we will keep you updated throughout the day here on bbc news as the five—week election campaign begins. also coming up on newsday. spain, ireland and norway say they will recognise an independent palestinian state. israel reacts angrily, recalling its ambassadors. and a rare standing ovation in the house of commons as craig mackinlay, the mp who lost his hands and feet to sepsis, returns to work. the uk prime minister rishi sunak has called a general election for thursday the 4th ofjuly. the announcement was made

after official figures showed inflation was falling again. mr sunak says he will fight for every vote, while the labour leader, sir keir starmer says the country is ready for change. we begin our coverage with our political editor, chris mason. the lectern in place after a downpour of after a downpour of a anticiptaion. cameras, reporters, brollies, the downpours coming from the skies too. at teatime, this. earlier today, i spoke with his majesty the king to request the dissolution of parliament. the king has granted this request and we will have a general election on the 4th ofjuly. music blaring from campaigners in nearby whitehall, rain tumbling onto the prime minister's sodden suit. you must choose in this election who has that plan. who is prepared to take the bold action necessary to secure a better future for our country and our children? now, i cannot and will not claim that we have got everything right.

no government should. but i am proud of what we have achieved together. the bold actions we have taken, and i am confident about what we can do in the future. over the next few weeks, i will fight for every vote. i will earn your trust, and i will prove to you that only a conservative government led by me will not put our hard—earned economic stability at risk, can restore pride and confidence in our country, and with a clear plan and bold action, will deliver a secure future for you, your family and our united kingdom. so, this is it — a general election is on. power will leave this most powerful of streets, and you will be able to decide whether he stays or whether he goes. and so the arguments, the persuasion begins. on days like this, one

lectern leads to another, and the thrust of labour's message hangs on one word. a chance to change for the better. your future, your community, your country. it will feel like a long campaign, i'm sure of that. but no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about. over the course of the last four years, we have changed the labour party, returned it once more to the service of working people. all we ask now, humbly, is to do exactly the same for our country, and return britain to the service of working people. and of course, the next six weeks are about lots of parties, notjust labour and the conservatives.

the liberal democrat leader has been in surrey. in so many parts of the country, it's the liberal democrats who can beat the conservatives, and i think people are crying out for change. they want to vote for someone who championed them, theirfamily and community, to sort out the crisis in the nhs and care, to get our economy back on track and end environmental scandals like the sewage scandal. it's a welcome opportunity to remove the tory government and to put scotland first. that is what i will be saying to the public. but i also have to say that i think this is perhaps the latest act of disrespect from a conservative government, to call an election during the scottish school holidays. tonight, campaigning is already under way. prepare to see plenty of events like this. friends, friends, thank you, it is great to be with you all this evening. elsewhere, from norfolk to london, placards of a different colour, a different message.

the promising and persuasion starts here. polling day is six weeks tomorrow. here goes. chris mason, bbc news. our political correspondent harry farley told me the timing of today's announcement was unexpected for many — including tory mps. it was a surprise not only to people like me who watch political events every day, but also to rishi sunak�*s cabinet ministers as well. they were surprised. some even had to delay or cut short trips abroad. the uk foreign secretary david cameron cutting a visit to albania short. he was only in the country for a couple of hours before he was hauled back for an emergency cabinet meeting where they were all told about rishi sunak�*s decision to call, as you say,

an election earlier than expected. july the 4th is when the uk will go to the polls, six weeks away, and already we have a shade of the campaign to come. rishi sunak using inflation figures that were out this morning in the uk, showing a fall in inflation to 2.3%, close to the bank of england target of 2%. using those inflation figures to hail what he described as a major milestone that shows our plan is working, he means the conservative government's plan. sir keir starmer, the leader of the main opposition labour party in the uk, responding to that announcement by rishi sunak. he stood above a lectern with one word on it, no change. that is how he could summarise his election pitch to voters in the uk. -- his election pitch to voters in the uk. —— one word on it, change. he will argue that

people are not better off than they were 14 years ago. that was the main pitch of the election battles to come. we've heard from the liberal democrats, the snp, we will hear from other parties democrats, the snp, we will hearfrom other parties in democrats, the snp, we will hear from other parties in the coming days. as well as the economy, you can expect immigration to be a major point of debate in the coming weeks. housing, crime and the national health service as well. that's the shape of the debate to come. as you say, a surprise today, the uk going to the polls earlier than expected on july the 4th. ireland, norway, and spain have all announced plans to recognise a palestinian state next week. spain and ireland said the decision was not against israel, or in favour of hamas, but in support of peace. israel has reacted angrily and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries. lucy williamson reports. there are things a future palestinian state won't change. the loss of a daughter.

