this is the briefing, i'm tim willcox. our top story: turkey braced for more turmoil. the lira under severe pressure, despite a government action plan to stabilise the currency. tight security in washington, as anti—fascist demonstrators outnumber a handful of white supremacists who held a brief rally near the white house. a special report from afghanistan, where 17 years on from the us—led invasion, the under—resourced local army is still hoping to end the conflict with the taliban. also coming up in the business briefing: trouble in the pipeline. could higher oil prices be on the way, as new us sanctions hit iran? a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know

in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. tell us what you think. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. with its currency in freefall, all eyes will be on turkey's finance minister over the next few hours, as he seeks to calm the markets and halt the lira's slide. berat albayrak, who is president erdogan‘s son—in—law, is introducing an action plan today to help banks and smaller businesses. the lira's value sank to a record low on sunday, reflecting concerns over the economy and worsening ties with the united states. it did rally, but continued to fall overnight. lebo diseko reports. turkey's president stood defiant

on sunday, telling supporters the fall of his country's currency was a political plot against turkey. as the event continued, he repeated a less—than—thinly—veiled threat to a nato ally, the united states. translation: our response to those who wage a trade war against the whole world and include our country in that — we'll be heading towards new markets and new alliances. despite the tough talk, the lira has continued to weaken. it has fallen 40% so far this year against the us dollar, and as us president donald trump doubled steel and aluminium tariffs last week, the lira dropped almost 20% in a day. relations have been strained since the attempt to overthrow mr erdogan in 2016. and this is the man at the centre of this latest spat the two countries. turkey is holding the american pastor andrew bru nson over suspected

links to that failed coup, and the us wants him back. on this, president erdogan remains steadfast. they said, release the pastor, and gave until last wednesday at 6:00pm. if we did not release him, they said they would sanction us. for ordinary turkish people, the ongoing row has contributed to rising prices and savings that are worth even less. many small businesses are at risk, and there are fears the currency woes could turn into a full—blown economic crisis. the finance minister says a plan has been prepared for banks as well as small to medium—sized businesses. berat albayrak says he will share it on monday. turks can only hope it will be enough to calm the markets and give the lira a much—needed boost. lebo diseko, bbc news. there has been a rally by white supremacists and far—right supporters in washington, dc, but only a handful

of people turned up. they were outnumbered by the police and by counter—demonstrators. chris buckler has more. whose streets? our street! in washington's streets, there was anger and frustration, as thousands gathered to demonstrate against a protest by white nationalists, right in the centre of the capital, and within sight of the white house. exactly a year before, the same right wing group had held a controversial protest in charlottesville, controversial protest in cha rlottesville, in controversial protest in charlottesville, in virginia. a woman was killed when a car was driven into a crowd of counter protesters. holding this event on the anniversary of heather heyer‘s death was seen by many as deliberately provocative. very emotional day. there was a couple of

signs that said for heather, and we had a moment of silence for heather, because that woman did lose her life. that never should have happened. many who were critical of president trump, who after cha rlottesville president trump, who after charlottesville claimed there was blame on both sides. but there was no equivalent in the scale of these protest. while antifascist campaigners filled the streets, only around 20 white nationalist turned up around 20 white nationalist turned up in washington. they had applied for a permit for 20 times that number. who is the intolerant one? is it us, who are here expressing oui’ is it us, who are here expressing our first is it us, who are here expressing ourfirst amendment is it us, who are here expressing our first amendment rights, is it us, who are here expressing ourfirst amendment rights, or is it us, who are here expressing our first amendment rights, or these folks who showed up by the thousands to stop us from being able to speak and they are completely indoctrinated? there were brief clashes between processors and police. let's go, let's go! particularly as they tried to escort the small group of white nationalists out from gates near the white house. the police had worked exceptionally hard to keep his two sides apart. but the reality is,

