this is bbc news. the headlines at 6pm: president trump says china isn't doing enough to halt the weapons programme of its ally, north korea. police in australia believe an alleged plot to blow up a plane was inspired by islamist extremism. four arrests have been made following raids. international trade secretary liam fox says free movement of labour after brexit would not be keeping faith with the eu referendum result. also in the next hour — a leading candidate and an opposition activist have been killed in venezuela ahead of a deeply divisive election. the poll to elect a new assembly to rewrite the constitution takes place amid continuing violence and an opposition boycott. the duke and dutchess of cambridge willjoin the prime minister this evening to mark the centenary of the battle of passchendaele in belgium — one of the bloodiest of world war one. good evening.

president trump says china isn't doing enough to halt the weapons programme of its ally, north korea. he made the comments on twitter after pyongyang test—fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. from seoul, our correspondent karen allen sent this report. us bombers dominated the sky as tensions mount over the korean peninsula. escorted by fighter jets as part of a drill, it was seen as a direct response to north korean aggression. and the us president is blaming china for letting it get this far.

taking to twitter, he said: but china also condemned friday's second intercontinental missile test. this powerful rocket flew faster and further than the one before. experts believe north korea's nuclear and missile capability is growing stronger by the day. and so, it seems, is kimjong—un‘s hunger to be heard. north korea's young leader. the north korean side is sending a message to the united states. the missiles are aiming at the united states you are and so we are going to talk to you, not to korea. a more joint military exercises, a sign that force is not being ruled out, but pressure is mounting for a diplomatic solution. a pre—emptive strike could destabilise the entire region,

but how long is washington prepared to wait? here in seoul, south korea depends on the americans for security. but the presence of tens of thousands of us forces here feeds into north korea's propaganda that it is under threat, justifying its nuclear ambition. with the military on high alert, the korean peninsula feels more dangerous than just a week ago. avoiding a confrontation is now key. a little earlier, karen outlined what china could do to halt the north korean weapons programme. it does have influence. it has trading influence, and that is what donald trump was alluding to. but its influence may be limited. there have already been sanctions against china. its imports of coal

from north korea, which were said to be funding the nuclear programme, stopped after a un security council resolution. there are other areas it's able to cut down on, and we could expect to see a push for un sanctions, new un resolutions later this week. but it's notjust about china. there's also russia. it still has to recognise that this was an intercontinental ballistic missile. that would be a trigger point for russia to be pushed on sanctions, so it's not as simple as president trump has indicated. after all, there have been decades of mistrust in this part of the world. security has been tightened at airports around australia after the authorities said they'd disrupted a plot to blow up a plane. four people have been arrested in what the australian prime minister, malcolm turnbull, described as a "majorjoint counter—terrorism operation". phil mercer reports. a suspect is taken into custody in the surry hills neighbourhood of sydney, one of four people

arrested in raids across the city by heavily armed police and members of australia's domestic spy agency. investigators say they have information that the plot to blow up an aircraft involved the use of an improvised device. as roads were sealed off and properties searched, it has been reported the operation was not planned but a rapid response to a tip—off. the prime minister, malcolm turnbull, says the authorities have foiled what appears to be an elaborate conspiracy. i can report last night that there has been a majorjoint counterterrorism operation to disrupt a terrorist plot to bring down an aeroplane. the operation is continuing. a woman who said her son and husband were among those arrested in sydney has denied they had any ties to extremism, but senior police

commanders say the raids were part of an alleged islamic—inspired plot. additional security measures have been put in place at domestic and international airports around the country. australia's national terror threat level remains at probable, which means the intelligence agencies believe that groups or individuals have the intent and capability to carry out an attack. since 2014, 70 people have been charged as a result of more than 30 counterterrorism raids across the country. police in germany say an attack on a nightclub in which one person was killed and three others were seriously injured is not thought to be related to terrorism. a gunman opened fire at the venue in the town of konstanz on the swiss border. he's been identified as a 34—year—old iraqi citizen who had been living in germany for some time. he died after being shot by police. voting has begun in venezuela

for a controversial plan to create a new parliament. the new constituent assembly would override the existing, opposition—led congress in what critics are calling a power grab by president nicolas maduro. the opposition parties in the oil—rich nation are boycotting the vote. will grant reports from caracas. room at the politicians have been killed. —— we have heard that at least three politicians have been killed. one was killed in an eastern city. the pro—government candidate was killed in another city. it adds to the tension. people are nervous

