a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: a surprise general election for the uk. the prime minister says it will ensure stability during the brexit talks. the only way to guarantee certainty and stablity for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions i must take. mrs may will ask mps to support her decision in a few hours but outside parliament views in the country are mixed. not another one?! oh, for god's sake, i can't stand this. there's too much politics going on at the moment. also today: we're on the frontline of the battle against the so—called islamic state group in mosul, as the un warns of a humanitarian catastrophe ahead. and the man who posted video of a murder on facebook is dead. the company's boss promises to do

more to prevent any such postings in future. hello. britain's prime minister has taken just about everyone by surprise by announcing her intention to call a general election on june the eighth — three years earlier than the date set down by law. theresa may says it's all about gaining certainty and stability ahead of the brexit process. her opponents say she's pursuing a cynical plan for party political advantage. this report from the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg. did she surprise them? did she surprise you? did theresa may even surprise herself? her biggest decision as prime minister, taken only days ago. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet, where we agreed

that the government should call a general election to be held on the eighth ofjune. that was not her plan. but she says to get brexit done, she needs more support around here. in recent weeks, labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union. the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. the scottish national party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repeals britain's membership of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. our opponents believe because the government's majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course. they are wrong. there'll be a vote in parliament that will all but certainly get the process going.

and if you're in any doubt as to how the tories will frame your choice. i have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion. since i became prime minister, i have said that there should be no election until 2020. but now i have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions i must take. most of her ministers had been in the dark. only in the last few days did she decide. theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago. and she said consistently there should be no early general election. but quite simply, she has changed her mind. and what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election‘s on. yet his supporters hope his ideas can cut through. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up against this government, and its failed economic agenda, which has left our nhs in problems,

which has left our schools underfunded, and so many people uncertain. we want to put a case out there for the people of britain for a society that cares for all, and an economy that works for all, and a brexit that works for all. more than ever, perhaps, this election won'tjust be about what happens here, but the whole country's constitution. the tories won't promise another vote on independence in scotland, but nicola sturgeon well. well, this is the biggest u—turn in recent political history. but it's very clear that the prime minister's announcement today is one all about the narrow interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall. hello, team! on the road already, the lib dems see an opportunity to come back from rock bottom. it's an opportunity for the people of this country to change direction of this country, to decide they do not want a hard brexit and to stay in the single market.

and, indeed, is an opportunity for us to have a decent strong opposition in this country that we desperately need. how many more times will you change your mind, prime minister? went well, and theresa may escapes some political problems. but the hurly—burly of any campaign claims casualties, too. just ask anyone who has lived at this address. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. and we've been getting some reactions to the news on the streets around the country. you'rejoking? not another one! for god's sake, i cannot stand this. there is too much politics going on at the moment. why does she need to do it? she says it will produce clarity, it get things out in the open, sorts things out. i thought she said that initially when she took over. no, i disagree with this entirely. i'm sorry. are you excited about

another election? no. no, not another one. it's too much. i think it's quite good. it lets be people vote for someone, instead of theresa may getting forced upon us, kind of thing. i think she's pushing her luck. really?! why? because the people up north voted to come out. and the truth of it is now things have changed. things are going up in the shop, aren't they? it makes a difference. makes things really different when prices are going up. she seems to have a huge lead in the opinion polls. you don't go by that. they would say i was elizabeth taylor if you asked folks. and with brexit so high on the election agenda, what impact will the vote have on the uk's relationship with europe? our europe editor katya adler is in paris. officially in brussels, a country's election is very much seen as a domestic affair, and brussels likes to stay neutral. but with brexit being such an all—consuming issue,

some eu officials could barely contain themselves. we had the president of the european council, donald tusk, tweeted that brexit and the elections was a bit like a hitchcock film — first comes the earthquake, and the the tension rises. but behind the closed doors, there is a strong sense of optimism tonight. theresa may has called the elections in the hope of strengthening her hand in brexit negotiations. eu officials believe that a strong win for theresa may would help the eu, too. they believe that they want to have a strong prime minister opposite them at the negotiating table, not one that they perceive as weak, hostage to interested parties, and likely to do u—turns at any point in the negotiation. so officials in brussels, berlin and here in paris want theresa may to do well. and if those negotiations, those brexit negotiations following the elections, do well, i'm being told by high—level sources tonight, then the eu would be open to starting those trade deals, the trade talks about a future relationship between the eu and uk far earlier than had been imagined. but remember that when the eu talks

