this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at three: the people of iraq head to the polls — the country is holding its first general election since declaring victory over the group that calls itself islamic state. translation: i voted because i want a change in this country, nothing more. this country has suffered so much and we hope the good people win, people with ethics, conscience and faith in god. the worst wage crisis in modern history — the tuc says workers are still feeling the effects of the financial crisis. two british tourists are among three people kidnapped at gunpoint in a democratic republic of congo national park. mps and campaigners criticise a "lack of progress" on mobile connectivity in rural areas. also in the next hour, we'll hear about a novel plan to regenerate the high street in dumfries. a community group is leading the fight against decline in the town's centre, with hopes of drawing the crowds back to the shops.

and in 30 minutes, how do we want to live our lives in the future? click visits an exhibition of the designs that could make our ambitions a reality. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the people of iraq are voting in the first parliamentary election since the country declared victory over the group that calls itself islamic state. polls are due to close in the next hour. security forces are on alert, because militants have threatened attacks on politicians and voters. it's the country's fourth vote since the invasion of 2003, that removed saddam hussein from power. as our correspondent, yalda hakim reports, safety and the economy have

dominated the campaign. security is tight. islamic state have threatened these elections, the candidates and polling stations. the authorities are taking no chances. just two years ago, large parts of this country were still part of the islamic state's caliphate. but across this nation iraqis are cautiously optimistic that these polls mark a turn point. translation: i voted because i wanted change in this country, nothing more. this country has suffered so much, and we hope the good people win. people with ethics, conscience and faith in god. there is still a lot of anger towards the authorities in baghdad. translation: we want the entire situation in iraq to be changed. we want new schools to be built, we wantjobs. there is nothing right now. in 80 years i haven't seen anything change. 2a hours before the election,

airports and borders were closed. they have now re—opened. the prime minister has based his entire campaign on the defeat of the islamic state. he is now desperately trying to bring the sunni minority groups back into the political process. the divisions that have ravaged iraq for the past 15 years are showing signs of easing. iraqis are tired of the fighting and now want to bring change through the ballot box. the hope is this election will bring a new era of stability. british workers have experienced the longest squeeze on real wages in 200 years, according to the tuc. it's staging a march through central london, calling for a higher minimum wage, a ban on zero—hours contracts, and more funding for public services. the government says inflation is falling and unemployment is at a ito—year low. here's our business correspondent, joe lynam.

they have come in their thousands — nurses, teachers, welders and firefighters, all calling for a new dealfor workers and the public service. the tuc says we are living through the worst erosion in spending power since the 1800s. what it shows is that if we carry on at this same rate of pay increases, it will take to 2025 to get back to the real wages people had before the crash. that is 17 years and just too long. using official data, the tuc found that the real wages, which takes account of inflation, went up by 27% in the decade before the financial crisis in 2008. but in the last ten years, they have fallen by 4%. it says that the average worker will have lost round £18,500 in real earnings by 2025. but according to one key economist, productivity and not

austerity is the main cause for stagnating real wages. the key issue is that the economy hasn't grown and the economy hasn't grown because productivity hasn't grown. that means the amount we produce with each hour we work is the same now as it was in 2008. if we are not producing more we are not in the end going to earn any more. in a statement the government said: real wages or spending power after we have been paid are going up — just. unemployment is at a a0 year low, but for many people they may not feel that much better off. for the people on this march, they are calling for more secure, better paid jobs. geraintjohns is from the work foundation, and is also a professor of economics at lancaster university.

earlier, he told me he agreed with the findings from the tuc‘s report. it's something we have known about for some time, the wages have been stag na nt for some time, the wages have been stagnant in real terms the recession. if we look at where wages peaked before the recession, it is more than the 4% decline the tuc is talking about. essentially this is a matter of productivity. if we need to pay ourselves more, we need to produce more. the premium is on businesses and workers to produce more per hour. doesn't that then mean that businesses would make cuts somewhere along the line in the argument of increasing productivity? how would they do that? essentially they need to invest in up—to—date equipment, new technologies. if we compare the gate with other countries such as germany, they invested heavily in new technologies

and productivity has not been the problem there we have experienced in the uk. the uk is at the bottom of the uk. the uk is at the bottom of the league in terms of the adoption of robotic technology. the use of artificial intelligence, the use of robotics and heavy investment in capital will help make us more productive. to many workers listening, it would ring alarm bells. if you automate things more, it meansjob bells. if you automate things more, it means job losses along the line? doesn't necessarily mean job losses, it does mean people may need to change the colour work they do. technological change has been going on centuries. people'sjobs technological change has been going on centuries. people's jobs to change, they do more for overtime. that is to be expected. people need to be flexible. but inevitably, if we wa nt to be flexible. but inevitably, if we want to maintain the kind of

