hello. my name is tom donkin. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. these are our top stories: a crowded passenger boat sinks at a busy colombian resort. six people have died. 15 are missing. fierce resistance in the last push for mosul: islamic state militants make a final stand against iraqi troops' advancing into the city. a roadside inferno in central pakistan claims at least 150 lives: many of the victims were collecting fuel from a crashed oil tanker. and in britain, there are calls for a national response to the grenfell tower tragedy, after 60 high—rise buildings fail safety tests. hello and welcome.

six people are known to have died and 15 others are missing after a crowded passenger boat sank on a reservoir in colombia. the vessel, which had four decks, began taking on water while cruising on the artificial lake, outside the resort of guatape. that's about 80 kilometres from the city of medellin. other tourist ferries quickly came to the rescue of those on board. there are no details yet on why the boat sank. nimesh thaker reports. passengers on the four—deck ship can be seen panicking and calling for help as their vessel started taking on water. pleasure boats and tourists on jetskis rushed towards the craft to help those who'd jumped into the water. others still on board tried to find safety on the upper decks. the local businessman who recorded this video told bbc mundo that the boat took five minutes to sink in a part of the reservoir that is about 45 metre deep.

translation: all of the boats that were here started heading out to pull people out. they pulled people out in a bad state. of course, people were desperate and try to climb on top of others to get out. translation: truthfully, it was incredible to see all of the survivors arriving. everybody pulled together and started to help. truthfully, it was very sad to have this experience. it is reported that 170 people including crew were on the boat. at least 20 people were taken to hospital. the authorities are still trying to establish the exact numbers of the people involved and nationalities of the tourists on board. on social media, the colombian president has been speaking about the recovery operations. he has asked for direct reports on the response and said that the government was ready to provide assistance. with nine—time, conditions have

become more difficult. president sa ntos said become more difficult. president santos said the operation would continue. investigators have yet to explain what caused the boat to sink. they will also be asking what safety procedures were followed and if life vests were issued. the bbc‘s colombia correspondent, natalio cosoy, who's in bogota, gave this update on the tragedy. it was the middle of a long weekend in colombia. people were expecting a day of relaxation in this tourist town in the centre of the country in the province of antioquia. this is an artificial lake where people take tours on boats like the one that sank and unexpectedly, the boat started to sink. it took only five minutes to go under water. people from the shores managed to record videos and take photographs of what was happening. the emergency authorities in colombia and in antioquia are working on finding those who might be disappeared, treating the injured and dealing with the casualties

of this accident. some are starting to suggest that maybe the compliance, the rules of the boat operators were not the ones expected. it is something that will be investigated by the authorities here in colombia. and you can find the very latest at our website. just go to bbc.com/news. reports from iraq say fighters from so—called islamic state have mounted a counter attack against iraqi troops, who are trying to recapture parts of the old city of mosul. the battle is intense, and iraqi commanders have told the bbc that british fighters, as well as chechens and other foreigners, are among the militants.

the bbc‘s team of orla guerin, nico hameon, bader catty and rich stacey, was given exclusive access to the battle area. here's their report. heading to the front line in mosul, you have to run... ..and beware of snipers. but troops from iraq's emergency response division are advancing every day. the target here — a hospital complex. gunfire. we move deeper into the battle, getting a chance to see how the fight has been taken to the so—called islamic state. urban warfare at its most intimate. near enough to throw a hand grenade. then this... gunfire. the fight here is at

extremely close quarters. this is the most forward position is iraqi troops have. they tell us the nearest is position is just 15 metres away, and when they're firing here the distance is so small that sometimes they can see the faces of the is militants. the troops here — mostly young — determined to end a reign of terror. "daesh came and killed civilians," says ali. "they destroyed life in the city." "our duty is to bring mosul back to life." here's the hospital building where commanders say about 200 foreign militants are holed up, including some britons. "that's what our intelligence tells us," says this colonel. "and also we heard them speaking on the radio." "we can tell their nationality from that." and iraqi drones monitor their movements, if they

dare to move at all. here, militants run from building to building in the vast medical complex, looking for cover. commanders tell us there are french, russians and chechens here, as well as the british. they say there are three senior is leaders along with them, trapped below ground. now their caliphate is turning to ash, their positions being pounded from above with a series of air strikes. we counted three in an hour. it's the final push against an enemy that once controlled a third of iraq, and that tonight has begun a counter attack. orla guerin, bbc news, mosul. let's take a look at some

