it was a nerve-racking fourth time. it was a nerve—racking final in bilbao. an indicator of the strength of irish rugby after the grand slam. st helens her into the quarterfinals that the challenge cup. they beat them for 36 months to 18. ben barber scoring a hat trick of tries. purchase printer says training in the rain helped him beat the world champion today. he ran a seasons best time of 10.04 seconds. gatlin was seven. that is it for me but much more in the bbc sport website, including how ireland's recruiters are getting on in the first test match. for me or not, it's back to you. more news. i would like for the ladies after eurovision —— for the ladies. it is shaping up to be. vertically

across the western half of the country, many of us had seems like this one. satellite image shows that cloud has been across many central and eastern parts of the country in particular. preston north the west, some clearer skies. heading for this evening, all that cloud. 0utbreaks of rain across east anglia shifting into parts of north east england and eastern scotland overnight. elsewhere, any of the evening showers easing to get quite easy conditions. after they clear start, that east — west split continues. a

few spots of rain, best parts of sunshine to be found further west. a few showers for east anglia, probably a slightly drier date towards the east midlands. 20 of sunshine for the western half of scotland. likely to see temperatures in the sunnier spells around 15—17d. as we look ahead towards the new working week, high—pressure starting to build. from the southwest, still an area of low pressure not far away across parts of france. because he just a few showers and fairly cloudy conditions in the southeast of england and east anglia for a time on monday. elsewhere, with that pressure building, sunshine and commercial search of the —— sunshine and temperatures will search with the little two. temperatures should shift. not a bad day at all,

tuesday. a lot of dry, fine weather. a few spots of rain, dry and sunny and improved across many eastern areas. this temperatures doing pretty well come up to around 21 reports you degrees —— up around 21 01’ reports you degrees —— up around 21 or 22 degrees. next week is looking pretty decent. lots of dry with her, sunny spells and is temperatures will be up. bye—bye. this is bbc news. voting has ended in the first parliamentary elections in iraq since it declared victory over the islamic state group. security has been high and tonight, three people are reported to have been killed after a militant attack near a polling station. it's iraq's fourth vote since 2003, when saddam hussein was removed from power. 0ur correspondent martin patience reports from baghdad. iraq is at a turning point. people

here hope that this election will represent a fresh start. but the fear is the country could slip back into violence. despite the islamic state group being pushed out of most of iraq, the threat of attacks remain. translation: we hope that new politicians will be elected who will change things for young people. we've got university degrees but we're sitting at home unemployed. translation: god willing, the situation will improve. the younger generation will get jobs, electricity will get better and most importantly, we will have security. prime minister needs all the votes he can get. he's facing unexpectedly tough, edition from other shia politicians. the iraqi leader won praise for his fight against the islamist extremist but whoever wins this election will need to rebuild

the country's shattered cities and gain the trust of sunni muslims whose marginalization in a first place led to the rise of is. this is a critical moment for iraq. security has vastly improved here and there is now an opportunity to rebuild the country, but iraq cosmic unity is fragile. sectarian divisions could once again a tear this country apart. with growing tensions between america and iran, many iraqis fear their country could be a casualty of their country could be a casualty of the struggle. martin patience, bbc news, baghdad. and we'll find out how this story are covered at the slightly different times tonight. our guests joining me tonight are the broadcaster, lynn fauld wood and ruth lea, economic adviser

to the arbuthnot banking group. tens of thousands of people have marched through central london, demanding better pay and improved job security. the trades union congress, which organised the demonstration, says british workers are experiencing the longest income squeeze in 200 years. the government says inflation is falling and unemployment is at a 40—year low. here's our business correspondent joe lynam. thousands came marching for an end to shrinking pay packets. nurses, teachers, waters and firefighters are calling for a new deal for workers and the public service. the trade union congress says we are living through the worst rosing and oui’ living through the worst rosing and our spending power since the 1800s. >> if we carry on at ...17 17 years, and just too long.

real wages went up but in the last ten years, they have fallen by 4%. it says that the average worker will have lost around 18 and a half thousand pounds in real earnings by 2025. the real issue is the economy has not grown in the economy is not good because productivity has not grown. that means the amount we produced is about the same as it was in 2008, and if we are not producing any more, we're not going to be able to earn any more. in the statement, the government says... real wages or spending power after we have been paid are going up — just. unemployment is at a 40—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. joe lynam, bbc news, at the tuc march in central london. the foreign office say they're 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 travelling with them was killed in the attack. 0ur reporter louise dewast, who's in the capital kinshasa, has the latest. we have just been told by an army spokesman in the province of north kivu, 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 north kivu, in this world heritage site that is known for its mountain gorillas. but there are many armed groups operating in and around the park. and there have been kidnappings there before.

