katie watson, bbc news, in sao paolo.we are able to have basic needs met, we need to take care of people back there. this referendum will not solve anything soon but with the crisis in venezuela showing no sign of easing, the opposition wants to show that it has support and put pressure on the government any way it can. katie watson, bbc news, in sao paolo. alberto zambrano is a journalist and political activist based in caracas. hejoins us now. thank you forjoining us here on bbc world news. like many other venezuelans, you world news. like many other venezuela ns, you have world news. like many other venezuelans, you have voted today, though it is not recognised. what do you want to achieve? we are hoping to achieve momentum that will call for general elections within the country, a rejection of nicolas maduro's illegal constitution assembly, and a call on the venezuelan government to become part of... for the armed forces to uphold the current constitution. these polls are improvised. the electoral commission in venezu

katie watson is in caracus for us. katie?are closing shortly but the result will not come as any surprise. all candidates have been proposed by the administration. what is really highlighted in the vote today is the polarisation in venezuela. you go to a pro—government stronghold and people are happy about the constituent assembly. you go to the opposition stronghold, people there went out on the streets in defiance ofa ban went out on the streets in defiance of a ban on protests and often violent confrontations today, with several people who were killed. the sense of celebration here made it easy to forget for a moment the dark times venezuela is going through. but for the people waiting to vote, the problems are real. lisbeth told me she's voting for peace for our children and future of the country. antonio said he's here to ensure there is more food and medicine for people. late president hugo chavez looms large in this part of caracas, on the walls it's his face, not president maduro's you can see. but mr maduro wants to

from caracas, here's katy watson.f celebration here made it easy to forget for a moment the dark times venezuela is going through. but for the people waiting to vote, the problems are real. lisbeth told me she's voting for peace for our children and future of the country. antonio said he's here to ensure there is more food and medicine for people. late president hugo chavez looms large in this part of caracas, on the walls it's his face, not president maduro‘s you can see. but mr maduro wants to continue his legacy. he says a new assembly that could rewrite the constitution is the only way to bring peace to the country. the opposition boycotted the vote today. instead, many came out onto the streets to keep up the pressure against the government. carlos is a university student and part of what's known as the resistance, playing his part in the protest movement by blocking roads, because he says he wants a better venezuela. everything that we can find here, we use to protect us, because this is, as i say, it a critical

katie watson reports from caracas.ense of celebration here made it easy to forget for a moment the dark times venezuela is going through. but for the people waiting to vote, the problems are real. lisbeth told me she's voting for peace for our children and future of the country. antonio said he's here to ensure there is more food and medicine for people. late president hugo chavez looms large in this part of caracas, on the walls it's his face, not president maduro‘s you can see. but mr maduro wants to continue his legacy. he says a new assembly that could rewrite the constitution is the only way to bring peace to the country. the opposition boycotted the vote today. instead, many came out onto the streets to keep up the pressure against the government. carlos is a university student and part of what's known as the resistance, playing his part in the protest movement by blocking roads, because he says he wants a better venezuela. everything that we can find here, we use to protect us, because this is, as i say, it a cr

katy watson, bbc news, caracas.a distinguished fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace and columnist. he was minister of trade and industry in venezuela in the 1990s and was also director of venezuela's central bank. he's in washington. thinking indeed forjoining us today. how big a hole is venezuelan in? it's a deep on a deep hole u nfortu nately, in? it's a deep on a deep hole unfortunately, tragically, it is a man—made hole that it's challenging all kinds of institutions inside the country and internationally. with regard to this vote, many are calling for it to be called off but it looks like it is all going to go ahead. what a your fears for the next few days? well of course i fear violence, but more people will be killed, and the country in paralysis. this is a country that has suffered deep shortages of all kinds of basic staples and basic necessities and it can get worse, this is a country that is suffering from hunger, lack of medicine, the colla pse from hunger, lack of medicine, the colla

katie watson, bbc news, in caracas. of cambridge join commemorations marking the centenary of the battle of passchendaele in belgium. president trump has criticised china on twitter, saying it's doing nothing to halt north korea's weapons programme, after pyongyang test—fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. security has been tightened at airports across australia after the authorities said they'd disrupted a plot to blow up a plane. 4 people have been arrested following raids across sydney. the paper review coming up shortly. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. england are through to the semi finals of the women's euros after beating france 1—0. it's the first time england have beaten the french since 1974 and sets up a finalfour encounter against the hosts, netherlands on thursday. the other semi final sees denmark take on austria. 0ur correspondent, katie gornall reports from deventer. deventer is a place with a long history. one of the oldest cities in the netherlands, h

