The Southern State has long been a deeply conservative, republican stronghold. If the special Senate Election there has gone to a democrat, it would be the first time in a quarter of a century, and it has National Implications it could put at risk the slim republican majority in the senate. Looking into political history of alabama, it is extraordinary that this is even. Absolutely. This is a deeply red state in the deep south which it thought would not normally have thought twice about returning the republican candidate to the senate to succeed Jeff Sessions but those allegations of Sexual Misconduct conduct levelled against rory moore have turned everything on its head and have given a democratic rival, doug jones, everything to play for. The polls closed just over an hour ago and it is officially too close to call according to the news outlets here in the United States. The democrats have been working hard to get out the black vote in birmingham, asi get out the black vote in birmingham, as i mentioned, but the fear amongst republicans is that those White Conservative voters could decide to stay at home, having been put off by the allegations, those lurid allegations levelled against rory moore. Turnout, it seems, is probably going to be the key to all of this but as you say, quite astonishing that we are even in this apparent neck and neck type situation in the first place. Who wouldve thought itjust a few months ago . We are keeping an eye, if you are looking at the stream, on the podium. It is possible rory moore will come out to speak shortly, endorsed by President Trump and his former very close adviser steve bannon. There could hardly be a more dramatic choice between the two candidates. Absolutely. Rory moore is an archconservative, a formerjudge, a moore is an archconservative, a former judge, a man moore is an archconservative, a formerjudge, a man who twice had to give up his seat on the state Supreme Court after flouting federal orders there. He is against doug jones, who was a former local attorney general, a man who prosecuted several members of the ku klux klan in the past down there in alabama and it is, doug joness state m e nts alabama and it is, doug joness statements about being pro choice, that has alarmed some voters down there in that very deeply conservative state of alabama. Roy moore, though, remains very controversial because of all these allegations of Sexual Misconduct that have been levelled against him. President trump initially tepid in his support for roy moore has been more full throttle, if you like, of late, but there are senior members of the Republican Party who are very dubious to put it mildly about roy moore and there is every indication that should roy moore pull off a victory in this race, then he will be subject to an ethics enquiry by members of the senate which could result in him being expelled from the chamber. Quite apart from those allegations which, as you say, he denies, Roy Moore Says homosexual conduct should be illegal, muslims should be banned from serving in congress, 9 11 was divine rapid tuition and he said the last time the United States was great was during the time of slavery. Retribution. If he wins it raises all kind of questions about what allegations are unacceptable to voters and their party. A lot of Republican Voters who are tapped on the way into our comments on the way to the voting booths set that they regarded the allegations against roy moore as fake news, if you like, something the candidate himself has taken up from Donald Trumps and playbook, if you like, but of course, there are those who say this is very disturbing stuff at a time of, just after basically three members of congress were forced to resign over Sexual Misconduct allegations. We will take viewers back to alabama when we have anything that looks like a result. For the moment, thank you. Liberias Electoral Commission has announced the second round of the elections will take place on the 26th of december, following a court challenge. Former soccer star george weah faces Vice PresidentJoseph Boakai in the poll that was held up for several weeks. The successful candidate will replace Ellenjohnson Sirleaf as president. Firefighters in los angeles say a wildfire which swept through bel air, one of the citys most exclusive neighbourhoods, started in a homeless encampment. The fire is one of several that has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate. Us prosecutors have brought federal charges against the man suspected of bombing the citys main bus terminal on monday. 3 people suffered minor injuries and akayed ullah was badly hurt when he set off a pipe bomb strapped to his body. Hed made a Facebook Post critical of President Trump on the day of the attack. The us secretary of state Rex Tillerson says washington is ready to enter into talks with north korea without conditions. Tillerson made the comments in a speech in washington dc. He added that pyongyang must be willing to change course in its nuclear and missile programmes. We have said, from the diplomatic side, we are ready to talking anytime north korea would like to talk, and we are ready to have the first meeting without preconditions. Lets just meet, and we can talk about the weather if you want. We can talk about whether it is going to be a square table or a round table, if that is what you are excited about. But can we at least sit down and see each other face to face. And then we can begin to lay out a map, a roadmap of what we might be willing to work towards. I dont think, its not realistic to say we are only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program, we