this is bbc news: i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. new dangers for western forces in iraq — drones carrying explosives — we've a special report on the game—changing new threat. the enemy is the islamic state group, but that is far from the greatest danger that americans face here. how the other half lives — fresh claims that some us billionaires pay little or no income tax. stubbing out the cigarettes — why the uk is considering raising the age at which people can buy tobacco. and we meet china's new social media superstars, taking it all in their stride.

hello and welcome. armed forces from the us and other western nations are facing a new threat in iraq. on two occasions, american airbases have come under attack from iranian—made drones, fitted with explosives. it follows earlier rocket attacks on western forces but commanders say the drones are a game—changer in terms of threat. iran denies involvement but its proxies in iraq — the shia militia — have been growing in strength. our middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, has been to northeastern syria, and iraq, and he sent this report. american troops have grown used to being in iraq.

still watchful, they move between here and syria, almost as if the border didn't exist. they came to help fight the islamic state group. thatjob�*s almost done, but another war is taking place here, mostly in the shadows. we're not the only people operating in this part of the world. the louisiana national guard have been operating here in north—eastern syria for about as long asjoe biden has been president. the number of americans here and in iraq keeps shrinking. there's about 2,500 of them now. their mission here, their enemy, is the islamic state group, but that's far from the greatest danger americans face here. us air bases have been targeted twice in recent months by iranian—made, military—grade drones.

this is the aftermath of a drone strike which destroyed a cia warehouse in erbil. chanting. and in baghdad, iran's proxies are running rampant. here they are cutting off the city's diplomatic green zone after one of their leaders was arrested. inside, the united states remains mostly silent. it's focused instead on its nuclear negotiations and is fearful of giving fuel to hardliners in iran's elections. from the us, there has been no military response yet to recent attacks. beyond this fortress, a terror campaign is underway. if you're western forces, you're fighting the islamic state group, you can be here in the centre of baghdad and you can be relatively safe, but the situation outside these walls is far more grim.

and the people out there and all across iraq don't have the luxury of that protection. chanting. young iraqis took to the streets to protest, among other things, foreign interference in their country. and they have been slaughtered. almost 700 have been cut down. they blame pro—iranian militia. and they chant, "who killed me?" please, have a seat. ali mohammed wants to know who it was that shot dead his brother, amjed.

across the middle east, iran and the united states continue to face off, but the victims in this shadow war are rarely americans, nor iranians.

they are, once again, the people of iraq. quentin sommerville, bbc news, baghdad. the us authorities are investigating the leak of details claiming to show how little tax is paid by some of the country's richest people. according to the propublica news outlet, the 25 wealthiest americans pay tax at a lower rate than the average worker. 0ur north america correspondent, peter bowes, has more details. the us government and the treasury department says any leaking of confidential information like this would be illegal and that the fbi has been informed, and is investigating this leak. so we do not know exactly where they got information from. they are describing it as a trove of detail from the irs, describing it as a trove of detailfrom the irs, the internal revenue service, relating to some of america's

richest people dating back over 15 years. they claim to have seen these tax returns, and as you outline, certain individuals, and they are very specific on the ears they say these people paid absolutely nothing in terms of taxes. they are not accusing these multimillionaires of doing anything illegal but what they are suggesting and this will not come as a surprise to many is that they are to use a phrase, playing the system, playing the american system and it is all above the law. this is a system of taxation based on income but does not take into account the vast wealth of certain individuals through stocks, property, the wealth thatis stocks, property, the wealth that is increasing, year on year. it says that they have employed techniques that are not accessible to ordinary people because they have these greater areas of wealth in stocks and property, most people in this countryjust live paycheck to paycheck and

pay tax on their summaries. we will have more on that later in the business coverage in 20 minutes. did tell me what you think, have the conversation on twitter. let's get some of the day's other news: the uk and the eu will hold talks in london later to try to resolve a growing dispute about post—brexit trade arrangements in northern ireland. ministers have urged the european union to show commonsense in applying the so—called northern ireland protocol. brussels has called for constructive engagement. canada's prime minister justin trudeau has addressed a vigil for members of a muslim family who were run down and killed by a pick—up truck. police have charged a man with the murder. four people were killed and a 9—year—old boy who survived in the attack remains in hospital in a stable condition. 0n the final leg of her regional tour, the us vice—president, kamala harris, and the mexican

