this is bbc news, the headlines at 2pm: spain's king and queen attend a special mass in barcelona to honour those killed in the catalonia attacks. police say they do not know the man suspected of driving the van used in the attack in las ramblas is ill in spain. the catalonian police say investigators have identified two people from remains found in a house which expired on wednesday night in alcanar. fraudsters aiming to scam people out their pension could soon face fines of up to £500,000, as the government moves to tighten restrictions on cold callers. iraqi forces have begun an offensive to retake tal afar, the last major city in the country to be held by so—called islamic state. 500 people are thought to be dead after floods across south asia. the red cross say five million people have been affected in bangladesh alone.

and around the world in much more than 80 days — 12 racing yachts set sail from liverpool on their 40,000 mile round the world trip in the clipper world yacht race. and coming up, a look back at some of this summers blockbuster films, that's in talking movies at 2:30. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. police in spain investigating the terror attacks that claimed 1a lives have said they've seized more than 120 gas canisters which the extremists had planned to use as bombs. they were found at a house where an explosion took place the day before a van drove into crowds on las ramblas in barcelona. the father of two of the attackers

has told the bbc he blames the imam at their local mosque for their radicalisation. 0ur correspondent wyre davies reports from the town of rippol, where most of the men had been living. the mountain town of rippol, were eight of those involved with the attacks in barcelona came from. in this town ofjust 10,000 people, investigators are asking if this man, abdelbaki es satty, imam of the local mosque, was involved in directing those attacks. one theory being looked into is that the imam was killed in an explosion which destroyed a bomb factory in the town of alcanar last wednesday, prompting others to carry out the attacks in barcelona. today, police said they found 120 gas canisters at the destroyed house, which they think may have been intended to make a massive bomb. the focus of this investigation is now very much on the imam, abdelbaki es satty.

all that's left here is his small koran and his empty bedroom. according to people at the mosque, he left two months ago to go an extended journey to morocco. but we know from his flatmate here and others in the town that he left as recently as last tuesday, very suddenly. all is left here it a small car around and is a small, round and his empty bedroom. this morning i spoke to hecham igasi, the devastated father of two of the attackers, mohamed and 0mar hychami. he blames the imam for radicalising his sons and the others. translation: i've lost my two sons. i can't forgive them for what they've done, but they've left me and their mother with nothing. what happened to my boys, mohamed and omar? police across the region

are still hunting for the main suspect, younes abouyaaqoub, who is thought to have driven the van that killed so many people in barcelona. this morning, the king and queen of spain lead a mass in barcelona's famous sagrada familia cathedral. in this often divided country, people are trying to come together to run of those killed in catalonia and to support the injured. 0ur correspondent, gavin lee, is in barcelona with the latest. the crowds keep coming to las ramblas as well to pay their respects and defy the terrorists. but also particular focus on the victims of the attacks in barcelona? mr thrombus, they have close off the

road to traffic,, people only having special transport coming down here. about two hours ago, the sagrada familia church in barcelona, the king and kim were here, as well as the prime minister. thousands watching, many insiders well. there was a message of hope that they were remembering the 13 victims here, the one vitamin cambrils, further south, where there was another attack in the early hours of friday. results of the investigation, in the last half an hour, police had been giving more details. alcanar, where the explosion happens, this is where two people were killed, they believe two suspects were testing bomb making equipment, it exploded, and they

we re equipment, it exploded, and they were thrust into carrying out a rapid attack year the next day. they are investigating further in alcanar, this conspiracy involved 12 people, four them have been arrested, five have been arrested, two others have killed themselves accidentally, testing the bombs, and we also have this one person, younes abouyaaqoub, 22 years old, on the run, he's connected. but police are saying they have identified the driver here unless rambus who drove the van, but they are not confirming at the moment it was younes abouyaaqoub. they're saying they cannot confirm, i believe they will only confirm it when they've found him. a lot of talk on social media, particularly in spain, about how organised these attacks seem to be, how much worse it could have been if it hasn't gone wrong for these

jihadists. that must be increasing concerns among tourists behind you, locals, but also the authorities. could there be more to come, could there be other cells pass you'd think so, wouldn't you? look at this, this whole scene, lots of posters in the windows saying that las ramblas is crying, but networks go away. thousands of people ran from las ramblas into catalonia square because irani. but it could have been worse. the ahead of the catalonian police department said what they were planning, they had rented three vehicles and were going to put bottles of propane and butane gas into these vehicles to target three areas. because they were rushed into this, it didn't come off. it could have been worse. they believe they have now effectively neutralised b—cell and they are not

