this is bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: a new witness to donald trump junior‘s meeting with a russian lawyer comes forward, a former soviet intelligence officer. as turkey marks the anniversary of last year's attempted coup, the government sacks another 7,000 civil servants. a year after the nice terror attack — france remembers the 86 who were killed. and the families taking part in an international trial to find a way of treating dementia. a former soviet intelligence officer has revealed that he was present when donald trump's eldest son met a russian lawyer during last year's

presidential campaign. donald trump, jr attended the meeting in new york injune last year after being promised information about hillary clinton. the lobbyist — rinat akhmetshin — who's now a us citizen — denies having current links with russian intelligence. the bbc‘s david willis has more. rinat akhmetshin is, as you mentioned, a former officer in the soviet military, a man who was trained in counterintelligence but who denies being involved in counterintelligence at the moment. he is actually a russian lobbyist and joined us citizen but we didn't know until now that he was present at that meeting at trump tower last june, that controversial meeting which also involved as well is donald trump, jr, his son—in—law, jared kushner and his campaign

director at the time. the big question is, was this meeting is set up question is, was this meeting is set up at the direct command of the kremlin? that's what we don't know. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the latest round of un—led peace talks on syria have wrapped up in geneva without any breakthrough on key issues including the future of president bashar al—assad. however, un special envoy staffan de mistura says there has been some small progress in the right direction. the next talks are scheduled for september. the former british prime minister tony blair has claimed senior figures in the eu have told him they're prepared to be flexible on freedom of movement to accommodate britain post—brexit. mr blair made the claim in an an article written for his own charitable institute. just last week, the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier said the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital

were indivisible. whinge a high courtjudge in london has heard that the american doctor who has offered to treat the terminally—ill baby charlie gard is to come to the uk next week to examine him. charlie's parents want him to receive experimental therapy. they have been involved in a lengthy legal battle with doctors at great 0rmond street hospital who believe his life support should be stopped. the turkish authorities have sacked more than 7000 police officers, officials and academics. the first anniversary of which is being marked on saturday. we have been speaking to the deputy prime minister and started by asking him how we assess turkish progress over the past year. it was a big confidence shock. it

was a big trauma. i think now, when we look back, it's just like a nightmare. you wake up. it is largely behind you. you talk about turkey waking up from the nightmare. but in many ways, the nightmare continues to many people. more than 50,000 people have been arrested. 140,000 people have lost theirjobs we re 140,000 people have lost theirjobs were being suspended. more than 150 journalists in prison. we are saving turkish democracy, turkish rule of law, turkish future. from a power hungry criminal network that has gone as far as bombing turkish parliament, massacring civilians, and civil servants or any other,

their loyalty lies with the religious criminal network clearly has no place in turkish government. 140,000 people have been dismissed 01’ 140,000 people have been dismissed or suspended. we are talking about lawyers, writers, the brightest minds of turkey have simply been struck off by government decree had not been allowed to explain themselves. is that democracy? there is now a commission has also been recognised by the court of human rights to look at all those cases. you will see, when this episode is over, that turkish democracy is functioning, the turkish judiciary has been functioning. nobody questioned the united states after september 11. our questioned the united states after september11. 0urallies, questioned the united states after september 11. our allies, the united kingdom have suffered acts of

terror. there has been a response to that. you don't see these governments in western europe arbitrarily dismissing thousands of people and closing media and putting people and closing media and putting people in prison without charge. turkey deserves some empathy in this sense that turkey has gone through a lot. turkey deserves the benefit of the doubt that it will get its way. turkey is not entering a democratic recession. turkey is committed because those values, whether it's democracy, the rule of law, best practices, turkish people deserve that. we are back on track. two teenagers have been arrested after a string of acid attacks in london. five people in separate incidents had acid thrown in their faces, causing in the case of one man life—changing injuries.

the attacks happened amid rising concern about the number of assaults in the capital involving corrosive fluids. the attacks were carried out at five separate locations in east london within the space of less than 90 minutes. this report from our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford contains some disturbing images from the start. in the aftermath of an acid attack last night... where's it hurt, mate — your eyes? we need to try to get water in your eyes. keep your eyes open. ..police officers desperately trying to reduce the burning, and to save the victim's sight, rushing extra water to the scene. ijustjumped away from my bike. ijust ran. tonight, the victim of that attack, javed hussain, told me that the first help he received was from a passer—by. she asked me what happened. isaid, look, someone put acid on my face. she was shocked, she was just trying to call an ambulance. i said, i need water asap. because, if you call an ambulance,

it's going to be long. i need water right now on my face because it's hurting, it's burning. well, she ran to the co—operative, and she got one of the bottles of water. the attack here turned out to be the first of five over the next hour and a quarter, all in a small area of east london, and all involving acid being thrown at the victim. at every crime scene, the target had been driving a moped. two of them were stolen. a 24—year—old man here in clapton was left with life—changing injuries because of the acid used. the prime minister said the attacks were horrific. police have arrested a 15—year—old and a 16—year—old. national statistics on acid attacks on people are not collated by the home office, but in london they have risen from 129 two years ago to 224 last year, and by april this year, there had already been another 66.