increase in the standard of living that we have seen in the years before the recession, then we have to a cce pt before the recession, then we have to accept that technological change has to be the driver for that. 2025 is one of the dates the tuc are quoting before we really do start to see an improvement in our wage packets. people have said, why is it taking so long? you say we need more investment. doesn't that imply that is going to be much longer before there is a real improvement?” is going to be much longer before there is a real improvement? i think 2025 is the date where people see wages catching up with where they we re wages catching up with where they were in real terms before the recession. so we can expect some progress before them, and indeed we might see the start of some progress in the figures that are going to be released this coming tuesday. but it has been a long period of stagnant wage growth. that has hurt people clearly, as the demonstration today suggests. the commons says inflation is down, unemployment is the lowest

it has been for a0 years. how do they play into the equation? they help but it does sound very complacent, doesn't it, in the light of ten years of real wage stagnation. the foreign office say they are supporting the families of two british nationals, who were kidnapped in a national park in the democratic republic of congo. the tourists were abducted yesterday, in the virunga national park, which runs along the border with uganda and rwanda. a ranger accompanying them was killed in the attack. louise dewast, who's in the capital, kinshasa, has the latest. we have just been told by an army spokesman in north kivu, the province where the attack happened, that they are conducting searches in the park. that the hostages are still being held captive. the attack happened just north of goma, a town in the province. it isa it is a world heritage site known for its mountain gorillas. there are many armed groups

operating in and around the park. there have been kidnappings there before. the number has increased in recent years. some human rights groups estimate that around 50% of those kidnappings are after ransom. we have not heard yet any confirmation of any ransom demands with these missing tourists. but it is something we will be monitoring. conflict in the region is rife. there are about 70 different groups operating in eastern congo alone. louise dewast in kinshasa. countryside campaigners are calling for action on what they say is an "appalling lack of progress" in improving mobile phone coverage in rural areas. they've been backed by more than 50 mps, who've accused mobile operators of failing to put up new masts, despite help from government. jon donnison reports. these days, life without your mobile, for many,

seems almost unimaginable. but in some parts of rural britain, it remains a reality. the communications regulator 0fcom says only 57% of people living in premises in rural areas are able to make phone calls on all four mobile networks. that compares to 90% in urban areas. now 50 rural mps have written to the secretary of state for digital culture, media and sport, matt hancock, calling for urgent action to change that. they want legally binding targets to force mobile operators to improve coverage. the operators say they are investing millions of pounds in rural areas, but the planning operations —— regulations are often neglected by —— rejected by locals. the government says mobile phone

coverage is improving, and that it is already changed planning laws to make it easier to put up new masts. it says the mobile companies now need to respond to those changes and act fast to increase coverage in rural areas. jon donnison, bbc news. america says it will help north korea to rebuild its economy, if it agrees to give up its nuclear weapons. the us secretary of state mike pompeo made the remarks after meeting his south korean counterpart. president trump and kim jong—un are due to meet for talks next month. rajini vaydya nathan reports. another step towards the historic summit between america and north korea as us secretary of state mike pompeo welcomed his south korean counterpart to washington. both countries have a shared goal of what they want from pyongyang. if north korea takes bold action to quickly de—nuclearise, the united states is prepared to work with north korea to achieve prosperity on a par with our south korean friends. it's been a whirlwind week for mr pompeo. on monday night, flew to north korea

where he met with kimjong—un. he returned on thursday with three americans who had been detained by pyongyang. his boss, president trump, was there to welcome the freed prisoners back to american soil. for a president whose style of diplomacy isn't to everyone's taste, it's been quite a turnaround. the north korean leader, once the pariah, now the recipient of praise. kimjong—un did a great service to himself, to his country by doing this. and remember, it's only been eight months since he described him as "little rocket man". speaking to a crowd in indiana, the president was full of optimism for the planned summit. the two men will come face to face in a months time in singapore and for president trump, the stakes couldn't be higher. rajini vaydyanathan, bbc news. north korea has announced when it

will dismantle its nuclear test site. the state news agency says it will take the site apart between may 23rd and may the 25th — and that international media will be allowed to look on. the headlines on bbc news: voting is underway in iraq — it's the first parliamentary election since the country declared victory over the group that calls itself islamic state. the tuc says workers are experiencing the longest squeeze on wages for 200 years. diplomats are working with authorities in the democratic republic of congo after two british citizens were kidnapped in a national park. in sport, the football league

