preparing to meet European Union leaders in brussels hours after a parliamentary defeat on a key piece of brexit legislation. Mps voted to give parliament a legal guarantee of a vote on the final deal. 11 members of her own conservative party rebelled. The United Nations is warning that a reduction in the number of peacekeeping troops in the democratic republic of congo is likely to lead to more instability and loss of life. The unfolding humanitarian crisis has lead to severe acute malnutrition affecting hundreds of thousands of children. Now on bbc news, its time for click. This week, a full body of kids favourites