this is bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: brexit, nuclear weapons and the future of social care. voters quiz theresa may and jeremy corbyn ahead of the uk election. the european union and china team up to say they'll keep the paris climate agreement alive, whatever president trump does. california has vowed to ignore president trump. it sees its future in developing clean energy. and is set to have a new prime minister, the openly gay son of an indian immigrant. —— ireland is set. —— ireland is set. hello and welcome. the british prime minister, theresa may, and the opposition labour party leader, jeremy corbyn,

have been facing questions from voters ahead of next week's general election. they were questioned separately by members of the studio audience after mrs may refused to debate directly with other party leaders. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. nervous? not that you would notice. the labour leader high on campaigning, his crowd was waiting. ready for the question time audience? yes! theresa may, much more to lose. a brave face after a bumpy few days. both facing the hardest audiences of all — this studio, and you. a smile, but a hard start for the prime minister, pressing bruises she has taken on in this campaign. you backtracked on your social care policy and your whole manifesto has holes in it and everybody else can see that. well, first of all... it could have been easy, i could have said, "ok, i'm prime minister, there's

another couple of years, why don't ijust stay and hang on in the job?" i didn't do that. i have called an election because of brexit. i was willing to do that because i think this is a really important moment for our country. you have called a general election for the good of the conservative party and it's going to backfire on you. then to what her team thinks is her biggest advantage, brexit. why not give people a second vote? we were all told lies. even people who voted out, perhaps they should be given the second chance, you should have the confidence to say, shall we have another vote? i think collectively people here in the uk said, you know what, that is not the way to behave. if the people have made their choice, let's listen to the people and actually deliver on it. on the wrong information! and question after question about social care and her change of heart. you can spend your whole life working hard to build up a nest egg, but if it's all going to be taken away from you again, if your care is needed, then essentially why should you even bother in the first place?

so it is today that we see people sometimes having to sell their house in order to pay those bills. what we say is that under the system we introduce, which is important, because we need a sustainable system for the future, given the ageing population, if we do nothing our social care system will collapse. if you can tell us what the floor is now, why can't you tell us the cap? because on the floor, i think it is important that we give people the protection of their savings, which is greater than it is today. that's why we've set that figure at £100,000. but on the cap, as to where you set that figure, the absolute amount that people pay, i think it's right we have that consultation. then pressure on the nhs, and this nurse's pay packet. my wage slips from 2009 reflect exactly what i am earning today. how can that be fair? we have had to take some hard choices across the public sector in relation to public set pay restraint. we did that because of the decisions

we had to take to bring public spending under control, because it wasn't under control under the last labour government. i am being honest with you, in terms of saying that we will put more money into the nhs. but there isn't a magic money tree. then the reality of what some people experience over their mental health. i have been waiting a year and a half for this, and i have suffered so much over that year, in part because of the work capability assessment. i'm not going to make any excuses for the experience that you have had. that is why i think it's so important that we actually do deal with mental health, and this is something where we do look out improving how that assessment takes place. then to her rival, jeremy corbyn. good evening, mr corbyn. the first challenge, whether he would play brexit hardball. if the eu understands your position, that no deal is a bad deal, then you've got no chance. we are not approaching these

negotiations by threatening europe with setting up some kind of low tax haven for big corporations in this country. we are instead saying we want to continue that trading relationship outside the european union. he was pressed on whether he would work with the snp, and whether the country can afford his plans. is labour's manifesto a realistic wish list, or is itjust a letter to santa claus? i urge you to read it. i think it is a serious and realistic document that addresses the issues that many people in this country face. i'm thinking of last time labour were in government, they left a note in the chancellor's office, saying, "we've no money left. " do you know what? the very richest in our society have got richer. there has been more and more tax giveaways at the top end and more and more charges at the other end.

it's time to rebalance it. then his own long—held resistance to nuclear weapons came under pressure. if the uk were under imminent threat from nuclear weapons, how would you react? i think the idea of anybody ever using nuclear weapons anywhere in the world is utterly appalling and terrible. it would result in the destruction of the lives and the communities and the environment for millions of people. are you saying there are no circumstances under which you would use it? any circumstances where anybody is prepared to use nuclear weapons is disastrous for the whole planet. that is why there has to be a policy of disarmament, globally, but through multilateral policy, not a unilateral policy. would you allow north korea or some idiot in iran to bomb us and then say, we'd better start talking? you'd be too late! of course not. of course i would not do that. you'd allow them to do it. of course not.