play—offs are under way. scunthorpe united scored a dramatic equaliser to finish 2—2 against rotherham. elsewhere, lincoln city against exeter in league 2 is goalless. lewis hamilton and mercedes are back on form in barcelona. he said a new track record to claim pole position for the spanish grand prix. valtteri bottas starts alongside him. and non sta nford bottas starts alongside him. and non stanford finishes third injapan to claim herfirst stanford finishes third injapan to claim her first podium stanford finishes third injapan to claim herfirst podium since stanford finishes third injapan to claim her first podium since 2016. she has been plagued with illness and injury. more headlines in an hour. former italian prime minister silvio berlusconi has won a court battle, and overturned a ban that prevented him from holding public office. the 81—year—old, who had been barred from serving until next year, after being found guilty of tax fraud, could now stand if fresh elections are called. leaders of the right wing the league party are locked in talks with the anti—establishment

five star party, in an attempt to form a government. so could he be back in power soon? the bbc‘s rome correspondent, james reynolds, doesn't think so. the biggest party in the march general election was the five star movement. the five star movement has made it very clear that silvio berlusconi, ban or no ban, can play no role whatsoever in any coalition talks involving the movement. that is important because five star and another populist party, the league, are in the middle of coalition negotiations which may end up with them as a government. there is another problem for mr berlusconi. his wasn't the biggest party. he only came number two. things don't look so good at the moment. he will be happy that how he can get back into he will be happy that now he can get back into the field, if there is no coalition government, there may be an early election

and he would be free to stand as a candidate. james reynolds. an exhibition of paper doves will open at salisbury cathedral this weekend, to symbolise peace and hope returning to the city. the installation had been planned to mark the anniversary of the end of the second world war, but since the nerve agent attack in march the meaning has changed, as andy howard reports. sometimes the simple things are the most effective. thousands of white paper birds fly high in salisbury. doves are often a symbol of recovery and hope, and at the moment, this city needs both. we feel that what happened to us, this is an opportunity to say we are not alone, we are together, we are doing something together. we may not change the world, but as a community we have shown we are standing together, and it is a new beginning. please god, it's a new beginning for us. some of the doves have come from around the world, where this travelling exhibition has been before.

others have been made here, with local people's messages written inside. but it is notjust in the cathedral where the salisbury doves are in flight. shops have come together too, and the flock is growing all the time. out of adversity positive things happen. i think it is heart—warming. doves have a nice message, don't they? so, everyone knows what the meaning is, and they are really taking part. paper birds can't help this city alone. businesses said today trade is down by a0% or more since the nerve agent attack. but what these little doves have already done is help bring people together. safety in numbers at troubled times. andy howard, bbc news. breaking the cycle of youth crime in britain's cities, has become one of our most pressing social issues. knife crime — in particular — has commanded attention, in recent weeks. one man who lived the gangster‘s

life, is now trying to stop children following his path. as our sports correspondent joe wilson found out, he is using cricket. when you say think reality... a classroom in birmingham but no ordinary teacher. he describes himself as an urban youth specialist. i didn't do my gcses. i did the equivalent in prison. you are going to do your gcses, aren't you? cool. i fired the gun in the air. his lessons ardron from his experience, guns, drugs, gangs, prisons. it all came before you decided to change. guns, drugs, gangs, prisons. it all came before you decided to changelj came before you decided to change.” wa nted came before you decided to change.” wanted to be a bad man. you can talk to young people in a classroom all day long. the key is to engage them in something positive, something

constructive or energetic. something may be like cricket. he is working with a charity and funding from sport england. why this? cricket is a different form of integration for the boys and girls. get them to let off some frustration. whack! is a great way to carry the information. u nfortu nately, great way to carry the information. unfortunately, it is glamorised for young people to walk with a knife. we have to be honest and frank about that. you've got a knife and you are with your mates, you don't want to look like an idiot, you're going to sta b look like an idiot, you're going to stab him. you shouldn't carry knives because you will end up using it. he knows about it because he was a. when we were walking to the field, he said, you should never carry a knife. in this playground and children waiting to be influenced. a plastic cricket bat and a tennis ball not everything, but something. to niasse samba leaves the best opportunities are found in unlikely

places. there was once a time when saturday afternoons were spent taking a trip to the shops — but online buying and out—of—town superstores have changed that tradition. in the town of dumfries, in south—west scotland, the community appears to have hit upon a novel way to regenerate its high street, as lorna gordon has been finding out. it's a familiar image — a high—street lacking shops and homes and getting emptier by the year. look at it. we've got more shops that are empty in dumfries than we have got that are occupied at the moment. this high street, though, is fighting back, and evie copland is part of a group of locals leading the charge. it's a real sad state of affairs, but we have got a dream to change 551313, 119121515514; “85353; on the street, change can't come soon enough. i would really like to have some neighbours, you know? when i look out this window, i'm looking out sometimes in a desert and i would like to look at this window and see a lot of people living close to me

