leading buyers this is bbc news i'm samantha simmonds. campaigners in hong kong promise to continue — after a week of mass protests forces the government to suspend a bill allowing extraditions to mainland china. saudi arabia blames iran for the attacks on two tankers in the gulf and says it's prepared to defend its interests. in iran, the british—iranian mother jailed for spying begins a new hunger strike in protest at her imprisonment. and holy mass in hard hats — a roman catholic service is held at notre dame cathedral in paris for the first time since the fire two months ago.

hello and welcome to bbc news. hong kong's government has suspended its controversial plan to allow alleged criminals to be extradited to mainland china. the proposals resulted in mass protests in the former british colony — some of which turned violent. our correspondent rupert wingfield hayes reports from hong kong. fellow citizens and members of the media... as she stood alone at the podium, carrie lam must have known every pair of eyes in hong kong was watching her. after a week of mass street protests and running battles between protesters and police, would she or wouldn't she back down and drop the widely hated extradition bill? not a withdrawal, then. so is this just a trick to pacify the protesters? it has nothing to do with an intention or wish to pacify. how could i restore, as fast as possible, the calm in society, and how could i avoid any more law—enforcement officers

and ordinary citizens being injured? the fear of more angry protesters returning to these barricades is what has prompted carrie lam and her administration to make what is clearly a major climb—down. this is not a temporary pause to the extradition bill — this is an indefinite suspension. nevertheless, it may not be enough to prevent very large crowds from coming out here again on sunday for another huge show of discontent. on wednesday, the policejust... this young protester and many of his friends will be out there, and possibly thousands more like them. they want the bill completely withdrawn, but for them it is about so much more. we don't trust the government. we don't need a small victory. we want to cancel the bill, but not temporarily. and i don't want to see

hong kong to be invaded by a totalitarian government. the problem for passionate young hong kongers like this is that communist china is just 16 miles away across the harbour. somehow they are going to have to learn to live with that fact. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in hong kong. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe — the british—iranian mother jailed in iran on spying charges — has begun a new hunger strike, in protest at her imprisonment. she's been held since 2016 and denies any wrongdoing. her move comes at a time of escalating tension, she's been held since 2016 and denies any wrongdoing. her move comes at a time of escalating tension, with the united states, backed by the uk, accusing iran of a series of attacks on oil tankers in the gulf of oman. iran denies any involvement. our world affairs correspondent caroline hawley reports. these are the moments before nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe‘s arrest, more than three years ago at tehran airport.

she thought she was heading home with her young daughter when she was approached by iran's revolutionary guards, then accused of espionage and sentenced to five years in jail in a case that's been called a mockery of justice. # wind the bobbin up...# just a few days earlier, they'd been enjoying a holiday together with herfamily in iran. happy birthday! hello, sweetheart! today in london, a celebration for gabriella's fifth birthday, with her on the phone from tehran. # happy birthday to you.# can you blow it out? but no cake for richard ratcliffe, as hejoins his wife on an open—ended hunger strike. she called him from jail this morning. so previous phone calls, she'd been quite tense and sort of stressed and angry and, you know, distraught. actually, today she was quite calm, you know, she'd made the decision, she said she sent her letter due to thejudiciary, so it's now started, and nervous is how she sounded on the phone, but also calm, and we'll see how things go. this is a desperate move by an ordinary couple caught

up in extraordinarily complex international politics. their case is intricately connected to the difficult relationship between the uk and iran — a relationship that's just got even more fraught. last month, the us sent an aircraft carrier and warplanes to the gulf, within striking distance of iran. the military build—up came a year after donald trump unilaterally withdrew from a key agreement with iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. tensions have escalated further with a series of recent attacks on oil tankers, including this on thursday in the gulf of oman, one of the world's busiest waterways. the us quickly blamed iran, and britain followed suit. iran categorically denies involvement and has been angered by the british stance. our message to iran is, whatever the disagreements you may have with the united kingdom, there is an innocent woman

at the heart of this, she just wants to get back together with her daughter gabriella, to reunite that family. please show that you have humanity, show that you have a heart, let nazanin come home. this morning, jeremy hunt met richard ratcliffe. he's praised the family's bravery, but there's concern that the latest trouble in the middle east will do nothing to solve his wife's plight, as they embark on a joint hunger strike aimed at bringing their family back together. caroline hawley, bbc news. saudi arabia's crown prince has blamed iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the gulf of oman. the saudis have also called for a rapid and decisive response to the attacks. an international shipping association says some firms have ordered their ships not to enter the strait of hormuz and the gulf. we've been speaking to jakob larson, head of maritime security at the shipping association, bimco. we asked him if the situation was reaching a point where military escorts might be needed.

