a lawmakers move forward with a controversial bill containing tax hikes. hello. you're very welcome. the united states ambassador in beijing says china support for russia's invasion of ukraine will not be tolerated by the west. in an interview with the bbc, nicholas burns says he is doing all these can to avoid a potential conflict with china amid what he called a competitive relationship. ambassador burns said the two sides are talking regularly to try to avoid misunderstanding. especially in the south china sea and the taiwan strait. he was speaking to our china correspondent and she began by asking him how chinese officials are reacting to this message on taiwan. they can test the facts. we have the right facts. we know exactly what's happening. we know what's being shipped by chinese companies. we know the impact it's having on the ability of russia to conduct this war.

and so we're absolutely sure of our facts and the chinese ought to own up to this. we have sanctioned a great number of chinese companies, and we're prepared to do more by the way. we remind china that chinese officials, they have considerable authority in this authoritarian government over what happens, and they can certainly crack down on these companies, and they ought to do it because it is a major problem. and it's a major — obviously a major assistance to russia in this war effort. how much communication is there between the two sides, and how difficult is it for you? we know there have been times... i've been here for two plus years. there have been times when communication has been very sparse. after speaker nancy pelosi's visit to taiwan august 2022, the chinese shut down communications — mostly with our cabinet level in washington. after that strange balloon floated across the territory of the united states for five days in february of 2023,

the chinese shut down communication. but i think in recent months it's been relatively better. it's really important because our militaries are operating in very close proximity to each other in the spratlys paracels of the south china sea, in the east china sea and the taiwan strait. you want to have communication because the last thing we want is an accident or misunderstanding that leads to conflict. we're very focused on reducing the probability of a conflict. you talked about military to military communication. that must have been a real concern, especially given, you know, the operations that are currently taking place in the south china sea, for instance. that's exactly right. that and the taiwan strait and other parts of the world as well. so i would say it's relatively better. relatively better, but not much better. you know, it's a contentious competitive relationship. if we went through, and maybe we will, issue after issue where we're divided, lack of communication at the highest level is a real

problem because you don't want to send the wrong signal. you want to be able to talk about problems when they occur, and especially if there's some kind of an accident. and that's happened in the us—china relationship. you want to be able to have people get together, diffuse the crisis, separate the parties, and make sure it doesn't expand into something that you don't intend. how do you prove the situation? we need to start with the realisation this will be a very difficult rivalry between these two countries are a long time to come. it's important to bring people together as well. this was a very big relationship in the last a0 years. 15,000 american students here in china and a number of years ago now, we're down to about 800. years ago now, we're down to about boo-— about 800. there still and level three _ about 800. there still and level three alert - about 800. there still and level three alert on - about 800. there still and level three alert on china| level three alert on china which asks people to reconsider travel. if you want more people

to contact, isn't that contradictory having that level three alert in place? it’s contradictory having that level three alert in place?— three alert in place? it's not, it's meant — three alert in place? it's not, it's meant to _ three alert in place? it's not, it's meant to allow _ three alert in place? it's not, | it's meant to allow americans to make an intelligent decision about whether they should travel and in the case of why it is level three, there are americans in prison here who we believe are wrong fully detained and prosecuted, i've been visiting these prisoners and they want them released. second there are a great number of americans subject to accept dance, meaning they cannot leave china. i should also say the chinese have agreed to make people to people contact a priority but since the san francisco summit there have been 61 separate incidents where the security forces or another government minister here prevents chinese citizens from participating in our public diplomacy programmes or prevents people from travelling to the united states to participate injoint to the united states to participate in joint venture trips that we have. it's contradictory to the commitment

