to flee their homes. hello. i'm caitriona perry. you're very welcome. vladimir putin is in vietnam, on the final stop of his two—nation tour of asia. the russian president has landed in the capital hanoi, for the first time since 2017. aiming to deepen diplomatic ties, mr putin is meeting vietnamese delegates and business leaders. russia is vietnam's biggest supplier of military assistance. vietnam follows a neutral foreign policy it calls "bamboo "diplomacy", and has abstained from condemning russia's attack on ukraine — a stance that western countries see as favourable to the kremlin. vladimir putin arrives in vietnam from north korea, where he received a warm

reception and signed a mutual defence agreement with leader kim jong un. the pact would see russia and north korea help each other in the event of aggression against either country. north korea's leader called the agreement a "new high level "of alliance", sparking concerns in western countries. but the full details of the pact, and its consequences, remain unclear. you during those talks, kim jong un supported moscow's moscow's invasion of ukraine. in response, kyiv has called for a "more rigorous" global effort to isolate russia and north korea. the bbc�*sjean mackenzie has more on the view from ukraine. mahela pareja moeaki x10 president zelenskyyclosest advisers and has come out saying this meeting is proof north korea is now providing russia with the resources it needs to kill ukrainians. now what he is referring to is what the ukrainians but also the us, the ukrainians but also the us, the uk, south korea have been saying for some time now, which is that north korea is providing russia with vast

amounts of ammunition, which is allowing russia to continue its invasion of ukraine. ukraine has struggled throughout this war with a lack of ammunition, compared to the russians. it has really struggled over the past six months, because it didn't get those vital supplies of ammunition it needed from the united states, because that us aid bill was held up in conquest, and now it looks to russia, and it seems that russia, and it seems that russia has in north korea best part of that is willing to provide it with ammunition, and thatis provide it with ammunition, and that is concerning to the ukrainians. ukraine's foreign minister said yesterday in an interview that it was clear now that neither ukraine or russia was going to be able to continue fighting this war on its own and what this was going to come down to was which sides�*s were able and willing to provide more weapons. so the ukrainians are going to use this meeting to continue to push the west to send more weapons, but also to reiterate this message of theirs, that this message of theirs, that this is notjust a war in ukraine, this is a war that is being waged by russia against the world, and it is notjust

affecting europe it is now a fading asia, north korea and russia need to be isolated. let's discuss president putin's visits a little more now, we're joined live from seoul by duyeon kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the center for a new american security. thanks so much forjoining us on bbc news. with the north korean leader pledging to unconditionally support russia in its war in ukraine, did vladimir putin get what he came for, essentially?— for, essentially? thanks for havin: for, essentially? thanks for having me- _ for, essentially? thanks for having me. it— for, essentially? thanks for having me. it appears - for, essentially? thanks for having me. it appears that l for, essentially? thanks for l having me. it appears that he did get what he was looking for, but it is also kimjong—un that seems to have what he was looking for, and there we have not heard all the details yet. would not have accepted it. if a big deal wasn't struck between the two. the most concerning, most notable and concerning, most notable and concerning parts of this new deal is that both sides have

pledged mutual support in the event that either one has been attacked for pressure from adversaries surface. it is clear they are banded together not only on immediate need to stop arms, nuclear weapons development plans, but also banded together to push back against the united states and its democratic values and the solidarity of other like—minded countries and the liberal rules—based order. fin countries and the liberal rules-based order. on the issue of those much _ rules-based order. on the issue of those much needed - rules-based order. on the issue of those much needed arms - of those much needed arms supplies vladimir putin was looking for, is this a game changing supply chain for russia, in terms of what it needs to ukraine? i russia, in terms of what it needs to ukraine?- russia, in terms of what it needs to ukraine? i am not a russia expert _ needs to ukraine? i am not a russia expert in _ needs to ukraine? i am not a russia expert in the - needs to ukraine? i am not a russia expert in the militaryl russia expert in the military sense as well, so you would

