welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: hiding for their lives. children take cover from myanmar warplanes as the military is once again accused of targeting civilians. we have a special report. translation: on april 11th, four fighter jets fired on the village. we also heard the army raped women and tortured old people nearby so we left. ethiopia says it'll accept a peace deal with eritrea 16 years after it was first proposed. primary fever. america's political parties continue choosing their candidates for november's mid—term elections. and a carpet of plastic smothers a beach in mumbai. the un says 11 million plastic bags are used around the world every minute of every day. hello.

in myanmar, the country's military is facing fresh accusations that it's launched deadly attacks against civilians. this time, not against the rohingya's in the west of the country but against the kachin people in the north. for decades they've been calling for independence from myanmar. this has led to conflict with the burmese military. the army insists it only targets armed enemies, but villagers say whole communities have been forced to flee. our myanmar correspondent, nick beake, has this exclusive report. the depths of the burmese jungle. where mothers clamber for safety. and elephants carry the few possessions people had time to gather. it is the latest scramble for survival in myanmar. where children are forced to hide from their own country's militaryjets.

and these are not rohingya families. but the people of kachin state. the latest ethnic group to flee a burmese army on the attack. the same burmese army which killed this woman's eldest son. he was 22. caught in artillery fire on his village six weeks ago. the only words his mother can get out, her son's name. and his dad watched his son die. he bears the scars, physical and otherwise. translation: imagine how you would feel if this happened to your own child. i have lost him. i won't see him again. these children had nearly forgotten

what a decent meal tastes like. they had just emerged from a month—long trek through the jungle to safety. they were living in land controlled by kachin rebels who had been fighting for independence for decades. but the burmese army calls the rebels terrorists and are now trying to drive them out, at any cost, it seems. this woman worked as a sunday school teacher in her christian village and explained why she fled her home. translation: on april the 11th, four fighter jets fired on the village. we also heard that the army had raped women and tortured old people nearby, so we left. the stories we are hearing from these villagers,

one after another, are consistent. they are the first eyewitness accounts of the burmese military targeting civilians in their latest offensive here in kachin state. beyond this forest, hundreds more kachin villagers are believed to be running for the safety of the city. we met two parents who were forced to choose which of their children to take with them. they carried their twin boys, but had to entrust two older daughters to nuns. they have not seen them since. a family torn apart in a country where the military still calls the shots and aung san suu kyi's government looks away. nick beake, bbc news, myanmar. ethiopia's government has said it will accept a peace deal to finally bring its border war with eritrea, to an end. the two countries fought a two—year war which ended in 2,000 after tens of thousands of people had died. andrew plant reports. it was africa's deadliest border

war. 20 years ago, tens of thousands of soldiers died over the years of fighting. even after the guns stop here on ethiopian‘s border with eritrea, the two sides remained at war. in 2002, a border commission set up to record piece ruled the disputed areas, including this town of badme, should go to eritrea, a decision ethiopia rejected. it kept its troops on the border, with eritrea accusing keepy—uppie of occupying it is territory. and tensions remained high. now the ethiopian ruling coalition has called for a return to what it called for a return to what it called the long—lost peace between two brother nations. the new prime minister of ethiopia is seemingly

calming a country which has seen rising tension in recent months, ending a state of emergency imposed in february designed to stem unrest and now with a promise to make peace with the northern neighbour of the country. ethiopian‘s intentions now seem clear. its next move could be to start removing the soldiers from the border territory they have been patrolling for more than 20 years. andrew plant, bbc news. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. mexico has announced new tariffs on a range of american products, including whisky, cheese, and pork. it's in response to president trump's decision to impose steep duties on imports of steel and aluminium. mexico's response further raises trade tensions between the two countries and adds a new complication to efforts to renegotiate the trillion—dollar north american free trade agreement. a white house aide who mocked the terminally—ill us senator, john mccain, has lost herjob. in the run up to the confirmation hearing for the new cia director

