welcome to bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: hong kong's chief executive carrie lam has promised to take a hard line against the protestors who stormed and ransacked parliament. this is something that we should seriously condemn, because nothing is more important than the rule of law in hong kong. police ended the eight—hour occupation — evicting hundreds of activists. but the damage remains. many in the opposition are starting to ask questions about the wisdom of these young protesters storming into this building. whether it was really a victory of any sort or in fact it has handed victory to the government. we have a special report from the amazon rainforest — where huge tracts of forests

are being wiped out. this is happening all over the amazon, to create new farmland. the result is that the great forest has never been under such pressure. the us vows to keep up maximum pressure on iran, after it exceeded the agreed limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium. we start in hong kong, where protesters yesterday broke into the legislative council building. the chief executive of hong kong, carrie lam, used a news conference in the early hours of the morning to condemn the protesters. my colleague karishma vaswani has been following developments in hong kong. in the early hours of this morning

we heard from the chief executive, carrie lam, who held a news conference to condemn the violence. she said the protesters disregarded the rule of law which is so cherished here in hong kong. those protests coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the handover of power from the uk of hong kong to men than china and against a backdrop of continued unrest over an unpopular d raft continued unrest over an unpopular draft bill, the extradition bill, which if it had passed, would have made it possible for people he had to face trial in mainland china. exactly 22 years after china took control here, the youth of hong kong today vented their fury, attempting to smash their way into the territory‘s parliament. you can see these more radical activists, they have just broken through the window of the legco building here behind me. they've managed to smash

through this toughened glass and they are now trying to get inside the legco building. inside, you can see there are large numbers of riot police. so far they have held back. the destruction continued but the police stood by, it looked very much like they had been ordered not to intervene. meanwhile, across town, hundreds of thousands of other hong kongers were on the march, in a second huge anti—government protest. this one was completely peaceful. but even here there was sympathy for those besieging parliament. i understand what they are doing and i thank you to them for taking the risk to go to jail and try to stop the government from handing over all the lives of hong kong people to ccp. back outside parliament, the trashing continued. the police now nowhere to be seen.

now they are trying to smash their way through the steel shutters. and the crowd every so often start shouting, "jiayou, jiayou" — means "add oil" — in other words, "keep going, keep going". what is the point of this? we only know peaceful protest is not useful any more, at this moment. so you can say it is drawing attention or make some noise to let people know what happens here and let more people know the government is not listening to our peaceful protests. finally, the steel shutters gave way and the protesters poured in. inside, the trashing continued. in the chamber they raised the old british colonial flag. what must the chinese communist government in beijing be thinking as it watches these images? how long till there are mainland chinese troops on the streets of hong kong?

outside, the police had now finally massed their forces and, at midnight, they struck with a huge barrage of teargas. the police had now suddenly lost their earlier timidity. i am now inside that legislative chamber and, as you can see, the place has been completely cleared of protesters. the police are now firmly in control. you can still taste and smell teargas into the air here. as we have come into the building, we have seen an enormous amount of damage. this building has been badly trashed and you can see the graffiti on the wall behind me here. already tonight, many in the opposition are starting to ask questions about the wisdom of these young protesters storming into this building, whether it was really a victory of any sort or in fact it has handed a victory to the government. hong kong chief executive carrie lam has held an emergency press conference to condemn the violence. nothing is more important

than the rule of law in hong kong so i hope the community at large will agree with us that, with these violent acts that we have seen, it is right for us to condemn it and hope society will return to normal. this graffiti calls the government "dogs", another one says, "you forced us to do this". hong kong is now more polarised than at any time since the handover. many are worried this now has gone too far but others are asking what has driven hong kong youth to such violence. rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, hong kong. as you heard in that report, the damage to the legislative council building, the building right behind me is extensive, we have taken a look around this morning and we can see that graffiti, the shattered

glass, this morning, however, the cleanup operation has begun. there are dozens of people at our sweeping the streets, trying to get some semblance of normality back at the legislative council. meanwhile, however, if you remember when britain handed hong kong to men than china in 1997, this territory was governed and has been governed under the one country, two systems principle. after these dramatic violent protests overnight, happens to that system? july 1997, the moment britain handed hong kong over to china. the last governor, chris patten, presiding over one final act of empire. a handover whose legacy is still being fought over on the streets of hong kong tonight. it was back in 1984 that britain and china agreed a joint declaration that, in future, hong kong should retain some autonomy and freedom. so, after the handover in 1997, hong kong became a special region

