you're watching bbc news, i'm rich preston. our top stories. singapore is to end its ban on sex between men, but there'll be no moves to legalise same—sex marriage. i believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most singaporeans will now accept. officials in pakistan say the former prime minister imran khan is being investigated under an anti—terrorism law. growing concern over a wave of killings targeting hindus, in india—administered kashmir. and british boxer tyson fury calls for more action on knife crime after his cousin is stabbed to death.

the prime minister of singapore has announced his country will end its ban on sex between men, but says it'll take steps to defend the institution of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. lee hsein loong said singaporean society was becoming more accepting of gay people and said the law banning gay sex, which came from the days of british colonial rule, was out of date. the law has long been criticised by lgbt activists, even though it's not been actively enforced for many years. many more conservative citizens still support the legislation. the government will repeal section 377a and de—criminalise sex between men. i believe it's the right thing

to do and something most singaporeans will accept. remy choo is a lawyer and lgbt activist in singapore. he's been involved in pink dot, singapore's pride event, and he's previously mounted legal challenges in court against this colonial—era law. a very good morning to you in singapore, thanks for being with us. what is your reaction to this news?— to this news? this moment is historic in _ to this news? this moment is historic in every _ to this news? this moment is historic in every sense, - to this news? this moment is historic in every sense, 377a| historic in every sense, 377a is a relic of colonial history that we inherited from 1938, and since then, it's been the most visible sign of state sanctioned discrimination against lgbt singaporeans. the repeal of this law isn'tjust about sex, it's about love. with its repeal, we are one

step closer to equality before the law. ., ., ., , .,, the law. how long have people in singapore — the law. how long have people in singapore been _ the law. how long have people in singapore been fighting - the law. how long have people in singapore been fighting to l in singapore been fighting to get this law off the books? the first challenge _ get this law off the books? tue: first challenge was get this law off the books? tte: first challenge was mounted get this law off the books? "tte: first challenge was mounted in parliament in 2007, by way of a parliamentary petition. there were two sets of court challenges in 2010, and 2013, and three sets of court challenges starting in 2019. so what happens now, legally speaking? what is the process? a bill will have to be tabled in parliament and the law formally repealed. t5 in parliament and the law formally repealed.- in parliament and the law formally repealed. is this the end of the — formally repealed. is this the end of the battle _ formally repealed. is this the end of the battle for- formally repealed. is this the end of the battle for lgbt . end of the battle for lgbt rights in singapore? er. end of the battle for lgbt rights in singapore? er, it's been a long _ rights in singapore? er, it's been a long journey. - rights in singapore? er, it's been a long journey. 377a l rights in singapore? er, it's. been a long journey. 377a has caused a lot of harm to a community over the years. it's

the most visible sign of discrimination, but it's not the only form of discrimination. discrimination against lgbt singaporeans didn't start with 377a and it won't end with 377a. a lot of work needs to be done, and a lot of healing needs to be done. what the law has done is it's made gay singaporeans not just fear the consequences of the law, but fear being themselves, with intimacy in themselves, with intimacy in the safe spaces where they should be able to express themselves. and now, the time for that healing has begun. it's going to be a long way. just briefly, this law wasn't really enforced, was it necessary to get rid of it? tt was necessary, because the effect of the law was

discrimination. it was a clear signal of state sanctioned discrimination against a portion of the citizenry who were unequal before the law. that manifested itself in every way imaginable, bullying in schools, discrimination in the workplace, discrimination in society. it tore families apart. these effects are not going to go away in a day. thank you for making the time for us. ., ~' ,, the former pakistani prime minister imran khan is being investigated under the anti—terrorism act. authorities say he threatened police and justice officials. it follows a speech by mr khan during a rally, accusing

the police of torturing a party colleague while in custody. the media regulator took the step of banning live speeches by the cricketer—turned—politician on all satellite tv channels because of what it called his hate speech against state institutions. we can now speak to adil najam, who's dean emeritus and professor of international relations at boston university's frederick s pardee school of global studies. thank you very much full being with us. imran khan says he was speaking out against a government trying to silence him. the government and military authorities say he is stoking fear and hate speech. what is your take? t stoking fear and hate speech. what is your take?— stoking fear and hate speech. what is your take? i think they both believe _ what is your take? i think they both believe what _ what is your take? i think they both believe what they - what is your take? i think they both believe what they are - both believe what they are saying. we have seen from both sides, clearly from the former prime minister imran khan we have seen this escalation, this

