welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: the diplomatic push is on. britain's foreign secretary urges president trump not to abandon the extraordinary comeback. malaysia's 92—year—old former prime minister returns to contest the country's general election. some of football's biggest names show their support for manchester united's sir alex ferguson, who is recovering from a brain haemorrhage. another visit by a foreign diplomat, another attempt to persuade

the trump administration not to walk away from the iran nuclear agreement. this time it is britain's foreign secretary, borisjohnson, ahead of his visit to washington, who said that historic evidence of an iranian secret project to develop nuclear weapons underscored the importance of the deal, and was not an argument to scupper it. president trump has been scathingly critical of the agreement, and he may announce that he is scrapping it later this week. here is andrew plant. donald trump has long been clear about his contempt for the deal with iran, saying it has disastrous flaws. it was signed in 2015 between iran and six world powers... ..so incompetently negotiated as our deal with iran. ..and was one of president obama's key foreign policy achievements. iran agreed to mothball its nuclear programme, which many feared could lead to them developing weapons.

in return, crippling international economic sanctions were lifted. america's ally israel says iran secretly continued its work. senior american officials have said the deal was built on lies. mr trump has publicly threatened to scrap it, which prompted this response on saturday from iran's president, hassan rouhani. translation: if the united states leaves the nuclear agreement, you will soon see that they will regret it, like never before in history. britain's ambassador to the us said that the uk, france and germany were now looking at other ways forward if america withdrew its support. we've been talking at a senior official level of the administration with our french and german colleagues for several weeks now. we think we're making progress, we haven't got there yet. we have a few days left to see

if we can find a way through. the uk's foreign secretary, borisjohnson, is visiting washington. he published an article in the new york times on sunday describing the deal as the least—worst option, and the best way, he said, of preventing iran developing nuclear weapon. he will meet white house representatives, including vice president mike pence, to try to sway mr trump's decision before the deadline. pakistan's interior minister has been been shot and injured in a suspected assassination attempt. ahsan iqbal was hit by a bullet in his arm, but officials say he is out of danger. this incident comes ahead of general elections expected injuly. here is the bbc‘s secunder kermani on a possible motive. the attacker has been ta ken into custody. he was arrested by police at the scene. he is being questioned by them now. there's been speculation in pakistan that perhaps this attacker is linked to a group of hardline islamist

protesters who had been angry at the ruling party, the pmln, to whom ahsan iqbal belongs, because they said that they were trying to change an electoral oath that muslim members of parliament swear when they become elected, and they saw these changes as being tantamount to blasphemy. now, those changes were pretty much immediately reversed, but some of that anger in this small segment of society has remained. ahsan iqbal did have a shoe thrown at him at another public meeting earlier this year. so it's possible that that could be the motive, but as of yet there's been no official confirmation of that. tunisia's islamist ennahda party has claimed victory in the country's first free local elections. party officials say ennahda has a commanding lead over its secularist rivals nidaa tounes. it is the first municipal elections since the 2011 uprising which sparked the arab spring, and saw the removal of president zine ben ali.

voters have also gone to the polls in lebanon, among them the current prime minister, saad hariri. it is the country's first general election in nine years. lebanon has had a huge influx of refugees from the conflict in neighbouring syria, and is still trying to rebuild itself after going through its own civil war. when malaysians go to the polls on wednesday, they will be presented with an extraordinary alternative to the governing coalition that has ruled the country since independence. former prime minister dr mahathir mohamad is making a comeback at the age of 92. our correspondentjonathan head asked dr mahathir what his plan is if his opposition coalition wins, against the odds. after me, we have decided that anwar ibrahim will be the eighth

prime minister. he will be released soon, we'll get a pardon for him, and then he can be eligible to become prime minister. of course, he has to be elected, and we have already decided. this is a man that, when i interviewed you last time, five years ago, you described as immoral, as unfit to be a leader. yes, but you can't punish people for a lifetime. you know, one commits crime when we were indiscreet, when young, but we can't punish people the whole — for his whole life. i mean, you groomed anwar to succeed you in the 1990s. you chose ahmad badawi to succeed you in 2003. your approval was crucial in the current prime minister najib ascending.

