after he was criticised by another senior administration official. mr priebus said he resigned on thursday after speaking with the president. mr trump has appointed the current director of homeland security, retired generaljohn kelly, as his new chief of staff. south korea says it will prepare independent measures to curb the nuclear threat posed by north korea. the united states and south korea have staged a joint missile exercise in response to the latest test firing by north korea of an intercontinental ballistic missile. charlie gard, the terminally ill baby at the centre of a long legal battle in britain between his parents and hospital authorities, has died. charlie had been moved from a hospital in london to a hospice where his life support equipment was withdrawn. let's have a look at the front page of this morning's papers. the daily mail leads on the death of charlie gard. it says the baby, whose battle for survival captured the hearts

around the world, lost his fight for life a week before his first birthday. a picture of charlie's dad with the baby dominates the front of the daily mirror. the paper says both of charlie's parents were at his side as his life support was switched off. the daily express reports on their fears that brexit could be delayed after the chancellor announced plans for a two—stage transition period. the daily telegraph says mps have warned that the next general election will be a "second referendum" on brexit if philip hammond gets his way on a lengthy transition. the guardian carries an interview with the mayor of london, sadiq khan, who says labour could still halt brexit. the times says thousands of children and teenagers are being paid by criminals to hide or launder stolen money in their bank accounts. the i claims there's been a cover—up on the high speed 2 rail project. it says the department for transport has censored a report

on a billion—pound scheme amid fears over rising costs and big delays. on the billion—pound scheme amid fears over rising costs and big delays. and the sun leads on the death of charlie gard. it says his devastated mum announced that "our beautiful little boy has gone". now on bbc news, in venezuela, daily protests against president maduro‘s government have resulted in scores of deaths. inflation, malnutrition and even starvation are on the rise. the bbc has spoken to activists who say the government is using torture and imprisonment without trial against those who oppose it — a claim the government denies. protests have been held against a vote to elect an assembly to change the constitution, which opposition parties say could create a dictatorship. for our world, vladimir hernandez reports from caracas. his film includes images and descriptions of violence. welcome to venezuela. once the richestjewel in latin america, it is now a country drowning in political and economic chaos. a state with the largest oil reserves in the world is now so impoverished that it cannot feed its own people. translation: even if

i die, it's worth it. how long is this going to go on for? we are a hungry country. as his people rage, president nicolas maduro‘s grip on power has grown increasingly desperate. all opposition is being systematically crushed. it is feared a new constitution will extinguish democracy and establish a dictatorship. as the battle for venezuelan democracy reaches boiling point, the bbc has heard disturbing allegations of state torture against demonstrators. several officers there are told us, "we are going to give you the shock treatment." for venezuela ns, long accustomed to economic hardship, the assault on their democracy is proving the final straw.

i have been to caracas, to meet resistance to the reforms of nicolas maduro and find out what future lies in store for this troubled country. if you want to find out who is behind a demonstration, head to a university. this is uceve, the largest university in venezuela. i was a student here myself. in my day, we were protesting against a rise in the bus fare. today, it is a rather more desperate story. in a quiet room on the campus, i meet four young protesters. they have disguised their identities

and we have changed their voices to protect them. the way i see it, the resistance is everybody who is against a regime. many people see it as a dictatorship. at the moment, they are even trying to change our constitution. i think the resistance is those people who come out to protest and are willing to take the lead to confront the police or the national guard. it's not like there is this little group of resistance over here, and a group of normal people over there. no. we are all the resistance, and we are all against what is happening. some have labelled us as terrorists, but i think that all of us youth who make up the resistance are brave fighters, defending our people from the government's brutal repression. the students are known as escuderos, or shield bearers. young men and women like them see their role in the resistance

as protecting the ordinary people who demonstrate every day from the national guard. we are going to meet a resistance group at las mercedes, and then we moved to the place where it normally kicks off. every protest march is accompanied by the escuderos and when the people move into stop the march, the escuderos will move in and confront them. they never allow us to make it as far as where the march is meant to end — they use the excuse that we will destroy the whole city. our role is also to secure ground. because just as the police and national guard are trying to push us back, we also have to seize our chances to advance. myjob is to pick up any falling helmets or gloves, to retrieve them and give them back to the boys, or to be looking out for them, or collecting the stones, or whatever. it is notjust a matter of marching

forward and that's it. it's really about everyone's duty. there is a naivete about some of their actions, but it is clear that they are brave. most of the dozens who have died in this wave of protest are those at the front. but there is a little resentment that they have been allotted this role in venezuela's struggle for democracy at such a young age. it shouldn't be just up to us to get out there representing thirtysomethings or fortysomethings. i mean, they have to come out as well. i think we suffer the worst of the government's decisions and that's why we haven't any choice if we want to gain our independence to move forward and make a life for ourselves. what i've noticed in most of the marchers, most of those at the front are really, really young kids, to be honest. i don't think they should be there. you are supposed to fight for your children's future.

