this is bbc news, the headlines: syrian forces backed by the us have begun their assault on the last enclave held by so—called islamic state. thousands of women and children have left the area in recent days, with many is supporters surrendering to kurdish forces. welcome to bbc news, a day of mourning has been declared broadcasting to viewers in north america in ethiopia after a plane crash and around the globe. killed all 157 people on board. my name is lewis vaughanjones. the boeing 737, owned our top stories: by ethiopian airlines, was carrying passengers from more than 30 countries. it came down shortly after taking families and fighters leave off from the capital addis ababa. the islamic state group's last it's the second air crash in five stronghold in syria as the final assault by western—backed forces begins. we have a special report. months involving this type of plane. ethiopia declares a national day of mourning after the plane crash outside addis ababa that killed the trial of two women accused of killing kim jong—un's all 157 people on board. half—brother has resumed in malaysia. the pair are accused of smearing the toxic nerve agent vx the trial of two women accused on kim jong—nam's face of killing kim jong—un‘s in kuala lumpur airport half—brother two years ago two years ago. resumes in malaysia. we'll be live from the court. they deny murder, saying they thought they were taking part thousands protest in moscow in a tv prank. against plans to cut off russia's internet from the rest of the world. now on bbc news, it's time for a look back

western—backed fighters beseiging the last patch of territory in syria occupied by islamic state say they have now reached the middle of a camp once controlled by the militant group. here are the latest pictures of the assault. is once had dreams of a global caliphate, but most of the group's die—hard supporters have now surrendered to kurdish forces. the remaining jihadists are now confined to a tiny piece of land under a mountain outside the village of baghouz. earlier, the bbc was given an exclusive look inside baghouz. our middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, and cameraman jewan abdi, sent this report. this is the end of the road.

beyond here, we are given a first look inside all that remains of the islamic state group's caliphate. is are close enough to shoot. under their black flag — it was raised only the day before — the diehards hold firm. improvised bombs are left behind, but the caliphate is reduced to squalid camps. no—one knows how many remain inside. the men of the syrian democratic forces wait for the final assault. just a mile away, is true believers meet their apocalypse. more than 12,000 supporters, including their children, gave up to kurdish forces in the last week. girl sings. the daughter of a french is fighter.

this is not a lullaby, but a propaganda ballad. she sings of martyrdom and paradise. her extremist father was killed earlier this week. women shout. their hateful ideology, which brought terror here, still pollutes minds. allahu akbar, allahu akbar! "go film the men", they scream, "we are the women of the islamic state, god is great", as they attack our camera. hundreds of is fighters have been killed, but hundreds more have survived the battle to retake the last tiny village of baghouz. they are headed for kurdish prison. many of the islamic state supporters view the surrender not as defeat, but as only a setback. the is leadership told them to give up. the wives expect to see their husbands again, and those husbands expect to take up arms again.

that leadership has already fled, and now, all across northern syria, there are tens of thousands of hardcore is supporters being held together in camps and prisons, and they're waiting for what comes next. allahu akbar! ii—year—old amar, from iraq, told us he wants to be a jihadist. allahu akbar! adiba, a yazidi woman, is revealed casting off is oppression. they burn the abaya she was made to wear. forcibly converted to islam, adiba was passed from one moroccan fighter to another. she says she suffered regular beatings, was raped, and had a child. nearby, we meet her latest captor, ahmed. "she wasn't a slave", he says. "she lived with my

wife and parents". he had taken her after her previous ca ptor was killed. is committed a genocide against adiba's people. now, her life begins again, and the nightmare caliphate ends. but, here in syria, the islamic state group's people and its toxic ideology still cling on. quentin somerville, bbc news, syria. a day of mourning has been declared in ethiopia to remember 157 people killed in sunday's plane crash. the boeing 737 max—8 came down within minutes of taking off from addis ababa on its way to the kenyan capital, nairobi. the passengers came from more than 30 countries. from nairobi, alistair leithead reports. there is very little left of ethiopian airlines flight 302. this is where it crashed,

just moments after takeoff. there were 149 passengers and eight crew on board. from the relatively small area, aviation experts believe it would have plunged very quickly from the sky and exploded on impact. eyewitnesses describe the intensity of the impact. translation: it came directly from the sky downwards. we heard a huge explosion, there was no fire before it crashed but once it crashed we saw a huge cloud of smoke. the flight, bound for nairobi, took off from the ethiopian capital, addis ababa, at 8:38am local time. butjust 6 minutes later it disappeared off the radar. it crashed near the village of bishoftu, just 37 miles from the airport. the cause of the disaster is not yet clear, but the pilot had reported difficulties and had asked to return to addis ababa.