ratcheting up, not only of the rhetoric but in some ways of the political heat. we are also seeing from the government and from all political parties that have now formed this coalition, a ratcheting up, a significant change from where we were some months ago. because in the beginning it seemed that they were going tojust beginning it seemed that they were going to just let mr khan's steam run out, and that has not worked, and therefore we have seen the actions against the television channels as you mentioned, against journalists that are pro—mister khan, his colleague... but it is coming from both sides. we have seen what we call a game of chicken. each side looking into the eyes of the other and saying, make my day. was it something in particular that mr

khan or his supporters said that prompted the reaction from the government on this occasion? at this particular moment, it is a speech he made yesterday where he attacked a judge, the accusation that he threatened a judge of the high judiciary who had taken action against one of his colleagues. but i don't think... we are seeing this eating up of politics, ratcheting up by both sides. each time he or his colleagues make a statement, moving into territory which is kind of no go in terms of conversation, whether it is saying things against the military, against the government, against the election commission or in this case, thejudiciary. and each time we see more pressure

coming from the government. this is dangerous, the spiral, each move brings out a harsher move by the other. for example, last week one of his close colleagues, his spokesperson in fact, was taken into custody and according to the pti, supposedly been tortured or not keptin supposedly been tortured or not kept in good conditions. that was a signal in some ways by the government to say, ok, stop, guys, you are coming too close. instead of that, we saw mr khan in this speech yesterday ratcheting up once again. that is what i mean by this game of chicken and why this game of chicken and why this is so dangerous, because neither side seems ready to step back. mr neither side seems ready to step back-— step back. mr khan has thousands _ step back. mr khan has thousands of _ step back. mr khan has| thousands of supporters step back. mr khan has - thousands of supporters across the country, he is able to muster huge rallies, is there a real risk that this could get

out of control?— real risk that this could get out of control? oh, yes, first of all it is _ out of control? oh, yes, first of all it is out _ out of control? oh, yes, first of all it is out of— out of control? oh, yes, first of all it is out of control. - out of control? oh, yes, first of all it is out of control. it i of all it is out of control. it is not clear at all that the government will be able to stop it. so what you have right now, his supporters and his colleagues camping out, outside his estate where he lives. saying, 0k, make our day, let's say you come in. they are saying this on twitter, on television, saying, let's say the police come and capture mr khan. the conversation now is that imran khan is the red lights. so there is clearly there is rhetoric, thousands of people saying, we just won't let you. in a way, i'm not sure that the government, if they really wanted to put him in custody, they should have already done that. rather than announcing it and saying, 0k, we are going to come and do it, knowing full well what mr khan's party the pti has been

saying. that is the obvious next step. so i'm not sure whether government announced it so far in advance of doing something. at this point, i'm not at all sure that the government would either be willing to or be able to go through with it. we willing to or be able to go through with it.— willing to or be able to go through with it. we have to leave it there, _ through with it. we have to leave it there, thank - through with it. we have to leave it there, thank you i through with it. we have to l leave it there, thank you very much. emergency workers in central iraq have mounted a rescue operation after a shia shrine there collapsed. an earth mound adjacent to the shrine in the city of karbala gave way as a result of moisture saturation. four bodies have been found, while six survivors have been pulled from the rubble. emily brown reports. working by floodlight, a rescue operation so delicate emergency workers continue their search for survivors of a deadly landslide by hand. it has been said any mistake at this stage could lead to more collapses. the landslide hit the ceiling of this shi'a shrine in iraq,

which then collapsed onto visitors. several bodies have been found in the rubble so far while some survivors, including children, have been pulled free. translation: the reason behind the landslide - is the mountain had been collecting humidity and water, and nobody unfortunately had noticed, and therefore a large amount of rocks fell into the flat roof, which collapsed onto the visitors. the site of the shrine in iraq's karbala region marks an ancient spring where the first shi'a imam ali and his army are believed to have once stopped to take a drink in the seventh century. much of the mosque is still intact, a sacred site now playing host to a rescue mission. the daughter of a prominent russian ultra—nationalist has been killed by a car bomb

on the outskirts of moscow. darya dugina was a journalist and vocal supporter of the invasion of ukraine. there is speculation the target may have been herfather, alexander dugin, whose calls for a new russian empire, challenging the west, are said to have influenced president putin. stay with us on bbc news — still to come: war games — the joint operation between south korea and america aimed at deterring an ttack from the north. he is the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared, "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky — an orange glowing disc that's brighter than anything save the moon —

our neighbouring planet, mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it will take months and billions of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmaker john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. an air this is bbc news, an air the latest headlines: singapore says it'll end its ban on sex between men, but has made it more difficult to legalise same—sex marriage. officials in pakistan say the former prime minister imran khan is being investigated under an anti—terrorism law.