you have turned against all of them. what does that say about you? when they were given power, they changed. they're not the same. najib did't steal money when i was prime minister. he stole money after i stepped down. at least, i got to know about it only after i stepped down. but the system najib is now using to hold onto power is the very system that, in 22 years of power, you created. no, he's not using the system. he is abusing the system. during my time the system was the same. but i did not abuse. they did not steal money from the government. in fact, i gave money to the government. and i didn't have scandals like he has. when you reflect back though, you look at the state of malaysia today, do you feel any personal responsibility for the problems your country has now? no, i don't think i had much to worry about during my period of time. i was able to grow the country, change it from an agricultural country into an

industrialist country. people havejobs, people get scholarships to study. all those things i did during my time. no regrets? why should i regret? many of those people get to see me. they say, i grew up during your time, i got a good education during yourtime, thank you very much. even now, people still come up to me and say thank you. and at 92 years old, some say you cannot give up politics, that you just cannot let go. it's not that i cannot give up politics. i want to give up politics. but, seeing the way najib is destroying the country, i would be irresponsible if i would think only about resting after retirement. donald trump's new lawyer has insisted that the president would not have to comply with a possible legal order to testify before the inquiry into russian election meddling. speaking on us television, rudy giuliani said the president could plead the fifth amendment, the constitutional right not

to answer questions that could incriminate him. the what happens if robert mueller subpoenas the president? will you comply? well, we don't have to. he's the president of the united states. we can assert the same privilege as other presidents have. president clinton negotiated a deal. are you confident the president will not take the fifth in this case? oh, how can i ever be confident of that? when i'm facing a situation with the president, and all the other lawyers are, in which every lawyer in america thinks he would be a fool to testify. i have got a client who wants to testify. please don't — he said it yesterday. and, you know, jay and i said to ourselves, "my goodness, i hope we get a chance to tell him the risk that he's taking." so he may testify. i'm joined now live from washington

by senior reporter for politicojosh gerstein. so, talking about the fifth amendment, is that not quite problematic for president trump? i think it would raise a lot of eyebrows if he did that. it would certainly be a very unusual thing. but i think we are a ways away from that, and before he asserts the fifth amendment, i think it is more likely he would raise the kind of objections that other presidents have, more of an executive privilege type objection to the president being forced to testify when he has many other duties to attend to. and even that part of assertion could result in the legal battle that could drag out for quite a long time. donald trump has spoken out against using the fifth before, hasn't he, especially on the campaign trail, if i remember correctly. yes, i mean, that is one of the awkwardness is here. if he is asserting that fifth amendment, he has said everybody asserting the

fifth amendment must be guilty and some of his more populist rhetoric before this whole russia investigation bill to the proportions it has built an hour, and he has said that numerous other occasions. so it would be a little bit awkward and perhaps hypocritical if he asserted the fifth amendment, whether that would become some sort ofa whether that would become some sort of a constitutional crisis, i am not sure about that. josh, let's turn out to stormy daniels, the pawn actress who alleges she had an affair with mr actress who alleges she had an affairwith mrtrump, actress who alleges she had an affair with mr trump, which he denies. did mr giuliani shed any more light on this $130,000 payment to her? well, i don't know how much light is shed on the payment to her. the line from the white house seems to be that the president didn't know about it at the time it was issued, but then ended up paying michael cohen, his own attorney, something in the order of triple or more than the amount that was actually laid out to ms stormy daniels, and a

rather startling admission, perhaps startling to some, from giuliani was that there may be other women that this same attorney, mr cohen, paid off either before the presidential election or at other times, that this was apparently some in mr coen dealt with on a routine basis. mr giuliani keeps dropping this little revelations that you just referred to. iam reluctant revelations that you just referred to. i am reluctant to get into people and process, but really, his interviews are quite incredible, aren't they? i noticed on that same programme, on abc, stormy daniels's lawyer said it was one of the worst tv appearances by any attorney on behalf of a client in modern times. what is your opinion? yes, i cover a lot of these legal issues and deal with a lot of high—powered attorneys in washington and elsewhere and i have really never seen a televised performance of this kind of a high—profile case. it is really quite remarkable to have somebody brought on as an attorney specifically to try and calm the

waters and focus of the public messaging, and then to have them all over the map where they are called out by their own client within 2a hours and told essentially that they don't know what they are talking about and need to get their facts straight. it simply... it is not something that i have seen in covering 25 years of washington scandals, where usually bring in a lawyer to try and focus your message and to try and make a case that is very persuasive, without dragging yourself into an extraneous battles that you are trying to avoid. we will leave it there. thank you very much. thank you. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we report from kathua, in india's jammu and kashmir state, a community still in shock over the rape and murder of an eight—year—old girl injanuary. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays,

the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. but the tunnel is still not ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory, as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the british foreign secretary has urged the trump administration not