about good progress in brexit, and i heard from a top—level source tonight that he believes the chances of a good deal for both sides now are far improved. but they talk about good progress from the eu's point of view. there's loads more on the upcoming election on our website, including this from our reality check team looking at what the polls are saying about each party at the moment. go to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. the battle to take iraq's second city, mosul, from the extremist group, the so—called islamic state, could end in a humanitarian disaster, according to un officials. after six months of fighting, thousands of civilians are still trapped in parts of mosul held by is. our correspondentjonathan beale and cameraman barnaby mitchell are embedded with iraqi troops. they witnessed one of the street

battles on the edge of the old city. even at night, you can clearly see the scars on the streets of this city and how brutal the battle for mosul‘s become. we joined the iraqi security forces about to mount yet another assault. these the same troops who've already been fighting here for months and, even under the cover of darkness, they know their enemy, so—called islamic state, will be ready and waiting. gunfire. as they move into position for what's supposed to be a surprise dawn attack, they're already coming under fire. explosions and gunfire.

the commander sets up his headquarters in an abandoned house, soon interrupted by a panic call on the radio — it's his first casualty. dawn breaks and the iraqi forces are still pinned down. this battle‘s been raging now for more than two hours and it is over a matter of streets they're fighting. and, as we hear, there is still fierce resistance from is. that is a coalition air strike, it's the iraqis one advantage to keep the enemy at bay. but even air power can't always spot and silence is snipers and nor do

the rockets fired by iraqi forces. gunfire. throughout the morning, the casualties mount. gunfire. victory still seems a long way off. explosion. this one battle for one street was still raging when we left five hours later, out of fear for our own safety. after six months, the iraqi forces have only now reached the edge of the old city. much of what you can see on the west side of the tigris is still under is control and there's every indication they'll be fighting

and dying for every single street. jonathan beale, bbc news, mosul. three people have been killed after a 39—year—old man allegedly went on a shooting spree in the californian town of fresno. authorities have arrested kori ali muhammad who is also believed to have killed a security guard at a nearby motel last week. here's what police said at a press conference a short time ago. after he was placed in the patrol car, he yelled out, "allahu akbar," as he was seated in the back seat of the patrol car, which obviously raised some concerns. we do not believe, based on the information we have shown, that this was a terrorist—related crime. based on the information we have been provided, and the investigation, has shown is that this is solely based on race.

and this has nothing to do with terrorism in spite of the statements he made. he did clarify that the reason he made that statement in the event that anything did happen to him that he was in fact pledging his allegiance to god for protection. us vice president mike pence is injapan for talks with leaders and these pictures have just come through, mike pence speaking from the aircraft carrier, uss ronald reagan. he is visiting many asian countries amid heightened tensions around north korea. he reiterated the commitment to the region in containing north korea's nuclear ambitions. at the president's direction the policy of the us will be to continue to work diligently with japan, our allies across the region, china and the wider world to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on the regime in north korea. and we will do so until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

but as all of you know, readiness is the key, and you, the instruments of american policy, should know all options are on the table. vice president mike pence. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: egyptian archaeologists uncover a 3,500 year old tomb. will it be enough to revive a tourism industry hit hard by political instability? the stars and stripes at half—mast outside columbine high. the school sealed off, the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought they would actually go through with it. some places have already had nearly as much rain as they would normally expect in an entire year. for millions of americans, the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has meant conflicting emotions.

a national day of mourning next wednesday sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. and lift—off of the space shuttle discovery with the hubble space telescope, our window on the universe. this is bbc news. it is good to have you with us. the latest headlines: the british prime minister has called the us president and european leaders to explain her surprise move to seek an election in six weeks‘ time. senior european union figures have taken a generally positive view, hoping it will lead to clarity in the upcoming brexit negotiations. the man who murdered a stranger at random then posted video of it on facebook, has taken his own life.

steve stephens shot himself as police closed in on his car in pennsylvania. facebook founder, mark zuckerberg, has acknowledged the company needs to do more to prevent similar posts. greg dawson reports. this is where the man—hunt for steve stephens came to an end. police were called after he was spotted in the car park of a mcdonald's drive—through in pennsylvania 100 miles from his home. police officers say he shot himself after his car spun out of control. we're grateful that this has ended. we would prefer it had not ended this way because there are a lot of questions, i am sure, that not only family but the city in general would have had for steve as to why this transpired. it was on sunday that stephens used facebook‘s live—streaming service to broadcast his confession that he had just committed murder. i snapped. he approached 74—year—old robert godwin, a man he had never met before, and shot him dead.

