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. it is incredibly hard to remember. so many countries were here. let's bring you the latest

headlines. president trump says china are not doing enough to halt the weapons programme of its ally north korea. police in australia believe an alleged plot to burgle a plane was inspired by islamist extremism. four arrests have been made. the international trade secretary liam fox is free movement of labour after brexit would not be keeping faith with the eu referendum result. in sport, the england lionesses are

in action this evening in the women's euro 2017 quarterfinals. catch that and all the rest of the day's sports events in sport stay in half an hour. good evening and welcome to bbc news. president trump says he is very disappointed with china for not doing more to stop north korea's weapons programme. his comments came after pyongyang launched its second intercontinental ballistic missile ina intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. the north koreans say it isa in a month. the north koreans say it is a stern warning to washington that the entire us mainland is now within striking distance. in response, two bombers have conducted

exercises over the north korean pen until. us b—1 bombers dominated the sky as tensions mount over the korean peninsula. escorted by fighterjets as part of a drill it was a direct response to what is being seen as an increasingly belligerent north korea. the us president is blaming china, pyongyang's biggest trading partner, for letting it get this far. 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. the missile is aiming at the united states. they are saying we are going to talk to you. not to south korea. 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. 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. with the military on high alert,

the korean peninsula feels more dangerous than just a week ago. avoiding an ultimate confrontation is now key. 0ur correspondent laura bicker is in washington. iamjust i am just reading a chinese diplomat has described president trump's comments as being like a spoilt child. does he have anything to be annoyed about? where have these comments come from? is itjust frustration? well, if you might remember, donald trump put a lot of faith in the president of china. he wined and dined him at his estate in florida. he declared it was a tremendous success. keep it on

twitter that china was going to help with the situation in north korea. your we are with the situation in north korea. yourwe area with the situation in north korea. your we are a few months later. china and north korea are huge trading partners and he had asked them to stop that trading, to cut it down and put the screws on pyongyang. it seems china simply has not done that. trade between the two countries has increased. we are a few months later and this administration is disappointed and frustrated. it is now looking at other options. it is bound to be much tougher. we have seen the build—up of military in the region. bombers flying over the crimean peninsula. they have tested systems in alaska and said they have been successful. when it comes to this regime, they know the threat is real. they were warned by president 0bama. nobody in the wider world

wa nts a 0bama. nobody in the wider world wants a military action to north korea for many reasons. how dangerous are such wars of words? there are no good military options on the table. when it comes to it, there could be strikes on both sides. any military action is fraught with difficulty. even going in and taking out kimjong un, as some have suggested, would destabilise the region. china would get upset with that because they prefer things as they are. they do not want anything destabilising its neighbour and north koreans flooding across the border. the other options they have is to increase the sanctions. they are targeting banks and currency falling into pyongyang. 0ther and currency falling into pyongyang. other options are working with partners in the region. you have

heard from the us ambassador to the un speaking of increasing the economic pressure. we might call for another resolution. when it comes to diplomatic options, they will be exploring that. when it comes to sanctions, the problem is the place so many sanctions on north korea before and it doesn't seem to have had the result they want. the key here is china and how they deal with china. i'm sure when it comes to this troubled administration, they will now be wondering how they do that. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the entertainment writer, caroline frost and the parliamentary journalist tony grew. security has 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. " four men have been arrested. phil mercer reports from sydney. 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. 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. he insists the cabinet hasn't agreed a deal on immigration, during any transitional period. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is at westminster. chris, this is what liam fox told the sunday times in an interview. can you give us some clarity? what is he actually talking about? a certain period after brexit or in the long—term ? certain period after brexit or in the long-term? clarity is a big ask when we talk about brexit. you ask the questions so i shall endeavour to a nswer the questions so i shall endeavour to answer it! he is talking about the medium—term, in other words this desire where there is agreement for a transitional period. a period immediately after brexit where they hang onto some elements. the

