this is bbc news — i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: campaigners in hong kong vow to push ahead with a rally on sunday despite the decision to suspend a controversial bill. saudi arabia blames iran for the attacks on two tankers in the gulf and says it's prepared to defend its interests. and the british—iranian mother jailed in iran for alleged spying, begins a new hunger strike and we preview one of the world's biggest sporting rivalries — as india and pakistan prepare to face off, in the cricket world cup. hello and welcome to bbc news.

people are expected to return to the streets on sunday, despite the hong kong government's decision to suspend a 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? i now announce that the government has decided to suspend the legislative amendment exercise. 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 they want the bill completely withdrawn, but for them it is about so much more.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, 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. a series of attacks in somalia and kenya has left at least 25 people dead. eight were killed by a car bomb in the somali capital mogadishu —

16 others were injured. gareth barlow has more details. smoke rises above mogadishu moments after the car bomb exploded. awnings shredded by the force of the blast, buildings left in ruins and at least eight people confirmed dead. translation: as i came out of the mosque, i saw a speeding car firing bullets. i took cover and soon the car drove off. the attack took place at a checkpoint near the somali parliament. across the country on saturday, al—shabaab militants carried out a series of deadly attacks. translation: i saw at least five dead bodies, including a religious man who came out of the mosque at the time of the blast. all those bodies have been removed. in neighbouring kenya, eight police officers were killed by a roadside bomb in another attack that had all the hallmarks of al—shabab. the militant group has seen its power dwindle in recent years, but despite that it continues to wreak devastation and death across africa.

let's get some of the day's other news. 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. european election observers have called on nigeria to consider urgent electoral reforms following what they describe as systemic failings in the recent elections. the eu mission said there were serious operational, security and transparency problems. the poll — won by incumbent muhammadu buhari — is being challenged in court by the main opposition candidate. 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. tens of millions of people will be watching pakistan take on india in the cricket world cup later. it's one of the biggest global sporting rivalries, and the first match between the two neighbours since a dangerous flare up in tensions earlier this year. rajini vaidyanathan takes the pulse in delhi. in every corner of this cricket crazy nation, they play. and in every corner they also watch. it's one of the biggest rivalries in sport — between two nuclear neighbours. india's won every world cup match against pakistan. this team, led by superstar captain virat kohli, is hoping to continue the tradition. it's that this academy in west delhi

that indian captain virat kohli first honed his skills and many say it's his team that's india's best hope in a generation. rajkumar sharma first coached a nine—year—old virat kohli. today he continues to train a cricket's future stars. it is a much hyped game. the whole world is looking at this. and people will enjoying even playing for an indian team that we should not lose this much. once india beat pakistan the fans will feel we have won the world cup. and to some fans, this match means war. but for budding spin bowler gunmay, just ten years old, the game's a way of bringing the rival nations together. on the pitch when you go it is a normal match, not a war, not political, anything. it is just a normal political cricket match. a normal match with abnormal expectations. yes, india will win it. i know that. and i will support india through all the world cup

and we will win the world cup. i believe in india. for one day, the hopes of an entire nation rest on one cricket match. but there could be something that gets in the way — the british weather. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. waqas ahmed is an occasional sports writer and big pakistan fan — he explains just how important the game is. cricket is probably the only avenue where we can, you know, thrash out our differences in a matter which is much more acceptable than war. and cricket is probably the only sport where both countries are the top—ranked teams so this has been a sport which unites and provides a bit of banter opportunity as well, so it is pretty big in the subcontinent. but is the rivalry always friendly?

india is the favourite to win. pakistan is the underdog. what is it going to take for pakistan to beat india? well, a lot of hard work and a bit of luck as well, because pakistan have been coming on the back of a 13—1 record in their last 14 games so they are not favoure by any stretch of the imagination. india, on the other hand, have been completely dominant. that said, betting on pakistan is a very dangerous precedent. they have the ability to come from behind and absolutely wreak havoc on the day or they can be completely disintegrated as we saw in the 1999 world cup final where they were favourites to win the world cup yet they lost in england and now, two decades later, they were coming on the back of 12 defeats, defeated england before the australia game. so we can't really say — as cliche as it sounds — we can't really say which pakistan will turn up. so we can't really say — as cliche as it sounds — we can't really say which pakistan will turn up.