president, andres manuel lopez 0brador, have announced plans to cut illegal migration by boosting investment. ms harris also said she'd made progress in tackling the root causes of the rise in the number of migrants heading towards the united states. here, mps are calling on the government to do more to achieve its aim of making smoking obsolete by 2030. one idea being put forward by the all party parliamentary group on smoking and health is to raise the age at which people can buy tobacco. group on smoking and health is to raise the age at which people can buy tobacco. 0ur north of england correspondent, fiona trott, reports. i was thinking what am i doing to my body? it is burning from inside and out. the consequence of 40 years _ inside and out. the consequence of 40 years of — inside and out. the consequence of 40 years of smoking. - inside and out. the consequence of 40 years of smoking. i - of 40 years of smoking. i cannot move my face whatsoever

because it is pulled really, really tight. it was frightening. if: really tight. it was frightening.- really tight. it was friuuhtenin. ., really tight. it was friuuhtenin. . , ., ., frightening. c was treated for cancer of _ frightening. c was treated for cancer of the _ frightening. c was treated for cancer of the larynx, - frightening. c was treated for cancer of the larynx, it - frightening. c was treated for cancer of the larynx, it still. cancer of the larynx, it still affects her speech today. we need to step _ affects her speech today. - need to stop young people from smoking and if the age limit had been 21 when i was 11 buying cigarettes, i would not have got those cigarettes. here in the north-east _ have got those cigarettes. here in the north-east there - have got those cigarettes. here in the north-east there are - in the north—east there are thousands of patients like sue and figures from public health england say they are more deaths attributed to this region to smoking than any other. it is why consultants like this woman welcome the report. like this woman welcome the re ort. ~ .. , report. we face the burden in the north-east _ report. we face the burden in the north-east with _ report. we face the burden in the north-east with the - report. we face the burden in i the north-east with the smokers the north—east with the smokers disease and a high prevalence in the communities and the hospitals whether prevalence is 25% and 30% in sutherland, and then covid has just exacerbated then covid has just exacerbated the problems. so the fact that this report is out today is getting political attention is

being discussed, can only be a good thing and cannot come soon enough for us as clinicians. the report and schemes to help people to stop should be paid for by tobacco manufacturers through a change in the social healthcare bill and for young smokers it recommends a consultation on raising the age to which they can bite tobacco from 18, 221 years old. i do want my — from 18, 221 years old. i do want my grandchildren - from 18, 221 years old. i do want my grandchildren to l want my grandchildren to hopefully have a smoke three environment to grow and we can with investment and do this by 2030. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: security concerns for the french president's safety after emmanuel macron is slapped in the face while on an official visit.

the day the british liberated the falklands. and by tonight, british troops had begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorby—mania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who, for them, has raised great hopes for an end to the division of europe. it happened as the queen moved towards horse guards parade for the start of trooping the colour. gunshots the queen looks worried but recovers quickly. as long as they'll - pay to go and see me, i'll get out there and kick 'em down the hills. - what does it feel like to be the first man to cross the channel by your own power? it feels pretty neat. it feel marvellous, really.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines: iran denies it's behind the latest threat for western forces in iraq — drones carrying explosives. us authorities are to investigate a press leak about the tax affairs of some of its richest citizens. the coronavirus pandemic has hastened falling birth rates in much of europe, as couples' finances have been battered and divorce rates have increased. in italy, which has the world's second—oldest population, it's particularly marked, with births dropping to their lowest rate in 160 years. the most acute problem is on the island of sardinia, from where our italy correspondent mark lowen sent this report. attending the vines takes parental love, time and care that micaela pisanu and pino

cadinu had planned for a baby but, with the pandemic, diverted to another slowly maturing programme. the birthrate now at its lowest since unification. translation: it is a very hard when you want to have a child but do not feel able to. because of uncertainty about your future. find work and then fell pregnant and lose myjob, it would be unmanageable. my job, it would be unmanaueable. . , ., ., myjob, it would be unmanaueable. . ., . unmanageable. translation and mother's generation _ unmanageable. translation and mother's generation you - unmanageable. translation and mother's generation you could | mother's generation you could work and have family. four hours it is impossible. financial incentives to have babies_ financial incentives to have babies are not enough. young people — babies are not enough. young people here need stability. with— people here need stability. with the world's second oldest population and plummeting both, italy lost 390,000 people last year, the size of florence. covid further expose a long

demographic decline that is at its worst here in sardinia. this maternity ward threatened with closure because of the birthrate. at school in the town of gadoni the 25 people learn about the life they are leading in a lesson about depopulation. different year groups put together in the same class because there are not enough of them. we are only a few here and there are only a few here and there are only a few grades here, says one, lots of people have left because there is not lots of people around. both are under one per family and it has one of the world's longest life expectancy. a new government plan will find child benefits and nurseries but it could be too late. italy's is my problem may be at its most acute here but sardinia is a microcosm of what is happening in much of

