welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: a terrorist knife attack in paris leaves one person dead and at least four others injured. the so—called islamic state say they did it. north korea announces plans to dismantle its nuclear test site within weeks. international experts and journalists are invited to watch. counting is underway after iraqis vote in the first general election since the country's victory over is. favourites israel win the eurovision song contest, while britain's performance is disrupted by a protestor storming the stage. hello and welcome to bbc news.

french prosecutors have begun a terrorism investigation after a man armed with a knife lashed out at passers—by in central paris. one person was killed and at least four others were injured. the attacker was shot dead by police. it took place in opera, one of the busiest districts of the city, at around 9:30pm in the evening. eyewitnesses said the knifeman shouted allahu akbar, and later, so—called islamic state said it was behind the attack. the french president, emmanuel macron, said on twitter that france had once again paid the price of blood. bill hayton reports. it should have been a pleasant night out in a popular part of paris. instead, a victim lies stabbed in the street. eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic as an attacker lashed out with a blade. investigators say he shouted "allahu akbar," arabic for "god is great." police flooded the area near the opera house,

and eyewitnesses said officers first tried to taser the suspect, and then fired two shots. the authorities have confirmed the attacker is dead. translation: the police arrived quickly. everyone arrived quickly. we didn't know what was going on. i quickly moved outside the bar, i saw a man lying on the floor. president macron said his thoughts were with the victims and their loved ones. he saluted the courage of the police officers who, in his words, neutralised the terrorist. the city's mayor said that all parisian stood by the victims‘ side. the incident is being treated as terrorism, but there has been no word on the background of the attacker. the islamic state group has claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting countries of the coalition that fought against it in the middle east. translation: france is absolutely

determined not to yield in any way to the threats issued via attackers. our response will be firm and clear. over the past three years, a string ofjihadist attacks around france have claimed the lives of almost 250 people. as the investigation continues, police will remain on high alert. 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 just weeks before president trump and the north korean leader, kim jong—un, hold their historic summit injune. from south korea, here is laura bicker. another key public announcement from the usually secretive state. she is describing a ceremony to dismantle north korea's main nuclear test site. kim jong—un has carried out all six nuclear blasts within the secluded mountain valleys of punggye—ri, but now he says he will blow up

all the tunnels and block all entrances, and allow foreign media to watch. it is the kind of serious step 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. i will require a robust verification programme, and one that we will undertake with partners around the world. the us president tweeted his approval. "thank you. a very smart and gracious gesture", he said. it has been a week of dizzying diplomatic efforts, with the release of three men who were held in north korea for over a year. sceptics say president trump

is falling for the pyongyang playbook, but others believe there is a chance that north korea's priorities are changing, and thatjust perhaps this time might be different. the electoral commission in iraq says fewer than 45% of eligible voters took part in saturday's parliamentary elections. it is the first vote since the government declared victory over the islamic state group. earlier, three people were killed in a bomb attack near the city of kirkuk, in what officials say was linked to the elections. our middle east 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 remains. 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'll have security. prime minister haider al—abadi won praise for his fight against the islamist militants. translation: today iraq is powerful and unified, after defeating terrorism, and this is a huge achievement for all iraqis. these elections will determine the immediate future for iraq, and it's the citizens themselves who'll decide that future, through this election. he needs all the votes he can get. he is facing unexpectedly tough competition from other shia politicians. but whoever wins this election will need to rebuild the country's shattered cities and gain the trust of sunni muslims, whose marginalisation in the first

place led to the rise of is. the results will also be closely watched across the region and beyond, as they could tip the balance of power in the middle east. this is a critical moment for iraq. security has vastly improved here, and there is now an opportunity to rebuild the country. but iraq's unity is fragile. sectarian divisions could once again tear this country apart. and, with growing tensions between america and iran, many iraqis fear their country could be a casualty of any struggle. martin patience, bbc news, baghdad. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: malaysian police are reported to have raided an apartment block with links to the recently defeated prime minister, najib razak. a senior police officer told the reuters news agency officers were looking for sensitive government papers which they feared could be taken out of the country.

one of britain's most notorious serial killers has died in prison. dennis nilsen admitted murdering 15 young men at two houses he lived in over a five—year period in london in the 1970s and ‘80s. 72—year—old nilsen was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1983. now, could silvio berlusconi be about to embark on yet another political comeback? a court in italy has overturned a ban which prevented the former prime ministerfrom holding public office. the six—year ban had been imposed following a 2013 conviction for tax fraud. our rome correspondent james reynolds reports. silvio berlusconi's latest fate was announced where it has so often been decided before — in court. in milan, a judge ruled that the 81—year—old is now free to hold public office, ending his years in the cold.

