welcome to bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: palestinian officials say four people have been killed in gaza as israel retaliates to rockets fired by militants. as cyclone fani leaves devastation and floods — india and bangladesh are praised for saving many lives after evacuating millions of people in its path. british police say a leak of information from the uk national security council about chinese tech giant huawei didn't breach the official secrets act. thailand's king is crowned at bangkok's grand palace marking his official accession to the throne. more ceremonies are set to take place. dust off your leg—warmers as the kids from ‘fame‘ reunite for the first

time in more than 30 years. palestinian officials say a mother and her baby were among four people killed in the gaza strip during hours of israeli air strikes and tank fire. israel disputes it was a result of their strikes and says it's responding to palestinian militants who've fired more than 200 rockets into southern israel. three israelis were wounded by the barrage. our middle east correspondent, tom bateman reports. air raid siren sounded in southern israeli towns as a barrage of rocket was fired from gaza. israel shot

down dozens of them before its tanks and warplanes targeted militant states in the strip. this evening, the palestinian health ministry said ail; the palestinian health ministry said a 14 —month—old girl was killed in an while her mother was wounded. the 22—year—old palestinian man died earlier in a separate strike. this latest fla reu p earlier in a separate strike. this latest flareup follows months of tensions between israel and gaza —based militants demanding the easing of a crippling blockade that israel says is needed to prevent weapons getting in. after more than a year of palestinian protests. it coincided with the funerals of two militants killed in an israeli air strike. retaliation for the winding of two soldiers shot by palestinian gunmen. it marks yet another ratcheting up of hostilities despite repeated attempts by egypt and the united nations to broker a longer term truce.

our correspondentjon donnison who was formerly based in the middle east outlined what's prompted this latest flare—up. well, it's been a pretty dramatic day. certainly one of the most serious escalations in recent months on the border. we've had as you say, more than 200 airstrikes, tank shelling from the israelis, and that was in response to rockets being fired from gaza, 200 rockets fired. israelis have hit 120 targets. we've heard in the last hour or so that the number of people killed in gaza has gone up to four, now, including a pregnant woman and her one—year—old child as well on the israeli side. some houses have been hit by rockets and a number of people injured. both sides are saying they are responding to the other end and itjust depends on how far you go back. basically, you could go back weeks, months, decades with people who say look, we are responding

to what the other did. these escalations, they come and go, but the constants are, there is really no prospect of a broader plan for peace between israel and palestinians, we do have this plan that donald trump's son—in—law, jared kushner is meant to be pushing in the next few months, but tremendous scepticism in the region about that. the prospects for peace, especially amongst palestinians, and the other constant is palestinian disunity, hamas in gaza, fatah in the west bank still not getting along. and the other constant, a situation for people living in gaza, especially is just getting worse and worse about hardship. israel says that is hamas‘ fault, and the people on the israeli side of the border, there are also suffering living under rocket fire. the truth is it depends, i think whether these two side would benefit from a conflict. the cynics would say

they would choose their moments when a conflict might benefit them politically, when hamas is feeling weak, often it will seek conflict. the same probably on the israeli side. the other issue in gaza is hamas controls gaza, but it's not the only militant faction there. you have islamichhad, other smaller factions and they are not totally in control of those groups, so you can often get ceasefires broken not by hamas, but by the smaller groups, israelis say hamas, you're in power, you sort it out, you've got to keep the calm. and you can keep up to date with all with the latest on the conflict in gaza on the bbc website. you'll also find background and analysis of life in the gaza strip, and a profile of the palestinian territories — that's all at bbc.com/news. india's been praised for its rapid evacuation of more

than a million people which the united nations says helped minimise the loss of life after a devasating cyclone struck its eastern coast. up to 12 people were killed when cyclone fani made landfall near the city of puri in odisha yesterday. the storm was the strongest to hit india in 20 years. 0ur correspondent rahul tandon has been to one of the worst hit areas. driving towards the areas hardest hit by the cyclone. along the way, the destruction is all too visible. these people are amongst the hundreds of thousands who were moved to safety in puri. they came to the shelters with whatever they could carry. many are still traumatised. translation: he has been sick. my wife is worried. she is constantly crying. there is no medical help here. we are suffering a lot. next to the shelter

is one of the areas worst affected by cyclone fani. this woman returned to her home for the first time this morning. translation: this used to be our bedroom. the roof has blown away. all the houses in the slum here have been damaged. across 10,000 villages in odisha, there are scenes like this. there used to be life here. now there is just despair. in india, it is always the poor who suffer the most. this "basti", or slum, has been completely destroyed by the cyclone. they fled from here for their lives, and when they returned there was nothing left. they're now worried about their future. they say nobody is helping them. wherever the cyclone struck, it left a trail of destruction. buildings damaged and thousands of trees uprooted. more than 2.5 million people are without electricity.

