you're very welcome. british prime minister rishi sunak has set a general election for ajuly. he made the announcement in the pouring rain outside 10 downing street, hailing his economic record. the prime minister is trailing in the polls to the opposing labour party, as his conservative party seeks its fifth consecutive term. the bbc�*s political editor chris mason has been following the days developments from westminster. the lectern in place, after a downpour of anticipation. 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, yourfamily 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's been in surrey. well, 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. and they want to vote for someone who will champion them, theirfamily and community, to sort out the crisis in the nhs and care, to get our economy back on track and to end environmental scandals, like the sewage scandal. it's a welcome opportunity to remove the tory government and to put scotland first, and that's 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. 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. to have a look at what we can expect over the next six weeks, i have been speaking to laura beers. laura, thanks indeed forjoining us. let's look at the timing of this election, it will be a summer election, there was much speculation it would not happen until the autumn, until the fall, as you'd say here. what kind of decisions have led to rishi sunak going for that

date, do you think? the language that has been used is he is taking a gamble, right? there is no good time for rishi sunak to call an election, at the moment, the polls have been disastrous. but he has had some good economic news, inflation has been lower than anticipated, there is a hope that the disruption of summer travel and other distractions might end up helping the conservatives, as opposed to hurting them, and it's a calculated risk. you're right, everyone assumed it would be in the autumn, the business taken the political world by surprise. rishi sunak is kind of going into this on the back foot, even though the conservatives have been in powerfor so long, the polls and the recent by—elections all point to a labour flip you, don't they? yes, think it's because the conservatives had been in power for so long, a fifth election win, which this would be for conservatives, is unprecedented in modern politics, and things have not been great in britain, in terms of the impact of inflation, in terms of pressures on mortgages, a lot of the things we have seen around the globe, but britain

has had it particularly difficult, and there is a desire for change, that is something that starmer, the leader of the labour party, was trying to capitalise on in his speech this afternoon. what kind of campaign do you think we will see, then, for the next six weeks? i think you will get sunak saying stick with the devil you know, essentially, you can trust the conservatives, you don't know what you will get with labour, labour has emphasised it is a changed party from the last general election in 2019 and is a party that can be trusted by the broad population, and i think labour is going to make a hard case for the need for change, and the conservatives are going to push an argument about the need for stability. do you think we will see, as we've seen in other parts of europe, a rise in right—wing parties and the more kind of populist messaging? reform, which was previously the brexit party, has been pushing the conservatives from

the right and has shown itself to have some appeal within significant portions of the electorate. in terms of a first—past—the—post legal system, it makes it hard for parties other than the principal political parties, and it will be a largely centrist debate between labour and the conservatives, both of them arguing they can represent the broad majority of the population. i think you will see a less divisive politics than you have in parts of continental europe or the united states. if the signals are pointing in the right direction, and there is a labour government at the end of that, what will it look like the uk, it has been such a long time? it has been a long time. 14 years. one of the things that will be notable will be will have the first female chancellor of exchequer, among the big parliament position it is the one that has never been held by a woman and rachel reeves as shadow chancellor is poised to step in as first female chancellor. i think you will see an emphasis — the labour party

has been very clear about the economic constraints under which it will operate when it comes into power, and not making reckless commitments, but think you will see an emphasis on more investment in infrastructure, investment in the nhs, a commitment to growing a green economy, and we willjust see how things, you know, pan out. i think there is a real cautiousness on the part of labour about promising too much that it can't deliver, after years of financial austerity. what about international relations, then? i mean, the conservatives with the party that presided over brexit, what would be likely see under a labour government, we are in the us, particularly us—uk relations, what more they look like? i think with regards to brexit it has a line drawn under it and it will not be relitigated. the foreign policy, the labour party and the conservative party are both committed to ukraine, they are both supportive of israel in the conflict in gaza and in terms of foreign policy you are less likely to see a dramatic shift than perhaps with upcoming