katie watson, bbc news, in sao paolo.brano — is a journalist and political activist based in caracas. he told me what he hopes this unofficial vote will achieve. to create momentum that will call for general elections within the country, and a rejection of nicolas maduro's illegal constitution assembly. these polls are improvised. the electoral commission in venezuela is not providing oversight. how can anyone have faith in the results? well, this is part... this is a perfectly valid question that we answer in the following way. according to our laws, the constitution in venezuela asks for every popular consult, for every vote, to be upheld and to be, to have some sort of backing by a branch of the government. in this case, it is the legislative branch, the assembly, that has called upon this process, this electoral process, to be developed. the civil society, every aspect of it, the universities, the students, the workers, everybody else, they are developing a way to... we have developed in record time a free and fair el

katy watson, bbc news, caracas.ns rise, plans are being put in place to stop further disruption and protests ahead of the polls. will grant has been on the streets of caracas looking at the security operation. this is one of the main arterial roads in eastern caracas. normally it would be full of traffic and pedestrians. this is one of the main paths through the city. today it is just barricaded completely. the streets are deserted. every few hundred metres there is rubbish, barbed wire, young men and women are sitting out and protecting the streets from anybody coming through, any traffic. this is the environment in which sunday's vote is due to take place, and it is happening notjust in this part of caracas but across the city. wherever there are neighbours who are opposed to the maduro administration and sunday's vote, which they see as the final imposition of a dictatorship in venezuela, people are turning out and closing the streets, and they say they will continue to do so until they can affect a change in the

katy watson reports from a polling station outside the country, in sao paulo.eam of people queueing up on sunday. venezuelans handing over their id cards before they cast their vote. this referendum is purely symbolic, it's being held because the opposition is angry with the government's plan to effectively enable a rewrite of the country's constitution. it says the government should be asking the people whether or not they want the in the shadow of no towers in the first place. they want it the in the first place. people are worried the vote which takes place onjuly 30th is just a way for president maduro holding on to power. still, on sunday, people quring were upbeat. translation: it is a marvellous day because we all have faith the results will be positive. i can see that people have been coming out early to vote and i am confident we are going to get through this chaotic situation. translation: we are going to show that we are millions we are against the constituent assembly of this government and that we are going to move forward. mr maduro though has jus

let's bring in katy watson, the bbc‘s correspondent in brazil, she is live from rio.ry, sentence for nine and a half years the corruption and money laundering, it refers to a beach—front property that he received in return for the construction company to be able to get some contracts from a state—run oil company, petrobras. this is part of the country's biggest ever corruption operation, operation car wash, which started in march 2014. it isa wash, which started in march 2014. it is a sentence for one of five cases against him. earlier you told me he will appeal this, he denies his guilt? he says this is a primitive —— politically motivated case, he denies wrongdoing and he will not be going to prison, he has the right to appeal. in the past he has hinted perhaps wanting to run for presidency again, so this sentence we have heard today does not stop him from potentially running for presidency. if he is convicted, if the sentence is upheld in the appeal court, he would not be able to run, but in the meantime nothing much changes in terms of that. if you look at the pol

katie watson, bbc news, in caracas.les, who died in hackney in east london after police apprehended him last weekend, have appealed for calm after a night of violence. bottles and fireworks were thrown during demonstrations. the independent police complaints commission is now investigating the death of mr charles, who was 20. campaigners have called for protests to be peaceful. we understand your frustration, we understand your anger. don't feel the family doesn't feel that anger and frustration as well. but the family knows, taking it to the streets doesn't give you justice. burning down your own homes, burning down your neighbourhood will not give you justice. pakistan's ousted prime minister nawaz sharif has named his brother as his successor. mr sharif was forced to resign as prime minister yesterday over corruption allegations. his brother, shabaz, is currently the chief minister of punjab province. but he won't be able to take over straightaway, as our south asia correspondent, justin rowlatt reports from islamaba

