the world health organisation says it is not now going to appoint zimbabwe's president, robert mugabe, as the goodwill ambassador, the director—general says the changes mind after a storm of international criticism. japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, says he will deal firmly with north korea after exit polls showed him winning a resounding general election victory. he wants to changechange japan's general election victory. he wants to changechangejapan‘s post—war pacifist constitution. all iranians back militia boro fighting islamic state in iraq should now go home, now that the battle against is is drawing to a close. —— us secretary of state says all iranian—backed militias fighting the islamic state group in iraq should go home, now that the battle is drawing to a close. rex tillerson was speaking in saudi arabia. thousands of people have taken to the streets of the maltese capital valetta, demanding justice over the murder of anti—corruption justice over the murder of anti—corru ption journalist justice over the murder of anti—corruption journalist daphne caruana galizia. anti—corruption journalist daphne ca ruana galizia. she anti—corruption journalist daphne caruana galizia. she was killed by a car—bomb near her home on monday. at ten o'clock, mishal hussain will be here with a full round up of the day's news. first it's time for our

world — which looks at the songbird trade in indonesia threatening dozens trade in indonesia threatening d oze ns of trade in indonesia threatening dozens of protected species with extinction. the lush tropical forests of java. as civilisation encroaches, only pockets remain, and they're falling silent. songbirds are disappearing from the wild. and then it's caught. yeah. trapped from the forest, sold as singing pets and status symbols. i'm victoria gill, and i'm injakarta to investigate the insatiable demand for songbirds that's now driving an extinction crisis. people will always want to buy songbirds. we cannot stop, we cannot stop. that is javanese culture. we really are firefighting.

we're saving the last of the last. this bird may be the only one of its kind left on the planet. this bird in here could be the last of this kind of bird? yep. java, the largest and most crowded island in indonesia, home to more than 140 million people. cities, towns and villages seem to squeeze into every available space. there's very little pristine forest left here, butjust a few square kilometres can be home to hundreds of animals and birds. some are found only on this island. and some are critically endangered. but it's many of java's songbirds that have now slipped under the conservation radar, to the very brink of extinction. a recent global conservation review revealed that 19 species are now trapped in such high numbers

that they are in danger of dying out. human activity is driving species towards extinction around the world, but here, where bustling megacities reach into tropical rain forest, it's a microcosm of that global crisis. so, how has the trade in trapped songbirds reached such a tipping point? and can anything be done to save them? this is our guide on the steep slopes of mount malabar. he knows this forest inside out — it's where he made his living, hunting and trapping. he'sjust showing me how you make a bird trap out ofjust sticks from the trees around us and a piece of string. what was the trapping for, where would those birds go? he's no longer in the bird

trapping business. he has been able to convert his knowledge of this forest into conservation work. but many people still take birds from here. networks of trappers operate across this country, clearing the forests of birds. we're surrounded by trees. it looks like a very good bird habitat, but actually there's very little birdsong. .. it is strangely quiet here.

but there's one place you're guaranteed to find thousands of songbirds. this is pramuka market. it is the largest wildlife market in asia, possibly in the world, and it is crammed to the gills with caged birds. there can be more than 16,000 birds for sale here in a single day, more than 200 different species. there are three markets like this just in jakarta, so that gives you some idea of the scale of this market and this trade. just the auditory assault on the senses is incredible, it's a very, very noisy place. but it's also quite unpleasant in that the smell is really quite acrid and overwhelming. for all it might seem to me like a strange packed place with a strong smell, this is a centre of commerce and community here injakarta. in a growing economy, more and more people are spending their disposable income on the status symbol that is a valuable feathered pet. what are the ranges of prices? that's between about $20 and several thousand us dollars for a songbird. while some birds fetch

very high prices, many cost less than a dollar. they're more expensive to feed than they are to buy. people take dozens at a time. they're treated like disposable objects. here we are, this one here, this is a bulbul, this is one, another one that lives up in the mountains of sumatra... andrew owen has been working in bird conservation for more than three decades. he and his colleagues from zoos and wildlife conservation

organisations around the world visit the market as often as they can to study it. they're looking for protected birds being sold illegally. but the market can also show them which species are most at risk, what's most popular or an increase in price that might suggest a bird is becoming more rare. so, that bird there is a straw—headed bulbul, which is one of the birds of extreme for us, and it's been wiped out across almost all of its range. it's extinct injava, it's recently been uplifted to endangered, and it may have to go to critically endangered. researchers monitoring the trade found that most birds here are caught from the wild, and protected species are sold in the markets. so, why do so many people here want to own songbirds? driving around, you certainly see

evidence of the demand. bird cages hang outside shops and houses. but this goes well beyond a desire for a companion in a cage. so, how many do you have in your house? one, two, three... can we count? maybe five. five birds. we have come to visit a leading member of a bird breeding association called the pbi. he also organises events where competitors pit their singing birds against each other. what is the prize money for the national champoinship? is there a big prize—money? the prize is 5 million.