elections in some other countries. there will be more continuity on that front. and is there anything that maybe we should look out for in this election campaign, do you think? i think, in some ways, the question will be the role of the smaller parties, so the liberal democrats, the scottish national party, the ulster unionists in northern ireland. the labour party needs to win significantly more votes in order to form a majority, just because of the way the constituencies are drawn. so it's possible, if things break very well for the tories, that there could be a hung parliament, in which no party has an outright majority. in which case, labour would be reliant on those smaller parties, either to allow it to form a minority government or to go into coalition. laura beers from american university, speaking earlier. 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 has more. and a warning — some of the footage in her report may be distressing. 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's 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 injudea 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, 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. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news in the uk. survivors and families of the victims of london's grenfell fire will have to wait until at least 2026 for a final decision on whether anyone will face criminal charges. the metropolitan police and crown prosecution service say the delay of almost ten years since the tragedy

happened is down to the increasing "scale "and complexity" of the investigation. the separate public inquiry into the fire is expected to publish its final report this summer or autumn. wylfa on anglesey in wales has been chosen as the preferred site for a large—scale nuclear power plant, which the uk government says will bring thousands ofjobs to the area. wylfa's previous power station stopped generating energy in 2015. international energy companies have begun talks with the government to start building the new plant. junior doctors across northern ireland have walked out for a two—day strike over pay. the department of health has warned that services will be affected during the strike and in subsequent days. further strikes are also be planned forjune after pay talks broke down. you're live with bbc news. less than two weeks until mexico's general election and violence against political figures and candidates is increasing — most of it coming from drug cartels in the region. on tuesday, 12 bodies were discovered in the coastal

city of acapulco, in the latest explosion of violence. the most dangerous state to look for votes in is the western state of guerrero, where acapulco lies. our correspondent will grant reports. another grisly discovery 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."

guerrero is the most dangerous state in mexico to look for votes. this man was standing for congress when armed men appeared at his home. he has since abandoned the race. translation: i don't want to become just another statistic. j translation: i don't want to become just l another murder statistic. i asked the authorities for protection and the security detail, but it fell on deaf ears. they have taken no action at all. 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

in guerrero, felix salgado macedonio 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. translation: 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? 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. this lady'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. translation: 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. south africa's former president jacob zuma says he wants to change the country has a constitution after he was barred from running in elections. he told the bbc the constitutional court was wrong to decide he was ineligible to run, based on his 2021 conviction for refusing to testify at an enquiry investigating corruption during his presidency. mr zuma was president of south africa from 2009 until 2018, before he was forced out, over allegations of corruption that plague his administration, known as state

capture, which saw hundreds of millions of dollars of assets taken into their hands. constitution bars anyone who sentenced to more than 12 months in prison from running. but he argues he is eligible as an mp, after his sentence was reduced to three months. mr zuma designs —— denies any wrongdoing. and so i asked him for his reaction to the ban. i expected that from ourjudges, but they are definitely wrong, not correct. but they are definitely wrong, not correct-— but they are definitely wrong, not correct. the 'udges quoted the constitution — not correct. the judges quoted the constitution of _ not correct. the judges quoted the constitution of this - the constitution of this country. are you saying they misinterpreted the constitution? ~ , constitution? absolutely, that's what _ constitution? absolutely, that's what i'm _ constitution? absolutely, that's what i'm saying. i constitution? absolutely, | that's what i'm saying. so constitution? absolutely, - that's what i'm saying. so what next for you. — that's what i'm saying. so what next for you, courts _ that's what i'm saying. so what next for you, courts have - that's what i'm saying. so what next for you, courts have said i next for you, courts have said you cannot run as mp? ida. next for you, courts have said you cannot run as mp? no, i'm a freedom fighter, _ you cannot run as mp? no, i'm a freedom fighter, i'm _ you cannot run as mp? no, i'm a freedom fighter, i'm going - you cannot run as mp? no, i'm a freedom fighter, i'm going to - freedom fighter, i'm going to fight it, for what is unfair,

as well as it is not a democracy. democracy brings freedom. this is not freedom. your own former party, should i say, you know, prematurely ended your presidency on corruption allegations... ida. corruption allegations... no, it was not — corruption allegations... no, it was not on _ corruption allegations... no, it was not on corruption - it was not on corruption allegations, please, you making allegations, please, you making a big mistake. there was no corruption that was ever found on the. singing about zuma because my corruption was a lot but who has produced anything? do you have any evidence? some call it state _ do you have any evidence? some call it state capture. _ do you have any evidence? some call it state capture. and - do you have any evidence? some call it state capture. and some i call it state capture. and some of the people who are alleged to have worked with you left this country.— this country. no, no, i don't know what— this country. no, no, i don't know what state _ this country. no, no, i don't know what state capture - this country. no, no, i don't- know what state capture means, but even that one, i can tell you a lot, it was all funny. i'm asking if you heard people say i am corrupt, what did i do? do you have any little fact about it? ., ,