one of the most high—profile recent attacks was last month, when 21—year—old resham khan and her cousin jameel muhktar were targeted while sitting in their car at a traffic light. we are concerned because the numbers appear to be going up. we will arrest people, we will enforce the law as we can, and we're working very closely with the home office to see if there are any changes in law required. stephen timms is one of the mps in east london, where the problem is most acute. he has been campaigning for a change in the law, and will lead a debate on acid attacks next week. i'd like the minister to confirm on monday that the possession of acid will be an offence in the future, in exactly the same way that possession of a knife is an offence today. i'd like the law to be changed so that sulfuric acid will only be sold to people who hold a licence. it seems likely that some criminals are using the laxer rules on acids to avoid the tough laws on carrying a knife.

the home office today said it was working with police and retailers to tackle what it called these sickening crimes, but any change in the law would take time. a man armed with a knife has killed two people and wounded four others after swimming ashore at a holiday resort in egypt and attacking tourists. it happened at the red sea resort of hurghada. the authorities say the two killed were german women who were local residents. the attacker has been arrested. here's our correspondent in cairo, 0rla guerin. what we saw today, once again, was foreign tourists being targeted on a middle eastern beach. now, today, a lone attacker swam ashore. he stabbed two women repeatedly. he left them to die on the sand. local officials then said he then managed to swim to the adjoining beach. he continued his attack, he wounded several more tourists, and only then was he arrested.

now, there has been no claim of responsibility, but suspicion will fall on so—called islamic state. they are carrying out an insurgency from neighbouring northern sinai. you'll remember that they claimed responsibility for the downing of a russian aircraft in october 2015, which had just taken off from the red sea resort of sharm el sheikh. now, that resulted in the loss of more than 200 lives. it devastated the tourism industry here. it had begun to recover. visitor numbers were up by about a half in the first quarter of this year. i think now, for many, there will be renewed concern about visiting egypt. commemorations have been taking place in the french city of nice to mark one year since the bastille day attack. eighty—six people were killed after a lorry drove through crowds who'd been enjoying a fireworks display. after hosting donald trump in paris,

france's president emmanuel macron flew to the city to lead the tributes. greg dawson reports. it isa it is a day traditionally marked with fireworks. this year, the skies over nice were illuminated, one for every life lost, dean of them children. earlier in the day, families of the victims placed flowers on the promenade day anglais. it was on this street were a tunisian extremist vote is 19— ton truck through the crowd. they then laid red, white and blue tiles to speu laid red, white and blue tiles to spell out france's national motto. names of the victims were read aloud and pinned at a ceremony attended by french presidents past and present. how do you find the words to

comfort? how do you convince people you did everything possible in your power. it is almost an impossible exercise because as these names you've just heard, you exercise because as these names you'vejust heard, you knew exercise because as these names you've just heard, you knew their faces, their voices, bell laughs, their presence. . the anniversary was capped by a concert led by the city's philharmonic orchestra. last yea r‘s city's philharmonic orchestra. last year's attack has prompted divisive debate which continues in france about how best to guarantee people's security from the threat of terrorism. but in nice, this was a night for people to come together for a sombre display of unity. greg dawson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come — on your marks, get set, crawl! new yorkers take competitive parenting to new heights. the flamboyant italian fashion designer gianni versace has been shot dead in florida. the multi—millionaire was gunned down outside his home in the exclusive south beach district of miami. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worse floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the "great white way" by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. it is a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. 200 years ago today, a huge parisian crowd stormed the bastille prison — the first act of the revolution which was to topple the french monarchy. today, hundreds of thousands throng the champs—elysees for the traditional military parade. finally, fairy penguins have been

staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on a huge shoal of their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much they could barely stand. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a new witness has come forward to donald trump junior‘s meeting a new witness has come forward to donald trumpjunior‘s meeting with a russian lawyer during last year's election campaign. he is a former soviet intelligence agent. as the turkish authorities mark the anniversary of last year's failed coup, the government has carried out a further purge of the security forces and civil service, sacking 7,000 people. dementia in old age is the biggest cause of death in the uk, but in some families, extremely rare gene mutations can