disagreement is over which elements to hold onto. the chancellor said things would be very similar the day after brexit. he emphasised he wa nted after brexit. he emphasised he wanted to see the free movement of goods. liam fox is making the argument, hang on, a lot of people voted for brexit because they wanted something done about immigration. if things look pretty much identical the next day, they would feel betrayed. that is before you get onto a discussion what brexit will mean in the

long—term. what brexit will mean in the long-term. at times, it appears the cabinet itself are divided over brexit. is that a fair assessment? that is undeniably a fair assessment. perhaps to an extent we should expect that to be the case. for the first year after the referendum, it did not look like there were disagreements because the prime minister stood tall and the cabinet appeared small. the vanishing of her overall majority has reversed that. we are starting to see cabinet ministers be much more willing to talk publicly about their outlook on brexit. 0ften more willing to talk publicly about their outlook on brexit. often at this time of year when the prime minister is away on holiday, that old cliche about when the cat is away the mice will play is trotted out. the difference this summer is the mice were playing before she went on holiday because her

authority has been dented. in theory, the big negotiation is meant to be with brussels. the british government negotiating with brussels. what we are seeing publicly and frankly we have been seeing ever since the general election is a public discussion amongst cabinet members and others about exactly what they hope brexit in the short term during the transitional period and brexit in the long term period afterwards will look like. all this talk of a transitional period is entirely dependent on it being negotiated with brussels and talks on the specifics of that have not even started yet. right. thanks for that, chris! yes... will try to bring you further clarity on that throughout the night. reports from venezuela say several people have been killed — in violence surrounding the deeply

divisive election for a new assembly to rewrite the constitution. critics are calling it a "power grab" by president nicolas maduro. the opposition parties in the oil—rich nation are boycotting the vote amid violent protests. will grant reports from caracas. an election day amid near anarchy in venezuela. after months of violent protest, anti—government demonstrators are not about to give up. these barricades are not manned by hardened guerrillas. but ordinary venezuelans, who insist it is their last resort against autocracy. this is the only democratic weapon we have left, says this woman, with which we can show our anger without violence. this vote is not being conducted in a normal electoral environment in venezuela. it comes against the backdrop of barricades of deserted streets,

of violence and of repression. these neighbours, who are opposed to the vote, say it is the final imposition of a dictatorship in venezuela and have vowed to keep these protests going until they effect change in the country. some have gone further. young people calling themselves the resistance have taken to the streets with molotov cocktails and have faced water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas in response. more than 100 people have died in recent protests. and these young men know they could be next. translation: we're scared. everyone who takes to the streets is scared. but we are more scared of what this government has in store for us. we've lost the fear of losing our lives. in such a chaotic atmosphere, the rhetoric has reached new and worrying levels on both sides. translation: we will

never surrender. what can't be done with votes we will do with weapons. we will free our homeland using weapons. this is now the most controversial election of venezuela's modern era, with the opposition boycotting the vote, the president is assured of a win. but amid such violence it may prove a hollow victory. a short while ago, will sent us this update. 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. the headlines on bbc news: president trump has criticised china on twitter, saying it's doing nothing 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 duke and duchess of cambridge mark the centenary of the battle of passchendaele in belgium — — one of the bloodiest in world war one.

a service to mark 100 years since the battle of passchendaele is underway in belgium this evening. the duke and duchess of cambridge, and the prime minister theresa may, are among those attending. passchendaele was one of the bloodiest confrontations of the first world war, with almost half a million allied and german soldiers being killed during three months of fighting. our correspondent ben brown is in ypres to watch those commemorations and joins us now... yes, chris, those commemorations this evening just behind me at the menin gate in ypres which lists the british and commonwealth missing. more than 50,000 names on the menin gate, just a fraction of the human

toll of the first world war. the battle of passchendaele in particular began 100 years ago. it began in the early hours of 31 july 1917. it lasted for more than three months. at the end of that, some half a million casualties on both sides killed, wounded or missing. the british and their allies gained only five miles. it was a battle marked by not only the fight against german machine guns that also mustard gas and the martyr. torrential rainfall meant that some british soldiers drowned in the martyr. commemorative events are under way. the duke and duchess of cambridge are here for those. later on, we will hear letters from diaries and readings. dame helen mirren will read some of those. a