have to ask those colleagues but i would imagine and have heard from colleagues that it helps russia in a big way. so this also helps north korea in a major way. this also helps north korea in a majorway. for this also helps north korea in a major way. for the first time, north korea, soviet union and russia have always sought more influence. now one of the biggest powers in the world has asked little north korea to help, who are fighting a major war in ukraine. inaudible. they have both expanded the playing field and are operating

on the entire world, so it is not the asian theatre or the european theatre, they are both operating this is a reality i think washington needs. this is a reality i think washinuton needs. . ~ , ., ~ washington needs. thank you. we will leave it _ washington needs. thank you. we will leave it there _ washington needs. thank you. we will leave it there at _ washington needs. thank you. we will leave it there at the _ will leave it there at the moment. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. israel's chief military spokesman says prime minister benjamin netanyahu's stated goal of eradicating hamas is unattainable. in a tv address, rear admiral daniel hagari insisted that "hamas is an ideology", and therefore can't be eliminated. he said anyone promising the total defeat of hamas is misleading the public. in response, the prime minister's office issued this statement, simply saying... "the security cabinet, chaired by prime minister

rear admiral hagari later issued a statement, saying the military is committed to those objectives. israeli troops and tanks advanced further into rafah on wednesday, the city the israeli military says is now hamas' largest stronghold in gaza. the israeli defense forces released this footage of operations they say took place monday, in which troops cleared "terrorist infrastructure". on wednesday, an israeli air strike reportedly killed 12 people who were waiting for an aid convoy near gaza's main point of entry. meanwhile, the united nations�* human rights office says israel appears to have repeatedly violated international law with its bombing of gaza. it examined six specific bomb attacks last year that hit residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market. the human rights office says the heavy weapons used cannot disitinguish between civilians and fighters, and thus their use cannot be justified.

at a meeting in geneva, un human rights chief, volker turk, said israel's bombing campaign could amount to a crime against humanity. to hear more about the current situation on the ground in gaza, i spoke to rachel cummings from save the children a little earlier. what is the situation like that at the moment? are people continuing to arrive seeking refuge there from other parts of gaza? , ., refuge there from other parts of gaza? , . ., ~', refuge there from other parts of gaza? , . ., h, of gaza? yes, great, thanks so much. of gaza? yes, great, thanks so much- yes. _ of gaza? yes, great, thanks so much- yes. i — of gaza? yes, great, thanks so much. yes, i mean _ of gaza? yes, great, thanks so much. yes, i mean yes, - much. yes, i mean yes, definitely, people are still arriving. being forced time and time again. we know since the 6th of may, when the first evacuation orders were issued in rafah, the population continues to be forced to move. there are now a million people who continue to be moving along the west of rafah in khan younis and into del ballard. in the last few days we went out

into khan younis to look for options for service provision, so to set up a new clinic in children in khan younis, and population people are now still moving and children are still very much vulnerable in this context, yes. fix, very much vulnerable in this context, yes. a grandmother in gaza told the _ context, yes. a grandmother in gaza told the bbc _ context, yes. a grandmother in gaza told the bbc today - context, yes. a grandmother in gaza told the bbc today about. gaza told the bbc today about the conditions so grandchildren are living in. she said it is like a slow death. there is no dignity. what is the situation of children like where you are? that woman is absolutely right, it is extraordinary what is being done to children and what is happening to children. children are hungry, there is not enough food for people, not enough clean water so children are getting sick, and we know that, children are dying from malnutrition when it should not be happening in gaza, so the situation is desperate and we are deeply worried of course for the mental health impact is having on a whole generation of children. schools have been