to walk away from the iran nuclear agreement. let's get more on that story. the europeans are trying to create options that are acceptable to both washington and tehran. but is that even possible? that's a question i put to alex vatanka, who is a senior fellow with the middle east institute in washington. that is the big question. if you are listening to the latest speech is coming out of tehran, it suggests the iranians feel part of the conversation. there is clearly an iranianfear conversation. there is clearly an iranian fear the europeans and americans have created a process of dialogue between themselves about what needs to be done and then they will go to iran and ask iran to deliver. they say that is not how it

will work, you need to talk to me first. that frankly does not suggest to me much of the confidence going forward with the europeans bringing forward with the europeans bringing forward a miracle on may 12. given the rhetoric from president trump andindeed the rhetoric from president trump and indeed the people he has surrounded himself with in international security affairs, do you think there is any remedy that will please him ? you think there is any remedy that will please him? it is very difficult to say. who would have said a few weeks ago, a few months ago, that president trump could be meeting the north korean leader. when it comes to president trump, it is impossible to guess what he wants to do. in terms of his rhetoric, he has been consistent since candidacy. he says this deal is terrible and wa nts to he says this deal is terrible and wants to walk away from it. but look at some of his advisers, like the national security council, mike pompeo, they have a track record of

deep opposition. you have a deeper track record there than president trump. the horrific case of the gang rape and murder of an eight—year—old girl in january shocked india and the rest of the world. it's sparked a huge public outcry and protests in indian—administered kashmir where it happened, and the capital, delhi. on monday, the country's supreme court will hear a plea to turn the case into a federal rather than local investigation. the government has made the laws stricter, including bringing in the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below 12 years of age. yogita limaye travelled to cut—wah in india's jammu and kashmir state to report on this case. once again, a rape and murder brought people out on the streets in india. this time, the victim was merely eight years old. she belonged to this muslim nomadic tribe. they roam the hills and valleys

of the state ofjammu and kashmir. she was captured when she was out grazing horses. police say she was raped, tortured, and murdered by hindus who wanted the tribe to move off their land. her family has continued theirjourney into the mountains, waiting for justice. translation: she was beautiful, smart, and intelligent. the only thing i want is for her attackers to go through the same pain that she went through. it is in this hindu temple that she was allegedly held for a week. eight men have so far been arrested. because of where the crime is said to have taken place, the alleged motive for it, and the fact that the girl

was a muslim, and all of those who have been arrested are hindus, has meant that this has gone from being against sexual violence against women and girls in india to being about polarisation between two religious communities. not far from the temple, family members of the accused and villagers from the area are sitting in protest. they are demanding a federal investigation. the daughter of one of those arrested says she too wants justice for the child. but, in the muslim—majority state, she fears her community is being targeted. translation: the unity of hindus is being attacked. 0ur voices have been suppressed. all our men have been arrested. who will we go back home for? prime minister modi has promised justice for the victim, and his cabinet has approved the death sentence for those who rape children. but many believe the incident has set a dangerous precedent. the most scary part is the use

of the body of that little girl for scaring away an entire community, because it has long—term repercussions, both for the safety of women as well as the safety of the minorities. five years ago, these protests following the gang rape of a delhi student had also forced the government to pass tougher laws. but, in a deeply patriarchal society, little seems to be changing. yogita limaye, bbc news, in kathua. some of the biggest names in football have been sending messages of support to sir alex ferguson. the former manchester united manager is recovering in intensive care, after suffering a brain haemorrhage. he underwent emergency surgery on saturday. 0ur sports correspondent, david 0rnstein, has the latest. last seen in public looking fit

and well a week ago, news of sir alex ferguson's illness has rocked the world of football and beyond. among the many messages of support, david beckham said "keep fighting, boss. sending prayers and love to cathy and the whole family." while another ex—manchester united star cristiano ronaldo wrote, "my thoughts and prayers are with you, my dear friend. be strong, boss." everyone at match of the day sends our best wishes to sir alex ferguson. the flood of good wishes unrelenting. and i would like to wish my fellow manager ferguson well and very quickly. he's the most iconic figure within football, certainly in the last 30 years. if then you add that to the fact he's such an important role model for so many people around the world, he's captured the world and he's a national institution really. he was yesterday admitted to salford royal hospital. the 76—year—old had emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage.

