welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: a test for colombia's historic peace deal — former guerillas face a tough contest in national parliamentary elections. myanmar‘s military is accused of building bases in villages where rohingya muslims were forced off their land. syrian government forces say they have recaptured more than half the rebel on clay at the eastern ghouta outside damascus. and the veteran british entertainer, sir ken dodd, dies at the age of 90. polls have closed in congressional elections in colombia, seen as a test of a peace deal

between the government and farc rebels. presidentjuan manuel santos said the participation of candidates from the former rebel group marked a historic moment for colombian democracy. let's now cross live to bogota, where our correspondent katy watson is following the election. katy, polling day is said to have been one of the most peaceful in years? it's hugely significant but let's start with those results. what we have so far? nearly all of the results are in and the farc has done pretty poorly. they haven't even got nearly 1% of the vote, either in the lower house or the upper house. this isn't a surprise. they were never going to be a strong party after more than 50 years of conflict. there was a very mixed feelings here in the country about whether they

should be standing for office at all but certainly these political newcomers are just shown to be political nobodies the moment. political nobody is but hugely significant in the history of the country. what is the feeling that these elections have taken place in this way? the feeling is, to many, that it was too soon. their role in politics was part of a peace deal and people here feel that they should have based their crimes before standing for office. the transitional justice system before standing for office. the transitionaljustice system is something that will be starting in the next few weeks but a lot of people feel they should have a nswered people feel they should have answered that their crimes before and then stood for office. that's been the biggest criticism of the peace deal that was struck between the farc and the government. peace deal that was struck between the farc and the governmentm peace deal that was struck between the farc and the government. is the peace deal under any risk by their poor showing? what's interesting is the right has done very well in

these elections and as you said, it is seen as a bit of a test for the government. the right has criticised the peace deal. a lot of the right voted against the peace deal and felt it was too lenient so there is a risk they could roll back on some of the agreements made that as presidentjuan manuel santos has said, there is no going back. the countries in post— conflict it will bea countries in post— conflict it will be a rough ride certainly if the right becomes more powerful and certainly the next few months, there will be presidential elections. certainly the right has a much stronger hand now and that might change things in the future. the hugely significant day. the military in myanmar is doing a military land grab, according to the

un. it is where villages stood stood. matthew wales is a senior crisis adviser and spent january and february this year at the refugee camps in bangladesh, gathering evidence and materials. what the new report today is showing is that in the rohingya camps in bangladesh, the myanmar authorities are remaking rakhine state. areas that used to be rohingya homes, markets and mosques have been bulldozed, farmland has been cleared away and in their place, the myanmar authorities have built new infrastructure including security force bases, roads, village is for non— rohingya ethnic groups and all this shows that as the authorities say as they are ready to start returning rohingya, they are making it far more difficult by remaking rakhine. there is a village for

example, our evidence comes notjust from testimonies but what we see on satellite imagery from photos and videos that have been taken by people still in northern rakhine state and it shows in this particular village, the myanmar military, they are building an enormous new base that has in effect driven off many of the rohingya people in that village. what happened was, after those villages we re happened was, after those villages were burned, the military put the flags down, marking off an enormous amount of state that used to be farmland. it's led to hundreds of people on the village going to bangladesh in the last couple of months and says government says, it is preparing for returns, it is remaking rakhine through new security force bases. it makes any

return incredibly difficult. legendary british comedian — sir ken dodd — has died at the age of ninety. born in liverpool — he was famous for his tickling sticks and his sidekicks — the diddy men. he died just days after being released from hospital — where he was being treated for a chest infection. his publicist described him as one of the last music hall greats. nick higham looks back at his life and career. there is an old—fashioned variety performer but the unique dash of surrealism to his act. their hair and teeth were a gift but few comedians had of physical or vocal technique to compare with ken dodd. thank you very much. what of

beautiful day for going up to count von zeppelin and saying, you will never sell a sausage that size. he became a ventriloquist, charttopping singer, tv star and a man of campus catchphrases. how tickled i am by all this goodwill. what about you, mrs? have you been tickled by goodwill? 0h, its dotty. how are you did mean? tears are all you've left me. behind the board in the banter, it was a private man and a serious student of comic theory. freud said that laugh is a sudden explosion of psychic energy. of course, the trouble with freud was he never played second house at the glasgow