how would you stop them? that is why i made the point a short time ago about the need for president obama's agreement with iran to be upheld. it is quite important, actually. and also to promote disarmament in korea. that is difficult, i appreciate. i don't understand why everyone in this room seems so keen on killing millions of people with a nuclear bomb. difficult moments for him, too, on the ira. but a tough night for both the rivals. a brief but big encounter. 90 vital minutes after weeks of campaigning, moments that could make the difference. there are still minds to change. the white house has defended donald trump's decision to pull the us out of the paris climate agreement. administration officials say it's now up to other world leaders to decide whether to sit down and negotiate a new deal. speaking at the white house, environment secretary scott pruitt refused to say whether the president

still believed climate change was a hoax, and described withdrawing from the agreement as a brave decision. in a snub to the president some us cities and states have said the president made a courageous decision yesterday on behalf of america. he put our interest first in respect to environmental agreements. we appreciate his fortitude. i appreciate his leadership in this matter. the discussion over the last few weeks has been one of a thoughtful deliberation he heard many voices, voices across a wide spectrum of vantage points and the president made a informed, in important decision for the country's future. in a snub to the president some us cities and states have said they will still cut emissions in line with the paris agreement, despite the us withdrawal. here's the former mayor of new york, michael bloomberg. americans don't need washington to

meet our paris commitment. americans are not going to let washington stand in the way of filling it. that is the message that governors and mayors and business leaders across the united states have been sending. today, i want the world to know that the us will meet our paris commitment. and there has been hajj reaction around the globe. —— and there's been harsh reaction around the globe — india, china and the european union have restated their commitment to the accord. from brussels, damian grammaticas reports. in the fight against global warming, and just hours after donald trump retreated, enter new leaders. the european union and china. apart from the us, these are the world's other two economic heavyweights, prompted by president trump to act in concert. what we are seeing here with this joint reaction to donald trump's statement is striking. not just for the swiftness, but also for the message it sends, at a time when the us, under president trump,

is withdrawing from global leadership on climate change, instantly the european union and china are stepping in to take up that mantle. it is a striking global change and could herald a decline in us influence. so at this special summit in brussels, the eu and china are making a joint declaration. they will not abandon the paris agreement. the opposite — they are committed to it. today we are stepping up our cooperation on climate change with china. this means that today, china and europe have demonstrated solidarity with future generations and responsibility for the whole planet. we are convinced that yesterday's decision by the united states to leave the paris agreement is a big mistake. when president trump announced his decision last night he said that paris was a "bad deal" for the us. but this deal maker will not be able to renegotiate, say eu countries, who have issued their own co—ordinated condemnation, a single statement signed by germany,

france and italy. angela merkel today called the us decision "regrettable." added that she was holding back are real feelings. translation: the decision will not stop all of us dedicated to the protection of our planet earth. quite the opposite. we in germany, in europe and in the world are now more determined than ever to pool our strength to face one of the challenges of humankind. theresa may did not sign a joint letter with europe's other g7 members. that prompted this scathing attack from jeremy corbyn today. given the chance to present a united front with our international partners, she has instead opted for silence, and once again, subservience to donald trump. it is a dereliction of both her duty to this country and our duty to our planet. downing street says the prime minister did not act together with other european nations

because she spoke directly to president trump last night to tell him she supports the paris deal. i've made the uk's position on the paris agreement clear. we remain committed to it. it's an important international agreement on climate change. i made the uk's psoition clear to president trump last week —— position clear to president trump last week of the g7 meeting, as did the other g7 leaders, and i made the uk's position clear to president trump last night. canada and japan have not signed that letter, neither has the uk, but we all have the same view, that we remain committed to the paris agreement. in brussels, the eu and china have been prompted to take a stand because they share the belief that fighting climate change makes both environmental and economic sense, and, the eu says, puts it on the right side of history. well, among the american states that say they'll simply ignore president trump is california.

it sees its future prosperity dependent on developing clean energy. james cook reports from kern county, north of los angeles. this is one of the windiest spots on earth and the birthplace of north america's wind industry. it is the largest private employer here and when the great recession hit the united states one decade ago, california's determination to cut emissions kept the turbines spinning and the area afloat. i know local businesses here and across the country said that if it were not so the wind industry they would not be in business. property management companies, hotels, restaurants that are so companies, hotels, restaurants that are so grateful for companies, hotels, restaurants that are so gratefulfor our companies, hotels, restaurants that are so grateful for our industry and it has a huge impact on the local economy. and so when the white house says it is withdrawing from the paris climate change deal to boost employment, it does not make a lot