of the other stories making the news. hopes are fading in china's sichuan province of finding any more survivors after the devastating landslide. so far, only 15 bodies have been found, along with three survivors, but around a hundred people are missing. thousands of rescue workers have been deployed after some a0 homes were destroyed. at least seven people have died in a cable car accident in the tourist resort of gul—marg in indian—administered kashmir. police say the main cable, that carries the six—seater cabins, snapped, due to strong winds. hundreds of people who were stranded at high altitude, were later rescued. firefighters in southern spain are battling to stop a huge forest fire causing widespread damage to a national park that's home to rare species of wildlife. the blaze in a pine forest near the city of huelva has led to the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. windy conditions are making it difficult to bring the flames under control. the pakistani prime minister,

nawaz sharif, has cut short a visit to london to return home, after more than 140 people were killed when an oil tanker exploded in punjab province. secunder kermani has the latest from karachi. hundreds of local villagers flocked to the scene of the overturned tanker this morning, despite being warned not to. in this impoverished area, they collected fuel in buckets, jerry cans, and even empty water bottles. but moments later, grief and anguish. thousands of litres of petrol went up in flames, engulfing those nearby. early reports suggest the blaze began when someone lit a cigarette. translation: the oil tanker turned over. people shouted, "oil, oil!"

the local traffic police asked people to leave, warning it may explode, then suddenly there was fire. translation: i had already ta ken some petrol. i was about to fill another can but felt dizzy due to the fumes, so decided not to go back for more. the empty charred wreckage gives an idea of how many people were there. pictures too graphic to broadcast showed bodies piled by the road. the nearest burns unit is around 100 miles away from the site. medical teams worked flat out to assist the injured and console the bereaved. some in pakistan have blamed the victims for rushing towards the scene of the accident, but in other quarters there is a sense of anger that people here are not educated enough about basic safety issues, and that poverty forces them to risk their lives for a few litres of free petrol. the tragedy casts a shadow over preparations for the muslim festival of eid al—fitr,

due to take place here tomorrow. instead of celebrations, there'll be funerals. secunder kermani, bbc news, karachi. do stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the uk's brexit secretary says he's "pretty sure" — but not certain — the country can secure a deal with brussels about leaving the european union. members of the of the neo—nazi resistance movement stormed the world trade center armed with pistols and shotguns. we believe that, according to international law, that we have a right to claim certain parts of this country as ourland. i take pride in the words "ich bin ein berliner." chapman, prison—pale and slightly chubby, said not a single word in open court. it was left to his lawyer to explain his decision to plead

guilty to murdering john lennon. he believes that onjune 8th, god told him to plead guilty, and that was the end of it. the medical research council have now advised the government that the great increase in lung cancer is due mainly to smoking tobacco. it was closing time for checkpoint charlie which, for 29 years, has stood on the border as a mark of allied determination to defend the city. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a crowded leisure boat has sunk in a reservoir in colombia. six people have died — 16 are missing. pakistan's prime minister has cut short a visit to london after the oil tanker disaster that left at

least 150 dead. here in the uk, more residential tower blocks have failed safety checks on their exterior cladding, in the wake of the grenfell tower fire in west london. with the latest, here's duncan kennedy. pendleton in salford, the latest location where tower block cladding is being removed. it is an unsettling sight for another group of residents who have lived here many years. it's left us, as residents, very confused and very concerned about the safety of where we live. the government has continued to test cladding. tonight, they released new figures. 60 buildings have now failed safety checks. that is across 25 local authorities. of the 25, 1a have been named, including barnet, manchester and sunderland. the government confirmed that of those tested, so far there has been a 100% failure rate on samples. it's a list that keeps on growing, but it is also the fact that every

single sample of cladding being tested is now failing that will be most worrying for these local authorities and their residents, but also the government, whose bill for fixing all of this continues to mount. in 2009, six people died at lakanal house in london. the report author was sir kenneth knight. he has been drafted in by the government to join a team to look at the early lessons to be learned from the grenfell tower disaster. we asked if the tests being carried out go further than the current regulations. in answer to your question, it is being tested, what is the current building regulations in place. and the tests would imply that it wouldn't meet the current building regulations, and that is the crucial point. arnold has been a fire safety expert for 20 years. he says cladding currently only

has to withstand flame tests from the front. but he says this is simply not enough. make the tests more robust. test everything, test every angle, then you will know it works. today, entire families have been hauling their possessions away from four tower blocks. safety measures are being put in place. many were too upset to speak about it. around 200 people, including this man, are refusing to leave the blocks. are you planning to stay? staying! have you been told to leave today? michelle urquart and her 87—year—old father, edward, are prepared to move out, but don't know where to go. we went with them to check out a local hotel

