this is the briefing, i'm sally bundock. our top story: fresh volcanic eruptions in guatemala. officials say nearly 200 people are still missing. primary fever. american voters choose more candidates ahead of november's midterm elections. what kind of welcome can england fans expect in russia? willa frosty relationship overshadow the world cup? raising tensions over trade, mexico hits back at the us and imposes nearly $3 billion worth of tariffs on american products. also, in business briefing, an expert view on the new government in italy. how worried are investors about their populist policies? a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know

in global news, business and sport. also in the programme: no longer to bejudged on physical appearance. miss america eliminates the swimsuit. is this real change, orjust cosmetic? is it realistic to notjudge miss america on appearance? get in touch. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. we start in central america, where it is now believed around 200 people are missing after the eruption of guatemala's fuego volcano on sunday. 75 people are now confirmed dead. a further violent eruption of the volcano has prompted a new wave of evacuations of panicked residents on the slopes below. our correspondent will grant has travelled to some of the worst—affected areas. it isa

it is a scene they know all too well in this part of guatemala. fuego spewing smoke and ash, desperate families running for their lives. just days after the massive volcanic eruption destroyed entire villages, the volcano began to smoke again and the volcano began to smoke again and the emergency services decided to evacuate. following the huge pyroclastic lava flows, the ground beneath them is still dangerously hot and too precarious to keep searching for survivors. in the end, they ordered everyone but essential personnel off the mountain. the tiny community of el rodeo, high on a mountain slope, will never be the same. some lost their homes, others their entire families. very beneath their entire families. very beneath the ashar lives and livelihoods. few

who returned to this village will find they have been spared the grief. lawrence rodriguez lost his wife and her family, grief. lawrence rodriguez lost his wife and herfamily, and now has nowhere to turn —— translation: though one told us anything, no one came by to say evacuate, nothing. people got out however they could. those who could get out did, and those who couldn't, well, god rest them. the emergency services are working around the clock, some literally until they drop, but they are struggling to cope. the disaster has left a trail of destruction that will take months to overcome, in what is already one of the poorest country in the americas. the search for survivors continues in el rodeo, but with each passing hour the likelihood of success is growing slimmer, and for those families are still waiting for news further down the mountainside, the prospect is looking grahm. —— the prospects are

looking grahm. —— the prospects are looking grim. and bbc online are keeping updated about that disaster on the website. there is a lot more detail and analysis with a lot of background about what caused this to begin in the first place. take a look if you wa nt the first place. take a look if you want more detail. voting has now ended in eight states across the us in primary elections. while mr trump is not himself running, it is a chance to test his popularity ahead of the november midterm elections. and the battlegrounds have been widespread and varied, from newjersey in the east, to alabama and mississippi in the south, iowa in the midwest, to south dakota and montana in the north, new mexico in the south—west, and of course, last to finish voting was california, the most populous us state, which is of particular importance to the democrats because of the number of house seats up for grabs. joining me now is james cook in los angeles. do we know the outcome in california

yet? well, it is very early. as you say, polls have just closed yet? well, it is very early. as you say, polls havejust closed in the last couple of hours here in california, and it may indeed be possibly, if there are very tight races, a few days before we find out the result, because you can still mail ina the result, because you can still mail in a postal ballot right up until the last minute here in california, so if it is very tight we will have to wait for those to come in. why is california so important? democrats need to gain 23 seats across the united states if they want to gain control of the us house of representatives, which is presently, as are the senate and the white house, controlled by the republicans at the moment. if they wa nt republicans at the moment. if they want a check on the presidency on donald trump, they will have to do well in california. you might think of california as a democratic state, but there are many rural pockets of

california which are solidly republican, or which in some cases might be possible targets for the democrats. in particular, there are seven seats here in california held by the republicans in districts which hillary clinton carried, in which hillary clinton carried, in which she outpolled dollar trump in 2016, so these are particular targets. but, there is a big bite for the democrats, they have given what is called a jungle primary —— big but. what that means is that regardless of party affiliation, number one and number two progress in november, it could be two republicans or democrats, and some seats have a lot of democrats running. they couldn't agree on getting out of each other‘s way. so there is the potential that that could hand one of these seats to a republican by allowing it to have a republican by allowing it to have a republican 1—2 in november, and that would be a blow to the democrats as they consider trying to retake the

