welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is gavin grey. our top stories: violent clashes as polls close in venezuela's divisive election. the us calls it a step towards a dictatorship. president putin confirms 755 us diplomatic personnel must stop workng in russia — must stop working in russia — many will be expelled by september the first. us bombers fly over the korean peninsula in response to pyongyang's latest missile test. and british royals lead commemorations to mark 100 years since the start of the battle of passchendaele. first to venezuela where polls have closed in a controversial election

to choose a new parliament which will have the power to rewrite the country's constitution. the day saw several killings and violent clashes. opposition groups boycotted the vote, saying it's another power—grab by president maduro, whom they blame for venezuela's deep economic crisis. the us has called the vote a "sham" and are considering imposing sanctions. katie watson reports from caracas. the sense of celebration here made it easy to forget for a moment the dark times venezuela is going through. but for the people waiting to vote, the problems are real. lisbeth told me she's voting for peace for our children and future of the country. antonio said he's here to ensure there is more food and medicine for people. late president hugo chavez looms large in this part of caracas, on the walls it's his face, not president maduro‘s you can see. but mr maduro wants to continue his legacy. he says a new assembly that

could rewrite the constitution is the only way to bring peace to the country. the opposition boycotted the vote today. instead, many came out onto the streets to keep up the pressure against the government. carlos is a university student and part of what's known as the resistance, playing his part in the protest movement by blocking roads, because he says he wants a better venezuela. everything that we can find here, we use to protect us, because this is, as i say, it a critical situation. they are shooting us, they are killing people. there are more than 100 people that are dead. as police gathered on the other side of the street barricades, the protesters got ready for another confrontation. people here can't quite understand how such a rich country has got to this point. the political and economic crisis has never been so bad. but the feeling is here it willjust get worse. that much was clear —

just a few metres from here, a police convoy was hit by improvised explosives. the government says the opposition are terrorists. the protesters say they are fighting against a government that is becoming increasingly repressive. from this part of town, the vote was almost irrelevant. people here are worried about politics, about food shortages and spiralling inflation. much of that is stoking the anger. protesters keep building the blockades. the police keep trying to destroy them. divisions here are so deep in venezuela, neither side is backing down. katie watson, bbc news, in caracas. stephen gibbs is a journalist with the times of london and he's in caracas now. we are going to expect the results in the next couple of hours. with regard to how the day has been, what

have you seen? is your correspondent said, it was a mixed bag. in most parts of the city ‘s polling stations, they will almost com pletely stations, they will almost completely empty. there was one, a sports complex, that had a few thousand people. some people suggesting it was a propaganda exercise, that the government deliberately focused a lot of voters in one place because it makes the pictures look good. aside that, we have had at this terrible violence. the worst we have seen in the last four months of protest with 115 people killed. the prosecutor, the attorney general, was a rebel attorney general, was a rebel attorney general, was a rebel attorney general and is now a critic of government, he said ten people

died today. meanwhile, we are getting a completely alternative reality from the government. a press conference in which they said the whole thing was a total success, an expression of the popular will and they are saying there were no totality is. and this is the problem. we have to completely versions of this country from the government and opposition and potentially now to different constitutions and so are very unknown path this country is heading down. have the media been able to get close enough to seek which version is nearer the truth? some media were kept away, 500 metres from polling stations?” media were kept away, 500 metres from polling stations? i personally was not able to get close than 500 metres. we were told when a personality it was going to vote, we

could get close up. bhakra two voted five hours earlier than advertise, at 6am this morning. difficult to getan at 6am this morning. difficult to get an idea. if you look at the figures, the last election that was validated by the government had 5.9 million voters in favour of the governing party. the opposition had one that. since then, the government has ignored that national assembly. it seems unlikely they would get more than those 5.9 millions but they may well announce 10 million. then you have the issue of how the government, the opposition, the country reacts to a result it probably will not believe. thank you very much further analysis. president vladimir putin has confirmed that 755 staff from us diplomatic missions are to be