a son—in—law. her grandchildren. ten members of this family, bombed in deir al—balah as they sought shelter from the war. but the creation of a palestinian state living peacefully alongside israel is, for many western nations, the only way to end decades of conflict. spain's prime minister today said it was time to recognise that future state. benjamin netanyahu, he said, was creating so much pain, destruction and bitterness in gaza and the rest of palestine, and the two—state solution was in danger of becoming unviable. but there is little support in israel, the mood dominated today by newly released footage from the bodycams of hamas attackers as they took female soldiers hostage on the 7th of october.

translation: the intention| of several european countries to recognise a palestinian state is a reward for terrorism. 80% of the palestinians injudaea and samaria support the terrible massacre of october the 7th. this evil cannot be given a state. more than 140 countries have already recognised a palestinian state, but in the west bank town of ramallah, full of palestinian flags and ministries but lacking power, faith in diplomatic gestures was mixed. translation: i welcome this recognition with much respectj and appreciation for these countries, and i ask other states to follow their example and recognise palestine. translation: palestinian diplomacy is weak. - we have embassies in many countries across the world, i but they are just useless. theyjust hire employees who live a luxury life. -

in the west bank too, near daily reminders of dwindling peace and israel's increasing control, of an unresolved conflict that ends lives and starts wars. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. mexico is coming to the end of the most violent election campaign in the country's modern history. candidates and politicians across the country have been murdered or threatened in the run up to the vote as the country's powerful drug cartels put their stamp on the election. on tuesday, some 12 bodies were discovered in the coastal city of acapulco in the latest explosion of violence. guerrero is one of the most dangerous states in the country and acapulco is one of its worst affected cities. our correspondent will grant reports. another grisly discovery on acapulco violent on acapulco's violent streets.

in just 2a hours, police found 12 bodies scattered across the city where not a night goes by without a murder. and in this most brutal of elections, scores of candidates have also been in the firing line. even a leading candidate for city mayor was murdered as he ate dinner. cynthia juarez, who's standing as a local opposition candidate in place of a murdered friend, knows full well the risks of running for office. of course i'm afraid. i'm scared that one day i'll leave my house and never come home, she says. but politics is the only way we have to raise our voice. political violence perpetrated by the drug cartels is nothing new in mexico. but the extent of the problem in this campaign has shocked even seasoned politicians here. names have been removed from the ballot by the bullet, and that means some voters will have to choose candidates who best serve the interests of organised crime rather than the needs of their communities. the violence spans the political spectrum, though

candidates from the governing party, morena, have been the most affected. in guerrero, felix salgado macedonia is likely to be re—elected as senator. some 60% of voters consider their cities unsafe. but he denies president lopez obrador�*s security strategy has failed. we have to move forward little by little until we pacify the entire country. but we have another big problem. our neighbour to the north. for the drugs to be bought and sold, there must be supply and demand. so who's consuming the drugs to consume? voters in acapulco have had a tough year. eight months ago, they were battered by hurricane otis. the damage still evident across the city. lives and livelihoods lost. sanchez�*s mother and brother were killed in a landslide. while she's grateful for the government's response,

she says security will also influence her vote. we can't go out without fear. even if you're not looking for trouble, you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. voters will soon choose the men and women to lead mexico in the coming six years. but whoever wins in acapulco, the endless war with the cartels will continue posing a deadly risk to politicians and the electorate alike. will grant, bbc news, acapulco. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the former chief executive of the uk post office, paula vennells, has been in tears at the public inquiry into its it scandal. she admitted she'd "made mistakes" but denied there'd been a conspiracy to cover up problems with the horizon system. ms vennells, who was chief executive from 2012 to 2019,