that made to us and it's these conflicting signals that are being sent. laura bickerjoins us now. what's to unpack with the us ambassador but if we can look at the south china sea. how likely is the potential for conflict there?— likely is the potential for conflict there? it's becoming one of the — conflict there? it's becoming one of the major _ conflict there? it's becoming one of the major flashpoints| one of the major flashpoints around the world. we have seen this week already footage from both sides, china and the philippines, a key us ally forced the philippines claims that chinese coastguard were using weapons, tear gas and they were intimidating and one person lost a finger in the exchange between the two. the chinese had the filipinos were acting aggressively and were trespassing on what they see as their waters. this is an ongoing dispute that seems to be escalating at this time and it's worth reminding viewers that there is a pact between the philippines of the united states if there is a loss of

wife in any changes that could trigger the us to come to their aid to the stakes are incredibly high.- aid to the stakes are incredibl hiuh. �* , , incredibly high. any countries are concerned _ incredibly high. any countries are concerned about - incredibly high. any countries are concerned about the - incredibly high. any countries| are concerned about the issue of fantinel, has been a meeting between representatives from the us and china, wager country stand on the issue and where they can work together? this is one of the _ they can work together? this is one of the right _ they can work together? this is one of the right spot _ they can work together? this is one of the right spot between l one of the right spot between the us and china, talked by both sides. they are working hard to try and stop the flow of fentanyl hard to try and stop the flow of fenta nyl from hard to try and stop the flow of fentanyl from china to the us. it's quite a big task because china is one of the biggest manufacturers of chemicals around the world and many of these chemicals are used for any other things as well as the production of fentanyl. fentanyl is also produced in many other countries from mexico to parts of south america. it's hard to monitor where these chemical components are going. after the

meeting in san francisco there was an agreement and there has been a high level committee formed between the two to try and stop the... 0r prevent the flow of fenta nyl and prevent the chemicals getting out of the chemicals getting out of the country by air or sea. china says it is cracking down on at least 25 companies. there's a lot to do however and many reports suggest that the flow is still continuing in some way. it could be quite a tough not to crack. i'll come back to the end of that interview there where the ambassador talks about people to people exchanges, it is with putting china's point of view on that, they set they want 50,000 students and american students here in the country by the next few years. but they also say that chinese students trying to enter the us there harassment and face sometimes blocking by border patrol in

the united states. its claim and counterclaim even something that should be an easy goal in many respects that people to people contact the fact that thatis people contact the fact that that is showing so many sides of trouble shows the distrust between them and are still out of work to do between these two sides, it could be a difficult relationship for some time to come. ., ., relationship for some time to come. . ., ., ~ relationship for some time to come. . . ., ~ ., come. laura, thank you for “oininu come. laura, thank you for joining us- _ hot weather breaking records among much of the world. in the middle east the number of people dying to extreme heat throughout the pilgrimage to saudi arabia is rising. some reports estimate up to 1000 people have died. in europe taurus are struggling to stay out of the sun's gaze and increase several visitors have died from heat exhaustion. wednesday was the warmest night in at least 55 years in delhi. 0fficials recorded 38 consecutive days of temperatures above a0 degrees.

around 10a fahrenheit. the highest being 52.3 degrees on the 29th of may. hospitals in india's capital are struggling to treat more than a0,000 patients with heatstroke. about 110 people have died due to the extreme heat. south asia correspondent is with the details. there were certainly a0 degrees a few hours ago and according to the temperature of the air, it seems that it is gone down to 37 celsius but it feels warmer and that's because ofjust how hot the road and the concrete is and it's just emanates that heat. and gives an indication of how hard it is for the temperature to cool down even in the evenings here, in the evenings, in the last two evenings, it has been record—breaking damages in terms of how want it was an evening so there's no respite from it. 99 million people in the us

under head advisories. squash conditions in the western united states have helped fuel out of control wildfires. i spoke about the us heat wave with frank perera from the national weather service. we are told dentist conditions on the way this weekend. what are you expecting to see? the ongoing heatwave will continue for the next several days with the most intense heat gradually shifting to different regions. it will be characterised by high temperatures and a range from mid to upper 90s to over 100 fahrenheit in some areas. we are expecting to peak over the ohio valley but we are expecting heat to build across major cities including washington dc and new york city where we are expecting temperatures to peak around 100 degrees both days over the weekend. then from there on it is expected to shift further to the south and east, impacting the southeastern us and central south—central us

