this is bbc news. the headlines: in thailand, voting is under way in the country's general election. it's the first since a military coup in 2014. more than 1,000 passengers and crew are being airlifted from a cruise ship off the coast of norway. the mv viking sky issued a mayday after suffering engine problems during bad weather. five helicopters are involved in the rescue. at least three people hello and welcome to bbc news. have been seriously injured. i'm reged ahmad. polls have opened in thailand where hundreds of thousands of people have voters are casting their ballots marched through central london, demanding that the uk holds another in the first general election vote on its membership of the european union. since the military ousted the government of yingluck shinawatra in 2014. there've been celebrations nick beake is in bangkok for us. across syria after the so—called islamic state group was defeated in its last stranglehold, baghouz. the kurdish—led syrian democratic forces, which is backed by the us, raised their flag above buildings what has been happening? voting well seized from is fighters. under way here in the heart of bangkok. this is one of the many open—air polling stations. we have seen a stream of voters. they have a teenage boy has been stabbed to death in isleworth, been waiting a long time, eight in west london. the 17—year—old was given first aid

but died at the scene. following the attack, yea rs police in the area have been given been waiting a long time, eight years since the last election. a increased powers to stop and search anyone they suspect dizzying array of candidates to of carrying a knife. ben ando reports. choose from. you can see the pictures and parties they represent, however the election boils down to a inch by inch, brick by brick. simple choice, do you go for the searching for clues and answers status quo, the military onto or after another teenager is stabbed to death in london. other parties promising change. —— the youngster involved, who has not yet been formally named, was with friends junta. the military junta in nearby syon park. police say a car pulled up, a gang of men got out and gave chase. other parties promising change. —— junta. the militaryjunta has changed roles of site makes it harderfor changed roles of site makes it harder for other parties. we expect a very high turnout. there has been a very high turnout. there has been a message from the king as well? absolutely. this is unprecedented from thinking, on the eve of filing. he was concerned about the security and happiness of the people and he said it was imperative that thai

voters voted for good people, good people who could keep from power those he described as bad people. we have not had something like this before and the monarchy hugely important, revered in this country. candidates have been desperate to gather vote. we should get some indication of how it plays out later today but do not expect a majority. they will be behind the scene manoeuvring. we will expect a minority government to be formed if opposition parties have done well but that is the later end of the day and in the weeks to come. —— later in the day. president trump and other world leaders, have welcomed the defeat of the so—called islamic state caliphate in syria. after weeks of brutal fighting, kurdish—led forces claimed victory over the hardline group.

the final isis fighters had been holed up in the town of baghouz. syrian democratic forces had besieged the town for weeks whilst planes conducted airstrikes. thousands of people were forced to flee. aleem maqbool sent this report from northeastern syria. it is the syrian democratic forces who raise their flag over baghouz today — the final slither of territory recaptured from the islamic state group. undoubtedly a moment of triumph for the local forces who have sacrificed so much in the fight. "we are gathered here, sons of this great country," says kino gabriel from the sdf, "to confirm our total victory over the islamic state group and their fall." the land has been won back after a major offensive earlier this week with syrian forces advancing on the ground backed by air strikes from the us—led coalition. but throughout, while marking the significance of the achievement, have been the voices of caution. we still have much work to do for an enduring defeat of isis.

we have been clear that the campaign is not over. isis or daesh remains a significant threat in the region, the united states, our partners, and our allies. the land has been won back after a major offensive earlier this week with syrian forces advancing on the ground backed by air strikes from the us—led coalition. in the end, this is what the so—called caliphate was reduced to. un—used suicide vests, crumpled flags, and the squalid remains of a pitiful camp. well, there have been parades and cavalcade is in towns and cities up and down this region on the news. but it has all come at a huge cost to people here. and while they celebrate now, they also recognise thatjust because the territory has been taken back from the islamic state group, that doesn't mean the fight is over. aleem maqbool, bbc news,