expelled from russia by september the first. he added that further sanctions were being considered. the move is retaliatory, coming after us sanctions on russia were overwhelmingly approved by both houses of congress on tuesday. looking at these moves, greg dawson reports. 0na day on a day when russia was once again flexing its military muscle, on this occasion and navy parade in st petersburg, vladimir putin was ready to play his hand in a diplomatic tussle with us. more than 700 staff ordered to leave their diplomatic asians, this is thought to be the largest expulsion from any country in modern history. it is a delayed retaliation after president trump extols the sum russian diplomats. he

was hoping to see if relations with washington were proved but those hopes were squashed by congress when it despite white house objections, it despite white house objections, it voted overwhelmingly to in those new sanctions on moscow to interfering on the us elections. something russia has always denied. it was the last drop. if the us side decides to move further towards further deterioration, we will respond in kind. we will mirror this. we will retaliate. but my point is, do not do this. of course, donald trump also denies any collusion with russia but on a visit to estonia, is deputy team to affirm the administration was no soft touch when it comes to russia. the president has made it very clear that russia's destabilising activities, its support for broke

regime, it activities in ukraine we re regime, it activities in ukraine were u na cce pta ble regime, it activities in ukraine were unacceptable and the president made it clear there is said he will sign the sanctions from the congress to reinforce that. since coming to office, donald trump has made no secret it wants to improve relations with russia but with this expulsion and a bill on his best to approve further sanctions, it becomes a fading ambition. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news... police say the man who shot and killed a security guard at the entrance to a nightclub in the german city of konstanz was the son in law of one of the clubs owners. two others were injured when the 3a year old iraqi born man carried out the attack. he was subsequently shot dead by police votes have been cast in senegal‘s general election. the vote to elect a new parliament is seen as a test run for president macky sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and follows a campaign marred by violence.

the opposition has complained of vote—rigging, saying some areas had not received ballot papers. the footballer, cristiano ronaldo will appear at a hearing in madrid later on monday, to try to prove his innocence after being charged with tax fraud. spanish prosecutors have accused the real madrid player of defrauding the authorities of 14.7 million euros. if found guilty, ronaldo could face a prison sentence. president trump has said he's "very disappointed" with china for not doing more to stop north korea's weapons programme following pyongyang's second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. president trump did speak with the japanese prime minister and said he would make the utmost efforts to protect the japanese public — though shinzo abe said they did not discuss the use of military action. from tokyo, here's rupert wingfield—hayes. the unmistakable shape of an american b—1 bomber, sweeping low over south korea.

this is president trump's pointed response to north korea's latest missile test. it was accompanied by an equally pointed rant on twitter. "i am very disappointed in china", the president tweeted. "they do nothing for us with north korea, just talk. "we will no longer allow this to continue." china today has been showing off its own military might, in a huge parade overseen by president xijinping. he has condemned north korea's launch, but china is not prepared to bring pyongyang to its knees, even though it probably could. north korea, meanwhile, is making the most of its success. pictures of friday's missile launch are being played over and over. and, once again, kimjong—un is the star of the show. this latest missile test represents a profound challenge to president donald trump. he put a lot of hope in getting china to rein in pyongyang. he now appears to have accepted

that is not going to happen. but the us president has explicitly stated he will not allow north korea to acquire the ability to strike the united states with nuclear weapons. well, that is now very close. the rising tension is making people here increasingly nervous. air raid siren in a village in northern japan, a siren shatters the morning calm. "a missile is heading in this direction", the announcer says. "ta ke cover. " practice drills like this are now happening all along this coast. translation: it's very scary, i don't know where to run to if there is a missile strike. i need practice like today's drill to learn what to do. off the same coast last month, the most powerful us armada to be seen here in decades. a military strike on north korea may seem unthinkable, but pyongyang and washington

are locked in an increasingly dangerous game and there are no good choices for how to end it. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: wall to wall — how a group of polish artists have been inspired to take their political views to the public. cheering the air space agency nasa has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armargh, once an everyday part in the soldiers' lot, drudgery in danger now no