cause alzheimer's disease in middle—age. now, experts believe that studying the way the disease develops in such families could hold the key to treatment in the future. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh spoke to two families with a history of alzheimer's, both of whom are taking part in medical trials. i'm almostjust waiting for the first sign, really. the minute you forget something, the minute you can't find your car keys... sophie leggett from suffolk has a 50—50 chance of having inherited a rare gene for alzheimer's. she is now around the same age symptoms first emerged in her mother and aunt. and if sophie has the early—onset gene, she could also have passed it on. it's really scary. i can almost cope with the thought that it could happen to me. what i can't cope with is

the thought that if it happens to me, it could happen to my daughter. that's my big thing, and i don't think i will ever come to terms with that possibility. but what does her 16—year—old daughter think? it's not like a taboo thing to talk about. i know a lot about it. i think it's brought us closer together. we've always been close, but closer, and i thinkjust cherish every day really. families from all over the world who carry rare alzheimer's genes are in london for a major conference, like the demoes, from north dakota. dean has early—onset alzheimer's, but is still able to work full—time. i think i'm doing alright. yeah, ijust live day by day with it, and keep moving on, and i think i'm doing well. two of dean's brothers and a sister died from dementia in their mid—50s.

dean is 54. the fear now is for their children. we are here because we don't want to watch another generation have to go through what my husband and his father and his grandmother have gone through. i worry for my husband, but that fear of the unknown our for children, and we will find a cure. dean's son tyler has been tested for the faulty gene but, like sophie, has chosen not to know the results. it's a life—changing thing. if you find out, it's not only you finding out. it's your family finding out, you know, and the repercussions it has on them. both families are part of an international trial testing alzheimer's drugs. sophie has an infusion every month. they are playing a vital role in the search for treatments. from them we understand

the biomarkers, the changes in the body that happen, so you can see the disease before it ever causes symptoms. and finally, from them, hopefully, we will find a treatment that works in that group and we can therefore extrapolate that to the alzheimer's population in general. there is still no drug which can slow the progress of alzheimer's disease. in the past year alone, two major clinical trials ended in failure. despite that, there is now real optimism that decades of research will bear fruit. and, for families with alzheimer's genes, that would lift a shadow over future generations. fergus walsh, bbc news. the battle to recapture the iraqi city of mosul has been brutal, but there have also been rare glimpses of hope. two weeks ago the bbc reported the rescue of 20 children who were being used as human shields by the islamic state group. well, some of those children have now being reunited with their parents, as our correspondent nafiseh kohnavard reports.

and emotional moment. after three yea rs and emotional moment. after three years apart, he can barely recognise his father. when the so—called islamic state attacked their village, he thought he had lost all of his seven children. it is only 110w of his seven children. it is only now that he realises others survived. for years, the son who has learning difficulties was being held ina learning difficulties was being held in a mosul orphanage by is. this was the scene when we reported on the release of the orphanage. almost 20 children here were being used as human shields by is. the son was one of them. tired and hungry, the children were rescued by iraqi

security forces. the pictures of the kids went viral. abbas, like many other parents, saw his child and the bbc report and travel here as quickly as he could. translation: when i saw his picture, it felt like i was being given all the riches on the whole world. now they are out of mosul, and the children are safe. but not all reunions are going well. these yazidi girls were just six yea rs old these yazidi girls were just six years old when they were taken by is. they no longer recognise their family. these children have a separated from their families for almost three years. they have no memories of theirformer almost three years. they have no memories of their former lives. and uncle tries to help her to remember,

but it is difficult after having lived under is for such a long time. a father shows me his daughter's id card, and tells me he is still shocked. translation: i didn't think i would ever see her again. i thought maybe there was a 1% chance. but when i saw her picture on facebook, and read that they had been freed, i couldn't believe it. abbas and his son are getting ready to leave for home. like so many here, they are together again, ready to try and rebuild their lives. cuba's president, raul castro, has accused donald trump of reverting to cold war rhetoric. addressing parliament, mr castro said mr