those awaiting his arrival in nairobi, saw that the flight was delayed, then came the terrible news. the airline released details of the nationalities on board. people from 35 different countries. 32 of the passengers were kenyan, 18 canadian, and seven were from the uk. in south london, ben courier heard this afternoon that his father, who had dual british and kenyan citizenship, was among the dead. i found out that nearly everybody had passed away, and it was just a frantic rush to work the phones to try to get any information that we could get. a major international conference is being held here at the un headquarters in nairobi. a number of delegates travelling from all over the world were on the plane. the executive director of the world food around said a number of his staff and other un employees were killed. tonight, another british person who

died has been named asjoanna toole, who was heading to that un conference. the aircraft was brand—new. ethiopian airlines, africa's biggest and most successful operator, received its first boeing 737 800 max aircraft injune. this one was only delivered four months ago, and was flown from johannesburg this morning. it is the same kind of aircraft that crashed off indonesia last year, operated by lion air. there was a loss of 189 passengers and crew killed, and it also crashed shortly after takeoff. boeing said it was deeply saddened and that a technical team was ready to provide assistance. while all thoughts are with the families of those killed, work has already begun to find out what caused the crash. the us federal aviation authority says it will be involved in the investigation. the defence case begins today in kuala lumpur for one of the two women accused of killing

with a toxic nerve agent kim jong—nam, the estranged half—brother of north korea's leader kim jong—un. siti aisyah and doan thi huong both deny the charges and could face the death penalty if found guilty. let's go live to kuala lumpur now and our south asia correspondent, jonathan head. jonathan, thingsjust jonathan, things just getting jonathan, thingsjust getting under way there? yes, the defendants have arrived in the last hour. this is the first time we will hear from them direct leave. the prosecution finished its own case almost a year ago. it has taken a very long time to reach this stage, there have been several delays, and we are expecting only to hear from several delays, and we are expecting only to hearfrom doan several delays, and we are expecting only to hear from doan thi several delays, and we are expecting only to hearfrom doan thi huong, the 30—year—old vietnamese defendant, who was the second person who smeared a liquid onto the face of kimjong—nam at who smeared a liquid onto the face of kim jong—nam at kuala who smeared a liquid onto the face of kimjong—nam at kuala lumpur‘s international airport. it is

believed that each of them had part of the ingredients of the nerve agent that killed him. she was then seen racing to the toilet afterwards to wash her hands. she would have been most at risk of being exposed to both agents. she was expected in her sworn statement today to explain that she was duped, effectively, recruited by what she believed to be people carrying out televised pranks, and that she was entering show business as a career. she was paid to this, had done several rehearsals before hand, and she was trying to persuade the judge that she has no idea what she was doing was illegal. there is a case that she must have known what she was doing was dangerous. obviously, the case is being watched where you are, but also in the region as well. yes, although what is interesting is how low— key although what is interesting is how

low—key the dealings with north korea are. here in malaysia and the rest of the region. kim jong—un was believed to have ordered this extraordinary and highly risky assassination. the major international airport was welcomed only this month by the vietnamese government ——he was welcomed. people here for the trump summit, bbc staff, were warned not to mention this incident, or we would be thrown out. you sense the governments in this region, while this extraordinary assassination has shot them, don't want to disrupt the delicate this of managing relations with north korea, and neither of these two women — i think siti aisyah has a bit more support from the indonesian government, but it would be extraordinary for malaysia,

because it was unable to intercept any of the agents involved, and it would be extraordinary if only these two women were found guilty of the crime. russians have been protesting in moscow and two other cities against plans to give the kremlin the capacity to isolate the country's internet service from the rest of the world. activists say 15,000 people took part, double the police estimate. eliza philippidis reports. this is all about freedom. last month, russian lawmakers backed plans to stop internet traffic from being rooted on foreign servers. the government says it is to improve russian cyber security, but protesters say this latest attempt to control online content puts the country on track to be completely isolated from the rest of the world.

