welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is gavin grey. our top stories: italy's populists call for the president to be impeached, following failed efforts to establish a coalition government. calls for change in northern ireland, after the republic overturns the ban on abortion. salvaging the summit: us and north korean officials try to get president trump and kimjong—un‘s historic meeting back on track. and decoding dolphins: we find out what makes the marine world's most charismatic mammals click. hello. an attempt to form a new government in italy has ended in failure.

the man named as prime minister on wednesday, giuseppe conte, said that he'd handed back the mandate during a meeting with the country's president. he made the decision after the president blocked the appointment of a finance minister who questioned whether italy should keep the euro as its currency. james reynolds has the latest from rome. italy's president has begun a dramatic stand—off with the country's populist parties, five star movement and the right—wing league. the head of state vittoria the government suggested by giuseppe co nte, the government suggested by giuseppe conte, the finance minister —— the man put forward by the populist as prime minister. translation: as you already know, i had planned to make declined the mandate had been given by sergio matarella. i can assure you i have put the greatest effort and paid the greatest attention in fulfilling this opportunity. i can

assure you that i have done but also in full cooperation with the leaders of both parties that appointed me. at issue was the appointment of an age economist to be the finance minister. he said in the past that italy should the euro. the president, the signal this sends out is unacceptable. i agree with all the ministers, except that of the economy ministry, the nomination for the economy ministry delivers to the financial world and immediate message of trust and alarm. five star movement‘s leader luigi di maio accuses the president of overstepping his powers. accuses the president of overstepping his powersm accuses the president of overstepping his powers. it is pointless going to vote because the rating agencies, the financial and banking lobbies decide the government and governance, the leadership is always the same. even when the citizens, with over 50% of consensus between two critical

forces who want to change things and wa nt to forces who want to change things and want to represent italians and their interest. in the end, a way to block this always seems to be found. the league party's leader matteo salvini is equally critical of the president's intervention. we worked to nothing, we will have a technical government. i ask, to nothing, we will have a technical government. iask, i to nothing, we will have a technical government. i ask, i we're democracy? in italy, do the italians decide will do the germans or french? and so i lost so much time, they could have told us before. as a stopgap italy's president may now appointed non—populist prime minister, not the only lasting solution may be an early general election. and you can keep up to date with the latest efforts to establish a coalition government in italy on the bbc website. there, you'll also find background analysis on what the current political uncertainty means for the italian economy.

just go to bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this hour. two contenders for the colombian presidency will be going through to the second round. the conservative, ivan duque, polled some 39% of the votes. gustavo petro — a former left—wing rebel — is running neck and neck with a centrist former mayor for the number two slot. voting for the second round will be held injune. chinese officials have accused the us of seriously infringing china's sovereignty by sailing two warships close to disputed coral reefs and islands in the south china sea. the paracel islands are controlled and occupied by china, but taiwan and vietnam also claim sovereignty over them. germany's biggest far—right party, the alternative for germany, has staged a rally in berlin, which was vastly

outnumbered by counter—demonstrations. an estimated 5000 afd supporters marched to protest about themes including high levels of immigration and what they see as the growing influence of islam. some 25,000 people attended the anti—afd demonstrations. the former us president george h w bush has been taken to hospital in maine. a family spokesman tweeted that president bush senior had experienced low blood pressure and fatigue, but was alert and not in any discomfort. last month, the 93—year—old former president was treated in hospital for a blood infectionjust a day after burying his late wife, barbara. pressure on the british prime minister to reform northern ireland's strict abortion laws has intensified, with growing calls for fresh legislation. but theresa may faces a difficult choice. any such move would be opposed by the democratic unionists — northern ireland's largest party —

on whom she depends for her majority. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. chant: we made history! this was a seismic moment, marking a shift away from the country's once strict conservative past. yes, yes, yes! two thirds of irish voters backed repealing the ban on abortion, and the reverberations of this decision are being felt elsewhere. this has very much been a national debate, people the length and breadth of the island have been talking about how we need to support women. our policy is the same from the north through to the bottom of ireland, we want to see the same policy, we need to show care and compassion towards women. ice cream! in belfast today, a sense that the debate now moves here. northern ireland remains the only part of the uk where abortion is illegal unless there's