kelly sadler had said senator mccain's opposition to the appointment didn't matter because he was dying anyway. a white house spokesman said ms sadler no longer worked in the executive office of the president, although it's unclear whether she has been given another government post. the miss america beauty pageant has scrapped its swimwear segment and will no longerjudge competitors on physical appearance. 0rganisers have also said that the competition will embrace women of all shapes and sizes. there have been fresh eruptions of the fuego volcano in guatemala, causing a further evacuation of people in the surrounding area. the official number of people killed in sunday's eruption stands at 72. the volcano, which is 25 miles from the country's capital, erupted on sunday, dozens of people are still missing. whole villages were wiped out by fast moving mud and ash when the volcano exploded. thousands have been forced to take shelter in nearby schools and churches. from guatemala, aleem maqbool reports. the volcano may be shrouded in smoke, but it now gives away little of the sudden, catastrophic violence it brought here. with more eruptions feared following further sporadic explosions of the volcano,

a frantic recovery effort goes on. well, we are going in with one rescue team as close as we can get to the volcano. they have been digging for days now into the ash, but there are still so many bodies to be found. as we went in, we saw a recovery team coming out. they had been trying to find survivors, but the only living things they could bring out this time were abandoned chickens. and this is why. the entire village of el rodeo was smothered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. in some homes, entire families were buried alive. the land was scarred and suffocated by lava and ash. the assault from the volcano came so fast it is no wonder some simply had no chance of escape.

survivors who did manage to flee for their lives have been left traumatised. thousands are now in makeshift shelters. 39 members of the extended lopez family fled as lava, ash flows and debris rained down on their town. but five of their relatives didn't make it, including francisco's brother and two grand—nieces, aged 12 and 111. the place is completely destroyed, he says. i don't believe any of them survived, because their homes are totally buried under the ashes. there is no more space in the morgue for more bodies. as night falls, they remember the dead, and those presumed dead. even when bodies are found, so few victims have been

as yet identified. 0ne rescuer said when he did find bodies, after hours digging in ash, they often looked like statues, so are hard to recognise. and there is more news of another very big and very active volcano. officials in hawaii say hundreds more homes were destroyed overnight by lava from kilauea volcano. it's reported to be the worst destruction so far since the volcano began to erupt. residents in the area had been told to evacuate last week or risk being trapped by the lava, which is mixing with seawater to create a potentially deadly plume containing hydrochloric acid and glass—like particles. voters in eight states of the united states have been casting their ballots in a series of primaries. while mr trump is not himself running, it's a chance to test his popularity ahead of the november midterm elections. and the battle grounds are widespread and varied. from newjersey in the east, to alabama and mississippi in the south, and iowa in the mid—west, to south dakota and montana in the north, new mexico in the south west, and of course california. we're joined from washington by sean sullivan, congressional

reporter at the washington post. thank you forjoining us. for people outside the us, this is the parties still choosing their candidates but it is important. that is right. you have democrats trying to choose their standardbearers in senate races, house races, races the governor, and republicans doing the same. you have a unique situation in california with all of the candidates from all of the different parties running on the same ballot. the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election. a lot going on tonight, a lot of blues that strategists in both parties are trying to find in terms of the mood of the electorate when it comes to issues, and when it comes to donald trump, coming up to the november mid—term is. —— clues. trump, coming up to the november

mid-term is. -- clues. what do you expect the clues to be? it is interesting, california is a state with strategists in both parties watching closely tonight. there is a lot of enthusiasm in the democratic party with many candidates signing up party with many candidates signing up to run. because of the unique system, it is possible democrats could be shut out of the election in this race. if they did, it will be harder in november for them this race. if they did, it will be harder in novemberfor them to pick up harder in novemberfor them to pick up the 23 seats they need to win back control of the house of representatives. there are many nervous democrats tonight watching the races. they are where voters are excited and angry at donald trump, but there might be too much of a good thing, with too many candidates in california for democrats. it is an embarrassment of riches for them and we will see how it plays out and affects their strategy going towards november. how anti-trump do the dems

