in several cities, crowds gathered to protest against what they say is a creeping dictatorship that's stifling opposition parties. the us attorney general, jeff sessions, has announced a major drive against what he called an explosive increase in leaks of classified government information under president trump. four people have already been charged and mr sessions said he would not hesitate to order more prosecutions. a british computer expert has appeared in court in the united states, charged with creating software to steal bank details. lawyers representing mark hutchins say he denies all the charges against him. prosecutors insist he has admitted writing and selling malware code. let's have a look at this morning's front pages. the daily mail leads with accusations that the national trust is exploiting the rights of their volunteers by making them wear gay pride badges. the daily express warns millions of holiday—makers heading to europe will face big delays due

to passport checks. the telegraph headlines a claim from the prime minister's formeraide, nick timothy, that the conservatives lost their majority because the party abandoned theresa may's promise of change. the guardian carries an interview with one of the medical team who treated charlie gard, the clinician blames politicians and religious leaders for interfering in the case. the sun headlines prince harry's visit to africa with megan markle, where they'll celebrate her 36th birthday. the times features mo farah's triumph in the 10,000 metres. it also warns of threats to holidaymakers travelling to spain where anarchists accuse the travel industry of destroying barcelona and the balearic islands. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk.

i'm stephen sackur. this summer has perhaps given iraqis a glimmer of hope amid all of the darkness that has enveloped their country for so long. mosul, iraq's second city, has been liberated from the jihadists of so—called islamic state, and their caliphate is shrinking fast. but will any semblance of unity and stability follow? my guest today is the veteran vice president of iraq, ayad allawi. does iraq have a viable future? ayad allawi, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much.

let's begin with the fallout from iraq's national army victory over so—called islamic state in mosul. your prime minister, mr abadi, hailed it as a great victory for iraq. there was a sense of triumphalism in his voice. are you feeling triumphant today? not really. winning a battle or two was not like winning the war. we want to win the war against extremism and against terrorism. in mosul of course this was a good in achievement but indeed we have not to lose sight of the people of mosul, their steadfastness did, and what he international community did, the us, uk and australia and so on. but what we want to achieve, really, and i warned them that this is not

the end of the story. i warned abadi, i warned the president, we need to win the war, and winning the war should be a political win. by abolishing extremism as a whole from this society, and this can only be done by having an inclusive political process and by having a quality amongst the people of iraq. so, so, just to stick with the military situation for a second, i saw generaljubouri, one of the leaders for the iraqi armed forces in mosul the other day and he told news agencies they would retake tal afar, another town which has been under is control within days. and the military have a sense they can eradicate the caliphate on iraqi soil but you seem to be saying it's not as simple as that. i don't think we are going to see

the end of isis at all. it will be with us for a long time not only in iraq but it will spread, it is spreading already. it has reached to thailand and to the philippines eastwards, and it has reached definitely to europe westwards. but in iraq you are suggesting, what, they won't hold territory so much as conduct an underground insurgency? holding territories is finished for them. but they will do insurgency, they will perform insurgencies and they will embark on insurgencies and resorting back to the terrorist activities of explosions and killing assassinations. that is why i say we have to win the war rather than battles. one aspect of iraq's approach to the mosul conflict and the wider struggle against is is the allegation among many quarters, not least inside iraq, from the kurdish leader, masoud ba rzani, that, with the focus on the military struggle, the iraqi government has consistently failed to prepare for the post—battle political and humanitarian settlement. absolutely correct.

well, you're part of that government. you're the vice president. i follow this. i have said it. i was the first one to say this. that neither the humanitarian aspect was respected and treated well, nor the fact that, looking beyond the military activities, looking into the political horizon of what should happen, this has not happened in two areas, and i told abadi, by the way. let's talk humanitarian activities, basic human rights. i am sure, mr vice president, you have seen the shocking videos... shocking. ..of what appear to be iraqi forces executing men, we don't know who they are, in mosul after the end of the conflict. we've seen one graphic video

of an individual being thrown off a cliff and shot. how can the iraqi government allow this to happen, given the history of iraq over the last 15 years? because this plays into more extremism. because this has gone out of the hands of the government. this has gone into the militias and to the lawless people, and indeed a government which is unable to control the situation in mosul. this is when i refer to the collateral damage that has been happening. let alone what i have witnessed and seen myself, people living, displaced people, living really beneath what animals live in iraq. the un is saying the humanitarian crisis in and around mosul today is so pressing... is a ticking bomb, it will explode in ourface in future, i assure you.