to the uk again now, where the boxer tyson fury has called on the british government to introduce tougher punishments for knife crime, after his cousin was stabbed to death in manchester in the early hours of sunday morning. rico burton, who was 31, was attacked outside a bar in the city. a second man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. alison freeman reports. the scene of a murder investigation, after a night out ended in what the police have called a senseless attack. greater manchester police say a 31—year—old man died after being stabbed outside a bar here in altrincham in the early hours of this morning. that man, officers confirmed this evening, was tyson fury�*s cousin, rico burton. a 17—year—old was also seriously injured. this was a senseless attack. everything suggests at this stage that he was out enjoying an evening with friends and that this has taken place, spontaneously, and unplanned.

it's a very, very tragic ending to what i should have been to what should have been a good night out with friends. today, fury took to social media to express his hurt, shock and anger. in a furious post, he called on the government to introduce stronger punishments for knife crime, comparing it to a pandemic and saying only cowards carry weapons. police said this area would have been very busy when the 31—year—old was stabbed at around 3am this morning and they're calling on anyone who may have been in the area and taken photos and videos to get in touch. a 20—year—old man was arrested at the scene and another man aged 21 was arrested later. both are still being questioned by police. alison freeman, bbc news, altrincham. let's go to india now, where there's growing concern over a wave of killings targeting hindus in the indian—administered

region of the disputed territory of kashmir. police say the attacks in the muslim—majority region are being carried out by anti—india militant groups. it comes against the backdrop of a long—running conflict there, and growing anger against the indian government. the bbc�*s yogita limaye reports. a school in trauma. earlier this year, as these students in kashmir gathered for morning prayers, their teacher was killed, metres away. they heard the gunshot and found her on the ground, bleeding from her head. the spot has been marked with stones. rajni bala was killed by anti—india militants, police say. a mother and wife, a much—loved history teacher. "we're devastated. she was a wonderful person, adored notjust in the school but in our village", her colleague told us. it's believed rajni

was targeted because she was a hindu, a minority in the country's only muslim—majority region. teachers told us she feared for her life after a wave of killings of people from her community. translation: there had been a targeted killing of a hindu, . just two kilometres away. she was scared and had applied for a transfer. kashmir�*s long—running and complex conflict started with the killings of hundreds of hindus 30 years ago. but this minority has rarely been targeted since 2003. now it's facing a resurgent threat that's left hindu families terrified. these men work in government jobs and are demanding they be moved out of kashmir. sanjay kaul is a teacher at a public school. translation: if someone next

to me takes their hands - out of their pockets, i feel they are going to pull out a gun to shoot me. we have stopped sending our children to school. and we hardly go out of our compound. insurgent groups say they're attacking minorities because the government is trying to change the religious make—up of kashmir. the accusation stems from india's actions here three years ago. federal rule was imposed. outsiders allowed to buy land. leading to fears that india's hindu nationalist government wanted to alter the religious demographic of muslim—majority kashmir. distrust against the state soared. since 2019, things have gotten a lot worse. there is no elected government here and large sections of the police and bureaucracy are now officers from outside of the region. which means amongst local people here, there is a strong

feeling that their voice is being suppressed and they don't have any say in the decisions that are being made to govern them. there are also allegations of killings of muslim civilians by indian security forces. we travelled to shopian in southern kashmir. this is where 20—year—old shoaib muhammad ganai is buried. a university student who loved playing cricket, he was killed in the middle of the day in the local market. his parents and eyewitnesses say he was shot dead, point—blank, by a paramilitary soldier. "we want justice for this cruelty that's been inflicted on us. a piece of our hearts has been taken from us", his father, ghulam muhammad, told us. the police and paramilitaries say their son was killed in crossfire.

translation: we are being ruled by ruthless people, _ despite what eyewitnesses say, they insist he was shot in crossfire. the indian government denies that there's an atmosphere of fear in kashmir. it says its policies are bringing peace and development. the growing violence contradicts the claims. yogita limaye, bbc news, kashmir. let's get some of the day's other news. the serbian president says belgrade will protect serbs in kosovo from what he claimed was planned persecution. serbia has accused kosovo of using the replacement of serbian number—plates with kosovan ones as a pretext for attacks on the serb minority. a three—day state of alert has begun in portugal due to the extreme risk of wildfires. it gives authorities temporary powers including barring people from woodlands. access to forests has been

restricted, as well as the use of machinery, even by farmers, to prevent sparks. for the first time in four years, the us and south korea will revive their live—action military drills, sharpening their preparedness as the north korean nuclear threat worsens and china steps up its presence around taiwan. the 11—dayjoint drills start on monday in south korea. but there's concern that north korea could use the drills as a chance to retaliate. our correspondent in south korea, jean mackenzie, was given rare access to the joint operation centre, from where the war games are run. deep underground, an american and a south korean colonel watch north korea. i'm learning but it's difficult to get it right. in this classified bunker outside seoul, the two militaries work together to defend against a north korean attack. this is the only place in korea where us forces and south korean forces sit side by side, and using

