welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: the brexit turmoil has finally sealed theresa may's fate. the british prime minister announces her intention to resign. i do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country i love. all eyes are now on who will succeed her with the favourite being former foreign secretary borisjohnson. he says he's prepared to leave the eu without a deal. the united states is to deploy 1,500 troops to the middle east amid tensions with iran. kenya's highest court upholds a law banning gay sex, saying it has to preserve national dignity.

hello and welcome. after a tumultuous day in british politics, the race is on to find a new prime minister after theresa may announced she would step down as leader of the conservative party in two weeks‘ time. in a statement with an emotional end, mrs may said she'd been unable to complete britain's withdrawal from the european union, despite her best efforts. the former foreign secretary boris johnson is the favourite to succeed mrs may. and he's declared that under his leadership britain would leave the european union in october, with or without a deal. political editor laura kuenssberg reports. it was time.

time to go to work, although the job has slipped away. good morning. lovely weather. for confidantes to choreograph the exit rather than plan the future. time to confront the truth. a broken government, a broken leader. time to forget distractions. the men in suits walk out. then silence drops. as with every leader, it's lonely at the end. the cameras click just for them. camera shutters sound ever since i first stepped through the door behind me as prime minister, i have striven to make the united kingdom a country that works notjust for a privileged few,

but for everyone and to honour the result of the eu referendum. i negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, our security and our union. i have done everything i can to convince mps to back that deal. sadly, i have not been able to do so. i tried three times. i believe it was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high. but it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort. so i am today announcing that i will resign as leader of the conservative and unionist party on friday the seventh of june. painful for her inner circle after all the agony of trying to get parliament on side for someone else to try now. it will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. to succeed, he or she will have to find consensus in parliament where i have not.

such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise. but her efforts to deal first with her party, then labour, came crashing down. with a country watching on, this inscrutable leader, human after all. this country is a union, notjust a family of four nations, but a union of people. all of us — whatever our background, the colour of our skin or who we love — we stand together and together we have a great future. our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about this country, so much to be proud of, so much to be optimistic about. i will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold. the second female prime minister but certainly not the last. i do so with no ill will,

but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country i love. for so long, theresa may fought and fought to hold on to her party, to hold on to her premiership, but that struggle is now exhausted, her time in office nearly done. there's no immediate exit. she'll stay until a new leader is chosen by the tory party at the end ofjuly. but who? coy for now. i found it moving actually. i think the prime minister's put her heart and soul into trying to do the best for this country at a difficult time, facing a challenging climate in parliament. and i know that the prime minister has always striven to do what she believes is best for this country. the first cabinet minister in a race of rivals confirmed in a meeting

in his constituency he'd run just a few hours later. her passion was to deliver the referendum results, the brexit referendum results. that will now be someone else‘s responsibility, and whoever succeeds in doing that will know that she laid the foundations. and no prizes for guessing who will also be one of a cast of maybe more than a dozen, speaking at a conference in switzerland today. i do not wish to elaborate now on what we are going to do and how we are going to do it, but believe me you will be hearing possibly more about that than you necessarily want to hear. laughter you cannot see power, you cannot touch power, but in this street you feel it profoundly when it has fallen away. our political editor laura kuennsberg.

an extraordinary day. our correspondent ben wright takes a look at what may happen next in the race to replace mrs may as leader of the conservative party. thejob of picking the next prime minister is in the hands of tory mps and conservative party members. a contest that has already been brewing for weeks will kick off officially on friday, june the seventh, the date theresa may will stand down as tory leader. nominations begin the following week. under the pa rty‘s rules, conservative mps will whittle down the field of candidates through a series of votes until a final two remain. and those two candidates will then battle it out to win a vote of the tory grassroots — around 120,000 conservative party members who are largely male, middle class and have an average age of 57. so, who might stand? well, it's likely to be a very crowded field. around 17 tory mps are considering a crack at number 10, and five have said that they'll definitely run, including borisjohnson. the 54—year—old former foreign secretary is the likely frontrunner.