closed since the 7th of october, so there is no formal learning taking place, and as i said before, that provides protection children and a sense of normalcy for their childhood, but children are no longer able to be children in gaza, and this is having a massive impact on their mental health and physical health as well. health and physical health as well, ., ., . health and physical health as well. ., ., . , , well. so what do children spend the day doing. _ well. so what do children spend the day doing, then, _ well. so what do children spend the day doing, then, in - well. so what do children spend the day doing, then, in the - the day doing, then, in the absence of school or any kind of formal setting to go to and with their parents looking for food and shelter?— food and shelter? well, it is very difficult. _ food and shelter? well, it is very difficult. parents - food and shelter? well, it is very difficult. parents and i very difficult. parents and caregivers are having to seek food and seek any work or any employment they can, so children are taking on families for young children being expected to care for younger children or elderly relatives within the household. we had one staff member actually telling us a story where he had had to ask his son, who was nine years old, to just stay

with his grandfather the whole day. his grandfather is unwelcome his father is obviously at work, so the job of the child was then to look after the elderly grandparent, but time is that by hundreds of thousands across gaza where children are having to take on other roles, so looking after elderly relatives, but also seeking food, seeking water, seeking food, seeking water, seeking shelter as well. these are some of the roles children are some of the roles children are having to take on. children along with other partners are providing some type of child services and providing space for children to be children, but we know that is a short amount of time in their day and it is also obviously not reaching enough children. the israeli military _ reaching enough children. the israeli military has said it is going to put in place a daytime pause in certain areas to try to get humanitarian aid in. have you seen that pause in military action happening? yes, we have heard _

military action happening? yes, we have heard of _ military action happening? yes, we have heard of this _ military action happening? yes we have heard of this pause and it is from the crossing through rafah to the european hospital, i understand. now, that is a very dangerous area, which is why they are putting in this pause to allow for people and aid to move. however it is still a very dangerous area for humanitarian action and for humanitarian action and for humanitarian access to be present. so although that pause has been reported, what we need a course is a definitive ceasefire to allow for the freedom of movement of people and supplies across the whole of gaza. as the war rages in gaza, there's growing concern that a simmering conflict between israel and the islamist armed group hezbollah, which is based in neighbouring lebanon, could escalate into a bigger war. the leader of hezbollah is now warning nearby cyprus that it would be an act of war to provide any military help to israel. hassan nasrallah said cyprus would be treated as a warring party if it allows

the israeli airforce to use its bases to attack hezbollah. israel has said it is ready for a war with hezbollah. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a seven—month—old girl was mauled to death by her family's pet dog in coventry, police have confirmed. she was rushed to hospital by ambulance from the scene on shorncliffe road on sunday, but died a short time later. police said the dog was not classed as a dangerous breed and was humanely destroyed. a police officer, working in prime minister rishi sunak�*s close protection team, has been arrested, and suspended from duty, in connection with bets allegedly placed on the timing of the general election. the metropolitan police said they were contacted by the gambling commission last friday. the officer has been bailed, pending further enquiries. wiltshire police confirmed two people were arrested on suspicion of damaging the prehistoric stonehenge monument. campaigners withjust stop oil,

which protests agains the use of fossil fuels, sprayed powder paint on the landmark. the group said the orange powder paint was cornflour and that it will "wash away with rain". the protest came a day before the summer solstice at the ancient site. the prime minister condemned it as a "disgraceful "act of vandalism". you're live with bbc news. millions of people across the globe are facing extreme heat and dangerous weather this week, from the middle east and asia to north america. heat—related deaths and overwhelmed power grids have been reported worldwide. our reporter laura moss has this report: a scorching early summer in greece. parts of the world are well in the grips of a heatwave. scientists say many

extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. it is onlyjune but we're already seeing some pretty extreme weather. temperatures are unexpectedly high in parts of the us, in canada, in northern india, and in parts of europe, like greece. in the us, more than 70 million people are under heat alerts, with temperatures as high as 41 celsius forecast in some areas. it's a similar story in canada, with temperatures as high as 35 celsius in southern and central areas. soaring temperatures in northern india have pushed power demand to a record high, the government said on tuesday, and in parts of europe, the early heatwave in greece has led to a spate of disappearances and deaths of tourists, highlighting the dangers of heat exposure. we've heard about the recent deaths of people going out walking in the heat,