all this information, they can detect almost immediately if north korea launches a weapon. between his great english and my terrible korean we can usually muddle through a lot of different things and get to a decision quickly. the threat from north korea is increasing. its missiles are becoming more dangerous, its rhetoric more fiery. so these war games from five years ago are back as the us and south korea practice how to fight their common enemy using aircraft, warships and tanks. i can't do it in a classroom, i can't do it on a chalkboard, i have to give them the most intense environment that we can create, and this is that environment. fighter pilot captain abby walters will train from the sky. it's really important for us to train together with the south koreans. the communication flow is much better in the air if you've practised it multiple times, so it can go quicker

which helps us to get more effects down and just be more efficient and deadly in ourjob. north korea sees these drills as a rehearsalfor an invasion. there is concern it could retaliate. in this recent speech, kimjong—un warned they could end in war. they might have the appearance of war but the us and south korea insist these drills are defensive. in part, a show of strength to convince north korea never to use its weapons, especially as it works to develop ones that can evade missile defences. lieutenant general scott plius is the deputy head of the us forces korea. i have absolutely no worries whatsoever that north korean missiles have a way of defeating our capabilities here on the peninsula. but they are making progress. and so are we.

intelligence suggests north korea is on the cusp of testing its first nuclear weapon in five years. south korea says it shouldn't be blamed if these drills provide its ammunition. since north korea know that this one is a defensive one, and they wanted to utilise this joint military drill for their own political purpose, i think that the joint military drill is one excuse for north korea to do the kind of military provocation. these war games may well provoke north korea, but faced with an increasingly formidable enemy, these forces believe they have no choice but to prepare. jean mackenzie, bbc news, seoul. that's it, you can get more on those stories on the website or

the app. you can reach me on twitter. thanks for your company, goodbye for now. hello there. for many, this weekend shaped up to be a tale of two halves. the north of england on saturday was cloudy, grey and wet with a couple of inches of rain falling. but on sunday, just take a look at leeds, just shy of 13 hours of sunshine here. i suspect there's going to be more rain in the forecast, however, today, with this area of low pressure and the fronts pushing in from the west. now, some of that rain is going to push its way steadily eastwards. so, some heavy rain clearing to showers. the best of the drier weather through monday is likely to be across scotland. so we start off, then, with heavy rain moving out of northern ireland through the irish sea into the north—west of england and parts of wales. but you can see central and southern england is quite showery in nature, so not everywhere will see some wetter weather.

there'll be some heavier bursts. the best of the drier, sunny weather looks likely potentially to be in scotland. not quite as warm here, though, 1a to 20 degrees the high. we mightjust see 25 degrees ahead of that rain before it arrives in parts of lincolnshire and east anglia. now, as we move into tuesday, this area of low pressure will continue to enhance some showers in the far north—west, and down to the south—west, we've got this little weather front which will bring some showery outbreaks of rain across south—west england and wales. just how far north that's going to be, you can well, we'll need to keep an eye on that, but we start to tap into some pretty warm, humid air with that south—westerly flow and temperatures in east anglia and the south—east likely to peak at 27 celsius. that's 80 fahrenheit. it stays warm and humid in the south and east. at the same time, close to that low pressure, we'll see more wetter weather, sharper showers developing out to the west. so first thing on wednesday morning, a very humid feel, 18 degrees. and so, despite it being quite cloudy to begin with,

it will be largely fine and dry with that south—westerly flow. as the rain eases away, the temperatures are likely to peak at highs of 27 celsius by the middle of wednesday afternoon. moving out of wednesday into thursday, that weather front is going to continue to sink south and east. there'll be no significant rain on it, unfortunately. and so, that does mean that thursday on the whole will be largely fine and dry. potential for some thundery rain first thing in the south—east and then into the weekend, drier but noticeably fresher.

this is bbc news, the headlines... singapore's prime minister says the country will end its ban on sex between men but will take steps to defend the institution of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. the legal ban, while not enforced, has long been criticised by lgbt activists. police in pakistan have launched an investigation into the former prime minister imran khan under sections of the anti—terrorism act for allegedly threatening police officials and a judicial magistrate. the move came after mr khan gave a speech at a rally in which he accused police of torturing a party colleague. russian investigators say the bomb attack that killed daria dugina but presumably targeted her father, the far—right ideologue aleksandr dugin, was preplanned and commissioned. the explosives were planted on his car but he escaped assassination

after switching vehicles following an event outside moscow.