have to be and pro with the repubs? many are presenting themselves as candidates who will stand up to the president, from the democrats, not only his actions and policies, but his rhetoric. and you have seen republicans aligning themselves closely with donald trump, especially on immigration. donald trump outlined a hard stance on immigration. many republican candidates are placing that call, talking about the need for a border warjust talking about the need for a border war just like talking about the need for a border warjust like donald talking about the need for a border war just like donald trump talking about the need for a border warjust like donald trump has called for, and depicting many undocumented immigrants as criminals in television adds. —— wall. the same rhetoric we saw from donald trump we are seeing in republican candidates for house and senate and local races, adopting the same

imagery and rhetoric. there are democrats talking positively about winning back the house of representatives and dastardly even the senate. what are the chances of thatpossibly. they have to win many races in states of trump won by a large margin in 2016, where he is still popular, conservative areas, rural areas, like montana, west dekoda, and indiana. republicans feel they can hold control of the senate, if narrowly, but are more worried about the house, with eve i’yo ne worried about the house, with everyone up for reelection. there is a lot of anger with donald trump, especially in suburban areas. a lot of the republican advantage in the house is built around suburban areas. there is a lot of worry in

the party about losing control in the party about losing control in the house. they feel a lot better about the senate, but they are taking nothing for granted. thank you very much. thanks, mike. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a slice of the action. the world custard pie championship takes place, and it's an international affair. the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning in accordance with the order of service, by a signal given, the great guns of the tower shall be shot off. tributes have been paid around the world to muhammad ali, who has died at the age of 7a. 0utspoken but rarely outfought, ali transcended the sport of boxing, of which he was three times world champion. he was a good fighter and he fought all the way to the end, even through his illness. yes, he did. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles' lp sgt pepper's lonely hearts club

band, a record described as the album of the century. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: in myanmar, the country's military is facing fresh accusations that it has launched deadly attacks against civilians, this time not against the rohingyas in the west of the country, but against the kachin people in the north. president donald trump has traded the traditional ceremony honouring this year's super bowl champions for a "celebration of the american flag". mr trump cancelled the visit after most of the winning philadelphia eagles team did not want to attend. instead, he hosted a concert on the lawn of the white house to celebrate america.

he blamed the the snub on players protesting the national anthem, but team members have not confirmed this is why they boycotted the event. mr trump did not mention the eagles' fans, but did say this during his short speech. i want to take this opportunity to explain why young americans stand for our national anthem. maybe it's about time that we understood. we stand to honour our military, and to honour our country, and to remember the fallen heroes who never made it back home. we stand to show our love for our fellow citizens, and back home. we stand to show our love for ourfellow citizens, and our magnificent constitution. well, the championship team normally gets the presidential treatment during the ceremony. so what are eagles fans making of it? the bbc‘s rjaini vaidyanathan went to philadelphia to find out. a few months ago, the streets of philadelphia were packed with fans celebrating

the local team, the eagles, winning the super bowl. but today, with news that the team will not be going to the white house, the mood is somewhat different. does it change how you feel about your team 7 yes, i'm a little disappointed with them. don't think i'll be not watching too much next year. i think people have this misconception that sport players that all they should do is play sports and that it. i think we're losing track of what the meaning of the party, to celebrate players being champions. so it shouldn't be made a political issue. they can have an opinion, and if they choose not to want to go somewhere or do something, because they don't agree with someone's values, then they should be able to do so. as a native philadelphian, i think they did the right thing. obviously none of the players kneeled during the season. it's disappointing that