empire. in 1989, he faced charges of massive tax evasion with 20 offshore bank accounts and more than £300,000 hidden around his house. he was acquitted and kept on performing. he helped us laugh for more than a0 yea rs helped us laugh for more than a0 years and few people know who is ever truly happy himself. sir ken dodd, who has died at the age of 90. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the director of the cia, mike pompeo, has defended president trump's decision to meet the north korean leader, kim jong un. mr pompeo said the meeting wasn't intended merely "for theatre". the venue for this meeting still remains a mystery. just two seats of one been won back

by the pro—democracy camp in hong kong. the result means means one third of the seats in the chamber to veto legislation. a helicopter has crashed in new york's east river, killing 2 people and leaving one survivor who's injured. the federal aviation administration said the eurocopter as—350 went down near the northern end of roosevelt island at about 7 pm. local time and was reported to be upside—down in the water. emergency services have sent divers to the scene. syrian rebels say they won't surrender. it comes as government forces have captured more than half of a rebel enclave outside the capital damascus. more than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed since the area of eastern ghouta came under bombardment on the 18th january. thousands of civilians have been caught up in the violence, as andrew plant reports. syrian army tanks moving into rebel

land on the outskirts of the capital. rebel soldiers driven out and their trenches and camps have been left abandoned. injanuary this year, syrian forces began pounding eastern ghouta. with towns destroyed, hundreds have been trapped. these people discovered on sunday morning. translation: we were 200 families. many have fled but we remained here. the armed groups told us remained here. the armed groups told us to flee but we refused and told them we would stay here. hiding in a basement, sheltering from the bombs above. we waited for you to arrive, now we are safe. the onslaught of airstrikes, bal bombs and rockets have stripped the rebel —— is that the rebel groups and taking the rebel towns. including

the rebel groups and taking the rebeltowns. including duma and mesraba. more than 1100 have been killed in the last four weeks, including 200 children. hospitals have been damaged. makeshift medical facilities overwhelmed. and doctors say they are desperate for supplies. some aid has been delivered. so far, no medicine has been allowed to go through. the syrian forces state say eastern future must be recaptured. defying global calls for a ceasefire but a statement issued by the free syrian armour so they have taken a decision not to accept their surrender. china's annual parliamentary gathering, the national people's congress, has approved the removal of limits on presidential terms. the constitutional change, passed almost unanimously, could allow the current leader, xijinping, to rule for life.

0ur china correspondent, john sudworth, was in the great hall of the people as the vote took place — he sent this report. china's parliament was preparing to hand unlimited power to its president, and there could be no doubting the outcome. should xijinping be president for life? "yes," they answer. and then she adds. please don't say that it is president for life. it is just that there is not a limit for the number of terms. but, whatever you call it, the change means mr xi can rule china for as long as he wants. he was the first to cast his ballot, the applause further proof of the inevitability of the result. out of almost 3,000 delegates, only two voted against. " passed , " the announcer says, and this man's hold on power now becomes both complete and indefinite.

the cost of opposition to mr xi's rule can be high. i am shown papers left behind by xu yan's husband, a lawyer, who recently wrote an open letter calling for democratic elections. he is now being detained for subversion. translation: he did everything within the boundaries of the law, yet it's not allowed here. now, many people are afraid of speaking up. what has been the effect on you and your 13—year—old son? my son loves his father. this situation is a huge blow for him. all public discussion

of the constitutional change is being tightly controlled and censored. the two—term limit solved a problem facing all undemocratic authoritarian states. it helped china ensure orderly and regular leadership successions. what has happened here today, then, is highly significant. a choreographed, compliant, rubber—stamped parliament has removed the last limitation on xijinping's power. as the delegates left, they may have glanced at this, chairman mao's portrait, a stark reminder of the risks of lifetime rule. grab your dog and your trophy. crufts — the climax of the dog—owners' year — is disrupted by a pair of animal rights protestors. the numbers of dead and wounded

defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged ai, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know really. i've never been married before. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: votes are being counted in the first elections in colombia since a peace deal was agreed between the government and former farc rebels. myanmar‘s military has been accused by amnesty international of constructing bases in areas where rohingya muslims have been forced off their land. hundreds of people that went to the same hundreds of people that went to the sa me restau ra nt hundreds of people that went to the same restaurant and pub visited by the poisoned former russian spy had been advised to wash their clothes and possessions. england's chief medical officer says that anyone who spent time at the location should ta ke spent time at the location should take precautions, but stressed that the risk was very low. more surreal and extraordinary scenes in salisbury this afternoon.