a risk to a woman's life. i would love to see a referendum up here. again, political parties, probably it will never happen. but hopefully, it will start a bit of a conversation going. i don't think it should be legalised at all up here, whatsoever. i do think it will probably have a knock—on effect, like a domino effect that will come up in this direction. could it happen? i don't know, not with our government. northern ireland's devolved government collapsed 16 months ago, and the largest party here doesn't want restrictions on abortion to change. the dup leader arlene foster has said her party will keep its pro—life position, and that friday's referendum in the south will have no impact on the law up here. i think it is a popular opinion throughout northern ireland that we should not have a liberalised abortion regime, we should not have the 1967 abortion act here. but, uh, as i say, in the absence of a devolved assembly, there's no possibility

for discussion on those issues. the priority is to restore devolution, say number 10, so northern ireland politicians can decide. but a number of mps, including some from within the tory ranks, believe westminster should pass more liberal legislation for northern ireland. we would ask our politicians to respect democracy and devolution, to give the people of northern ireland a chance to decide on what goes forward, and don't impose anything upon us. but the resounding yes vote in the south means there's growing political pressure for those who now see northern ireland as drastically out of step. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. us officials have been holding talks in north korea to prepare for a planned summit between president trump and kim jong—un. both sides are continuing to make arrangements, despite mr trump calling the meeting off last week. in a tweet on sunday, president trump said north korea had "brilliant potential" and would be a great economic and financial nation one day.

laura bicker looks back at the weekend's events, and speaks to south koreans about their hopes for the future. embracing for a second time. the two korean leaders looked much more like new friends instead of decades—old enemies. the meeting was called by kim jong—un, who seems eager to salvage his summit with president trump. translation: kim jong-un reaffirms his strong will for denuclearising the korean peninsula. that's what the white house wants to hear. and they've sent a team of officials to the northern side of the demilitarised border for talks about the summit. so, is it all back on? so we're looking atjune 12th in singapore. that hasn't changed. and, it's moving along pretty well. at the border, tourists

from the south come to catch a glimpse of a land they have never known. it often feels like the razor wire and landmines don't exist. and when their leaders meet so easily, at such short notice, it makes them feel that one day, that might be possible. worked in the military at the border here 30 years ago. there was a much better year. now, i'm here 30 years ago. there was a much betteryear. now, i'm thinking here 30 years ago. there was a much better year. now, i'm thinking that reunification could happen soon. better year. now, i'm thinking that reunification could happen sooni was not born in north korea. if possible, i would love the two careers to live in harmony so that we can freely go back and forth between the two countries. each one of these ribbons tied to the barbed wire fence represents a hope for peace. and if they were looking for signs that this time might be different, they got it. kim jong—un is showing that he's

willing to engage on a level that his father and his grandfather never were. fundamentally, one problem remains. is he willing to give away his nuclear weapons? many believe kim jong—un will never give up his nuclear weapons in the way the us was that a deal is not possible. but people here are eager for the us and north korea to at least try, as this is the closest they have come to peace in decades. laura bicker, bbc news, paju. later in the programme, we'll examine the impact of us sanctions on north korea. well, stay with us here on bbc news. still to come... wood — winners and ‘saw‘ losers. making the cut in the world timbersports championship. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics events

to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juve ntus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than 4,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she has left the spice girls. argh! i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, the girl power. not geri — why? 13456

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: italy's populists have called for the president to be impeached, following failed efforts to establish a coalition government. the landslide vote to overturn the abortion ban in the republic of ireland has prompted calls for change across the border in northern ireland. more now on our main story — the political uncertainty in italy. our correspondent, james reynolds, has this assessment. this is now a real clash between president and populist. it is about easily‘s relationship with the european union. the populists had wa nted european union. the populists had wanted to appoint a finance minister that has had any past that italy should be prepared to leave the euro the president vetoed this. he told the president vetoed this. he told

the populists you cannot speak italy out of the currency had helped create. you need to have a proper national debate about it first. and so national debate about it first. and so perhaps the only solution right now would be early elections in which, for the first time, italy's membership of the euro and its relationship with the eu might be up for discussion. more stories making the news now. as many as nine russian troops have been killed by militants in syria. a number of government soldiers also died in the attack. it happened in deir al—zour province in the east of the country, where the islamic state group continues to pose a threat. the death toll from cyclone mekunu, that battered southern oman and the yemeni island of socotra on friday, has reached 11. the category two cyclone recorded winds of up 170 kilometres per hour. two indian sailors are among the dead and a further eight are still missing after their boat got into difficulty off the socotran coast. the chilean bishop who lead the investigation into sexual abuse by priests has had his resignation offer accepted.