and some streets are deserted. people are turning out to vote elsewhere, but in an environment of nervousness and tension. we went to a shanty town in the east of the city and we saw government supporters turning out. but not the same numbers i used to see in venezuela under the previous president when queues would sneak around the block. why is nicolas maduro proving to be such a divisive president? what is it about his presidency that has brought us to this point? to begin with, he was hand—picked successor. initially those who supported president chavez stayed with nicolas maduro. as time has gone on and the oil price has dropped exponentially, he has not been able to maintain the social programmes his predecessor could offer to the people, in terms of education, health care and food subsidies. they have dropped off

dramatically in the country is facing rampant inflation and food shortages. the corruption has never gone away, nor has the violence. it isa gone away, nor has the violence. it is a difficult picture. in that environment, he has haemorrhage support that president chavez used to enjoy. he is not as charismatic as chavez was when he was alive. he has also attracted international criticism because of this election? exactly. the neighbouring president of columbia said he would not be recognising the result because he says this whole election process was spurious. that echoes what the opposition here believe. they are boycotting the election. they say it is illegal and unconstitutional. so that immediately hands of victory to

president nicolas maduro, but is it the sort of victory he wants? you might have to set up a separate state with a different supreme court and different legislative body to the existing ones which then simply act on his commands, rather than those led by the opposition. it is an extremely complex and polarise situation in one of the richest oil nations on the planet. the international trade secretary liam fox says unregulated free movement of people between the uk and the european union after brexit would "not keep faith" with the result of the eu referendum. the chancellor philip hammond has previously said "it will be some time" before full migration controls can be introduced. our political correspondent chris mason is in westminster. he said the timetable of when we leave is dominating nearly every

discussion. we are talking about april 2019. there is broad agreement amongst senior ministers that there needs to be some sort of transitional arrangement. in other words, the uk is outside of the european union but it hangs onto some elements associated with membership. but he then comes the disagreement. which bits and what is the balance? particularly the balance between access to european markets for trade and the whole business of immigration. liam fox in an interview with the sunday times has emphasised the whole idea brexit for many people, the motivation for many people who voted to leave the european union, was having something about immigration. you get others like the chancellor philip hammond who have argued there is more of a focus around the economy and ensuring frictionless access to

european markets as far as is possible. there is a disagreement in the cabinet about the flavour of the transitional period. that is before you even get onto a discussion about what a relationship with the eu looks like the other side of any transitional arrangement. 0ne looks like the other side of any transitional arrangement. one more thing, the whole business of this transitional arrangement hasn't even been discussed with brussels. to that extent, were still talking about something that is rather hypothetical. up rather bemused brussels watching on probably. can you tell us more about amber rudd? the home secretary last week spoke ofa the home secretary last week spoke of a whole need to have a discussion and debate about immigration. again something liam fox talks about in the sunday times. amber rudd was talking about the longer term position. giving a consequence of leaving the european union is a huge number of powers will return to

westminster, the slogan about taking back control, one of the most direct consequences of that is whoever happens to be in government here will have to shape and immigration policy that for a generation, anyone grumbling about immigration has been met by mps at westminster saying, not our problem, it's brussels. that will not be the case any longer and political parties will begin to have an argument about how many people they think it is right to accept to come to the uk notjust from beyond europe which they have control of now, but within europe as well. ma nifestos now, but within europe as well. manifestos will have to set out a policy. amber rudd has asked the committee of independent experts to report by september of next year. that will then shape the government's immigration act. the whole idea of exactly what immigration should look like the other side of some sort of transitional arrangement once we have left the european union. 0ur conversation serves to illustrate

the central truth of politics at the moment. brexit dominate everything. the headlines on bbc news: president trump has criticised china on twitter, saying it's not doing enough to halt north korea's weapons programme after pyongyang test—fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. security has been tightened at airports across australia after the authorities said they'd disrupted a plot to blow up a plane. four people have been arrested following raids across sydney. the international trade secretary liam fox has said the government would not be keeping faith with the eu referendum result if it allowed the free movement of people to continue after brexit. in sport, england take almost com plete in sport, england take almost complete control of the third test at yeovil against south africa who are chasing a92 to win. there are currently 8a—a. victory for

sebastian vettel in the hungarian grand prix. that extends his lead over lewis hamilton to 1a points. wigan warriors beat salford red devils in a pulsating rugby league challenge semi final. it will take on hull fc at wembley. more on more stories at 6:30pm, including the build—up to england's women as they go for a place in the semifinals later. they take on france later. it claimed the lives of around 2a5,000 allied troops over approximately 100 days of heavy fighting to achieve an advance of less than five miles. the battle of passchendaele became infamous not only for the scale of casualties, but also for the mud that filled the trenches. this weekend, events are being held in belgium to mark the battle's centenary. siren wails.

