welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers, in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: loud explosions are heard in the zimbabwean capital, where soldiers are reported to have ta ken over the headquarters of the state broadcaster. australians say "yes" to same—sex marriage. more than 61% back the move, in an historic national vote. screams. children caught in yemen's conflict — the un warns millions of lives are at risk from fighting and famine. and are these two really a threat to western values? french president emmanuel macron thinks they are. we have an exclusive interview. breaking news this hour: soldiers and armoured military vehicles have deployed across harare, capital of zimbabwe,

and troops have seized the state broadcaster. explosions and gunfire are being reported from the northern suburbs, home to many government officials, including president mugabe and his wife grace. mr mugabe, who is 93, has led zimbabwe for 37 years — he is the world's oldest ruler — but tensions have been high since, some hours ago, the ruling party accused the head of the military of treason. soldiers and armed vehicles on the outskirts of the capital. small numbers but enough to raise concerns especially after the head of the armed forces threatened to take action after the sacking of a politician. when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the

military will step in. the general was referring to the sacking of vice president emmerson mnangagwa, a long—time ally of robert mugabe, he was once seen as long—time ally of robert mugabe, he was once seen as a long—time ally of robert mugabe, he was once seen as a favourite to secede his lifelong political patron. his dismissal last week was viewed as a view by mr mugabe to hand power to his wife, grace. in harare harare, this is how people reacted to the news. we need to remove these mugabe family from power. the implosion is good for the citizens of zimbabwe. robert mugabe is the oldest head of state, he has beenin is the oldest head of state, he has been in power since 1980 but this dispute over the secession is escalating. reports that soldiers are taking over the headquarters of the straight or a cluster. we could hear from the military but no

statement has come so it appears there will be this tension, this level of information. the us embassy has urged american citizens in zimbabwe to remain home on wednesday due to the ongoing political uncertainty. sarah corker, bbc news. 0ur reporter in harare, shingai nyoka, joins me on the line. this is unprecedented in zimbabwe. it has been run on a very tight rein? it has been and the events of the last few hours have caused a lot of tension. there has been a flurry of tension. there has been a flurry of social media reports and speculation about what is happening. as you heard, there has been nothing forthcoming from the government and nothing from the military about what

exactly is happening and so the speculation is still rife. what we understand from news agencies is that gunfire has been heard near robert mugabe's residence. 0ne resident said they heard 30 or a0 shots fired over three or four minutes after to a yemen but we have not been able to independent or verify that. the speculation and the uncertainty continues until the morning. these reports are right that the state broadcast has been taken over. that the state broadcast has been ta ken over. there that the state broadcast has been taken over. there has been no change in programming which is usually a sign that something has taken place? absolutely. they did not broadcast the 11 o'clock news. they were playing music, ubao, for many hours and there was an expectation that might be an announcement over the state broadcaster but there has been

no announcement so state broadcaster but there has been no announcement so there is still a lot of uncertainty about what is happening. we hope to speak to you again for the moment thank you very much. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the us attorney general, jeff sessions, has dismissed claims that he misled members of congress about contacts between the trump campaign and russian representatives. in evidence to the house judiciary committee, mr sessions emphatically denied that he had lied under oath during previous testimony. the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, is in myanmar for talks with the country's leader, aung sang suu kyi. he's also scheduled to meet the head of the armed forces. mr tillerson is expected to call for an end to the violence in rakhine state which has caused six hundred thousand rohingya muslims to flee to bangladesh in recent months. at least five people, including a gunman, have been killed in a shooting at an elementary school in northern california. several people including three children were injured in the shooting at the rancho tehama school. the gunman is said to have fired randomly until two police officers killed him.

at least seven scenes are being investigated and police say there may be more victims. australia has voted in favour of legalising same—sex marriages. the results of an eight week postal survey showed more than 61% of voters were in favour — the government has pledged to introduce legislation before the end of the year. this is the moment the announcement was made. for the national result, "yes" responses 7,817,2a7, representing 61.6% of clear responses. that's 61.6% of clear responses were "yes". "no" responses a,873,987, representing 38.a% of clear responses. that's 38.a% of clear responses were "no". 0ur correspondent phil mercer is in sydney.

