Something to help us. We get punched, humiliated, insulted, raped. Jubiliation in rio as flamengo win the showpiece tournament of latin american football beating river plate, in lima. Lets start in hong kong, where local elections are under way. The authorities have threatened to suspend voting if theres serious trouble, but pro democracy campaigners have told their supporters not to cause any disruption. This vote is the first to take place since protests and often violent clashes with police started back in june. So it will be a test of support for pro democracy and pro bejing candidates. The poll is for the lowest rung of government in the city. More than a thousand candidates are running, competing for more than a50 seats throughout the citys 18 districts. A number of seats currently held by pro beijing incumbents, are being contested by pro democracy candidates, butjoshua wong, one of the prominent protest leaders is banned from running, because he called for Self Determination for hong kong. Hesjust given his reaction to reporters. As the only candidate being disqualified by beijing, which proves the election in hong kong is being collated by the communist authorities. However, even if they sent to me from the ballot and lock me up in prison it willjust encourage me to continue to work for the future with more determination. And hong kongs chief executive carrie lam spoke a short time ago after casting her ballot and said she expected the election to go smoothly despite the challenging circumstances. We are facing an extremely challenging situation in organising this years elections. By i am pleased to say, that with the concerted efforts of all parties, including, of course, over30,000 Civil Servants in many departments working today, we should have a relatively peaceful and calm environment to conduct these elections successfully. You very much. That was carrie lam. Our correspondent in hong kong is jonathan head. Are these a de facto referendum on the protest movement . No, dont think it is. They think it is on the minds of most people who are voting here. Obviously local issues do matter. And in some areas they will matter more. But everyone in hong kong is affected by the crisis. Many families have been split. People have very strong feelings about it. Many people are very distressed. A lot of people are very distressed. A lot of people are very passionate. A lot of that hangs over this. Nothing technically to do with the protest movement in the conflict with the government is on the Actual Campaign ballots or platforms. In practice it is there, the Opposition Alliance calling itself the pan Democratic Alliance has put, in many cases, the five demands of the protest movement up there along with their local issues and everyone here appears to have that on their minds. How they vote, we dont know. The Opposition Alliance is opening that broad dissatisfaction with the government, with the police, and a realfear of the state of freedom and democracy in hong kong will persuade a lot of people to vote and give the opposition, for the first time, significant control of these District Council traditionally dominated by the governments site. On the government side they are reasonably confident that the escalation of chaos and violence will persuade even some of those people sympathetic to the goal of the protesters that they better stick with the status quo. No one will know until votes are counted. But talking to people in the queue they all recognise this is about much more than just local issues, that this really is an important election that will give a clear indication of where Public Opinion in hong kong lies right now. Protest leaders have asked the supporters to stay calm, do not cause any disruption. Is that a sign of confidence that they can win some seats here, that maybe they were not supposed to . Well, youve got to make a separation. The pan Democratic Alliance is broadly synthetic to the protest movement. Of course, the movement itself is a more force, its young, there are still very hard line protesters who ta ke still very hard line protesters who take either radical approach. But it does appear that all of them, so far, have listened to the advice that nothing should happen that would disrupt these elections. This is something that the opposition believe will help them and help the cause that they and the protest movement broadly support, which is to get the government to give concessions to have stronger instrument of hong kongs freedoms. Amen, there are still a small number of protesters still holed up a University Campus where we saw such dramatic confrontations just a week. Their number has dwindled to a very small number now. And i think after all those dramatic scenes, probably the protest movement has to draw breath anyway and decide what is next tactic will be stopping the results of this election and how the election goes may influence that. Nobody thinks the protest any turmoil we have seen in the past five and half months is anywhere near overfull there is a huge amount of momentum behind it. They think eve ryo ne of momentum behind it. They think Everyone Wants to see, from this vote, the real test of Public Opinion, if the government loses significant amounts of support that will pile the pressure on carrie lam. Now whether that results in her resigning or making concessions, perhaps angry agreeing to an independent enquiry. Everyone will be watching the results of this technically local election to decide what their next move is going to be. Very quickly, what is the schedule ahead. When are we going to get the results . Ahead. When are we going to get the results . Well, voting goes on until very late at night, doesnt finish untilio 30pm. Once very late at night, doesnt finish until 10 30pm. Once that happens counting starts. We would expect results to come in within a few hours, certainly by monday morning we will have a very clear idea of how this election has gone. Jonathan head, no doubt we will be checking in with you on the hour every hour. Jonathan head live from hong kong. Thank you very much an hour. Thank you very much for now. Lets get some of the days other news. Both houses of bolivias congress have approved a bill calling for general elections. No date for the poll was set, but it allows all Political Parties to take part, including the Left Wing Party of the former president evo morales. He is, however, banned from taking part. It comes after weeks of unrest in which more than 30 people have died in clashes with Security Forces. Protests have continued in colombia for a third consecutive day, despite the imposition of a curfew overnight on friday in the capital, bogota. Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who gathered by a National Park close to the city. President ivan duque said the Security Forces would continue patrols to prevent more vandalism. Investigators in germany have started dna tests on hundreds of men in the hope of solving a 23 year old murder case. Claudia ruf was 11 when she was kidnapped in may 1996, while walking a neighbours dog in grevenbroich, near cologne. Her body was found two days later. No one has been charged with her death. President trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has said hes not concerned about being indicted for crimes now being investigated by the impeachment inquiry. This is after the Us State Department released records relating to the Trump Administrations dealings with ukraine which show repeated contacts between secretary of state mike pompeo and mrgiuliani. Heres Chris Buckler in washington with the latest developments. During the impeachment inquiry, Rudy Giulianis name was mentioned a lot. Hes been accused of smearing people and of trying to push ukraine into launching these politically partisan investigations into Donald Trumps rivals. Well, hes come out fighting, and in a pretty angry interview with fox news, mr giuliani has defended himself against any wrongdoing. Are you afraid, mr mayor, that you could be indicted . Oh, wow. How long have you known me . Ive known you several years. You think im afraid . I dont know. You think i get afraid . Well, the. I did the right thing. I represented my client in a very, very effective way. He insisted that us media reports that he was being investigated because of his links to two soviet born businessmen who are currently facing Campaign Finance charges were completely wrong. And hes attacked some democrats, particularly singling outjoe biden, who of course was one of the people that he wanted to see ukraine investigate. He actually made these unsubstantiated allegations that mr biden was involved in some kind of corruption, which of course mr biden denies. He also indicated that the president , in his words, would not throw him under the bus during the investigations that are taking place. But he also said, perhaps pretty intriguingly, that he had insurance to ensure they did not happen. I mean, ive seen things written like hes going to throw me under the bus. When they say that, i say he isnt, but i have insurance. 0k. This is ridiculous. We are very good friends. He knows what i did was in order to defend him. Hes also been mentioned in documents that have been released over the last 2a hours. Theyve been released by the Us State Department after a freedom of information request from an Ethics Watchdog Group called american oversight. And in those documents, it seems very clear that there was contact and conversations between Rudy Giuliani and the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, at the time he was pushing for ukraine to launch these investigations. Now, up to this point, mike pompeo has tried to stay out of this whole impeachment hearing process that has been taking place. But Rudy Giulianis contact with him mightjust drag him into that. That was Chris Buckler reporting there. Mike pence has made an unannounced visit to iraq to reassure kurdish leaders of americas continued support. He flew into a bill in kurdistan in the north of do you may remember us troops withdrew from kurdish areas in neighbouring syria last month. That was criticised by syrian kurds who called it a betrayal after the us military left turkey moved into the border area around tal appleyard and turkish control towns. This is what mr pence had to say. I dont think there was any confusion now among the leadership here in the kurdish region that president trumps commitment to our allies here in iraq as well as to those in the Syrian Defence forces, the Kurdish Forces who fought alongside us, is unchanging. We can now speak to henri barkey, whos a senior fellow for middle east studies at the council on foreign relations. Do you think this visit may have been booked in as soon as the Trump Administration pulled out those troops from syria and saw the uproar that was caused by the decision . Clearly it is in reaction to the uproar. But i think it is more than that. I think it has to do with the fa ct that. I think it has to do with the fact that everybody is questioning the american commitment because of the american commitment because of the way mr trump jettisoned is the syrian kurds over a phone call with president erdogan. There was a shock in the middle east and also in europe, they would argue, and people do not know where the United States stands and also what we can do next. So Vice President pences visit is a way to show that, yes, we still care, that we still are behind the kurds, but it is also a message to the rest of the region. So he went to iraq, obviously, which is in syria, neighbouring syria, obviously, because maybe the security there is so bad and there Area Security there is so bad and there are a few issues surrounding that. But what you are saying is the whole region has been sort of in turmoil since america pulled those troops out was yellow absolutely. From the iraqis to the kurds, because, obviously, everybody is questioning what the United States may or may not do in the future because it is unpredictable. I mean, if you go back to mr trumps decision, this was a decision that was opposed by just about everybody in washington. Maybe even Vice President pence for all we know, and yet it was taken without consideration, without consultation, as kind of a favour to president erdogan and the consequences shocked people in washington and elsewhere. You had lots of people who died, 200,000 people who were displaced in northern syria. But, most importantly, the other developments that we are experiencing at the moment is that the pentagon just came out with a report saying that since the american decision isis has regained some of its territory, it is showing its face again, it is making a