the figurehead of the leave campaign is popular among the membership but less admired by a chunk of tory mps, who may try and thwart his path to number 10. another leave believer, dominic raab, is also likely to run, and the former brexit secretary is popular on the right of the party. there's the environment secretary, michael gove, who backed leave but has stayed loyal to mrs may. the foreign secretary, jeremy hunt, is going for it. he campaigned for remain in the referendum but has since stressed his commitment to brexit, as has the home secretary, sajid javid. the leave supporter and former work and pensions secretary esther mcvey says she is definitely running. and andrea leadsom, who stood against theresa may last time before pulling out, may also try again. there will be more, many more, who go for it. a new prime minister will be in place by the time parliament breaks up for the summer recess in latejuly. but whoever goes through this door in a few weeks‘ time will face the same challenges that mrs may will soon leave behind —

a deadlocked parliament, a brexit deal the eu says is closed, and a deeply divided country. ben wright there. don't forget, plenty more on those potential contenders from ben's report on our website. you can get all the profiles and also what it all means for brexit. that's bbc.com. the united states has approved the deployment of 1,500 troops to the middle east. president donald trump says it would be a protective measure. he's played down the potential of conflict in the region saying that he believed iran did not want a confrontation with the united states. the american military deployed a carrier strike group to the region earlier this month. and with us now from la, doctor dalia dassa kaye, director of the center for middle east public policy at the rand corporation.

thank you so much for your time. first of all, this troop deployment, it was supposed to be 5000, it's now 1500 with a view hundred carrying on because they're already there, is that in a sense an attempt to de—escalating the situation? that in a sense an attempt to de-escalating the situation? well, it might be an attempt to have a very calibrated, measured approach but the problem is in the context of three weeks of ratcheted up tensions, the message might not be received that way in tehran and it could be that even if the us is not interested in war and it doesn't seem like the iranians are either, the iranians could interpret this as an offensive measure and threatening, and because of this broader context, so we have a dilemma that both sides are ratcheting up tensions. they say it's for defensive reasons but it could be miscalculated, especially because there is no direct communication between the us and iran right now.

at least in the white house, there certainly seems to be a bit of a conflict. donald trump saying he doesn't think iran wants a war but we're hearing reports national security adviserjohn bolton is talking about intelligence on iran asa talking about intelligence on iran as a threat that is deep and serious, is it perhaps that the white house isn't on the same page here? yeah. there are lots of reports about internal friction within the administration, but i think what's pretty clear is the approach we're seeing from the administration is unified in the sense the administration and the president was clearly opposed to the engagement with iran, opposed to the nuclear deal, and the current process seeing was triggered by the unilateral us withdrawal from the deal. there is wide consensus to push back from the iranians in the non—nuclear arena, and the stated goal was to get the

iranians back to the negotiating table and that's yet to be seen as the us is increasing these tensions, and the iranians are packed into this corner particularly because of the economic squeeze on the oil exports. i would look at it in that broader picture. if iran is backed into a corner and there's noises coming from the white house, the potential for an accidental conflict is there, who do you think is more likely to make a mistake in this encounter? lol, it can happen from either side. this isn't hypothetical, we're not just seeing heated rhetoric and tweets, we a re just seeing heated rhetoric and tweets, we are seeing actual movement on the ground. as you mentioned the aircraft carrier moving to the region, bombers, the deployment of troops, small, but could be read as a threatening signal. the designation as there is a terrorist organisation. 0n the iraniansi a terrorist organisation. 0n the iranians i there are attacks attributed to the iranians on oil tankers and pipelines and missile

attacks in diplomatic zones in baghdad —— iranians side. there's numerous flashpoints, syria, iraq, yemen or the naval arena, a real potential for a miscalculated... what one side might see as a message but it could escalate. the iranians ultimately could face the problem that they need economic relief and their already threatening to resume some of their nuclear activities if they exceed the limits of the nuclear deal if they don't get that relief. we have weeks and possibly months ahead of crisis in this situation, even if the current ratcheting up of war talk and war measures calms down. certainly all eyes on the middle east ‘s. doctor dalia dassa kaye from the rand corporation, thank you very much —— certainly all eyes on the middle east. let's get some of the day's other news. an american man who murdered a couple in their home

and kidnapped their 13—year—old daughter has been jailed for life. jake patterson seized jayme closs last october and kept her locked in a cabin until she escaped three months later. teachers and doctors have been demonstrating in the honduran capital of tegucigalpa. they say the proposed reforms in education and health will lead to privatisation, which they fear will lead to job losses. protests have been held since april. an explosive device has gone off in a shopping street in the french city of lyon, injuring eight people. the blast happened outside a bakery near the city centre, as hugh schofield reports. the device went off at around 5:30pm in the afternoon, outside a chain—store bakery, on a busy pedestrian shopping street near lyon city centre. eyewitnesses say it contained nails and nuts and bolts. those injured, who include an 8—year—oldgirl, seemed mainly to have had cuts to their legs. translation: i was working, serving people, and all of a sudden we heard a big boom. we went down to see what it was,

we thought it was related to something in work but no, it was an abandoned package. i found six victims lying on the ground, with lots of blood flowing. we went into a shop to cover them and treat them a little properly but we could not do much. and so we called the fire department and the police, then we let the police and fire department do theirjob. reports suggest that a man on a bicycle was seen depositing a bag at the scene shortly before the explosion. he is described as being between 30 and 35 years old and is now being searched for by police. hugh schofield, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the story of the schoolboy forced to study by the light of a streetlamp, and what happened next. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken

part in sponsored athletic events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7:00am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juve ntus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than 11,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri haliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she has left the spice girls. i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, the girl power. not geri. why?

