welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: donald trump junior says he's willing to testify about his links with russia during the presidential election campaign. victory in mosul. iraq's prime minister claims the extremist group, the so—called islamic state, has been defeated in the city after a brutal fight. a man who's confessed to being an ira bomb maker tells the bbc he accepts "collective responsibility" for the group's actions in england. and from the old silk road to the new. a special report on the trillion dollar project linking china with europe. president trump's eldest son has said he's willing to testify before

the senate intelligence committee about the meeting he's admitted having with a russian lawyer, during last year's election. donald trump junior met the contact, believed to have links to the kremlin, because she said she had damaging information hillary clinton. the white house insists there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting. gavin hewitt reports. this is donald trump's eldest son. i'm donald trump jr. lastjune, after his father's nomination, he met with a russian lawyer who promised damaging material on hillary clinton's campaign. the meeting was here at trump tower in new york. until this weekend, trump jr hadn't mentioned it, but it wasn't a casual encounter, he brought along trump's campaign manager and his son—in—law. then his story has changed. on saturday he said, "we primarily discussed a programme about the adoption of russian children." by the following day he said, "the woman lawyer stated that she had information that individuals connected to russia were funding the democratic national committee and supporting mrs clinton." he was told there would be

information that may be helpful to the campaign. there was no such information. but, again i want to ask you a question, if we are going to use the word collusion, where is the evidence of collusion? trump jr pushed back sarcastically on twitter today to say, "obviously i'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear information about an opponent." on friday, president trump met president putin and asked him directly about meddling in the election campaign. putin denied it. it's not clear how forcefully president trump pursued this, but there was an agreement between the two leaders that it was time to move forward. news of trumer‘s russian meeting doesn't put president trump in immediatejeopardy. he says he has no knowledge of it. but it keeps open the central question that has dogged

this administration, was there collusion between the trump campaign team and the russians? it promises months of further investigations. trumer called the latest revelations a big yawn, but it is the first confirmed meeting between members of the trump inner circle and a russian national. the senate intelligence committee says it wants to speak to donald trump jr. for the president, it's a reminder that not everything goes his way. gavin hewitt, bbc news, washington. live now to our correspondent, david willis. this story is moving, another development. yes, in the last hour. the new york times, which broke the story of this meeting on sunday, is now reporting that donald trump junior was informed by e—mail that the compromising information he was to receive about hillary clinton

from this russian lawyer was all pa rt from this russian lawyer was all part of a russian government attempt to basically assist the donald trump can do the —— candidacy. it has been seen by three people and information was passed on to the new york times. that report is unconfirmed at this time. the e—mail is said to have come from a man called rob goldsten. it was he who brokered the meeting between donald trump junior and it was he who brokered the meeting between donald trumpjunior and the russian lawyer, according to the new york times, a former publicist and tabloid journalist. it is clear this e—mail would be of interest to congressional investigators. today, both democrat and republican senators called for donald trump junior to testify before them as pa rt junior to testify before them as part of their ongoing enquiry into

the donald trump campaign and alleged links to russia. if it is true, david, donald trumpjuniortwo of that meeting with that knowledge, that could be significant legally, couldn't it? —— took. that could be significant legally, couldn't it? -- took. yes. donald trump junior said the meeting couldn't it? -- took. yes. donald trumpjunior said the meeting itself came to nothing, and also made the point on twitter that it was not unusualfor point on twitter that it was not unusual for members of an election campaign to seek information about their opponents. that, of course, is true. what makes all of this slightly unusual, to put it mildly, is that in this particular case, that information appeared to have been given by a representative of a foreign government, and in this case, a foreign government not friendly towards the united states. there is clearly more to be said on this. david, or the there is clearly more to be said on this. david, orthe moment, thank you very much. —— for.

let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the un envoy to syria says a ceasefire in the southwest has held quite well since sunday. it's hoped the truce might give the negotiations some momentum. staffan de mistura said the de—escalation of the conflict should be a stage on the path to a nationwide truce. the high court in london has rejected a case brought against the british government, claiming it's arms sales to saudi arabia are illegal. the case was brought by human rights campaigners, who argue the uk is breaking international laws by selling weapons that have killed civilians in yemen. the saudis have been conducting airstrikes against the houthi rebels for more than two years. president trump has congratulated the government of iraq on defeating so—called islamic state in the city of mosul. and as celebrations continue hopes and worries about what happens next are already forming. members of a 72—nation coalition will meet in washington this week to work out how a stable future can be secured. caroline davies reports. so—called islamic state appears to be on the back foot. in iraq they've lost mosul.