katy watson, bbc news, caracas.s its latest missile test proves the whole of the us mainland is within range of its weapons. president trump names retired military generaljohn kelly as his new chief of staff after reince priebus stood down from the post. more than 20,000 people are believed to have been evacuated from a music festival in barcelona after a fire engulfed part of the main stage. no injuries have been reported. sport now. rain affected play at the oval today as england faced south africa in the third test. but there's still been enough time for toby roland—jones to take five wickets on his test debut. the middlesex seamer took the wicket of temba bavuma as the tourists were dismissed for just 175. as expected the weather took a turn for the worse after lunch, and in that time alistair cook became the only home wicket to fall. england will start tomorrow morning on 74—1, a lead of 252 runs. if we can get up towards the 400 run lead then in reasonable time we will probably be happy with that. i'd hope tha

the opposition has called the move "anti—democratic". 0ur correspondent katy watson reports., several people delegates arrive prepared to monitor the vote. they were met by joyful opposition supporters. monitor the vote. they were met by joyful opposition supporterslj bring joyful opposition supporters.” bring the message from mexico that this cannot continue. the government cannot act with impunity. the president's plans to elect his own assembly have angered millions. he says it is the only way to head off the economic crisis facing the country. critics say it is anti—democratic. many people say they will not take part in the election at the end of the month. the referendum is asking people whether they want the constituent assembly in the first place. we will ta ke assembly in the first place. we will take to the streets again to tell them we do not want us. we do not wa nt them we do not want us. we do not want a constituent assembly. the government has no backing and people of turned against them. seems like this have become commonplace. growing food shortages in a count

katy watson has been to a brazilian border state — specifically, to a town called boa vista — she sentfor. the lunch queue at the shelter in boa vista is getting longer every day. the shelter has been open forjust over six months. they are opening medical help, vaccinations, food and shelter. families are sleeping on the floor of the gymnasium, but with more arriving every week, families are having to sleep outside. oscar says his family came here to find work. he shows me around his new home, a piece of tarpaulin under which he and his family eat and sleep. he, like hundreds of his community, say they are having to flee venezuelans just to be able to eat. but hunger is not the only thing forcing venezuelans out. translation: they arrived here very scared, traumatised, and they tell us stories of persecution and torture. some arrive mentally damaged, crying a lot. this mother of two has a degree in education. she is having to resort to ask for work at the traffic lights. washing windscreens is one way to make ends meet. translation: i was thinking of my kids future, for their food, tra

katy watson reports from a polling station outside the country, in sao paulo. it was a steady stream queueing up on sunday, handing over their identification cards before casting their vote. the referendum is symbolic, it is being held because the opposition is angry with the government's plans to rewrite the constitution. they said the government should be asking the people whether they want the constituent assembly. people know that the vote is just a way of president madeira to hold onto power. still, people were hit. —— maduro. —— people were up eight. people were coming out early to vote andi people were coming out early to vote and i am confident we are going to get through this chaotic situation. we are going to show that we are millions against the constituent assembly of this government. we are going to move forward. mr maduro has justified the government's plans, saying a constituent assembly is the only way out of the economic and political crisis. the government rehearsed the upcoming vote and said they would not recognise the results of the referen

katy watson is our correspondent there. here she is in rio dejaneiro.azilian politics and it ended up looking like this stop a general strike and protesters on the streets, angry with the government. it started badly for the president after he was charged with accepting bribes. nearly two months of investigations painted michel temer as a corrupt leader in trench in dirty politics but he isn't giving up. he is blaming people for trying to stop razzle from moving forward and he said they would never succeed. —— stop brazil. they stopped issuing passports last week because of a budget crisis. the government department in charge of printing passports has found it frustrating but the printers are still at work, stockpiling supplies and waiting for the budget to be increased and then they can get back to issuing the documents. the police department and the justice ministry, documents. the police department and thejustice ministry, they documents. the police department and the justice ministry, they are already asked for more budget and then varies an interna