but they are a few thingsthat pakistan can. they are highly dependent on fakharzaman, babarazam, imam—ul—haq, who are the top three batsmen in the side. they need to score. pakistan needs to rely on mohammad amir, who is their strike bowler so there are a few things that they can do but it is an uphill battle. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: celebrating one of the most creative and prolific directors of the 20th century. franco zeffirelli dies 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. our main story this hour: campaigners in hong kong vow to push ahead with a rally on sunday, despite the decision to suspend

a controversial bill allowing extraditions to china. let's stay with that now. the decision by chief executive carrie lam is a win for protestors, but why are people still angry? that is the question i put to antony dapiran, the author of city of protest: a recent history of dissent in hong kong. i think people are incredibly angry at the way that hong kong's chief executive, carrie lam, has handled the entire incident and particularly angered by the statements that she made at the press conference last night, when she announced that she was going to temporarily pause the bill. a few things really angered them. firstly that it was just a temporary pause, she said, and not a complete withdrawal. they are also angered that she did not apologise for the police behaviour at the protests on wednesday. and also that they feel she has patronised really, to the hong kong people, treating them as children, and not sufficiently listening to their voices. what could the chief executive carrie lam have done differently to kind of avoid the personal anger

that she is experiencing? well, i think, the first thing she could have done is given the statement that she made last night a week ago, last sunday evening after a million people took to the streets here to protest. immediately after that protest, she and her government came out and said there basically would be no change, and it took the violent incidents on wednesday to really cause them to sit up and take notice. i think that's something that really, really angered people. and i think the second thing isjust her messaging, which has been consistently poor and the way that it has been presented to people has helped to really rile them up. is there any clarity on how much this was carrie lam's pet project and hoe much she was under pressure from beijing to get these laws through? well, look, the official line has always been that this was entirely carrie's idea, that this was her initiative and beijing backed her up. but one really has to wonder, given the incredibly incompetent way

that this has been handled and the attempt to sort of really ram through, whether there wasn't some larger hand at force, because you'd expect that any sensible politician would not commit this kind of political suicide that she appears to have done. you have looked back at a history of protest and dissent in hong kong. you've written a book about it. these are protists, given that they have succeeded in some way, has this changed hong kong for the future? is it a different kind of territory now? i think it has certainly hardened hong kongers' resolve. in the wake of the umbrella movement protests five years ago, largely seen as a failure, people were starting to wonder whether hong kongers had lost their spirit and perhaps no longer had much appetite for dissent, particularly as the hong kong government has aggressively pursued and prosecuted the leaders of those protests five years ago. but i think the events of the past week have really shown that the hong kongers' spirit remains as determined as ever

and they will come out and protest and dissent against policies that they feel strongly about. and you can keep up to date all with the latest on our website. you'll find reaction and analysis, including maps and films, plus other reports and articles from our correspondents based in the region. that's all at bbc.com/news — or download the bbc news app. a roman catholic mass has been held at notre dame cathedral in paris for the first time since fire ripped through the iconic building two months ago. for safety reasons, the priests and other religious leaders attending the small service had to wear hard hats. the mass was held in a side chapel because the main structure has not yet been declared safe. the cathedral‘s roof and spire were destroyed in the blaze in april. 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 plays. 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 very vulnerable people, very 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. the last of italy's post—war cinema giants, franco zeffirelli, who's died at the age of 96. back in the summer of 1995 a huge public art project in berlin entranced the city and became a symbol for germany's renewal after the end of the cold war. husband and wife team christo and jeanne—claude wrapped the reichstag — the former german parliament building — in fabric. christo told our colleagues at witness history why they did it. it's an eccentric dream but one that a husband and wife team have cherished for nearly a quarter of a century and this weekend the bulgarian abortus —— born artist christo and his wifejeanne—claude began wrapping the building in silverfabric.

began wrapping the building in silver fabric. no drawings, no sketch, on a scale model can of the project. the fabric is actually, it is not com pletely the fabric is actually, it is not completely touching the surface of the structure. the project started in 1972. the cold war is still at full speed, the berlin wall was built, permission to wrap the reichstag was refused three times. if the wall hadn't fallen down probably we would never have done the reichstag. for more than two decades the artist christo and his wifejeanne—claude decades the artist christo and his wife jeanne—claude wanted to decades the artist christo and his wifejeanne—claude wanted to work with the building up of them symbolise the cold war. you know, i was born in bulgaria in 1935, highly soviet communist country. and they escaped to the west, alone, speaking only russian and bulgarian. coming from a communist country tried to do something involving the east—west relations. it has been bombed and set on fire, seymour and revolution,

