welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: italy's two main populist parties call for peaceful protests after an unelected technocrat is chosen as prime minister. it could pave the way for fresh elections. an early election later this year may become an unofficial referendum on italy's membership of the eu and this country's relationship with the union it helped to found. trying to save the summit — talks resume aiming to reinstate a meeting between donald trump and kimjong—un. more than four years after it went missing, the search for flight mh370 is to officially come to a close. and the spider—man of paris — the migrant from mali who rescued a toddler is to be given french citizenship. hello and welcome to the programme.

the political crisis in italy — europe's fourth biggest economy — has intensified with the nomination of an unelected economist as caretaker prime minister. but italy's two main anti—establishment parties promised to block carlo cottarelli. if that happens, there will be fresh elections. a major obstacle in creating a government has been italy's commitment to the single european currency, as james reynolds reports. this is italy's newest prime minister designate. carlo cottarelli is a pro—euro economist and a non—populist. the president has picked him to maintain italy's current relationship with the european union. translation: it's essential to defend our interests in europe and be constructive. italy is a founding country. our role is essential,

as is our continued participation in the euro. but the populists, led here by the league's salvini, have the numbers to reject the president's choice and force early elections. mr salvini, who has been going up in the polls, wants the freedom to govern his way. translation: if the president of the republic tells us, "do as you want, but don't touch the european rules," we have a problem with democracy, because i think in italy, the people are sovereign and don't depend entirely on european markets and bureaucracies. wherever you look here, there are signs of italy's six decade—long partnership with europe. but this country has begun to shift. this is the country that helped to found the european union. why are the populist parties turning against it? because people think that germany

rules all europe and germany rules italy. and they want to control italy and the agreements on european union is an advantage for germany and a disadvantage for italy. italy is used to changing prime ministers, but this is much more serious than that. an election later this year may become an unofficial referendum on italy's membership of the euro and on its place in the european union, that this country helped to create. james reynolds, bbc news, rome. efforts are continuing to get a planned summit between president donald trump and the north korean leader kim jong—un back on track. a us delegation is due to have more talks with north korean officials in the demilitarised zone, but it's still unclear whether the summit will take place as originally planned in singapore next month.

president trump and the japanese prime minister shinzo abe have been discussing korea by phone. they've confirmed they will meet before any summit between the us and north korea, takes place. our correspondent in seoul laura bicker asesses the latest developments. when it comes to those talks, they started on sunday in secret. it was another surprise on this peninsula. these are top diplomats from the us and from north korea trying to reach some kind of deal that they can give to their leaders. so we think there was a breather yesterday and they will start to resume talks. butjust a few days ago, donald trump said there would be no talks between the us and north korea. now we are looking at two sets of ongoing talks. first of all here on the border they are talking about the plans, and in singapore we understand they are talking about the logistics. there are officials

from north korea and us meeting there in the next few days. in regards to the talks here, there is a long way to go and a short time to do it. the us wants complete disarmament and then get economic rewards to north korea. north korea wants a phased approach. somehow they will have to thrash out a deal that they can give to their leaders. and i think, whether or not there is going to be any summit depends on the talk. i think you are seeing from japan some nervousness. they don't want to see north korea keep their nuclear weapons. donald trump has already touted success after saying that they will meet on two occasions. i think that whether or not he's going to

give anything to get a win, there are talks going on injapan. they are slightly worried that donald trump will go too far and leave either north korea with eye of or agree to get rid of troops over here in the peninsula injapan. it is thought that north korea might want donald trump to give away the nuclear umbrella that he puts over, that protective umbrella that he puts over the peninsula and japan. and i think shinzo abe will want confirmation that is not the case. laura bicker in seoul. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the european union is proposing a ban on single—use plastics in an attempt to protect marine life. the proposals target items like straws, cotton buds, cutlery and drink stirrers. they'd be replaced with more environmentally friendly materials. the eu also wants almost all plastic bottles to be collected for recycling by 2025. there have been more clashes and violence in nicaragua after students in the central american country tried to take over the engineering university on monday. the demonstrators targeted

