this is bbc world news today. i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories... as polls close in venezuela's constitutional referendum, nicholas maduro calls the unofficial vote "meaningless", but it adds more pressure on the embattled president. a scandal over horsemeat — police in spain accuse an organised crime group of trading meat that's unfit for humans across europe. swiss tennis star roger federer makes history by taking a record 8th wimbledon single's men's title. and for all you time lord fans, the new doctor who is a woman for the first time. hello and welcome to world news today.

polls have closed for venezuelans voting in an unofficial referendum on government plans for a new assembly that could change the constitution. millions of people took part in the symbolic consultation, which follows months of political violence. improvised polling stations have been set up in more than 100 countries. earlier, our correspondent explained what was behind the vote. he can see opposition to the president and has plans to create a caused additional assembly. this ballot was used to show the government and the world that most people in this country want a change. there are already thousands of people floating not only in caracas, the capital, but around the

country and the world. in colombia, spain, the us and the uk as well. the opposition wants to send a message in the middle of an economic crisis and in the middle of three months of protests where 100 people we re months of protests where100 people were killed. the government is carrying out voting for the cause additional assembly election in two weeks. —— the constitutional. you can see the signs of how venezuela is so divided right now. thousands of opposition demonstrators in poland have been protesting outside parliament in warsaw againstjudicial reforms which one of their leaders has called a coup d'etat. the new legislation gives control over the body that nominates judges to parliament. i spoke to our correspondent adam easton a short while ago for an update.

there has been a considerable crowd that has turned up outside the polish parliament to voice their protest against these very controversial reforms, which, as you say, essentially, the people have come to protest say it allows the parliament which is dominated —— the parliament which is dominated —— the parliament to appoint their own people asjudges. this parliament to appoint their own people as judges. this legislation. people protesting here have been protesting against the government for the last 18 months. they see this as the latest attempt by the government to a road democracy by demolishing the rule of law and destroying democratic checks and balances. what has been a government response? the government is

basically saying that this is the same as the courts. the government says that these are a few thousand people in warsaw who are the elites of the country, if you like. we have popular support and we are doing very well in opinion polls, trouncing the opposition parties. and in fact we have support from the many people here in changing the way courts are run. they say that the courts are run. they say that the courts are run. they say that the courts are corrupt and inefficient, not democratic, do not serve the interests of the public. many people here in poland would agree with that. even some of the people protesting in warsaw outside parliament would agree that the process is not perfect. but they would say that this is no way to improve the current system, by essentially handing power to the government to take control of the

body that appoint judges. government to take control of the body that appointjudges. briefly, how likely is it that the legislation would change as a result of the protests? extremely unlikely in my opinion. parliament has approved it now and it only goes to the president for signing. the president as a lawyer. he is a former member of the law and justice party and is given no indication he sees anything wrong with this. adam easton was seeking to me earlier. —— speaking. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news... israel has reopened the extremely sensitive holy site injerusalem known tojews as the temple mount, and to muslims as al—haram al—sharif. but many muslim worshippers have refused to enter the area on account of new security measures that the israelis have put in place. it was closed for the first time in decades on friday after two israeli policemen were shot dead by israeli arab gunmen. police in bangladesh say

four suspected islamist militants have surrendered after a tense stand—off lasting several hours. the militants had barricaded themselves in a house on the outskirts of the capital dhaka. they reportedly threw bombs at security personnel after they tried to storm the building. spanish police say they have dismantled an organised crime group that was trading horsemeat across europe that was unfit for humans. 65 people were arrested in spain and charged with various crimes, including money laundering and animal abuse. the investigation carried out in coordination with europol dates back to the detection of horsemeat in beefburgers four years ago in ireland. a short time ago, i spoke to journalist guy hedgecoe in madrid. it isa it is a very large scale investigation. the spanish civil guard and europol believe this criminal gang have made around 20 million euros out of this scam. it

has been very complex and it has a european dimension to it. that the meat was being repurposed here in spain and the animals were from the north of spain and portugal. they we re north of spain and portugal. they were going to facilities in spain to be slaughtered and then the meat was being exported. most of the meat was going abroad. it is a very international dimension to this. as you said, it is all linked back to this case in ireland four years ago. the investigation has been going on for some time. said it went outside of spain and portugal. do you know how far this has gone across europe, 01’ how far this has gone across europe, or maybe father? so far, europol in the spanish civil guard have said it went to a number of european countries. most of the meat seemed to be going to belgium and belgium as the european union's biggest horse meat exporter. from there, it was going to other countries such as france, italy, romania, all

