president trump says he could compromise on building the border war by calling it something else. meeting is to end a partial government shutdown now entering its third week are continuing in washington. a35—year—old man has been charged with murder of a passenger in a train in surrey on friday. the attack happened in front of his 14—year—old son. britten‘s prime minister has insisted a vote on her brexit deal will go ahead later this month. theresa may told the bbc be country faces uncharted territory of parliament votes to reject it and a young woman from saudi arabia says she is stranded at the international airport in bangkok and her life is injeopardy if officials force her to return home. we will have a full round—up of the day's news. but first, the second pa rt day's news. but first, the second part ofan day's news. but first, the second part of an epicjourney from the

atla ntic part of an epicjourney from the atlantic ocean to the far reaches of the congo river and we explore how history has shaped the congo of today and uncovers the lessor told stories of this beautiful, if troubled, country. the congo flows from the heart of africa. it's one of the world's great rivers. we're on a journey from the atlantic ocean to the furthest reaches of the democratic republic of congo. in part one, we went hunting with pygmies, who described how brutally their ancestors were treated by the belgian colonisers. and we visited what's left of former president mobutu sese seko‘s luxury jungle palace, to learn how postindependence leaders stole from their people. now, we're going deep

into the largest rainforest, outside the amazon, in search of endangered wildlife. whispers: it's amazing. into the mining heartland, to see what huge riches lie below the soil. and to go into the danger zone, to find out how war and disease still tear away at this country. from here, you cannot find anybody, they start going, all of them, they will disappear here, soon. we began our trip at the ocean and navigated around the first stretch of powerful rapids, through its chaotic capital city, kinshasa, heading up the river, twice crossing the equator to here, to see the fishermen of kisangani. the wagenia fishermen use the white

water to help them with their catch. from an early age, they learn how to use the deadly currents to check their nets, secure their ropes, and survive the raging rapids. these huge wicker baskets trap the fish. so when the water's really high, there are hundreds of these guys out here, with hundreds of these nets, they're pulling in huge fish. the water's not as high at the moment, but you can see how dangerous it is today. imagine when this is at full flood. it's crazy. they're brought up as little kids to do this very skilfully. singing. every young boy has to go through the ritual of learning to swim, of understanding the twists and turns of the current.

it's his first plunge into a tough life on the river. it was touch and go. but, eventually, he made it to safety. from here, the main river channel turns south, but we're going to keep going. the worst affected part of the country is the east, far from the capital and close to neighbouring rwanda and uganda. and there, designs on the mineral wealth on the sides of the congo. and we're starting in goma, before heading even further into trouble. this city is home to a towering active volcano.

this region is the epicentre of wars, which have raged for the past two decades. millions of people died in the fighting and in the humanitarian crisis that followed. scores of armed groups are still active in this region, today. you have these local conflicts that often displace hundreds of thousands of people. and there's an active ebola outbreak. welcome to the eastern congo! and this is where things are going to start to get dicey. the violence here started after the genocide in rwanda in 1994. as rwandan troops followed the killers over the border. rebels, backed by their neighbours, marched on the east and kept going. by may 1997, mobutu was out and mob justice was turned on his enforcers. his successor was the rebel leader, laurent kabila,

the warlord turned statesman. speaks french. but just a year later, rebel soldiers, supported by rwanda and uganda, launched a rebellion against kabila. swift regional diplomacy and the offer of mining rights brought in zimbabwean, angolan and namibian support, to drive at the rwandan backed forces. it turned one country's crisis a regional war. over the years, millions died, millions more were forced from burned homes. despite a peace deal, militants splinted and spread. after his father's assassination in 2001, joseph kabila took over as president. the violence continues today. we're flying with united nations peacekeepers into one of the most

dangerous parts of the country, beni, in north kivu. you're on patrol with us with the united nations forces here, going out into quite a dangerous area. and there's ebola nearby and also, there is a very strong militant group here that, in the last few days, has killed probably dozens of civilians. the group is called the adf. they've been around 20 years and they're living in the forests. there's huge and impenetrable forests just to the east of this area. they act in there, they do hit—and—run attacks, they kill civilians, they target un vehicles, like this one and they target the local democratic republic of the congo forces, as well. so, we're going to a village