capable of a bigger attack, but they need to find this one person involved in the manhunt. are using any increase security where you are today? yes. this iconic church, we have prime minister is from other countries here, lots of tourists, there are other personnel around the church, but this place is still on level four briefing, the second—highest for a terrorist threat. there are police on the streets, but not shoulders. that is because the other distancing they believe there is one person to find and in terms of a threat, it is manageable. they have more of an idea of what is going on now that the investigation has been going for three days. thank you forjoining us, it is really great to see so many people turning out on last rambus define the very fair that terrorism brings

to us. finland has observed a minute's silence this morning for the victims of a stabbing attack in the city of turku, in which two women were killed and eight injured. investigators are treating it as the country's first terror attack. one of those injured, a british paramedic, hassan zubier — has described to the bbc how he tried in vain to save the life of one of the victims. irun i run after him for a couple of metres cold voice he ran away for a couple of metres, showed a knife. he didn't say anything. then he ran away. i look back at the girl and saw her injuries. so i ran immediately, straight to her. tried to stop the blood. i tried to save her life. companies selling and arranging pension plans are to be banned

from making unsolicited phone calls, and sending emails and text messages to prospective customers. the government says it's trying to tackle pension scams after fraudsters tricked elderly savers out of nearly five—million pounds in the first five months of this year. here's our business correspondent, joe lynam. chas drew lives in the forest of dean. he invested his retirement savings into a fund which did not deliver what was promised. the company has gone bust and he does not know how much of his money he will ever get back. pretty sick. i don't think i'm stupid and yet you think, how could you have been sucked in? rather than having a pension that i knew i could rely on, i have a zero pension right now. what i am doing is managing to cash in one of the investments, the smaller one, but in little bits, which is giving me an income. since the restrictions on how we invest our pension savings

were lifted three years ago, allowing people to spend their savings as they wished, 3,000 people have been defrauded by an average of £15,000, much of that arose from cold calls from bogus companies. £113 million worth of pensioners' funds were scammed since april 2014. that's a significant problem. it's preying on your parents, my parents, on the elderly and vulnerable, and we want to stop it. what the government wants to do is make it illegalfor companies to call you up cold to talk about pensions without prior permission. and even if you do give the permission, it needs to be with an established company with regular, up—to—date accounts, so you cannot transfer money to a bogus entity. but this ban on cold calls cannot and will not apply to foreign companies. age uk welcomes the clamp—down on cold calls, but says the public should remain vigilant. their message is — if in doubt, hang up. the prime minister of bangladesh,

sheikh hasina, is visiting the northern part of the country to assess damage caused by the worst flooding in almost 30 years. floods in nepal, bangladesh and india are thought to have killed about 500 people and are expected to worsen. according to the red cross, in bangladesh alone five million people have been affected, with over 300,000 displaced. from there, sanjoy majumder reports. flooding on a scale that bangladesh has not seen in decades. water where once roads existed, entire villages washed away. people trying to salvage what little can be retrieved. in this case, a mattress floating in the water. when you have nothing left, every little possession is invaluable. this used to be nur hussein's home. he tells me how the water rose without warning at night, swirling through his house.

translation: i saved my brother and his wife and came back to get some clothes and blankets, but by then it was too late for me to get away. i had to spend the night on a tree. there's now a sense of desperation among the survivors. aid workers bringing supplies of fresh water are soon surrounded, but there is simply not enough to go around, leaving behind angry and frustrated villagers. those who were lucky enough to escape have ended up in relief camps. this one is built on a narrow embankment surrounded by water. there are 2,000 people living here along with cattle and the problem is, with most of their homes washed away, they are going to be here a while. with so much water around and people squeezed into every inch of dry land, there's now a fear that disease from contaminated water could spread rapidly among the survivors. the headlines on bbc news:

spain's king and queen attend special mass in barcelona to honour those killed in the catalonia attacks. police say they don't know if the man suspected of driving the van used in the attack in las ramblas is still in spain. police say investigators have identified two people from the remains found in a house which exploded on wednesday night in alcanar. fraudsters aiming to scam people out their pension could soon face fines of up to half a million pounds, as the government introduces new measures to tackle cold callers. the iraqi army has begun an offensive to retake tal afar — the last major city in the country held by so—called islamic state. the iraqi prime minister, haider al—abadi, said the militants

had no choice other than to leave or be killed. sarah corker reports. iraqi armed units head for the city of tal afar, 80 kilometres west of mosul. troops have the area surrounded and for several days, warplanes bombed is positions. so—called islamic state has held it since 2014. in a televised speech, the iraqi prime minister announced the start of the ground offensive to retake the city. translation: i told them to either surrender or die. as we promised before, we promise now, we will continue the liberation process. it's five weeks since the iraqi government declared victory in mosul, iraq's second city, after a fierce nine—month battle. around 2,000 is militants are thought to remain in tal afar. thousands of civilians have fled under the cover of darkness for weeks now.

