He blamed the previous government for a law that allowed the perpetrator to leave prison early. The Labour Party Said the conservatives had been responsible for his release. Maltas Prime Minister, joseph muscat, has bowed to intense public pressure and agreed to step down over the huge scandal surrounding the assassination of the investigative journalist, daphne ca ruana galizia. He said he would hand over power next month after his governing labour party chooses a new leader. The un secretary general has told the bbc that governments need to stop subsidising fossil fuel industries if the world is to avoid the worst consquences of global warming. Antonio guterres said taxpayers money is paying for the melting of glaciers. He was speaking ahead of the un climate summit. Now on bbc news, dateline london. Hello and welcome to dateline london. Im carrie gracie. This week protests convulse iran, but also iraq and lebanon. How does all this unrest relate and where does it leave tehrans dream for dominance of the region . Nato leaders are due to meet this week, but how confidently can they predict 70 more years of all for one and one for all . And were getting close to make your mind up time in the uk election. So what exactly will make up voters . Minds . My guests this week iranian journalist nazenin ansari, italian film maker annalisa piras, and michael goldfarb, american host of the frdh podcast. We are one guest down this week due to illness, so the other three will have to do more heavy lifting for me. There are conflicting accounts of how many people have died and how many have been arrested in iran in the past fortnight. What started as a wave of protest against rising petrol prices seems to have turned into a wider howl of outrage against crushing inflation and unemployment. Its the biggest show of public defiance to irans ayatollahs in a decade and they don . T like it. Nor can they like what they see in neighbouring iraq, or lebanon, both countries where tehran now exerts huge influence and both of which are also convulsed by public protest. So what . S going on . Nazenin, start us off. It started six months ago, and this is according to president rouhani last week, that the decision to increase petrol prices was taken six months ago, and it was the responsibility for execution was given to the Supreme National security council, which included the ministry of the interior and also ir ib, the state broadcaster. Mr rouhani claims he was asked not to tell him anything and that he only found out about it while reading in the news that when the prices were increased. So, using these six months, the executive arm of the Islamic Republic, the government, instead of using these six months to prepare the public for these rises that overnight suddenly they woke up and 50 , they didnt know about it. Instead, they used those six months to see how they could bring down the people that would get out in the protests. So, when the time came, they were prepared with helicopters, with snipers, and then they shut the internet for 150 hours, stopped all access to information. This was going on for five days, and the world did not hear anything. The world wasnt aware. Now, we get the news coming out, saying first, actually one person saying these are thugs, mercenaries will stop these people are run by the monarchist, because most of the people calling out a name were calling out the name of the heir to the throne, known by the monarchists as their leader. When the news started coming out, what we are seeing now, after 150 hours when europe stayed silent, europe after a few days gave out one statement from the press. A woman who had been to iran with her colleagues taking selfies in the parliament, they remain silent, nothing. Michael, the us side, obviously we have seen a year now of us sanctions against the iranian economy, banks and so on, and petrol companies, and mike pompeo, the secretary of state, tweeted, we are with you, to the protesters. Is this the us seeing its policies come to fruition, though sanctions and putting economic pressure on iran . I dont think so. We tend too much to forget the internal dynamics of the regime. And how long it takes for pressure to build up in iran. Nazenin can correct me, but in 2000 there were big protests at tehran university. The regime sent in the militia, and they were literally throwing kids out the window. Several were killed. In 2009, you had the green revolution, now this. It seems like every ten years you get a new Pressure Point building up as people become young adults, a whole new generation, and it is the same repressive kind of religious totalitarian regime, although with more freedom than you might think. So, i dont want to say that this has much to do with this particular president or secretary of state these pressures always exist. I think what is happening is that it is quite clear that the Iranian Regime has been trying to establish what we call in the west the shia arc of influence. You have had the same kinds of rights in baghdad. Again, we have to look internally, certainly in iraq, and this also goes back to iran. The same kinds of riot. To control iraq rather than attending to its own domestic needs. In recent years, just one example, when kurdistan held its very ill advised referendum to break away from the rest of iraq, there was a lot of tension in the country. Who calmed the country down . The head of the iranians. And what is it . The islamic revolutionary. And it was he who poured the balm on troubled waters, and read the riot act to kurdish