in qamishli in northern syria. for more on this let's speak to andrew tabler, fellow at the washington institute for near east policy, a us based think tank. thank you for your time. we're being told the is caliphate fallen but what is islamic state going to look like going forward? the islamic state is militarily defeated, does not control territory, but the islamic state as a movement, among disaffected sunnis, is very much there in syria and iraq and the islamic state organisation will see an insurgency in both iraq and syria. how much support doesn't have

amongst local iraqis and syrians especially as they watched the defeat? — — does it have. especially as they watched the defeat? - - does it have. amongst sunnis, particularly in rural areas, and iraqi in areas semi— dominated, it does not remain a successful model because of the fact that they have lost so much territory to the coalition. but they always managed to come back, and ten times thicker and that is the challenge of the situation. there is still a civil war happening in syria, iraq has its challenges. what needs to happen now to contain islamic state and doesn't need to involve a us presence. definitely, is akin to that is a governance both in this area and iraq and the inclusiveness of sorties and to be able to include

more sorties —/ sunnis and government. if the al—assad regime ta kes government. if the al—assad regime takes place, it is likely to be limited for the sunnis and it will allow isis to come back rather quickly. what about the role of justice in terms of foreign fighters and people being punished for perhaps their involvement of the persecution of minorities? that is a good question. the islamic state atrocities a greater among populations in syria and iraq them internationally and how they are held accountable will be very important to understanding how this all shapes out. that could be more

immediate concerns in front of us and that is stabilising these areas are making sure isis does not come back and moving forward. we will be watching to see what happens. thank you very much. organisers of a march in london to demand another eu referendum claim more than a million people turned out. a petition calling for brexit to be stopped has now been signed by approaching five million people, making it the most popular ever submitted to the parliament website. it's believed theresa may is coming under increasing pressure to announce her resignation. our political correspondent iain watson reports. brexit is at a crossroads. no support yet for theresa may's deal but no agreed alternative. crowd chant: hey, hey, theresa may, give us all a final say. the organisers claim that a million people took to london's streets to call for a new referendum. the people's vote campaign say this would bring the country together.

but so far brexit has caused our big political parties to splinter. and opponents of another public vote sau it would only deepen divisions. and opponents of another public vote say it would only deepen divisions. some people are worried it would be very divisive, given the state of the country? and it is not now, um, laughs? we weren't told what brexit would actually look like, because they didn't know what brexit would actually look like. i think now we actually know what brexit might be, we should be able to make an informed decision. we want to have another referendum so people can voice their latest view, i think. would you accept other options — a softer brexit, some people call it? i think anything is better than the current options of either theresa's deal or no deal. i bring with me today, solidarity from scotland. the snp and most opposition leaders at westminster have publicly pledged their support for a new referendum. jeremy corbyn is not here but has said it's an option the labour leadership would vote for in parliament. and the party's deputy leader says he could back theresa may's deal, but with a rather large

and important caveat. i will help you get it over the line to prevent a disastrous no deal brexit, but i can only vote for ideal if you let the people vote on it too. but i can only vote for a deal if you let the people vote on it too. theresa may is not yet confident enough to guarantee that she will bring her deal back to parliament for a further vote next week. campaigners here hope that will give them an opportunity to push their case for a new referendum. but that decision will not be taken by thousands of people on the streets, it will be taken by fewer than 650 mps and, so far, they have resisted all calls for a public vote. mps are likely to discuss alternatives to theresa may's deal next week. some want a closer relationship with eu, similar to norway, others back a more distant free trade agreement like canada's, and some say no deal could still be the best option.