the procedure is said to have gone very well, but a period of intensive care will follow. when he starts to regain consciousness his neurological state will be assessed repeatedly, and he will be only transitioned to an area of care which requires less support when he's starting to regain his independence and he's stable. at old trafford, supporters spoke of their admiration for sir alex. he's a legend, and he has been for the whole club. even though he isn't running the club now, i think a lot of people will feel this. i'm a leeds supporter, but obviously i respect sir alex and what he's done for football. greatest football manager of all time. well, this is where sir alex ferguson is revered the most. a stand is named after him, and there's a statue in his honour. his status is legendary. he led manchester united to an incredible 38 trophies in 26 years, an all time great of the game at home an abroad,

reknowned for his tenacity and fighting spirit, but now sir alex ferguson faces perhaps his biggest challenge of all. david 0rnstein, bbc news, old trafford. injapan, thousands of people have marched in the tokyo rainbow pride, one of the city's two annual gay pride parades. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people carried banners and placards with rainbow colours, a symbol of sexual diversity. the organiser says a record 37 organisations, including companies and embassies, supported the 7th annual event. when it comes to sport, we have a lot to look forward to in the next few months. there's the world cup of course, wimbledon, and also the ryder cup, to name just a few. but in the swiss canton of valais, a real heavyweight contest has already been taking place, involving some formidable female competitors.

the bbc‘s tim allman has more. they call it the battle of the queens. an annual tradition where more than 100 cows go head to head, quite literally. translation: this is their instinct. this is a very friendly animal, but a hierarchy needs to be established in the herd. this is why they fight, to discover the best of the herd and this is the one who will lead the herd everywhere. but i want to emphasise, this cow fights, but she's not at all agressive, she is very nice. it can look fairly beautiful, brutal, but organisers insist serious injuries are rare. the animals lock horns, the first one that turns away loses. more than 10,000 people

came to cheer them on. the livestock plays a vital role in the community and the economy. translation: this is a tradition that will go on for a lot time. we have great cows and we have a great product. racelette cheese. cows allow us to live. the final contest would decide who was the queen of queens and it was competitor 131 who triumphed, she is definitely top cow. tim allman, bbc news and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm at duncan golestani. that's how it's looking this hour. thank you very much for your company and bye for now.

sunday was a pretty glorious day to much of the country, a top of 26.3 celsius. we saw plenty of blue sky, although a lot of cloud in western scotland. we are likely to break records for bank holiday monday, this was the last record set back in 1999. several places will be that today and one or two places could make it to 28 celsius and that could be the north and the west of london. we start the morning off on a fairly fresh note across eastern areas, but lots of sunshine across most areas with northern ireland and southern scotland. always more cloud, west of scotland is that weather front getting a bit cooler as well. those temperatures in the mid—20s celsius. as we head into monday night it looks like it will be another dry and clear one, some changes at the west and outbreaks of rain, so here it will be fairly mild and a bit full and a clear skies. the pressure pattern for tuesday, low pressure moving in off the atlantic introducing slightly

cooler air like this weather front. for tuesday itself it will be quite a cloudy, wet and breezy day for northern ireland, pushing into scotland and also western parts of england and into wales as well. could see a few heavy showers, maybe some thunderstorms, here it will be another hot and sunny day. further north and west it will be cooler temperatures returning closer to seasonal. as we had to wednesday, another area of low pressure moving in off the atlantic on this one more energy off it with more active weather fronts. it means we are starting off on a fine note for much of the country on wednesday. this weather system starts pushing into northern ireland, scotland and into north—west england and wales and heavy rain. maybe thundery. further east, we will do pretty well again, with temperatures reaching 21 degrees with sunshine. as we move into thursday, a bridge of high—pressure, but it will feel full and fresher and fairly brisk westerly wind, a few showers especially across western hills and western wales as well. some good spells of sunshine. not a bad looking day

for thursday, temperatures cooler from around 13—17 celsius. the general trend is that it will cool down, back in the air and a normal with sunshine and showers. some good spells of sunshine. not a bad looking day for thursday, temperatures cooler from around 13—17 celsius. the general trend is that it will cool down, back in the air and a normal with sunshine and showers. this is bbc news. the headlines: the british foreign secretary has urged the trump administration not to walk away from the iran nuclear agreement. writing in the new york times, borisjohnson said historic evidence of an iranian secret project to develop nuclear weapons underscored the importance of the deal. pakistan's interior minister has narrowly escaped

an assassination attempt. a gunman fired at ahsan iqbal as he left a rally in punjab province. he was hit in the right shoulder. his son told local media that his condition isn't life—threatening. the former manchester united manager, sir alex ferguson, remains in intensive care after undergoing emergency surgery for a bleed on the brain. a club statement on saturday said the operation had gone very well, but there's been no update on his condition. now on bbc news it's time for dateline london.