you should not get your children to fight for your future, right? it wasn't meant to be like this. by the time maduro came to power in 2013, the bolivian revolution, begun by his charismatic predecessor, hugo chavez, was spluttering badly. price controls and the state seizure of industry had apparently failed. when the oil price fell, venezuela's extravagant spending didn't stop. the country found itself borrowing heavily and increasingly reliant on imports of food and medicine. in the last four years, the economy has shrunk by a third. the imf estimates that inflation is running at over 700%, the highest in the world. the people began to go hungry. three out of four venezuelans lost an average of 18lb in weight last year. corruption, say critics, helps the regime to stay in power.

by controlling foreign exchange, the government decides who prospers. the army are kept onside by being given charge of the most critical imports. the media is muzzled. in march, maduro's supreme court declared the opposition led national assembly to be illegitimate. days of daily demonstrations and violent clashes with the security forces followed. over 100 have died, and thousands more have been arrested. then, in may, president maduro declared that a new constitution would be drawn up. the government wanted to rewrite the rules of the game, and no—one was asked if this was what they wanted. it's hard to get the government to talk to the media but the minister in charge of food distribution — a keyjob in today's venezuela — did agree to talk to me.

in the chavista worldview, there is a familiar bogeyman. it's hard to say who represents the opposition in venezuela. but no—one would argue against former presidential candidate maria corina machado. disbarred from politics by ruling party legislators, she remains a political force and is keen to be seen with protesters. but maria corina machado thinks there is far more to the resistance than violent protests. there is a word going around calling the opposition ‘the resistance.‘ what is the resistance for you? you don't have to look far to find who she is talking about.

street kids like these appear at every demonstration. their enthusiasm to take on the security forces, whilst brave, places them in real danger. their motivation often stems from a profound sense of injustice. translation: three days ago, they nicked me, they tortured me, they asked me who was paying me. it's a lie. nobody gives us money — we come out because we want a better future, we want a better future for venezuela. they split my head, they hit me in the body, they grabbed me, they told me they were going to rape me, they said they were going to kill me. fuelled by their grievances, some of these young protesters take considerable risks. this is one of the most controversial aspects of the so—called resistance — small pockets of demonstrators

at the end of the protest come to places like this, a military base, and try to attack it. in there, they're already scuffles, with some people telling them, "don't do it, you're valuable, you're a young life, don't lose it." because over there, the national guard is already waiting for them. one person trying to cool the hot heads of the protests is a senior citizen now known as senora de la tanqueta, or ‘tank lady'. she rose to fame in april by refusing to move out of the way of a small tank. she was taken to prison and interrogated before being released.

the experience has not put her off going to the demonstrations. the stakes are certainly high for both sides, and the regime is defiant. this residential block in caracas is called los verdes, the greens. it has been a focal point

of vociferous anti—government protest since april. neighbours here set up barricades on irregular basis and clashes with the police and national guard are frequent. one evening, the government said, another was enough. margarita, her husband and her cousin who lives in the apartment, were petrified. although her husband and her cousin were released,

the intrusion into their home has badly affected the family. but not all members of the tower block were so fortunate. when she heard the police begin their assault, camila and some friends went to hide in a neighbour's apartment. translation: when he opened the door of the wardrobe, the man who grabbed me, he did it by the hair, he lifted me and threw me onto the bed, and then they beat the boys in the head. they really beat up the boys horribly. even though she told police she was pregnant, they took no notice. translation: we were lying facedown on the floor, then they told us to take out their shoelaces.

then they kicked me about ten times. in the burn, in the legs... they also beat the rest of the girls. they kept on beating us, even when they took us out of the apartment. they told someone, come on, i'm going to kill you, right here, right now. why did they take me? because this is a dictatorship and they nicked whoever they want to, whether you are doing anything or not. camila taken to some of the worst prisons in caracas, before eventually being released. simon was not so lucky, he was arrested at a demonstration, accused of being a member of an opposition political party. translation: they grabbed me from behind, 18, 20 cops that came down on me, while they were kicking and hitting me, they put me on a bike and took me to the headquarters of the intelligence agency.