but these campaigners have been accused by long—standing leave supporters of trying to stop brexit altogether. this march portends to be in favour of a second referendum but that is only a means—to—an—end. this is a march to try and stop brexit, to reverse the decision that the majority took in 2016. parliament is still in deadlock over theresa may's deal. it is still not clear how or exactly when the uk will leave the eu. campaigners here are hoping that politicians can still be persuaded to give that decision back to the people. iain watson, bbc news, westminster. well, if the protests outside parliament weren't bad enough for theresa may, she'll find little comfort from the battles within her own cabinet. most of the sunday papers are specualting about her future. the prime minister is pictured alongside her deputy, david lidington on the front of the sunday times. it reports senior ministers say may's days are numbered and he is named as an

option to replace her. the mail on sunday says that ministers are plotting to install environment secretary michael gove in number 10 to save brexit. and that is echoed by the sunday telegraph which warns the cabinet must step up to oust may in order to rescue brexit. we spoke to nigel nelson who is the political editor of the uk newspaper, the sunday mirror, and asked him what he made of the headlines about the prime minister. it's now not a question of if theresa may goes, but when. there was a material change in the house of commons this week. we've known she has been in different crises before and she somehow escaped out of them. this week felt completely different, all down to the fact that her tv address to the nation on wednesday went so completely wrong. so it's no surprise that tomorrow's papers will be filled with the speculation about her going and how she will go.

so the idea being she will go as soon as this coming week. david lidington, her de facto deputy, could be installed as an interim prime minister. then there will be an awful lot ofjockeying in the cabinet. then there will be an awful lot ofjockeying between the cabinet. david lidington would have to accept he would never be leader, he would just stand in, and the others would stand aside, get over this emergency part of brexit, and do a proper leadership election in the summer. an operation to rescue more than 1,000 people from a cruise ship in the sea off south—west norway is set to continue through the night. more than 200 passengers have so far been airlifted to safety. norwegian authorities say at least three people have serious injuries, mostly broken bones. eliza philippidis has the story. from this point on the ghost coast you get a sense of it a sheep in

trouble. engines failed, and it does not have enough to drive it to safety. passengers were tossed about asa ship safety. passengers were tossed about as a ship was in winds of 70 kilometres per hour. this woman was struck on the head one part of the ceiling collapsed. rescue helicopters have been deployed, airlifting around 15 passengers at a time to shore, but with more than 1300 people on board, this will be a long rescue operation. the very bad weather is going to be very difficult to make the evacuation proceed but also, as were seen in other cases, the effectiveness and ha rd other cases, the effectiveness and hard work of the crew is going to be vital in making this evacuation operation is a success. the crew aboard viking sky have issued

passengers with life vests. those who have been rescued have been accommodated in local hotels. very frightening. we went up on a helicopter in a sling, the two of us together and it was quite scary. the ship is currently moving away from the shore very slowly, in an attempt to get into calmer waters. helicopters will continue to rescue passengers but, in high winds, this isa passengers but, in high winds, this is a stressful and complex operation. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: voting's under way in thailand in the first general election to be held since a military coup in 2014. there've been celebrations across syria after the islamic state group was defeated in its last stranglehold, baghouz. an attack on the fulani ethnic group in central mali has left more than 1,000 people dead. local officials say armed

men dressed as traditional donzo hunters surrounded a village in the mopti region before attacking people in their homes. senior un officials have visited the country, calling for an immediate end to the violence. translation: we clearly and firmly these attacks against civilians, which claimed the lives of women and children. in the face of this unspeakable tragedy, i personally, asa unspeakable tragedy, i personally, as a secretary general‘s special representative, i call first for an end to this spiral of violence. i call first for an end to this spiral of violence. as part of our mandate to protect civilians — as soon as we learned of this attack, we sent un peacekeeping forces to the scene of the incident. you'll find much more on our website, including analysis of the security concerns in the area and what the un and other agencies are doing to help. that's all at bbc.com/news or you can download the bbc news app. the us attorney—general, william barr, has spent the day at the department ofjustice examining the report by the special counsel, robert mueller,