longer after almost four decades. if someone is in a private house, not doing any harm to anyone, i cannot see why people should wander in and say you are doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl. they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they are lovely and sweet. yeah, cute. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: several people have been killed in venezuela in violence surrounding the divisive election for a new assembly to rewrite the constitution. staying with that story, hasler iglesias is youth leader with the people's will party, or the voluntad popular party. until february 2017, he was president of the largest, 60,000—strong university student

organisation in venezuela. thank you very much indeed for joining us today. what has it been like today in venezuela? well, many thanks for this space to announce what is happening in our country. today was a very tough day. the electoral centre is at risk to the constitution. very few people went to vote in this change to the constitution, calling it a dictatorship of nicolas maduro. the people at were on the streets, were demonstrating about the situation,

and did not recognise the threat to the constitution. the government killed more than 15 people today in oui’ killed more than 15 people today in our country, most of them young people. some teenagers, one of them of 13 years old, another of 17 years old. we have end venezuela the army shooting civilians, just because we are in the street protesting by our non—violent struggle, because they wa nt to non—violent struggle, because they want to grab some power, stay in power, state and government, despite the decision of the people to change the decision of the people to change the government. we are demanding early elections, presidential, and of manners. we want the opening of a humanitarian channel, because the shortage of food and medicines is very critical —— presidential and of mayors. and all of our demands have

not listened to by the government, because they want only to remain in power. and if, as we assume, the president has won this vote, what next? what would you want the international community to do? yes, we are very glad of the many countries that have pronounced against this struggle, that are not recognising nicolas maduro. and we are calling, and we are asking all the governments of the world, do not recognise nicolas maduro. do not give your voice to the slaughter that we are suffering in venezuela. people being killed than venezuela. we don't have the opportunity to vote, we don't have the opportunity to express in the media. i can't say what i am saying in your channel, i can't say it in the national news. we want, and we are glad, that the

governments of panama, mexico, of the european parliament, all the governments of the world, not to support the dictatorship of nicolas maduro, and do not recognise, not support the decisions on the actions of this fraudulent constitutional amendment. thank you. police in australia are continuing to gather evidence at five homes in syd ney to gather evidence at five homes in sydney as they investigate an alleged islamist terror plot to destroy a passenger plane. 0n saturday, four men were arrested and suspected explosives were discovered after raids on several properties. 0ur correspondent 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. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. ceremonies have taken place in belgium to mark the centenary of the battle of passchendaele, one of the bloodiest of the first world war. 500,000 allied and german soldiers were killed, wounded or went missing injust three months of fighting. the duke and duchess of cambridge joined the prime minister, theresa may, as two days of commemorations to mark the start of the battle got under way, as robert hall reports. last post sounds this is a city that has dedicated itself to remembrance. the fireman of ypres have sounded

the last post for the missing in the heat of summer and the snows of winter, as the decades rolled by. around them, carved into the great arch of the menin gate, over 511,000 names, 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. with the sounding of this bugle call, the 250,000 british and commonwealth soldiers who were killed during the first world war are remembered. the defence of the city, at such great cost, meant that it became hallowed ground. on this evening in the summer

of 1917, the third battle of ypres had already begun. but early success was swallowed by the rain, weeks of it, which slowed the advance. passchendaele, the final target of the attack, came to symbolise death and misery, in a muddy wasteland where many still lie. 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. they are among 200 invited guests with personal connections to the battle. that word on there is as close to a body as we're ever going to get for our grandfather.

the ethos behind building this was for people to say he is here. and in a way he's here, but in a way he's not here. in flanders fields, the poppies blow between the crosses... in ypres main square, dame helen mirren spoke the words of the war poetjohn mccrae to try to express the horror he witnessed. the larks scarce heard amid the guns below. i was in the front—line trench at passchendaele. winston churchill wanted the ruins of ypres left as a memorial. tonight, meticulously rebuilt, they told the story of men now gone, and a century on, a parade marches of the street to the hall where so many still lie.