leaders and come that down. Iraq in the last couple of weeks has boiled over with hundreds killed. It was reported two weeks ago that solar money had gone to baghdad to read the riot act to the iraqi president to say this has to stop. It hasnt stopped. We have to look at it locally. I dont give a lot of credit to pressure brought by the United States. Annalisa . It looks like the kind of strategy of iran is not going according to plan. We talked about what is happening in iraq, which is an extraordinary bloodbath, and what is happening in lebanon, what is happening in their own courtyard. It looks like this kind of authoritarianism enforced with extremely ruthless and brutal methods. Its not going to be accepted by people any more in the middle east. I think it is a big time for the west to start really to take on iran for what they have been doing in yemen. We are talking about an extraordinary ruthless and bloody strategy in the middle east, and its not surprising that the people are rebelling. Nazenin, we dont have much longer on this topic, but coming back to the points made by annalisa and michael, the sense of an Iranian Mission in the middle east. It is the mission of the Islamic Republic, not the mission of iran. You are seeing what is happening inside a round, inside iraq, lebanon. Inside iran. It is a cry against the mis governance of the countries. In iran, for example, we have from time to time heard that there is a lack of medicine, but still the minister goes on state tv and says that we have over capacity and we are sending medicine to iraq. It is these misplaced choices and opportunities. The names that are coming out Amnesty International has increased its statistics to more than 160. These include children of martererfamilies. Their fathers had served in the iran iraq war, and they are the ones that have been shot. First mr khomeini calls them thugs and mercenaries, but they were innocent bystanders. Do you think the pressure we have seen both inside iran, and as we have heard from michael and annalisa, in iraq, lebanon, syria, yemen, do you think these pressures will cause the regime to change course . No, the Islamic Republic has reached the end of its line, and that is why the people are in the streets, because they realise. As michael said, this has happened every decade. You think it is different . This time, its strategic depth was in lebanon, in iraq, but it is losing that. Also, when it wants to look forward, what is the programme that it is proposing to iranians . Mr rouhani has submitted two budgets to the parliament instead of one at a time. Both are based on non Oil Resources and tourism. On one side, they take two nationals hostage, and on the other, they want to promote tourism and increase the economic well being of the population. The people have lost trust. Just before we leave this topic, michael, the role of the United States, because i put it to you earlier and you said it is not the key factor in terms of the internal iranian situation, but what is the Trump Administration doing . Its always playing to its base, so by constantly keeping pressure on iran verbally and through sanctions, it touches, and we are coming into an Election Year in america, on that part of its base that thinks iran is terrible, and particularly the part of its base that thinks iran is an enemy of israel. The deeper politics of baghdad, haider al abadi, i apologise for going blank on that, i dont think most americans follow. What might we believe the middle east there. We must leave the middle east there. From 1949 until the fall of the berlin wall in 1989, nato was clear about its mission put simply, . To keep the russians out, the americans in and the germans down. The 30 years since have become more complex. Now the alliance has an american president publicly exasperated over funding and a french president who says the alliance is brain dead. So, weve got this coming up this week, the nato leaders meeting. Annalisa, what is going to happen . Where will trump stand . Just to remind what you just said, it used to be that nato had a clear purpose, so keep russia out, america in, germany down, and the saying goes that now actually russia is in, america is out and germany is up. So the world has transformed. Thats kind of a glib way of turning that phrase around do you think its true . Well, certainly it reflects a little bit what is going on. It reflects a kind of transformation of the world since 70 years ago when nato was created, and i think that the only leader right now who is actually talking about the situation in a clear and strategic way is president macron, and he is right when he says that nato is brain dead. Nothing can stay like it was at the beginning forever. This is the Longest Military Alliance in history. 