welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is gavin grey. our top stories: it looks like a resounding victory for shinzo abe as the japanese pm declares victory in the snap election. he's promised to focus on "strong diplomacy." demonstrators in malta demand justice for journalist daphne ca ruana galizia who was murdered last week. the acid threat to our oceans — scientists warn that rising c02 levels will effect all sea life with catastrophic results. and as tensions remain high over the korean peninsula, we speak to south koreans trying to live a normal life. hello and welcome to the programme. prime minister shinzo abe

has declared victory after japan's general election. his liberal democratic party and its junior coalition partner are forecast to secure 310 of the a65 seats in japan's lower house of parliament. mr abe saidhis imminent task would be to "deal firmly" —— mr abe said his imminent task would be to "deal firmly" with north korea, which would require "strong diplomacy". he's now on course to become japan's longest serving post—war prime minister. rupert wingfield—hayes has the latest from tokyo. his report contains flash photography. shinzo abe took a gamble and it has paid off. this summer, the japanese prime minister's approval rating plunged to less than 30%. now, he has won a big victory — four more years in power. this victory makes mr abe japan's most successful post—war politician. he was assisted to his win by typhoon lan which helped keep

nearly half of japanese voters at home. but by far, his biggest help was division and incompetence in japan's opposition parties. last month, this woman, the popular governor of tokyo, yuriko koike, vowed to take on mr abe at the polls, but come election day, she was at a conference in paris. mr abe claims he called the election because of the threat from north korea. he said he needed a mandate from the japanese people to get tough on pyongyang and its missile programme. translation: i believe this election was firstly about the north korean threat. you can say it is the biggest threat ever. but the issue much closer to shinzo abe's heart is changing japan's constitution. japan has a powerful modern military but,

for over 70 years, it has not fired a single shot in anger. article 9 of the post—war constitution states that japan will forever renounce war and the use of force to settle international disputes. mr abe and his supporters considered those words a humiliation, forced upon them by the american victors. he now has the best chance he will ever get to remove them. there's plenty more detail and analysis of prime minister abe's resounding victory in japan on our website — that's bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. two people have been killed as typhoon lan moves across japan. officials have advised residents in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground. the powerful storm is slowly moving northwards up the japanese archipelago and is expected to hit the capital in the coming hours. hundreds of flights and train services have been suspended. early results from argentina's mid—term congressional elections suggest that president mauricio

macri's pro—business coalition has made significant gains. the most closely—watched race is in the province of buenos aires where the former president, cristina fernandez de kirchner, is losing to the government candidate. mr macri needs more seats to push through economic reforms. russia's opposition leader has addressed an unauthorised political rally in the southern town of astrakhan, hours after being released from prison for organising illegal protests. a vocal critic of president putin, alexei navalny has been banned from contesting next year's presidential election because of a suspended prison sentence. the leaders of two regions in northern italy, which together make up a third of the country's economy, say a majority of voters there want more autonomy. they say sunday's referendums in veneto and lombardy saw 90% of people supporting the principle of devolving powers from italy's central government.

the results are not binding. the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has said iranian—backed militias who've been fighting is in iraq should disband now that the battle is drawing to a close. rex tillerson was speaking in saudi arabia on a tour of gulf countries. he praised an agreement between the saudi's and iraq —— he praised an agreement between the saudis and iraq to co—ordinate their fight against the militants and help rebuild iraqi territory. iranian militias in iraq, now that the fighting against daesh and isis is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. any foreign fighters in iraq need to go home and allow the iraqi people to regain control of areas that had been overtaken by isis, that have now been liberated. allow the iraqi people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbours and i think this agreement that has been put in place between the kingdom of saudi arabia and iraq is a crucial element

to assisting the iraqi people to do that. thousands of people have taken to the streets of the maltese capital valetta, demanding justice over the murder of high—profile journalist daphne galizia. the 53—year—old was killed by a car bomb near her home a week ago. the government has offered a large reward for information that helps identify the killer. sarah corker reports. the initial shock over daphne caruana galizia's death has now turned to anger and calls for justice. crowds in the maltese capital valetta demanded the resignation of this man, the police commissioner, and the attorney—general. outside the law courts, there is a growing shrine to the woman who was malta's best—known journalist. malta and maltese society will not rest untiljustice is served for the assassination

of daphne caruana galizia. we want to turn civil society that is active enough and strong enough to protect us, to be free to voice our opinion and agree to disagree. we are here to protest forjustice, so thatjustice is made and is seen to be made, and for protection of freedom of speech. the prominentjournalist was killed last monday near her home in northern malta. police believe a bomb was attached underneath her car and triggered remotely. she was a harsh critic of the government and alleged corruption on the island. dominating malta's front pages on sunday was the slogan, "the pen conquers fear". last week, journalists held a rally to show they would not be intimidated by the killing. the 53—year—old ran a blog called running commentary and in herfinal post, she wrote "there are crooks everywhere you look now. the situation is desperate." malta is the eu's smallest