the physical infrastructure damage has been enormous, so it will be a big challenge for the administration, the physical infrastructure damage has been enormous, so it will be a big challenge for the administration, and we are on the job. a lot of damage has taken place, people have been injured. some casualties have been reported. the authorities here are working on a war footing, but with many areas still inaccessible, they are struggling to assess the damage caused by one of india's most powerful cyclones. rahultandon, bbc news, puri. let's get some of the day's other news. president trump says he believes kim jong—un does not want to break his promises — despite north korea test firing what are being described as short—range projectiles. south korea responded more strongly, warning the north not to raise military tension. north korean state media says the leader oversaw the tests on

saturday. sri lanka's president maithripala sirisena has said the security forces would "eradicate terrorism" and restore stability before a presidential election which is due to take place there before the end of the year. he said the polls couldn't be postponed. more than 250 people were killed in bomb attacks on easter sunday. the brother of algeria's former president has been arrested. many algerians believe said bouteflika was the country's de facto ruler for several years after his brother, abdelaziz bouteflika, suffered a stroke. massive ongoing protests calling for a radical change pushed the president to resign in april, but demonstrators continued to demand the removal of all those linked to the former administration. the us city of minneapolis has reached a $20 million settlement with the family of an australian woman who was shot dead by a policeman in 2017. justine ruszczyk damond, who was 40, had called police to report a possible sexual assault near her home. she was shot as she approached a squad car, despite being unarmed.

the police officer was convicted of third degree murder on tuesday. scotland yard say a leak from a high level british security meeting about the chinese technology firm, huawei, did not amount to a criminal offence. the uk's defence secretary, gavin williamson, was sacked after theresa may said there was compelling evidence he was behind the leak — but he has strenuously denied the allegation. he wants an independent investigation into the source of the leak from the national security council. our political correspondent chris mason has more more. at one of those meetings, a row ended up in the newspaper. the prime minister was determined to get to the bottom of it. those at those meetings sign the official secrets act, so any link is potentially a criminal matter. as you say, the met police have said

what happened didn't amount to a criminal offence. williamson has always denied being the leaker, but the statement he put out, really punchy, says there needs to be a proper, full and impartial investigation. ascribing it as a shabby and discredited witch—hunt, badly mishandled by both the prime minister and others, referencing the civil service. now there is clearly a difference between evidence of a crime being committed or not and a boss, the prime minister, losing trust in an employee, gavin williamson. that loss of trust was clear last week with his firing, but mr williamson again providing evidence is not going quietly. thailand's king maha vajiralongkorn has been crowned in an elaborate ceremony to mark his accession to the throne. it's part of three days of rituals at the royal palace in bangkok, intended to symbolise the transformation of the king into a divine being. james landale reports.

this is a sight that few thais have ever seen, a new king purifying himself with consecrated waters as he prepared to ascend to the throne. maha vajiralongkorn, or king rama x, as he's known more formally, became king in 2016 after the death of his father, who'd reigned for 70 long years. but he's waited until now to be crowned over three days of elaborate buddhist and hindu ceremony. to many thais, the monarch is revered as an almost godlike figure, and some were on the streets, dressed in royal yellow, to see their king make the transition from the human to the almost divine. and, for many, this was a rare glimpse of a sovereign who spends much time abroad and has appeared more remote than his much—loved late father. at 66 years old, he spent his life preparing for this moment, placing a crown weighing more than seven kilograms on his head,

issuing his first royal command. translation: i shall reign with righteousness, for the benefit and happiness of the people forever. king vajiralongkorn has had a colourful and at times controversial life. today, his fourth wife, whom he married only this week, was formally recognised as his new queen. he is protected by severe laws prohibiting any criticism, but some thais hope that a crown prince who was seen by some as unpredictable will become a figure of stability for a country facing political uncertainty. for the king has real political influence. what will matter is his relationship with the army, which took power in a coup in 2014, and what role he might play in the balance between military and civilian rule that emerges from recent elections. for this king will be more

than just a spiritual leader. james landale, bbc news. there are more events coming up in thailand over the next few hours and we will bring that to you here on bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: a blast from the past with fans remembering the kids from ‘fame', reuniting for the first time in more than 30 years. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterand. but the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises

their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes. memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: four palestinian people have been killed in air strikes by israel. the retaliation came after militants fired dozens of missiles from gaza. india and bangladesh have been praised for saving many lives after evacuating a million people