there are thousands without parents, without families, who are coming out of tunnels and rooms in mosul and no one it seems in your government has a clue what to do with them. no, no. there is bitterness now amongst the people. the people are quite bitter, especially the people who are living in tents, who are refusing to go back to mosul, people who have had their parents destroyed in the conflict, and people who are left in the shelters and the wilderness. there is bitterness there and this bitterness will only increase with time, and it will be an exploding bomb. this is what nobody looked at. the humanitarian side. i keep reminding myself you are the vice president of the country. you may tell me that is meaningless, that you are simply a figurehead... no, no. ..0r, alternatively, what on earth are you doing about it? because your government needs to be held to account. of course, i agree.

and i have raised this issue in the meetings with the prime minister and with the president, of course. and i have been raising this issue in the media, and in the meetings, but nothing is happening. they say the military conflict should take precedence in the conflict. but the humanitarian issue is really very bad. and, indeed, the political horizon of what may happen in future is very bad. we have been talking for a few minutes and on every aspect of what we discuss in mosul and the security situation around mosul, you seem to be saying that the government you represent as vice president is incapable of imposing its will and its authority, and is actually stoking the flames of the conflict which, although we have just seen mosul quote unquote "liberated", in your view, is actually going to get worse. well, they don't want to see the reality, the government,

they don't want to see the humanitarian side, although they speak about it. and they don't want to see the political side. but i am getting a feeling that you are pretty powerless in this situation. 0n the bigger picture, that of the militias and, indeed, the popular mobilisation forces as well, we know that five of the largest of the popular mobilisation forces, including the badr brigade, for example, they receive support, money and direct assistance from tehran. now, what should be done about that? well, iran has always been a problem for iraq. and i warn since a long time ago that iran is moving gradually, systematically to controlling the situation in iraq. you know, let me explain one thing which is very important. the vice presidents, the presidents, the president, do not have any executive powers. i am getting that feeling during this interview...

it's more or less of a protocol. yes. and ijoined them because of the reconciliation process, which was undermined. to be blunt about it, you are there as a figleaf. yes, yes, yes. and a somewhat useful figleaf for the government. as long as you sit as vice president, you are giving some sort of credibility to a government which you appear to be saying is, in essence, right now being run by the iranians. not run completely by the iranians but iran is making the macro and micro decisions. the macro decisions started in 2010 when we won the elections and the united states sided with the iranians then. what, you think the us

and iran ensured that you, even though your coalition actually won the most seats, you didn't take power, and you're saying it was the combination of the united states and iran...? iran made it clear that there's a red line against allawi, and the americans were with this and this was conveyed to us of course by biden, the vice president of the united states, that we are not ready to accept that, that iran will intervene in iraq and we are going to pull out from iraq, so we will have to toe the rope with iran. i mean, prime ministeral maliki seemed close with tehran. it always seemed prime minister al abadi was somewhat less beholden to tehran. yes, yes, absolutely, but he is overpowered. by? by iranian forces. for example, qasem soleimani, who is sometimes seen on iraqi

territory, he spends a great deal of time strategically planning iran's role. not only strategically, even tactically. we are talking about the commander of the revolutionary forces in iran. he spends more time in iraq rather than in iran. the more you tell me about what is happening in your country today as you see it, the more i am thinking that any talk of mosul‘s liberation being a watershed moment, something iraqis can hold onto as a sign that things are going to change and get better — it is wrong. i don't see this happening personally. i called for political resolutions that would lead to equality in iraq. i call that they should stop bifurcation, which is happening these days. they should really take care of the displaced.