his video of the crime was also uploaded to the social network. the footage stayed on the site for two hours before being removed. at his company's annual conference, the facebook founder admitted they needed to improve their procedures. our hearts go out to the family and friends of robert godwin, sr and we have a lot of work and we will keep doing all we can to prevent tragedies like this from happening. steve stephens described himself as a monster. investigators say his death means they will never know why he committed this crime and why he chose to make it so public. greg dawson, bbc news. in other news: former president george hw bush has been taken to hospital with a mild case of pneumonia. quote from a hospital spokesman,

he "is going to be fine." he is 92, he was in hospital for more than two weeks earlier this year, with the same illness. george bush senior is the oldest living former us president. french prosecutors say two islamist militants arrested during an anti—terror operation in marseille on tuesday had an arsenal of weapons including an uzi submachine gun and explosives which were ready to use. police believe the men were planning an attack ahead of the presidential election on sunday. an indian business tycoon wanted in his home country overfraud allegations has been bailed after appearing in court in london. vijay mallya is accused of having debts of more than a billion dollars when he arrived in britain from india, around a year ago. he denies any wrongdoing. scientists in the united states say frog slime could provide a new way to prevent the flu. they've discovered a chemical in mucus secreted from the skin of an indian frog which has neutralised dozens of strains of flu viruses. president trump has signed

an executive order he says will encourage companies to ‘buy american and hire american‘. it's supposed to end abuses of a visa programme, and enforce rules that require american suppliers for federal contracts. he made the announcement at a factory in wisconsin. right now, widespread abuse in our immigration system is allowing american workers of all backgrounds to be replaced by workers brought in from other countries to fill the same job for, sometimes, less pay. this will stop. american workers have long called for reforms to end these visa abuses. and today, their calls are being answered for the first time. i spoke with our correspondent peter bowes in los angeles and asked him what the visa is about. well, this is an hib visa, which has long been used as an employment visa to bring

people in from overseas to work at companies, like engineers and scientists and computer experts, to work at companies in the us. supposedly they have the expertise that isn't available in america. they are highly skilled and very often highly paid. donald trump is concerned that the system is being abused and people with lesser skills are being brough in to takejobs that could be done by americans. what has been launched today is a review of the system. there is no end in sight but it could take a long time to reach a decision as to what to do with the decision. it seems they won't abandon it totally, but perhaps bring in a merit—based system which willjust help the guidelines. currently, it is a system based on a lottery for some 65,000 visas. donald trump wants more scrutiny for who is given these visas. what is the feeling about this?

is it likely to bring about changes required ? the feeling among his base is it is a positive move and it all goes into donald trump's campaign promise to make america great again. the slogan now is to buy american and to employ americans. it is being seen positively in that light. and, actually, there is cross party of support of this system. i think quite a lot of people thought it would be abused over the years. it is among the least controversial things donald trump is doing. and that said, it probably is not that significant considering the relatively small numbers of people involved. the british "stiff upper lip" is meant to symbolise courage in the face of adversity. but prince william is calling on people to forget fortitude, and talk openly about their mental health problems. that's after his brother, prince harry revealed he sought counselling to come to terms

with the death of their mother. our royal correspondent, peter hunt, reports. hello, prince william. good morning. the transatlantic call that challenges preconceptions. the campaigning future king garnering the support of a global superstar who suffered. lady gaga has lived with post—traumatic stress disorder since she was raped as a teenager. we have to make an attempt the strongest most relentless attempt we can to normalise mental health issues so that people feel like they can come forward. thank you, prince william. have a beautiful day. after his internet brush with stardom, prince william's next stop as he strives to smash taboo was the bbc, for the screening of a documentary narrated by nick knolls. ten people affected by mental health

issues and united by one goal, to run the london marathon. joined by some special guests. kate, william, and harry, want mental health treated like physical health. i really think this is a pivotal moment in the change of mental health. i feel like we are on the cusp of something very big. i really feel the bbc are keen to continue covering mental health to bring about that change. as you can see, i am involved in mental health with what happened with my mother when i was younger. this woman's ten—year—old son died five years ago. her husband, who blamed himself, took his own life five days later. she's now confronting and talking about her personal pain. the more people that talk about this, the better. the silence is killing people. it really is. it's as bad as that. i should stop talking now. meeting the runners confronting adversity left prince william, he said, feeling quite emotional.