of china and the one country two system policy came into force. and that meant that, until 2047, when the declaration expires, hong kong should keep its free markets and independentjudges — at least in theory. frankly, the chinese have been breaking their word on thejoint declaration that they claim that it does not operate after 1997. the british government should make clear in the united nations, in europe, so long as we're there, and elsewhere that it does apply for 50 years after 1997 and we're going to be absolutely determined to make sure that china keeps its side of the bargain. the protesters who packed the streets in recent weeks fear hong kong's independence is being threatened by a draft law making it easier for people to be extradited to china and they are looking to britain for support. the joint declaration does stand

and i would urge the chinese government to make sure that it abides by the terms of that declaration. but as hong kong beleaguered government marked the anniversary of the handover, beijing said it was extremely dissatisfied with britain. a foreign ministry spokesman said britain had no responsibility for hong kong and had no right to interfere in what was an internal affair for china. this protests pose a challenge for the government. ministers want to support democracy in britain's old colony, but they also want to keep good relations with china, whose investments they may need after brexit. and violence on the streets of hong kong makes both objectives harder. james landale, bbc news, at the foreign office. if you can imagine, beijing is undoubtedly keeping a close eye on events here. we have the china correspondence with more from beijing. china is allergic to displays of popular will,

even more so civil disobedience. it's big fear, of course, is contagion and, with that in mind, it has been doing everything it can to make sure that people here, in mainland china, know as little as possible about what is going on. censorship has gone into overdrive. images of the protests are being blocked, even the term "hong kong" is being filtered on social media. that said, i think, for now china will be happy to allow the hong kong authorities to deal with it. they will be relieved that the police have, once again, restored order. but make no mistake, beijing is watching very, very closely. it is already defining this as an issue of sovereignty, warning foreign powers to back off. and to pick up on something james mentioned in his report there, in response to comments from the british foreign secretary talking about safeguarding hong kong's special status, a foreign ministry spokesperson here today want him to stop meddling. "we advise the uk to know its place," he said.

asa as a new day begins, what are the possible ways this could play out today? we have already heard from carrie lam who says that she wants to focus on the rule of law here in hong kong, she has condemned those protesters and she says that it is time to get back to rebuilding the divisions in society here but she has been criticised for saying too little, too late. a lot of the protesters who spoke to yesterday, those among them who were not participating in this file and said they felt they hadn't been listened to and they felt neglected and ignored by their own government. and i think this is notjust anger about the extradition bill, there has been rising unease in hong kong amongst many in the city about the fact that they feel their freedoms are being eroded and that they are under threat from the rising influence of china here. of course the

decision—making process in beijing is famously opaque. what are they going to be thinking seeing this happening? there will be watching this very closely. these sorts of scenes that they want replicated. —— are not the things they want replicated. it is this tense relationship with the hong kong government. what we have had beijing says criticising the international community and particularly the united kingdom for comments that the uk has made about what has happened here in hong kong. effectively telling the uk to stay out of something that is no longer its business. meanwhile, it'll be interesting to see the reaction of the public to what happened overnight, many of the public ‘s

feel very strongly about these issues but whether or not this is the right way to go about things is a big question. and, you can keep up to date with the latest developments in hong kong, following the protests on the bbc website. you'll also find analysis of the chief executive's reaction — and a feature on the background to the demonstrations — that's all at bbc.com/news. let's get some of the day's other news. the latest attempt by european union leaders to agree on who should fill the bloc‘s main posts has ended in failure. they'll try again in brussels. a number of key roles are up for grabs including the post of european commision president. two facebook workers have possibly been exposed to sarin gas at a mailing warehouse at its headquarters in california. the mail processing centre was evacuated as officials worked to determine what caused mail to test positive for the nerve agent.

the german and british foreign ministers have called on iran to reverse its violation of the 2015 nuclear deal. the international atomic energy agency said its inspectors had verified the 300 kilogramme cap on enriched uranium, which can be used to produce energy or nuclear bombs, had been exceeded by tehran. gareth barlow reports. european countries climates are called today runs who adhere to its commitments. the landmark 2015 nuclear deal violated, an uncertain future ahead. the secretary general is very much aware of the reports that the islamic republic of iran are may have surpassed itsjcpoa limits on enriched uranium. he is concerned by such reports, if verified such action would not help preserve the plan.