into russia's role in the 2016 presidential poll when donald trump was elected. mr barr is considering whether to release the main findings to congress on sunday. republicans claim it vindicates president trump. here's our north america correspondent chris buckler. for months, the special counsel, robert mueller, has been investigating the election of a president to the fury of donald trump. but as he made his way to the golf course today, mr trump's mood seems to have improved considerably. it is now known that robert mueller has not recommended any further indictments and the president's supporters seem to be celebrating and taking that as backing for what he has always claimed. there was no collusion, there was no obstruction, everybody knows it. everybody knows it is a hoax, one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on this country. during the 22 months of robert mueller‘s investigation, there were prosecutions

and convictions. traitor, traitor! of among others, the president's former campaign chairman, paul manafort, the former national security adviser michael flynn, and mr trump's one—time personal lawyer, michael cohen. but none of those cases directly address the key questions of whether the president tried to obstructjustice and whether russia colluded with the trump campaign in the 2016 election. i don't know what's in the report, nobody does. democrats already have their eyes on 2020 and those out campaigning to become mr trump's opponents in next year's presidential election have a new rallying cry. that report needs to be made public. the american people have a right and a need to know. the decision about what is released rests in the hands of this man, the us attorney—general. bill barr went to work this morning with the intention of publishing

the main findings of the report before the end of the weekend. but while the special counsel's probe is at an end, other investigations are still taking place and democrats are determined to push their own inquiries here at congress. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. harry litman is a former deputy assistant attorney—general. he is now executive producer of the podcast talking feds. i asked him what us attorney—general william barr would actually be doing with the mueller report. i have worked in the department of justice, i worked with the previous attorney general. it arms me less than i might like with exact precise analogy of your question, this is somewhat unprecedented who is going through a report that i believe is probably seen before friday and deciding what so—called principal

conclusion that mueller made, he will turn over. the principal conclusions concern mueller decision to prosecute or not to prosecute people. i wouldn't say it is perplexing, but limited because the charge that mueller had also concerns a lot of investigation other than just simply criminal indictment. due to what happened. a narrative if you will. and what that pa rt narrative if you will. and what that part of the report consists of and whether it will be turned over is, for now, mysterious. william barr has said that he wants to be transparent, but he is constrained by rules and laws. some a nalysts constrained by rules and laws. some analysts have said he has quite a bit of leeway as to what he releases. which is it? the regulations do give that, but they are far from a floor. i think

bill barr will have to think about material that might implicate national security, but there is a mechanism for providing that to certain leaders in congress. he might also have to think about material that was revealed in the grand jury, which normally remains a secret, but there is a mechanism even for giving that over to the public with a judicial approval. so, i think he does have a lot of leeway, and by the way, i take him at his word that he will be looking to use it. that in his letter suggested that is not what is happening this weekend, but the coming days in consultation with the deputy attorney general and mueller himself. that was the former deputy assistant attorney general. an investigation is underway following another attack on a mosque in birmingham. police are examining cctv footage after criminal damage was caused to a window of the building in the balsall heath area. detectives don't believe

the incident is linked to five other attacks on mosques in the city. luke hanrahan reports. in the early hours of this morning, yet another attack on a birmingham mosque — a window smashed, part of a hammer left behind. hassan, who didn't want his face shown on camera, lives inside the building, clearly shaken by the ordeal. my mum woke me up and she said that the window's been smashed. it could have been a lot worse, like, they could have thrown something and lighted a fire or anything and run off. for the muslim community here in balsall heath, an unpleasant reminder of increasing islamophobia and hatred on the streets of birmingham. the behaviour, it's wrong, it shouldn't happen and the hatred they have in their hearts, it's not right. it's just two days since the witton islamic centre had its windows smashed in. we've never seen anything of this scale before. one of five mosques to be vandalised on thursday.

jawad khan is chairman of the birmingham council of mosques and says it's frightened people. we've seen in friday prayers that there was less numbers, and it's more the younger, in—between sort of ages, that attend, that are capable. but the vulnerable stay at home, they gave this week a miss, especially the friday prayer. a man who was arrested yesterday in connection with thursday's attacks has been detained under the mental health act. meanwhile, this afternoon in central birmingham... we will never allow this racism to be normalised in society. ..people gathered to show solidarity, to stand up to racism. luke hanranhan, bbc news. a russian man has been arrested in bali, accused of trying to smuggle a young orangutan out of indonesia. the 2—year—old ape was allegedly found drugged inside a basket, along with two live geckos and five lizards in other bags. tiffany wertheimer has the story.