bit again, it is reconstituting itself. And that was to be expected, in part, because the syrian kurds was with a once i could keep the lid on isis. And, remember, isis in 2014 swept through, notjust remember, isis in 2014 swept through, not just northern remember, isis in 2014 swept through, notjust northern syria, but northern iraq, in defeating iraqi armies and iraqis Kurdish Forces. I think what Vice President pence is also trying to say is were going to let isis come back again, but how do you do that . They have left five or 600 troops behind. Supposedly to protect them. Think it is to continue the ante isis operations. But that is not enough. And therefore Vice President pence was dispersed to assure everybody. We have no indication of this, whether or not some of the syrian kurds leaders went to iraq to meet with them. That would be not publicised, especially because they dont want to antagonise the turks. It might also be that that was a way of talking to the syrian kurds in the northern iraqi, in iraqi kurdistan. There may be Something Else behind the scenes that we dont know at this stage. Lots to mull over there. It is interesting you talk about isis regrouping. That is obviously not something the Trump Administration once as a headline. Henri barkey, thank you so much your time. Live from 0ssington. Henri barkey, thank you so much your time. Live from ossington. Thank you. Stay with us on bbc world news. Still to come young lebanese expats tell us why they went home to join Anti Government protests. President kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. The murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. He caught the imagination of the world, the first of a new generation of leaders. Margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. Before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told the cabinet, its a funny old world. Angela merkel is germanys first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. Attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. As one local comic put it, its not hot air we need, its hard cash. Cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. Castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 19605. It was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. This is bbc news. The latest headlines voting is under way in hong kong local elections. Theyre being seen as a test of opinion towards the territorys government and its response to months of democracy protests. President trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said he doesnt fear being indicted after impeachment hearings placed him at the centre of efforts to pressure ukraine. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across france in a show of solidarity for victims of Domestic Violence. At least 115 women have been murdered by a partner or ex partner in france this year alone. The government is set to unveil plans to tackle the issue on monday. But protestors have blamed authorities for turning a blind eye for too long. Freya cole reports. All chant in french. Government guilty, Justice System complicit. It is just one of the many chants heard across france as women stand side by side to confront the issue of femicide the killing of a girl or woman, most likely by a man they know. One woman is murdered in france every three days by their current or former partner, according to National Data a crisis which protesters say has been hidden for too long. Translation the government must do something to help us. We get punched, we get humiliated, insulted, raped, hit, and this must stop. The government must really listen to us. The police must. The courts must listen to us, because we are hardly heard. These signs bear the names and ages of women whose lives have been tragically cut short this year. Ophelie, aged 28, was the 86th victim, according to protesters. This woman holds a sign which reads, no means no. She says she is marching for her friends who are victims of abuse. Translation they isolate themselves, and when they begin to do that, they feel diminished. They lose their self confidence. They feel that everything is being done to make them feel inferior, and to prevent them from defending themselves. The Mass Movement of women and their male allies comes ahead of a major announcement by the french government. On monday morning, it will outline new measures to curb Domestic Violence, a policy which will be closely watched and scrutinised by those leading this movement. Translation its a question of culture which starts in school. Obviously in school, you get a rather strong far right offensive in these last ten years, which prevents the teaching of the abcds of equality in matters like this. So essentially, it starts in school. Organisers hope the mass turnout will not only send the message to government authorities, but to victims of Domestic Violence that they are not alone. In lebanon, widespread protests against corruption, the ruling political classes and the state of the country show no signs of going away. A number of lebanese expats organised a symbolic return to take part in the planned Independence Day demonstrations this weekend. I now have my boarding pass. Im getting to lebanon right now. I cant wait. Im from france. Ijust came here for this manifestation, and im going back on sunday. I arrived, i am so excited. Im coming only for 24 hours. My name is christopher, im 23 years old. I work here in london as an engineer. I left lebanon after graduating because i needed to find a job in what i do, when you cant find this in lebanon. I got to the stage where the situation in the country is so bad. I still have the dream that one day i will go back and have a family there, and have myjob there. These are just not protest. It is a revolution, actually. Ive decided that now i really need to get back for Independence Day and all the expats need to go back and show that we are basically supporting lebanon, all the lebanese citizens. Protesting for their rights. When i landed, it was still in the morning, but i could still feel the vibe of the revolution. My parents are somewhere. Im not sure where he that is what we all deserve. That is what i am hoping for Free Education free and good. Basic rights. Proper healthcare. I feel like this is going to last for a while, because we have a very stubborn