the president has chosen to mix politics and sports, and the joy of our city, and i'm sorry for the team and the players. to many people that we spoke to, this came down to one thing — what does it mean to pledge allegiance to the american flag? does that mean you should stand for the national anthem, or does that give you the right to freedom of beach which means you can protest if you want to? the american fashion designer kate spade has been found dead in her apartment in new york. the 55—year—old was best known for kate spade handbags, which she co—founded with her husband in 1993 with the stated aim of designing the perfect handbag. police are investigating her death as an apparent suicide. the bbc‘s nada tawfik is new york with more. people have been expressing shock over the news on social media, but also paying tribute to the designer, sharing their stories of their first kate spade bag, and sharing funny quotes from her. and she was such an iconic american designer, because

she paves the way for so many others. she started her company out of her new york apartment because she saw a market gap for functional handbags that were also fun and quirky, and that really became successful. she launched her company just a few years after that, really exploding onto the fashion scene, to the point where in the 90s the it a ccesso i’y was the point where in the 90s the it accessory was a kate spade bag. and so she was regarded notjust for her talent but also her business mind. now, she sold the company in 2006, her majority stake in it, so she hasn't been part of the company for nearly a decade, for over a decade now, but certainly the brand still has all her signature marks. there are stores, has all her signature marks. there a re stores, over has all her signature marks. there are stores, over 100 across the united states and globally, and you see celebrities and even the likes of kate middleton wearing kate spade. now, kate spade in an interview with glamour magazine said that she didn't just want to be known as a good businesswoman. she also wanted to be known as a great

friend, and a heck of a lot of fun. 11 million plastic bags are being used and a million plastic bottles are being bought around the world every minute of every day. that is according a new report from the united nations. it warns that, if the current levels of production continue, the earth will be inundated with 12 billion tonnes of plastics by the middle of this century. the study says that, while some countries are tackling the issue, less than 10% of the plastics are being recycled. 0ur science editor david shukman has more. the shocking sight of a beach in mumbai. it is totally covered in a thick layer of plastic waste. week after week, volunteers try to keep it clean. but more plastic keeps getting dumped here. as citizens and residents of mumbai, or any part of this world, we've got to take the onus in our own hands. we've got to keep our city clean. people in such large droves coming in and doing this is really great, and i think it will make a difference. and every day we see how plastic can be deadly in the oceans. this pilot whale died in thailand last week after eating 80 plastic bags.

so how bad is the threat from plastic in the oceans? well, every year, another 8 million tons of it gets added, and within a decade there could be 250 million tons of plasticjust drifting around. so where is it all coming from? well, the rivers of asia are one major source. we filmed this mass of plastic blocking a river in indonesia, and all of this will eventually flow out into the sea. where does it then go? well, it can be carried a very long distance by currents. plastic from america makes it all away across the atlantic to britain. and in the same way, plastic waste from asia crosses the pacific. 0n midway atoll, a tiny island, i once found a cigarette lighter from taiwan. but much of this stuff gets caught in circular currents known as gyres, and scientists say the plastic accumulates here. now, over time, some of it sinks, even into the mariana trench, the deepest part of the ocean. in one shocking discovery,

it was found in tiny animals living nearly 11,000 metres down. that is almost seven miles. so what happens to it? well, a plastic bag could remain in one piece for up to 20 years. a styrofoam cup might well last for 50 years. even though it was just used once. while a plastic bottle could last around a50 years. they are designed to be strong. and then, well, plastic does not go away. it just breaks down into ever—smaller fragments. and these micro—plastics are getting everywhere, and they will last for thousands of years. a river in the philippines sending plastic into the oceans. dozens of countries have pledged to try to stop this. in kenya, you can be jailed for selling plastic bags. other governments have tough laws, but don't enforce them. a slum community in delhi. india says it will ban single—use plastics by 2022. a massive commitment to end scenes like this. david shukman, bbc news.