and, you know, it's tragic, it's incredibly sad, but it's not sensible to go out walking alone in the heat. i'm quite adventurous, so i do like to go out off the beaten track, but if i do, i'll go with someone that's from the island. in saudi arabia, during the annual muslim pilgrimage to mecca, at least 22 people have died, with some media reports estimating the death toll could be much higher, in heat of almost 52 degrees celsius. experts say climate change is altering the seasons. heatwaves will occur earlier in a season and we will also see sort of more intense rainfall in periods where it would be traditionally drier. so, massive weather systems, like monsoon seasons, they are either occurring later, and then when they do arrive, they are more intense, so you will have a very dry period, followed by really intense rainfall, causing flooding. there are concerns in paris that a heatwave next month could impact athletes at the olympics.

as for the uk, it's been unseasonably chilly forjune, but temperatures are set to slowly creep up, with hopes for a british summer at last. lauren moss, bbc news. as we heard from laura, here in the us, much of the country is sweltering under an unforgiving heatwave. it's made for dangerous fire conditions. the us national interagency fire center says there are 17 out of control large fires across nearly 150,000 acres nationwide, in states including california, new mexico, and arizona. our will grant has more from gorman, in southern california. in this particular part of southern california there is a little bit of positive news. there is around a dozen what they call significant fires currently in place. there has been however an improvement in humidity and a drop in the winds. both of those factors, firefighters tell me, has

really helped matters here. this particular area where i am standing in you can see the fire came storming through here but they were able to get retardants down in one area, which made a break in the fire. it is over the ridge of those sales and further on, it is still in play but they are largely confident they have this kind of area under control. now that is not to say the entire situation in the state is under control, anything farfrom it really. there's still a lot of work to do to get the of those major fires properly under control. the blaze is threatening the livelihoods particularly, not lives, that is one of the other positive things. we have obviously seen in new mexico there are very, very shocking pictures coming out of a resort town there, where the entire town there, where the entire town essentially had to evacuate and one person lost their life there. currently hear things are much calmer than that, and that is the

cause for some cautious optimism at this stage. let's turn to some important news around the world. at least ten people have died in landslides in south—eastern bangladesh, triggered by heavy monsoon rains. most were rohingya refugees form myanmar living in crowded camps in cox's bazar. more than one million people live in those camps, mostly in shacks made of bamboo and plastic sheets. the heavy rain is expected to continue for several days. members of the united states congress met with the dalai lama in india on wendesday, despite warnings from beijing to refrain from any form of contact. the bipartisan trip comes as president biden is expected to sign legislation that seeks to resume negotioations between beijing and tibetan leaders that have been stalled since 2010. louisiana is now the first us state to order every public school classroom to display a poster of the bible's ten commandments. the civil rights group aclu says they plan to sue the state over the new law.

in south africa, president cyril ramaphosa is promising the "beginning of a new era" after being sworn in for a second term. the inauguration ceremony in pretoria was attended by at least 18 foreign heads of state, and included a 21—gun salute and fly—past by army helicopters. it follows elections, in which the governing african national congress — the party of nelson mandela — lost its majority for the first time in decades. they've now entered into coalition with a traditional rival. the outcome of the election was described as one of the biggest political shifts in the country since the end of apartheid. here's our africa correspondent barbara plett usher. in his inaugural address, mr ramaphosa said a lot of south africa was at stake. that is because for the first time the anc is having to share power what it was the national unity government and its main partner is an ideological and political