apologised to sub—postmasters, after hundreds of were wrongly prosecuted when faulty technology made it appear that money was missing from their branches. our business correspondent emma simpson was at the inquiry. you said they were disturbing, didn't you, miss vennells? - paula vennells has come to face the music, but she first had to get past the cameras... anything to say at all to the - people who suffered so greatly? ..to finally explain her role in the scandal. it has been a long time coming for the subpostmasters whose lives have been wrecked. why, why has she let this go on? did she put profits before people, is the big question. it is important that the truth is there, that she is allowed| to speak, that she can put over what she, you know, _ was seeing at the time. i swear by almighty god... sworn in, the part—time priest was then given a warning about self—incrimination. do you understand all that? thank you, sirwyn, and i plan

to answer all the questions. but there were also tears and apology for what she said. the post office knew that, i completely accept it. personally, i did not know that and i'm incredibly sorry that that happened to those people and to so many others. but what did she know and when? was there a conspiracy at the post office, which lasted for nearly 12 years, involving a wide range of people, differing over time, to deny you information and to deny you documents, and to falsely give you reassurance 7 no, i don't believe that was the case. under her leadership, a lot of evidence emerged about flaws with horizon, but at key points, she said she wasn't aware of much of it, including crucial legal advice. do you think you are the unluckiest ceo in the uk?

i was too trusting. i did probe and i did ask questions. and... iam... ..disappointed where information was not shared. but former royal mail boss and colleague dame moya greene is not so sure. the inquiry was shown a text chat between both of them earlier this year. "i think you knew," says moya, to which paula replies, "that isn't the case." moya then asks, "how could you not have known?" before saying, "i supported you all these years". adding, "i can't support you now". and then she was asked about the case of subpostmaster martin griffiths, who took his own life after the post office ruined him. and i imagine that... i'm sorry. i imagine that i was probably... just pause. yes, ok. try to compose yourself if you can and then continue your evidence, please.

thank you. she apologised to alan bates, too. she said he was right to persevere. i wonder about these apologies. these are just words. the big problem at the moment is trying to get money for the victims in all of this, and anything that does that will make a real difference, rather than a few words. and here is another thing. when paula vennells first joined the post office in 2007 as a director, she said it was another five years before she found out they did their own private prosecutions. and the inquiry heard that when she left herjob in 2019, she still believed there had not been any miscarriages ofjustice. her thinking and decision—making will be tested again tomorrow. emma simpson, bbc news. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. president macron has arrived in the french pacific territory of new caledonia, which is under a state

of emergency after the worst civil disturbances in a0 years. he's decided to take direct control of the situation and will hold a series of meetings with leaders there in what the government hopes will be a process to end the unrest. ajudge in tennessee has halted thursday's planned auction of elvis presley's estate of graceland. a bank was seeking to sell it off, claiming the property had been put up as collateral for a loan by elvis�*s late daughter, lisa marie. presley's granddaughter sought to stop the auction, saying the loan documents were fraudulent. yesterday, we brought you the remarkable story of conservative mp craig mackinlay, who lost his hands and feet to sepsis. today, he returned to work at the house of commons with a remarkable welcome from the entire chamber. our political correspondent helen catt reports. cheering and applause. clapping isn't usually allowed in the commons...

but the speaker made an exception for this moment. craig mackinlay returning after a life changing 18 months. it is an inspiration for the people in this country who have suffered from sepsis. the prime minister also paid tribute. no—one who watched the interview last night could have failed to be in awe of his incredible resilience. and so did the leader of the opposition. politics is about service, | and resuming your duties as an mp and being here today shows us, it is an example - for all of us of your deep - sense of service and we thank you for it. and as pmqs came to an end... thank you, mr speaker. this is an emotional day for me

and if you could indulge me to say a few thanks because a few are due. and of course one of those, well an apology actually because i have caused the breaking of so many rules today — clapping! i've got trainers on because my shoes would not go over the plastic feet and myjacket would not go over the bionic arm. so apologies for that and thank you for being there for me, mr speaker, and i will tell everyone a story, the rest of the hospital thought i must be dreadfully ill because they said that guy has got the funeral director in already! you have cared for me throughout and i thank you, and the prime minister. he has been with me throughout. he hasn't advertised it, he has been to see me multiple times.