translation: our victory today is a victory against darkness, against brutality and against terrorism. in syria, us—backed forces are closing in on raqqa, but this is not the end of the battle. there are a number of isis fighters still left in iraq that'll have to be defeated before we've won the war. meetings are planned in washington this week to stop victories turning to defeat and chaos. so what happens next? even if is do lose the cities it doesn't mean they're defeated. the group could go underground, which could create a new set of problems. one of the first questions diplomats will want to know is what will be done to rebuild after is? there's worry that if power—sharing is handled badly, more people might become is converts. there's also concern that as is pull out, iran will be able to increase its influence. much of mosul is in ruins with no water or electricity. nearly a million of its people have fled. as aid agencies call out for money, the memories of iraq in 2003 will be ringing in many people's ears, but who will be paying for the peace and what will be the price

if no one steps in? caroline davies, bbc news. our correspondent, jonathan beale, was with the iraqi army as they advanced on mosul, and a few hours ago he phoned in this update. even though prime minister abadi has declared complete victory against is, it doesn't certainly seem like it on the ground. there's plenty of evidence today that we've seen of an is presence, but it is, as i say, much less intense than it's been in recent days, and of course prime minister abadi came here yesterday and his office indicated he would declare victory. he said at the end of that day that victory was just around the corner, this is a formal declaration but we seen this in the past, that the iraqis claim victory even when there are still pockets of resistance in places

like falluja as well. i think we should treat it with caution. there's no doubt is is on its last legs in mosul, but certainly so are the civilians who've got to rebuild this city and rebuild their lives. the us secretary of state is in kuwait. rex tillerson is there for talks aimed at resolving the crisis caused by saudi arabia and some of its arab allies breaking links with qatar. mr tillerson will meet the leaders of kuwait, qatar and saudi arabia. in a joint statement with britain and kuwait he called on all sides to reach a settlement quickly. our security correspondent, frank gardner, explains some of the background here. the accusation by saudi arabia, bahrain, egypt and the uae is qatar has been channelling funds

to extremist and terrorist groups around the region, as far away as libya and yemen. qatar denies this and qatar say it's open to a monitoring system providing everybody does it, not just them but the saudis. rex tillerson, who has a lot of friends in the gulf from his days with exxon mobil, he was an oilman for most of his career, he's not a career diplomat, but he comes with a lot of contacts and clout in the region. don't forget the united states has a very big, very important airbase at al udeid in qatar which is host to around 11,000 us airmen and women. a short time ago, i spoke to aaron david miller, a former middle east advisor to the us government, who is now with the wilson centre in washington. he explained some of the difficulties mr tillerson may be facing. the reality is, it was one of our better comedians of woody allen who said 90% of life is just showing up but he's not right, 90% is showing up at the right time.

the real question with the negotiations, i spent over 20 years working for half a dozen victories of state on arab—israeli 20 years working for half a dozen secretaries of state on arab—israeli negotiations, the key to negotiations is timing, do the parties feel a certain amount of urgency? the saudis have overplayed their hand. they've created a huge crisis, public articulation of demands that qatar are not going to make and comply with. tillerson has a heavy lift. we haven't heard from the president and is he ready to push the saudis as hard as he clearly publicly prepared to push the kuwaities? tillerson needs to know whether or not the saudis and qataris are ready to do a deal and whether or not the president is prepared to help him create the kind of leverage that is required to get a deal. one additional point, mike, even if they do get a deal, some package of steps that de—escalate, a monitoring mechanism on terrorfinancing, alterations in jaziri's programming, expulsion of terror elements from qatar,

this is not over. the saudis and the king, could be king of saudi arabia for half a century, and he is determined to cut the qataris down to size. even if tillerson succeeds, it at best a temporary fix. the saudis have long been accused of what they are accusing qatar and the united states has a big military stake in qatar, what are the chances of a resolution that somehow settles all this down? i think over time, again timing is critical, i would be surprised if tillerson can pull this off

within a three or four day shovel, i think over time the reality is you've got to american security partners, both are extremely important to achieving donald trump's two main goals, destroying isis, rolling back iran and delivering arab—israeli peace and the saudis have signed up for a big lift on this. tillerson, if he is persistent and determined and if the president is prepared to have his back, which is still arguable, the chances of de—escalating this are quite good. solving the underlying problems, not so good. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: china's ambitious plan for a new silk road. our china editor, carrie gracie, brings us a special report on the trillion dollar project

to connect the world. central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. police say there have been many casualties, and there is growing speculation that al-qaeda was responsible. germany will be the host of the 2006 football world cup. they pipped the favourite, south africa, by a single vote. in south africa, the possibility of losing hadn't even been contemplated, and celebration parties planned in all the big cities were cancelled. the man entered the palace through a downstairs window and made his way to the queen's private bedroom. then he asked her for a cigarette, and on the pretext of arranging for some to be brought, she summoned a footman on duty, who took the man away. one child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.