it isa it is a big moment? it is, it is an historic day for australia. the people have spoken and now campaigners say it is up to mps to reflect the will of the people. drilling down into those statistics, almost 62% of people who took part in these non—binding postal survey are calling for same—sex marriage to be equalised. 7.80 million australians. the turnout nudging 80%. this has been a very decisive result for the yes campaign and they have built their platform on calls for equality and inclusion. the prime minister of australia, malcolm turnbull, says his centre—right government will bring in legislation to legalise same—sex marriage by christmas. more conservative

politicians proposing more alternative legislation? the no campaign attracted about a.9 million votes in these postal surveys so clearly this issue is felt by many, many australians and it is very divisive for top conservative elements have always said same—sex marriage will undermine religious freedoms and expose children in schools to radical views on homosexuality. they say they will accept the result they are urging the australian government to include clauses in the legislation to protect those religious freedoms so the vote may be over but the debate in parliament is just hitting the vote may be over but the debate in parliament isjust hitting up. straight or gay, however people identified, people may not want to get married but this is a sign of the way it society is moving and a sign of inclusivity at least. we

have seen life marriage proposals on australian television so clearly this is a momentous day of the many australians and you are absolutely right, it is notjust about getting married and all the mechanisms about that institution but it is about being seen equal and being treated like everyone else. thank you very much for that. the united nations is warning that the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in yemen is worsening — and that unless aid is let in — millions more lives will be at risk. the saudi—led coalition tightened its two year blockade of the country last week in response to a ballistic missile fired at riyadh by rebel forces backed by iran. extreme hunger and disease are already killing an estimated 130 children a day. from yemen, clive myrie has this special report. this is a story about war and its humiliations. the stripping of dignity. but it's also about the desert trek to safety. it's a story of survival.

screams and gunfire. there's panic at a school in the yemeni capital, sana'a. a city under houthi rebel control. frenzied shouting. a saudi—coalition air strike targeting a nearby building has blown out the school's windows. in this conflict, death can come from the air at any time — for kids, as well as soldiers. what began as a civil war has become a proxy struggle between saudi arabia, backing yemen's government, and iran, alleged to be backing the rebels. the houthis claim this is a bomb from the attack that didn't explode. several countries, including the uk and america, have sold billions of pounds' worth of weapons to saudi arabia during this war.

apart from arms dealers, this conflict has no winners, and civilians are the biggest losers. imagine what those displaced by the war are running from, if this is what they're running to. dusty, makeshift desert settlements across yemen, home to three million people and counting. but it's a pitiful existence in a place like this, in the middle of a pitiless war. only the most basic shelter protects from the unrelenting sun and the sand of the desert. yemen, already the arab world's poorest nation, is now on its knees. an estimated seven million people are facing starvation. this is a man—made calamity that shames the world. the war here has created so much misery, with lives disrupted and destroyed. and the recent escalation of the conflict means that

many more people will be relying on the kindness of strangers, just to survive. this woman and little ayeeshia, who is seven months old, fled their home the night the bombs fell. translation: it was like thunder and lightning in the sky. we were scared and took our children, but left everything else behind. we don't have food. 0ur men don't have jobs. they go to market looking for work, but when they come back with nothing, the children cry. aden is one of the ports at the end of an aid pipeline that helps sustain more than 21 million people here. that's three quarters of the population. but it's a precarious humanitarian operation. saudi arabia controls yemen's borders. a blockade has already seriously affected aid flowing into ports

in rebel—held areas in the north. and the harbour at aden, here in the south, can be shut down at a moment's notice. saudi arabia says sealing this country's borders will cut the flow of weapons to rebel forces, but aid shipments can be searched and verified, so why prevent all goods coming into yemen? well, using aid as a weapon of war is nothing new in this conflict. the houthi rebels have themselves been accused of blocking aid convoys, so despite warehouses full of food, millions are at risk of starvation. aid workers acknowledge this is a dirty war, where both sides have questions to answer. they have their own tactics — to use the aid we are bringing in to the people, either to prevent it from people or give it to the people that they favour.

for sure, that is how they use the aid. and if we cannot reach people to give them this food, then definitely, they will die. civilians in this war are forgotten people, pawns in a great game, victims of a conflict that they didn't create. they've done nothing wrong, their only crime was being born here. clive myrie, bbc news, in southern yemen. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: freezing and on the streets for a third night — thousands of iranians are left homeless by sunday's earthquake. berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced round their liberated territory. and, with nobody to stop them, it wasn't long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. it's keeping the candidate's name always in the public eye that counts.

success or failure depends not only on public display but on the local campaign headquarters and the heavy routine work of their women volunteers. yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. the palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning for the leader who symbolised his people's hopes for independent statehood. in the wake of the colombian volcano disaster, rescue teams are trying to reach thousands of survivors who managed to clamber onto rooftops and trees above the sea of mud. after 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers who'd long felt only grudgingly accepted amongst the ranks of clergy suddenly felt welcomed. loud explosions have been heard in the zimbabwean capital,

where soldiers are reported to have ta ken over the headquarters of the state broadcaster. australians have voted in favour of legalising same—sex marriage. more than 61% cent backed the move in an historic national poll. james robbins reports on the earthquake in a run. —— iran. iranian authorities say they're not expecting to find any more survivors. still, rescue dogs are helping to hunt for signs of life, but the work now is to clear ruined homes, demolish and then rebuild. local people are in shock. thousands are homeless and in desperate need of shelter and supplies.