drie, twee, een. this is a corner of europe where first world war shells explode every working day. sierra 3, papa kilo 2, over. the belgian bomb disposal teams based in the village of poelkapelle deal with at least 200 tonnes of unexploded munitions each year. you might think that after a hundred years this iron harvest would be reducing. it is simply not true. during the first world war, along the western front, 1.5 billion shells were fired, and of those, one in three failed to explode. that left 500 million still in the ground. one third of the munitions

that the team recover contain chemicals such as mustard gas. the firstjob is to clean them up, and not always that gently, to get a rough idea of how dangerous they might be. the next step is an x—ray. you can see now the bottom. this is the chemical stuff. arsenic. around this, explosive. even after a hundred years, lives are at risk here. the chemical shells are eventually destroyed in a sealed chamber. conventional explosives follow a separate path. shells, bombs, grenades and bullets, forced to the surface of local farmland by frost action and ploughing. how much explosive is in these shells, just in one crate, do you think? so, it is always around 50 kilos of high explosives. 50 kilos?

yes, every crate. more than 50 kilos, even deeply buried, would risk damage to buildings, and so this meticulous operation rolls on, a legacy of a distant war that will provide these lethal reminders well into another century. earlier, ben brown spoke to the great—niece of a soldier who died at passchendaele. she began by explaining why she wanted to be there for the centenary. do you have any idea how he died? he

died in the south—east of each. 0n the day he died, they were not going over the top. will understand he died either by a sniper or shelling or perhaps he was one of the ones that went over the top to retrieve the bodies of his fallen comrades. why did you think it was important to come here? as my mum has already said, my gran passed away recently so it meant a lot to pay respects to her. when you go to the cemeteries and see the number of people who fell during the battle at passchendaele but also the whole duration of the war, is important to come and pay our respects. so many people gave their lives to allow us to be here and live our lives as we

do today. charlotte, it is almost impossible to think now this is such a pretty town which is tidy and orderly. it was in ruins 100 years ago. this battle of passchendaele, three months, and advance of five miles and horrendous casualties, half a million on both sides. that is right. this was a huge event which affected many families across britain. thousands of people every day would've been killed, wounded or gone missing. it is something you can still see the effects of today. that is why we are all here to remember those people from 100 years ago. and the conditions, the matter, absolutely horrendous. men actually drowning in marked? that's right. they had to walk across a wooden platforms to avoid sinking into the

mud. if you fell off it, you could quite easily drown. there are stories of men who were knee deep or waist deep in mud trying to get through. even at the time, it was a controversial battle. lloyd george, the prime minister, was a reluctant supporter of the offensive? that is right. douglas haig really pushed for this battle. saying we needed to get as far as the belgian coast to stop the submarines from attacking british ships. he can have overruled lloyd george but throughout the course of the battle there was a lot of debate as to what to do next. and you can see live coverage of the commemorations to mark the centenary of the battle of passchendaele from flanders in belgium tonight at 7pm on bbc two. a record number of criminals have had their sentences increased under a scheme which allows members of the public to ask for them to be reviewed. last year, 1a1 criminals in england and wales had their sentences increased.

the government says it wants to extend the scheme to include a number of terror—related charges. aisling mcveigh reports. sarah sands stabbed a man to death in november 201a. she was convicted of manslaughter and given a three and a half—year jail sentence. her neighbour, michael, was a convicted paedophile and sands, a mother of five, claims she lost control, stabbing him eight times. but it was in january last year that the punishment was considered to be unduly lenient. judges at the court of appeal ruled that because sands took a knife to his flat, she must have intended to cause serious harm and her sentence was doubled to seven and a half years. 1a1 criminals have had their sentences increased in the last year, according to the attorney general‘s office. the unduly lenient sentence scheme allows the public to query penalties for serious offences, and more people are doing just that. requests are up 17% on the previous year.