originally designed as the futuristic shopping centre, today, the helicoide is a place whose name makes even the hardened shudder. held in an overcrowded cell for over two months, simon witnessed prisoners returning from interrogation, with tell—tale signs of having been tortured. translation: one got back, you could tell he was frightened, he couldn't stand up straight and you could see the burn marks on his ears. and the other guy, you could see his black eye, it was all bruised, so you could see they have given him shocks. later on, several offices there told us, we are going to give you the shock treatment, and we're going to grab those two and soak them, keep them soaked all night long. simon was beaten but not tortured, he could not get

out of the helicoide. even though he received a release orderfrom a judge, intelligence agency officials ignored it and he was only released over one month later. today, he is still trying to get back on his feet. translation: at night i'm very anxious, any little sound makes me jumpy, ifeel like i don't know what is going to happen. i'm still worried that any time, they will come and knock on my door and take me back there. farfrom being intimidated, the opposition are growing in strength. whilst we were filming, with maria corina machado, and its ordinary defection from a chavista loyalist. this is the attorney general of venezuela, now playing a key role in the crisis. the maduro regime was not impressed. despite the government's denials, the attorney general has claimed that the security forces

are using unauthorised firearms. what is clear is that many protesters have been killed and severely injured by the reckless use of riot control munitions. many in the opposition believe that behind the bluster, the end game is being played out. a recent unofficial plebiscite showed 7 million voters were against president maduro, as many as had elected him in 2013. do you think we are in the final days of chavism as a proposition in politics? the president sees a very different future for the opposition in venezuela. whilst the politicians fight it out,

the students of uceve continue their own perilous resistance. translation: i don't mind giving up my life out there in the streets if it is for a good cause. i believe i would prefer to die than live in this way. i will never be able to achieve my attentional as a person here, because the government isn't letting me. translation: i'm scared of dying, i'm scared of seeing someone getting killed, to be near them when it happens. after all, we are supposed to be fighting for the safe of living in a better venezuela. translation: when you're standing behind a shield

and they fire at you, the impact deafens you. it leaves your ears ringing. there's always the risk that by trying to see what is going on a ahead of you, that a pellet can get through the shields and hit you in your eye. that's your eye gone. or it could kill you. translation: i always think that maybe one day, my luck will run out. and i think about those boys who didn't make it back home. every time i get home from the protests, i tell myself that it a gift. because many of my mates didn't make it back. they may be dead, or under arrest. this is a country that has seen many of its youngest people killed, injured, or arrested. people like these are commemorating the lives lost in this wave of political unrest.

this is very much an open wound, and the consequences are far from known, regardless of who is going to run this nation. the government now plans to convene a new assembly, to rewrite venezuela's constitution. it's a future that many in the country are dreading. hello there. good morning. generally speaking, the weather's been unsettled in recent days. that was certainly the case yesterday with frequent showers in scotland and northern ireland. this was taken by one of our weather watchers in the highlands. this is clearing through the east in the early hours of his morning. we keep showers into western scotland and northern ireland.

in between the two, dry weather. temperatures down to 15—16 degrees further south. the morning, showers around in scotland. mainly in the west of scotland. the north of northern ireland. the further south you are, largely dry. one or two showers into the morning in northern england. some good spells of sunshine. a lovely start to the day for much of wales. one or two showers here. for the south—west of england, thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain. through the english channel, a lot of cloud and rain will never be too far away. this weather front may drift back in. so after a decent start to the day at the oval, you may well see the odd afternoon shower. some rain is more likely at the end of the day as the weather front makes its way back into the southern counties. ahead of that, the north of wales, much of northern england, the midlands, a decent afternoon. showers continuing in scotland and northern ireland.

there's the rain pushing into the london area and beyond into the afternoon. it might get into the low 20s in the south—eastern corner. maybe 20 degrees in newcastle and aberdeen. in glasgow, the upper teens at best. the rain moves eastwards. getting out into the north sea by early sunday. that is this weather front moving away from the uk. low pressure is still in charge on sunday, keeping things unsettled, particularly in the north and west. that's where showers will be early on. rumbles of thunder to go with that. after a bright start in eastern areas, increasing cloud. showers few and far between in the south—eastern corner. but some heavy showers elsewhere. good news for the ridelondon long leg down to surrey and back. don't rule out the odd shower. a breeze from the south and west. low pressure still in charge on monday.

it's centred to the north—west of the uk. that's where we will see most of the showers on monday. a bit of rain at times. these are the temperatures. the further south and east you go, the showers are fewer welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is reged ahmad. our top stories: a shake—up at the top of the white house — donald trump replaces his chief of staff reince priebus with the current homeland security secretary, john kelly. after north korea test—fires a second intercontinental ballistic missile, south korea says it will take measures of its own to tackle the threat. charlie gard, the terminally ill british baby at the centre of an international row over his treatment, has passed away. and remembering the fallen of world war i — commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the battle of passchendaele.