this has been a huge security operation in the heart of washington dc, for what has been an small protest by white nationalists. but on both sides the real purpose seemed to be a desire to have their voices heard by the white house. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: dozens of people are still missing following an explosion in syria. at least 39 people, including 12 children, were killed in the mainly rebel—held province of idlib. the blast brought down a building said to have contained munitions belonging to an arms trafficker. there have been more protests in romania. for the third night running, thousands gathered outside government buildings in bucharest. they have been angered by the recent dismissal of the country's chief anti—corru ption prosecutor, and by the decriminalisation of several fraud offences. more than 130,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in eastern china, which is being battered by typhoon yagi. fishing boats and other vessels were instructed to return to port.

the strong tropical storm has already contributed to flash—floods in the philippines. election observers in mali says there appears to have been a low turnout in sunday's presidential election run—off. the group also highlighted tensions on the day. it said several polling stations had come under attack. president ibrahim boubacar keita, who is expected to win a second term, has dismissed allegations of stuffed ballot boxes and other irregularities. high—level talks have begun between north and south korea, to prepare for a third meeting between their leaders. the talks in the demilitarized zone between the countries were proposed by north korea last week. we can cross live now to our correspondent in seoul, laura bicker. just when you consider that summit

in singapore between kimjong—un and donald trump, there have been several obstacles since then. are the north and south trying to iron out some of those problems now? well, there have been quite a few meetings between north and south, mostly cultural and sporting exchanges. and it is worth remembering thatjust exchanges. and it is worth remembering that just a exchanges. and it is worth remembering thatjust a few months ago the idea that two very high—level ministers from north korea and south korea meeting at the border would have been a huge news story. and here we are today, we are kind of getting used to it. but you are right, since that historic summit tween kim jong—un, the are right, since that historic summit tween kimjong—un, the north korean leader, and the us president, donald trump, injune, the talks to try to persuade north korea to disarm have stalled slightly. and north korean state media has stepped up north korean state media has stepped up its rhetoric, being rather critical of the us approach, at one point even calling them gangster like demands to disarm and saying that south korea is complicit in this, especially taking part in sanctions. so there was a bit of

worry about what would happen when the two met. when they met, it seems to have been very friendly indeed. the north korean delegate in charge actually said they had reached a point in their relationship where we couldn't cross each other even if we tried. we are now fellow travellers who share the same destiny. and north korean delegate even called for the meeting to be open to reporters. more on that story, of course, on the website. let's return to our top story this power. —— let's return to our top story, those growing fears of an economic crisis in turkey. as you have been hearing, turkey has promised an action plan today to ease the concerns of investors, with help for banks and small businesses. the lira hit a new record low in early asian trading, after more combative words from president recep tayyip erdogan. he used three public addresses on sunday to step up attacks on the us, blaming it for the country's financial problems. broadcaster henry bonsu joins me now. erdogan used three public addresses

on sunday to step up attacks on the united states. we will be looking at this ina united states. we will be looking at this in a moment, going through some of the papers. this is a real crisis for turkey. a0%, the lira has lost since the start of the year. some pretty drastic measures needed. yes, and this is notjust an economic story. it is also a political story, but in terms of the economics, people are talking about interest rates, capital controls, turks being forced to give up their dollars. huge european exposure. this is an economy which, european countries and european banks are deeply embedded in turkey, they are holding huge amounts of turkish debt. we are talking about 1.2% drop of euro against the dollar. people are really concerned what this might

mean, but it is also a political story, because we have two strongman, one in the united states and one in turkey, and you would assume that these strongmen would see eye to eye, but they don't, because they both believe in zero—sum game politics. so the huge imposition of extra tariffs on turkish steel and aluminium, with erdogan saying this is not about interest rates, gold or the dollar. these are bullets that are trying to impose —— bullies trying to impose a surrender on us. and with god, we will win. you talk about them not getting along, but erdogan had his fallout with president putin. he did. it is interesting on interest rates, because president erdogan says this only helps the rich, but not the poor. it goes to the heart of the whole economic strategy in that country of growth at all costs. well, if you look at donald trump, he believes in growth at all costs, and in the case of erdogan, here's