opponent, the democratic alliance party. it is also because it is crucial for this government to reverse the decline in south africa's economy, to basically get the economy, to basically get the economy working again for people, which it hasn't been, thatis people, which it hasn't been, that is why the anc lost so many votes, and it is because society is deeply unequal and highly polarised. as of the words of mr rampeta. —— the words of mr rampeta. —— the words of mr rampeta. —— the words of cyril ramaphosa. so the next step is for mr ramaphosa to choose his cabinet and then to announce his detailed policy proposals and then for this coalition to govern in a way that delivers for the people. the war in ukraine has many far—reaching effects — but one of the more unexpected has been for people hoping to have babies through commercial surrogacy. the country used to be the go—to destination in europe, but now, it's nearby georgia, where numbers are soaring. agencies there are recruiting women from across central asia to meet the rising demand for surrogate mothers — leading to concerns

about exploitation. the bbc russia's maria jevstafjeva reports from tbilisi. three—year—old harrison and madison have come to meet their new baby brothers. the sets of twins were born here in tbilisi, georgia. british couple turned to commercial surrogacy after five years of failed ivf treatment. it was a lot more affordable for us to go to georgia, the level of paperwork. wejust go to georgia, the level of paperwork. we just couldn't thank georgia for giving us an opportunity of this magnitude to be able to create life, and i am you know, i wasn't able to do that myself.— i am you know, i wasn't able to do that myself. joanna and paul used a georgian _ do that myself. joanna and paul used a georgian surrogate. - used a georgian surrogate. georgia is now the go to country in europe for many couples. it used to be ukraine but the war there has led to many parents making the switch. but with georgia's population less than a 10th of ukraine's,

shortage of local mothers means agencies are choosing to recruit some women from central asia. 2600 kilometres away in kazakhstan, we meet alena. she has asked us not to use her real name but has allowed us to follow her on herjourney to become a surrogate mother. she is undergoing a test to see if she can become a surrogate for a global agency. i she can become a surrogate for a global agency-— a global agency. i have a few reasons for _ a global agency. i have a few reasons for this. _ a global agency. i have a few reasons for this. i _ a global agency. i have a few reasons for this. i need - a global agency. i have a few i reasons for this. i need money, i need the best for my children.— i need the best for my children. ,, ., children. like eight of the nine surrogates _ children. like eight of the nine surrogates we - children. like eight of the nine surrogates we spoke j children. like eight of the . nine surrogates we spoke to, the 37—year—old is a single mum. the 37-year-old is a single mum. , , , , mum. everything is expensive, exoensive _ mum. everything is expensive, exoensive is — mum. everything is expensive, expensive is food, _ mum. everything is expensive, expensive is food, expensive i mum. everything is expensive, j expensive is food, expensive is our flat. expensive is food, expensive is ourflat. fist expensive is food, expensive is our flat. �* ., ., our flat. at a local refuge for sinale our flat. at a local refuge for single mothers _ our flat. at a local refuge for single mothers like - our flat. at a local refuge for single mothers like this, - our flat. at a local refuge for l single mothers like this, many of the women have considered becoming surrogates. the 20,000 us dollars they could earn is about twice the average salary here. the charity's manager feels the money involved puts pressure on the women.

translation: in pressure on the women. translation:— pressure on the women. translation: , ., , ., , translation: in my opinion this is exploitation. _ translation: in my opinion this is exploitation. unfortunately - is exploitation. unfortunately our socioeconomic positions which many women are taking part in these programmes. they have small children and need the money to support their family. as. the money to support their famil . �* ., ., ., family. a month later from when we first met. _ family. a month later from when we first met, alena _ family. a month later from when we first met, alena has - we first met, alena has travelled from kazakhstan to georgia and is now awaiting to have embryos from intended parents implanted in her uterus. i parents implanted in her uterus. ., ., , uterus. i am feeling a bit strange _ uterus. i am feeling a bit strange because - uterus. i am feeling a bit strange because i - uterus. i am feeling a bit strange because i miss l uterus. i am feeling a bit i strange because i miss my uterus. i am feeling a bit - strange because i miss my kids, and i'm thinking about them, what are they eating, how they slept, how they are feeling. i feel i am alone here, i am without support. feeli am alone here, i am without support.— feeli am alone here, i am without support. despite the difficulties, _ without support. despite the difficulties, alina _ without support. despite the difficulties, alina thinks - without support. despite the difficulties, alina thinks the | difficulties, alina thinks the rewards of surrogacy outweigh the costs for her but the rapid growth of the practice in georgia is creating controversy. liberal feminist groups want more protection for the women involved, but when the women involved, but when the georgian government