sex offences make up the highest number of cases where sentences were increased and 1a sex offenders who had originally escaped prison are now serving time behind bars. from next month, the scheme will be widened to include an extra 19 terror—related offences. the attorney general says in the vast majority of cases, judges do get it right, and the number of sentences that are increased represent a tiny proportion of the 80,000 cases heard every single year. honolulu has become the first major us city to ban pedestrians from looking at their mobile phone, texting or using digital devices

while crossing the road. the measure, which will take effect in hawaii's largest city in october, is aimed at reducing injuries and deaths from "distracted walking". fines start at £11 and go up to £75 for repeat offenders. urgent calls to the emergency services are exempt from the ban. a 27—year—old man has been charged in connection with the rape of a 1a—year—old girl at a railway station in birmingham on tuesday night. british transport police say they're still looking for a man who subjected her to a second attack after she flagged down a passing carfor help. the scottish government has called for scotch to be defined in uk law in order to protect whisky exports after brexit. holyrood is concerned that any future trade deal with the united states might allow american firms to brand their whiskies as scotch. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. under eu rules of origin, any spirit described as scotch whiskey must be aged for at least three years and matured in scotland. but the scottish government says the us negotiators during the recent trade talks with the eu had wanted this definition to be relaxed

to accommodate its whiskey makers. so now holyrood wants the eu definition of scotch to be incorporated into uk law after brexit. that is because whiskey making supports 20,000 jobs and is worth £a billion to scotland. we have to make absolutely certain that any deal done with the us protects scottish jobs. if that deal does not protect the definition of whiskey as a spirit matured for three years or more, it weakens that definition and we will lose scottish jobs in the whiskey industry. 10,000 jobs depend on it, another 10,000 in the supply chain. so we say to liam fox, don't tangle with the scottish whiskey industry, protect it. don't sell it away. a spokesperson for the department of international trade, which co—ordinates future deals, says that scotch is a uk export success story and we will support the industry so it continues to thrive to thrive

and prosper post brexit. whiskey may be the water of life, but it might also give london and edinburgh a headache — in trade terms, at least. thousands of festival—goers in derbyshire are demanding refunds after a hugely popular music event was cut short due to safety concerns. some bands curtailed their performances and several headliners failed to appear at all at the why not festival, near matlock after heavy rain. at all at the why not festival, today organisers cancelled the final day. as helen astle reports. instead of enjoying the music, thousands of fans were trying to make their way home. some roads were closed and others were heavily congested as people collected their relatives. a muddy back up to your knees, filthy and soaking wet.

people had sledges, but it was useless. the mud was all over your legs. this is what organisers had been hoping for. instead, they were knee deep in mud. we looked at our phones this morning and so we were being kicked out. drapac as quickly as possible. we found out the shuttle busses were not there. we're been trying to phone for a taxi but they will not answer. 28,000 people we re they will not answer. 28,000 people were at the sell—out event. jake ball had to rearrange its performance. two of the headliners either shortens their act or pulled out because of torrential rain. this is what festivalgoers face. in a statement, organisers said the safety of performance, guests and crew is the primary concern and the potential risk was too severe for sunday to go ahead. we are very sorry for the disappointment and

disruption caused to everyone who was looking forward to the final day of the festival. they go on to say they will deal with requests for refunds over the coming days. cathedrals have been part of our towns for centuries, but in the face of falling congregation numbers and rising repair bills, they are being forced to modernise. fiona trott has been to durham cathedral to see some priceless relics of saint cuthbert, which the cathedral hopes will help to attract more visitors. one of england's most treasured landmarks. now some of its own treasures are being put on permanent display. the sanctuary knocker. it was the passport for criminals or those fleeing justice to get an extension on their sentences. they could come here, they could claim sanctuary for 37 days. for me, personally, this is literally the jewel of the exhibition. it is st cuthbert‘s pectoral cross. he probably wore it as a bishop's cross during his lifetime. over 700,000 people visit

durham cathedral every year. but entry is free and running costs are high. at the moment, our running deficit is around half a million a year. what we are trying to do is turn the ship and turn it into financial sustainability. this tower renovation alone costs £5 million. at guildford cathedral, costs and repairs there have been so high that at one point, the bishop warned it may have to close its doors. at peterborough, they have had to make redundancies and a new dean has been appointed to try to pay off its debts. the church of england is currently reviewing the financial management of all of its cathedrals. reviewing the financial management a special working group has been set up. here in durham, visitors say they will be happy to help

cathedrals meet their costs. it is important for the upkeep. if an admission charge has to be put here, i certainly wouldn't complain and i think it is something that must be done to keep the place the way it is. i would be happy to pay, to see an exhibition or evenjust to get inside and help pay for restoration in some small way. how much would you pay? £10 sounds fair. i think it is important to preserve the heritage for the country. over the years, the number of worshippers coming to cathedrals has declined. making use of their religious past may be key to preserving their future. time for the weather. i'm always excited when the weather is so exciting! it will start with. ..