education is the only solution. this is bbc news. the latest headline: donald trumer says he's willing to testify about his links with russia during the us presidential election campaign. it comes as the new york times reports that he was told the russian government was behind efforts to help father's campaign. a man who's confessed to being an ira bomb maker has told bbc news he accepts collective responsibility for all the group's actions in england, including one of the deadliest acts of the troubles, the birmingham pub bombings. mick hayes, who's never spoken openly about his role, says he was an active volunteer on that november night in 1974 that left 21 people dead. the ira has never officially admitted the attack. the apology from mr hayes

was dismissed by relatives as insulting. this from our ireland correspondent, chris buckler. the bombs were left in the heart of birmingham on a thursday night. placed inside pubs to cause destruction. explosions that led to 21 deaths. in the same year, 1974, mick hayes took part in this funeral for a hunger striker in london. he was a well—known republican, an admitted ira bomb—maker who was convicted of paramilitary offences in the republic of ireland. and now, four decades after the murders in birmingham, mick hayes has emerged again to admit he was part of the group that bombed the city. i was a participant in the ira's activities in birmingham — how clear can i make it? did you plant the bombs? i was a participant in the ira's campaign in england. but you're not

answering the question, did you plant the bombs? i'm giving you the only answer i can give you. mick hayes has in the past been questioned and named as a suspect in the bombings, but he's never been charged. even now he won't say what role he played in the ira attack, but he says he takes collective responsibility for it. and i apologise, not only for myself. i apologise for all republicans, who had no intention of hurting anybody and sympathise with you. and the relatives, again, the relatives will say that you have blood on your hands. i know they'll say that, and from their point of view, i can justify that. i don't... i don't shirk my responsibility in that direction. a group of men were charged and found guilty of the bombing, but it was a famous miscarriage of justice.

and the convictions of the men who became known as the birmingham six were eventually overturned. for 16 and a half years, we have been used as political scapegoats! west midlands police said tonight that the investigation into the 21 murders remains open. one of those who died was maxine hambleton. her sisterjulie was among a group of relatives who watched the interview with mick hayes this afternoon. his words and apology caused nothing but anger. he's a coward, short and simple. he reckons that he'd rather die than be an informer. but he's more than happy to take "collective responsibility" for the murder of 21 innocents in birmingham. mick hayes avoided many questions, but he claims mistakes led the ira to give bomb warnings too late, and that he personally defused a third bomb left in birmingham city centre that night. the explosions, they were horrific.

they were terrible. it shocked the ira. when they found out what had happened, we defused the third one, in the hagley road. who defused it? idid. many in modern—day birmingham will question why mick hayes has come forward now, particularly as no—one has ever been held legally responsible for murdering the 21 people who died on a night out in this city. chris buckler, bbc news. should use of an ill baby charlie gard have returned to the high court to present new evidence of an experimental treatment in the us that they believe could help them. doctors treating charlie at great ormond street hospital in london say there is no justification

ormond street hospital in london say there is nojustification for trying there is nojustification for trying the therapy. the parents interrupted the therapy. the parents interrupted the court hearing accusing the hospital of lying to the judge. our correspondent fergus walsh reports. save charlie gard! vocal, passionate and determined. charlie gard's parents have considerable support. it includes the pope and donald trump. let us pray. and now this pro—life evangelical preacher who was once jailed for anti—abortion protests in the united states and has been praying by charlie's bedside. if a court, if a judge, if a hospital official can come and tell a parent that they don't have the right or the authority to provide the kind of medical care that their child needs, then parental rights are under attack and around the world the fabric of our society unravels. under uk law, where parents and doctors cannot agree a judge must decide what treatment is appropriate. charlie is so weak he cannot move, has serious brain damage and may be in pain. four different courts ruled he should be allowed

to die with dignity, but today the case went back to the high court after hospitals in italy and the united states said there was fresh evidence an experimental therapy might help him. the judge said there was not a person alive who did not want charlie to get better and he would be delighted to change his ruling, but it had to be on the basis of clear evidence. he said he had to consider the hospital's view that every day that passed inflicted more suffering on charlie. charlie has a rare inherited condition, mitochondrial depletion syndrome. mitochondria are found in nearly every cell and provide energy to the body. but charlie's don't function so his muscles and organs are wasting. nucleoside therapy is a powder given in food which aims to boost mitochondrial function and takes 2—3 months to have an effect. charlie's parents claim there was new evidence that treatment could have a 10% chance of success. so far, 18 patients have been