they should stop the... i spoke to the leaders of the the liberation, by the way, and the leaders of popular mobilisation, i told them that the only person eligible is those who joined the army and the police. iraq should not have two parallel armies, popularisation and in the ordinary army and police. and i told this to abadi and i said this to the media. but we don't have executive powers. even the president doesn't have executive powers. this is contrary to the constitution, by the way. the constitution says that the president, the presidency, should oversee the implementation of the constitution. if you are so concerned about these threats to unity in iraq, and the preponderance of militias and mobilisation units who in the end represent sectarian forces inside your country, why, oh, why have you in recent weeks decided to throw in your lot politically with muqtada al—sadr,

one of the most firebrand representatives of the shia political situation in your country? no, no, i neversigned any political deal. but we are trying to explore who is closest to us in terms of the basic issues in iraq. and so far he is the closest as far as equality, as far as anti—sectarian, as far as attacking iran. but forgive me, muqtada al—sadr is trusted by no one in the sunni community, and now you appear with your party and your coalition intent on using him to try to win power in the next iraqi election. it is opportunism. .. no, no, no.

i haven't signed any agreement with him, believe me. i am saying this on tv, open tv. i haven't signed any agreement. we are talking to all parties in iraq, sunni, shia, baathist everybody — to find who is closest to us. we want to forge any kind of coalition ultimately. we don't feel now is the time for coalitions and definitely i don't feel that i am ready to force agreements and coalition with any sectarian force at all. i am secular. i am against sectarianism. i am against proselytising religion and i am not going to move away from this position at all. let's‘s talk about the kurds. we talked about the shia and sunnis. the kurdish regional area. injust a month or so, september 25,

we are going to see a referendum organised by the ruler of the kurdish region. yes or no to kurdish independence. it is predicted that the kurdish people are going to vote yes. what impact will that have on iraq's chances of staying as a unitary state? iraq would be lost, it would be dismantled completely. that is why i spoke to some of those in kurdistan who i am going to see once i get back to iraq. i think the referendum is pretty much sure. the dismemberment of iraq is wrong, i think that the kurds would be losers in this case. do you believe that this referendum could hasten a future conflict between the baghdad government... yes, it will, i am sure.

even the regional governments and the kurds. you mean war? well, conflict... taking it step—by—step. there will be a political conflict. i don't think any of the regions will acknowledge this. neither iran nor turkey... it has been conveyed to me that iran is putting pressure, this was discussed last week, iran is putting a lot of pressure on the kurds, because they don't accept what is happening. the iranians, let alone the kurds... your message to the kurds, as they prepare to go to the polls, is — be careful what you wish for? yes, and rationalise even the question. this is very important.

one factor in all of these publications... self—determination is something in the nature of iraq. complete independence from iraq is something else. really, the wording of the questions should be very clear. one factor we have... this is what the iraqi government should focus on when they talk to mosul. the referendum has to take place. they cannot run away from this. but there is another way of rationalising the issue of the referendum in the questioning. the statements that should come out on this issue of the referendum, if they continue to say, this is to separate iraq and kurdistan, this is going to be very bad for everybody in the region, not only iraq. this is the promises that

have been laid down, i am not blaming anybody but powers including the united states have a hand in this, when they occupied iraq... when they overthrew saddam hussein, they dismantled the whole country. i was going to ask you about the united states. one factor we have not discussed is the role of the united states. president trump, for the last six months in power in washington... do you believe the americans are actually understanding just how dangerous the situation in iraq is? i don't think they are understanding, i don't think they want to understand. i think even in the conflict on isis, they were only thinking on the military side of things. they wouldn't even look at how to prepare for post—isis, what to do in mosul and elsewhere. that is why america have lost... america have a very distinct

imagination for the greater middle east area. donald trump has made it plain that as far as he is concerned, his primary focus and responsibility is to destroy so—called islamic state and protect america from terrorism in iraq, in syria, and that is, beyond all else, his objective. fine, we don't dispute this. 0n the other hand, he should take into account care of what is legal and political, as well as... taking care of iraq and the future of iraq, because after all, they hold legal responsibility when they dismantle the country. iraqis wanted us forces out, 0bama withdrew all forces in 2011. do you think american forces need to come back? no, no, i am not suggesting this.