excited when the weather is so exciting! it will start with... i can hear her laughing! look at this amazing picture. this is a picture from other weather watcher. ba by shower cloutier some. some turbulent clouds, aged less than this. com pletely clouds, aged less than this. completely the other side of the spectrum of the coast of kent. somewhat we lose guys. it has been or nothing for some of us today. the showery, unsettled weather will continue over the next 2a hours or so. this is a satellite picture from the last 12 hours. here are the big showers in the northwest. this is 8pm this evening. still some showers across scotland. northern ireland and many parts of england and wales as well. one area that has escaped most of the showers, i've i draw a line from the isle of wightjust most of the showers, i've i draw a line from the isle of wight just to around surrey. this has been a great place to be today, some lovely weather. but in central cornwall and

devon, there has been a line of showers coming at you all the time. it has been lashing with rain, it puddles. a very mixed today. if you have been hearing me talk about it being such a showery day and you have had sunshine, some of us have had shower after sharon. a real mixed bag. the showery weather will continue into monday. the low pressure is still with us, still generating showers. tomorrow, i suspect there will be lighter and fewer of them. never a guarantee but fewer of them. never a guarantee but few are often in parts of the country's, narendra modi —— northern areas of the uk. choose a looks as though the showers will be confined to the northern and western portion of the country. siovas tuesday. a light breeze across the south—east. wednesday, we lose the showers but we still get rain and wet weather because a weather front is

approaching. that will be sliding across the uk. early in the morning and afternoon, some rain across western areas. this weather front will sweep across in the afternoon. by will sweep across in the afternoon. by the time we get to wednesday, thursday morning, all of us will have seen some rain. the jet stream wishes the driver for the poor weather is still with us right to the end of the week. range missile test. america's response, is a show of strength, over the korean peninsula. is a show of strength, pyongyang now claims its missiles can reach anywhere in america, as tensions rise in east asia, with china, saying it wants it's own world—class army. with china, saying it wants it's us commanders say they're "ready to respond with rapid, lethal force", to deter north korea. to respond with rapid, also on the programme. to respond with rapid, there's heightened security at airports across australia, after investigators uncover a plot to blow up a plane.

and commemorations mark the 100th anniversary, of one of the bloodiest battles of the first world war, at passchendaele. of the first world war, good evening. president trump says he's "very disappointed" with china, for not doing more to stop north korea's weapons programme. his comments, in a tweet, came after pyongyang launched its second intercontinental ballistic missile, in a month. the north koreans say it's a "stern warning" to washington, that the "entire us mainland" is now within striking distance. in response two us b—1 bombers, have conducted exercises over the korean peninsula. have conducted exercises over from seoul in south korea, karen allen reports. us b—1 bombers dominated the sky as tensions mount over

the korean peninsula. as tensions mount over escorted by fighterjets as part of a drill it was a direct response to what is being seen as an increasingly belligerent north korea. as an increasingly the us president is blaming china, pyongyang's biggest trading partner, for letting it get this far. pyongyang's biggest trading partner, taking to twitter president trump said: but china's influence could be overstated. historic ties have become looser and chinese imports of north korean coal have been cut after un sanctions last year. china also condemmed friday's second ballistic missile test.

this powerful rocket flew faster and further than the one before and could soon be armed with a nuclear weapon. it's all about getting america to listen. the north korean side is definitely sending a message to the united states. is definitely sending a message the missile is aiming at the united states. they are saying we are going to talk to you. not to south korea. going to talk to you. more joint military exercises a sign that force is not being ruled out, though pressure is mounting for a diplomatic solution. a pre—emptive strike could destabilise the entire region, but how long is washington prepared to wait? here in seoul, south korea depends heavily on the americans for security. korea depends heavily but the very presence of tens of thousands of us forces here feeds into pyongyang's propaganda, that it is under threat, justifying its nuclear ambitions. that it is under threat, with the military on high alert the korean peninsula feels more dangerous than just a week ago. the korean peninsula feels more avoiding an ultimate

confrontation is now key. 0ur washington correspondent laura bicker is at the white house. 0ne bicker is at the white house. wonders what ameri( auctions one wonders what america's immediate auctions are in dealing with north korea. you are right, president trump placed a lot of hope in china. he wined and dined the president at his estate and declared that the meeting was a success. a month later he is disappointed. china is north korea's biggest trading partner. they haven't turned the screws on pyongyang as this administration had hoped. expect a tougher stance from now on. you seen the military