house. it is too early, at this stage, to make that call. we will speak to you again soon. thank you. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: the head of cricket australia, james sutherland, has announced that he is stepping down. he was widely criticised for his handling of the ball—tampering scandal, which rocked the sport and led to three players including the captain, steve smith, being banned. argentina has cancelled a friendly football match with israel scheduled for saturday. the decision followed intense pressure from palestinians over their treatment by israel. palestinian officials have welcomed the cancellation. a white house aide who mocked senatorjohn mccain, who is terminally ill, 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. the miss america beauty pageant has scrapped its swimwear segment

and will no longerjudge competitors on physical appearance. organisers have also said that the event will embrace women of all shapes and sizes. mexico has officially hit back at the united states, imposing tariffs on a range of american goods in response to the trump administration's levies on steeland aluminum. it puts further strain on relations between the two countries as they struggle to rewrite the north american free trade agreement. newspaper columnist geraint anderson, best known for his city boy column, joins me now. you were an investment banker and 110w you were an investment banker and now you are enjoying the high life.

a quieter life, yes. give us your ta ke a quieter life, yes. give us your take on this trade war and your perspective on it. you were working in the city of london before the financial crisis and some are saying this trade war is similar, the impact it could have is similar to the financial crisis if it goes pear shaped. and it could do if... i think the world bank said it could hit trade by 9%, and an obvious we has an impact on gdp. this particular latest development, trump a lwa ys particular latest development, trump always claimed he can win trade wars, and actually generally know one wins. you have retaliatory ta riffs one wins. you have retaliatory tariffs imposed. which is what mexico hasjust tariffs imposed. which is what mexico has just announced. tariffs imposed. which is what mexico hasjust announced. and they have cleverly targeted the states and industries which are important to trump supporters, and they have targeted states with high—profile republicans like mike pence, rubio will be hit. they have been very

targeted and quite smart. trump has a problem with mexico. he started his electoral campaign saying he would build a wall and keep out mexicans, which is extraordinary. he then, of course, called them rapists and murderers, which was the most extraordinary thing i have ever heard, and he is imposing tariffs, and he will get harassed straight back. it is all about the deal, isn't it? we had a quote from justin trudeau heading into the g7 meeting at the end of the week, the prime minister of canada talking about national security being used as a reason to put levies on canada, which is ridiculous. we are hearing that maybe the white house is considering a special arrangement with canada. there is always room for manoeuvre, and that is the point, isn't it? and that is trump, of course, his big selling card was that i can make deals. he said the iran deal was horrific, that nafta

is appalling, and he is also trying to rewrite everything. essentially anything that obama liked, or brokered, it seems like it is revenge from when he was mocked by obama at the journalists' dinner that time. and we will discuss that story in more detail, and others, including miss america. in the meantime, let's crack on. england kick off their world cup bid with relations between russia and the west at their lowest in decades. the venue for the first match is volgograd. formerly known as stalingrad, it is a city that was devastated by a war in which britain and russia fought as allies. today, that world war ii alliance lies in tatters, with the poisoning of the skripals in the uk just the latest in a series of hostile acts blamed on russia. so, ahead of the england game, sarah rainsford visited volgograd to discover what kind of welcome awaits england fans there. shias the image of power and

defiance. mother russia, calling on the nation to stand firm against the enemy. the monument to the brutal battle of stalingrad is now a place of pilgrimage. and it looms over the site where england's world cup bid will begin. but the alliances of world war two have been forgotten by some here. translation: i'm wearing this because the west is russia's enemy. they want to kill us all. i see that they hate us. that talk comes from a new national assertiveness. vladimir putin's russia now parades itself as a global force to russia now parades itself as a globalforce to be russia now parades itself as a global force to be reckoned with once again. hailing the soviet

victory over the nazis as a key part of that. but this resurgent russia insists it is no threat. ian volgograd, the mayor turned to a guide to show off his city, spruced up guide to show off his city, spruced up to welcome the world —— in volgograd. i want people who may be a bit wary to come to love russia, he told me. so there is plenty of this now, and fans who say the political chill won't affect the football. no politics, yes. would love from russia. —— with love. there is a lot invested here in putting on a good show. at this new ground, the russian cup final was the last test game ahead of the england match. for russia, this

