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 iran nuclear deal. pakistan's interior minister survives an assassination attempt. ahsan iqbal was shot in the arm at a political rally. 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's 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's 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's scrapping it later this week. here's 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 have 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 a nuclear weapon. he will meet white house representatives, including vice president mike pence, to try to sway mr trump's decision before the deadline on 12 may. 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's 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. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. an explosion at an afghan mosque being used as a voter registration centre has killed at least 17 people and wounded dozens of others. the blast happened in the eastern province of khost as people gathered for afternoon prayers. there have been a number of attacks on such sites since voter registration began last month

for parliamentary elections due in october. north korea said the united states is wrong to suggest that pyongyang has agreed to talks on its nuclear programme because of international sanctions. in a statement, the foreign ministry accused washington of misleading public opinion and said pyongyang's actions should not be seen as a sign of weakness. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan has revealed his manifesto for re—election next month. he's promising further military action in syria against what he calls terrorists. he also told thousands of his supporters at a rally in istanbul that he had never given up on turkeyjoining the european union. 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 needa tooniss.

it's 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's 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. turnout was a little under 50%, slightly lower than last time. 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. jonathan head reports. has there ever been such a bold political gamble by someone

of this age? hardly showing his 92 years, mahathir mohamad has captivated this campaign, asking malaysian voters, many of whom weren't alive when he first took office, to give him another chance. he castigates the current prime minister and his wife for greed and corruption. in a slick and sentimental campaign video, the veteran leader explains to a young girl and boy that he has had to come back to fix the problems caused by his successors. the issue opposition activists are hoping will fire up the voters is this — imdb, a government—linked investment body from which billions of dollars were allegedly stolen, the subject of investigations around the world. the man they are trying to unseat, prime minister najib razak,

actually owes his job to past support from dr mahathir. now he is using the promise of government largess to keep it, here promising more money for this low—cost public housing estate, and a boost to the minimum wage. it also helps that, in this and other constituencies, the boundaries have recently been adjusted in a way that favours the government. the entry of dr mahathir has certainly electrified this election contest, and given the opposition a leader of unrivalled stature. but, for all of his complaints of corruption and mismanagement against the government, for most malaysians it is more prosaic issues like the rising cost of food that really matter, and it is hard to convince them that a man who for so long was part of the ruling machinery is now the solution to the ills he says that it has inflicted on the country. i'm not impressed.

they came from the same root, that is my opinion. came from the same root. for them to come in and to repair the damage that's been done, it might take some time. but there is no rest happening. their hesitation is understandable. until two years ago, dr mahathir was a member of the ruling party, backing the government which now challenges his legacy. i think we're putting forward a government for the future, looking forward to the next 30 years — 2050. or do you want to turn back the clock, and go back to a time of repression, go back to a time of crony capitalism, going back to a time where all of these institutional reforms which he promises today need to be done, because of the damages before, when he was prime minister? there is a huge reservoir of respect and affection for the man they call the father of modernisation in malaysia. but can that deliver enough votes to overcome a political system,

shaped largely by him, which until now has never allowed an opposition movement to win? 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. what happens if robert mueller subpoenas the president? will you comply? well, we don't have to. he is the president of the united states. we can assert the same privileges 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 am 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 is taking." so he may testify. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: who is switzerland's top cow? the traditional competition that decides who is head of the herd. 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. welcome back. 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. well, duncan, that's the big question. if you are listening to the latest speeches coming out of tehran, it suggests the iranians feel part of the 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's not how it will work, you need to talk to me first. that, frankly, does not suggest to me much confidence going forward with the europeans bringing forward a miracle on may 12th. given 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? 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 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. britain's foreign secretary boris

johnson has written an opinion piece in the new york times. is that it has weaknesses, but i am convinced they can be remedied. what would you expect those potential remedies to look like? on the nuclear issue itself, iran says they do not want a nuclear weapon. the rest of the world, certainly the united states, is concerned about the so—called sunset clause, that mince pie tweedy 20-5 sunset clause, that mince pie tweedy 20—5 iraq could potentially chase a nuclear weapon. that is something you can fix. —— errata. why can't they make it a permanent fixture of they make it a permanent fixture of the agreement? that is not the agreement. the problem we have is what you run is doing in the region. this is not about the iranian nuclear programme, but what they do in the middle east. 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 cutwa 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. 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. egyptian archaeologists say they've found no evidence of a secret chamber inside the tomb of the ancient boy king, tutankhamun. initial readings of radar imagery three years ago suggested there was a hidden cavity within the walls. this caused much excitement in the world of archaeology, and speculation that the room might even be the final resting place of another ancient figure. virginia langeberg has more. it was the theory which could have

unlocked one of the great mysteries of egyptian archaeology. here in the valley of the kings, could there also be an elusive queen laid to rest. intense scrutiny laid around the tomb of the boy king, tutankhamun. in 2015 it was suggested this could be a tomb within a tomb, and queen nefertiti could be here. this is the most intact tomb ever found in egypt. could be here. this is the most intact tomb everfound in egypt. it was packed with treasures from the 18th dynasty, including the death mask of the ancient farrah us. it ca ptu red

mask of the ancient farrah us. it captured the imagination of many. —— pharaoh. more than 3000 years after his death, it made the young king famous. experts were divided over the recent hidden chamber theory which could have been the discovery ofa which could have been the discovery of a century. but three years later and italian research team using ground penetrating scans are confident there is no secret tomb behind these walls. the fact we used this technology was important because it allowed us to check the

results and resolve complexity in the data we found which affected the results of the two previous radars. the antiquities ministery said at least we have an answer. the young king rests alone and one of the great mysteries of the past continues. injapan, in japan, thousands 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 tra nsgender 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 seventh annual event. most of us have heard of the running of the bulls in spain, but what about switzerland's cow fighting tradition? around 10,000 and breeders turned out for this weekend's battle of the queens in the city of aproz. each spring, the herens cows fight in order to choose a new herd leader for summer. the tradition led to an annual contest in the valais region which also happens to be renowned for its cheeses. the fight is over once the defeated animal turns away.

the organisers say the competitors rarely suffer serious injuries. and they're only doing what comes naturally to them. you are watching bbc world news. please stay with us. 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. 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. are now on bbc news — hardtalk.