europe, a demographic crisis thatis europe, a demographic crisis that is threatening economic growth, pension systems and public service. beauty alone cannot sustain italy's future. nor can it for hoof population but have brought this man home, recently returning from living abroad, coming home to save his amulet, lollove. we have more than 5000 villages like lollove that can disappear in the next ten years. that can disappear in the next ten veere— that can disappear in the next ten ears. ~ ., ,_, ten years. we need to discover the world. _ ten years. we need to discover the world. to _ ten years. we need to discover the world, to catch _ ten years. we need to discover the world, to catch all- ten years. we need to discover the world, to catch all the - the world, to catch all the interesting stuff than we need to come back. es, interesting stuff than we need to come back.— to come back. a grain country that is not _ to come back. a grain country that is not renewing - to come back. a grain country that is not renewing its - to come back. a grain country| that is not renewing its young. italy is now in a race against

time to fill its deepening generational void. mark lowen, bbc news. the french president emmanuel macron has been slapped in the face while on an official visit to the south—east of france. the incident overshadowed what the president has billed as a listening tour to "take the country's pulse" — less than a year before presidential elections, where he's expected to seek a second term. courtney bembridge has the details. emmanuel macron saw the crowd and spontaneously approached the barrier, but the first person he greeted held on to his arm and slapped him. here it is again, from another angle. the man reportedly shouted, "down with macronism" — referring to his leadership style. as police dragged the attacker away, the president continued his visit seemingly unperturbed, shaking hands with supporters and later taking selfies with crowds on the street. he told a french newspaper, "we must not let ultraviolent people take over

the public debate." translation: it is deplorable. whatever you think of the person, it is deplorable. translation: slapping a president is not done, j even if people are not happy — it isjust not done. translation: it is i a question of respect, respect for the . function at least. it is not the first time emmanuel macron has had a run—in at a public event. in 2018, a teenager referred to him by his nickname, 'manu' and was swiftly told, "it is mr president to you." french mps have denounced the latest incident. translation: it is not acceptable that political life should be conducted in such conditions. it is not possible violence to replace debate, for fake news to replace fact, it is time to return to the past of reason.

—— path of reason. a fierce critic of president macron, far—right leader marine le pen tweeted... being accessible to the public carries significant risks, as politicians and other public figures around the world well known. translation: for the security services it is always _ a complicated exercise. these are moments of stress and anxiety. sometimes though, public figures fight back. this was the pope in 2019. a woman grabbed his hand and pulled it before he slapped it away, looking none too pleased. and this is 2001, when the uk's then deputy prime minister, john prescott, visited north wales. he was egged and responded by punching the man. this was the aftermath. when people are getting attacked in their own... then in 2019, an australian teenager egged a fringe politician over his islamophobic comments. the 17—year—old was punched and tackled to the ground,

but swiftly became an internet sensation, now forever known as egg boy. courtney bembridge, bbc news. ido i do not think we have any fisticuffs in the sport. let's take a look at this. hello i'm tulsen tollett and this is your sports news, where we start with tennis and at the french open alexander zverev continues his chase for a first grand slam title after the sixth seeded german raced past spain's alejandro davidovich fokina. the 24 year—old, who lost last year's us open final, was a straight sets 6—4 6—16—1winner, and will now face stefanios tsistipas in the semi—finals after he overcame daniil medvedev. the grand slam are the ones we want to win the most and before may be the last few years i was putting too much pressure on myself. i was seen as this guy who was all of a sudden going to take over the tennis world

and i was putting pressure on myself as well and i was not very patient with myself which i think maybe now i have learned how to deal with the situation a little bit better, maybe i am a little bit calmer at the tournament. in the women's draw, anastasia pavlyuchenkova finally made it through to a grand slam semi—final. the six—time quarter—finalist was too good for her doubles partner, elena rybakina, and she'll now play timara zsidansek for a place in the final after the slovenian saw off spain's paula badosa. on wednesday the remaining quarter—finals take place across both the men's and the women's draws. novak djokovic goes up against matteo berretini, while rafael nadal continues his bid for a record extending 14th roland garros title when he faces 10th seed diego schwarzman. while in the women's draw poland's iga swiatek is on course to retain her title, she takes on greece's maria sakkari, while17—year—old american coco gauff plays barbora krejcikova. olivier giroud scored twice as world champions france provided a dominant performance

beating bulgaria 3—0 in theirfinal warm up match before the euros. antoine griezmann scored the first on the half hour mark from a deflected overhead kick and then giroud who'd replaced the injured karim benzema picked up a double after the break as they look towards their opening match against germany in munich next tuesday. the friendlies continue on wednesday with defending champions portugal hosting israel. cristiano ronaldo's side will again be one of the favourites for the title having started their world cup qualification campaign strongly but they'll be keen to perform up front as their last game was a goalless draw against spain ethiopia's letesenbet gidey smashed the women's 10,000 metres world record on tuesday, on the same track where dutch runner sifan hassan had set the previous record just two days before. gidey�*s time of a little over 29 minutes in the netherlands means she now holds the world records in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. the 23 year—old finished improved hassan�*s two—day—old mark by five seconds and becomes the first woman