i am suggesting that the united states should have clear policies and they need to advise the iraqi government because they have a moral obligation to do so. they have a legal obligation to do so. they are defending the united states in the world from islamic state, but iraq is the theatre for this conflict. they need to be more careful and work more clearly with the moral as well as the other obligations. talking about the moral obligations, you are the vice president of iraq, have you met donald trump? not yet. you said not long ago, there is a vacuum in the overall leadership in the world. really pointing a finger at the americans. yes. you said the americans need to get back to their role

as the international power. yes. i still stand by this statement. not using the military. but to exercise their political role as well as the military role. there is a vacuum in the leadership. in world leadership. there is nothing. in the end, you can't blame anybody else for the state of iraq today. you and your generation... i just want to develop this thought. we have spoken several times and it seems your generation of iraqi leaders, the post—saddam generation of iraqi leaders, have failed to deliver stability, unity and the most basic security to the people of your country. i agree, and this is not because of the fault of politicians only. it is the dismantlement of the state, the institutions of the state of iraq that had

to do with occupation. we are paying the price now. not only was saddam overthrown, but the state of iraq was overthrown. the army, the security, the intelligence. the judiciary. the process of political... politicising the dismantling. the whole state was dismantled and there was a vacuum in iraq. we first spoke many years ago, and i wonder if we speak again in ten years, you actually believe iraq as we know it today will exist. we have talked about your belief that islamic state is not eradicated and that the struggle will continue, and the terror and the violence. we have talked about the kurds and your belief that there could be a conflict looming with the kurdish in the north of your country. yes. iraq doesn't seem to

have a viable future? for now, there is that sense. but it is something that is changing in iraq. the dynamics and movement of the people, talking to the clerics of the shia and sunni, as well as christians, they are calling for a civic state, for dismantling sectarianism and moving towards an equal citizenship. that is talk, and the reality on the ground is that the sectarian militias, popular mobilisation forces, these are the guys... the clerics are aware, this was due to the mobilisation of people, millions went to the streets. they went to the street to demand change. this is change. this is very clear change. the government are starting to impose these popular organisations. other issues are not being taken into account. but the mood of the populace has changed in iraq. this is what we should encourage. ayad allawi, we have to end there, but thank you very much.

thank you. hello, once again. whatever you have got on your mind this particular weekend, you are going to have to keep a close eye on the weather front, because there is quite a mix on offer. i don'tjust mean for farmers and growers. there is a bit of a mix on offer. showers, yes, but longer spells of rain. as has been the weekjust past, bit disappointing for this time of year, as with the weekjust past.

starting off on a cold note, double—figure temperatures will just about do it for most of us. heavy showers and thunderstorms from the word go across wales, eventually into the midlands and pushing on further eastwards into east anglia and the south—east. bypassing the south—west, leading a rather charmed life, further north, showers coming through past the middle afternoon, coming into the fyfe area and the eastern borders. some getting into the north—east of england. showers, too, across the eastern side of northern ireland. having had those thunderstorms first up, i think much of the rest of england and wales settles down into a mixture of sunny spells, variable cloud and some showers. not with the intensity that we may have seen for a time. notjust as i have already described, but they could get down towards the london area and affect the world championships until quite late on, when things begin to calm down generally because of this high—pressure moving in from the atlantic. underneath those clear skies is a ridge of high pressure. underneath those clear skies and that ridge of high pressure.

not so much in towns and cities, but in the countryside. sunday starting on a chilly note. could be a touch of frost in the sheltered glens of scotland. underneath those clear skies, a glorious start to the new day on sunday, the notable exception is northern ireland. cloud, wind and rain pushing in from the atlantic. eventually crossing into central and western parts of scotland. it may turn up eventually across cumbria and into western wales. generally speaking, the further south and east you are, the drier and brighter your weather will be. those are the sort of conditions will see arsenal take on chelsea at wembley on sunday afternoon. if you are on holiday orjust out and about to start the new week, i am afraid it remains more of the same, more unsettled weather. hello and welcome to the a controversial new assembly that has the power to re—write venezuela's constitution has held its first session,

despite fierce criticism from many quarters. a close ally of president nicolas maduro was sworn in as head of the new body — a move denounced by the opposition. katy watson reports from caracas. outside the parliament building, you'd never guess this was a country in crisis. hugo chavez's face and influence is neverfar away, but today