it's not known how many remain. translation: if they had caught us, they would've given us a bullet to the head. thank god we fled. the situation over there is dire. they have no food, water anything to drink. the un has warned of a new wave of displaced civilians with fighting intensifying, and if the iraqi troops succeed in liberating tal afar, it will be a severe blow to the is presence in iraq. 0ur correspondent rami ruhayem is following the story from beirut. any latest word on the defence of this last wrong hold of islamic state ? this last wrong hold of islamic state? if mosul is anything to go by, they don't give up easily? usually not. some iraqi officials

have suggested that now they have been losing so much territory and a rock and syria, they are demoralised at this stage. but, again, it is ha rd to at this stage. but, again, it is hard to tell at this stage, and they are not for giving up easily. 0n the contrary, they are for fighting to the bitter end. ideological driven, zealous fighters who usually do fight, even if they sense that the battle has very little scope for victory. they are surrounded, they have been under siege for at least three months. there appears to be nowhere left for them to go. but, at the same time, the iraqi army and several actions which are fighting alongside the army has not this time given any timetable for the end of the battle, perhaps because they realise that this kind of thing is going to be very unpredictable and it will depend on what kind of fight the remaining fighters put up before they give up. how much concern is

there? what do we know about this ovarian population there? we have a report this weekend showing the devastation to the lives in mosul. is it the same in tal afar? probably. it will be similar. we are talking about a city that has been under is rule for three years. and also under aerial bombardment from the us—led coalition, from the iraqi army, so this is a place that has been at warfor quite army, so this is a place that has been at war for quite some time. tal afa r been at war for quite some time. tal afar as well as mosul had been at war since before the rise of is in its present form, these are areas that saw a lot of conflict in the aftermath of the us invasion of iraq in 2003. more likely than not, we will see a lot of devastation and

suffering in the wake of this battle, however it ends. thanks for that update. when i speak to another guest for some more strategic insight into what we're talking about. matthew glanville is a former adviser to the american military in iraq and afghanistan. hejoins me from lincolnshire via webcam. just how important is this city in the war against so—called islamic state ? the war against so—called islamic state? it's importance because it is the biggest city, now that mosul has fallen, that islamic state still controls in iraq. also, before the city was surrounded, it enabled islamic state to operate across the syrian border. we should be careful with tal afar, it's not the final city that is controls in iraq, they still control another city on the syrian border, to the south of tal afar. this is something i know a lot

of people are left wondering, why is is so difficult to find? why do these battles go on for so long with so these battles go on for so long with so much destruction, when you have an iraqi army, trained by the american and british military, with the back—up of the coalition over the back—up of the coalition over the years as well, however become so well armed and trained themselves? they are drawing on experiences of fighting in urban areas in iraq echo right back to 2003 and the civil war and insurgency against the us and uk forces. they are using tactics and tricks, the use of suicide bombers, the use of civilian populace into hiding. they have 15 years of experience, and much of islamic state's cine militants draw on tactics and troops who were originally iraqi regular army

soldiers. from that point of view, you are drawing on military experience that goes right back to the wrong/iraq wall. the difficulty the wrong/iraq wall. the difficulty the coalition forces as they are trying to reduce casualties, fighting an enemy who actively pursues civilian casualties. russell has been devastated, and if mosul hadn't been devastated, there's a chance would been even more civilian casualties and casualties on the side of the iraqi army. how effective do you think the iraqi army now appears to be, critically on the grounds, after years of training? 0nly going to be able to handle is or anything like it re—emerging again? handle is or anything like it re-emerging again? that's a good question. i think the key question is as much political as it is military, in the sense that islamic state was able to come to power because it played on tensions at a governmental level, and the iraqi

army wasn't necessarily defeated, it just chose not to fight because of the desire relationships between the two populations in iraq. from a technical point of view, the iraqi army is cable, but what makes it difficult to be effective is the politics around it. thanks was speaking to us. the north norfolk town of cromer was reportedly in "lockdown" last night as disorder forced pubs and bars in the resort to shut. norfolk police said extra officers were on patrol "to provide reassurance to the local community". some comments on social media have linked the disorder to the arrival of travellers in the area, although this has not been confirmed by police. a co—owner of the wellington pub in cromer spoke to us earlier and told us what happened there. to be fair, we haven't had any

trouble actually in the pub, but they did turn up yesterday, they we re they did turn up yesterday, they were rather rowdy. there was about 16 of them. after a few hours, the number rose to about 30. obviously, as you can imagine, when you have a massive group like that, it can be very intimidating. when they were asked to leave, they tried to grab my manager across the bar. as told him they had to give him some money to leave. that's when we decided we'd call the police. the police turned up, and we decided we would just shut the doors completely. more on that story as it comes in throughout the day. in the last hour the clipper round the world yacht race has set off from albert dock in liverpool. 12 teams will spend a year sailing the globe in a 40,000 nautical mile race, featuring 700 participants over eight stages. the first leg of the race is a 35 day voyage across the atlantic to uruguay. 0ur correspondent andy gill was at the docks as the teams prepared to set sail.