from the path of cyclone fani. the final vote count has been tallied in the northern irish elections, where the dup and sinn fein have won the largest share of the vote. but it's the smaller parties and independents who have made significant gains. the cross—community alliance party were the biggest winners, largely at the expense of unionist parties, with the greens also making gains. sinn fein‘s number of seats remained static. talks aimed at reviving northern ireland's power sharing administration are due to be held next week — john campbell has more. there's no real surprise in the dup, shin pain does sinn fein, being the two largest parties. its votes year the smoke vote show. but the big story was the surge by the alliance party, drawing support from

catholics and protestants. only it has its supporting greater bell first, middle—class areas. it mainly —— had its support in greater belfast, middle—class areas, but here it was far beyond that, for example, it won a seat on derry. sitting on the council for the first time in a0 years. the leader of that party, says that this indicates many voters in northern ireland are looking to new solutions to its problems. i think what it is saying is that people want to see politics that delivers. they're not interested in the kind of tribal politics of the past in terms of unionism and nationalism, they want the politics that put people first and that's what we are offering. northern ireland politics is full of problems, whether it's stagnation or storm around brexit, but what has been around consistently and persistently to deliver solutions. that is what people want from their politicians

and that is what we have given them stop we also had an interesting police are stepping up security at mosques across the uk in response to fears that they could be targetted during ramadan, which begins this weekend. there's been concern over safety among some in the muslim community. the bbc asian network's, shabnam mahmood has more. stepping up security at the mosque. extra volunteers. extra cctv cameras put in place. how are we, alright? for mosques across the country, the focus of this year's ramadan is on worshippers' safety as well as spirituality. hello, little man, how are you? are you ok? for mosques like this and others across the country, ramadan is one of the most important and busiest times of the year. thousands of worshippers gather for special prayers every single night during the month of fasting. in the mosque kitchen, this mum says following recent attacks on places of worship,

some in her community in east london are really worried. people are scared, you know, they are afraid to come to the mosque. the kids are afraid. how is the security going to be at the mosque? are we going to be safe at the mosque? people feel it. and it's the areas where mostly women and children pray that have now been identified in safety assessments as needing extra security. mosque leaders say they have a duty to protect their congregation. the world for us changed after christchurch and the reality kicked in that it happened there, it could most certainly happen here and we have to be prepared for it. if there is an attack or an incident, how do i help women with children to leave? and this is how they are preparing. a nationwide security roadshow giving training on how to guard against an attack. the plan was to engage

200 mosque leaders. we have seen actually over1,000 so far. next week will probably see another 1,000. the message from the police is one of reassurance. we completely understand why people feel the way they do. i'm here to reassure them we have no information or intelligence to suggest anybody at the uk is at specific risk and i want to make sure they feel safe and supported by uk policing in their worship. these young women are confident their mosque will keep them safe during ramadan. i am not that apprehensive to come here. the mosque makes a lot of preparations to make sure we are quite safe. when we all come together it's like we are more stronger and it is a really peaceful atmosphere. nevertheless, extra layers of security will remain in place through our the islamic holy month with a message to remain alert not alarmed. shabnam mahmood, bbc news.

aviation investigators have retrieved black box reporters —— recorders, from a military—chartered passengerjet that skidded off the runway and into the water after landing in florida. the flight was carrying 143 passengers. 21 people aboard were hurt — although none seriously. the commanding officer of the local naval air station says the cause of the incident is yet to be determined. it isa it is a miracle. i could have ended -it it is a miracle. i could have ended — it could have been a different story this evening, so i think there's a lot to say about the professionalism of the folks that help the passengers of the plane. —— helped. there's a lot to say about that, because it very well could have been worse. egypt's ministry of antiquities has unveiled a 4,500—year—old burial ground near the giza pyramids the site contains tombs and burial shafts from various periods, the oldest is a limestone family

tomb from around 2,500 bc. the ministry said the tomb was of two people: one had seven titles including "the priest" and "thejudge," and the other was known as "chief of the great state." for the first time in more than 30 years the kids from fame are to be reunited on stage. the tv show was a massive hit in the 80s. now eight of the original cast are getting together for two special charity shows, and it's all thanks to a detective from liverpool who tracked them down. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson has dusted off his lycra to bring you this report. # fame! the kids from fame. back performing in the uk for the first time in more than 35 years. # fame. # i'm gonna live forever, i'm gonna learn how to fly, high. # i feel it comin‘ together. # people will see me and cry. # fame! # i'm gonna make it to heaven. it was a great show.