response, the bombers flying over the korean peninsula. and today here in the us they have been testing their own missile defence systems in texas and alaska. they say that test has been a success. they've also been looking for different diplomatic avenues with the help of south korea and japan. together they hope to increase the economic pressure on north korea. but president 0bama warned donald trump that north korea could prove to be his biggest threat. and it is a warning from his predecessor that he is taking seriously. thank you. security's been stepped up at airports across australia, after investigators uncovered a plot to blow up a plane. the prime minister, malcolm turnbull, called it an "elaborate conspiracy". malcolm turnbull, called it four men have been arrested. malcolm turnbull, called it phil mercer reports from sydney. malcolm turnbull, called it a suspect is taken into custody in the surry hills neighbourhood of sydney, one of four people arrested in raids across the city by heavily armed police and members

of australia's domestic spy agency. investigators say they have information that the plot to blow up an aircraft involved the use of an improvised device. as roads were sealed off and properties searched, it has been reported the operation was not planned but a rapid response to a tip—off. was not planned but a rapid the prime minister, malcolm turnbull, says the authorities have foiled what appears to be an elaborate conspiracy. what appears to be i can report last night that there has been a majorjoint counterterrorism operation to disrupt a terrorist plot to bring down an aeroplane. to disrupt a terrorist plot the operation is continuing. to disrupt a terrorist plot a woman who said her son and husband were among those arrested in sydney has denied they had any ties to extremism, but senior police commanders say the raids were part of an alleged islamic—inspired plot. additional security measures have been put in place at domestic and international airports around the country. australia's national terror threat level remains at probable, which means the intelligence agencies believe that groups

or individuals have the intent and capability to carry out an attack. and capability to carry since 201a, 70 people have been charged as a result of more than 30 counterterrorism raids across the country. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. reports from venezuela say several people have been killed, including three politicians, as voters go to the polls in a deeply divisive election, for a new assembly to rewrite the constitution. for a new assembly to rewrite there have been violent clashes in the capital caracas, with police firing tear gas to clear protestors. the opposition is boycotting the election, saying it's another attempt by president maduro, to tighten his grip on power. the international trade secretary, liam fox, says the unregulated free movement of people from the eu

after brexit, wouldn't "keep faith" with the referendum result. after brexit, wouldn't "keep faith" he insists the cabinet hasn't agreed a deal on immigration, during any transitional period. a deal on immigration, let's speak to our political correspondent chris mason, who's at westminster. correspondent chris mason, liam correspondent chris mason, fox is suggesting ther cabinet liam fox is suggesting there is no cabinet unity on this, how significant are his comments? in one yearand significant are his comments? in one year and eight months' time we will leave the european union. just over 600 days. in the last couple of weeks there has been a discussion amongst senior ministers about what they see as the good thing of signing up to some sort of transitional arrangement, where after brexit some elements of eu membership will still be attached to the uk. but crucially this intervention from liam fox proves that exactly what that transitional period looks like is a source of disagreement. philip hammond has suggested lots of things would stay the same for quite some time. liam fox clearly has concerns about that.

it's not just fox clearly has concerns about that. it's notjust the conservatives who have disagreements over brexit. take a look at labour, their leading figures have been contradicting each other month after month. the referendum, by their definition, is binary. they force people to either side of an argument. they are very much divided with that countdown, that clock ticking down to the 29th of march 2019th when we will leave the eu. -- 2019 of march 2019th when we will leave the eu. —— 2019 when we will leave the eu. —— 2019 when we will leave the eu. thanks very much. the duke and duchess of cambridge willjoin theresa may, at a service in belgium this evening, to mark 100 years since the battle of passchendaele. evening, to mark 100 years it was one of the bloodiest confrontations of the first world war, with almost half a million allied and german soldiers killed, during three months of fighting. allied and german soldiers killed, 0ur correspondent robert hall reports. this is a city that has dedicated itself to remembrance. a city which rose from the rubble. itself to remembrance. pictures filmed soon after the war from a french airship captured the destruction left by battles that

consumed this landscape. a scar of mud and stagnant shell holes. a grave for thousands. stagnant shell holes. winston churchill wanted ypres left as a memorial to the fallen, but its people vowed to reconstruct the medieval streets. it was a ruin. the medieval streets. all bomb craters. the medieval streets. there was really nothing left. the medieval streets. stephen's grandfather and his great uncles were stonemasons. commissioned to work on the landmark that will be a focus of tonight's commemorations. that will be a focus the menin gate, its soaring arch straddling the road which led to the trenches. arch straddling the road they began to build in 1922. arch straddling the road it took five years to build. arch straddling the road 0n the building you have a lion, which is very special for me, because you can remove a piece of the tail and inside you have the bottles