about 40% of the people on the crews have never done any ocean sailing bevel. 0f have never done any ocean sailing bevel. of course, they have been trained. whitney is the founder of the race will stop why do people put themselves through this?” the race will stop why do people put themselves through this? i think there is a sense of adventure in people. they want to do something a bit different, a bit special with their lives. they want to do something and say, i'd done that, and be proud. you were the first line to sail solo, nonstop around the world. when you see them go out, do you have a hampering to think, i wa nt to do you have a hampering to think, i want to do that again? yes, because idid it want to do that again? yes, because i did it on my own. they have all this crude year, it's slightly different! i see them and think, yes, i would quite like to be going. when they go through the training, do you find that people who put

themselves forward, it do you think actually, they are not going to make its? yes, i do. it usually turns out in the first week of training. normally they would discover it for themselves, and they say, this isn't for me. there may be the odd person who you have to say to them that, best drop out now. would you think will be the most difficult thing for people who have not done it before to get used to? living in such confined space, having to give and take. the discipline of the boat vessel, the teamwork that is necessary. you can't switch channels when the weather gets nasty, you've just got to live through it. the boat vessel is your priority throughout. look after the boat vessel, you will be all right. that's something they have to get used, and that is what keep telling them. look after the vote, it will look after you. thousands of people you can see here, this is a very big day for liverpool as well, because of its maritime history? liverpool a

special like that. liverpool has a maritime personality. so when you throw an event in liverpool, people come out to watch it. you have great crowds turning up, because it is very exciting for the crews to happen sendoff. and when the crews come back, there will be different people from when they sent all, what they? almost certainly. that inner confidence that comes from taking on nature in the raw, saying i have been through that people can't believe. 80 foot waves, things like that. they can say, i'd done that. thank you very much indeed. the 12 yachts will be back in liverpool for the end of the race injuly next year. many of us dream about quitting our jobs to see the world, don't we, one couple did that 17 years ago and haven't been home since. they left

argentinian back then, and pat four children as they cross continents. they are in the uk now. a corresponding went to meet them in yorkshire. 17 years, 80 countries and four babies along the way. this family travel the world in the vintage car, relying on the generosity of people they meet. they've now arrived in north yorkshire to spend a few days with a family ona yorkshire to spend a few days with a family on a farm outside york. they say they're living the dream. everyone should follow their dreams. that is the reason why we're here on this planet. you must act in difficult times as well? very difficult times as well? very difficult times, many challenges. sometimes i wonder, 4k am i doing this? i prefer to be in my house! when they left argentina, it was just the two of them. the children we re just the two of them. the children were born in the us, argentina, canada and the youngest one arrived

in australia. the children are taught by their parents on the road. geography lessons are something special. i think if you have kids, you have the responsibility to take them to see the beautiful world we live in. that'll be the best education, to show them the world, notjust read education, to show them the world, not just read about education, to show them the world, notjust read about it or see and maybe about the world. we never hear them say, are we there yet? no, they don't know that question, because the know the world is there. so after a few days in york, they will be exploring the north of england and then scotland. that's something ofa and then scotland. that's something of a change from some of their more recent tropical destinations. would you think of the weather? it rains a lot. it rains a lot, but it is nice when it's sunny. would you think of the weather? it's like a woman, you get in one day, everything from her!

the family are trying to fund the rest of their travels with a book about their lives. at some point, they will return to their home in argentina, but for now, there is still so much of the world to explore. deliberately was any more room in that card so, did it? shame, really! it is an improving day—to—day across scotla nd it is an improving day—to—day across scotland and northern england, when we had all of the showers yesterday. but there are some changes coming in from the south—west. already starting to see those. if you have got some sunshine at the moment, enjoy it, because cloud is slowly building in the afternoon. we are seeing that in the and wales, outbreaks of rain. it's bending into north wales and eventually into northern ireland. ahead of it, for much of the country and much of the day, mainly dry with spells of sunshine. a bit coolerfurther west

with rain pushing its wake eastwards. southern england particularly overnight, beginning to weaken. some mist and fog over northern ireland overnight, but dry over scotland. a milder night than the one just over scotland. a milder night than the onejust gone. over scotland. a milder night than the one just gone. the over scotland. a milder night than the onejust gone. the band of rain stretching across central and eastern england, fizzling out but continuing across northern ireland, eventually pushing into north—west england and western parts of scotla nd england and western parts of scotland through the afternoon. elsewhere it is looking mainly dry with spells of sunshine fine to come through the cloud, and it will feel a little bit warmer.