government and the president not willing to take any action. What i hope, honestly, is having a clean country. The middle east has a reputation of violence. Right now, were showing the world how to do it. How to do a protest, actually. And i think it is quite amazing. Now, to football. Brazils most popular team flamengo have won the showpiece tournament of south American Club football, the copa libertadores, for the first time in nearly four decades. Flamengo scored twice in the last three minutes to come from behind and beat the argentine side river plate. The final was originally due to have taken place in santiago, but the match was switched to lima, peru, because of street protests in chile. And this was the scene in Rio De Janeiro when the final whistle blew. Flamengo fans had gathered at the maracana stadium to watch the final on large outdoor screens. Tim vickery, the bbcs south america football correspondent, told me it was an extraordinary match. Well, maybe Manchester United fans will remember their Champions League victory over Bayern Munich in 1999. It was a little bit similar. River plate didnt only have one hand on the title, they had one hand and maybe three or four fingers of the other hand on the title. I think plenty of flamengo fans are still, a few hours afterwards, thinking well, how on earth did we win that one . What an extraordinary game of football, so dramatic, and i suppose in a way, it vindicates the decision by the authorities over here to move to this idea of having a one off final on a neutral ground. The tradition over here, simon, has always been a two legged final, home and away. Now, the switch has come really for two reasons. One is commercial this game happened at a good timeslot for europe. Bbc two showed it in england, in britain, for example. Also, there was a hope, i think, that a neutral ground would throw up an excellent spectacle, and we certainly got a dramatic spectacle. The flipside of the coin, if you like, the downside of this one off final on a neutral ground, is that south america is not europe. Distances are vast, travel is expensive, and income is badly distributed, so some of the fans really suffered. There were tales of 55, 60 hour bus journeys to get there. But win or lose, whichever side you were supporting, i think no one who was there in the stadium in lima will ever forget the experience. Yes, youre absolutely right. Tim vickery reporting on an incredible match in south america. You can reach me on twitter. Im sipusey. From me and the rest of the team, thank you for watching and stay tuned right here on bbc news. Hello. After a very wet day across parts of the uk on saturday, sunday promises to be a drier day, albeit with a lot of cloud and some misty, murky conditions. But, briefly, we have a weak ridge of High Pressure extending across the uk. Still some rain to talk about at first on sunday, particularly for eastern scotland, still on the heavy side. Slowly that heavy rain pushes its way across northern scotland, and eventually becomes confined to the Northern Isles through the day. Quite wet and windy here. But elsewhere, turning dry across scotland, largely dry across northern ireland, england and wales, but with a lot of cloud and some mist, some patchy fog through the morning. That will be slow to clear, Poor Visibility in places, so any brightness really at a premium on sunday. But away from the Northern Isles, its mainly dry, mild, 9 12 celsius the top temperature. And then our attention turns to the south west, our next area of rain pushing into South West England and south wales through the evening and overnight, not getting much further north and eastwards. Quite a wet start to the week across South West England and wales. Further north and east, mainly dry, mild, temperatures not much lower than five or six celsius. But generally, the theme in the week ahead is for more rain. This is the set up as we go into monday. An area of low pressure, frontal systems pushing their way north and eastwards. Looks like the heaviest of the rain on monday is probably going to be across england and wales. As it tracks its way north and eastwards through the day, it starts to become a little bit patchier. But there will be some outbreaks of rain into northern ireland. Could pop up for a little bit across Northern England for a time, into southern scotland. Northern scotland probably escaping, mainly dry. Some brightness and sunshine following on behind the rain across wales and South West England, but also a few showers. But it is another mild day, 9 13 celsius. Now, one area of low pressure pulls away into the north sea. Heres our next one arriving as we go into tuesday. This has the remnants of what was Tropical Storm sebastian, so its going to pep up the rain, strengthen the wind. The timings of this rain may well change as we go into tuesday, so keep an eye on the forecast if you can over the next 24 48 hours. But it looks like well see another spell of quite heavy rain at times, strong winds as well, particularly across wales and South West England. Some spells of sunshine following on behind the rain, but also some heavy showers. So, all in all, its a really unsettled and often quite windy day on tuesday. Still mild, 10 13 celsius. Bear in mind there are some warnings in place for the rain on both monday and tuesday. All the details are on the website. It looks like, as the week goes on, things do eventually turn drier, but also colder again. Bye bye. This is bbc news. The headlines people in hong kong are voting in local elections for the First Time Since pro democracy protests began. Activists opposed to chief executive carrie lam have encouraged voters to turn out in large numbers and there are long queues of people waiting to vote at many polling stations. Both houses of bolivias parliament have now approved a bill calling for a new general election. No date for the poll was set. The interim president is meeting opposition groups to try to end four weeks of violence thats followed the last election, which international monitors said was fixed. President trumps lawyer and close ally, Rudy Giuliani, has said hes not afraid of being indicted in connection with the impeachment inquiry. Speaking on fox news, he attacked those whove accused him of pressing ukraine to make investigations into the family of president ial rivaljoe biden