robert hall, bbc news, ypres. when you think of street art, you probably think of banksy, the mysterious british painter renowned for his politically charged work. now, a group of polish artists have been inspired to do something similar. but for their canvas, they have chosen the tiny village of staro zhelezare, in bulgaria. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. in this particular part of central bulgaria, art meets politics meets agriculture. these polish painters, coming into town on the back of a tractor, wave banners saying, "long live peasant art." it may be a strange place to do this, but they are thinking big. they have painted the walls of the village with a combination of celebrities, world leaders, and some of the locals. president trump appears to be having a conversation with a cow. queen elizabeth is sharing a bench with a local woman. and even a former president wants to spend a moment or two shooting the breeze.

translation: let's imagine barack obama or donald trump sitting on a bench with an old lady from this village, and talking about something important, about life, about politics. there is a point to all of this. the village has a population of less than 500, a fraction of what it was before the collapse of the soviet union. the artists are hoping their public murals can boost tourism and help revitalise the area. actually, it's my first time in bulgaria, and i feel really great. i cannot compare this place to any other around the world that i have been to. some of the locals seem impressed, or maybe bemused. either way, the writing, and the art, is on the wall. tim allman, bbc news. hello there, good morning.

with all the energy and the instability in the atmosphere over the past 2a hours, we've seen a lot of heavy and thundery downpours. northern ireland, for one, has been battered by some storms earlier on, so too across parts of scotland, some fierce looking clouds here. and we've had about a months worth of rain at okehampton, in devon, due to some peninsular showers. now, there will be some more showers over the coming few days. we've still got this ever—present area of low pressure to the north—west of the uk. closer you are to that, the more showers there will be. but gradually, over the next two days, whilst there will be some showers and some sunshine, the showers should become fewer. let's head into the morning, though, and we've still got some showers left over, actually, from overnight in scotland. quite a cloudy start here. maybe the north—west of england. sunshine and showers into northern ireland. the other side of the pennines, across the midlands, it may well be a bright and sunny start, but already a few showers running in to western

fringes of wales. perhaps the far south—west of england, towards the coast, this time. whereas you move towards the south—east and east anglia, those earlier showers will big gone. it will be a bright sunny start. this picture was actually taken yesterday at the oval. good day for martin, there. and if you're going to watch the cricket, it should be exciting and it should be dry, actually. just a very small chance of a shower, not quite as breezy as today. there'll be some sunshine and it will be warm into that sunshine too. for many southern parts of the uk, there will be very few showers around at all. wales, up across the midlands, northern england, catching a few showers running through. not as widespread, the showers, as we saw yesterday. but there will be some slow—moving heavy thundery downpours across northern ireland and into scotland, maybe some hail as well. 17—18 degrees here, at best 23 towards the south—east of england. tuesday sees some further showers across the uk. but even further north, those showers not as widespread. there will still be one

or two heavy ones around, but very much hit and miss. again, towards the south—east likely to stay dry, with some sunshine. the jetstream is all—importa nt, of course, and normally it is sitting at this time of the year between scotland and iceland but right now it's much, much further south and hence this very unsettled weather. as we head towards the middle part of the week, the jet stream will pick up another area of low pressure, rush it across the atlantic, and head it towards the uk. things turning wetter from the south—west, slowly but surely, on wednesday. many areas ahead of that seeing some sunshine, a few showers perhaps in scotland. that rain, though, arriving across northern and eastern areas during the evening and on wednesday night. goodbye. this is bbc news. these are the headlines: in venezuela there have been violent protests against a controversial election to choose a new parliament. opposition groups boycotted the vote which will give the assembly the power to rewrite the constitution. the us called the reform a "sham"

and promised "strong and swift" action. president putin has confirmed that some us diplomatic staff will be expelled and that 755 diplomatic personnel have been asked to stop working in moscow. he added that further sanctions were being considered. the new measures are in retaliation for proposed new us sanctions on moscow. and the united states has stepped up its response to north korea's latest missile launch. two us air force bombers have flown directly over the region. and america's missile defence system in south korea has also been tested. president trump said china is doing nothing for the us on north korea. now on bbc news, it's dateline london.