they say it would put them on par with north korea, and that it is an attempt to increase censorship and stifle dissent. in russia, lots of people use a messaging app called telegram. it is used for people to send encrypted messages to each other, but could be shut down if the deal went through. people were urged to rally against the bill, saying it would result in total censorship. we are here because anonymity is being liquidated in russia. authorities passed laws that put people in jail than no reason, block online content and access to information. this bill would give increasing power to the russian internet watchdog. it has already threatened action against twitter, and find google for failing to blacklist sites. police say

several protesters were arrested with banners and police confiscated. this man was dragged away by officers. authorities have not confirmed any arrests. the second reading of the bill is planned later this month. if it is past it will go to the upper house of the parliament, and then for final signing by president putin. let's speak to bruce mcconnell, who was deputy under secretary for cybersecurity in the 0bama administration and now advises on global cybersecurity at the east west institute. is this a matter of security or censorship? it is both. it is a matter of national security, countries have a requirement to protect their citizens, and the internet is a place as we have all seen internet is a place as we have all seen where bad things can come from. so that is one side of it. the other side of it is that in more autocratic regimes, the government

views political stability as part of security, so you are seeing that happen. will it work? you can cut yourself off from the internet is a country for very long. you need the banking systems, international finance, international information and trade, so it is kind of a one size fits all solution that is not very subtle, but there are other things with it, other services may be blocked, particular services... linkedin has been blocked on and off in russia sometime. you see this around the world, governments trying to manage their downsides of the new technology while keeping the upside is. how does russia's approach or capabilities compare with say china, which is the obvious example that we know more about. china's approach is more nuanced. they have put a lot more nuanced. they have put a lot more money and people into it, they have been at it longer, so they are

able to filter content both coming in from outside, going out in the country because they have a lot of people working on this, and have made a lot of investments. the russians are taking a simpler approach, they are a bit newer at this, and they haven't made the investment. we appreciate your time and your expertise. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the world's biggest democracy announces dates for its general election. indian prime minister narendra modi seeks another term in office. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure

20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much do you think? i don't know really. i've never been married before. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: syrian forces backed by the us have begun their final assault on the last enclave held

by so—called islamic state. ethiopia has declared a national day of mourning after the plane crash outside addis ababa that killed all 157 people on board. well, let's get more on that story now. geoffrey thomas is the editor of airlineratings.com. he specialises in aircraft safety, and joins us now from los angeles. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. we have had these two, now, devastating crashes. what's going on? that's a very good question, lewis. lots of people are asking the question. first of all, having an air crash like this is most unusual anyway. would today's safety levels. then, to have to aeroplanes, both four months old, to crash the way

they have, and a brand—new model of aircraft as well. —— two airplanes. so, yes, there are some similarities between the two. it is well and truly too early to say that they are both related. in fact, most safety a nalyst both related. in fact, most safety analyst i have spoken to about this today say they believe they are not related. —— analysts. the indonesian one, the lionair one in october last year, was about a faulty angle of attack sensor, which sent erroneous data to the caption, who was flying the aircraft, and then it was his handling of that situation as well which impacted the final outcome. —— data to the captain. the ethiopian crash, while there are some of the fluctuations in airspeed and altitude after takeoff, we do not have the final data on the final pa rt have the final data on the final part of the flight, but it did, we know, impact with a nosedive into the ground at high speed. the plane

disintegrated, whatever was there was then destroyed by fire. so, yes, there are certainly similarities... iam there are certainly similarities... i am pleased you have teased out the differences in the two incidents, and of course we will stress that it is very, very early. yes. but given that both events have happened, if you were in charge of an airline now would you be tempted to ground flights until we know more, or is that an overreaction? well, the chinese have already done that. that was announced by think about half—an—hour ago, they have some max—8s flying in china, which they have grounded. i personally would not. i think it is a premature decision. there are plane is thoroughly tested. it is incredibly reliable as an aeroplane. certainly this is a new model and it has some new features. but this has been certified by the americans, thoroughly tested by bowen. —— bowen. i think it would be an overreaction. if that is an

overreaction, what about the investigation? what exactly will it be looking for, where does it go from here? well, the investigation will be challenging, i feel, from here? well, the investigation will be challenging, ifeel, because de kock had a voice recorder and the flight de kock had a voice recorder and the flight data recorder could well have been damaged significantly in the impactand been damaged significantly in the impact and fire. —— the cockpit voice recorder. they will be racing to get their hands on those. hopefully there is data that can be extracted within the week, and then we can understand more fully exactly what is going on and whether the two are linked, and whether there is actually a problem with the aeroplane in the first place. well, obviously those families will be waiting for the results of those investigations. thank you for your time and your expertise. we appreciated, geoffrey thomas. thank you, lewis. -- appreciate it. let's get some of the day's other news now. venezuela is suspending schools and business activities on monday as a blackout continues. some parts of the country have now