this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: britain's conservative party politicians are racing to be the one to replace theresa may, after the prime minister said she would step down over her failure to deliver brexit. the favouite to succeed her is former foreign secretary, borisjohnson, who says he's prepared to leave the eu without a deal if neccessary. the bbc‘s europe editor katya adler is in brussels, and has this on the reaction from eurpean leaders to theresa may's resignation announcement. first off, what doesn't change is that eu leaders remain fed up with the brexit process, which they feel has been going on and on, and the change of prime minister threatens to lengthen that process even more. where they do expect change is they think that the new prime minister will want to come here to brussels to try to renegotiate the brexit deal, particularly that controversial backstop guarantee on the irish border, and brussels was quick to say today

that it would not be budging. eu leaders feel they have gone around that block so many times over the last two years, and they point out that theresa may and her cabinet signed off on the brexit deal back in november. but the concern here is that a new, maybe more hard—line, prime minister could use what one eu diplomat described to me today as "dirty tactics" if they do not get their way, such as holding up eu business, maybe vetoing the next eu budget. another worry here is that that next prime minister could be willing to trigger a costly no—deal brexit, something the eu never really believed that theresa may was willing to do. now, however her successor deals with the eu will affect how open eu leaders are to offering a new brexit extension to the uk. the current one runs out on the 31st of october and the assumption here is that the next prime minister will want more time to try to renegotiate the brexit deal, and possibly to hold

a new general election. the european leaders are thinking of the european elections results are announced on sunday night and they could have an impact on important players like germany, france and italy back at home. kenya's high court has rejected calls to change a law which bans gay sex. three judges told a packed courtroom that they had not seen sufficient evidence of discrimination caused by the laws, declaring them constitutional because they represented the values and views of the country. gay—rights groups argued that the state has no business regulating matters of intimacy. ramzan karmali reports the consolidated petitions have no merit. this was the moment that left campaigners deflated. they had been seeking to overturn a law banning gay sex in kenya. but three judges rejected claims colonial—era law violated the new constitution, which guarantees equality, dignity and privacy.

gay rights activists had argued the current law had given rise to a climate of homophobia, but they failed to persuade the high court. we are absolutely disappointed that the courts have decided to interpret the provisions of the constitution as not protecting everyone. it is truly a shame to see about this is how the courts have decided. however, we continue to believe in the rule of law and we are going to appeal this decision and see this through to the very end. currently in kenya, gay sex is punishable by up to 1a years in prison, but it is unclear whether there have been any convictions in the country. many african countries still enforce strict laws governing homosexuality, in most cases a legacy of laws imposed by colonial rulers. in mauritania, sudan and somalia, same—sex relationships can be punished with the death penalty. there are many countries like kenya, where it is illegal to have same—sex relationships, including algeria, botswana and guinea.

however, there are 19 countries where same—sex relationships are completely legal, including guinea—bissau, south africa and rwanda. the issue of same—sex relationships is a divisive one in kenya. most christian and muslim groups support the current law, and the kenyan attorney—general had argued against decriminalisation. the people of kenya are happy that the courts have not been misused to try to introduce laws that a majority of kenyan people and their institutions are opposed to. campaigners first filed their case three years ago and there have been delays in getting to today's verdicts. human rights groups have criticised the court's decision but the country's lgbt activists have vowed to carry on their battle in the courts. ramzan karmali, bbc news. school students have been holding strikes in countries around the world to demand

action on climate change. organisers say more than a million people were expected join in, at least 110 countries. the strikes were sparked by the swedish student greta thunberg, whose solo protest outside sweden's parliament last year has led to movements across the world known as "fridays for future". our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. from marchers in the streets of spain... ..to demonstrations in india... ..and protests in new zealand. around the world, the school strike movement continues to grow, calling for urgent action on climate change. basically we have two demands. we want to have a more ambitious zero carbon act but also, we are wanting the government to declare a climate emergency. it's fundamental to be here, fundamental that everyone takes part in the strikes on the 24th of may and also every single week.