, brazil and argentina the top destinations for asylum seekers. 0ur south america correspondent katy watsonilian state of roraima, on the venezuelan border which is feeling the impact. it isa it is a simple meal, the wonder people here are grateful for. lunch queue at the shelter is getting longer everyday. shelter has been open forjust over six months. they offer medical help, vaccinations, food and shelter. families sleep on the floor of the gymnasium, over 300. but with more people arriving every week, people now need to sleep outside. this man says his family came here to find work. he shows me around his new home, a piece of tarpaulin under which he, his children and wife eat and sleep. is a member ofan children and wife eat and sleep. is a member of an indigenous tribe. he, like hundreds in his community, be they have to flee venezuela just a week. hunger is not the only thing driving venezuelans week. hunger is not the only thing driving venezuela ns out. translation: what we have seen this past month if they arrive here scared and traumatised. they tell us stories of persecution and

our south america correspondent, katy watson, in rio reports.azil's most popular politician — a president whose policies lifted millions out of poverty. a unionist who campaigned for change, but now could face jail for similar crimes to many of his adversaries. president lula was handed down a sentence for corruption and money—laundering, accused of receiving bribes equivalent to £1 million in the form of a refurbished beachfront property. in return, he helped an engineering company win contracts with the state oil company, petrobras. it's the first of five charges against him. it's all part of brazil's biggest corruption investigation, operation car wash, an investigation that's spread its tentacles far and wide and implicated some of brazil's biggest politicians and businessmen. lula is no exception. this is a case that's divided brazilians. for many, lula is seen as the country's saviour. when he left office at the end of 2010, he had approval ratings of more than 80%. but for millions of others he's become one of the biggest symbols of the c

demonstrations, which began in april, have left more than 100 people dead. 0ur south america correspondent, katy watsonport from caracas. it's been four months of anger on the streets of venezuela and there's no sign of an end. protests began after president maduro moved to limit the opposition‘s power in congress, he reversed the decision but by then the anger was clear. when former president hugo chavez came to power 18 years ago, many venezuelans wanted change. he won support among the poor because he promised to provide for them. it was the era of high oil prices but that's now over. chavez's successor, nicolas maduro, is accused of pushing venezuela to the economic brink and eroding democracy. the government says the vote is the only way to stabilise the economy and bring much—needed peace, but the opposition says it's a dictatorial move and is boycotting the vote. translation: the people who want democracy, the people who want change, the public worker who is tired, bothered and angry, come out and we'll gather in all the country's roadways, that's where we'll be. the country's paralysed. there a

the opposition has called the move "anti—democratic". 0ur correspondent katy watson reports.dum, several foreign observers arrived, prepared to monitor the vote. they were met byjoyful opposition supporters. translation: i bring the message from mexico that this cannot continue. you cannot kill young people in the streets with impunity. you cannot violate a congress which has its own life and independence. the president's plans to elect his own assembly has angered millions. he says it is the only way to head off the economic crisis facing the country. 0pponents say it is anti—democratic. that it is a way for the president told onto power. many people say they will not take part in the election at the end of the month. the referendum is asking people whether they want this constituent assembly in the first place. we will take to the streets again to tell them we do not want this. we do not want a constituent assembly. the government has no backing and people have turned against them. scenes like this have become normal in venezuela. growing food shortages in a country which w

our correspondent in rio dejaneiro, katy watson, has more details.half year sentence for corruption and money—laundering and it relates to a beachside apartment that he allegedly received and it was in return for bribes of more than $1 million from a construction company in exchange for some contracts, and again it relates to the state—owned oil company, petrobras. this is all part of a bigger operation car wash, the country's biggest ever corruption investigation that started just over three years ago. it's really spread its tentacles far and wide and a lot of politicians and businessmen have been implicated in brazil and it shows how endemic bribery and corruption is in brazilian politics. also this hour: china says it is setting up its first overseas military base in the east african country of djibouti, which borders eritrea, ethiopia and somalia. beijing says it will provide support for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. the united nations says it has identified an additional 38 probable mass graves from recent violence in the democratic

our south america correspondent katy watson is at one of the polling stations outside the country, inlo. it was a steady stream of people queueing up on sunday. venezuelan handing over their id cards before casting their vote. it is purely symbolic, held the cause of the opposition is angry for the government ‘s plan to effectively rewrite the constitution. they are asking the people whether they want this in the first place. people are worried the vote is just a way for us worried the vote is just a way for us and mature on to hold on to power. —— president nicolas maduro. translation: it is a marvellous day because we have faith the results will be positive. people have come out early to vote and i am confident we will get through this chaotic situation. translation: we are going to show we are millions against the government and we are going to move forward. mr maduro hasjustified the plant saying it is the only way to help venezuela out of its economic and political crisis. on sunday, the government did a rehearsal for its upcoming vote and said it will not recognise the result of