their next challenge is the race in six days‘ time. peter hunt, bbc news. -- hunt. egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a tomb which they say dates back 3,500 years, and discovered a collection of mummies. the significant find has been made near the famous "valley of the kings", on the opposite bank of the nile from the city of luxor.< it's the latest in a series of major discoveries of ancient relics that egypt hopes will revive a tourist business that has been hit by political instability. david campanale has more. this tomb is quite small, but it contains extraordinary archaeological riches. the find consists of an open court, leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor, an inner chamber. eight mummies were found, along with well—preserved and colourfully decorated coffins. translation: the tomb has a secret room, which dates back to the 21st or the 22nd dynasty. in the room, we discovered more than six coffins. unfortunately, they had been destroyed, but they have not been moved from their original place. among the finds were more

than 1000 statuettes, figurines carved in wood and clay. translation: it was a surprise to discover so many elements inside. clay utensils with the name and title of the tombs owner. his name as userhat, and he belonged to the 18th dynasty. it's believed that the owner was a nobleman, who would have worked as a judge, and the tomb seems to have been left almost intact, unlike many ancient egyptian burial sites, which have been looted by grave robbers. david campanale, bbc news. a reminder of our top story. the british prime minister has called the us president and european leaders to explain her surprise move to seek an election in six weeks' time. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. much more on the website. thank you for watching.

hello. spring, thus far, has been marked by pretty settled fare. and i suspect that is going to be the overriding theme of the next few days, with a quiet spell of weather set to continue. not just for the next few days, but right on into the forthcoming weekend. but gardeners and growers take note: night—time frost will still be a consideration. not so much for the first part of wednesday, across the northern parts of scotland, you've got a weather front there spreading a veil of cloud. that will keep the temperatures up. but further south, not so much in the major conurbations, but in the suburbs, and in the countryside, the early part of wednesday could see frost. —3 or perhaps even “i! or so. but once the sun is up, that converts intto a glorious start of the new day. plenty of sunshine across the southern parts of england and wales, through midlands and lincolnshire and cambridgeshire. but further north and west of that, the cloud thickens up into the borders, to northern ireland and the eastern side of scotland, and there will be enough cloud for a little bit of rain. a drier prospect, although still pretty cloudy first up across the rest of scotland.

as the day really gets going, i am hopeful that some of that cloud will break up. a good bit of sunshine across scotland. some of that rain will drift off into the north channel, away from northern ireland. so a dry afternoon for many here. further south and east, brighter skies will boost the damage to about 13 or 11! degrees. from wednesday to thursday, any prospect of frost is largely confined to the south—eastern quarter. the high pressure really doing its stuff for the greater part of us. yet more dry weather to come for many. save for the northern and western isles, maybe the north of the mainland, too. a weather front here just keeping that cloud coming in from the atlantic. and enough about it again for there to be the prospect of some rain. again, not amounting to much. the temperatures are where we have been of late. somewhere locked into the low to mid teens. friday is marked by a progression of the weather front and across scotland into the north of england, through northern ireland. to the south of it, with a bit of sunshine, we can boost the temperatures nicely. possibly 17 degrees. to the north of the weather feature, a cooler and fresher regime sets in and eventually wins out.

the front will reintroduce the regime down across the rest of the british isles. the high pressure, neverfar away, that keeps things fairly settled. your scene could look something akin to that. all that combination, the temperature never better than about 13 degrees, perfect conditions, i would have thought, for those taking part in the london marathon. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm mike embley. the british prime minister has spoken to other european leaders and president trump to explain her decision to call an early election. the german foreign minister said he hoped the election would provide more clarity and predictability in the brexit negotiations due to begin after the election, in june. president trump has signed an executive order he says will encourage companies to "buy

american and hire american". it's supposed to end abuses of a visa programme, and enforce rules that require american suppliers for federal contracts. he made the announcement at a factory in the state of wisconsin. police in the united states say a man who murdered an apparent stranger and posted a video of the crime on facebook, has killed himself. they say steve stephens shot himself as officers approached his car. company founder mark zuckerberg has acknowledged the company needs to do more to prevent similar posts. now it's time for hardtalk.