and actually, the number of kidnappings has been increasing in recent years. and some human rights groups estimate that around 50% of those kidnappings are for ransom. we have not heard yet any confirmation on any ransom demands with these two missing tourists. but it's something that we will be monitoring. conflict in the region is rife. there are about 70 different groups operating in eastern congo alone. north korea has announced it will dismantle its nuclear test site later this month — in plain view of the world's media. the three—day event is scheduled to take place three weeks before president trump and the north korean leader kimjong—un hold an historic summit in singapore. from south korea, laura bicker reports. another key public announcement from the usually secretive state. she is describing a ceremony to dismantle north korea's main nuclear test site.

kimjong—un has carried out all six nuclear blasts within these secluded mountain valleys, but now he says he will blow up all the tunnels and block all entrances and allow foreign media to watch. it's the kind of serious step that the us has been hoping for. earlier this week, the secretary of state travelled to pyongyang. he had an offer to help build the state's economy if they give up their weapons. back in washington, in a meeting with the south korean foreign minister, mr pompeo made it clear — sanctions will remain until any deal is done. it will require a robust verification programme, and one that we will undertake with partners around the world. it's been a week of dizzying diplomatic efforts, with the release of three men who were held in north korea for over a year. skeptics say president trump is falling for the pyongyang playbook.

but others believe there's a chance north korea's priorities are changing and that just perhaps this time might be different. a court in milan has lifted a ban on the former italian prime minister, silvio berlusconi, standing for public office. the 81—year—old was disqualified after being convicted of tax fraud in 2013. the decision means he could now stand if fresh elections are called. but as our correspondent in rome, james reynolds, explains berlucsconi is unlikely to being taking office any time soon. the biggest party in the march general election was the five star movement. and 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 five star movement. that's 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. and there's another problem

for mr berlusconi as well. he wasn't the biggest party. he only came number two. things don't look so good for him at the moment. he'll 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 of course would now be free to stand as a candidate. 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. but the operators say they are investing millions of pounds in rural areas but that planning applications for new mobile phone masts are often rejected by local people. 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. liz saville roberts, plaid cymru mp and vice chair of the all—party parliamentary group on rural business who co—ordinated

the mps letter, told us why action was necessary. at present we have is this fallacy that composition is king and that will suit every region of the uk. that is not suiting rural areas. there ought to be a universal service obligation for all providers and not just local monopolies. service obligation for all providers and notjust local monopolies. what iand and notjust local monopolies. what i and other mps are concerned is that the new roll—out of the 700 megahertz we are expecting late in the day 2020, that is not coming into play for centracare is of the uk. we are looking for a situation where... the uk. we are looking for a situation where. .. the commercial causality uk. we are looking for a situation where... the commercial causality of providers is more important than actually making sure we have a proper coverage. the headlines on bbc news: voting has closed in iraq. it's the first parliamentary election since the country declared

victory over the group that calls itself islamic state. tens of thousands of people have marched through central london, demanding better pay and improved job security. the foreign office says its supporting the families of two british nationals who were kidnapped in a national park in the democratic republic of congo. the newly elected malaysian prime minister — 92—year—old mahathir mohamad — who won the election in a shock victory last week — is wasting no time getting to work. he's already named several members of his cabinet, and a few hours ago, announced that he has sufficient evidence to open a corruption investigation into the former prime minister, najib razak. jonathan head has the latest. there were many issues which the opposition used in their successful election campaign, but they zeroed in on this one — a government—linked investment project from which billions are believed to have been stolen. the new government is wasting no time in restarting an investigation into the outgoing prime minister,

which he had quashed while in office, and barring him from leaving the country. there are a lot of complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated. and because of the complaints being made, we find that some of the complaints are varied, we have to act quickly because we don't want to be saddled with the problem of extradition from other countries. angry crowds converged on an airport in kuala lumpur where a chartered plane had been due to take the ousted prime minister and his wife to indonesia. for a short holiday, he said, but they thought he was fleeing. for najib razak, who ruled for nine years, it has all come crashing down. bolstered by a political system that has never allowed an opposition party to win an election before, he never expected a defeat like this. today, he announced he was resigning as leader of his party. but it could get a lot worse for him if criminal charges are filed.