yes, it's an option. it depends on how the situation develops but yes, if it gets worse than it is now, that's certainly some thing the industry would like to be initiated. it's something we've seen before in this part of the world, back in the late 80s close to the end of the iran—iraq war. we saw military escort to protect tanker shipping because both sides were attacking each other so it was used before and may be relevant again. are significantly higher than what they've been in this region for a while and we also have concerns about energy security and the free flow of trade in this region and of course, the implications of that through the wider global economy so if the global economy slows down further it will have an impact on production and consumption and thereby will also impact not only thereby will also impact not only the tanker industry but all trades. around 20% of the world's crude is transported via c through the

straight of hormuz and another 20% is transported via pipelines but i'm afraid there is no indication the pipelines will have increased capacity for the oil that is transported at sea so if the situation gets worse, we will operably see some shipowners get cold feet and pull out of the trade and of course, that would impact the economy. let's get some of the day's other news. india says it's imposing trade tariffs on 28 us products including almonds, apples and walnuts. the tariffs will come into effect from sunday. india says the move is in response to washington's refusal to exempt delhi from higher steel and aluminium taxes. sudan's chief prosecutor says the deposed president, omar al—bashir, will be referred for trial next week. he's been charged with corruption and involvement in the killing of protesters during the mass demonstrations that led to the end

of his 30 year rule. the military ousted the long—time president in april following months of protests. amanda knox has spoken of the pain of what she called "being tried by the media" over the murder of the british student meredith kercher, in italy in 2007. she told a conference in modena that she feared being attacked and even charged again. it is ms knox's first trip to italy since being cleared of the murder afterfour years injail. a roman catholic mass has been held at notre dame cathedral in paris for the first time since a fire ripped through the building two months ago. a roman catholic mass has been held at notre dame cathedral in paris for the first time since a fire ripped through the building two months ago. for safety reasons the priests who attended the small service had to wear hard hats. freya cole reports. it's not your usual attire for a religious service but given the iconic notre—dame isn't structurally sound, hard hat a iconic notre—dame isn't structurally sound, hardhat a necessity. the

intimate service is a first since a spectacular fire intimate service is a first since a spectacularfire spread intimate service is a first since a spectacular fire spread through the cathedral in april, devastating prescience and sending shockwaves around the world. translation: i say around the world. translation: i say a monument such around the world. translation: i say a monument such as around the world. translation: i say a monument such as the notre—dame continues to live on even if there was a fire. it's not a lost monument, it continues to have life. just 30 people were invited for a mass led by the archbishop of paris. translation: i say it is with strong emotion that we find ourselves here celebrating the consecration of this cathedral but we are profoundly happy to be able to celebrate the eucharist. it's why it was built. authorities now know the fire started near the base of the spire. fla mes started near the base of the spire. flames spread through the roof within a matter of hours, consuming more than 800 years of history. what was lost will never be exact to the same but it can be rebuilt and replicated. donations for the

cathedral‘s reconstruction of hits nearly $1 billion. it's the beginning of a new chapter in notre—dame's ancient history. freya cole, bbc news. the cricket world cup throws up many rivalries, but none bigger than this. on sunday, tens of millions of people will be watching pakistan take on india. it's always a big deal, but this will also be the first match between the two neighbours since a dangerous flare up in tensions earlier this year. secunder kermani has been speaking to some of the many pakistanis who will be watching the game. there were cheers as pakistan took on australia earlier this week. but the night ended in disappointment for these fans and islamabad as their team narrowly lost. the passion inspired by matches against india, though, is on another level. is it india, though, is on another level. isita india, though, is on another level. is it a big deal to beat india? india, though, is on another level. is it a big dealto beat india? it's a pretty good deal notjust because it's india versus pakistan but because it's like madrid versus