translation: after i got up and the power was cut as well, i saw the walls and ceiling had come down and all my stuff thrown out of the house. we've got nothing left for us. translation: suddenly, the house came down on our heads in a matter of seconds. i got out from the back door of my house. field hospitals have been set up and the aid effort is gathering pace, although some locals have complained the initial response was slow. iran's president hassan rouhani has visited the area promising whatever assistance is needed and criminal action if any public housing is found to have been sub—standard. this was the moment the earthquake struck on sunday. just across iran's border in iraq, a birthday party for these twins ends in terror. but this kurdish family escaped unharmed, and now the twins

have had their party again, as the family sent condolences to all those who have suffered loss. and in iran, at least 70,000 people are now homeless. they will need much warmer shelter than this, night—time temperatures fall close to freezing and yet going in doors is still terrifying because around 200 aftershocks have already been recorded. the painful process of grieving and eventual recovery for entire communities is onlyjust beginning. james robbins, bbc news. a us senate committee has held a hearing on president trump's authority to launch a nuclear strike: he has the full power to do so and could have as little as six minutes to make the decision. it's the first time in more than forty years that a congressional committee has raised the issue. 0nce

once that order is given and verified, there is no way to revoke it. let me be clear, i would not support changes that would reduce our deterrence of adverse research or reassurance of our allies but i would like to explore as our predecessors in the house did a1 yea rs predecessors in the house did a1 years ago the reality is of this system. given today's challenges, we need to revisit the question of whether a single individual should have the sole and unchecked authority to launch a nuclear attack under all circumstances including the right to use it as a first strike. we are concerned that the president of the united states is so unstable, is so volatile as this is a nation —— as a decision—making process that is so quixotic, that he might ordera process that is so quixotic, that he might order a nuclear strike that is so might order a nuclear strike that is so out of step with us national security interests. i don't think the assurances that i have received

today will be satisfying to the american people. i think they can still realise that donald trump can launch glidden —— nuclear codesjust as easily as he can use his twitter account without the check and balance of the united states congress would be seeking and constitutionally responsible to exercise this i think this has been a historic hearing and i hope there is more to follow. the president of france — emmanuel macron — has told the bbc that donald trump and vladimir putin are threatening western values of openness and tolerance. it is now 6 months since mr macron took office, promising to transform french society, the economy and even its modern sense of identity in the world. 0ur paris correspondent lucy williamson, who travelled with the president to abu dhabi recently, sent this report. most presidents enjoy a flash of military uniform in their schedules, a tang of old—fashioned global power, but emmanuel macron is fighting his own slippery battle for french influence abroad. jihadi groups in this region have built a grand narrative

around their vision, he says, the west needs one too, based on openness, tolerance and democracy. at the opening of a new louve museum in abu dhabi, he told me those values were under threat from leaders like vladimir putin and donald trump. if you don't defend these values, it will become harder and harder, iagree. but is it harder now, is it under threat? i mean for sure it's a threat, for sure. but first of all, you have to speak and discuss with those leaders because sometimes they're changed, they were not like that at the very beginning, and the explanation of the divergence is very often due to their paranoia of the threat and their willingness to protect something and to be much more nervous about what they want to protect, but forgetting the fact that part of their own civilisation is about openness. if you decide just to push them back from europe and all that you're saying, "you are betraying our

values, it's bad," you lose them. but does it work? when you sat down with mr trump or mr putin, have you found that you've been able to affect real change? i mean it's not overnight effect, for sure. i'm optimistic and i can... i'm extremely determined. so i will insist and insist and insist. macron ran his election campaign by insisting on the power of liberal values to solve france's problems, including its most pressing one — jobs. graulhet used to be the centre of a booming leather industry, with more than 100 factories. serge cathala's factory is one ofjust a dozen left. unemployment here is 21%, twice the national average, but president macron's

sweeping reforms means serge has begun hiring again. translation: what's great about macron is that he's young, he looks like he's got guts. nobody‘s going to walk all over him, unlike his predecessors, and he's got good ideas, more flexibility for company owners to hire people and more freedom. a company needs leaders who will let them work. president macron has already reformed france's rigid labour law to curb the power of the unions, but graulhet‘s favourites for president were the protectionist candidates on the far—right and far—left. and in cafes like this one, mr macron's plans to extend unemployment insurance have less impact than say his tax break for french millionaires. translation: he's the president of the rich. he hasn't changed my life or the lives of the people in this town. we are the little people, the proletariat, and i don't know if this man is going to change things for us. here in paris, six months ago, mr macron vowed to remake french politics. since then, he's been criticised for being more king than president. even some of those who agree