we are putting pressure on the governments and we want them to act fast and now. leading the protests in sweden, 16—year—old greta thunberg. her decision to boycott classes in 2018 has prompted young people around the world to follow suit. translation: some adults think it is wrong for us to go on strike instead of going to school, that we instead should study so that we can make a difference in the future. but the fact that it will be too late when we are finished with our studies is something they ignore. and the organisers say today's global strike is their biggest yet. it comes as global temperatures are rising. the last four years have been the warmest on record and the un says major changes are now needed. that will mean cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and ending our dependence

on fossilfuels. the students say it's their future that's at stake and they are now calling for older generations tojoin their protests later this year. but while they're highlighting this global issue, it is not yet clear if it will prompt the action from governments they demand. rebecca morelle, bbc news. let's head to peru now, and an extraordinary story about generosity and hard work. the bbc‘s tim allman has the story. nighttime in the city of trujillo and a young boy doing his homework under a lamp post. 12—year—old victor had little choice, there is no electricity back home. a few weeks later and he is welcoming bahraini businessman, jakob mubarak. he saw the images of victor on social media and was so impressed by his academic dedication, he decided to give him a new home and his classmates a refurbished school. children chanting: victor, victor, victor!

i would like to have a new class, new computer, with a new generation class in school in the name of victor and then we will go to make many plans to make this a school very, very ideal and protected for all the kids. mr mubarak says he suffered a tough childhood and he does not want others, like victor, to experience the same thing. "i am happy they are helping me to build my little house," said victor, "it is humble and always will be. thanks also for helping to build our school." the businessman also handed over a wallet full of cash and says he'll be back for the inauguration of the new school and victor's new home. now the young boy will never have to study on the streets again. tim allman, bbc news. good news story. stay with bbc news.

you can reach me good news story. stay with bbc news. you can reach me on good news story. stay with bbc news. you can reach me on twitter, don't forget. hello there. well, as you've probably already heard, it's not going to be a heatwave this bank holiday weekend. it's turning cooler and there is some rain in the forecast, but it's not going to be a washout by any means. there will be some sunshine around. most of the rain is likely to be across more northern and western parts of the uk, but by sunday night it's a bank holiday monday it will be turning cooler for all, with north—westerly winds setting in. this is the pressure chart for this morning. we've got this weak weather front gradually easing into the north—west corner of the country as the day wears on. that will produce thick outbreaks of rain in northern ireland and much of scotland as the day wears on. further south, the best of the sunshine. staying dry for many places, skies turning hazy across the south—west as the cloud begins to build. temperatures reaching maybe 23

degrees in the south—east. a little bit cooler across scotland with all that rain and the breeze. more weather fronts moving in during tonight. it's going to be heavy rain in places and that rain also arriving across northern and western england as well, the south—east continuing to stay dry, with temperatures here around 11—13, actually quite a mild night for many because of the cloud, the breeze and the rain. low pressure firmly in control as we head into sunday. this cold front is the one that will bring the cooler air to the country as it continues to spread its way south and east. it will do so quite quickly, i think. bursts of rain eventually reaching east anglia under south—east during sunday afternoon. skies brightening up, one or two showers, at least it's an improvement since the afternoon. 20—21 in the south—east early on, but as that cold front moves through, the cooler hour will arrive here as well. it does so during sunday night, opening the floodgates for north—westerly. quite a brisk north—westerly.

this next feature will bring more wet weather to northern parts of the country, showers or even longer spells of rain here, but through bank holiday monday it looks like it will be a day of sunshine and showers for northern ireland, england and wales. some of those showers will be happy across western areas and quite blustery too. the further east you are, the better chance you have of staying dry and seeing sunshine. noticeably cooler for everybody. beyond bank holiday monday to tuesday, a northerly wind for a while, but will feel quite chilly, feeding and further showers at times. again, there will be some sunshine around but it is pretty unsettled for the upcoming week. it is going to feel quite cooler times, most of the showers across northern areas, with some sunshine and signs of things warming up a bit across southern areas the end of the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

a number of british conservative politicians have joined the race to replace the prime minister theresa may after she announced she will be stepping down. the former foreign secretary borisjohnson is seen as the frontrunner. the new leader is expected to be in post by the end ofjuly. the united states is sending another 1,500 military personnel to the middle east, accusing iran of having been behind what it called a campaign of recent attacks. the acting us defence secretary, patrick shanahan, said it was a defensive measure, aimed at safeguarding us forces in the region. a suspected parcel bomb has exploded in a central district of the french city of lyon. local police say thirteen people were lightly wounded by the blast in a shopping street. local media are reporting that the improvised device had been filled with nails, bolts and screws.