Hello, this is David Ostin with the BBC news. Commemorations are being held to mark 100th anniversary of the battle of the Somme. It was one of the bloodiest of the
first world war, with more than 1 million casualties over the course of the five-month offensive. Almost twenty thousand British soldiers died on the first day alone.
From the Somme Valley, here is Lucy Williamson. People are gathering here today, leaders of the nations who fought in that war on both sides, ordinary people,
descendants of those who fought in the war because this of course is symbolic of so much, symbolic of a loss of innocents, a loss of men. In some ways, the failure of
planning, a fast learning curve, really fool the ally troops at that stage in the war. The international athletics federation has approved the bid by the Russian
whistle blower Julia Stepanova to compete as a neutral athlete in next month Olympic Games in Rio. More from our sports news reporter Alex Capstic. Russia is currently
banned by IAAF from attending international competitions, but individuals can apply to compete as neutral athletes.
Julia Stepanova is the first to be accepted. It was her and her husband's evidence which helped reveal the scale of the country's systematic doping program. Before the
scandal, she was one of the world's best 800-meter runners. Fearing her safety, she fled Russia, and now lives with her family at a secret location in North America.
The decision is unlikely to go down well in Russia while leading officials have previously said they would object her selection.
At least six people have been killed in Kenya in a gun attack near the border with Somalia. Reports say suspected al-Shabab, militants opened fire on two buses near
the town in Mandera county.
One of Myanmar's most famous Buddhist monks has been released unexpectedly from prison. Jona Fisher reports. Back in 2007, Gambira helped organize the monks uprising against Myanmar's military rulers. He made powerful enemies, and when Gambira returned to exile last year, he stopped being a monk, and he was arrested, charged with immigration offenses, and given a six-month jail sentence. As the end of the sentence approached this week, fresh charges were laid. His supporters were outraged. Having been tortured during a previous spell in prison, Gambira suffered from serious mental health problems. Gambira’s release comes after his case was reviewed at the request of Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Police in Bangladesh said a Hindu priest has been hacked to death, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities and secular writers by suspected Islamic
militants. An official said the priest was preparing for morning prayers in a temple in the southwestern district when three men who came on a motorcycle attacked him
with machetes, and then fled away. The motive behind the killing is not clear. World news from BBC.
Officials in India have marked the induction of the country's first domestic designed and manufactured fighter jet, the Tejas. The India prime minster Narendra Modi
said the event filled hearts with unparalleled pride and happiness. The Tejas, which means radiant, was first conceived more than thirty years ago, but its development
was delayed partly by technical problems. Taiwan's navy says it's mistakenly fired supersonic anti-ship missile killing one Taiwanese fisherman and injuring three
others. The missile was fired towards Taiwan's political rival, Mainland China, during a military base's inspection. It traveled about 75 km towards China before
landing in a fishing boat in the waters of the Taiwan Strait. An Indian official has resigned after being widely criticized for taking selfies with an alleged victim
of a gang rape. Somya Gurjar a member of Rajasthan Women’s Commission said she took the pictures at the woman's request. More from Jill Gemeron. The pictures showed Miss Gurjar smiling, she holds up a tablet computer, and takes a photograph herself with the alleged rape victim. The images are uploaded to social media sites, and circulated rapidly. Somya Gurjar was criticized both for being insensitive and for violating the women’s right of anonymity. She said she did nothing wrong. The alleged victim has gone to the police, saying she was raped by her husband and two of his relatives, and tattooed with the explitives because they were angry that she
hasn’t provided a large dowry. The incident has sparked debate about the use of social media by India officials and politicians.Jill Gemeronreporting.
Britain's home secretary Theresa May has won the backing of more of her cabinet colleagues in the race to become the leader of the governing conservative party and the next prime minister. She is supported by more than 70 members of the parliament and now is seen as the favorite in the contest. Mrs. May's chief rival is Michael Golf. That’s the latest, BBC news.