with mr macron's analysis have questioned his style as president. where some see clarity, determination and poise, others see arrogance, pomposity and hubris. mr macron has said modesty doesn't interest him because he's france's last chance to prove to itself that openness, tolerance and democracy work. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the olympic champion mo farah is now sir mo after receiving his knighthood from the queen at buckingham palace today. for services to athletics... sir mo came to the uk from somalia as a young boy and went on to become britain's most decorated athlete. this summer, he retired from his track career to concentrate on running marathons. he described the knighthood as a ‘dream come true'. more on a breaking news from one of

the world's most repressive regimes, zimbabwe. soldiers and armoured military vehicles are deployed across the capital, harare, and troops had seized the state broadcaster. gunfire in the northern suburbs which are home to me government officials including president robert mugabe who has led the country for 37 yea rs. who has led the country for 37 years. a member of the military has said in the past few minutes the military has intervened to pacify a destabilising situation but president robert mugabe will be kept safe. i should add though, one witness has told afp news agency 30 or a0 shots were heard over a few minutes a little while ago from the direction of robert mugabe's mansion. this situation is on the move. much more in all the news on the bbc website. thank you for watching. hi there.

wednesday is going to dawn on a pretty grey and cloudy day. competing weather stories, really, for wednesday. we've got a big ridge of high pressure keeping the weather quiet across much of the uk, however a small area of low pressure has just trickled underneath the high and has brought us a lot of cloud across england, thick enough to bring us some outbreaks of patchy rain and drizzle particularly across eastern england first thing in the morning. elsewhere, a few fog patches up over high ground, notably across the higher parts of wales and south—west england so one way or another, for many of us, it's going to be quite a cloudy start but at the least that early morning patchy rain across eastern england will be clearing out of the way. so with a bit more detail, the morning forecast — a bit grey over the tops of the brecon beacons, the moors of south—west england with some hill fog patches here. could have a bit of fog across the salisbury plain, perhaps a bit misty for the downs and the chilterns first thing, otherwise we'll have this thick cloud continuing to bring

some patchy outbreaks of rain just for the first part of the morning. but that rain will clear away pretty quickly. a few fog patches in the valleys of northern ireland where it's going to be a chilly start to the day. some sunshine for scotland, yes, but it's cold — temperatures low enough for a touch of frost across sheltered northern areas. as we go on through the rest of wednesday, that rain should clear out of the way but it will stay cloudy across the midlands and eastern england for most of the day. the weather brightens up for north—west england and wales with some sunny spells here but no doubt about it, the best of the sunshine will be across scotland, particularly eastern areas. rain, though, threatening the western isles as we go on through the afternoon. now, through wednesday evening and overnight, we'll see rain becoming a bit more extensive across western areas. always rather patchy in nature nevertheless, but nevertheless, some damp weather pushes its way in. this is the cold front reaching scotland and northern ireland, bringing further heavier rain towards the end of the night. so, turning wet here. now, looking at the weather charts through thursday, this cold front will be sliding its way southwards across england,

bringing a spell of heavy rain. lunchtime across northern england, heading into the midlands round about unchtime across northern england, heading into the midlands and across wales too. to the south of this, a lot of cloud. behind the front, that's where we're going to see a big clearance. and much more in the way sunshine moving into northern ireland, scotland and the north of england. it might be sunny, yes, but it's also colder. notice the temperatures into single figures. for friday, many of us having a decent day, bright and sunny spells but there'll be a number of blustery showers affecting the far north of scotland. those showers could merge together to give us some lengthier spells of rain at times. now, this weekend, sunny spells around. showers across northern and western areas. and at times, there will be quite a chilly wind, particularly on saturday, the wind falling a bit lighter by sunday. and that's your latest weather. this is bbc news, the headlines: loud explosions have been heard in the zimbabwean capital, harare, where soldiers are reported to have taken over the headquarters of the national broadcaster. armoured vehicles have been seen near the city centre. earlier, zimbabwe's ambassador to south africa dismissed suggestions of a coup.

australians have voted in favour of legalising same—sex marriage in an historic postal survey. more than 61% of voters support the move. prime minister malcolm turnbull said his government would now aim to change the law by christmas. the un has warned that the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in yemen is worsening and that, unless aid is let in, millions more lives will be at risk. some 80% of the country relies on aid to survive. extreme hunger and disease are already killing an estimated 130 children a day. now on bbc news, tuesday in parliament.