with all of the names of the people who helped to rebuild or built the menin gate. there are over 5a,000 names carved into the panels here, men from every corner of the uk, men who travelled across the globe to join the fight, men who disappeared in the cauldron around passchendaele. gosh, i didn't think it would be that moving. dorothy and her cousin peter were here to remember their grandfather. you'll need to take a photo of me. here to remember their grandfather. they are among 200 invited guests with personal connections to the battle. guests with personal that word on there is as close to a body as we are ever going to get our grandfather. to a body as we are ever —— going to get for our grandfather. to a body as we are ever the ethos behind building this was for people to say he is here. in a way he's here. was for people to say he is here.

but in a way he's not here. was for people to say he is here. tonight, the last post will sound for the missing, as it has since the gate was unveiled. for the missing, as it has this city is still keeping its promise. robert hall, bbc news, ypres. keeping its promise. well let's go live to ypres now and join our correspondent sian lloyd. the last post sentence that ceremony is held here at eight 0'clock every day to remember those who lost their lives during the first world war. tonight i'll be attended by 200 invited guests. and 200 descendants who were successful any public ballot, and his ancestors' names are marked 0n ballot, and his ancestors' names are marked on the memorial to the missing. the duke and duchess of cambridge will also be here. as will the prime minister, theresa may, who will lay a wreath. that will be followed by a public event in the square, live performances that will tell the story of this battle from

dame helen mirren. there will also be song from all the bow. we will also hear archive footage and the images of veterans who will be describing the horrors of the battles of passchendaele in their own words. thousands of people have come here the two days of commemorations and tomorrow they will bejoined by commemorations and tomorrow they will be joined by the commemorations and tomorrow they will bejoined by the prince commemorations and tomorrow they will be joined by the prince of wales who will be taking part in events. this is a time to reflect and remember the sacrifices made and you can see some of the events from here during a special programme which starts at seven o'clock on bbc two. thanks. with all the sport, here's karthi gna nasegaram, at the bbc sport centre. karthi gna nasegaram, thank you. karthi gna nasegaram, good evening. karthi gna nasegaram, england are closing in on victory against south africa in the third test at the oval. against south africa joe root‘s first declaration as the england captain came at 313 for 8 and they now need just six more wickets to win with south africa on 8a for a. more wickets to win patrick gearey has details of the action so far. sunday,

of the action so far. lovely day to grow a lead. skyscraper sunday, lovely day to grow a lead. skyscraper size if possible. tom westley was the perfect man for the job, 50 on debut. joe root made 52, no change, but he knew this was not just about runs but time. go fast or go bust. the captain must always think of the team. already on his mind wasa think of the team. already on his mind was a conundrum, how long should he let his batsman bat? every minute the declaration changed equated. jonny bairstow 50, quickly, cleverley. eventually the captain called england in. south africa were afterwards. ten wickets to take by tomorrow evening. but the main meal was always going to be hashim amla. south africa's master frustrate caught out. stoke sensed a crack opening, this straight into the gap

quinton de kock left. faf du plessis followed on the next. and this gentle someday maybe a defining one in the series. patrick geary, bbc news. rugby league's challenge cup final will see wigan warriors take on hull f.c. challenge cup final will see at wembley next month after wigan beat salford this afternoon. 0liver gildart scored the first and final tries for wigan in a fascinating match that saw salford fight back but ultimately lose 27 points to 1a. salford fight back but ultimately in just over an hour's time england will face france in the quarterfinals of the women's euros, a side that's beaten england in the past three major tournaments. 0ur correspondent katie gornall is in deventer. how likely is it england can reach the semi finals? think after germany, the ho we re i think after germany, the holders, were knocked out by denmark early in the day, a shock result, anybody will believe anything is possible. history is against germany. —— history is against england, they have not beaten france in a long

time. but there is now a belief that hasn't existed before. the coach said yesterday that even if he thinks his team are not at their best they can still beat france. he can understand his confidence. his tea m can understand his confidence. his team have sailed through the group. three out of three victories, ten goals in the process, but tournaments are not won in the group stage. this will certainly be a big step up tonight against the team which is ranked third in the world. adam peaty and britain have won the men's silver medal at the world swimming championships in budapest. details of the day's other sports stories are on the bbc sport website including ferrari's sebastian vettel has won the hungarian grand prix while lewis hamilton finished in fourth place. that's it. in fourth place. now on bbc1, it's time for the news where you are. bye for now. for the news where you are. hello.