the council are offering. i have actually heard they are quite hot. michelle went in and filmed on her phone to see if it was suitable for theirfamily. oh, there's flies in here. afterwards, she seemed satisfied with what was being offered. how was the hotel? it was ok. not too bad. good enough? yeah, good enough. will you be moving? yes, we will. camden council says it needs to empty towers to start the remedial work, but accepts its powers to move people are limited. we just keep having the conversation, again and again, keeping people aware, making sure there are people on the block. the fire services say it is not safe to stay, and they need to go. 11 days ago, few would have known the words grenfell tower or cladding. but because of them, the lives of thousands of people continued to be changed. the uk's brexit secretary, david davis, says he's "pretty sure"

that the country can secure a good deal as it leaves the european union. here's our political correspondent eleanor garnier. a year after the vote to leave the eu, talks about the terms of britain's divorce have now started. and brexit looms overhead for the prime minister. but a week after the chancellor said no deal would be very, very bad for the uk, the brexit secretary, the man tasked with securing that deal, seems uncertain as to whether he will get one. i'm pretty sure. i'm not 100% sure. you can never be. it is a negotiation. you said right at the beginning of this, "we are guaranteed to get a deal, you can be sure we will get a deal." you can be sure there will be a deal.

whether it's the deal that i want, which is the free—trade agreement, the customs agreement and so on, it's — i'm pretty sure, but i'm not certain. with the clock for two years of talks ticking down, there are some key issues at the top of the government's in—tray. working out what form the border between northern ireland and the irish republic will take, with car number plate recognition and tagging containers being considered. plus, calculating how much the uk's financial settlement, also called divorce bill, will be. and crucially, getting a deal on the rights of eu citizens in the uk and brits living abroad. we are trying to ensure that every individual citizen gets their current position, as it were, locked in place for them, so the anxiety can go. this is the real issue. it is about people's anxiety. it's not about the prospect of deporting people. david davis acknowledged having left we would need a one or two year transitional arrangement, with a phased process, to allow businesses and government time to adapt. but he still insists a bad deal would mean britain walking away. what david davis has revealed is that his handling of this whole affair inspires about as much confidence as a drunken trapeze artist.

the problem is that when he crashes to earth, he will bring the whole of the country with him. the details of labour's position remains unclear, but the party insists the economy must come first. what we have to have is a brexit which works forjobs and for growth, and also for the protections which working people have. how that comes out of the negotiations remains to be seen. with rumours of potential leadership contenders whistling around westminster, theresa may is under pressure from all sides, from within her own party, inside her own cabinet and from brussels, too. it's clear there is now a new conciliatory, far less combative tone, from those at the top of government. she is in charge of the negotiations for now. but many tories aren't sure if she will see brexit through to the finish, as the prime minister is all too aware. turkish authorities have prevented

a gay pride march from taking place in the country's biggest city, istanbul. they banned it for the third year running and deployed large numbers of police. the authorities say they acted following threats from radical groups. gay rights activists have dismissed this as an excuse. the bbc‘s mark lowen is there. this has been the scene in central istanbul or through the afternoon. armed police standing guard, police riot trucks and water cannon vehicles also at the ready. teargas has been released here in the centre of istanbul against those who try to ta ke of istanbul against those who try to take part in big gay pride march this year. the authorities put a blanket ban on the parade for the third year running, thank there would be a threat to public order because of threats from ultranationalist because of threats from ultra nationalist groups that because of threats from ultranationalist groups that had vowed to disrupt the parade. they had banned mac pride from taking pa rt had banned mac pride from taking part but still people tried to

u nfu rl part but still people tried to unfurl their rainbow flags and banners to say they should be allowed to march and yet at the police have clamped down hard. the scuffles ca m e police have clamped down hard. the scuffles came down here to the centre of istanbul and what started at the square, there were teargas and water guns fired as police tried to contain those protesters. what supporters of gay pride are saying is that the government has used the threat from ultranationalist groups asa threat from ultranationalist groups as a convenient scapegoat because the conservatives and increasingly islamist conservative government sees the gay pride as an anathema to their conservative values so they have called it off saying they could not protect participants but supporters of pride save the government would stand up to ultranationalist government would stand up to ultra nationalist groups to government would stand up to ultranationalist groups to show that istanbul is still as —— still a cosmopolitan city. that is not the case. it is being site —— seen as

tu rkey‘s case. it is being site —— seen as turkey's increasingly conservative viewpoint and ramping down on minority rights on a whole. india's prime minister, narendra modi, is due to hold his first meeting with president trump at the white house. ties between india and the united states were said to be very healthy under barack obama, but differences have surfaced between the two countries since mr trump took office, as sanjoy majumder reports from delhi. donald trump and narendra modi have a lot in common — both powerful politicians who have courted controversy, and have strong domestic constituencies. but ahead of the trip, there are rumblings under the surface. donald trump recently attacked india over climate change, identifying it as one of the world's biggest polluters at the cost of countries such as the united states. india makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries. india hit back, saying