the plan was left in jeopardy after the united states walked away last year, donald trump, having branded it a horrible, laughable, outrageous deal. he said iran was playing with fire. they know what they are doing, they know what they are playing with and i think they are playing with fire. so no message to iran whatsoever. ever since there was pulled out of the agreement, iran, with its economy crumbling under american sanctions has look to europe to keep the deal alive. that message repeated once more. the europeans failed to protect their promises. our next step will be enriching uranium beyond its 3.67% allowed under the deal. iran says the enrichment is reversible and called on europe to do more to reduce the impact of american sanctions. relations were strained after oil

tankers were attacked of the coast. america calls its policy towards iran maximum pressure, and now iran is responding. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: after protestors overrun hong kong's parliament, we look at what the future might hold for the troubled territory. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell of another sheep. for the first time in 20 years,

russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: hong kong's chief executive has condemned the protestors who stormed and ransacked parliament. hundreds of activists occupied the legislative council for hours — spraying graffiti, defacing the territory's emblem, and raising the old british colonial flag.

with me is ourformer hong kong correspondent helier cheung — she hasjust got back from the territory. this has been simmering for much longer than a few weeks that some of us in the international community have been paying attention. have tensions been rising over a longer period? it is unfortunately that the protests on monday were unprecedented and people in hong kong are shocked. but it is true that the young people in hong kong have been unhappy for a long time and it has gotten worse. these are young people who have grown up since the handover, being taught that hong kong is one country to systems which means it has rights distinct from the mainland. they feel these rights have been eroded over the last few yea rs have been eroded over the last few years and they feel beijing has increased interference as well. so culturally there is also

dissatisfaction with mainland china, because they feel there has been an increased number of tourist from their and people feel that the peaceful protest of 2014 have failed and that is why they are taking a different approach. with the protest today in particular much of it has been specifically about police violence, alleged police violence, where they feel the police used excessive force during the june 12 protest a nd excessive force during the june 12 protest and they feel that the government has not listened to them, that seems to be what is driving them, what happened on monday. what you are alluding to is that there is almost a divide, divide between those who want to go further and who are angrierand those who want to go further and who are angrier and the many who were just processing peacefully. that is right. and what is telling with the young protesters and the graffiti they left in the legislative council was that someone had written it was you who told us that peaceful protest would not work. we did see

the divide even today where the older generation and the pro—democracy legislators tried to dissuade them from entering the legislative council, telling them it isa criminal legislative council, telling them it is a criminal offence and may turn the tide of public opinion. but many of the younger protesters today felt so frustrated and so unhappy, they felt they were not listened to and that made them think. some of them said we don't care, we're going ahead. how have things changed since xijinping took power? he has taken a harder and more militaristic stance. with hong kong, under previous chinese governments we have seen them more like lead to offer certain concessions to pro—democracy campaigners or different groups in hong kong and that has not happened under xi hong kong and that has not happened underxijinping. hong kong and that has not happened under xijinping. the hong kong and that has not happened under xi jinping. the chinese government would argue that the hong kong government did allow some concessions in this case, at least by pausing the unpopular bill and that has not been enough for some

protesters. thank you very much for your analysis. now to a shocking statistic. every 60 seconds, an area the size of a football pitch of the amazon rainforest in brazil, is being cut down. there's been an aggressive increase in deforestation since the election of president bolsonaro injanuary, according to officials there. the rainforest plays a vital role in regulating the earth's climate, absorbing billions of tons of carbon dioxide every year and producing 20% of the earth's oxygen. 0ur science editor david shukman travelled to the amazon and sent this report. the rich greens of the most vibrant habitat on earth. the billions of trees store so much carbon, they help to slow down global warming. they're also home to an amazing tenth of all species in the natural world, some unnerving... 0thers, adorable. but the sight of bare

earth and dead trunks is becoming more common, with huge tracts of forest wiped out. my footsteps and distant bird song are the only sounds. it's tragic to see this close up. to bring these trees down to the ground, theyjust knock them over with a bulldozer. this is happening all over the amazon to create new farmland, and the result is that the great forest has never been under such pressure. over the decades, field by field, many trees have made way for agriculture, but that's set to speed up because of a massive push for development. the new president of brazil, jair bolsonaro, was elected on a promise to exploit the amazon. he's delighted his supporters by saying too much of the forest is protected. his environment officials are deeply worried, but he has banned them from saying anything in public. you're trying to save the forest.