the pro—government offices of radio ya. around 80 people have died in nationwide clashes between government forces and students protesters that have been going on for over a month. —— radio ya. european foreign ministers have repeated their support for the iran nuclear deal, despite the decision from the us to pull out. after meeting in brussels, the eu foreign policy chief federica mogherini said europe's security was at stake. the russian billionaire and owner of chelsea football club, roman abramovich, has been granted israeli citizenship under the law of return — which allowsjews to become citizens of israel. he has been unable to extend his british visa, following growing diplomatic tension between london and moscow. the search for the missing malaysian airlines flight mh370 is due to end on tuesday. it's just over four years since the passengerjet disappeared on a flight from kuala lumpurto beijing. a search of a huge area of seabed

off the coast of australia has yielded nothing. and this latest 90 day search by a private company also appears to have failed. our southeast asia correspondent jonathan head has been following the story from the start. well it's very disappointing, obviously, most of all for the relatives, but also for this company, ocean infinity, who were very confident with their more extensive equipment and with some refined views about where the wreckage might be, as people have analysed, in particular, drift patterns for the debris that has been found on the east african coast, that there was a high chance — a much higher chance — fighting it. they managed to search 80,000 square kilometres in just three months. the previous search searched an area larger than than that,

but over two yea rs. they covered a great deal of ground. they say the equipment worked well in challenging conditions with high seas and very mountainous to rain on the seabed where they looked. but they are clearly looking in the wrong area. and it simply opens up even more the mystery around what happened, particularly at the end of mh370. there are conflicting theories about whether the plane was under the control of the pilot and might have glided a long way or whether he flew it until he either lost consciousness or ran out of fuel and it plunged into the sea. and the difference in those theories make a huge difference in the areas that people can look. so the possibility — and many people have theories, that there are other areas, close to where they have been looking, where it can still be located. and while the malaysian government has said that it will not renew the contract it has with this company, 0cean infinity, remember that this is a "no find no fee" contract,

so the company does not get paid unless they find the wreckage, they are not renewing at the moment. it is a new malaysian government that has pledged to renew the way that the search is handled and will publish a report into their own handling of the accident and the disappearance. and in that sense there is still the option being left open that new evidence and new thinking could restart a surge at some stage in the future. jonathon head, there. subtropical storm alberto, the first named atlantic storm of 2018, has made landfall on florida's north—western coast. it's expected to bring heavy rains and flash flooding as it makes its way through alabama and georgia. caroline rigby has more. not the memorial day whether they we re not the memorial day whether they were hoping for. barbecues on the beach abandoned due to blustery conditions and dangerous surf. hurricane season conditions and dangerous surf. hurricane season has not formally started here, but despite what the calendar says, the stormy weather has already begun. it is very

unusual to have an early named storm in may, the hurricane season about to start, in june. in may, the hurricane season about to start, injune. there have been 14 named storm since to start, injune. there have been 1a named storm since 1951, so it is very unusual. having picked up strength to the gulf of mexico, alberto landed in the florida panhandle on monday afternoon with winds of more than 100 common is 110w. winds of more than 100 common is now. as it travels inland, it will lose energy. the key threat heavy rain and flooding with up to 30 centimetres forecast as it moves north. —— 100 kilometres an hour. resident spent much of the weekend preparing for the worst, swapping memorial day will celebrations for sandbags. it is a reminder that we live in an area that is affected by hurricane as and brain is a big factor when it comes to tropical systems. so you need to be prepared. these storms comes just a day after another caused flash flooding in maryland. —— this storm comesjust another caused flash flooding in maryland. —— this storm comes just a day. and in cuba the cleanup is under way after alberto dumped

plenty of rain. so with hurricane season plenty of rain. so with hurricane seasonis plenty of rain. so with hurricane season is to begin, residents across the us and the caribbean will be hoping this early visitor is not a sign of things to come. caroline rigby, bbc news. pressure to relax northern ireland's strict abortion laws is intensifying after friday's referendum in the irish republic. the opposition labour party has added its voice to calls for women to be given the same rights across the uk — and in belfast there have been demonstrations by those who want to see the law changed. from there, our ireland correspondent chris page reports. what do we want? crowd: the right to choose! when do we want it? crowd: now! the calls for change have become louder. in northern ireland, abortions remain illegal, unless there's a serious or permanent risk to a woman's health. protesters say the law's outdated and unfair. ifeel we're dragging behind the rest of europe, the rest of the western world. women are being denied human rights.