the kind of person who will say his support base loves. this is a guy who believes in national self—determination, and growth is a tool not just self—determination, and growth is a tool notjust of economic power, but also political power, and that is one of the reasons that he has been not just one of the reasons that he has been notjust prime minister but president for a decade and a half. it is about projection of strength at all cost through business, and he says if you choose this american path over your long—term nato ally, then more fool you, we will go to china and russia. and this pastor has been held for two years under house arrest. but some sort of ultimatum, we understand, by the united states to free them by september. if you are erdogan, there is no way you can collapse like that. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: cuba's draft constitution encourages a public debate on plans to legalise same—sex marriage. it will be sent out to every corner of the communist—run island for a process of national public debate. the big crowds became

bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a hugejob of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. two billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millennium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later, when the sun set over the bay of bengal. this is the briefing from bbc news.

the latest headlines: turkey has pledged it will take action to calm the financial markets, after its currency plunged to a new record low in asian trading. the lira has lost 20% of its value against the us dollar in the past week after a trade diagreemnt with washington. there's been tight security in washington as a small number of far—right supporters held a rally near the white house. there are efforts to end the 17 year war in afghanistan with senior diplomats holding the first talks with the taliban. ever since they still control large areas of the country. jonathan beale reports from afghanistan, he his journey country. jonathan beale reports from

afghanistan, he hisjourney in helmand province. back to the dust and heat of helmand, this the place where hundreds of british troops were killed, and which nearly fell to the taliban when they departed. four years ago, the british left for good, but the americans soon returned, albeit in smaller numbers. now they are on their own, patrolling what was the sprawling british base of camp bastion. it was necessary for us to come back in here a couple of years ago. if that had not happened, i would imagine that helmand would be pretty solidly under the control of the taliban right now. at night, us marines fire illumination rounds to deter any attack, as well as lethal long—range artillery rockets to target enemy positions. by day, they oversee the training of the afghan army, and these soldiers need all the help they can get. their unit has already suffered heavy losses. by day, they oversee the training of the afghan army, and these soldiers need

all the help they can get. their unit has already suffered heavy losses. the corps right now is sitting at about 30%. 30% of what it should be? yes, that's right. that's a worry, isn't it? it is, but there's a time, time in recruiting. constant advising and the senior leadership will improve the situation. we joined the afghan army out on patrol on the main highway through helmand, this the road regularly targeted by taliban roadside bombs. but our escorts seem more interested in their entertainment along the way. music plays they still don't always look or sound like a professional army. the afghan army is now leading the fight. but they are well below strength, suffering high rates of attrition, whether through casualties or desertions, and they are still only just able to secure central helmand, where most of the population live.

britain may have turned its back on helmand, but it does have a presence here in the capital, kabul. 0n the ground, british soldiers have been tasked with transporting international advisers safely round the city. it is this mission, dubbed armoured uber, that has been boosted by another 440 uk troops. it's still america that is doing the heavy lifting, but it's talking, not fighting, that will change the course of this war. nobody‘s talking about fighting their way to victory anymore. victory now is a political settlement, and that is more than ever on the cards. but there's still no peace process, and for these afghan soldiers,

there is still no end in sight to 17 long years of war. jonathan beale, bbc news, kabul. you're watching bbc world news. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later: pakistan's parliament is due to convene following the recent elections. indications are that imran khan is likely to be the new prime minister as his party secured 116 seats — the largest number of any party that ran. the former argentine president, cristina kirchner, is to appear in court as part of an investigation into a massive corruption scandal. and finally, beijing will host the 24th world congress of philosophy which runs for a week. it happens every five years and this time the theme is "learning to be human". cuba's draft new constitution