he spent a portion of his ban volunteering at a care home. this did not, perhaps, take up all of his attention. this march, mr berlusconi led his party into italy's general election, even though he wasn't personally allowed to stand as a candidate. but his movement performed badly, and now, he is able to put himself forward again. translation: this represents the end of the last five years, which have severely damaged us. with the full eligibility of silvio berlusconi, italy will rely on us again, and we will be increasingly decisive in our country. but the party may have missed its moment. right now italy's two main populist movements, 5—star and the right—wing league, are getting ready to form their own

coalition government. 5—star‘s leader has made it clear — ban or no ban, berlusconi is not invited. silvio berlusconi may be back, but he can'tjust muscle his way to the centre of the arena. italy's immediate future lies with the populists, not with him. james reynolds, bbc news, rome. turkey's president, recep tayyip erdogan, has accused israel of instigating war in the middle east. mr erdogan 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. well, israel said it launched them 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. turkey's president there, talking to the bbc‘s zeinab badawi. and you can watch more of that interview with recep tayyip erdogan on hardtalk. it is on bbc world news on monday 14 may at the times on your screen now. viewers in the uk can see

the programme on the bbc news channel. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: calling for cinema to step up on equality. more than 80 women in film gather on the steps at the cannes film festival, calling for improvements in the industry. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they call the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked a woman just sentenced to six years in jail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit

the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion garry kasparov. it's the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the islamic state group says it was behind the knife attack in central palace in which one person was killed and at least four others injured. north korea details plans to dismantle its nuclear test site within a two weeks and says international media and experts will be invited. the army in the democratic republic of congo says it is working

with park rangers to try to locate two british tourists who were kidnapped by gunmen on friday. during the attack in virunga national park which is home to rare mountain gorillas, a female ranger was shot dead. a driver was taken away with the british tourists but was later released. richard lister reports. virunga national park, one of the well‘s most beautiful places, and a haven for endangered mountain gorillas, drawing to rest every year. but also hidden in these forests are armed militia groups who see western visitors as a target. the park is in eastern congo and the two britons were travelling with a range and a driver, they were north of goma when a gunman killed the driver and abducted the tourists. eastern congo is at the heart of some of africa's bloodiest wars. despite a formal end to hostilities 15 years ago, attacks by rebel

groups in the east have been increasing. and ransom demands have given them a source of income. the foreign office advises against travelling almost anywhere in eastern congo, saying the risk of kidnapping is high and there are limits to what help it can offer there. but officials here are working with the congolese authorities and offering support to the families of the tourists involved. this latest violence is a sadly familiar to the rangers who patrol the park, at least 175 had been killed by militias in the past two decades. the army has notjoined their search for the missing tourists. richard lister, bbc news. —— has now joined. injune 2001, more than half a century after being driven into exile by communists, bulgaria's former king simeon ii made a dramatic comeback by winning the country's parliamentary election. witness has been speaking to simeon saxe—coburg—gotha about his remarkable journey from child king to prime minister. the monarchy strikes back. after more than 50 years in exile, former king simeon‘s vote

was much more than symbolic. i really didn't think that we would have such a landslide. it was really quite a surprise. it was also a tremendous decision. would i live up to it? was i capable? simeon was just a boy when he was crowned king “119113, at the age of six, leading a country which was a reluctant ally of nazi germany during the second world war. in september 7111, the soviet troops marched in, and there was a coup d'etat, and after that came the period where my uncle and other regents, plus a number of people were executed. we left from this house, as a matter of fact. right from this door. we boarded a so—called royal train,

and what worried my mother was that they noticed there were russian soldiers. they suddenly thought the very worst, that we would be taken somewhere and done in, but it didn't happen, obviously, since i can answer your questions today. we never thought that this would last 50 years. and suddenly, the way west was opened. this did not look like a planned move from the communist authorities, but rather another panic response by a government giving way to the parliament of the street. watching the news of the fall of the wall, literally this is what i started thinking — well, there might be a chance that eventually we would see bulgaria again. simeon returned from exile to huge crowds in 1996. from one part of the road to the centre was literally a sea of people.

most bulgarians think a decade of democracy after the fall of communism has given them far too little reward. now the ex—king must decide how to lead his people again. i self demoted myself to be prime minister, rather than stay with the hypothetical title of king, to be able to be more useful. to me, it was something which was against everything i had been taught over the years, that the king wouldn't meddle in direct politics. so that was one thing which cost me personally a lot of sleepless nights. to my father's generation, for centuries, people only had married within these families. my generation on, people started marrying persons who were outside the royal families, but this in itself shows that the monarchy isn't something

stale, stuck and back in history. my view is, having worn both hats, i couldn't say that there is one single system which is the best, but certainly the monarchy is something much more flexible than a politician, which i have been, works with sort of four years' time orfive years' time. the king is actually with a generation, so you think 25 years ahead roughly. i think the more people get a little bit upset with their politicians, the more monarchy has function. i think it's a pretty fair system. i'm not doing publicity of my own trade, but i really think it. dozens of women film stars have held a protest at the cannes film

festival against what they say is gender—based discrimination in the industry. russell trott reports. were directors and film stars amongst their number, the timing was a lwa ys amongst their number, the timing was always going to be perfect. 82 women working in world cinema at walking slowly, silently on the red carpet, they said to symbolise the underrepresentation of female filmmakers at an event meant to celebrate the global nature of the industry. our workplaces are divorce —— diverse and equitable, so that we can best affect the world in which we actually live. a world that allows all of us, in front and behind the camera, all of us to go shoulder to shoulder with a male colleagues. the global nature of