it's like the dark ages, it's incredible we are still in this position. especially now the republic has moved on. the huge shift in attitudes on the other side of the irish border has given new momentum to these demonstrators, but there has been no devolved government here for more than 500 days now and in the absence of stormont, campaigners are focusing on westminster. this woman's story made a big impact on the debate, sarah ewart travelled to england to end her pregnancy, when doctors said that her unborn child couldn't survive outside the womb. it was a terrifying time and more traumatic than it should have been. if stormont was up and running, we would be up there, iigflfz 355525 §.;i—:i=§3,,ii?§ two thirds voting to liberalise the abortion laws. several former tory cabinet ministers are among a number of cross—party mps who want parliament to pass legislation to give women greater access to terminations in northern ireland. but the democratic unionist party, on whom the prime minister relies

for her parliamentary majority, are intent on keeping the restrictions. my message for the prime minister is that this is a matter, a sensitive matter, which the people of northern ireland have the right to make a decision on, under the devolution settlement. and she should not, just because there are a siren voices from the liberals and the left wing and westminster, she should not bow to that. the government says abortion law is an issue for politicians in northern ireland and it shows the need to restore devolution. this most personal of matters has become highly political. the social revolution in the irish republic is having repercussions north of the border and across the irish sea. chris paige, bbc news, belfast. stay with us on bbc news. you about the women

who wore their favourite footwear at 1,300 metres. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics events 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 11,500 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's 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? this is bbc news. the latest headlines: italy's two main populist parties call for peaceful protests after an unelected technocrat is chosen as prime minister. talks have resumed between officials from the us and north korea aiming to revive a summit between donald trump and kim jong—un. in south africa, there's been a surge in so—called "land invasions," with poor communities illegally occupying empty properties. the governing anc is under pressure to put more land in the hands of the black majority and it's now

considering confiscating land without paying compensation. that's causing alarm among some white farmers, who fear echoes of the violence and intimidation that occurred in neighbouring zimbabwe under robert mugabe. 0ur correspondent andrew harding reports. 0n the edge ofjohannesburg, an empty field is proving too much of a temptation. dozens of families have begun marking out plots for themselves. it's 20 feet, up to here, and from here, it's 15 to that stick over there. can you see that stick over there? yes. standing. they know land grabbing is illegal, but still... you just want a piece of land? just a piece of land. not so big, just a piece of land where i can put my family, build a house — live. within hours, the police arrive, and tempers flare.

you will see the blood flowing like a river! this isn't some isolated incident, it's a pattern that's now spreading across south africa. we need our land back, that's it, and we are going to grab it by force. they have to kill us. that sort of rhetoric is growing, along with a focus on the country's powerful white minority. it's so painful to us, man. if you can stand in my shoes and be emphatic enough, you'll understand the situation i'm living in, and you'll never be able to stand for it. you must be able to talk to our brothers and sisters who are white and exploiting us, man. that frustration may be understandable in a country where blacks still own just 8% of all farmland. now, under growing pressure, the governing anc is talking about changing the constitution, to enable it to seize white owned land. we can take the land,

we should take the land using legal processes and being formal as a government — a responsible, democratic government. but quick. but quick, and also not be told, "go there", "don't go there". that kind of talk makes some south africans nervous. to the north ofjohannesburg, white landowners are on patrol. have you had security problems before? plenty. they cut our fence two weeks ago and also, last week they chopped it. some fear a repeat of the chaotic land grabs that crippled zimbabwe, but others believe it's time to embrace reform. well, i think this, this moment politically, is an enormous opportunity. we haven't seen this kind of opening up of debate around land, property relations for the past 20 years. and here's how it can work.

south of johannesburg, this 26—year—old has taken over an abandoned farm with help from government. now it's thriving, an example for others. i am confident. and convinced there's not going to be a zimbabwe style mess? i doubt it, i doubt it. like, i doubt it, seriously, i do. i just think that we, as people, we just need a little bit of a push there and there, getting a little bit of finance and start our productions. i don't think we'll fail. but there is still plenty that could go wrong here. after dithering for years on land reform, the government here insists it is now going to act urgently, but what if it fails? poor south africans may not be patient for much longer. some are already being pushed to the brink. this was another illegal settlement. we arrived just hours after it had been bulldozed by the authorities. we found a community in shock. where will you stay tonight? i don't know.