a great show, a great concept, great characters. plus watching dance is fun. i could watch it all day. all day. you have dreams. you want fame? well, fame costs and this is where you begin to pay. fame the tv series, a spin—off from the movie, started on bbc one in 1982. it was a phenomenon in the uk. the soundtrack spent 12 weeks at number one, they were regulars on top of the pops. at number three, the kids from fame! the kids from fame. and high fidelity made it to number five in the singles chart. # high fidelity, high! they even ended the year playing london's royal albert hall. the kids from fame have turned television fiction into fact. there was another tour the following year, but fame ended in 1987 and fans here never thought

they would see them live again. until a detective inspector in the merseyside police managed to reunite the cast for two charity shows this weekend. i've loved it since i was a kid, since i was 11. it was everything to me when i was growing up. it was my dream and it has been surreal to think that that dream actually is happening right now. to be part of that with those guys is... it's like an alternative universe. # high fidelity! and now her childhood heroes are in liverpool. i get to be with this group of people that i am indelibly connected to. we were a family. we worked a minimum of 12 hours a day and when we weren't doing that we were in the studio. we were a family. for better orfor worse.

and we were not too shabby, i have to say. being back, we've kind of gone back to that age. back to being kids again. we definitely see each other and we fall into our old habits. that little kid stuff. # fame, i'm gonna live forever! # baby, remember my name! last—minute dance rehearsals are taking place. backup provided by vlma in liverpool. ha! yes! the reason i am a dancer is because of fame. so it is surreal. absolutely surreal to be here with the actual cast. and, amazingly, we have gotten through a whole report on fame without mentioning legwarmers. remember my name. colin patterson, liverpool. i hope that brings lots of memories for some people. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @regedahmadbbc. of course, all of our top stories are on our website.

good morning. pleasant enough where you got the sunshine on saturday. but certainly cold out of it. and particularly in the showers and strong winds which were across the eastern half of the uk. now there is good news today, in that the high pressure in the west is pushing a little bit further across the uk. and in doing so puts a cap on the atmosphere, stops some of the showers forming. and it also diverts the strongest and coldest of the winds off into the near continent. that said, the day does begin with an added chill. there'll be frost in the countryside. temperatures below freezing. these are the towns and city centre values. so wherever you are, a cold but sunny start to the day for the vast majority. a bit more cloud across northern scotland, though, to begin with. one or two isolated light showers. more showers, though, in orkney and shetland to begin with and they will work their way southwards during the day.

you'll also notice more cloud, though, developing across the country into the day. pushes the way southwards and eastwards. still some sunny spells for many. isolated lighter showers for england and wales. most will be dry. and across eastern districts, not only will it be dry, but with lighter winds, too, it perhaps won't feel quite so chilly. even though temperatures still down on levels they should be for this time of year, 9—14 celsius at very, very best. now, to take us into sunday night, the showers across northern scotland will start to work their way southwards. this is a cold front. to the south of it, a bit more cloud than we'll have seen the night we're with at the moment. and so maybe temperatures not dropping as much. but still a chance of frost. the greatest chance of frost into the start of bank holiday monday will be the northern half of scotland, where skies are clearest. so into bank holiday monday, this is going to be the zone to watch out for for the thickest cloud. this weather front here. showers on it rather than any persistent rain. it's going to be across southern scotland to begin with, sliding into northern ireland, northern england during the day. some of the showers across northern england, pennines and peak district in particular, could be a little

bit on the heavy side, and they'll work their way into lincolnshire, maybe east anglia, later too. to the south of that for bank holiday, lots of cloud, some sunshine, only isolated showers. most will be dry. to the north of it, the better chance of some sunshine. a few showers, though, and a lighter breeze. but, for all, a fairly cool day. now, with light winds around to finish monday, what you finish monday you'll probably start with on tuesday. but through tuesday the cloud will bubble up. greater chance of showers developing here and there. some of you will stay completely dry. but by the end of the day, towards cornwall, things are set to turn that bit wetter and windier. temperatures are still a disappointing 7—13 degrees. now, the wet and windy weather, courtesy of this area of low pressure, strongest of the winds, though, across france and maybe the channel islands. but what it will do, it'll spread the most significant rain across england and wales. so a wetter day for england and wales. gardeners, particularly across eastern areas, could rejoice. that will clear through into thursday. sunshine and showers by then. but staying a little on the cool side. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines: palestinian officials say four people have been killed and 17 others wounded in israeli airstrikes in gaza. israel says the military action is a response to over 200 rockets fired into southern israel by palestinian militants. three israelis were wounded by the barrage. india and bangladesh have been praised for saving many lives after evacuating a million people who were in the path of cyclone fani. according to aid agencies up to 12 people were killed when it made landfall near the city of puri. the storm was the strongest to hit india in 20 years. british police say a leak of information from the uk national security council about chinese tech giant huawei didn't breach the official secrets act. the leak cost the defence minister gavin williamson his job. he's condemned the investigation as a "witch hunt", and has called for an impartial assessment.