cannes exemplified by the purest white, from this chinese director. he is one of 21 directors in the running for the palm d'or. only three of those are women. in a lighter and more anarchic moment, the legendary directorjohn woo got appeared on the small screen, turning a cannes news conference in two we are cinematic event. the 87—year—old appeared via mobile phone, taking questions on everything from geopolitics to the future of cinema. such is the demand for tickets at cannes that deals are being done on the beach, and not only in euros. but this is the first cannes festival since allegations of sexual abuse were made against producer harvey weinstein last year. he has always denied engaging in a nonconsensual sex. and antiharassment hotline has been created at busy‘s cannes. and in

another sign of the times, perhaps, news that it had received several calls since the festival began. russell cross, bbc news. the eurovision song contest has been won by israel's entrant netta after a closely—fought race with cyprus. but the event was overshadowed by a protestor rushing onto the stage during a performance by the british entrant. tim allman has more. # i still have faith. # i still believe in chasing... the united kingdom has had, well, an interesting relationship with europe in recent years, so perhaps it was almost symbolic that the country's performance in this year's eurovision song contest didn't exactly go as planned. surie was performing her song storm when this happened. # storms don't last... nazis of the uk media, we demand freedom! a man stormed the stage, grabbed her microphone and appeared to shout, "nazis of the uk media, we demand freedom". he was then taken away by security to be questioned by police. away from there, it was the usual

fare, a little high—energy pop... a dash of angsty guitar rock... and something involving that looked like a giant cupboard. # wonder woman, don't you ever forget... among the favourites, netta from israel, with her song, toy. and eleni foureira, who performed fuego for cyprus. as always with eurovision, the real fun comes with the voting rather than songs. it split into two halves — first the nationaljuries, where some things never change... 12 points to cyprus. cyprus, 12 points! then the phone votes, and as the bookies predicted, it came down to israel and cyprus. and by quite a margin, the european public voted for the israelis.

i think i'm pretty sure that means that netta... has won. yes, they've announced it, they've called it. i'm so happy! laughter. thank you so much... for choosing different. thank you so much for accepting differences between us. thank you for celebrating diversity. eurovision, choosing different. you can say that again. i wish you those levels of happiness. goodbye. the weather continues to bring us

mixed fortunes through the weekend. and east west mixed on saturday, the same can be said for sunday. the view from space looking down at the cloud. a lot of cloud across central and eastern parts of the country, with clearer skies out west. clear skies for holyhead and anglesey. yuat for blue skies and sunshine bear on saturday. contrast that to the grey skies above saint leonards on sea on east sussex where there was quite a bit of rain full. some rain lingering over the next 2a hours in the east. through the day on sunday we are looking at those cloudy conditions persisting in the east. the best of the sunshine to be found for the west across the country. one or two showers across the fast south—west first thing. they should ease away. that rain into the northern isles as well. for the rest of the country, not a bad day on sunday. it should brighten up for many of us. a better day for the south—east and was the midlands. damages towards 18. should feel find

during sunday afternoon with those light winds as well. —— temperatures. into sunday evening, we keep rain across parts of the far north—east of scotland, particularly the northern isles. and we have a line of cloud towards east anglia and the south—east. one or two showers into monday. for most of us clear and dry conditions out there. quite a fresh start to the working week. temperatures down in single figures monday morning. the weather should improve as we had through the next few days. that is because low pressure will sit across parts of france. high pressure across parts of scandinavia and another across the atlantic. that means the pressure should rise and things should quieten down. for monday the chance of one or two showers lingering for east anglia and the far south—east. they should fade away. much of the country, blue skies and sunshine with fairly light winds. cloud working into the far north—west late in the day. temperatures a little warmer than we have seen over the weekend, 21,

possibly 22. that trend continues into tuesday, after a fairly fresh start tuesday should bring a stay largely dry and brad day. a little more cloud and outbreaks of rain for northern ireland and the north—west of scotland. england and wales keep the sunshine all day on tuesday. the temperatures should be doing pretty well. ice is up to around 23 celsius in london —— highways. as a high pressure continues to build through much of the week ahead there is dry weather with sunny spells. it should feel pleasantly warm. goodbye for 110w. this is bbc news. the headlines — one person's been killed and four others injured after being stabbed in a busy part of central paris, in what authorities are treating as terrorism. the attacker was shot dead by police and is reported to have shouted "allahu akbar". so—called islamic state say they were behind it. north korea's announced plans to start dismantling its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, and says international experts and journalists will be invited to watch. president trump's thanked north korea and called it a "very smart and gracious gesture".

votes are being counted in iraq after the first general election since the government declared victory over the islamic state group. but the country's electoral commission's reporting a low turn—out with less than 45% of eligible voters casting their ballots. now on bbc news, dateline london.