let them come and talk to us, as humans! we are humans over here! that's our country. our country, but not our land — that is the dilemma that south africa needs to confront, fast. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. a man from mali who climbed up the outside of an apartment block in paris to rescue a small boy has been likened to the superhero spiderman. now, as a thank you, he's been promised french citizenship. lucy williamson reports from paris. france has nicknamed him spiderman. his real name is mamoudou gassama. when he saw a toddler dangling from a fourth floor balcony, the malian immigrant ran straight past the crowd of onlookers and began to climb. in less than a minute,

he'd scaled the outside of the building, a neighbour holding onto the toddler until he arrived. with one leg swung across the balcony, mamoudou swept the child to safety. cheering the child's father is now being questioned for apparently leaving him at home alone. this morning, mr gassama was invited to meet president macron, who asked him whether he'd stopped to think before climbing the building. translation: no, i wasn't thinking about anything. ijust climbed. once i started, god gave me the courage to continue. the president awarded mr gassama a bravery medal and certificate, and offered him a role in the french fire service. he also invited him to apply for french citizenship. mr gassama had documents allowing him to work in italy, but not to enter france. translation: i am glad, because it's my first time to win an award like this.

i'm happy. thank you. translation: i asked him the question about being afraid and he told me, "no, i didn't think about myself. i was thinking about the child." when he started climbing, he got scared that the child would get tired and let go. and after months of living in the shadows, mamoudou gassama is, tonight, tasting sudden celebrity. the video of his dramatic ascent, which has spread like wildfire on social media, made him a nationwide hero — before the french state even knew he was here. cheering and applause lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. staying with people with a head for heights now — have you ever heard of slacklining? it's walking between two points along a suspended line of webbing. three of the world's top female slackliners have put

on their high—heeled shoes to make the walk, suspended more than 1,300 meters in the air, in central china. take a look. give me a minute. give me a second. you are watching bbc news. hello there. good morning. on monday, there was some respite. most parts of the uk were fine, dry and warm but we're not out the woods yet. there's more storms and more heavy rain in the next few days in this warm and humid air that we have got across the uk. cloud threatened to give us a few storms in the south of england, there were not very many at all. 27 degrees here, it was the warmest day of the year so far in scotland and ireland, and much cooler under the grey, misty skies of northern england and on those north sea coasts. that system is pushing back in on the north sea coast now. we have higher pressure to the north and lower pressure to the south, and that is going to bring

us some more storms. perhaps by the morning, showers coming into the southern counties of england. rain across england, eastern scotland. grey start. that low cloud retreating back to eastern areas. a few more heavy showers possible though the midlands, towards wales later in the day. the warmest weather in the sunshine for scotland and northern ireland, so a lovely day here. those showers may ease off for a while but we could see another cluster of heavy rain and thunderstorms pushing back into the south—east and east anglia early on wednesday morning, and to the north of that, you guessed it, more mist, fog and low cloud coming back in again. that will retreat to coastal areas but this rain is going to be on the move, a spell of a few hours of heavy rain, potentially thundery too, moving westwards across england towards wales. looks dry in the south—west. conditions should improve in the south—east. again, the sunny skies, the highest temperatures will be across scotland and northern ireland. making the most of that dry weather here because it is probably not going to last, pressure is lowering, which is why we're finding more downpours coming in from the near continent, and they will start to move their way

northwards as well. we may have a few storms across northern ireland on thursday, perhaps in the south—west of scotland. more cloud around here certainly, and more storms pushing back from the south—east, across england and wales. these could be pretty nasty as well. some localised flooding too. by friday, the wettest of the weather moves towards northern ireland, northern england, up into central and southern scotland, allowing something at long last a little bit drier across more southern parts of england and wales, and temperatures typically into the low perhaps mid— 20s or so. over the weekend, i think you will see some heavy rain storms in scotland on saturday and perhaps into the south—west on sunday. the south—east, eastern england largely dry, some sunshine. hello.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: italy's two main populist parties have called for peaceful protests against the nomination of a technocrat as the country's prime minister. the five star movement and the league have promised to block any programme to be submitted to parliament by carlo cottarelli, a former economist at the imf. talks are resuming between american and north korean officials to try and reinstate a summit between donald trump and kim jong—un. president trump has spoken to japanese prime minister shinzo abe and they both agreed it was "imperative" to completely dismantle pyongyang's nuclear weapons. the search for the missing malaysian airlines flight mh370 is due to officially end on tuesday. it's a little more than four years since the passengerjet disappeared on a flight from kuala lumpurto beijing. a search of a huge area of sea—bed off the coast of australia has yielded nothing. the journey to work on the number 840 bus in north yorkshire isn't

your ordinary commute.