safe in the arms of a safari park vet, this 2—year—old male orangutan has had quite an ordeal. on friday night, to the surprise of security at bali's denpasar airport, he showed up on the x—ray machine as they checked passengers' luggage. translation: last night, when we found him still sleeping, we did not know if he had been anaesthetised or given sleeping pills. but finally, we found some sleeping pills. security officials stopped and detained 27—year—old russian national andrei zhestkov, who was flying home to russia. he told officials the animal was a gift from a friend who'd bought him at a java market for $3,000, and convinced him it was ok to take the ape home to russia and keep as a pet. but orangutans are a protected species, and mr zhestkov could now face up to five years in prison and a $7,000 fine if he is convicted, although the exact charges he is facing are still unclear.

two live geckos and five lizards were also allegedly found in his luggage. illegal wildlife trade is rampant in indonesia despite efforts to crack down on smugglers. for now, this young orangutan is safe. translation: we will continue his treatment here at the safari park until he finishes at the quarantine facility. whether he's ever released into the wild will be up to indonesia's conservation agency. tiffany wertheimer, bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. the weather now with stav danaos. hello there. this weekend isn't looking too bad pretty much for all of us, but for scotland, it will be quite showery and even windy as we head through sunday. now, the wet and windy weather across the north is attributed to this deep low—pressure system, which is skirting to the north of scotland. and on its southern flank, we're seeing those gales. so the winds continuing to pick up

during the early hours of sunday here. lots of showers, some of them merging together to produce longer spells of rain. yes, there will be some wintriness over the high ground too. but the further south that you are, closer to the area of high pressure, lighter winds and clearer skies. so it's going to be a chilly start to sunday. temperatures in low single figures for many. and out of town, across central northern areas, there will in fact be a touch of frost in places. so, sunday will be a chilly start, but many places starting dry and bright, plenty of sunshine. but there will be showers from the word go, windy conditions across scotland. some of these showers pushing their way southwards. but i think through the afternoon, the showers become a bit more scattered, so there should be some sunshine in between. but it will be very windy with gales and quite chilly, 6 or 7 degrees across the far north. a few showers pushing into northern ireland and into northern england. but south of here, it's actually a glorious afternoon. more sunshine than what we had on saturday. same too for the channel islands, temperatures ranging between 12 and 1a celsius. now, as we head on into next week, this area of high pressure really exerts its force across the uk. slap bang on top of it, in fact.

a few weather systems trying to skirt around it, may affect northern scotland at times, a little bit of rain. but for most places throughout next week, it's going to be largely dry with variable cloud and some sunshine. we could see quite a bit of sunshine in places. but nights will be chilly. also with this area of high pressure, as it moves a little bit further eastwards, it will start to scoop up some milderair and brings it towards our shore and that will be quite noticeable across southern and eastern parts of the country later in the week. for monday, this is the picture, again, it's another chilly start. but we should have plenty of sunshine around. a bit of cloud just toppling around the area of high pressure, into the north and the west of scotland. perhaps a spot of rain or two on western hills. those temperatures reaching double figures across the north. a little bit milder for scotland on monday, closer to 12—13 degrees across southern parts of the country. into tuesday, it's a similar picture. plenty of sunshine around after a fairly cool start. could see a little bit of cloud just bubbling up into the afternoon, but it should be fair—weather cloud. and this weather front may bring a little bit of rain, more of a breeze to the far north of scotland.

those temperatures creeping up across the south — 13, maybe 1a celsius. and, in fact, as we end the week, it looks like it could turn very mild again across southern and eastern areas. you could be looking at the high teens celsius. but nights will continue to be cool with a bit of mist and fog.