barcelona, sport rivalry to so that makes it very exciting as well. sunday's game will be the first between the neighbours since the conflict in february that saw pakistan should down and capture an indian pilot. i'm sorry, i'm not supposed to tell you that, sir. this advert spoofing his interrogation video in which he politely refused to a nswer video in which he politely refused to answer questions while sipping tea is attracted both laughs and some criticism. you believe now? 0k, sir. for most bands, though, cricket is a rare opportunity to unite the two nations. i think primarily, we have the same culture and i think cricket can be used as a bridge between the two countries for peace and for stability throughout the

subcontinent so i think irrespective of who wins, at the end of the day, a good game and peace is what matters most. pakistan - india game have at times produced some of cricket's greatest moments. players know tens of millions will be watching. there is a massive amount of russia and now that the india pakistan games don't happen so frequently, there is more pressure. i feel someone who is frequently, there is more pressure. ifeel someone who is in good frequently, there is more pressure. i feel someone who is in good form would bubbly be looking forward to doing well against india because if you do well against india, could be a hero all night. come sunday, grounds like this will be deserted but because of tensions between the two countries, it's been years since pakistan and india have been able to play against each other in front of the home crowd. cricket fans will hope that can change someday soon. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. stay with us on bbc news,

still to come: franco zeffirelli — one the 20th century‘s most creative and prolific directors — has died aged 96. there was a bomb in the city centre. a code word known to be one used by the ira was given. army bomb experts were examining a suspect van when there was a huge explosion. the south african parliament has destroyed the foundation of apartheid by abolishing the population registration act, which for a0 years forcibly classified each citizen according to race. germany's parliament, the bundestag, has voted by a narrow majority to move the seat government from bonn to berlin. berliners celebrated into the night but the decision was greeted with shock in bonn. just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home. early this evening the new prince was taken by his mother and father to their apartments in kensington palace. the real focus today was valentina tereshkova, the world's first woman cosmonaut.

what do you think of the russian woman in space? i think it's a wonderful achievement and i think we might be able to persuade the wife it would be a good idea if i could to get her to go up there for a little while. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: campaigners in hong kong promise to continue after a week of mass protests forces the government to suspend a bill allowing extraditions to mainland china. saudi arabia blames iran for the attacks on two tankers in the gulf and says it's prepared to defend its interests. a leading indian doctors' association has called for a nationwide strike, stepping up protests by medical staff demanding better security at hospitals after an attack on doctors in the city of kolkata. the move could paralyse hundreds of government—run health facilities across the country — the only option for many of india's poor for medical treatment. rahuljoglekar reports.

chanting macro we wantjustice! doctors in the indian state of west bengal are angry after a colleague was allegedly assaulted by the family ofa was allegedly assaulted by the family of a patient who died under their care. doctors say incidents like these are all too common and u nless like these are all too common and unless the government intervenes to make their workplace secure, they will not go back to theirjobs. translation: when a patient dies because of something their relatives may not understand or for some reason that is difficult for them to accept, they feel they have a right to physically abuse doctors. what started as a local incident has proved to be contagious. 30,000 doctors stayed away from work on friday and more strikes are planned across the country. but those paying the price are india's poor. for them, government hospitals are a lifeline.

translation: my brother had an accident. he has been hospitalised. in is an urgent operation but the doctors are on strike. what started asa doctors are on strike. what started as a punch—up over security has quickly become a political fight, sparking a war of words between opposing political parties. this after the chief minister issued an ultimatum to the striking dock is. her supporters believe the blame lies elsewhere. translation: the police should have been able to contain the situation. the fact that they couldn't handle the situation, that's their fault. as the crisis deepens, india's doctors are trying to treat a peculiar affliction. no cure seems to be inside and out. rahul joglekar, bbc news. ——in side for now. here in the uk, rivals competing to be the next leader of the conservative party and prime minister have dismissed suggestions they should withdraw and allow an uncontested coronation for the frontrunner boris johnson. they've been campaigning for the support of party members at a meeting in london. our political correspondent nick eardley was there