it is little more than a week now until the football world cup kicks off in russia. the tournament will be an opportunity for sports fans from around the globe to celebrate the beautiful game. another major sporting event has already taken place this summer, but this one can get a bit messy, as the bbc‘s tim allman reports. believe it or not, the world custard pie championship has been taking place for more than 50 years. the rules are place for more than 50 years. the rules a re pretty place for more than 50 years. the rules are pretty straightforward. left pie, thoreau pie, try not to get hit. —— lift pie, throw pie. it's amazing, we really enjoy it. we are trying to defend our total from 2014, it is great. what is the best thing? just getting covered, having fun. the children really love it as

well. 32 teams took part this year. more than 2000 custard pies were thrown, and this is notjust some parochial british affair. 0h thrown, and this is notjust some parochial british affair. oh no. this is a global event. why did you come all the way from japan? because it isa come all the way from japan? because it is a very famous festival in japan. just enjoying, and adding memories, yes. anotherjapanese team took on the appropriately named pie face in the final, and it was a home win for the british team. for their efforts, they each received a trophy, and presumably the chance to have a shower. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello once again.

it's variations on a theme, rather than a great change of weather type, that many of you are experiencing just at the moment. blue skies on tuesday in the sheffield area. it didn't start that way but you got there eventually, like so many other places did. and even when there was some cloud in the sky, well, a number of our weather watchers in the worcestershire area, and in some of the surrounding counties, in fact, were rather taken by that pattern in the skies. now, what's driving our weather at the moment? well, high pressure the dominant feature, awayjust to the north of scotland. we'll speak more about that area of low pressure, because we can't discount it, even though it's just there, way down towards the southern parts of france. so wednesday, a lot of dry weather, quite a lot of sunshine for many from the word go. that's probably not the case for the eastern side of the pennines, where yet again overnight, if you ever lost it, we'll see a fair amount of cloud

coming in off the north sea, tending to thin as we get on through the day, and again, with a wee bit of sunshine in the skies, temperatures in a number of locations exceeding 20 degrees celsius. it's not all plain sailing, i have to say. many of you will know already that the pollen levels are very high, especially across the greater part of england and wales, so bear that one in mind if that's relevant to you. here we are through wednesday evening. a good evening for a barbecue, not too much in the way of breeze, pleasantly warm in a number of locations. the cloud just becoming a wee bit more extensive again to the eastern side of the pennines, and some of the low cloud just lurking there or thereabouts across these northern and eastern shores, on what is not going to be a particularly cold night. now, that pattern for thursday doesn't look an awful lot different to the one i showed you for wednesday, with the notable exception that we've just pushed that area of low pressure, and its attendant fronts and troughs, a little bit further north in france. and that will have the effect ofjust thickening up the cloud across the some of the southern counties of england,

maybe the south of wales too. and, from that, we could well see some showers. maybe the odd one or two could be really quite sharp. that mightjust be a problem for the channel islands. it mayjust come a bit further north. elsewhere, just one or two showers close by to the donegal border there in northern ireland, maybe the odd one over the highlands, but essentially it's a fine and settled look to the weather. and even as the weekend begins to loom, well, do you know what? that high pressure is still there or thereabouts. yes, we still have these little mini weather fronts, if you like, just bringing a bit of instability into the mix, so you couldn't rule out one or two showers. at this particular moment, we think somewhere across southern or western parts more likely to see them. but again, many of you are in for a dry weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines: in myanmar, the country's military is facing fresh accusations that it's launched deadly attacks against civilians. this time, not against the rohingya's in the west of the country, but against the kachin people in the north. for decades, they've been calling for independence from myanmar. ethiopia's governing coalition has announced it will fully accept

and implement the peace deal that ended its border war with eritrea. it says it will accept the outcome of a border commission which awarded disputed territories to eritrea. thousands died in the conflict which ended 18 years ago. voting is taking place in eight us states in primary elections that are being watched closely ahead of november's midterm polls. california is among the states taking part, and is of particular importance to the democrats in their quest to take back control of the house of representatives. now on bbc news, tuesday in parliament.