lot of people came from britain to remember relatives who lost their lives at the battle of passchendaele. this is an opportunity to pay a debt. these young men died so fully and so very young men died so fully and so very youngin young men died so fully and so very young in such large numbers. we all rememberto them. it young in such large numbers. we all remember to them. it is an opportunity for us to think deeply about the impact of war. i'm very encouraged to see such a moving and powerful commemoration tonight. from everything you have read, give us a sense of what passchendaele was like for a young men and women only battlefield. poppies are falling. this is amazing. so beautiful in the evening sunlight. ypres is the home of the poppy. in the second battle

of the poppy. in the second battle of ypres, the poem was written. today we commemorate the third battle of ypres. john mccrae wrote that pawn when he realised he could not save a young man he knew from 0ttawa. it was taken as a symbol of remembrance by many. and the poet himself was to die in january 1918. it is very sad. there is a book written by a german soldier who was in the battle and was badly wounded on the first day. it is a very famous book. in english we know it has all quiet 0n famous book. in english we know it has all quiet on the western front. it is an extremely powerful story of a youth, friendship, heartbreak and loss. if anyone would want to see

passchendaele from the inside as it were, ithink passchendaele from the inside as it were, i think that is a book which cannot be surpassed. the battle was incredibly controversial at the time. the prime minister lloyd george had severe doubts about whether it was wise to launch the event and later described it as a disaster. from the beginning, it is clear there was controversy between politicians and generals. there were differing views between generals over whether it was right to fight this battle. the first world war elicits such a debate about loss. we spoke of the martyr. this was the worst rainfall in this area. for some 30 years. incredibly bad luck for the british troops. it meant there was a field full of liquid

mud. men and horses literally drowned in mud. wounded, unable to save yourself, you ended up in this terrible mud. the mud itself was one of the enemies for all participants in the battle. let's pause for a moment and listen to this commemorative service. the duke and duchess of cambridge are here, along with other dignitaries. the queen of belgium. and two other dignitaries. it is very important, people have

been telling us all day, people have come overfrom britain, the think it is important for them to remember. also for the generation of today and in future. i suppose because there are no people left who fought at passchendaele, harry patch was the last survivor who died at the age of 111 . last survivor who died at the age of 111. let's listen as the national anthem is played here at ypres. god save the queen plays.

the national anthem played at menin gate. it is so important that young people remember what happened here. it is crucial that no one forgets. we all

those young men who gave up their futures, those families who gave up their husbands, fathers and sons, a huge debt of gratitude. it is an opportunity for us to think about war. we need to recognise the impact of war. by remembering our past, i think we can do that. thank you for being with us here in ypres. as we watch and listen to the beginning of the centenary commemorative events to mark the 100 year anniversary of the battle of passchendaele. as we we re the battle of passchendaele. as we were seeing, it caused some half a million casualties on both sides, the british, the allies and on the german side. the battle of

passchendaele is being remembered here this evening in ypres. we will see images projected on to the cloth hall of the battle and its story this evening. and tomorrow at the cemetery, the huge cemetery were thousands of the dead are buried, there will be another ceremony. more from ben this evening. but now the weather. a lot of rain around, some thunder as well. 0ver a lot of rain around, some thunder as well. over the coming days, a mix of sunshine and showers. 0vernight, the showers retreating back to many western areas. continuing in northern ireland weather has been localised flooding. the shower is not as heavy as we are seeing at the moment. clearer skies further east,

so sunshine to end the day. more showers on monday, probably not that many for england and wales. the south—east might be dry again. most of the heavy showers over scotland, northern ireland and perhaps the far north of england, with some hail and thunder. fewer light showers not just in the south this time. on wednesday, the wind picks up from the south—west with rain on the way.