wearing gas masks and protective clothing, military personnel loading potentially contaminated cars onto trucks. the vehicles, some but not all of them with police markings, were being recovered from a pay—and—display car park behind a church not far from the city centre. it was the attack on yulia and sergei skripal, with a with a rare and lethal nerve agent last sunday, that led to this huge operation, called 0peration morlop. today, police confirmed that traces of the nerve agent were found in the mill pub, as well as the zizzi restaurant, where the bbc understands the table used by the skripals was so contaminated it had to be destroyed. today, the chief medical officer gave this advice to people who were in the pub and restaurant on sunday afternoon and monday. wash clothing you haven't already, ideally in the washing machine. any items which cannot be washed, and would normally be dry—cleaned, should be double—bagged

in plastic until further information is available. wipe personal items such as phones, handbags, and other electronic items with baby wipes, and dispose of them in plastic bags in the bin. wash hard items such as jewellery and spectacles, which cannot go in the washing machine, with warm water and detergent. steve cooper was in the pub on sunday at exactly the same time as the skripals, and told me that he is now getting worried. certainly, because they haven't revealed what the nerve agent was, and actually what the effect, long—term, on anyone's health could be. so i'd like to know more about that, i'd like to know what precautions i personally can take, rather than just washing my clothes. having potentially already been exposed, what long—term effects for me and my wife, and then using baby wipes to wash my phone and my watch... i don't really think it's going to get rid of a nerve agent. so did the police and other emergency services respond fast enough to last sunday's events? are you satisfied that you escalated this incident quickly enough

at the beginning of last week? the machinery, the support, the national advice, the capability and expertise of both national and local partners, was mobilised by monday. for this ancient, mediaeval city, it has been a bizarre and at times frightening seven days. the bishop of salisbury said this afternoon that what he called the shocking attack had violated their community. but if suspicions prove right, what happened here, the use of a chemical weapon, a nerve agent, to attack two people, is likely to have huge implications for britain's relationship with russia. the annual crufts dog show has been taking place in the city of birmingham. but the climax of this year's event was temporarily halted after two protesters stormed the venue. they were from an animal rights group that has condemned crufts

for the way it encourages certain types of dog breeding. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. chances are, if you love dogs, you almost certainly love crufts. stretching back more than a century, canines of all breeds and sizes compete to be best in show. this yea r‘s compete to be best in show. this year's winner was a 2—and—a—half —year—olds whippit. but as you push the podium, this happen. protesters approached the podium. they were quickly chased down and subdued by security staff. no animals or owners we re security staff. no animals or owners were harmed. it is believed they we re were harmed. it is believed they were demonstrating on behalf of the animal rights group peta. it condemns crufts from what it calls extreme dog breeding. a statement on its website said... this extreme breeding, they say,

puts the animals at a high risk of suffering. crufts issued a statement of its own, saying... nec group staged the event. the response of social media was almost instantaneous. as for the winner, tease, she seemed

unfazed by the whole event. best and calmest in show. tim allman, bbc news. next, it's been a symbol of pride and empowerment. well, now more black people are choosing to wear afro hairstyles. a photo exhibition of young girls in atlanta, in the united states, has attracted lots of attention, and the creative team behind the pictures, is now looking for children in the uk, to be part of their next project. elaine dunkley has the story. it's a celebration of the beauty of black girls, the afro, a symbol of pride. the collection is called afro art, but it's more than that, it's about the acceptance of who you are. awesome. chin up, there we go, perfect. little girls who don't need to use chemical relaxers or have straightened hair to feel that they too are naturally beautiful. in this time i think it is very important when you see beautiful african—american kids with natural hair and their real selves

in that art, it's very inspiring to see for young kids these days, to see that they are beautiful and their natural hair is beautiful and their culture is beautiful, and they don't have to put any extra effort into being who they are. what's the look you are going for? today we are going for harlem renaissance. i love the harlem renaissance period, i think it was a period where african—americans were really powerful. the portraits have gone viral, young black girls in classical poses, regal, elegant, depicted in the way that history often didn't allow. 0thers show the afro as futuristic, a promise of things to come. to see them with their hairstyle this way, with this type of clothing in these types of periods, it's something that hasn't been seen before, it's been a journey for society to see us as beautiful, a lot of girls in the past, they have been sent home for wearing braids or wearing their hair in an afro, and over time, we have wanted to wear our own hair