introduced the draft law to ban surrogacy for foreign couples last year it seemed like an extra motivation for them was to stop same—sex couples from getting babies from georgia. but after some lobbying by surrogacy agencies that bill has been put on hold. commercial surrogacy clearly changes lives for everyone involved, but it was prompting debate is whether it is a fair deal. as always, you can keep up—to—date with the day's news on our website. thank you for watching. i will be back with you shortly. hello, there. wednesday was a decent day, right across all four nations. in fact, we saw temperatures in excess of 20 degrees, and we haven't seen that for over a week. but you may have heard a rumour that things are going to get warmerstill, and, infact, into next week we are likely to see temperatures widely into the mid—20s, maybe peaking as high as 28 celsius, somewhere in south—east

england. perhaps, for many, that's something to look forward to, but before we get too carried away, let's concentrate on the rest of this week — turning warmer, yes, with some sunny spells, but there will also be some rain pushing into the west. now, we can see the first signs of that through today, with this weak weather front here, but more significant rain waiting in the wings. but for the majority of us, it will be a dry, settled and sunny start, a beautiful start. a line of nuisance cloud, really from northern england down to wales and south—west england, that could produce the odd spot or two of rain, and some showery dribs and drabs across northern ireland and into southern scotland, with that weakening weather front. to the far north west, temperatures perhaps struggling — 15 degrees. with highest values of 22 celsius, somewhere generally, to the north, we're looking at 18—20 celsius, with highest values of 22 celsius, somewhere in the south—east. but it's certainly worth bearing in mind, if you're a hay fever sufferer, well, we are looking at very high pollen levels, quite widely, across the country. now, into friday, ourweather front will continue to push

in from the west. it will start to weaken off, as it drifts its away steadily east, but there's likely to be some heavier bursts, particularly across parts of northern ireland, as we go through the day on friday. some showery outbreaks of rain into western scotland, clouding over generally, but central and eastern areas should continue to see some sunshine, and, again, some warmth. we might see high teens, perhaps, in sheltered eastern areas of scotland. highest values, perhaps, of 23 celsius, somewhere in the south—east. now, that weatherfront, as it continues to track its way steadily east, will fragment and weaken, so there is a risk of some cloud, maybe a little bit of drizzle around on saturday, but on the whole, high pressure will build, and the winds are likely to swing around to more of a south—westerly for the second half of the weekend, and it's that south—westerly wind that will drive in this warmer air. so you can see, looking ahead, a lot of dry, settled, sunny weather, and turning increasingly warm. alleluia.

russia and north korea ink a new defence pact, as vladimir putin looks at ways to bypass global sanctions. as inflation remains elevated in the us, we take a look at how americans are struggling to make ends meet.

hello and welcome to business today. i'm arunoday mukharji. starting with the story that we be looking at through the week. we've had a rare glimpse into the world's most reclusive state with russia's president vladimir putin visiting north korea for roughly 2a hours. during that time the two countries inked a mutual security pact, which mr putin described as a �*breakthrough�* deal. details of that pact though have not been made public. putin's visit comes at a time where russia is facing fresh sanctions aimed at cutting off its ability to fund the war in ukraine. the bbc�*s suranjana tewari takes a look at the impact that has had on the russian economy. russia has been facing economic challenges for several years now. ever since moscow annexed crimea from ukraine back in 2014. the country has been subject to sanctions. when moscow launched a full—scale invasion of ukraine in february 2022, the west further

tightened the screws. since then, the us, uk, eu, along with countries including