30/07/2017 BBC Weekend News

Tonight at 10 - commemorations get under way in Belgium to mark

the centenary of the battle of Passchendaele -

Remembering the fallen - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

attend a special service at the Menin Gate,

which stands on the road taken by so many to the frontline.

100 years on, we still stand together, gathering,

as so many do every night, in remembrance of that sacrifice.

Tonight, thousands watched on in the town of Ypres,

as the story of the battle was retold.

There's a show of strength from America in east Asia,

after another ballistic missile test by North Korea.

There's more violence in Venezuela, during controversial elections

for a new parliament to change the constitution.

COMMENTATOR: Jody Taylor for England!

And England beat France 1-0 to reach the semi-finals

Good evening from Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium,

the final resting place for almost 12,000 allied soldiers

Most of them were killed in the battle of Passchendaele,

which began here 100 years ago tomorrow.

It was one of the bloodiest battles of the conflict.

In all, half a million allied and German soldiers were killed,

wounded or went missing, in just three months of fighting.

This evening, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

joined the Prime Minister, Theresa May, here, as two days

of commemorations to mark the start of the battle got underway,

This is a city that has dedicated itself to remembrance.

The fireman of Ypres have sounded the last post in summer and winter

as the decades rolled by. Around them, carved into the great Darch of

the Menin Gate, over 54,000 names, men from every corner of the UK, who

travelled across the globe to join the fight, men who disappeared in

the cauldron around Passchendaele. With the sounding of this bugle

call, the 250,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were

killed during the First World War in Ypres are remembered. The defence of

the city, at such great cost, meant that it became hallowed ground.

On this evening in the summer of 1917, the third Battle of Ypres had

already begun. But early success was followed by the rain, weeks of it,

which slowed the advance. Passchendaele, the final target of

the attack, came to symbolise death and misery in a muddy wasteland

where many still life. -- still lie. Gosh, I didn't think it

would be that moving. Dorothy and her cousin Peter were

here to remember their grandfather. They are among 200 invited

guests with personal That word on there is as close

to a body as we are ever The ethos behind building this

was for people to say he is here. In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow

between the crosses. In Ypres main square, Dame Helen Mirren spoke the

words of the war poet to try to express the horror he witnessed. The

larks scarce heard amid the guns below. I was in the front-line

trench at Passchendaele. Winston Churchill wanted the ruins of Ypres

left as a memorial. Tonight, meticulously rebuilt, they told the

story of men now gone, their generation may have left us, but

this city still marks their passing, still keeps a promise it made all

those years ago. Robert Hall, BBC News, Ypres.

Ben Brown is at the Menin Gate, just a few miles from here,

where Prince William laid a wreath earlier this evening.