to hold the 5,000m and 10,000m world records simultaneously since norway's ingrid kristiansen did so from 1986—1993. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport but from me tulsen tollett and the rest of the team that's your sports news for now. here at bbc news we've been keeping you updated on the progress of a herd of wild elephants, who've been moving through southern china. they've now reached the outskirts of kunming — a city of more than eight million people. their journey has fascinated the entire country and made them social media superstars, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. if you just walked more than 500 kilometres, you might fancy a bit

of a lie down too. spread out like some giantjigsaw puzzle, the elephants of yunnan province take a more than deserved rest — well, most of them. why are they doing this? no—one knows but week after week, month after month, they have marched relentlessly onwards, with the occasional spot of help from the local authorities. translation: our staff members use excavators to make gentle - slopes on both sides of the river so that they can pass through. the elephants successfully crossed the river, after walking back and forth for several hours. as is the way these days, the whole thing has become big news on social media. hashtags, fan art and memes abound. but a herd of wild elephant, each one potentially weighing up to 4 metric tonnes, and the citizens of southern china are not necessarily a good mix. in china now, most of the country, people are getting back to normal so there are no covid—19 restrictions in place so people are moving round freely and there have

been cases in the past where elephants could actually kill somebody. hundreds of local officials have been assigned to protect the public to keep the elephants away from population centres. the ultimate goal, encourage the animals to pack up their trumps, metaphorically speaking, and head back home. tim allman, bbc news. and just to give some sense of the interest this story is generating in china, the country's state television provider — cctv — has actually launched a 24—hour elephant channel. it shows a combination of live footage, mixed with some of the elephants' greatest hits. you can just see them that on the move. everyone is fascinated by this and you can see why. we love elephants, don't we. i will be back in a

moment with the top stories including further discussion about america's rich is not paying income tax or very little. iwill paying income tax or very little. i will see you soon. hello there. for many of us, the temperatures are going to continue to build as we move through this week. both by day and it is going to feel warmer and muggier at night as well, as we start to import some very warm and humid tropical air right across the uk. but further north and west, we will continue to be played by low pressure and some weather fronts, so thicker cloud with some patchy rain at times. so for today, we've got higher pressure to the south, low pressure out from the atlantic, pushing these weather fronts into the north and the west, which will bring thicker cloud at times for scotland, northern ireland, western parts of england and wales. anywhere here could see the odd spot of rain, and some of the rain could be quite heavy for a time across northern ireland and scotland. turning a little bit lighter into the afternoon. some brightness for the northeast of scotland, where it will be warm. but by far, central, southern and eastern england, which will see the sunniest of skies,

will see the highest temperatures — 25 or 26 degrees. but even further west, with the cloud, it's going to feel warm and muggy. and as we head through wednesday night, tropical moist, humid air spreads right across the uk. so it's going to be a pretty muggy night for all areas. lows not falling below 14 to 16 degrees for many of us. now, as we head on into thursday, we've still got low pressure to the northwest. more isobars on the chart, you'll notice. so it is going to be a windier day for scotland, northern ireland, and it's here where we'll have most of the rain. the western isles and the northern isles could be quite wet. further south, more cloud around generally, even into england and wales. but again, the best of the sunshine will be towards the eastern side of england. a breezier day for all. windierfurther north. those are the mean wind speeds, gusts will be higher than that. and it's going to be another warm and humid day but because there's a bit more cloud around, i think highs of 22 or 24 degrees. now, on into friday, similar picture again, could see quite a bit a cloud around here and there. a little bit of drizzliness across the western hills, where it will be quite misty. best of the sunshine to the east of high ground,

and another warm and humid day to come, particularly for england and wales — 25 or 26 degrees. something a little bit fresher for a time across scotland, you will notice — 15 to 18 or 19 degrees. but as this area of high pressure builds back in for the weekend, it pushes the area of low pressure and these weather fronts back out into the atlantic. so it looks like things are going to turn more settled again for the weekend, with increasing amounts of sunshine, so temperatures will respond, and it's going to turn very warm or even hot in places, as temperatures across central and southern england could be close to 30 celsius.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the world bank warns the under 25's may be the biggest losers from the pandemic, which could affect the global economy for generations to come. reports emerge of america's wealthiest paying little or no tax. the white house says it's investigating the leak. betting big on tech — the us senate approves a $240 billion budget to battle back against china's rising technology. and, auckland tops the list as the most liveable city in the world. we'll tell you why it's been given top spot and who else made the top five.