match is all about proving that a brand—new stadium is ready for the world cup. but, for the visiting fans, it is not the infrastructure that they are most worried about. some people don't want to come here at all in the current political climate, and others are worried about the reception they are going to get from the fans. but russia doesn't want violence to mar its world cup like it did the euros in france. so this man tells me he and others have been issued official warnings to behave, but he did have this caution of his own. translation: you know, our lads are fit, and they know what they're doing, and if england fans there to ta ke doing, and if england fans there to take us on and on our own turf, well, that won't go unanswered. i know at the world cup, and everything, but there has to be mutual respect. russia is hoping all hostile talk will be sidelined when the tournament starts. it is

promising a party. but politics will hang over this world cup, even as england play here beneath a potent symbol of a time when russia and britain were united. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme — a slice of the action. the world custard pie championship takes place, and it is 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. outspoken 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. you're watching the briefing. our headlines — fresh volcanic eruptions in guatemala. officials say nearly 200 people are now missing. slovakia will shortly be choosing new jet fighters to replace its ageing fleet of soviet mig—29s.

the price tag could be more than twice slovakia's annual defence budget, so it's a big — and controversial — decision, as is the ongoing maintenance contract which keeps the migs flying. from slovakia, rob cameron has this report. the mig 29, once the scourge of the skies from the baltic to the black sea. but they are gradually being phased out by a former warsaw pact countries. and that this open day in central falati, this one at least is something of a tourist attraction. the mig 2093 much a child of the cold war. but today they are well past their prime. some are up to 30 yea rs past their prime. some are up to 30 years old. she incited complain of daily problems with engines and avionics. the only reason they can stay up in the sky at all if the presence here of around a dozen russian military technicians working

ata russian military technicians working at a nato airbase. translation: you are right. to some extent, it is a sensitive matter. but in no way are any laws governing classified information being violated, and it should be pound —— pointed out that it is notjust slovakia but many other members that have mig 29. the polls or barbarians we re have mig 29. the polls or barbarians were flying upgraded migs. we want to fulfil obligations to nato's air defences. until recently, slovakia had been leaning towards replacing these migs with sweden's fighter jets, which it is thought saab can deliver by 2020. in the last two yea rs, deliver by 2020. in the last two years, there has been increasing interest in the new version of the american f—16, which would take several years longer to arrive, meaning the russian maintenance contract would definitely have to be extended. so what has changed? well,

the government for one, defence ministry is now in the hands of the slova k ministry is now in the hands of the slovak national party of which many see as pro— kremlin. slovak national party of which many see as pro- kremlin. many analysts, including me, but also many politicians claimed this was deliberate, that the real goal, the ultimate goal is not to decide whether we will have f—16, but the goal was to prolong the acquisition process in order to keep mig 29 for a longer period of time and to be forced in some way to prolong the contract with russia. we are now in 2018, we have been a nato member since 200a. i think after 1a, 15 yea rs of since 200a. i think after 1a, 15 years of membership, we should really focus on our allies. that is reality. nato said it cancelled members to guard their military installations and it is also slovakia's business, it says, to

choose which aircraft it lies. for these ageing migs, though, the crucial question is no longer if they will be retired, but when. rob cameron, bbc news, slovakia. now, it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello. coming up in your wednesday sport briefing — game 3 of the nba finals sees golden state head to cleveland with a 2—0 lead in the best—of—seven series, rafael nadal and maria sharapova are both on court in the french open later in the day, and we'll show you how a—time motogp champion marc marquez got on when racing on four wheels instead of two. lebronjames and the cleveland cavaliers have it all to do later on wednesday if they want to turn things around in the nba finals. the cavs are 2—0 down in the best—of—seven series ahead of game three in cleveland. last time out, steph curry hit an nba finals record, 9 three—pointers for

golden state, and even lebron admits it will be tough to turn things around. we have an opportunity to come home and protect time, so we look forward to the challenge, it is a very tall task, and tough challenge as i mentioned before. going against these guys, going against this team, but we have an opportunity to seize the opportunity. so i look forward to that. rafael nadal is back in action at the french open on wednesday and he's looking to take another step towards an 11th title in paris. he's taking on argentina's diego schwartzman in the quarterfinals, who came back from two sets down to beat kevin anderson and make it through to the last eight. meanwhile, in the women's draw, maria sharapova will be well rested ahead of her quarterfinal with former winner garbine muguruza. the russian got a walkover in the last round after serena williams pulled out through injury. it's the first grand slam quarterfinal sharapova will play in since the australian open in 2016. well, novak djokovic was the big scalp on tuesday in paris.