and then we're going to get out, walk around, see what happens. they just want to show that they're here. first of all, the un—malawian troops chat to the locals, just to get an idea of what's going on. whether it's dangerous or not and to show their presence in the area. from here, you cannot find anybody, they start going, all of them. they will disappear here, soon. so, we'rejust meeting one of the community leaders here, but the translator has just said there's nobody from here on in further up to the side, because of the militants that are in the area. it's also weird, because the kids around you, you would normally go, "hi, there" and shake hands, but you can't touch anybody, i've been given very strict instructions, "don't touch anybody", because of the risk of ebola in this area. the un isn't popular here. people are suspicious of soldiers,

particularly from western countries. they are wondering how can the enemy cross all of this bush and reach the town and start killing people, just there in the town. so, for them, they are feeling bad, because they have suffered a lot. it's best not to hang around too long. after a short patrol around the town, it was straight back to base. it's hard to get much done, when safety is such an issue. and they're only on the ground for a short period of time. the un funding has been cut and they're taking a new approach to getting forces with tougher rules of engagement out to the most dangerous places. it's a difficult balance for the commander. we have only two ways to really protect the civilian population here. to be able to deploy, preventively, to arrive in the villages in the area where the civilians are, before the armed groups, is one. the second one is to go after the armed groups,

which are imposing threats to the civilian population. the spokesman for the government says it wants the un out by 2020, the whole un. what would happen if you left? i believe the un is making the difference here. because the state is not present, in many areas of this country. there are remote areas here, where we don't see the presence of the state. so, if we left the area, i believe that the situation, based on the correct environment, the situation could worsen very quickly. the situation here is already worsening. with increased attacks and the spread of ebola across this part of the country. much of the eastern congo is in a state of conflict and instability. historical tensions across this whole region often spark terrible violence, as happened in kalemie, our next stop, down on the shores

of lake tanganyika. when situations worsen in the drc, this is what happens. people get forced from their homes into camps. two years ago, a row over sharing a bowl of forest caterpillars sparked violent clashes between pygmies and other ethnic groups. inflamed by the politicians, it displaced three quarters of a million people. shouting. they're queueing up to make sure they're on the list for cash

payments, due to be given by the un, the following week. aid workers check names, to make sure they don't get too little or too much of what they're entitled to. shouting. there are still many of these camps, scattered across the town. after the ethnic—based violence erupted into a brutal tit—for—tat of attacks. it's still too dangerous for most to go home and terrible things were done by both sides. we met estelle. one morning, the war came to her village without warning. she was abused by them. they killed a woman and three men, in front of her. it took estelle two months to walk 200 kilometres, to escape the fighting. she now has little to feed her five children, her 11—year—old twins died here.

these hillsides are dry and exposed. the wind can whip up a small fire in no time and there's little water to spare. it's not surprising people panic. a nearby camp was recently burned to the ground. life is tense and desperate. everyone's on edge. just about surviving. but the slightest thing can spark a fight. shouting. this was over those burnt possessions. across this country, there are 1a million people who need aid, just to stay alive. 5 million people have been driven from their homes by fighting. we could have gone to so many places, but we've come here, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their villages to live in these kind of camps

or in local communities. they've been attacked and targeted in an ethnic fight, treated brutally and sadistically. there are scores of armed groups across this country. it's usually about strong men wanting more power, but it's also about a government that doesn't have control in these places. that has always been the story of the congo. it was built that way. violence and suffering is burnt into its dna. so much so, that it's sometimes hard to see beyond. but, in a young, vibrant and beautiful country, there is hope. travelling towards the furthest reaches of the river, we're going to explore the rich mining regions of katanga. but, first, we're going back into the forest, in search of something truly unique in kahuzi—biega national park. it's home to a critically—endangered