And, Ben, descendants of those who died were watching

Poignant scenes this evening. Yes, exactly, Sophie, 100 years ago

tonight, British and Commonwealth soldiers would have marched along

this road right behind me here, where the Menin Gate now stands, on

their way to the front line, on their way to the start of the

offensive that began in the early hours of the morning, the start of

the Battle of Passchendaele, one of the bloodiest battles and all of

human history. Well, altogether some 4000 British descendants of people

who fought and often died at Passchendaele have come from Britain

to Belgium to remember their ancestors, bringing pictures of them

with them, letters, diaries, to try to remember them. I spoke to one man

whose father had joined up when he was only 15 years old. He was no

more than a boy, really, and he fought at Passchendaele amid the

mud. He was gassed and he somehow survived, but this man was telling

me it is so important to teach the younger generation about the horrors

of Passchendaele, and not to let the memory of Passchendaele fade with

the passing of time. We'll have more from Tyne Cot

later in the programme. President Trump says he's "very

disappointed" with China for not doing more to stop

North Korea's weapons programme. His comments, in a tweet,

came after Pyongyang launched its second intercontinental

ballistic missile in a month, which landed in the sea,

off the Japanese coast. The North Koreans say it's a "stern

warning" to Washington, that the "entire US mainland" is now

within striking distance. From Tokyo, Rupert

Wingfield-Hayes reports. The unmistakable shape

of an American B-1 bomber, sweeping This is President Trump's pointed

response to North Korea's It was accompanied by an equally

pointed rant on Twitter. "I am very disappointed in China",

the President tweeted. "They do nothing for us

with North Korea, just talk. "We will no longer allow

this to continue." China today has been showing

off its own military might, in a huge parade overseen

by President Xi Jinping. He has condemned North Korea's

launch, but China is not prepared to bring Pyongyang to its knees,

even though it probably could. North Korea, meanwhile,

is making the most of its success. Pictures of Friday's missile launch

are being played over and over. And, once again, Kim Jong-un

is the star of the show. This latest missile test represents

a profound challenge He put a lot of hope in getting

China to rein in Pyongyang. He now appears to have accepted

that is not going to happen. But the US President has explicitly

stated he will not allow North Korea to acquire the ability to strike

the United States The rising tension is making people

here increasingly nervous. In a village in northern

Japan, a siren "A missile is heading in this

direction", the announcer says. Practice drills like this are now

happening all along this coast. TRANSLATION: It's very scary,

I don't know where to run I need practice like today's drill

to learn what to do. Off this same coast last month,

the most powerful US armada to be A military strike on North Korea

may seem unthinkable, but Pyongyang and Washington

are locked in an increasingly dangerous game and there are no good

choices for how to end it. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes,

BBC News, in Tokyo. Our Washington Correspondent Laura

Bicker is at the White House. Laura, what are the President's

options for dealing with North Korea now, do you think? Well, he had

played such hope in China influencing North Korea, that

strategy is simply not working. You have seen the military build-up in

the area, those bombers flying over the peninsular. Here in the US they

have also been testing their missile defence system, based in Alaska, a

successful test, they say, but they are also looking at diplomatic

options. They are looking at working with Japan and South Korea and

perhaps even a UN Security Council resolution, but make no mistake

about it, the Trump administration knows North Korea is a growing

threat. And in a separate development, Russia has now

confirmed it will be expelling US diplomats in response to fresh

sanctions. This is hugely significant. It will cut the number

of US diplomatic staff working in Russia by half. To put it into

context, when President Obama found out from his intelligence agencies

that Russia had meddled in the US presidential election, he expelled

35 diplomats. At the time, Vladimir Putin did not respond, did not

retaliate. He said he wanted to work with the new administration. This

has all backed Donald Trump into a corner. On his desk, he has a bill

ordering new sanctions on Russia. Russia says they will retaliate even

further if that Bill is signed. It does look like Donald Trump's hopes

of a fresh start with Moscow are in tatters.

A 27-year-old man has been charged in connection with the rape

of a 14-year-old girl at a railway station in Birmingham last Tuesday.

British Transport Police say they're still looking for another man,

who attacked her later, after she flagged down

There's enhanced security at major airports across Australia,

after investigators uncovered a plot to blow up a plane.

Four men were arrested after raids on several homes in Sydney,

with the Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull saying it was

Police believe the plot was inspired by Islamist extremism.

The International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, has cast fresh doubt

on the Chancellor's claims that the Cabinet has broadly agreed

that free movement from the EU, should continue after Brexit

Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said that would "not keep faith"

Chris, are we any clear on what the Cabinet has agreed on this? The

short answer is no, we are not. Or shouldn't be that surprised that

there are disagreements around the Cabinet table. The referendum was

something that divided the country, it divided parties and it divided

the Cabinet. From the Prime Minister's perspective it is much

harder to ensure that, publicly, they say the same things, because

after she mislaid her majority her authority has shrivelled. This is a

discussion now about what exactly a transitional period immediacy after

Brexit looks like. There are clearly disagreements in the Cabinet. But

take a look at the Labour Party and there are disagreements over Brexit

there. They have been disagreeing with one another for months on end.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick down, one year and eight

months, just under 600 days until Brexit, the end of March, 2019.

Chris, thank you. To Venezuela, where polls will soon

close in a controversial election to choose a new parliament,

which will have the power to rewrite It follows months of violent

anti-government protests, in which more than a hundred

people have died. Opposition groups have boycotted

the vote, saying it's another power-grab by President Maduro,

whom they blame for Venezuela's Katie? Well, as you said, the polls

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 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

Antonio said he's here to ensure there is more food

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

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

Everything that we can find here, we use to protect us,

because this is, as I say, is a critical situation.