been without power for 72 hours, and there's no indication of when it might be restored. there've been reports of sporadic looting in the capital caracas. algeria's ailing president abdelaziz bouteflika has flown back to the country. mr bouteflika, who's 82, is rarely seen in public, after having a stroke in 2013. he'd been receiving medical treatment in switzerland. there have been major demonstrations across algeria after president bouteflika announced that he's standing for fifth term in office. teachers and students have been on strike and many shops have been closed, as protests continue. india has just announced the dates of its forthcoming elections. more than 900 million people will cast their votes, in a rolling poll so large that it takes place over six weeks, with votes being counted on may 23. prime minister narendra modi's is seeking re—election. india's recent military action in pakistan will play a part in the campaign, but there

are other issues too that could affect the polls. the bbc‘s yogita limaye reports from kerala. cheering and applause. india's most powerful man. five years ago, he won the biggest majority in nearly three decades. narendra modi enjoys an almost cult following in the country. viva modi! and now, after a tense time for the people of india, he's projecting himself as the man who can keep the nation safe. influence of terrorists and terrorism has been curtailed and it is going to be curtailed even more! this is a new india! this is an india that will return the damage done by terrorists with interest! in response to this suicide bombing in indian kashmir in february, the country's air force launched strikes on what it says were terror camps in pakistan.

the strong action has boosted support for narendra modi. but national security is only one issue on the minds of people. the prime minister's record on economic growth and cracking down on corruption has been questioned. one of his main rivals is rahul gandhi who comes from india's foremost political dynasty and leads the country's oldest and one—time strongest party. the congress, though, suffered a humiliating defeat in 2014 and for the past five years, they've been trying to regain their influence. in 2019, we will have a government that will make up for all the crimes that narendra modi has done against the farmers over the last five years. this fresh energy at the congress' rallies because the party has seen some success in recent

state elections but indian polls are about so much more than just the two national parties. regional players are extremely popular and could make a big difference to final results. more than 1,800 parties are registered and hundreds of millions of people cast their vote. in the coming weeks, india's election authorities will need to prepare for a democratic event like no other in the world. yogita limaye, bbc news, kerala. and you can keep up to date with india's election preparations are oui’ india's election preparations are our website. you can also find a guide to the issues which will influence whether prime minister narendra modi will secure a second term. lots of fascinating stuff on there. you can also reach me on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones.

good morning. well, sunday morning started off for some on a wintry note. the far north and west of the country had overnight sleet and snow showers. icy stretches on the roads as well, as you can see by this weather watcher picture in tissington, derbyshire. a different story further south across england and wales. yes, sunshine, but gale force winds strong enough at times to uproot trees. it looks as though the winds will be a key feature to our weather forecast throughout this week. potential for severe gales and also heavy rain, particularly tuesday into wednesday. but, fingers crossed, some dry and bright interludes. you can see a little bump of high—pressure building as we speak, so allowing for a quieter day today but waiting out in the wings another area of low pressure to arrive for tuesday. on this monday morning, we start with the risk of a few wintry showers which will ease through the morning. further north and west, still a windy start but nowhere near as strong as yesterday.

and there will be some sparkling sunshine. highs around 8—11 degrees will feel more promising as the winds are lighter. by the end of the day, we will see gales strengthening in the far north—west as the area of low pressure moves in from the atlantic. it will bring significant rain, a couple of inches on west—facing slopes and some strong—gale force winds. quite likely 40—50 mph inland. 0n exposed coasts, 50—60 mph. a spell of wet weather moves south and east, clearing from the south—east corner during tuesday afternoon. behind it, sunny spells and scattered showers. some of these showers again with hail and sleet and snow mixed in. as we move out of tuesday and into wednesday, we could see the strongest of the winds through the night. to the southern flank of the low as it drifts off into the north sea, we could see a spell of severe gales for a time and that is certainly worth bearing in mind. if you are going to be travelling on the roads on tuesday night and into the early hours of wednesday morning, it is worth bearing in mind and keep abreast of your weather forecast and your bbc local radio station will tell you if there is any disruption. as we move into wednesday, it looks as if the winds will slowly

start to ease through the day. it will be a windy but showery day. i suppose the good news with the strength of the winds is those showers will rattle through at quite a pace but after those severe gales, the winds will start to slowly abate as we go through the afternoon. temperatures will probably peak at 9—11 degrees as the overall high. take care.