species, the eastern lowland gorillas. there are many gorilla families scattered through this forest, but four have been habituated. they're not afraid of humans and don't attack. they are who we're looking for. there is bamboo shoot here. it's the time of year when gorillas feed on bamboo. we're following the mess they leave behind. they've been here, ten minutes here. really, just ten minutes ago? ten minutes here. we've spent probably a couple of

hours in the jungle. cutting through, following places where they've been eating the bamboo shoots. i think we're getting close. a couple of times, we've heard them. but the guys are still trying to pick up the trail. it's through here. after three hours, we got our first glimpse, just a few metres ahead. there is another one, as well. that's the silverback. whispers: amazing. the masks we're wearing protect the gorillas from our germs. the young ones caught us by

surprise, coming so close. the masks we're wearing protect the gorillas from our germs. whispers: it's amazing. there are probably fewer than 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas left, in a fraction of the land they used to inhabit. being comfortable with humans allows visitors to come to help pay for the conservation. but it's risky for them. with poachers and militant groups in the area. the first danger for

gorilla isjust the man, but since the jungle, it's not dangerous in the jungle. because they're feeding leaves, they're feeding fruit, they‘ re feeding bamboo. no dangers for our gorillas here in kahuzi—biega national park. and after they are here in congo, just the gorilla family, the numbers are increasing for our gorillas, and it's very important. it's a truly magical and unique experience. and using the country's resources for economic growth, when people are so poor. the congo's mineral wealth is a freak of nature. its earth is packed with metal ores like copper, coltan and cobalt, gold, diamonds, uranium, with vast scenes in this part of africa.

the colonisers extracted and exploited. many bullets fired in the first world war came from congolese metal. and the uranium for the bombs that ended the second came from here. copper was the key commodity. but what was once thrown away as a by—product of that process has become its most valuable asset, cobalt. cobalt was worth nothing, until it became a key ingredient in electric car batteries. 60% of the world's supply is found in this part of the congo. once the ore has been broken up, it's a chemical refining process. sulphuric acid in these huge vats leaches out different metals. it burns your nose and throat.

electrolysis transforms the liquid into sheets of copper. as the cobalt heads elsewhere, to be dried and packed. so, this is the final product, this is 35% cobalt. it will be refined further, but this is what they export from here. you can see the green colour. this is basically what goes into your electric car battery, stops it from catching fire. this has doubled in price in the last couple of years, that's how much in demand it is. wealth like this should transform a country, but the exploitation continues. by big businesses and for personal gain. we have a lot of resources. and these resources have been our malediction. but, at the same moment, these resources, if we can really manage them very well and stop people to be there just to loot, without transforming

at least partially here, we can make it. is it corruption that has eaten away at the wealth of this country? yes, corruption is one of... challenges, among which, we have to deal with. and corruption also is a bad habit we have inherited, when we got independence. the bad habits had to be fought. and it is one of our main programme. we can't say that we have won, but still we are trying, really, to... finish it, because we can't maintain being a very rich country with very poor people. this can't be accepted, at all. one man has dominated congolese politics for 18 years, joseph kabila.

after delaying the elections for two years, he announced he would not be standing. but with some opposition leaders having been barred from the vote, questions remain over the country's commitment to democracy. church bells ring. for a long time now, a strong voice of opposition has come from the pews of the catholic church. as peaceful protests have been met with violence. many critics have been forced underground. which is why we had to secretly meet a couple of young activists, from a group called lucha, or struggle for change. this man was jailed for six months for leading illegal protests. he says he was recently beaten so badly, he spent three days in hospital. they arrived separately.

they were nervous and we had to do the interview quickly. it's dangerous here, to speak as openly as this. political change is in its early stages. but the majority hope new leadership will be for the better. that the huge potential of the congo will finally be realised. this journey up the congo river has shown us just how beautiful and how huge a country this is.