alejandor goic was one of the 3a bishops who tendered their resignations when the pope summoned them to rome to discuss reports that sexual abuse had been covered up. the us is hoping to persuade north korea to denuclearise in return for an easing of economic sanctions. our china correspondent john sudworth has travelled along its border with north korea to look at the impact of sanctions. just a few metres away, a north korean fisherman wades into the water. from the chinese side of this river, you can gaze into the harsh reality of north korean life. a nuclear—armed state with not a tractor in sight. an impoverished country where, we're told, the toughest sanctions

ever are pushing its leadership to the negotiating table. in the bustling chinese border towns, though, we find another side to the story. north korean seafood, added to the un sanctions list last year, is an abundant supply, openly advertised on this sign. could you get into trouble for selling them? "rarely", he tells me. this chef even shows me how to cook the sanctions—busting crab. so, these crabs have been smuggled? "of course they're smuggled", he tells me. with china and north korea making public displays of their friendship, the us president has been voicing his concerns that sanctions are slipping. china, though, may have good reason to tread a careful line. for now, north korean guards keep the flow of refugees to a trickle.

if their country collapsed, it could turn into a flood. the fences on this board are pretty flimsy affairs. porous to both goods and people. in some places, there are no fences at all. it's an illustration of the us president's suspicion, that china has no real intention of isolating north korea, and that the old alliance still stands. in one chinese city, we find more evidence of the continuing cross—border trade links. north korean workers. "what's it like working here?", i ask. they don't want to talk. workers like these face slave—like conditions, most of their wages go direct to their government. and, on the north korean side, the economy is quite clearly still sputtering along, with building sites and factories belching smoke.

the future of this antiquated military state is now centrestage, and china is showing it's the only power that can really tip the balance. john sudworth, bbc news, on the china—north korea border. a scientific study looking into the welfare of dolphins in captivity has suggested that interacting with human beings makes them happy. it's one of the first attempt to measure how dolphins feel about life in captivity as our science correspondent victoria gill explains. dolphins squeak. intelligent, sociable, playful. bottlenosed dolphins are the marine world's most charismatic mammals. which is why so many of them are kept in dolphinariums, like this one near paris. there are an estimated 5000 bottlenosed dolphins

in captivity around the world, and it's only recently that scientists have begun to ask and investigate how these animals feel in this kind of environment. their acrobatic performances might appear enthusiastic to us, and they make dolphin shows a popular attraction. but one young scientist has spent three years at the theme park decoding dolphin behaviour, to work out what activities they like best. humans have always been fascinated with dolphins, and there's this human—dolphin affinity, but nobody‘s really looked at it from the dolphins' point of view. what do the dolphins really think of us? this was an experiment designed to assess anticipation and enthusiasm. the dolphins' body posture, activity and where they look provided a measure of how much they were looking forward to three different things. an interaction with a familiar person, time spent playing with a toy, or being left to their own devices. so, we found a really interesting result was that all dolphins waited

around most for the event where the trainer would come and play with them. and we've seen it in other zoo animals, other farm animals, that better human—animal bonds equals better welfare. the aim is to use these findings to improve the lives of captive dolphins around the world. but for critics of this industry, a concrete pool can never be an acceptable home for these marine creatures. i think the study can't necessarily tell you if a dolphin in captivity is happier than if it was in the wild. i think that's one of the things we have to bear in mind, that this study is very much telling us how we can manage animals in the best possible way, if they are captive. i don't think the study can tell us whether these animals are happier in captivity, or nearly as happy as they would be in the wild. the much larger question remains, of whether these animals are here to educate people

about life in the oceans, or simply for our entertainment. but this research, watching and listening to them, could help our understanding of how to make them happier. victoria gill, bbc news. london has introduced a contactless payment scheme for buskers in what the organisers claim is a world first. instead of handing over loose change, passers—by can use card readers to make contactless payments, as caroline davies explains. the normal busking gig. it blows my mind. as to bask on street corners to find people if i was lucky, and camellias, i don't think i will ever forget that. he wasn't the only one

performing today. charlotte has been busking for six years. john, too. it can be difficult, especially when fewer people are carrying change. having done for so many years, previously cash donations were so much more common. but now it is common for people to say they don't carry cash. but now there is a new way to pay buskers in london. co nta ctless, way to pay buskers in london. contactless, with a preset fee. so while taking cash out become a thing of the past —— past? bank accounts need to be completely inclusive. that is not just need to be completely inclusive. that is notjust mean that they are available to everyone, but it also means that they are available to eve ryo ne means that they are available to everyone in the way that is easy to view, people can manage their money ina way view, people can manage their money in a way that is easy for them to