country with a population of around 420,000 people. a popular holiday destination. the government says no expense will be spared in finding the killers and has offered a reward of about $1.2 million for any information leading to the murderers. sunday's rally paid tribute to the mother—of—3‘s career as a fearless investigative reporter. sarah corker, bbc news. an 8—year study involving over 250 scientists has concluded that all sea life around the world will be affected by co2 emissions. the report suggests that cod stocks could fall to a quarter of current levels and infant sea creatures will be particularly harmed. the bbc‘s environment analyst roger harrabin reports. here is the effect of carbon dioxide on seawater. these bubbles contain natural c02 from an underwater volcano

in papua new guinea. few sea creatures can live here because the c02 has made nearby water more acidic. swim away from those vents and what a difference — the sea's chemistry returns to normal. wonderful reef life can thrive. but industrial society is churning out c02 on a massive scale and the gas is being absorbed into sea water round the world, making it all more acidic. today's report warns of major impacts on sea life. this comprehensive study confirms what we have been observing globally — ocean acidification is a problem. acidity is increasing, and that is notjust having an impact on the ecology, but it will have an impact on us as humans further down the line. take one fish we love to eat, cod. the research shows that baby cod are especially sensitive to more acidic water.

it projects that if c02 levels rise unchecked, we should expect only a quarter as many cod in the seas. some species will thrive with the changes, the scientists say, like some seaweeds. but the report warns that all sea life will be affected by the disruption of the food web in the seas. the spanish government has rejected accusations from the regional authorities in catalonia that it has carried out a coup by moving to impose direct control after the disputed independence referendum. people opposed to catalan independence have been protesting in barcelona from where tom burridge reports. this scene, hard to imagine just a few weeks ago — maybe 200 people outside a military barracks in barcelona. chanting.

gestures of support for spain's civil guard police and the army inside. chanting. "puigdemont to prison", they call. the catalan leader has disobeyed the spanish government. and these people support madrid's move to scrap catalonia's devolved government and take control. i also have friends that want independence and they tell me things that are lies, and i try to talk to them but they are like a wall. two sides, two visions of a catalan crisis, neither listening to the other. the atmosphere today in catalonia is febrile. people here outside a military barracks calling for catalan politicians to be arrested, and calling for action to be taken against catalonia's public radio and tv. madrid accuses the catalan public tv channel of propaganda which spanish

officials claim has fuelled the pro—independence cause. in a highly controversial move, madrid might try to exert control over their programmes. i think it would be terrible because we are doing ourjob. we are journalists. we are here to explain the things that happen here in catalonia, in spain and in the world. and i think that they are violating one of the principal rights of freedom of speech. and the spanish state has jailed susanna's husband. jordi sanchez, the leader of a prominent pro—independence organisation, is accused of inciting public disorder during a demonstration — a charge he, his family, and supporters strenuously deny. translation: he is a political prisoner.

he is not a politician, but he is injailfor defending his ideals. the spanish government denies that susanna's husband and another activist who has also been refused bail are political prisoners but susanna has no confidence they will get a fair trial, when the political climate in spain is as it is today. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the 93—year—old swimmer who's still winning medals. what is the secret to her success? a historic moment that many of his victims have waited for for decades. the former dictator in the dock, older, slimmer and, as he sat down, obedient enough.

dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside korem, it lights up a biblicalfamine, now in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion — in argentina today, it is actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies in the past with great britain, but as good friends, we have always found a good and lasting solution. concorde bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has enthralled its many admirers for so long, taxis home one last time. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: japan's prime minister shinzo abe has declared victory

in his country's snap election and pledged to reverse the country's pacifist constitution. thousands of people have attended the latest demonstration in malta to call forjustice for the murdered journalist, daphne caruana galizia. she was killed by a car bomb on monday. the united nations is trying to raise money to support rohingya muslims who've fled myanmar. more than half a million have arrived in bangladesh, and thousands more are crossing the border every day creating a massive humanitarian emergency. imogen foulkes reports from geneva. it is the world's fastest growing refugee crisis. in just eight weeks, over 600,000 people have fled their homes in myanmar‘s rakhine state,

hoping for safety in bangladesh, a country which is not wealthy and which was already sheltering 300,000 rohingya muslims from an earlier outbreak of violence. 0ver rohingya muslims from an earlier outbreak of violence. over half of the refugees are children, crammed into makeshift, overcrowded camps, they lack the most asic necessities for survival, clean water, shelter and food —— asic. the un wants money to support the refugees and the bangladeshi community is —— communities hosting them. the un members are being urged to help in the face of an enormous humanitarian disaster. aid agencies know this crisis is likely to get worse. tens of thousands of people are waiting at the border, desperate to get across. myanmar‘s government