and his report does contain flashing imagery. blink and you'll miss him — boris johnson arrives at the first leadership hustings for tory activists. in here, he told them he's a winner, and he's undoubtedly the man to beat, but his rivals say a coronation would be a mistake. that would be a complete disgrace. the public deserve the chance to look at these leaders. mrjohnson's opponents insist this isn't over. we had a coronation last time, it didn't work out well, so let's not make the same mistakes again. jeremy hunt insists he can shock everyone and come from behind to win. michael gove agrees it's all still to play for. the leadership hustings so far have been taking place behind closed doors. that will change tomorrow with the first televised event, at which five of the six candidates, minus mrjohnson, will attend. but ultimately those standing for the leadership know that it's people like the ones here, party activists, that they have to convince. do you think the wider membership are listening, or it's boris and that's it?

no, i think they are listening, i think they are listening. it always, always, always was going to be borisjohnson for me, but i'm now...less sure who would be the second option. i had thought i was close to making up my mind, but i've now got a bit more of an open mind after today. i mean, i'd vote raab, i must say, given the chance, but it's going to be boris. are members still listening to your pitch, mr hunt? they were, yes! the fight to be our next pm goes on. the longer this goes on, the more the underdog gets their shot. to beat this man, though, won't be easy. nick eardley, bbc news. the italian film and opera director franco zeffirelli has died at the age of 96. he was twice nominated for an oscar, and is perhaps best known for his adaptations of shakespeare's works. he's said to have died peacefully after a long illness. nick higham looks back at his life. operatic music.

franco zeffirelli made his name as an opera director, on stage and occasionally on film. opera taught him how to deal with highly strung and highly talented performers. it is a simple as that — holding their hands, really dealing with vulnerable people, really charming little kids that can't believe their luck, and they are afraid. will thou take petruchio to be thy lawful wedded husband? his experience proved useful when he made a film with a famously temperamental couple, richard burton and elizabeth taylor. i will not...! his film version of romeo and juliet was nominated for an oscar, but it was controversial. olivia hussey, then just 15, appeared topless. zeffirelli, who'd started out as a stage and screen designer, was sometimes attacked for self—indulgence

and for sentimentality. but jesus of nazareth, made for television, showed a different and more austere side to his work. if my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have fought to prevent me from being captured. in 2004, he was given an honorary knighthood. he'd always been an anglophile. i think about england in terms of the country that i would like to see married with my country, italy. and i managed, you know, one way or other, to make this marriage happen with my work and my association with british talent. such a traditional honour meant a lot to a director renowned for his love of formality, opulence and beauty. franco zeffirelli — who has died at the age of 96.

actor leonard whiting played the lead role in romeo and juliet. he told me how he got that part, and how he met zeffirelli. i was working in theatre at the time andi i was working in theatre at the time and i was asked to go and audition. and there were about 600 people who went and it went lower and lower and lower and finally i was one of the last three and franco came in and saw me and said "that's the ten wa nt". saw me and said "that's the ten want". the wonderful thing about working with franco is that if you didn't know exactly what to do he was so theatrical and extravagant and intimate on the set that he would be able to actually act it for you, so that was a great kind of start. this film became iconic, didn't it? i remember watching it at school in the 1980s. did you foresee at all how famous you would from it and how well—known the film would be? to be honest with you, no, not

really, at the time. but they had seen taming of the shrew. i was in the national theatre when laurence olivier did it, the old vic, and they had seen some of his work before. and his 1960 version with john stride and judi dench was absolutely beautiful. and he brought that same kind of feeling into our film. because what was very, very important to franco, because he considered himself a reticence at —— renaissance italian artist, really, he wanted somebody to be beautiful, because in a way he thought that beauty was truth or a sort of truth, if you see what i'm in. and as well as working with him all those years ago you stayed in touch with him and he became a good friend, didn't he? absolutely. they always try to make it over at least once or twice a year to see it over at least once or twice a yearto see him. it over at least once or twice a year to see him. it was such a great honour and privilege to work with