treated but crucially none has charlie's genetic mutation or his severe brain damage. there's a lot of unknowns here and i think the doctors and nurses who are looking after him, colleagues, they really will have considered all these processes because that's what they do, that's their day job. in fact they're some of the most expert people in the world in this area. charlie's parents, chris and connie, left saying they hoped to persuade the judge to allow them to take their son abroad when the hearing resumes on thursday, a case which is attracting huge international attention. mum and dad say that if charlie is still fighting, then they are still fighting. charlie's parents wish to thank the millions of supporters of baby charlie from around the world. meanwhile, charlie continues to receive round—the—clock care at great ormond street hospital. the new silk road is

chinese president xijinping's project of the century. he plans to spend around a trillion dollars on road, rail and infrastructure across 60 countries. to understand china's ambitions, the bbc‘s china editor, carrie gracie, has been travelling the length of the new silk road. herjourney begins in eastern china, where the new rail route to the uk starts. they call them the ships of the desert. for centuries, the camel trains of the silk road dominated trade between china and the west. now china wants to recreate the silk road. this time, by train. when wu xiaodong started here 3a years ago, china sold the world next to nothing. now he's a foot soldier for a trading superpower. the pressure is coming from the top.

with the united states no longer leading on trade, president xi has seized his chance. he calls his vision the belt and road. china's belt and road vision is so vast it may be decades before we can tell whether it's a worthy successor to the ancient silk road. but what we can say is that with no other country offering a big idea right now, this is the most ambitious bid to shape our century. already, china shapes our material lives. yiwu market one of the biggest in the world. but selling abroad and building at home is no longer enough to keep this giant economy growing. now it plans to build abroad too. a win—win for all, says china. 7,200. 0k. but when the talking's

done, chinese traders drive a hard bargain. will you do 1,475? come on. for an old friend. the world buying much more from them than the other way around. red tape can make importing a nightmare. but the new silk road is china solving china's problems, money and muscle heading west on a journey across three continents, bidding to redraw the map and command the century. carrie gracie, bbc news, on china's new silk road. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello. tuesday's forecast

has some rain in it. we haven't been able to say that for some time. you may well say that monday was wet in my neck of the woods, that came from showers and thunderstorms. if one of those caught you, you certainly knew about it. not a cold start to tuesday. from the word go, some bits and pieces of rain across the heart of scotland, it isn't wet everywhere right from the word go. scattered showers across the far north of scotland, we mentioned rain just to the north of the central belt. turning bright across a good part of northern ireland, southwestern scotland and the far north of england. further south again, the first signs of bits and pieces of rain coming through on a wee south, south—westerly breeze. further south again, some dry weather to be had across the midlands, east anglia and the south—east. already, back across the south—west, cloud filling in.

some of the rain even from the word go will be quite heavy across parts of pembrokeshire and into the south—west of england. into the afternoon, still little islands of brightness and dry weather across the south. perhaps some of the driest weather found across northern ireland. in the middle of the afternoon, pembrokeshire, southern wales and widely into the south—west of england, some rain quite heavy. 20, 30, 40 millimetres building up here. even so, still islands of brighter weather. where we have some brightness in the south—east, looking at 18, 19, possibly 20 degrees. a bit cooler further north, pretty acceptable for the time of year. 14—17 should cover it. what have we got for wimbledon? dry enough, probably, until the middle part of the afternoon. clouds thickening, the chance of a shower. as we get deeper into the day, s o that rain and low pressure and the fronts migrating across east anglia and the south—east. still there on the first part of wednesday. as they pull away, this little ridge

of high—pressure toppling in across the british isles. then settling down very nicely, a lot of fine and dry weather. a splendid day, temperatures mid—teens to around 20 degrees. that is a sort of pattern we expect on wednesday and into the first part of thursday. notice we have a weather front beginning to push in from the atlantic. i think that brings the chance of some rain initially into western scotland and northern ireland. increasingly, as it topples across england and wales, a burst of showers, not much more than that. and following that in behind, another spell of fairly quiet weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump's eldest son has said he's willing to testify before the senate intelligence committee about the meeting he's admitted having with a russian lawyer, during last year's election. donald trumpjunior met the contact, believed to have links to the kremlin, because she said she had damaging information about hillary clinton.

celebrations in iraq after the prime minister's declaration of victory over the extremist group, the so—called islamic state in mosul. prime minister abadi described it as a triumph over darkness, brutality and terrorism. the head of the us—led coalition has warned is is still not completely defeated. a man who's confessed to being an ira bomb maker has told bbc news he accepts "collective responsibility" for all the group's actions in england.