will be sent out to every corner of the communist—run island today, for a process of national public debate. the new document includes a plan to legalise same—sex marriage in cuba — a country which has historically had a reputation for homophobia. 0ur correspondent will grant reports from havana. hot off the presses, cuba's new constitution. 0rdinary cubans are only now digestive a completely newly written magna carta. the changes are proposed like recognising private property and redefining marriage as between two people not just redefining marriage as between two people notjust a man and a woman. these men have been togetherfor 15 yea rs. these men have been togetherfor 15 years. on an island renowned for the homophobic attitudes of its past,

this change, they say, is long overdue. translation: this change, they say, is long overdue. translationzlj this change, they say, is long overdue. translation: itook this change, they say, is long overdue. translation: i took a long time to come out of the closet because i had no points of reference around me. there was no information about it. back then it was a problem and a stigma. translation: we are trying to say there isn't a single type of family. the nuclear family isn't the only one that exists. that's what we are fighting for. cuban that's what we are fighting for. cu ban society hasn't that's what we are fighting for. cuban society hasn't always been this understanding towards gay men and women. in the worst years of the 19705 and women. in the worst years of the 1970s homosexual people were x—files, sent to work camps or even prison. —— exiled. today people seem to wa nt prison. —— exiled. today people seem to want to rectify mistakes of the past several one institution, which still won't budge on gay rights, the church. in this methodist church in havana the congregation is deeply committed. but when it comes to the

question of same—sex marriage the message is not of tolerance. the pastor urges them to block gay marriage, striking an uncompromising and conservative tone amid an otherwise more accepting environment. translation: we have distributed material which talks about the original design of the family, that is the family as it has a lwa ys family, that is the family as it has always been known, and we will fight with all of our strength to make sure this measure isn't included in the constitution. still, it is expected same—sex marriage will be approved. the main supporter, the lesbian and gay community have, is the daughter of raul castro and the influential head of the homosexual rights commission. at a recent gay pride march in havana symbolic weddings were held with blessings from sympathetic members of the

church. by the time the next pride comes around, the men hope they will already bring up a son together, hope they might be able to get married for real. will grant, bbc news, havana. now for the sports news from the bbc sport centre. hello, i'm tulsen tollett. coming up in your monday sport briefing: brooks koepka wins the us pga championship in missouri. manchester city get their season underway with victory at arsenal. while rafael nadal and simona halep win their respective tournaments in toronto and montreal. the world's best tennis players move onto cincinnati on monday for their final preparations before the us open gets underway in a fortnight‘s time. novak djokovic will be among those there, but the former world number one andy murray will continue his comeback with a match against france's lucas pouille. he could meet roger federer in the third round, which would be their 26th meeting, if they both progress that far. brooks koepka won the 100th us pga

championship by two strokes in missouri, but was challenged by tiger woods, who finished second. the american, who is currently ranked at number four in the world, claimed his second major of the year, having won the us open injune, and a third major title in 1a months. a week after they beat london opposition with a new manager, manchester city have begun their defence of the premier league title with a 2—0 win over arsenal. raheem sterling and bernardo silva scored the goals for the visitors, while the hosts played their first match under new manager unai emery. but, for pep guardiola, it was business as usual. in general, we make an excellent performance counting in the moment of the season that we are, with a lot of players with a lack of condition in terms of physicality. but of course, we are more than two seasons together, and we know more or less what we have to do in different parts. we were aggressive in the middle, and the back, so we made a good

performance in general. it is looking like it is going to be a very long series for india's cricket team. they have been beaten by an innings and 159 runs by england at lord's in the second test. that means they have gone 2—0 down in the best—of—five series. and remember their recent record in england — they have lost nine of the ten tests they have played in the country since 2011. simona halep won the canadian open for the second time, beating sloane stephens in three sets in montreal as the us open, the year's final major, approaches. while rafael nadal was victorious in the toronto masters, claiming his 80th atp tour title, holding off the challenge of stefano tsitsipas in straight sets, as the greek player failed to get the win on his 20th birthday. don't worry about ronaldo, he's just got strong flu. there were briefly concerns about the brazilian legend, that he was in intensive care on the spanish island of ibiza. but the 41—year—old posted on twitter to say that there was no