countries within the e. that is what we know so far but obviously there could be more details to come. —— within the european union. the main gist is that animal is not meant to be fit for human consumption where having documentation tampered with and then slaughtered as if they were animals that could be eating as regular horse meat. this investigation included a lot of money laundering as well. it is quite... it includes so many aspects of crime. the 65 people, do we know they be charged and there will be some success at the end of this? they be charged and there will be some success at the end of thi57m isa some success at the end of thi57m is a little bit early to know for sure at the moment. what we do know is that the people who have been arrested include farmers, bethany haines, slaughterhouse owners. anna lee of people involved in the sector. —— veterinarians and

slaughterhouse owners. 0ne slaughterhouse owners. one man they believe was overseeing a lot of these activities from the town he resided in the spanish east coast seems to be a key figure in all this. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been in paris to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the biggest mass arrest ofjews in nazi—occupied france during the second world war. during the visit, mr netanyahu also held his first direct talks with the french president, emmanuel macron. danjohnson has this report. with a new president, france's finding a new role in the world. but there are moments in history that sense of national guilt. frist of facing up to what was done here 75 yea rs facing up to what was done here 75 years ago and taking its responsibility, despite the nazi occupation. translation:

it was indeed france which organised the round—up, the deportation which led to almost all the deaths of the 13,000 people of thejewish led to almost all the deaths of the 13,000 people of the jewish faith who were taken from their homes on the 16th and 17th ofjuly1942. these the 16th and 17th ofjuly 1942. these are some the 16th and 17th ofjuly1942. these are some of the men, women and children who were arrested by french police and packed onto trains, simply because of their religion. 13,152 of them. most are taken to a schlitz —— auschwitz. fewer than 100 lives. this is the first time an israeli prime minister has been in his commemorations. some feel he is using what happened here to strengthen his own position. using what happened here to strengthen his own positionlj using what happened here to strengthen his own position. i have come here to go my head in memory of

her slain brothers and sisters, slaughtered slowly because they were dues. —— solely because they were jewish. there was politics as well. in theirfirst direct jewish. there was politics as well. in their first direct talks, president macron prestige early leaderfor new peace president macron prestige early leader for new peace negotiations with the palestinians. reflecting on history can be tough but both men are shaping the future and that will bea are shaping the future and that will be a real challenge as well. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come... for fans of the sci—fi series, it's a big moment — the new doctor who has been unveiled and she's a woman. we'll find out more about the actress who is the new owner of the tardis. jani bus urge has been shot dead in

florida. the multimillionaire was gunned down outside his home in miami. emergency services across central europe are stepping up effo rts central europe are stepping up efforts to contain the worst floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally known as the great white way but it is now wiped out. it isa white way but it is now wiped out. it is a reminder of the problems to americans that the energy crisis has brought. 200 years ago today, huge parisian crowd stormed the bastille prison in the first act of the revolution which was to topple the french monarchy. today, hundreds of thousands were on the shone so easy for the traditional military parade. penguins have been staggering shoreham collapsing after gorging themselves on their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much, they could barely stand. —— staggering on shore. this is bbc world news today.

the latest headlines... polls are closing in an unofficial constitutional referendum in venezuela. president nicholas maduro has called the vote "meaningless", but it adds more pressure on the embattled leader. police in spain have accused an organised crime group of trading meat that's unfit for humans across europe. let's find out... let's get all the sporting news. he is mark edwards. he's the man who just can't stop winning. roger federer breaking records once again, the swiss picking up his eighth men's singles title at wimbledon. surely the youngest 35—year—old in sport, beating marin cilic in straight sets on sunday. john watson was there to witness the fed in full flow. a 19th grand slam tide of roger

federer, competing in his 19th wimbledon. this final will not go down as a classic. marin cilic, as we witnessed on centre court today, have some problems. he had a foot problem and that led to a straight sets victory for roger federer. cilic himself feel disappointed with the way that that match played out. we have seen him beat roger federer. he pushed close last year and of course the team on the way to winning his one and only grand slam title. but up against roger federer today, he released at the chans. —— he released it no chance. a straight sets defeat. roger federer, the records keep someone. he is the old est records keep someone. he is the oldest male singles winner here at wimbledon and the second oldest grand champion in the open era. he came through this tournament playing exceptional tennis and had not dropped a set on his way to winning the title. nobody has done that since the great bjorn borg back in the 1970s. what now for roger

federer? 0f the 1970s. what now for roger federer? of course, it is interesting as he has managed and shaped his career in the latter stages... 35 years old, days short of his 36th birthday. we saw him miss the french open and he came back after the absence of the end of last year when he went on to win the trillion open. who would ever have predicted that here we would be this year, roger federer, 35, winning the two grand slams he has competed in. interesting detail the thoughts of boris becker earlier on, saying he believes roger federer will go on and win more titles. i guess he will pick and choose what one he competes in. but there can be no doubt about it. this success, the eighth wimbledon title for the great roger federer, once again underlining his staters is one of the greatest male canisters of all time, if not the greatest. —— one of the greatest male tennis players. from one record breaker to another. britain's lewis hamilton powered to a dominant victory at silverston to tie the all—time record of five