this is bbc news. it claimed the lives of around 2a5 thousand allied troops — over approximately 100 days of heavy fighting — to achieve an advance of less than five miles. the battle of passchendaele became infamous not only for the scale of casualties, but also for the mud that filled the trenches. events are being held in belgium to mark the battle's centenary. our correspondent ben brown is in ypres to watch those commemorations and joins us now... hello, then. hello, chris. we had just outside menin gate here in ypres were those commemorative events will get under way very shortly, with the last post which is played every evening here in ypres, in memory of those who gave their lives in the battle of passchendaele and other battles around ypres. we

are waiting for the arrival of the duke and duchess of cambridge, who will be here for these centennial events this evening. and also king philip and queen matilda of belgian. and both did you can the king will together lay wreaths at menin gate, after the last post. i think we can show you some life pictures now of menin gate. as you were just hearing, to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle of passchendaele, it began, the offensive began onjuly 31, 1917. with the loss of more than half a million casualties on both sides, it lasted more than three months, but only five miles of territory was gained. it was a battle marked by not only muster gas but also months, liquid not, the

cause of torrential rain fall. and some of the people who died, the soldiers who died in the bustle, drowned in the mud. let's talk to bridging your constant, from passchendaele, at home which is an organisation trying to get recognition and people to remember soldiers who were injuries at passchendaele and then taken back to britain to be treated for their injuries, but he dives back home in britain. that's right, it is a wonderful and very dignified commemoration of soldiers who died here. i know the bbc will be broadcasting from a cemetery which isa broadcasting from a cemetery which is a massive site and extremely moving. but many men were taken from the battlefields with their injuries, went through the dressing station and transferred to a hospital and then taken back to britain as transfer to other hospitals. and sadly died. and then are buried where they died or where

their families asked them to be buried. across the uk. so there are hundreds of passchendaele fallen in the uk who we don't remember. and you were really lost in our cemeteries and churchyards across britain. 100 years later, it is time that we recognise them and we are asking people to help us do that in the project. the events we will witness this evening here at menin gate, and then tomorrow at tyne cot, thousands of people from britain have come overfor thousands of people from britain have come over for these commanders of events because they really want to remember those who sacrificed so much. but also because they think it is important to remember that something might test can never be allowed to happen again, this kind of horror. diack a terrible muscle, unbelievably unpleasant for everybody. terrible weaponry, a terrible battlefields. drowning in knots. i have been reading a series of research into the epitaphs written by family members on the

graves from passchendaele. so many have asked for at the red cross to find out about how they died, and a woman who has done a book has put those descriptions together. you can see how awful it was. people were killed outright or wounded terribly. it isa killed outright or wounded terribly. it is a terrible experience. the scale of the battle is awful. 100 years later, we know there is no one who took part in the battle alive today. if we don't count together to remember ina today. if we don't count together to remember in a very special and meaningful way, those experiences will be lost. it's very important that we think deeply about that. some of those who fought and lost their lives were incredibly young. there were men as young, boys, 15—year—old boys, you had volunteers and lied about their age. very much the exception. i understand the world is tried very hard not to send underage boys into battle at this point in the work, particularly.

some people got carried away and lied about their age. i was reading yesterday about an lad whose headstone says on its, and his mother wrote the inscription, 17 years, ten months. two days. something like that. she is making the point that he shouldn't have been there. you have to be 18 to the list, 19 to go to the france. he had lied about his age. most young men we re lied about his age. most young men were not underage but they were still young. most of these lives we re still young. most of these lives were cut short very early. men in their 20s on the whole. we willjust pause and listen to the national anthem being played. and the duke and duchess of cambridge meeting some of the dignitaries who are here. karen

bradley, who we talked to earlier on, the culture secretary. you had a ncestors on, the culture secretary. you had ancestors who fought in the first world war herself in fact. and 200 descendants of soldiers who fought at passchendaele are also here at menin gate this evening. and tomorrow at the cemetery from what members of events, there will be a,000 who were successful in a ballot organised by the government for descendants of those who thought. —— those who fought in the war. and king philip of belgian and queen matilda here also, alongside the duke and duchess of cambridge. tomorrow prince charles will be here, too, from what members of events. —— more commemorative

events. —— more commemorative events. theresa may also in attendance. and virginia crompton, we have just been talking all day about the importance of events like this to remember notjust for this generation but future generations.