need for any panic, and that he would be released from hospital later on monday. good news indeed. you can get all the latest sports news at our website. that is bbc.com/sport. but from me, tulsen tollett, and the rest of the team, that is your monday sport briefing. just before we go, assuming —— a zoo injapan has, just before we go, assuming —— a zoo in japan has, with just before we go, assuming —— a zoo injapan has, with only way just before we go, assuming —— a zoo in japan has, with only way to entertain its penguins, devising a game for them to keep cool in the scorching heatwave temperatures, pieces of fish pushed down a watershed for the penguins to catch — good fun — and it is cool as well. that is it so far. stay with us here on bbc news. i will be back with the business briefing in a few minutes' time. hello, it's been a fairly

unsettled weekend. outbreaks of rain have given way to some heavy and in places thundery showers, which will continue to work their way eastwards through the early hours of monday morning. all down to this area of low pressure, which, come first thing monday morning, is still lingering along eastern coasts of england and scotland, still generating some showers. and, for most, it is a day of a few sunny spells and a scattering of showers. and, if you catch one of those, they could still be heavy and thundery. let's look in more detail at a:00pm in the afternoon in a little bit more detail. a fair amount of sunshine across much of england and wales, more than we saw on sunday. but notice these blobs of blue and green, just giving an indication there will still be some showers pushing their way from west to east, maybe a rumble of thunder or a flash of lightning. a few showers for northern ireland, mainly dry here. some breaks in the cloud to give some bright and sunny spells. a few breaks in the cloud for murray and aberdeenshire, but generally for much of scotland, a lot of cloud, some outbreaks of rain, which will gradually ease through the day. once again, the best of the sunshine

will be for shetland. temperatures for scotland on monday, 15—19 celsius. 20 for northern ireland, and 20—211 for england and wales in the best of the sunshine. we'll still keep a few showers going through monday evening and overnight into tuesday, particularly for eastern counties of england. still keeping that zone of cloud across much of scotland, extending its way northwards into orkney and shetland. some showery rain arriving into northern ireland through the early hours of tuesday morning. it won't be a cold night, lows between 11 and 15 celsius. starting to feel quite warm and muggy again across south—eastern parts of england. and it's a real north—west, south—east split as we go into tuesday, north—western areas closer to these fronts bringing some outbreaks of rain. south and east, close to the area of high pressure, so keeping things dry and settled, with a good deal of sunshine across central, eastern and southern england. but starting to see a more noticeable breeze developing across northern ireland, scotland, northern england, some outbreaks of showery rain working their way eastwards on tuesday. so a cooler feel in this zone of cloud and rain, high teens, compared to 2a, 25, maybe even 26 for east anglia and south—east england. a similar sort of day on wednesday,

except the rain is a little bit more persistent, and the winds will be quite strong, particularly gusty for western coasts. further south and east, again dry, plenty of sunshine, and still feeling very warm. not for much longer, though, because on thursday that band of rain will slip its way south and eastwards, so, to sum up the week, it'll be windy at times, there'll be some showers or longer spells of rain, warmest and driest in the south and east. this is the business briefing. i'm tim willcox. the headlines: the lira crisis deepens. turkey promises an action plan to reassure investors as its currency hits a new all—time low. plus trouble in the pipeline. could higher oil prices be on the way as new us sanctions hit iran? and on the markets, asia shares are down, hit by that fresh slide in the turkish lira. investors seeking safe havens, like the us dollar and swiss franc. we are waiting to hear what the

finance minister has to say in a few hours' time, the son—in—law of president erdogan, and people seeking safe havens as well.