have too much invested in it. And the president is very realistic about that as well. So its really about how do you even begin the process of engagement, because we are dealing with a new leader in north korea that really no one has engaged with. It does look on the face of it like a softening of the american position but there is no sign north korea is ready to give up its Nuclear Programme . Absolutely. It does seem like the Us Trump Administration is offering something of an olive branch and lets assume they are being genuine in this, it does seem to be an attempt to break the gridlock which we have at the moment. Whats on offer is an initial meeting without preconditions and then for further talks to keep happening, there would have to be some sort of progress. Rex tillerson said this was without preconditions but he did add that america would require what he described as a period of silence from north korea in terms of further nuclear and missile tests. He says no preconditions. That is something ofa no preconditions. That is something of a precondition. But beyond that, he is saying we can talk about anything and it is an indication that they do seem to be wanting to just somehow or other open up a dialogue is at the moment, weve got nothing and this comes at the same time that north koreas leader at a munitions conference has pledged to make his nation the greatest nuclear plough and country on earth. So there is quite a gap to be bridged here. Nuclear powered. The white house has said there is no policy shift, the president s views on north korea have not changed. We have seen in recent times different views from the us president than his own secretary of state with Rex Tillerson talking about having some sort of talks and donald trump saying the time for talk is over, we had to get tough. Im not quite sure what is going on in terms of communication however in terms of a meeting, it is interesting because north korea does crave this type of credibility. They would love to have some sort of meeting with the United States and over the years, north korea, for example, has wanted diplomatic recognition from the us and it could be this as the way forward to start some sort of dialogue but the positions they have are so dialogue but the positions they have are so different. The us says, this is going to start a process which might lead towards denuclearisation. The North Koreans have shown they are not prepared to go down that path and so we have to very different positions and up until now, the deadlock. Well have to see what comes out of north korea in the coming hours in terms of what they make of this offer from the trump administration. Thank you very much from about. For that. The french president , emmanuel macron, has warned that the world is losing the battle against climate change. He was speaking at the one planet summit in the french capital two years after the historic paris agreement. Mr macron said the rise in Global Temperatures had become a permanent emergency and nobody could claim they did not know. The bbcs Lucy Williamson reports from paris. The french president has a way of sending messages. This one involved a river cruise. His guests kings, Prime Ministers and Business Leaders may have different visions and different values, it seemed to say, but when it comes to the future of the planet, were all in the same boat. And two years after the paris agreement, mr macron said it was heading for a fall. Translation were losing this battle. Those who came before us had an advantage, they could say they didnt know and it was true but for the last 20 years or so, we have known and we are finding out more every day. The world bank has said it will stop funding oil and Gas Exploration from 2019 and there are new commitments from business on renewable energy. But how much will these commitments mean without the worlds only superpower . Us President Donald Trump has said his country is pulling out of the paris agreement, and mr macrons show of solidarity is partly aimed at him. Just along the river from the summit venue is a reminder of frances long relationship with america its shared history, shared values. Emmanuel macron has been positioning himself as a Global Leader on human rights and democracy and now on climate change, but this time, at least, donald trump isnt here. Before the meeting, the british Prime Minister, theresa may, met mr macron at the elysee palace, another bilateral relationship undergoing change. But few of the agreements most powerful leaders were here in paris. This meeting was less about policies and more about a political message that with or without the United States, this agreement will survive. Lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. Born with her heart outside her body meet the baby girl whos undergone a pioneering operation. John lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. Theres been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil. And the flowers have been piling up. The 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. This morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. People are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. Elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. Imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. Shes facing seven charges of tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty. The prince and princess of wales are to separate. A statement from Buckingham Palace said the decision had been reached amicably. This is bbc news. The latest headlines voting has closed in the american state of alabama in an election which could affect republican control of the us senate, and where the partys candidate, roy moore, is accused of preying on teenage girls. The american secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has said the Us Government is willing to talk to north korea without preconditions. It appears to be a change from previous demands that the north must first disarm. A baby girl born with her heart outside her body has survived in whats thought to be the first case of its kind in the uk. The baby, who is three weeks old, has undergone three operations to place her heart back within her chest. It follows a similarly Successful Operation on a baby in texas. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walshs exclusive report contains some graphic images. Good girl. Yeah, whos a beautiful girl. Their pride and joy. This is vanellope, astounding her parents and doctors with her progress. After three operations in three weeks, her heart is now back inside her chest. Vanellopes parents say the moment she was born they knew she was a fighter. She came out kicking and screaming. Then she gave all the surgeons aggro, didnt she . Yeah. It was a beautiful moment, werent it . Yeah. Absolutely beautiful. If you saw her when she was first born, to where she is now, and what theyve done, its. Beyond a miracle, isnt it . The family knew from the first ultrasound that vanellopes heart was outside her chest. You can clearly see its unusual position which is due to the absence of a sternum or breast bone. Babies with this rare condition are usually stillborn. But immediately she emerged during the caesarean section doctors could see that vanellops heart was beating strongly. Within minutes, they were preparing herfor surgery, covering the chest with a sterile bag for protection. Now three weeks on, her heart is back where it should be, covered with her own skin. Vanellope is going to be here for some considerable time. The next step will be getting her to breathe without the help of a ventilator. Then, in years to come, she faces more surgery to create a new sternum to protect her heart. There may be strategies whereby we can put some internal boning protection in, whether thats with 3d printing, either of something plastic or maybe even something organic that might grow with her. This little girl was born in texas with the same condition and was allowed home after three months. Doctors created a special chest shield to protect her heart. Audreena is now five years old and still doing well. That is the hope for vanellope. She faces a long road ahead, but has already confounded predictions. Fergus walsh, bbc news, leicester. At least one person has been killed and 18 others injured after a huge explosion rocked a gas hub in austria. The blast took place at the baumgarten site. A major hub for imported russian gas, just east of the capital vienna. News of the explosion sent gas prices soaring. Italy has declared a state of emergency over its energy supplies, as bethany bell reports. Austrias main gas pipeline hub, baumgarten, in flames. An explosion at the plant set off a major fire. The blaze could be seen for miles. Firefighters rushed to the scene. One person was killed. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Production at the plant was suspended. Translation we switched to a security mode, as we always do when Something Like this occurs. The gas flow was stopped in order not to make the situation any worse. All people working on the site were then evacuated. The blaze was eventually brought under control. It appears to have been caused by a technicalfault. The baumgarten plant in eastern austria is a key hub for import of russian gas, which is sent on to a number of european countries. The company says supplies to austria were secured but deliveries to the south and south east have been affected. Translation the gas supply towards italy in the south is now limited. The market gas providers in the neighbouring market and gas traders were of course informed. We are in regular contact. We cant say at this time when distribution will return to normal. Italy, the largest recipient of gas from baumgarten, has declared a state of emergency. Gas prices soared. An investigation is under way. Its not yet clear when the plant will go back online. Bethany bell, bbc news, vienna. A former sergeant who defected to north korea after the cold war has died. He was a prisoner in pyongyang for nearly four years before his release in 2004. Nearly four years before his release in 200a. This is from celia hatton. Asa as a Young American soldier, he wa nted as a Young American soldier, he wanted to avoid military duty. He says after getting drunk one night he walked across the border into north korea, hoping Russian Forces fighting at the time would capture him and eventually let him go home to the us. That did not happen. Instead, he was kept in north korea, eventually marrying a japanese woman who had been abducted by the North Koreans. They made the best of it, falling in love and having two daughters. Then, they were separated. An agreement brokered between the band japanese Prime Minister and the late north korean leader, kim jong un, negotiated minister and the late north korean leader, kimjong un, negotiated for his wife to return to japan. Years later, he followed, agreeing to serve a 30 day sentence as punishment for deserting the us military. Time served, he returned to relative isolation, working in a gift shop and leaving the rest of his life in his wifes rural hometown. Celia hatton, bbc news. The royal premiere of the latest star wars movie has been held at londons Royal Albert Hall a0 years since the first movie that