70 years is a very long time. And people would say it has been flexible, has grown, has changed its sense of purpose. Its strength has been to be able to adapt, but right now, its main purpose is under threat, because as we know, america is looking elsewhere, not at europe any more, and it has been for a very long time, since president 0bama pivoted to asia and put china as the main focus of america, that europe has not been of interest. Other things are more serious. Only five years ago, if a member of the Nato Alliance had bought weapons from russia and started using them in europe, people would have thought you must be joking, that it is impossible. We are talking about turkey. Turkey has put the s 400 air system missiles from russia, so a nato member was using weapons that come straight from russia, and nobody seems to actually flinch. Michael, another point relating to turkey, the United States pulling out of north west syria without alerting its other nato allies, but going back to the Central Point that annalisa is talking about, do you think trump is in or out . He has made some conflicting messages on this, on one hand saying nato was obsolete and on the other saying he is 100 committed. Where does he stand . He stands on what he campaigned on. Annalisa is right to point out that barack 0bama started the pull back. I dont think American Society has fully come to grips with what the fallout from the 2003 invasion of iraq was. It is hard to accept failure. Then came the crash. We dont have money, and here we are paying for nato, more than most members, who werent meeting their target of 2 of gdp, and trump weaponised that point of view. In 2016, he campaigned on it, and whatever you think of him, he keeps his broad promises. He said he was going to insist that nato members met at least their financial commitments, and just over the last 72 hours, this is what has happened. I think he doesnt care. I dont think he can think strategically. I think he thinks tactically, what will get me through the next set of tweets. I dont think he has an overview. Do you think his allies could sort it by coming up with the 2 . Germany is increasing its contribution. I think that natos problems are so deep, and some are historical. 70 years is an awfully long time. If you ask about the next 70 years, that is 140 years. No agreement in history has ever gone on that long. I think that the big problem that nato faces is what to do on its south eastern flank with turkey, because as we also, nato, i see, is becoming much more part of a european solution to its own security, because you know that what happened in 2015 or 2016, when erdogan opened the gates and we had an influx of Syrian Refugees going through greece and into the balkans. I knew some of the people on that much, and what happened . We had this sudden surge of nationalism, ethnic nationalism in response to that. So erdogan, allegedly an ally, has in a sense destabilised europe. Now he is cosying up to russia. So it seems to me that nato has to seriously reflect on whether it should be a pan European Security umbrella and let america drift into isolation or not. Nazenin, where do you stand . It is a problem of europe as well, which sees itself as separate from america, and you can see it in policies on the middle east. The biggest strategic danger that we are facing at the moment is the middle east, and specifically iran. The europeans are just not trying to, you know. For them, iran has been nuclear and it is the nuclear deal, and thats it. And i think thats a big mistake, and that is affecting policy. Inside europe, from the period since the collapse of the warsaw pact and the soviet union, when nato could go looking for pirates in the horn of africa or help sort out the balkans, we are now back to basics, arent we . With ukraine and russia. There are all these things going on. Is europe going to have its own defence or not . These are questions that they have been grappling with for so long. The noises from president macron are as you describe, but from germany different. Theres a sense from the ruling party is that they need to support nato rather than replace it in europe. The germans are very clear as well that nato must become more european, so the european pillar of nato is what is going to be the kind of direction of travel. And this is very clear. That was one of the main innovations when the former defence minister now of the commission, when she was at the ministry of defence, this was the clear message that came from germany. I remember i was filming in 2016 in warsaw for the nato summit, and there there was the first joint declaration of nato in the eu, 76 points, a number of points of cooperation in defence. My film dealt exactly with this. Europe needs to start thinking about its defence on its own, because it cannot count any more on america, and europeans need to take responsibility. We will have to leave the subject, but before we do, michael, just focus on exactly the 48 hours when everybody is in the uk, because these nato leaders are coming in in the middle of this difficult moment for nato itself, and they are coming into our uk general Election Campaign. Exactly, trump is coming. Trump. britain trump, thats what he calls borisjohnson. As we are talking about this, and there is a possibility he could go next year. You do begin to see an Anglo American alliance forming, drifting that way across the atlantic, and a more continental europe, notjust politically but also in terms of security apparatus, and that will be what is the overview of this summit, for these 48 hours, when you know and i know and everyone watching knows, donald trump will weigh in on the british election, i am certain. And we will now weigh in on the british election. What was the crunch moment of the uk Election Campaign last week . The melting Ice Sculpture that took the place of the conservative leader in a tv debate about Climate Change . The labour leader forced to revise his boasts on the limits of his taxation plans . The accusation that neither main party had credible economic plans . Or Something Else entirely . A sombre moment on friday, with apparently another terror attack on the streets of london. Annalisa, the Election Campaign what strikes you . What strikes me is the lack of substance. I think its staggering. I mean, ifollowed