trump's styles was a setback in relations between the two countries, but that he remained willing to continue dialogue with washington. last month mr trump called mr castro's government accrual and brutal regime. the united nations says there has been a significant increase in the cultivation of cocaine in colombia. figures show the amount of cocaine produced in the country in the past year has risen by a third, with a 50% increase in the amount of land being used to cultivate the drug. the colombian government has stopped trying to eradicate the crop by spraying, for health reasons, despite pressure from the us. colombia's vice president said his country remained committed to combating the drugs trade. some sport now, albeit in the loosest sense of the word: a highly competitive race has been taking place in new york. but this race was a little bit different — everyone taking part was a baby. the bbc‘s tim allman has more, and a warning — there is some flash photography in his report. warming up for the big race. well, sort of. around 30 athletes, all aged

between six and 24 months, competing in the diaper derby. although some of the competitors are more focused than others. you know, i think a lot of the kids could care less about it. it's the parents and the crowds who get extremely competitive. the challenge is simple. crawl across a three metre mat, proud parents cheering them on. first one to reach the chequered line is the winner. it was a little too stressful for some. there were a number of heats. 11—month—old brook bender from texas was the niftiest nappy wearer.

she likes her dad a little bit better than me. the prize, appropriately enough, a trophy that looks like a diaper. a reminder of our top story: a former soviet intelligence officer has revealed that he was present when donald trump's eldest son met a russian lawyer during last year's presidential campaign. donald trump jr attended the meeting in new york injune jr attended the meeting in new york in june last year after jr attended the meeting in new york injune last year after being promised information about hillary clinton. more on that and all the stories on our website. but for now, from me, goodbye. do stay with us here. hello there.

some decent, dry, and also for some, sunny weather around this weekend. but there will be a lot of cloud around at times, threatening some rain, particularly on saturday. and, throughout saturday, the air gets warmer and more muggy. it is because of this warm front pushing its way eastwards, dragging in the air from the mid—atla ntic. but it is those weather fronts which through the night have been producing rain. and, to start the day, a bit of a damp start in western scotland, northern england, wales, and also parts of the midlands. those first batches fairly rapidly spreading its way southwards and eastwards. not much rain at all across some south—eastern areas, but the rain is there through much of the day in western parts of scotland. we could see as much as 20 to 40 millimetres of rain on the hills in the west, so not a great one here. we'll see rain at times in northern ireland, some dryer moments too, and something drier every now and then to the east of scotland, so far from a washout. it stays fairly cloudy

in northern england, midlands and wales, patchy light rain and drizzle. but across england and wales, i think it is during the morning we are best favoured for some wetter conditions. the rain tends to ease off into the north sea. one or two showers here and there, though, through the afternoon, but temperatures climbing as we go, up to around 22 or 23. so it does mean there could be some rain in the middle part of the day in wimbledon. same too on sunday, best of the sunshine in the morning. now, to get us through into sunday, the rain in western scotland and northern ireland will work its way southwards. by the end of the night, probably across parts of northern england and wales, and it offers a bit of a split in conditions into the start of sunday. a fresher start, particularly away from city centres. to the north, a fairly muggy, misty, and for some, damp start across england and wales. this is the weather front, then, which is the dividing line between the muggiest of the air and something a bit fresher. but it does mean scotland, northern ireland, northern england, actually quite a nice

sunday on the way. there will be a few showers in northern scotland. lots of sunshine elsewhere, brightening up for north wales and the north midlands, staying fairly cloudy across southernmost counties. the best of your sunshine will be in the morning. this weather front producing the odd shower, spot of rain and drizzle. 24 to 26 degrees, potentially, in the south—east corner. mid—teens to high teens further north, but it will still feel quite nice. now, there will still be some patchy rain around in the morning at silverstone, optimistic skies will brighten by the time we get to the second half of the day. but it'll be one close call. we'll have to keep on watching things. but certainly, into the start of next week, that ridge of high pressure building. a lot of you will be dry. note the temperatures in the south, holding onto mid—20s, and by wednesday, humid across the board. potentially hitting 30 degrees in the south—east corner, but there is that chance of some nasty storms, too. this is bbc news. the headlines: a former soviet intelligence officer has revealed that he was present when donald trump's eldest son met a russian lawyer

during last year's presidential campaign. donald trump, jr attended the meeting in new york injune last year after being promised information about hillary clinton. president emmanuel macron has said france will fight without mercy to protect its values from terrorists. speaking at commemorations to mark the first anniversary of the truck attack in nice, mr macron said france had forgotten the name of the attacker but learned the names of his eighty—six victims. the turkish authorities have sacked more than 7.000 police officers, state officials and academics for alleged links with last year's attempted coup, the first anniversary of which is being marked on saturday. the purge is the latest in a series that has seen around 200,000 public servants punished. let's see what's been making headlines around the world with a look at the international papers.