about it? there are still cases. _ about it? there are still cases. and _ about it? there are still cases, and next- about it? there are still cases, and next year. about it? there are stilll cases, and next year you about it? there are still - cases, and next year you will be appearing before court again on some of those... ida. be appearing before court again on some of those. . ._ be appearing before court again on some of those. .. on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? — on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? well. — on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? well. i _ on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? well, i am _ on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? well, i am not - on some of those... no, no, am i guilty? well, i am not a - i guilty? well, i am not a 'udue i guilty? well, i am not a judge but... _ i guilty? well, i am not a judge but... precisely, i i guilty? well, i am not a i judge but... precisely, because we are insisting _ judge but... precisely, because we are insisting on _ judge but... precisely, because we are insisting on a _ judge but... precisely, because we are insisting on a cold, i we are insisting on a cold, wait, wait, wait, my sister, do you want to hear me? i don't want to hear you all the time. i am saying to you, i was removed before i finished my attempt, and nothing was ever produced as evidence —— before i finished produced as evidence —— before ifinished my term. figs produced as evidence -- before i finished my term.— i finished my term. as we go to another election, _ i finished my term. as we go to another election, can _ i finished my term. as we go to another election, can south i another election, can south africans trust you and what a going to do differently? south africa trust — going to do differently? south africa trust me. _ going to do differently? south africa trust me. don't - going to do differently? south africa trust me. don't ask i africa trust me. don't ask whether they can. they trust me. they trusted me when i was president, and you can ask any south african how the country was at the time. they are trusting me now, they are taking me back say this is a man we trust.

the kenyan president william bhutto is in washington on a three—day trip the first official visit to america in 15 years will stop he has been meeting president biden as well as top democrat and republican lawmakers —— ruto. a small town in the us state of iowa has been reduced to rubble by a tornado, with a number of residents killed. iowa police confirmed there are fatalities but were unable to sayjust how many. the centre of greenfield is now almost completely flattened, with footage showing debris strewn across its landscape. our us media partner cbs is reporting that the us justice department will file an anti—trust lawsuit against entertainment conglomerate live nation. live nation is the parent company of ticketmaster, which the justice department

now, break dancing, or breaking, to give its name, makes its olympic debut in paris this year. among the competitors, afghanistan's only competitors, afg hanistan�*s only female competitors, afghanistan's only female breaker. she was forced to leave her country when the taliban referred —— returned to power and is now part of the refugee team. we saw has training in spain. an intense work—out for the world's biggest competition. she is training nonstop to develop and master her skills. she will be taking the us moves to the olympics this summer. she knows the whole world will be watching her. translation: bi; watching her. translation: el: going to the olympics i want to show that afghan girls will never surrender, they were when, despite any challenge or obstacle. , , .,

obstacle. this is how her journey _ obstacle. this is how her journey started - obstacle. this is how her journey started four i obstacle. this is how her| journey started four years obstacle. this is how her- journey 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.- olympic dream. but things haven't been easy. here is our club, a haven't been easy. here is our club. a car _ haven't been easy. here is our club, a car explosion - haven't been easy. here is our club, a car explosion forced i haven't been easy. here is our club, a car explosion forced a| club, a car explosion forced a conservative society, hip—hop fans had many enemies. many faced attacks,— faced attacks, many faced threats- — faced attacks, many faced threats. but _ faced attacks, many faced threats. but when - faced attacks, many faced threats. but when the i faced attacks, many faced i threats. but when the taliban returned to power, they ban women's sport. manizha talash and herfriends women's sport. manizha talash and her friends were forced to flee. translation: this and her friends were forced to flee. translation:— and her friends were forced to flee. translation: this is my bedroom- _ flee. translation: this is my bedroom- i _ flee. translation: this is my bedroom. i moved _ flee. translation: this is my bedroom. i moved here - flee. translation: this is my bedroom. i moved here a i flee. translation: this is my | bedroom. i moved here a month ago, but i would like to be surrounded by the things i like. . , ., surrounded by the things i like. ., ., ., surrounded by the things i like. . , ., ., ., like. relics of home never far. some posters _ like. relics of home never far. some posters that _ like. relics of home never far. some posters that remind i like. relics of home never far. some posters that remind me | like. relics of home never far. l some posters that remind me of afghanistan, like the afghan dancing girls. i would like to remember what i've been through. officialannouncement