and to me, that shows the true depth of the character of the prime minister and i thank him for that. and to my wife in the chamber, my daughter and otherfamily members, my father and father—in—law, my wife for being there every single day of those many months in hospital. she could only do that because of the support of family behind her. an extraordinary prime minister's questions to mark extraordinary return. breakdancing — or breaking, to give it its official name — makes its olympic debut in paris this year. among the competitors will be manizha talash, afg hanistan�*s only female breaker. she was forced to leave her country when the taliban returned to power and is part of the refugee team. kawoon khamoosh saw hertraining in spain. an intense work—out for the world's biggest competition. manizha is training nonstop to develop and master her skills. she will be taking these moves to the olympics this summer.

she knows the whole world will be watching her. translation: by going to the olympics, i want| to show that afghan girls will never surrender. they will win despite any challenge or obstacle. and this is how herjourney started four years ago. from this hip—hop club in kabul. the only girl on the stage, but already taking confident steps towards her olympic dream. but things haven't been easy. here's our club, a car explosion... in a conservative society, hip—hop fans have many enemies. many faced attacks. manizha continue despite the threats. but when the taliban returned to power, they banned women's sport. manizha and her friends were forced to flee. translation: this is my bedroom. - i moved here a month ago,

but i would like to be surrounded by the things i like. relics of home never far. some posters that remind me of afghanistan — like bombs and afghan dancing girls. i'd like to remember what i have been through. this is the moment the olympic committee made the announcement. and now it's my great honour to announce the athletes of the ioc refugee olympic team, paris 2024. manizha talash — breaking. a dream comes true. manizha will be part of the olympic refugee team and will represent all those who have been forced to flee their home country globally. it will be a tough competition, but it is a proud moment for the hip—hop community of afghanistan. for them and for many women in the country,

it is already a big win. we will have the business soon, with shares in nvidia at an all—time high. hello there. for most of us, wednesday was a particularly miserable day. quite wet, in fact, in hartfordshire and warwickshire, we had a month's worth of rain in a 2k hour period, ranging from 55 to almost 65 mm of rainfall. throughout the day, the rain gradually drifted its way steadily north and west. here, it is going to linger for quite some time, so we still have weather warnings out. in fact, the met office has an amber warning now, with the emphasis on the heavy and persistent rain across parts of north wales and northwest england. we could see, to higher ground, as much as 100 mm or more, and that could lead

to some localised flooding. so that weather warning and will remain in force until lunchtime on thursday. the brighter colours denoting the intensity of the rainfall. some clearer skies further south, so it could be a misty and murky start, but a relatively mild start to thursday morning. on the whole, quite grey for most of us and some of the rain persistent, but it will gradually start to ease as we go through the day, and hopefully the cloud across east anglia and southeast england should break up to allow for some glimpses sunshine from time to time. winds light to moderate, but the strongest gusts perhaps to the far northwest where the heaviest bursts are likely to be. we are going to see temperatures peaking at around 18 or 19 degrees, but where the cloud and rain lingers, certainly a disappointing feel. as we go to thursday evening into the early hours of friday morning, gradually, that low pressure will drift its way further north and east and start to pull away, but it stays rather cloudy, damp and murky. so a pretty murky start to friday morning, and we will be chasing cloud

around on friday. cloud thick enough further north for a spot or two of light drizzle at time to time. hopefully some brightness down to the south, but it would be dry here and top temperatures once again likely into the high teens. into the start of the weekend, this little ridge of high pressure keeps things quite on sunday. it is a bank holiday weekend, i know, there is a weather front starting to push in from the west giving us a level of uncertainty. it is likely the beginning of the three—day weekend will be the best in terms of drier and sunny weather, and there is the potential for some sharp, possibly thundershowers to develop a little later on.

it was another blockbuster quarter for nvidia, as demand for its ai chips stays strong. as australia moves towards becoming a cashless society, we take a look at who's getting left behind. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. nvidia shares are now at an all—time high after the company's latest quarterly results beat sales and profit forecasts. the chipmaker also lifted its dividend and announced

a 10—for—1 stock split. the bbc�*s north america business correspondent michelle fleury has more on the stellar report card. the number of times that al has been mentioned on earnings called this quarter is up sharply on the previous one, which helps explain why investors are so obsessed with nvidia's earnings. it's seen as a bellwetherfor ai, the chip giant's latest results show that demand is off the charts. nvidia reported a net income of $14.9 billion. with that another way, the company is making around $6.8 million in profit every hour. as for its revenue for the last few months, he came in at $26 billion — up a whopping 662% on the previous year. founder and ceo said the next industrial revolution has begun. the business was once billed on

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