because that's where you get a feeling of community and you're not quite as alone and isolated as we are at the moment. so this campaign, which started as an idea by local artists, now involves many more. they do accept there are challenges ahead — finding absentee landlords, raising funds — but are determined not to pass the buck. people say, "oh, but that is someone else's fault, the council should fix it or the government should fix it or somebody higher up ought to be fixing this problem for us and because they're not, we are in this terrible state," but actually, what we found is it's really empowering for people to stop it's the eurovision song contest tonight —

and increasingly, it's about more than just the music. the performances these days are increasingly spectacular, and for many artists it's a life—changing experience — as david sillito has been finding out. good evening, europe! and good morning, australia! hello to the rest of the world! and if there are any submarines passing by. all: hellooo! eurovision. it's a world all of its own and whatever you think of the songs, it certainly knows how to do spectacle these days. # cos i'm way up and i ain't coming down. # keep taking me higher #. and this is where it's all going to be happening tonight and what gets you about this is how big it has become. it has grown like topsy over the years. but at the heart of all of this are very personal stories of many artists who never, ever thought they'd get a chance to be on such a stage.

# i'm not your toy. # not your toy. # you stupid boy. # stupid boy #. this is netta from israel, and she's one of the frontrunners. the song, a rallying cry of female empowerment. butjust getting here has been life—changing for her. i didn't expect to win. i expected to get recognition, to get some gigs to afford my rent. you know, i had a — i had a hard time being me as a child. i was fat. i am fat. sorry, i'm still the same girl. and i was thinking "how can i be this skinny star? i have to be skinny if i want to be a star. it needs to happen. i will be beautiful when i grow up, i will be skinny and i will perform everywhere." and looking back then — me looking back — and i'm

realising i'm the same girl. i look exactly the same. and this is big. this is absolutely — this is big. i feel sexy, i feel pretty, ifeel me. i feel myself. # storms don't last forever. # forever. # give all you've got #. of course, it's been 20 years since israel last won. and for the uk, it's 21. # give all you got. # hold your head up. # through the storm #. this year, the bookies have the uk's surie at 200—1. but this is a place for outsiders and for netta, whatever happens on the night, just being here is already a victory. david sillito, bbc news. over 500 knights are fighting this weekend in the world's biggest

medieval combat championship. it was started 20 years ago by historical re—enactors bored with simply playing out scenes from the past. it's the first time the sport's come to the uk. the bbc‘s mike bushell was drafted in to help team scotland. from across the known world, they came hither. ye old, and not quite so old. ye brave, and not quite as brave. the bold, and not quite as bold! a force like never before. the chance to keep alive the conflict and culture of a time gone by. but this is no re—enactment, it's a recognised sport with 31 countries here. hello! we are from china! we are obviously re—enacting a period of time in history

but we are doing it as a sport. this is full contact sport. this is mma in armour. most things are allowed. there are certain zones you shouldn't hit. you shouldn't hit the groin for obvious reasons, you shouldn't hit the back of the knees and you shouldn't twist limbs in an unnatural action, we don't want bone breaks. we get a few injuries but it's not that bad. 0ther full contact sports, like hockey, rugby, that's same level of injuries. we do have them but they're not that common. watching scotland against the not so ye old usa, it is amazing there aren't more injuries. but it's that thick armour and helmets that protect you. it was beautiful. beautiful. it was brutal. i can't even watch ufc boxing, i find it too violent. but you do this. but this is ok.

you have protection everywhere. yes. and you can kick. 0k. argh. psychologically it can be hard to take the hit. the main thing is to stay on your feet because people who win, the team that wins will be the one that has the last person standing. how many times have you been hurt? i've never been hurt, no. just a bruise. usually from the armour pinching than the actual hit. it feels worse than it is. after being reassured, it was time for me, sir mike—alot, to fight, with my trusty red shield. and the tactic was to give them a runaround until quebec's tallest gladiator put a chink in my armour. but i had a cunning plan. hold on for dear life. in the end, a non—contest with andrew from quebec victorious. that wasn't your hardest fight, sir.

no, it was fun, though. some fights go on a lot longer. this outnumbered australian stood his ground against the odds to force a draw against england. and it looks like we got off lightly, a reminder why you shouldn't try this at home. a crestfallen fighter from finland carted off by ye old paramedics. luckily a precaution and he's ready to fight another day. come on! pleasa ntly now the weather with ben rich. to sizzle as it works its way southwards and eastwards. ahead of that rain band, in the sunshine, temperatures perhaps up to 22, 23 footer that does set the tone for the coming week. it will be largely drive. there will be spells of sunshine. in that sunshine you will feel pleasantly whether fortunes have been very mixed today. the west had the best of the sunshine. more cloud in the east. as we go into