career wins in the british grand prix. the mercedes man led from start to finish as he closed the gap on championship leader, sebastian vettel, to just one point. the german ferrari driver suffering a puncture approaching the penultimate lap to drop from 3rd to 7th. not a great day for ferrari. vettel‘s team—mate kimi raikkonen also suffered a puncture while on course for second place. promoting hamilton's team—mate valtteri bottas to a mercedes one—two. raikkonen recovered to finish third. it's the opening day of the women's euro 2017 competition currently taking place in the netherlands. and a good day for the hosts, who kicked off the 12th edition of the tournament with a win. it was liverpool forward shanice van de sanden who gave the 2009 semifinalists all 3 points with the only goal of the game. heading in lieke martens' pin—point cross from close range after 66 minutes. denmark or 1—0 up against belgium. about 15 minutes left to play on that one. —— denmark are 1—0 up.

on to cricket... and it's pretty much mission impossible for england after day 3 of the second test against south africa. the proteas declared on 343 for 9 at trent bridge, setting england a gargantuan 474 to win... if you're being an optimist, the hosts will have 2 days to chase down what would be their highest fourth—innings total to win a test. so south africa very much on course to level the series at one apiece. well, we are into the final week of the tour de france and britain's chris froome has retained the yellow jersey after stage 15. sunday's190—kilometre mountain stage was won by trek segafredo's flying dutchman — bauke mollema. the italian diego ulissi was second. that's all sport for now. it's being called new york's "summer of hell" —

the delays for tens of thousands of commuters as urgent repairs are carried out at penn station, the busiest transportation hub in america. it's part of a nationwide problem. donald trump has promised to be an "infrastructu re president", but new yorkers are complaining he's not doing enough for them, as nick bryant reports. it's a city of shimmering skyscrapers and evermore rusting infrastructure. where commuter trains move in slow motion, where some of the overhead lines that power them are more than 100 years old. the country's busiest rail route in the northeast corridor relies on bridges based on designs popularised in britain during the industrial revolution. and this is america's fastest train, which slows to an embarrassing five miles per hour on the approach to new york. routinely, they come to a complete halt because track closures reduce this overloaded network

to a single usable line. it is horribly embarrassing, especially when i have clients from overseas. it is almost a third world country when it comes to infrastructure. the rail tunnels into new york are in such a bad state of repair that it is feared they may be forced to close before new ones are built. we got a rare glimpse inside the nerve centre of the rail network underneath penn station and it felt like industrial archaeology. the tunnel was opened to service when the wright brothers switched from their model a flyer to the model b flyer. time to build a new tunnel? it is definitely time to build a new tunnel. new york's penn station has been hit by a series of derailments, earning it the nickname pain station, and that has prompted the urgent repair programme of the so—called summer of hell. there's absolutely a crisis of infrastructure here. everything behind me relies on tunnels that

are over 100 years old. they flooded during superstorm sandy and they are starting to go out on a regular basis. there is really a possibility that we are going to lose the connection under the hudson river for the northeast corridor, and then see what happens when almost 100,000 people every day have to find a new way to get to and from work. donald trump has promised to be the infrastructure president, but the recent spending bill that he pushed through congress actually withdrew funding for two major transportation projects — the tunnels and improvements to the subway system — that his hometown desperately needs. it is a nationwide problem. more than 55,000 bridges across the country are structurally deficient. making america great again requires modernising its antique infrastructure. it's been a momentous day for fans of the global hit

sci—fi show doctor who. in an historic first, the lead character, who has and become a british icon, will be played by a woman. the bbc has announced that jodie whittaker will be the 13th doctor who. she replaces the very popular peter capaldi. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba has more. time travel show doctor who making history. jodie whittaker says she is overwhelmed, as a feminist, as a woman and as an actor to be cast as the drama's first female doctor. in the six months since peter capaldi in the six months since peter ca paldi announced he in the six months since peter capaldi announced he was stepping down from the role, there has been a huge amount of speculation about who his replacement will be. when he regenerates and this year's christmas becchio. —— in this year's christmas becchio. —— in this year's christmas becchio. —— in this year's christmas becchio. regeneration was introduced in the 1960s on doctor