5 million. and maybei billion. 100,000 us dollars for the main prize. yes. wow! while the big money is saved for the national championships, you can find smaller events across the country every single weekend. we've heard a lot about bird singing competitions, and the absolute obsession in this country, and we've managed to arrange to go to one at bekasi, which apparently is about two hours from here. which i think in this traffic means it's about three miles away, so we'll see if we ever make it! the bird breeders association club have given me a t—shirt that apparently is the official dress, so i have to wear this

during the competition, i'm on the guest list today, because i'm a guestjudge today — which should be interesting! apparently, thejudges have to make a decision based on the bird's tone, volume and performance. we'll see how that goes in the cacophony of birdsong that's about to commence. for a first—timer like me, this is a strange thing to witness, let alone tojudge. when caged male birds look around and see one another, they instinctively compete, singing to claim their territory. the judges signal their choice of winner with a flag. this is serious business. tony sumampau is an influential friend of the bird breeders association, a wealthy zoo owner who is well—known in bird breeding circles.

he wants to help transform the bird trade. as truly a man, you have houses, you have a wife, you have to have transportation, the horses, and a weapon. a weapon. and a bird. so, to be a true man, you need a house, a wife, horses, a weapon and a bird. and a bird. then you are a realjavanese. then you are a real javanese man, ok! congratulations! all the birds in this competition are bred in captivity. this association has banned wild—caught birds from its events. there's a small breeding centre at this venue.

they spoon—feed them five times a day. yes, five times. since i am a guestjudge, tony arranges for me to have a tour. apparently i can choose one of the baby lovebirds. all the birds here are all captive—bred. that's what you'd encourage? that's right. that's what we encourage them to do — involve the other associations to do the same thing. right. because if you breed them in captivity for competition, then you can save the birds in the wild? yes. a good parent. there's no doubt that everyone here loves songbirds. prizewinners are in impeccable condition and undoubtedly give an impressive performance. thank you, thank you. but does this lovebirds, the desire so many people have to own one, mean that the future for the rarest,

most beautiful singers, is inside a cage? bird sings. the critically—endangered javan green magpie. perfectly camouflaged against tropical vegetation. but these birds have spent their lives in captivity. up in the rural hills of west java is cikananga conservation breeding centre. while the mountain forests used to be home to thousands of these birds, almost all of the tiny remaining population is now housed here. for andrew owen, this place is the focal point of his work on the songbird crisis. so, this one's a young javan green magpie, bred here at cikananga.

as we can see, beautiful birds. this is one of the rarest birds on the planet, i mean, how many of these are left in the wild? yeah. what we do know is, there's 60 in conservation breeding situations, there's 60 on the planet as far as we know, plus a handful possibly in the wild. that makes this centre the unlikely international hub for a conservation mission. so, we have three magpies to examine, one needs chipping and all three need sexing... this team made up of wildlife vets and zoologists is from chester zoo in the uk. this one is 970... ajuvenile bird has been caught for a vital health check. remember to keep it in with yourfingers. he could be a 60th of the entire world population, so the chester vet

coaches the cikananga keepers in carrying out thorough assessments. these can be surprisingly risky. ooh, someone‘s been bitten. that's a privilege to be bitten by a critically endangered species! i'm not going anywhere near with my fingers! you can stop it where don't want it, ok? every bird has a tiny identification microchip implanted under its skin. blood samples will also reveal which males and females are most genetically compatible. every future chick is precious. biological matchmaking is vital. for some, though, there might not even be the chance of breeding in captivity. what's in here? so, in here, we've got a rufous—fronted laughingthrush, which is only found on the island ofjava. and this particular bird is a subspecies only found on one mountain, so this bird may be the only one of its kind left on the planet.

this bird in here could be the last of this kind of bird? yeah. we know of no others of this species. so, is it already too late for this bird, then? we're hoping not. we have plans to carry out surveys on that mountain to see if we can find more, and if we can, it will be an enormous relief. but we really don't know at this stage, this may be the last bird. so, what is this bird called? this bird is called aza, which in indonesian means "the lonely one". with its bars, locks and fences, the centre looks almost prisonlike. but security for all of the critically endangered species here is a priority. all the birds here are incredibly valuable, so we have had an experience of the birds being stolen here in the past. oh, really? during ramadan in 2014, 150, 140 birds stolen. theyjust came in, took all the birds in one night.

they took a lot of those, which has really impacted our breeding programme, because a lot of the best couples were in these blocks that were targeted. that must have been heartbreaking for the staff here to lose so many birds. yeah, they remember it as this awful time, coming into work finding all their cages ripped open. if they got stolen again, that's probably it. it's difficult to comprehend that a break—in at this one remote centre could mean the extinction of a species. these birds, the rarest of the rare, will remain here under lock and key. but is there anywhere left injava where they could fly freely and safely? a stone's throw from the chaos of the city is taman safari. this is a jungle fairground, an eclectic home to creatures from all over the world. with its roots in the circus,

it boasts animal shows and close encounters that have brought criticism from animal rights campaigners. but there's a particular focus here on rare birds, and that's driven by its owner. amazing! this is the surroundings of our park. we have 100 hectares of land. so, this is your land? yes. after bringing me into the world of bird singing competitions, tony sumampau shows me around his park. he's using profits from this popular attraction to fund an emergency response to his country's songbird conservation crisis. so, most of the songbirds, they are not protected by indonesian law. we cannot stop people catching birds in the wild. instead of battling the bird