many british general elections, and ive never seen such an empty space. There is nothing there that really matters for britain. The nato summit could be an occasion, an opportunity to actually talk about the role of britain in the world. What is this country going to do in the next five years . I mean, the world is changing, and the identity of britain is nowhere to be found in this debate. This is these are serious issues. Nazenin . Britain has been in flux for so long with the referendum, brexit, theresa may and now this, that this has become the new normal. Maybe thats why we dont want to pay so much attention. It doesnt interest us as much. It is the new normal. But certainly, the one event that stands out as the channel for debate on the environment, as you mentioned. How theatrics actually replaced the content of what was such an important topic, the environment, but at the end of the day, with Ice Sculptures and michael gove going with his own tv camera. This has become the new normal, and it needed to stand out and think different. Annalisa is talking about a lack of substance, nazenin talking about theatrics replacing that substance, but we have seen considerable economic debate over the manifestos of the leading parties, havent we . What is interesting to me is that before it was declared, the election, borisjohnson and the rest of the conservative party were going around britain promising enormous suitis of money, but when they put their manifesto out, it was very conservative with a small c. The labour party has put forward a 19705 style socialist manifesto. They are going to renationalise, after 35, 40 years, vast amounts of privatised industries, and we are going to have taxes that will raise, they say, tens of billions of pounds. Its not what were here to talk about, though. Everyone knows the reason we are having an election is because of brexit. Nobody wants to talk about brexit. The two main parties are avoiding it, except for boris, who goes on saying, just get brexit done. What people are making decisions on our, you know, i mean, we should all be talking about Climate Change. We should be looking at policies. All we are talking about is that they put Ice Sculptures up at a major debate where Boris Johnson didnt turn up. This is the new, i hate to say it, american way of going about things, trivialising to keep peoples attention. Annalisa, you say there is a lack of substance, but people will have to make up their mind and put a cross in a box on the basis of something. On what basis do you believe they are going to do it sadly, on the basis of personalities, because there is so much confusion about what people stand for. They think they will just choose the less unlikeable person, and its very sad. Is that the basis of their local mp or the National Leaders of the parties . I think mainly it will be about the National Leaders. And who will that result in . Poles are saying that the conservative party is in the lead substantially. Yeah. Michael, last word. I think that in the end people will go back to their usual homes, but i do think that the conservatives will, as the polls indicate this time, get a majority. And a sentence to you, nazenin. Crosses in the box . I think british people will look to the future and say, whether it will bejeremy corbyn or borisjohnson, which party as well could. Is more promising . At the end of the day, when i go to vote, it is local elections and i am not in a president ial election, so i will vote for the mp of my constituency. And a lot of uncertainty there. Thats it for dateline london for this week were back next week at the same time. Goodbye. Hello there. We have more frosty weather around at the moment. Particularly around at the moment. Across england and wales, particularly across england and wales, with the clear skies. These other temperatures towards the end of the night and it is much milder for Northern Ireland and for scotland, because the winds are in from the atlantic and dragging on more clouds. So there will be more cluttered for scotland and Northern Ireland on monday. Some patchy rain for scotland, mainly highlands and islands. After a sunny start for england and wales, some of the cloud will push through the rsc into northern parts of england and wales, with the sunny skies continuing to the south after that frosty start. Another chilly day, six or seven degrees. A bit milderfor scotland. By degrees. A bit milderfor scotland. By the time we get into tuesday, most by the time we get into tuesday, m ost pla ces by the time we get into tuesday, most places are going to be dry with some sunshine. There could be some fog around parts of wales and the south east and england in particular, that could take a while to clear away. 0n the whole a dry day for scotland, more sunshine here, likewise across Northern Ireland. Again, rather chilly, temperatures around 6 8. This is bbc news. Welcome if youre watching here in the uk or around the globe. Im james reynolds. Our top stories a political row in britain after it emerges that the London Bridge attacker was released early from prison. Maltas Prime Minister says hell resign, following revelations over the murder of an anti corru ption journalist. I am fed up of the injustice that has been going on. They murdered daphne they murdered my friend we want justice with the global Climate Change summit about to begin, the un chief says governments must end subsidies for fossil fuels. And does the falling cost of wind power hold the answer . We meet the danish pioneer who believes it will