that grows out of our head. the politics of black hair is deeply rooted in history. the reason for it, you might say, is like a new awareness among black people that their own natural appearances, physical appearance, is beautiful, for so many years, we were told that only white people were beautiful. in the 1960s, the afro emerged during the civil rights movement as a symbol of rebellion, pride and empowerment. once again, the natural hair movement is growing. but there has been controversy, with black stars like solange having their natural hair airbrushed from the covers of magazines. the portraits have stirred conversations around the world. in this salon, in lewisham, in london, the need for positive images in childhood resonates. where i grew up i was always the odd one out because everyone around me was white,

i never saw anyone who had similar hair to mind, it was quite hard. and i really hated my hair. it took such a long time just to have a black disney princess, so i've never grown up seeing images like that when i was a child. once you start seeing positive images of yourself, it will help you as you grow up to love yourself more. 0n social media, these youngsters have become stars, icons of the afro. doing what they do best, being themselves. a reminder of our top story: votes being counted in colombia. this is seen as a test of a peace deal between the government and farc rebels. and you can get in touch with me and any of the team on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. this is bbc news.

hello there. southern parts of the uk were fairly unsettled for the second part of the weekend. the best of the dry and brighter weather was further north. but in the south—west, despite showers and increasing rain, there were spells of sunshine, which broke through will stop it was mild where the sunshine appeared. heading to monday, this area of low pressure will be very much in control of the weather across england and wales. further north, it should be a little dry out with clear spells. getting through the night into the early hours of monday, it looks like that rain will tap up to become heavy across much of england and wales. just nudging into southern parts of scotland. for northern ireland and scotland, it should be a dry start. some fog around, but less fog because of the cloud in england and

wales. 0utbreaks because of the cloud in england and wales. 0utbrea ks of because of the cloud in england and wales. outbreaks of rain, some heavy, and turning windy in the south—west of england towards the channel island in the afternoon. just pushing into the northern parts, there should be clouds. in the caulfield across the board. temperatures will range between seven and 11 celsius. 0n temperatures will range between seven and 11 celsius. on tuesday, a high—pressure moves in, which settles things nicely before this area of low pressure moves in for wednesday and thursday. there will bea wednesday and thursday. there will be a succession of france with outbreaks of rain. for tuesday, we will start to lose that low pressure system will start to lose that low pressure syste m fro m will start to lose that low pressure system from the south—east through the morning. in conditions brighten up the morning. in conditions brighten up nicely for many. the winds will feel lighter. this in a stronger this time of year, so it should feel decentin this time of year, so it should feel decent in sunny spells, although temperatures will still be in thing in figures for a few. but we should see ten or 11 degrees with a few spots, perhaps odd shower. a rigid high—pressure breaks down into wednesday. this high—pressure moves

in. move the —— notice the squeeze in the isobars. windsor coming from the south, always in my direction. starting on a cool note on the eastern side of the country with the best in the sunshine. further west, outbreaks of rain through northern ireland and the irish sea coasts. further is, it should stay largely dry. given the sunshine, a mile fill two things. it could feel about 10 degrees for glasgow and belfast. the week ahead, it will be fairly u nsettled week ahead, it will be fairly unsettled with a lot of cloud. it will turn colder, particularly into the weekend, as cool air comes from the weekend, as cool air comes from the near continent. this is bbc news — the headlines. votes are being counted in congressional elections in colombia. it's being seen as a test of a peace deal between the government and the former guerrillas of the farc — now a left—wing political party. conservative parties — bitterly opposed to the peace agreement — hope to win an absolute majority. satellite photographs released by the human rights group amnesty international suggest

the myanmar military has been building bases in villages where rohingya muslims have been forced off their land. amnesty called it a ‘massive land grab'. myanmar‘s government has not yet responded to the report. the veteran british entertainer sir ken dodd has died at the age of 90. his stage debut was in 195a and he continued to perform until last year. he was famous for his ability to reel offjokes for shows regularly lasting as long as four hours. he had been ill and married his long—term partner on friday. now on bbc news, the week in parliament.