trade, tony's taking a market—friendly approach. pleased to meet you. he's working with bird owners, persuading them to lend their rare birds to special breeding programmes. the aim is to use these pets to breed enough songbirds to meet the high demand. we can skew the population, so people will not buy the bird from the wild, but they can easily buy a captive bird. so, this is what we are trying to work on between the government and the local commercial breeder. flooding the market with rare

captive—bred birds, actually encouraging their trade, might seem unorthodox, but he says it's working. and he's now going a step further. hidden away from selfie—snapping visitors is a very special bird—breeding programme. so, is this the aviary? yes. black—winged minahs, another indonesian songbird teetering on the brink of extinction. just 50 are estimated to remain in the wild. these birds were born and bred here. now, they're being set free. oh, wow! so far, 15 birds have been released into what is a uniquely safe forest haven. we're still within the safari park, not far from where the black—winged miners have been released from the aviary, and one of them has actually made a nest, and apparently there are some eggs and chicks in there. so, it's making a small comeback

here in taman safari. it's a snapshot of success, of what these forests should look and sound like. birds sing. but if wild songbirds are going to return to more than just small patches of private land, the widescale trapping has to stop. so, is that realistic? and can it happen in time? in the village just minutes from cikananga wildlife centre, there are signs that a real shift is under way. this is the elementary school marching band. they're practising for a big parade they're going to have in cikananga village here. this celebration of indonesia's independence, this learning about multicultural history, is a part of school life. but today, the children

are having a lesson that is brand—new to the curriculum. lessons about the environment for these children, learning about the wildlife that is — or should be — on their doorstep, is notjust a novelty. conservationists say it's vital. this is absolutely a crisis. but something we've seen while we've been here is a passion for songbirds, in some cases an obsession with songbirds. and if that can be channelled, especially with the next generation, into admiring them and protecting them in the wild, then maybe some of even these very threatened birds do have a future here. if we do nothing, these species are all going to go extinct within the next decade, there's no doubt about that. we're going to do everything

we possibly can to ensure that these birds are back in the wild in safe and sustainable populations for future generations to witness. hello there, as we said farewell to storm brian, left with some calmer weather for the second half of the weekend, but also, some fairly chilly weather. over the next few days, things will remain changeable, the wind will remain significantly lighter, one thing that will change, it will turn up warmer, for a while,

at least. the reason for that, low— pressure at least. the reason for that, low—pressure way out here in the atlantic, the engine room for the weather, driving south—westerly wind right across the country. south—westerly winds tends to bring mild and moist air, that is what we have, cloud, outbreaks of rain, moving east, temperatures up a little bit on where they have been, and as we go through the afternoon and as we go through the afternoon and things brighten up from the west, should feel pleasant, 15 degrees in belfast, 16 in london. as we go through monday night, there will be clear spells but it will not turn particularly chilly, and out west, we see another bout of wet weather beginning to push its way m, weather beginning to push its way in, also heavy rain across northern scotland, 1a degrees, the minimum temperature in the far south—west on monday night into tuesday. on tuesdayit monday night into tuesday. on tuesday it self, low—pressure, a conveyor belt of warm moist air from the south—west, and a frontal system which is going to be a big player in

oui’ which is going to be a big player in our weather throughout the week, bringing outbreaks of rain, most likely on tuesday, bills of west wales could see some quite persistent heavy rain. muddy field, further north, a mixture of sunshine and showers. as we head through the middle part of the week, this weather front will wriggle and drive around, sometimes pushing south, sometimes pushing north, pulses of rain with it but crucially to the south of the frontal system, drawing in some very mild air, from the south. let's take it day by day, on wednesday, the front is likely to be sitting across the midlands, more rain, parts of west wales, to the south, pretty cloudy, mild conditions, to the north, brighter skies with a few showers. don't take the position to literally, some uncertainty, weather front drifting north, 16 or 17 in the south, assuming you keep cloudy skies, if it breaks up and you see some sunshine, some spots will be in the

low 20s. the uncertainty continues as we get to the end of the week but certainly looks like the frontal zone will still be in the vicinity, still bringing outbreaks of rain. good chance by this stage that the front will push south again, that will begin to reintroduce some cooler air from the north. will begin to reintroduce some cooler airfrom the north. that really is the story as we get into next weekend. remember the conveyor belt of warm moist air driven by the jet stream, pushing from the south—west across the british isles. as we go through next weekend, we bring it in from the instead. that is likely to spin other areas of low— pressure is likely to spin other areas of low—pressure and push them down the eastern side of the british isles. follow the white lines, follow the isobars, follow the north, there will be a feed of cold air across the country. temperatures taking a tumble but notice this area of high pressure close by, don't write it off completely, as we head through next weekend and beyond, it will be much cooler, breezy, some rain at

times, but with the area of high pressure close by, it may turn more settled later. as far as temperatures go, what goes up, must come down.