who. an ingenious solution to replace an actor leading the lead role. since it has returned, it has consistently been one of the bbc‘s biggest hits. a successful combination of a province i fight format and the charismatic lead actor. expectation for the new doctor is certain to be high. do you think all fans will welcome a female doctor? i think most will. some won't be sure but they should remember that doctor who is all about change and this is potentially a really big, really exciting change to the show. with the bbc having committed itself to greater diversity, it will be hoping that today's announcement will not only excite viewers, but clearly demonstrate that the time travel show has moved firmly into the 21st century. lizo mzimba, bbc news. an international robotics competition for young people starts on monday in washington. it's called the first global challenge and aims to help

young people excel in stem subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. high schools from all over the world will compete for over six weeks to build game—playing robots. one of the teams had a trickier route to the finals than most. rejected for visas after two rounds of interviews and banned from entering the united states, these young women never give up entering the united states, these young women never give up the fight to achieve their dream. after running is austin flight, the team of six afghan girls landed in washington on saturday to represent the country in a global high school robotics competition. 0n the country in a global high school robotics competition. on monday, they compete against more than 160 countries to build robots that can hit balls into goals, hang on bars and balance on balance beams. they

had been denied entry to the country due to district entry policies introduced by us president donald trump. the cases become a flash point in the debate about mr trumpefforts to tighten entrance into the us. critics said the row was emblematic of a broader effort to stop muslims entering the country. an extraordinary last—minute reversal was announced on wednesday when it was reported the president personally intervene. a homeland security department spokesperson said that the request for the entry along with a chaperone had been approved. a banker trump, advocate and supporter of women in science, treated her congratulations. the girls were thrilled to be taking part. the president of the united states and the people of america supported us in this case, which shows they have not forgotten us. nothing is impossible and everything is possible. we have opportunities...

for the people of afghanistan, the inclusion of these girls represents far more than entry to a science competition. in a country where girls face significant limitations in education as well as in personal lives, there is no hope for the future. —— there is now hope. before we go... the canadian prime minister justin trudeau has met babyjustin trudeau — the son of syrian refugees named after the politician as a thank you to their adopted country. the two—month—old boy, whose full name isjustin trudeau adam bilan, seemed happy to fall asleep as the prime minister briefly held him at an event in alberta. can he do wrong? babies falsely been his arms. —— do no wrong? don't forget, you can get in touch with me and some good evening. after a mostly cloudy

saturday, things brightened up quite nicely for most of us during sunday. we ta ke nicely for most of us during sunday. we take that bright weather with us into the start of the new week. temperatures are going to climb. by wednesday, some spots could get up to 30 celsius but that could well spark some thunderstorms. and once those clearway, temperatures drop again. somewhat unsettled weather. there is a lot going on through the week ahead but today brought sunshine across parts of northern ireland, a lot more cloud across southern parts of england. that is the scene of this weather watchers in suffolk. we should see that cloud go away through the course of the night into the mass majority to try -- it is night into the mass majority to try —— it is dry. some schone rain in their north west of scotland. 0vernight lows of 13—15, cool and

fresh after the south. tomorrow, if you like warm and sunny weather, it is shaping up to be a beautiful day. blue skies and sunshine forjust about all of us. some schone rain across northern scotland and some extra cloud across southern parts of england, which could just on that sunshine was a bit hazy. it will not stop him because getting up to 25, 26, maybe even 27 celsius in the south—east. fine in wales and northern ireland and the vast majority of scotland. 23, 24 in aberdeen. across the far north, quite cloudy and blustery with showery rain continuing in the northern isles. high pressure as the cause of the fine, dry, bright weather. 0n cause of the fine, dry, bright weather. on tuesday, the high drifts further eastwards and that allows us to import very warmly from the continent. quite humid air. some sunshine around dublin will turn quite hazy across england and will. late in the day, just a hint that we could see some scattered thunderstorms breaking out towards

the south—west. before the storms arrived, temperatures of 27 in northern scotland, maybe 2930 in some parts of england and well. with that heat in place, it looks like the showers and storms will be more widespread, drifting northwards tuesday night and wednesday with further scattered showers breaking out across england and wales with a day. it is a pretty unsettled middle pa rt day. it is a pretty unsettled middle part of the week. once the storms clea rway, part of the week. once the storms clearway, it will then turn colour and fresher. —— clear away. who hello. this is bbc news. polls have closed in venezuela in an unauthorised referendum on whether the government should be allowed to create a new assembly to update the constitution. the vote follows months of unrest. police in spain have accused an organised crime group of trading meat that is unfit for human consumption across europe. people have been arrested in spain

following a four—year investigation covering eight countries. and the new doctor who in the popular british sci—fi franchise has been announced, and for the first time in its history, she is a woman. the actress jodie whittaker its history, she is a woman. the actressjodie whittaker has been announced, and the 35—year—old will