understand and have the confidence that it understand and have the confidence thatitis understand and have the confidence that it is fully secure. as more industries adapt to digital, going cashless is easier than ever and means there are fewer excuses not to make a contribution. caroline davies, bbc news. it's an extreme sport — but not as you might think. lumberjacks from around the world have gone head to head at a championship in france, with a canadian winning the coveted trophy. and victory for stirling hart was extra special, as lebo diseko reports. it is said to be the toughest competition of its kind. this timber sports championship testing acts and saw skills with competitors racing against the clock and each other. more than 1000 people packed a sold—out arena to watch the 12

logger sport athletes go head—to—head, testing their insurers, precision, and strength. —— endurance. in the end, it was canadian stirling hart to one, with a time of one minute, —— one minute 3.4 seconds. it was great to be up there with the company that i was. i am extremely happy with the way it went. so an extra sweet victory for this deserving winner, but he is not going to be resting on his laurels. sterling says he will soon be looking to the next championship and testing his lumberjack skills once more. “— testing his lumberjack skills once more. —— stirlilng. lebo diseko, bbc news. and they celebrated with a big fire

afterwards. this sighting in singapore of a man who — at first glance at least — looked a lot like the north korean leader kim jong—un. he drew quite a crowd on sunday at the esplanade, but it soon became clear that despite the trademark haircut, he wasn't actually the real thing. it turned out he was an impersonator, who gave his name as howard x, who'd come to singapore ahead of next month's summit, should it actually go ahead. and he stayed in character as he sent this message to president trump. he dialled, i am here in singapore, look. it is fantastic. it is just like pyongyang but with lots of good food. —— harry donald. i have chicken rice. come down. —— hey donald. a reminder of our top story. there have been calls for the italian president to be impeached after a failure to form a government. this is bbc news. hello once again. the thunderstorms

of this holiday weekend have certainly been making the headlines. and we are not alone. a quick look at western europe and you see that there are plenty of thunderstorms that we have had here. grey rafts of cloud across many areas. in the forthcoming week, we will see further thunderstorms in places. it will be on the warm side initially. light winds in the forecast. low cloud to study forecast on monday there were from the lothian is down to about the wash. elsewhere, a lot of sunshine to start the day. once that pulls into the middle half the afternoon, showers to parts of east anglia, at the southern counties of england, and into wales. the eastern shore is played in places, but elsewhere, much of scotland, the north of england and wales, and into northern ireland, dry, fine, and

sunny, and really warm as well. 20—something in a number of locations. in the south—east, it could get to 28 degrees, we think. they will keep show going across the southern counties for a good part of the evening. the low cloud will pull in off the north sea. melissa price adhesive set up, because we have this flabby area of low pressure dominating western europe. around its northern flank, we bring warmth and the continent are cold north sea. the logic and enters and clouds will form. and it will stay cruddy for much of the showers on tuesday. eventually that retrieves to the eastern shores and we import more showers later in the day. bruce is not as high as monday, but still wa nt not as high as monday, but still want this time of year. moving to the middle part of the week not a grey changes. still low pressure over the baby is gay. still tapping into warm from the continent. some

thunderstorms were bound through the northern parts of scotland and eventually down into it in england, too. doctor viterra today around 22, maybe 23 degrees or so. many well on into the teens. cooler conditions? you have to go a long way to find them. northern parts of scandinavia, out in the middle part of the atlantic, but much of the near continent and we ourselves are still sink because above the seasonal norm. not a grey deal of change is far ahead as thursday. doesn't show any signs of changing? still a lot of there. while towards the weekend, a high—pressure bills, tending to suppress the share activity, but still keeping it on the warm side. —— shower activity. this is bbc news, and these are the headlines: italy's populace have called for the impeachment of the president following failed efforts to form a government. sergio matta rella to form a government. sergio mattarella is accused of provoking a constitutional crisis by vetoing the

new prime minister's appointment of a eurosceptic to the post of finance minister. there is growing pressure on the british prime minister to reform northern ireland's strict abortion laws following the republic of ireland's boat to overturn the abortion ban. any move by theresa may would be opposed by her political allies, the democratic unionist, the largest party northern ireland. and us officials in north korea trying to revive the proposed summit between donald trump and kim jong—un. the discussions are thought to be on details of a possible denuclearisation deal.