it is committed to protecting the environment but will continue to use coal for its energy needs. there are other concerns. immigration, for instance. shreyasi nag has reason to celebrate. she has just been granted a visa to study computer science at a major american university. i was anxious. i know someone who got their visa rejected as well so that gave me a lot of tension before i went for the interview. like the thousands of indian students headed to the us each year, she is hoping to find a job there after graduating but under a trump administration, she is apprehensive. i'm not sure how it's going to be, especially because i'm not going to start working this year, it's up to two years and so much has changed, i'm not sure how it will be two years into the future so that is definitely a concern. and there is more. as part of his ‘america first‘ campaign, mr trump wants us firms to stop investing overseas and instead boost

jobs at home. it is at odds with mr modi's ‘make in india' drive, to press foreign countries to set up factories in his country. the trick is to find ways to make ‘america first‘ and ‘make in india' more compatible. you can do that. particularly in the defence sector, where big us defence firms are trying to convince the white house that moving some of the manufacturing to india because the wages are competitive, because the market is there, will also createjobs in the us. relations between india and the united states blossomed under the obama presidency. the question now is whether mr modi can repeat the magic with his successor. south korea‘s president has proposed that north and south korea form a joint olympic team to take part in the 28th winter games. he made his comments

at the world taekwondo championships in south korea. —— 2018 winter games. moonjae—in said he hoped the two countries could return to submitting joint teams at international sporting events. before we go, let‘s bring you the latest from formula 1, and australia‘s daniel ricciardo has won the azerbaijan grand prix. the red bull driver came from tenth on the grid to record his first win of the season and the fifth of his career. mercedes‘ valterri bottas was second — and williams‘ lance stroll was third. the victory puts ricciardo fourth in the championship. lewis hamilton had a crash and he was not happy about that. don‘t forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i‘m @tomdonkinbbc. hello there, good morning.

the week that lies ahead will be very different from the weekjust gone, because the next few days are looking very unsettled which means we will see spells of rain which could be quite heavy. quite windy and you will notice things cooler, on a downward trend. it‘s a reasonable start to the day. lighter winds than we are seeing through the weekend, but we are looking out west for this low pressure to bring rain in from the west. a pretty reasonable start, much lighter winds and good spells of sunshine early on but a fresh start to the day, but in more rural spots, dipping into single figures. a bright start for many. some good spells of sunshine. but out west, that low pressure system pushing its way into the west of ireland. that is making progress northwards and eastwards and will continue to do so. a lovely start in many places with a good deal of sunshine. that will turn a bit cloudier across wales and the south—west of england. as this area of low pressure shows its hand, there will be some cloud and rain working

its way into northern ireland. they‘ll bring a shower but the eastern side of england, lengthy spells of sunshine. 2a in london but only 1a degrees in aberdeenshire. this evening, that rain making slow progress northwards and eastwards. quite wet by the end of the night, quite windy as well in scotland and dribs and drabs of rain into northern england and possibly north wales. tuesday, the south, another area of low pressure drifting in from the near continent. this may bring some thundery downpours to southern counties. we start off quite wet and windy in northern ireland which eases away to the east, improving here maybe with a few showers in the afternoon, quite wet and windy for much of scotland. further south, potentially some thundery showers and a messy picture on tuesday afternoon. 21 degrees on monday for london but only 12 degrees in aberdeen. tuesday night and wednesday, some thundery rain moving northward in a broad area of rain across england and wales, up into southern scotland. by the middle of the week,

this huge area of low pressure affecting much of central and western europe. things will be cooling down here. a pretty tricky forecast trying to get the detail right but at the moment, it looks as if we are going to see some wetter, windy weather across much of northern england and with the breeze coming in, the north sea coastal areas will be on the cool side, that is for sure. this is bbc news — the headlines. a passenger boat carrying more than 170 people has sunk in a reservoir in colombia, taking less than five minutes to go down. officials said six people died and sixteen others are missing. there are no details yet on why the boat sank. reports from iraq say fighters from so—called islamic state have mounted a counter attack against iraqi troops, who are trying to recapture parts of the old city of mosul. the battle is intense,

and iraqi commanders have told the bbc that british fighters, as well as chechens and other foreigners, are among the militants. pakistan‘s prime minister, nawaz sharif, has cut short a visit to london to return home, after more than 140 people were killed when an oil tanker exploded in punjab province. dozens of others were critically injured when the tanker, carrying thousands of litres of petrol, overturned and then blew up. now on bbc news, time