of sense here. donald trump says his presidency is all about creating jobs. he has talked about a resurgence of coal mining, about resurrecting american industry. american industry is changing. and here in the dusty hills of california, it increasingly looks like this. california was driven to embrace the power of the wind and the sun by necessity. for years, los angeles look like this. to defeat the deadly small, the state drafted the deadly small, the state drafted the toughest emission standards in america, standards now embraced by a dozen other us states. california is ona dozen other us states. california is on a different path from where president trump wants to take the country. we are not alone in this regard. most states now in the country are working hard to do things which, whether they call it climate change or not, are aimed at reducing emissions and ringing around cleaner fuels and reducing emissions and ringing around cleanerfuels and cleaner ways of moving ourselves around. and

that includes china, which is now turning to california for advice on how to tackle its own pollution problem. the two up partners but also competitors in developing renewable technology. this is, i think, the area where some's decision on the paris agreement and we generally his decisions on climate change have the potential to harm the us economy in the long—term the most. and that is simply because other countries are not waiting. this is the coming economic boom and we really are losing heavy potential, to lose out on it. and on these hills they hope not. although merely one third of california is voted for donald trump, this state is fast becoming a beacon of opposition to the president. stay with us on bbc news. there is still plenty to come including in northern morocco where

anti—government protests have continued for an seventh consecutive day. the worst unrest in the country for years. the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning, in accordance with the order of service, by a signal given by the great guns of the tower. tanks and troops are patrolling the streets of central peking after the bloody operation to crush student—led protests, and the violence has continued, the army firing on civilians throughout the following day and night. over there you can see its mighty tail — the only sign left, almost, that an aircraft had been here. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles' album sgt pepper's lonely hearts

club band, a record described as the album of the century. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. with less than a week until the uk general election, theresa may and jeremy corbyn have faced questions on brexit, nuclear weapons and the future of social care, from a live television audience. china, the european union and india have restated their commitment to the paris agreement on combating climate change. but president donald trump's team is standing by his decision to pull the united states out. let's stay with that story. low lying ocean islands feel the effects of climate change more keenly than anywhere else. hilda heine is the president of the republic of the marshall islands in the central pacific ocean and she joins us from there now. thank you ever so much forjoining

us, madam president. what was your reaction when you heard this announcement from president trump? thank you for having me on your show. of course, we were very disappointed. we were... it is highly concerning for those of us who live on the front line of climate change. the decision of president trump is quite disappointing and brings sadness to people from the marshall islands and countries like the marshall islands. you are on the frontline, as you say, what is the reality of climate change for you and your islanders? well, in the last two years we have had to deal with droughts that have

affected half the marshall islands full of we have declared this disaster and again this year. seven months of last year it did not rain in the northern parts of the marshall islands and that means the level of water is low and lots of sickness the people who need safe water. costs to the government is more than we can afford and this year it is starting all over again. in addition to inundation, all water is getting salty and how food crops are dying from saltwater intrusion into the system. it is affecting us every day and that is why president trump's decision is quite careless, as far as we are concerned. he does

not appreciate the existential threat that climate change poses for countries like ours, marshall islands and other countries similar to marshall islands. in terms of this particular battle with the us, do you think it is over or do you intend continuing lobbying? we cannot give up. i believe very small work to do and we are heartened by the support of other countries in other parts of the world, by actors committed to the paris agreement and to implementing it in full force. your country has a particularly difficult history with the us. i wonder if that makes it more personal? well, yes, it does. we

have been helping the united states, we are one of the strongest allies and friend. we believe in the us global leadership. of course, we have had a history of... a sad history due to the nuclear testing programme conducted by the us in 1946 - 19 58th, with the programme conducted by the us in 1946 — 19 58th, with the testing of atomic ions on some of our islands that have caused health issues for our people. some of the islands, many relocation for people. until today, many of our people have been relocated from their islands. we see this as another force that is coming on to us, not of our making but that

is affecting the lives of our people here very much. we appreciate you talking to us on bbc news. thank you very much. thank you. he's ireland's first openly gay minister, the son of an indian immigrant, and at the age of 38, leo varadkar is now set to be the youngest leader in europe as ireland's next prime minister. here's our ireland correspondent chris buckler. leo varadkar is the new face of modern ireland — the son of an immigrant, openly gay, and for months, he's been the favourite to become this country's new prime minister. i indeed have been elected the 11th leader of fine gael. he set out his vision of leadership, amid a sea of signs bearing one name. i think if my election as leader of fine gael, today, has shown anything it's that prejudice has no place in this republic.