but never before has the reichstag been wrapped in silver fabric —— seen wall. we never can believe what is the project until we see the real. christo himself is paying for the project, help essentially by sales of his sketches and other work. the reichstag cost us $12 million in 1995. probably today it is about $25 million or $20 million. this project, we need to build an entire structure of engineers, lawyers, services. very much like welding a highway or a bridge or airport. it was wrapped by nearly 100 rock climbers, they came down and they started this 100,000 square metres of fabric in one week. jeanne—claude and myself, we are both together artists. and this is why i missed so muchjeanne—claude

today. we were partners, we lived together, we fought together, it is like an adventure that you cannot repeat it. this novel treatment is, as they say, in the classic tradition of art. reichstag was the victorian building with the love of ornaments, decoration, suddenly it was changed, lake eyre sketch, what is essential of the heights, the width, the forms, they are all hidden by this fragile material that moves with the wind, is in constant motion —— like a sketch. moves with the wind, is in constant motion -- like a sketch. the building took on a shine like nature and was treated with something like revere nce . and was treated with something like reverence. it is very special. it always changes with the light. the first time in history that this building is nice and it makes people happy. a came to germany especially to see this project and i think it is great. i don't know really what the point is. for two weeks the area has witnessed one continuous party

with these reminiscent of when the berlin wall came down six years ago. everybody who came to see the project, and there were 5 million people in two weeks in the reichstag, they know that they were seeing something that would never happen again. last night was the final and the biggest party, with 100,000 people swarming around the building well into the early hours. today the dismantling work began and germany's a—man future parliament building became —— came linking. rebuilding starts ready for the german parliament which arrives in 1998. after doing the scott bevan. cannot be repeated. something happens. incredible archive from witness history. that was christo speaking of wrapping the reichstag with his late wife jeanne—claude. all of of wrapping the reichstag with his late wifejeanne—claude. all of our top stories on the website. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @regedahmadbbc. see you soon.

hello. another day where we've seen some torrential rain across parts of the uk, exacerbating the flooding we saw earlier in the week. this was burton upon trent in staffordshire during saturday afternoon. for others, blue skies and sunshine. and it's this mixture that we keep as we go into sunday, our area of low pressure still slow moving to the north—west of the uk. and another frontal system working its way north and eastwards. so this will generate showers through sunday morning, initially across northern ireland, wales, south—west england, but soon extending north and eastwards across much of the uk. now, where these showers develop they'll be heavy, they'll be thundery, they'll be slow—moving. some gusty winds as well associated with these showers. here's an idea of average wind strengths. but the gusts will be even higher. could well see some hailstones, too. meanwhile, across parts of southern and south—east england fewer 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.

and these showers merging at times to give a longer spell of rain. certainly the case as we go through sunday evening. some heavy spells of rain working their way across northern england, into scotland, continue across parts of northern ireland, some rain returning to wales through the early hours of monday morning. it's not a cold night for most. we're going to hold up to between 11 and 13 celsius. high single figures across rural scotland. so as we start the new week, our area of low pressure still to the north—west of the uk, generating some heavy showers for scotland and northern ireland. a cold front draped across northern england and wales bringing some spells of rain through monday morning. but turning more showery as the day wears on. to the south and east of this, mainly dry, some spells of sunshine, some heavy and thundery showers, though, across a large swathe of scotland and northern ireland. so temperatures here again 1a or 15 celsius. in the sunshine, further south and east, 20, maybe 21 celsius. now, as we go into tuesday, briefly, we see this ridge of high pressure across much of england and wales and southern scotland. keeping an eye on this area of low pressure, though, could bring some heavy rain later on tuesday into southern parts of england. still some heavy showers

and longer the spells of rain across parts of scotland. but they should ease across northern ireland on tuesday. much of england and wales having a mainly dry day with some sunshine, but keeping an eye on this rain 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, later on tuesday and into wednesday. as that clears, things are looking drier and a bit warmer towards the end of the week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

campaigners in hong kong are promising to continue demonstrating — after a week of mass protests forced the government to suspend a china extradition bill. the government had argued the new law would plug legal loopholes — and prevent the city becoming a safe haven for overseas criminals. dipomatic relations with iran continuine to be strained after saudi arabia blamed tehran for the attacks on two tankers in the gulf, and says it's prepared to defend its interests. both the united states and united kingdom say iran was "almost certainly" responsible.