through. official announcement of the through. officialannouncement of the team... through. official announcement of the team...— of the team... this is the moment _ of the team... this is the moment the _ of the team... this is the moment the olympic i of the team. .. this is the i moment the olympic committee made the announcement. idaud moment the olympic committee made the announcement. now it is my great _ made the announcement. now it is my great honour _ made the announcement. now it is my great honour to _ made the announcement. now it is my great honour to announcel is my great honour to announce the athletes _ is my great honour to announce the athletes of _ is my great honour to announce the athletes of the _ is my great honour to announce the athletes of the ioc- is my great honour to announce the athletes of the ioc refugee olympic— the athletes of the ioc refugee olympic team _ the athletes of the ioc refugee olympic team paris _ the athletes of the ioc refugee olympic team paris 2024. i olympic team paris 2024. manizha _ olympic team paris 2024. manizha talash, _ olympic team paris 2024. manizha talash, breaking. olympic team paris 2024. l manizha talash, breaking. a. manizha talash, breaking. dream comes true. manizha manizha talash, breaking.- 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. the announcement is a source of immense pride for her coach. in source of immense pride for her coach. :: ' .., source of immense pride for her coach. :: ' , ., source of immense pride for her coach. :: ' source of immense pride for her coach. :: coach. in 2021 can you say you will no coach. in 2021 can you say you will go to — coach. in 2021 can you say you will go to the _ coach. in 2021 can you say you will go to the olympics, i coach. in 2021 can you say you will go to the olympics, and l coach. in 2021 can you say you j will go to the olympics, and in 2024 you are in the olympics, so imagine. you say it and you did it. �* ., ~ .,, did it. breaking was categorised - did it. breaking was categorised as i did it. breaking was categorised as an i did it. breaking was i categorised as an olympic did it. breaking was _ categorised as an olympic sport in recent years and added to the paris 2024 olympic games. it will be a tough competition, but it is a proud moment for the hip—hop community of

afghanistan. forthem, and the hip—hop community of afghanistan. for them, and for many women in the country, it is already a big win. best of luck to manizha and all of the olympians. that is it for the moment. i will be back shortly. stay with us on bbc news. take care. hello, there. for most of us, wednesday was a particularly miserable day. quite wet, in fact, in hertfordshire and warwickshire, we had a month's worth of rain in a 24—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 of sunshine from time to time. winds, light to moderate, but the strongest gusts perhaps to the far north and west, where the heaviest bursts are likely to be. now, 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 through 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 will 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 quiet 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, so it is likely the beginning of the three—day weekend will be the best, in terms of drier, sunnier weather, and there is the potential for some sharp, possibly thundery showers to develop a little later on.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. no—one can touch me, no—one can beat me, no—one could even get close to me. everyone�*s always going to define me by my failures but i know that i created the most efficient fighting style that ever existed and i'm proud of that.

ronda rousey is an icon of the mixed martial arts world and a trailblazer for women in combat sport, an olympic medallist injudo... commentator: ronda rousey, the usa's first women's - olympic medallist. ..the first woman to win an ultimate fighting championship title, a professional wrestler... ..now a tv personality and hollywood actress and a regenerative farm owner. but despite ronda's seismic success and achievements, she's had to embrace deep challenges throughout her career — something she hasn't shared openly until now. i always thought that i could will my body to do whatever i needed it to do and it was at that point it just kind of quit on me. sometimes, when you're the only woman in the room, it's easy to feel out of place, but you have a right to be there. to understand her incredible journey, you've got to go back in time. what's the first memory where you felt fighting would be a part of your life?