They are shooting us, they are killing people.

There are more than 100 people that are dead.

As police gathered on the other side of the street barricades,

the protesters got ready for another confrontation.

People here can't quite understand how such a rich country

The political and economic crisis has never been so bad.

But the feeling is here it will just get worse.

That much was clear - just a few metres from here,

a police convoy was hit by improvised explosives.

The government says the opposition are terrorists.

The protesters say they are fighting against a government that is

From this part of town, the vote was almost irrelevant.

People here are worried about politics, about food shortages

Protesters keep building the blockades.

The police keep trying to destroy them.

Divisions here are so deep in Venezuela, neither

With all the sport, here's Karthi Gnanasegaram

England are through to the semi final of the Women's Euros,

It's the first time England had beaten them since 1974, and sets up

a final four encounter against the hosts,

The other semi-final sees Denmark take on Austria.

Our correspondent Katie Gornall reports from Deventer.

Deventer is a place with a long history.

One of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, here, the past

But England have their sights set firmly on the future and are aiming

England haven't beaten France since 1974. But these players have every

reason to feel confident, having won all three of their group games.

In this latest chapter of an old feud, England

But in the early stages, the play didn't match the PR.

Marie-Laure Delie with the only warning shot of a nervy first half.

Mark Sampson described his players as a team of street fighters.

A card that will rule her out if England progressed.

As France started to take control, that looked unlikely,

until Lucy Bronze got on the ball and queued up Jodie Taylor.

This, her fifth goal of the tournament.

An injury to goalkeeper Karen Bardsley only added

to the second-half tension and France never gave up.

With England backpedalling, they threatened to steal the attention.

But, for the first time in a long time, England held out

against their rivals for an historic win.

England advance and have taken a huge step forward.

England's cricketers are just six wickets away from victory

against South Africa in the Third Test at the Oval.

Half centuries from Tom Westley, making his debut, captain Joe Root

and Jonny Bairstow helped England to declare their second

They then took four South Africa wickets before the close

of play on day four, including two wickets

Wigan Warriors will face Holders, Hull FC in Rugby League's Challenge

Wigan booked their place at Wembley with a 27 points to 14 win over

Oliver Gildart scoring the first and final tries for Wigan,

Great Britain have won a silver medal on the final day

of the World Swimming Championships in Budapest to take their total

Today's silver came in the men's 4x100m

The relay team included Adam Peaty, who had already won two

Great Britain finish the competition in second place

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has won the Hungarian Grand Prix,

while Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth place.

Hamilton honoured a promise made earlier in the race to his team-mate

Valtteri Bottas and allowed the Finn to overtake him and

That result means Vettel has extended his Formula One World

Championship lead over the British driver to 14 points.

Details of the day's other sports stories

are on the BBC Sport website, including the draw for the second

That's all for now from the BBC Sport Centre.

The battle of Passchendaele - one of the bloodiest of World War I -

began 100 years ago tomorrow, in the early hours of the morning.

This cemetery behind me is where just some of the fallen -

But the vast majority of these graves have no names.

I'm joined here by Dr Glyn Prussor from the Commonwealth

This is very much the focal point tomorrow of the commemorations. It

very much symbolises the real horror of that battle? Perhaps nowhere

better epitomises the horrors of this particular battlefield. There

are even some of the remnants of the German defences, concrete pillboxes,

within the cemetery. 12,000 graves of British and Commonwealth soldiers

and a few Germans, a reminder that this was a battle that traumatised

soldiers on both sides of the line. The amount of land they were

fighting over four months and months, a lot of it in thick, deep

mud, is so small, five miles? You can actually see the spires of Ypres

on the horizon from the cemetery. It's almost impossible to imagine

what this will have looked like 100 years ago. But it's important to

reflect on the experiences of all those from across the world that

came here. Tomorrow's service will do that. It will be a very poignant

occasion. We are at the centenary, 100 years now, will be

commemorations continue? I think so, we have seen thousands of people

coming here to commemorate the battle. People are discovering new

things about their family history and the history of the war all the

time. There was no sign of it coming to an end any time soon.

That's all from us here in Belgium for tonight.

In a moment, we'll have the news from where you are, but first we'll

leave you with some images from this evening's events to remember