him. and he completely, completely changed my life. and the amazing thing is that because it's such an amazing medium kids are seeing it every day and to them it is absolutely contemporary. it is almost because of the magic of cinema it was made yesterday and it is still amazing. they still have lots and lots and lots of letters, you know, asking for photographs and saying how much they loved it. but one of the most important things about his work, and it was because he started as a designer in opera, is is absolutely incredible eye and sense of beauty in constructing a scene. and he's going to be really, really sadly missed. obviously very much. we do appreciate you talking to us. and remembering how you worked with him all those years ago. how do you hope you will be remembered by others? well, a hope that people will actually realise

that people will actually realise that one of his most important things, i've touched upon this before, was the importance of him to create a sort of grand plan in a scene that was not only very strong dramatically, but also something that wasn't too bad to look at either, at the same time. leonard whiting, who played romeo and franco zeffirelli's romeo and juliet back in 1968. a reminder of our top story this hour. opponents of the hong kong government's plans to allow extraditions to mainland china have dismissed the suspension of the draft bill as inadequate. they say they'll push ahead with protests, including one due to be held on sunday, until the planned law is abandoned. there have also been calls for hong kong's chief executive, carrie lam, to step down. earlier, ms lam said she wanted more time to consult on the proposals, which have sparked big

demonstrations in the past week. china has backed her decision. that is it from me for now. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @samanthatvnews. hello. another day where we've seen some torrential rain across parts of the uk, exacerbating the flooding in places that we've seen earlier in the week. this was burton upon trent in staffordshire on saturday afternoon. at the same time, blue skies and sunshine in anglesey. and it's this mix we will keep as we go into sunday, this slow—moving area of low pressure still to the west of the uk. another frontal system working its way north and eastwards. so this will generate showers through the morning, initially parts of across scotland, northern ireland, wales, the western side of england, but those showers soon working across a large swathe of the uk. where the showers developed they will be heavy, thundery, slow—moving. some gusty winds as

well associated with the showers. there's an idea of average wind strings. the gusts will be even higher. could well see some hailstones, too. meanwhile, across parts of southern and south—east england for your showers through the afternoon, more sunshine, so 20 or 21 celsius. where we've got the frequent showers struggling to get much above 1a or 15. the showers a time to give a longer spell of rain. certainly the case as we go into sunday evening. have you spells of rain working across northern england, into scotland, northern ireland, some rain returning to wales through the early hours of monday morning. it is not a cold night for most. we will hold up to between 11 and 13 celsius. high single figures across rural scotland. as we start the new week the area of low pressure to the north—west of the uk, generating heavy showers or scotland and northern ireland. a cold front draped across northern england and wales bringing some spells of rain through monday morning. but turning was showery as the day wears on. to the south and east of this, mainly

dry, some spells of sunshine, some heavy a boundary showers across a large swathe of scotland and northern ireland. temperatures here again14 or15 northern ireland. temperatures here again 1a or 15 celsius. in the sunshine for the south and east, 20, maybe 21 celsius. as we go into tuesday, briefly, we see this ridge of high pressure across much of england and wales in southern scotland. keeping an eye on this area of low pressure, though, brings heavy rain on tuesday into some parts of england. heavy showers along the spells of rain across northern scotland. they should ease across northern ireland tuesday. keeping an eye on this train arriving into southern counties of england later on tuesday. ahead of this, some warmth, 20 or 21 celsius for much of england and wales. we could see some heavy rain for a time, late on tuesday into wednesday. as that close, things are looking drier and a bit warmer towards the end of the week. bye— bye. towards the end of the week. bye—bye. ——as that clears.

mere are this is bbc news, the headlines: campaigners in hong kong are promising to continue — after a week of mass protests forced the government to suspend a bill allowing extraditions to mainland china. the government had argued the proposed bill would plug legal loopholes and prevent the city becoming a safe haven for overseas criminals. saudi arabia blames iran for the attacks on two tankers in the gulf and says it's prepared to defend its interests. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman being held in prison in iran, has started a hunger strike to demand her unconditional release. three years ago she was arersted and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly trying to topple the iranian government — a charge she denies.