and so every proud parent in ireland today can dream big dreams for their children. every boy and girl can know there is no limit to their ambition, their possibilities, if they are given the opportunity. varadkar‘s father was a doctor, who migrated from india, and married an irish nurse. two years ago, he came out as gay, ahead of a referendum on the introduction of same—sex marriage. he celebrated the "yes" vote on stage, a sign of social change in what many still call "catholic ireland". and leo is certainly different from last leader, enda kenny. he's not one of these high—fiving enda kenny types, but, you know, that's not always what's needed. councillors and the parliament and the party know what is in him, and that's steel and determination. ireland's economy may have emerged

from bank crises and bailouts, but brexit poses it's own challenges for the uk's neighbouring trading partner, as head of minority government, varadkar is go to find that his leadership is tested sooner rather than later. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news and us defence secretaryjames mattis has been speaking at an international policy forum in singapore. there he once again warned that north korea's nuclear ambitions were a "threat to us all." he went on to criticise china for militarising parts of the south china sea. he said the us wanted to reinforce the rules—based international order and keep shipping lanes open. one of germany's biggest music festival has been evacuated after what police described as a possible terrorist threat. people streamed

out of the arena after organisers asked them to live in a calm and controlled way. the organisers say they hope the festival will resume on saturday full is. a map of disneyland dating back more than 60 years could raise nearly a million dollars at auction. the map is part of a collection of early disneyland memorabilia, which is up for auction in los angeles. it dates from 1953, before the theme park was even built, and was used as part of presentations to get funding for the plan. it was drawn in 48 hours flat by one of walt disney's favourite artists. a reminder of our top story. with less than a week until the uk general election, theresa may and jeremy corbyn have faced a grilling from a tv audience. stay with us on bbc news. hello.

we'll do the easy bit first and then i'll give you the forecast, which is probably the bit you're after, anyway. a mixture of sunny spells and showers. friday was notjust as straightforward. you'll see why go back to friday in a moment. it started well enough, then it started to look more threatening. that is probably because many of you were getting tied up with the weather front, which had fresher air on its western flank, but ahead of it, warm, moist, muggy air, which turned into thunderstorms in parts of east anglia and the south—east, which is why some of you and your day looking more like that. yes, there were some localised flooding, due to be heavy downpours. and that muggy air is still there to be had, as we start saturday across this south—eastern quarter. the remnants of the old weather front still producing some rain across north—eastern parts of england. and it's out through the west that we see the finest conditions of the day. one or two showers to start the day across the western—facing coasts and hills.

and they're there, too, through the western side of scotland. but it is out towards the east that we saw that overhang of cloud, the remnants of friday's weather, if you like. still enough about the cloud to create murky conditions east of the pennines and on the eastern side of scotland, too. let's get you on through the day, and see how things will shape up. i know there are a lot of shows and weddings planned for tomorrow. as we get through the day, the bulk of the showers will be found across central and northern parts of scotland, through, northern ireland, too, and fewer showers, but still there to be had, across the western side of england and wales. that murk will just drift up the eastern shores and eventually, i think, the eastern side of england will improve as the bulk of that cloud and showery rain comes to lie there across the eastern side of scotland. so that's saturday. on into sunday, and i think it will be a quiet start for central and eastern parts, again. later on, i think we will see more showery rain in the south—west and into parts of wales, perhaps. and a slightly fresher feel through the day. this is monday.

look at this. not one, two, but three areas of low pressure. this being the real driver of the weather. they could bring 50 millimetres of rain to you. so watch out for that dry start. it won't last like that across england and wales. in some of the gusts of wind easily in excess of 50 miles an hour. here we are as far ahead as tuesday. and a slightly simplified area of low pressure still providing a really showery regime across all parts of the british isles. and a coolerfeel, too, given that the wind is somewhere between the west and the north—west. this is bbc news. the headlines: theresa may and jeremy corbyn have been facing questions from voters in the final televised debate before next week's general election. mrs may stressed that she was the best person to lead brexit negotiations and mr corbyn promised a left—wing alternative to the government's planned spending cuts. the white house has defended donald trump's decision to pull the us out of the paris

climate agreement. administration officials say it's now up to other world leaders to decide whether to sit down and negotiate a new deal. however, china, india and the eu have recommitted to the original agreement. the new leader of the biggest party in ireland's coalition government, fine gael, is leo varadkar, the son of an indian immigrant who is ireland's first openly gay minister. aged 38, he is set to become ireland's youngest prime minister in a few weeks' time. syria's national football team has a real chance of qualifying