heading into next week. is there a particular weather system that is causing these high—temperatures at this time of year? we typically referred to it as a heat dome which is generally an area of high pressure that serves as a lid that keeps the heat in, doesn't allow it to escape even overnight. it's keeping the temperatures high even as we go through the overnight hours. in addition to keeping them high it limits the chance of precipitation and cloud cover and keeps the winds light as well. there's not a lot of air circulating. are the temperatures different to what you would see usually at this time of year across the us or is this normal? this is early arrival for this summer season and that's what is helping to make it more dangerous. this is not only the first heatwave of the season for a lot of areas but it's also at an earlier time of the year that we typically see. is that a marker of what is

to come for the rest of the summer? it remains to be seen but because it has come early and it is persistent, it's making it more dangerous in that respect. are they due to climate change? can you deduce that at this stage? you cannotjust tie climate change into one event. it will remain to be seen whether we start to see these early outbreaks that are more persistent and more... throughout the months, or years. various states and cities have been issued with the excess heat watch advisories to people in those parts. what do people need to be mindful of in these areas with these really hot temperatures? we encourage people to drink plenty of water, even if you don't feel thirsty.

spend as much time in the shade and air—conditioning as you can, check on vulnerable populations and never leave pets or small children in a locked car. can you tell when this is going to end? when relief will come for folks? some areas will see relief, we know portions of northern new england will see colder temperatures in the next couple of days as a cold front sinks south but like i mentioned, the heat is really going to be persistent across a good portion of the eastern and central us for the next several days. while some areas may see colder temperatures just for a day or two, on a whole much of the central and eastern us are going to see normal temperatures going forward for the next several days. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. what's look at some other stories

making the news. the four main political party leaders have been fielding questions in the question time uk election special, rishi sunak and labour leaders sir keir starmer were both pressed on how they could restore trust in their parties. the liberal democrats also appeared on the programme. rishi sunak says he was incredibly angry to learn of allegations that tory insiders were betting on the election and promised to put out anyone found to have broken gambling laws. the gambling commission is examining bets allegedly placed by four people linked to the prime minister including tory candidate laura saunders and husband tony lee. the post office has apologised after it published the names and addresses of more than 500 postmasters it pursued during the horizon scanner. the company confirmed the details have been shared on a website and said it's referred itself to the information commissioner's office one former sub postmasters said it

caused a great amount of upset and distress among colleagues. you're live with bbc news. new york is the first state in the us to signed laws targeting addictive social media laws for children and teens. new york governor signed the safe for kids act, which requires social media to come it will also stop notifications from related social media platforms between the hours of midnight and 6am without parental consent. tools will be set by the attorney—general. the new laws come days after the us surgeon general said social media had become a contributor to the mental health crisis among young people. dr murphy referenced a study done by the american medical association that showed teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media double their risks of experiencing anxiety and depression.

a poll found 51% of us teens spend it least four hours a day on social media. critics are saying the social media warning is too broad. dr murphy told the bbc why keeping social media should have a health warning. it's there to provide information for people. that information is important so people can make decisions for themselves and parents can help children. there are benefit some kids get from social media, i detailed some of those benefits in fact in an advisory i issued last year on social media but we can't be blind to the fact there are also significant harms associated with social media and the benefits do not justify the harms. we have put kids in a very difficult situation where we are seeing in order to access some of these benefits you have to subject yourself to violent and sexual