the 12—time grand slam champion was beaten by unseeded italian marco checkiinato. the world number 72, who'd never won a match at a grand slam before this tournament, took the first two sets from the serbian. djokovic then hit back with the third before checkinato came from 4—1 down in the fourth to win the match after an epic tie—break, and he'll now face austria's dominic thiem in the last four. american madison keys is through to the semifinals in the women's draw. she beat kazha kstan's yulia putinseva in straight sets to set up a meeting with fellow american sloane stephens. incidentally, the woman who beat her in the final of the us open last year. brazil midfielder fred will join manchester united. the club have reached a deal with shahktar donesk to sign the 25—year—old for a reported $70 million. neymar was just one of a number of his brazil team—mates that

congratulated him at training after news had got out. now, we are familiar with seeing a—time motogp champion marc marquez fly round a track on two wheels, but would he bejust as good on four? well, on tuesday, we got to find out because the spaniard tested a toro rosso f1 car in austria to promote the forthcoming f1 race at speilberg. driving a 2014 car, he was around six seconds off the pace of the cars that year — perhaps he should stick to the bike! you can get all the latest sports news at our website, that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, that is your wednesday sport briefing. thank you for that. staying with sport — sort of. as we've heard, it's little more than a week now until the football world cup kicks off in russia. but another major sporting event

has already taken place this summer, and this one can get a bit messy, as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. # bringing you custard! believe it or not, the world custard pie championship has been taking place for more than 50 years. the rules are pretty straightforward — lift pie, throw pie, try not to get hit. # give it some custard! it's amazing, we really enjoy it. we're trying to defend our title from 2014, it's great. we love it. what is the best thing? just getting covered, having fun. the children love it, we really enjoy too. 32 teams took part this year. more than 2,000 custard pies were 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? oh, because it's a very famous festival in japan. just enjoying,

and adding memories, yeah. another japanese team, do you like sushi, 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. should we have a briefing team? david, samantha, me. iwill have should we have a briefing team? david, samantha, me. i will have a chat with them and see what they think. stay with us. we have isn't coming ina think. stay with us. we have isn't coming in a moment. the scene. —— we have the business coming up in a moment. see you soon. hello once again.

no two days are the same, particularly when it comes to british weather. there was no grey urgency to change things. it could be lovely clear skies across the sheffield area. whether we get a similar pattern to that in the neighbouring counties, time will tell. this is the setup for wednesday. high—pressure the dominant feature for the greater pa rt dominant feature for the greater part of the british isles will stop don't discount the area of low pressure. it looks a long way away across france, but it will be a player. we will get to that in the second. dry, fine and sunny for the most part. some are low cloud under the eastern side of the pennines and down towards the coast as well. during the course of wednesday. many locations in for a quite a quite a bit of sunshine and a top temperature of 23 or 24. you may not need me to tell you that the pollen

levels are very high at the moment, especially so across the greater pa rt especially so across the greater part of england and wales. they are also high in northern ireland. if you are out and about, the weather will not get in your way. there is the chance of one or two showers and one of two toward the channel islands. here we are at the start of thursday, a particular cold start. one of two locations will see temperatures dribbling away into single figures. thursday, i was telling you about the area of low pressure over france. in the next 24, 36 hours, it would just drift further north and that will have the effect of bringing the possibility, and it is only that, this is not a continuous band of wet weather by any means, but the cloud may well bring showers, one or two, maybe the odd thunderstorm. maybe into the far south—east of wales. still the possibility of one or two showers in the far west of northern ireland. a lot of fine and settled weather.

still some low cloud lapping towards some of the eastern shores of england and scotland. as far ahead of friday, it may well be this mini front an indication of increased instability perhaps just drags the possibility of showers into some southern and western parts, but you get the sense that there is still a lot of dry weather towards the weekend. this is business briefing. i'm sally bundock. raising tensions over trade: mexico hits back at the us, and imposes nearly $3 billion worth of tariffs on american products. and the fashion designer kate spade has died at the age of 55, we look back on her career. and if all financial markets today as we hit midweek. the main markets in asia are slightly higher.