how rich it is so many ways. how rich it is in so many ways. history has been cruel to the democratic republic of the congo, exploited by the early european explorers, by belgium and its cruel king. and then through the last six decades of greedy congolese leadership and war. but it's river could power africa. its minerals could lift the nation from poverty. its young people could transform it into the glittering, beating heart of africa, rather than that of its dark and stereotypical image. if you'd like to take an even more immersive journey up the congo river, in virtual reality, visit bbc.com/virtualreality, to find out how. the weather has been fairly quiet

recently, lots of cloud amount with light winds and for some of us that will change, much windier start to the new week. as the winds ease, it will turn colder for a time, but for much of the working week, mainly dry with a bit more in the way of sunshine. the wins will freshen overnight where we will see the rain freshening. drier for england and wales, temperatures are around five to 7 degrees. temperatures in rural parts could be down to one or 2 degrees. sunshine will be fleeting on monday. notice the squeeze in the eye ice bars, it is a windy start to the new week and a wet one the persistent rain across scotland and northern ireland will slide its way south

through the day, weakening. the further south, the better chance you have of staying mainly dry with some breaks in the cloud to bring bright or sunny spells. rain returning to northern scotland through the afternoon. it will be a mild day for all, 11 and maybe even 12 celsius the top temperature. but it's the strength of the wind which is giving us some concern. this is an idea of wind gust strength through monday afternoon but across northern scotland, those costs will widely touch 60 to 70 miles an hour, locally 75, maybe even 80 mph across the northern highlands and northern isles, so some disruption is possible. that area of low pressure slides its way into the north sea, across into scandinavia as we go into tuesday. that allows a north or north—westerly wind to develop, a much colder airflow. you can see that we start to lose the milder air and it becomes confined to the south—western fringes of the uk. and, for most, we are in that colder air as we go from tuesday into wednesday. it's a biting wind, but it should deliver much more in the way of sunshine. a scattering of showers for some eastern coasts, still quite windy here. and this combines with the new moon and spring tides, we could see some coastal flooding for north sea coasts. it becomes a quieter afternoon as the winds slowly start to die down.

temperatures starting to take a tumble, 6 or 7 celsius the high for eastern areas on tuesday, nine or ten further west. on wednesday, a cold, frosty start for many, the best of the sunshine down the spine of the uk. a bit more cloud into eastern coasts and more cloud starting to push in across western areas which could bring some mist, drizzle and hill fog across northern ireland and western scotland. but a cold day for many on wednesday, the coldest day of the week — for some temperatures not much higher than four or five celsius. on thursday, the best of the sunshine probably the further south and east you are, a drier day here. dry for much of the uk, once again, more cloud across northern ireland and western scotland, parts of wales could bring some mist and murk and patchy drizzle but also it will start to raise the temperature so, nine or ten celsius in the north—west on thursday. we end the week fairly quiet, this area of high pressure to the west and south—west of the uk, notice by this stage the isobars are quite nicely spaced apart. so the wind should be fairly light and there will be spells of sunshine for many, save for parts of northern ireland and the western isles of scotland,

still prone to some mist and fog and patchy light rain and drizzle. temperatures in double figures and for much of the uk, just getting into double figures to end the week. we will end this forecast, once again, with the jet stream, because as we go into the weekend, it starts to dive its way a little further south. that will be the set up in the week ahead. things go from being quite quiet to fairly unsettled once again. it will be often windy, there will be spells of rain and it will be feeling cold and there is the possibility, as we go into the week ahead, we could see some winteriness. that's all from me, goodbye. opposed to her brexit deal — before a crucial vote next week. mrs may says she'll be making assurances to those opposed to the deal in the coming days — but warns of unpredictable consequences if it's rejected. we are going to be in uncharted territory. i don't think anybody can say exactly what will happen.

with one of the biggest issues in the brexit debate the so—called backstop, we'll be reporting from the irish border. also tonight: a man has been charged over the murder of lee pomeroy, stabbed to death on a train last friday. a long—term plan for the health service in england — setting out how the government's funding boost will be spent. who do your make—up? who do your make-up? we went for something dramatic, do you like