continues to restrict access to rakhine state. tensions on the korean peninsula remain high following the recent nuclear test and missile launches from north korea. people in the south are attempting to get on with their daily lives — despite the threat that lies just across the border. mark lowen has been meeting south koreans at a military air show in seoul to get their reactions. an undercover fbi operative who infiltrated radical islamic groups has spoken about his career in a tv interview — despite his real identity being a national secret. the spy, known as tamer elnoury, had to wear prosthetics and make up to disguise his appearance for the cbs interview. he said the 9/11 terror attacks inspired him to become an operative — and in 2012 he infiltrated al-qaeda and foiled a planned attack in toronto. in his interview he explained his interest in working undercover. there is nothing like putting your

arm around the bad guy and telling him that you are his best friend. getting him to commit and tell you all the secrets and all the evil inside him. and locking him up that way was much more challenging and in treating toonie —— intriguing to me. zimbabwe's president, robert mugabe, has been stripped of his position as goodwill ambassador for the world health organization — just days after his controversial appointment. the head of the w—h—o said the decision was in the best interests of the un agency. our africa correspondent, andrew harding, reports. he has been in powerfor 37 years, but zimba bwe's president robert mugabe held onto his newjob for less than a week. a humiliating blow

for the 93—year—old. mr mugabe was selected as a global ambassador for the world health organization by its first african boss who hoped the elder statesman might rally other leaders in the fight against diseases like cancer. but today the who quickly backed down after a fierce international backlash. under president mugabe's long rule, zimbabwe's economy and health system have crumbled. britain and other western governments have accused him of widespread human rights violations and targeted him with sanctions. there was delight today from a broad range of organisations which had condemned mr mugabe's united nations role as a sickjoke. there was outrage that mugabe could be appointed a goodwill ambassador, especially given the state of public

health services and access to basic public health facilities. even painkillers in public hospitals. this comes as a relief that the who has seen the light. but mr mugabe is not without support, both inside zimbabwe and around the continent. today his supporters describe the who's u—turn as yet another sign of western meddling in africa. president mugabe has yet to react in person, but few zimbabweans can be surprised about this decision. their leader may be proud of his achievements but tellingly he travels abroad for his own healthcare. a 15—year—old girl has survived a terrifying encounter 93 years old nora ronai is still winning medals in swimming. she has faced sexism in her life, but it hasn't stood in the way of her achieving her goals. nora is one of the bbc‘s 100 women this year. time to re— caporn our main story

and that is the news that shinzo abe has declared victory in the snap election which he called injapan to strengthen his mandate, one of the key pillars of that will be to remove the pacifist part of the constitution. —— time to recap. after a weekend of being battered by brian, that low is now sitting in the sea. another big blow to the west. nothing like the week we just had but we will be feeling weather fronts our way and that's what we have first thing today. grey and gloomy prospects with outbreaks of rain in the west. clearer skies in the east, quite a chilly start first thing but the cloud will move in and the breeze will pick up

and that will lift the temperatures. a grey beginning to the new week for scotland and northern ireland too, although brightness quickly following. cloudy to get the day under way across wales, the midlands and the south—west. quite a bit of cloud although a dry start to east anglia and the south—east. in a couple of hours you will see the rain move through quickly. the murky across the hills first thing with low cloud. northern ireland brightens nicely through the morning and by the time we get to the afternoon, you see brighter skies sweeping across scotland into northern england, wales and the midlands. southern and eastern counties, however, could be stuck with persistent cloud through the second half of the day but it should be mild, reaching 17 degrees in the south east. good deal milder than it was to finish the weekend.

overnight monday into tuesday, low pressure still swirling away in the atlantic, throwing bits and pieces of fronts our way. a lot of cloud and rain across england and wales, heavier rain for wales and the north—west of england for a time. brightest on tuesday to northern scotland, albeit with showers. to the south, some drier weather but gloomy conditions, 18 in london. milder air to the south of this waving front. it will try and battle its way north throughout the middle part of this week. to the north, always clear and bright but always cooler. some warm air coming up from the south could shift temperature and a little bit of brightness to the south of the front, even up intto the low 20s before the week is out. wednesday the front will sit southward and actually a good part of the northern half the uk will be bright. pushing north, gloomy weather on thursday but also bear in mind mild weather as well. a few breaks in that cloud could send those temperatures up to the high teens or a low 20. that is the outlook for the week ahead. still changeable with rain around times but considerably lighter winds than the week we just had. warm weather to come as well. this is bbc news.

the headlines: japanese prime minister shinzo abe's ruling coalition is on course for a resounding victory in sunday's general election, according to exit polls. on hearing of his victory he said he would "firmly deal with" threats from north korea. thousands of people have attended the latest demonstration in malta to call forjustice for the murdered journalist, daphne caruana galizia. the writer, who denounced political corruption and organised crime, was killed in a car bomb attack on monday. the government has offered a large reward to help find her killer. a major research project has concluded that all marine life will be affected by increasing acidification of the world's oceans. an 8—year study by german scientists says that while some species may benefit, most creatures will be adversely affected because of deteriorating food supplies. now on bbc news, hardtalk.