so we have to meet this official in secret. his face hidden and voice changed, he says the government is trying to cover up the loss of the forest. and the scale of the deforestation he describes is staggering. up here, at the top of this 50 metre high observation tower, the view is just phenomenal, out over what looks like a great ocean of green. this is the canopy of the largest rainforest in the world. the problem is that more and more of it is being chopped down. it's hard to believe, but an area the size of a football

pitch is being cleared every single minute. what that means is that forests that could cover more than 2,000 pitches is just vanishing every day, and all the signs are that this rate of devastation will accelerate. cattle are the biggest single reason the trees are cleared. they're grazing on land that used to be forest. brazilian beef is in big demand all over the world and the president's vision of expanding agriculture here has delighted the farmers, like this man who says other countries cut their forests down long ago.

but the government wants to see more of it, and to weaken the laws protecting the forest. we asked to interview two ministers about this, but they both refused. a line often heard here is that only brazil can decide what do with the forest, no—one else. but the fact is, the more trees are cut down, the more we lose one of the few things holding back the rise in global temperatures. so what happens here in the coming years matters far beyond brazil. david shuckman, bbc news, in the amazon. that's get a reminder now of the top story. the chief executive of hong kong, carrie lam has condemned the occupation and ra nsacking kong, carrie lam has condemned the occupation and ransacking of the territory's parliament. she told a news co nfe re nce territory's parliament. she told a news conference that the extreme violence employed by protesters on monday would have saddened many people. she said that nothing was more important to hong kong than the rule of law. that is how it looks this our. you

are watching bbc news and we are back very soon. hello again, we are in the middle of quite a quiet spell of weather, really. looking at the weekend, it will be dry. there would be a few subtle changes, mind you. the satellite picture is quite interesting where cooler atlantic air is meeting the extreme heatwave. we have these massive thunderstorms that have developed. there is a risk of damaging winds, flash flooding, but we also have some thicker cloud working into scotland and northern ireland at the moment and that will continue to provide the focus of a few showers in northern scotland over the next few hours. but otherwise, if you're heading outside in the next hour or two, it is most likely to be dry and not too cold, temperatures between 9—12 degrees. now take a look at tuesday's weather picture, we will have those showers continue across northern scotland, not as many as we had on monday,

so more of us will have dry weather. quite cloudy for most of us in north—western scotland and northern ireland. there will be some sunshine in eastern scotland and england and wales. a day similar to monday and that there should be some lengthy spells of sunshine around, staying dry. temperatures in the high teens to low 20s, the exceptions are the northern isles where temperatures are still a little on the cool side. it's another dry day at wimbledon and again there should be some spells of sunshine coming and going through the day, really. in the middle part of the week, our area of high pressure is still firmly in charge of our weather and that means more in the way of dry weather. there could be a few showers just sneaking in across the extreme north of scotland where also there will be a fair bit of cloud. but the more broken cloud there is the more sunshine there will be. so should be fine for most parts of northern ireland. temperatures similar, really, 18—22, still a little cool up north

with just 12. there will be some changes as we head into thursday. 0ur area of high pressure slips a little bit further west, that allows some rain to come into scotland. whereas scotland gets wet, for england and wales it gets a bit warmer with the winds coming a little further southwards around this high pressure and then across england and wales, boosting the temperatures here. now the rain in scotland is likely to be notjust heavy, but also pretty persistent, lasting for most of the day with those totals relly building up in the highlands. could potentially get a bit of rain in northern ireland, that's a bit of an uncertainty there, but england and wales stays dry. and it gets warmer, 25 celsius on thursday in london, turning a tad more humid. similar conditions on friday, we see a lot of fine weather as we head into the weekend with further spells of sunshine. that's your weather.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the chief executive of hong kong, carrie lam, has condemned what she's described as the "extreme use of violence" by pro—democracy protesters, who forced their way into the former british territory's parliament building. the activists were angered by plans to allow extradition to china. the white house says the us will continue its policy of maximum pressure on iran, after teheran said it had exceeded the limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium — agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal. washington said it had been a mistake to allow iran to enrich uranium at any level. an area of amazon rainforest roughly the size of a football pitch is now being cleared every single minute, according to satellite data.