katy watson reports now from rio de janeiro.ng like this. a general strike and protesters out on the streets, angry with the government. it started badly for the president after he was charged with accepting bribes. nearly two months of investigations painted him as a dirty leader but he's not giving up, blaming people to stop rozelle moving forward and he said they would never succeed. only they did. frederick police stopped issuing passports last week because of a budget crisis is all —— brazil. it has been frustrating. the printers are still at work. stockpiling supplies, waiting for the budget to be increased and then police can get back to issuing the documents. the police department and justice ministry already asked for more budget and then there is an internal prices of our congress to get this approved. —— process. ratings are the lowest in nearly three decades. just 7%. but despite that, the protests, the criminal charges, he is still hanging on because what is the alternative? there seem to be running out of ideas. it

s katie watson reports. maduro this was a big win state tv brown his victory speech outlet. but for the millions of people who boycotted the vote it was a hollow victory if that. this morning correct has felt like a normal city people getting back to work after a difficult weekend. but still venezuelans a divided that enables all who wrote it down louise voted because he says he's had enough of the protests but i donated didn't. want any sort and i miss him doesn't let us wait and she says she feels so hurt to think she's worried about have finally got on the. alright i go steam has been managing this taxi rank for seventeen years. he says people hit a fed up with food shortages and spiraling inflation. he didn't want to be identified but he said he voted out to fia boycott i have devoted tells me all the worried about rumors that the government would remove his subsidized food if he didn't. the late hugo chavez is still an icon here. his face a constant reminder that he was the leader he started venezuela socialist revolution. but high oil prices helped support ten. with th

from the capital caracas, katy watson reports. viva la patria! his victory speech at length but for the millions of people who boycotted the vote, it was a hollow victory — if that. this morning, caracas felt like a normal city, people getting back to work after a difficult weekend, but still venezuelans are divided. luis voted because he says he's had enough of the protests, but adelaida didn't. as a venezuelan, she says she feels so hurt, she's worried about her family. agustin has been managing this taxi rank for 17 years. he says people here are fed up with food shortages and spiralling inflation. he didn't want to be identified but he said he voted out of fear. i had to vote, he tells me, worried about rumours the government would remove his subsidised food if he didn't. the late hugo chavez is still an icon here, his face a constant reminder that he was the leader who started venezuela's socialist revolution, but high oil prices helped support him. with an economy now in crisis, president maduro is losing friends at home and abroad, not lea

our south america correspondent katy watson in rio reports.t popular politician — a president whose policies lifted millions out of poverty. a unionist to campaignfor millions out of poverty. a unionist to campaign for change. but now could face jailfor to campaign for change. but now could face jail for similar crimes to many of his adversaries. president lula was handed down a sentence for corruption and money—laundering, accused of receiving bribes equivalent to £1 million in the form of the refurbished beachfront property. in return he helped an engineering company win contracts with the state oil company, petrobras, the first of five charges against him. it's all pa rt five charges against him. it's all part of brazil's biggest corruption investigation, operation car wash, an investigation that spread its tentacles far and wide colour and implicated some of brazil's biggest politicians and businessmen. lula is no exception. for many, lula was seen no exception. for many, lula was seen as no exception. for many, lula was seen as the saviou

watson, bbc news. earlier, i spoke with katy balls, political correspondent at the spectator who questioned how a lifting might be rolled out. i think now it's a case of when, not if. with regards to this pay cap being dropped. i think what is up for debate is whether this will be done sector by sector or they're just going to get rid of the cap completely. also, are they going to hold out until the autumn budget or is she going to have to cave in to pressure before? you say cave in, there. we're seeing a lot of this, cave—ins, u—turns, standing down. there's this chip, chip, chipping away at theresa may's authority. what do you think this is doing to her and how long do you think she's going to last? i think there's a general feeling of disarray at the moment. especially, as we saw last week everyone talking about who will be the next leader. for now, all the conservatives seem to be focusing on is who can get more money for their department. really, theresa may is vulnerable, here. it means that if enough mps are annoyed about this, if enough mps are worried within her own party, she doesn't have the n