this man could soon be released from prison. anwar ibrahim started the opposition movement which hasjust gained power. he was jailed first under mahathir mohamad, then under najib razak, but he's been promised a full pardon as soon as tuesday. then the extraordinary revived partnership between him and his 92—year—old former mentor can begin, though no one is quite sure how it will work. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. council leaders have warned that the amount of rubbish dumped illegally across england each year, could stretch from london to moscow. the local government association says the cost to taxpayers for clearing up fly—tipping rose to more than £57 million last year. that's up by 13%.

the report says between 2016 to 2017, there were almost half a million incidents where waste at least the size of a small van was illegally dumped. councillor martin tett is the environment spokesman he told us why flytipping is becoming an expensive problem for local authorities. for for local authorities. a number of years, we actuall stopped for a number of years, we actually stopped like things begin to drop, and the last two years, we've seen it on the rise again and again we are seeing a bit of change in its structure as well because there is a lwa ys structure as well because there is always in the individual who goes out maybe with a black bag and just dumps rubbish in a country lane. we're seeing now more gangs coming into this market. the people who will come round and offered to take away waste from your house many for as low as £25 a loaded, for offices sometimes maybe 100 or £200 and you think it's been disposed of legally but actually what will happen is they will come out to a quiet area and it would dump the entire lot at sometime in the middle of the night. this is a big industry now and it's worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to committal gangs. criminal

gangs. prince harry and meghan markle have asked a senior american bishop to preach at their wedding next weekend. bishop michael curry — who leads the episcopal church in the united states — will deliver the sermon at st george's chapel next saturday. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, described bishop michael as a "brilliant pastor, stunning preacher and someone with a great gift for sharing the good news ofjesus christ." nasa is planning to send a mini—helicopter to mars. if tests with the "rover—copter" succeed, it'll mean the agency can explore the red planet without having to traverse its rocky terrain. the mission is scheduled to launch in 2020. injust over 90 minutes, this year's eurovision song contest gets underway in lisbon. the annual event is increasingly becoming about more than just music. the performances these days can be rather 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, i feel 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, lisbon. there was once a time when saturday afternoons were spent taking a trip to the shops, but online shopping 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 our correspondent 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 the face of our high street and bring a bit of love back to dumfries town centre. and you are from dumfries, aren't you 7 so this must be something you really care about. absolutely, lifelong doonhamer. i'm so proud to come from here. all i want to do is make it somewhere for everyone to be proud of. the challenges here are not unique, but the people driving this project think they've hit upon a really novel way of regenerating the centre of this town. scottish land reform legislation could be used here in a way not seen before, and the community will be able to buy shares in the scheme too. it's an incredibly exciting project, and in scotland, we have a recognised culture

of community land ownership, particularly across the western isles and in the highlands. this has taken the whole thing to a new level this has taken the whole thing to a new level that is being watched by urban communities across scotland to see how successful it will be. and for people likejohn downson, one of a handful of residents left 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 and say, "maybe we can just go out and clean that problem ourselves." if people power works here in dumfries, others could follow, using land reform legislation to save their high streets and bring life back into the centre of their towns. president erdogan of turkey has accused israel of "instigating war" in the middle east. he told the bbc‘s hardtalk programme that israel was constantly terrorising the region. he was commenting on israel's recent strikes on what it said were iranian military sites in syria. the israelis said this followed an iranian rocket attack on theirforces in the golan heights. israel said it was in retaliation, that israel launched the attack on the iranian revolutionary guards after they carried out their action

on israeli posts in the occupied golan heights. the president of iran. the president of turkey there speaking during his visit to britain. you can see all of that on hardtalk. a weather update now.

some sunshine and it's been pleasa ntly warm some sunshine and it's been pleasantly warm in some parts. fairly heavy outbreaks of rain for the london region and they've been pushing northwards through lincolnshire. a few scattered showers also in southwest england that should fade away overnight, so with clear skies and the west, it's going to be chilly nights come. could even be a touch of frost. tomorrow looks fairly similar today in thatan tomorrow looks fairly similar today in that an east—west switch to —— split. rain in northumberland, but it should be a little bit brighter in southeast england. as we look for the course of next week, high pressure building, things are set to stay mainly dry. there will be some sunny spells and it should feel pleasa ntly sunny spells and it should feel pleasantly warm.