content, bullying and harassment including from strangers, to exposure to these features, which would seek to just lure you into excessive use. that is not a fair position to put kids in and it is why i believe an additional warning to young people about the harms and their parents, we have to simultaneously work on making social media safer so they don't have to tolerate and endure those kind of harms. parliament approves later stage of a controversial finance builders butter day of nationwide protests. 20a mps voted yes to the bill while 115 voted no. the bill will move to the committee stage and have a third reading. if it passes the reading you will be sent to the president for approval. the government is aiming to raise more than $2.5 billion to finance its budget and reduce the country's debt. by imposing tax hikes on a range of goods and services. protesters say the brunt

of the tax hike falls on people struggling economically. riot police in the capital and fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators with the majority of whom were young people some taxes in the proposal have been removed, protesters say the bill should be scrapped entirely. 0ur senior correspondent has been following developments from the capital. it's now dark here but the levels i've witnessed is nothing like i've ever seen on the streets. the protesters are still here, they still want to make their voice heard about their displeasure and you can hear the police team engaging them with tear gas trying to push them out and scatter them but every time they reassemble again and push on with their protest. the young people who mobilised on social media, tiktok,

whatsapp and x have come together to say that they denounce the finance bill that is going to debate in parliament. there are tax proposals that the government has put on the table which they are opposed to which tax on basic items like towels and diapers. the government did give concessions on tuesday as a result of this protest and scrapped proposals they had made to impose taxes on bread and motor vehicles. the young protesters say that is not enough. they want the entire bill rejected. thursday marks world refugee day dedicated to people forced to flee their homes around the world. the un refugee agencies has forced displacement is rising. it's has any report that by the end of 2023 about 117 million people were unable

to live at home due to click and violence. the un hci estimates by the end of april 2a the number exceeded 120 million. this means 1.5% of the world's population is now forcibly displaced. aid organisations are calling for more action to be taken on the safe resettlement of refugees by highlighting the importance of reuniting refugees with their family of reuniting refugees with theirfamily members. of reuniting refugees with their family members. joining me life is for human rights advocate and deputy chair of the united states refugee advisory board. they key for joining us. a million people, this is another day of being away from home, loved ones. you are a former refugee yourself, describe to us what it is like to be far from your country and not by choice?— not by choice? thank you so much for — not by choice? thank you so much for having _ not by choice? thank you so much for having me - not by choice? thank you so much for having me and - not by choice? thank you so much for having me and as. not by choice? thank you so i much for having me and as you mentioned today we are commemorating refugees around

the world full world refugee day and you mentioned figures that we are facing right now and it is sad for me today, as you mentioned we see the figures continue to rise. i was one of those individuals who had to flee their home where my country was ravaged by a brutal civil war in the 90s and my family and i survived a genocide that happened there. during that while my family and i became separated. we did not know my father's whereabouts for almost a year and we learned that he was held in a concentration camp and it took international agencies, faith organisations, the media outlets and international governments to step in to release my father and for us to be re— united again as a

family. 0nce be re— united again as a family. once we restart or in the united states we wanted to bring otherfamily the united states we wanted to bring other family members through the family reunification programme but the process is very difficult. it is very costly. and as for former refugees, we ask how many more years will refugee families have to wait to be together again or go through the same experience in life that i did? for some it is even worse when they may never see, unfortunately, their loved ones again. unfortunately, their loved ones aaain. ., ,., unfortunately, their loved ones aaain. ., again. on that point, those very challenging _ again. on that point, those very challenging conditions j very challenging conditions that refugees and displaced find themselves in, how do you think the international community fares but it comes to assisting or relocating them? the process goes to the unhcr offices and i can speak on the process here in the united states. we settle here and we

have seen some changes in the united states particularly for family reunification. particularly through the family reunification programme, and these nationalities speaking internationally up from a majority of the americas such as columbia and el salvador, got a mahler and others. it also seen through the sponsorship programme which is now in its second phase that allows opportunities for families to come to the us as long as they meet the definition of a criteria for refugee. we've seen general improvements forfamily improvements for family reunification processes. it is still a complex issue and there are still things that need to be done to be able to make improvements for people who are still waiting a long time to be reunited. , , ., ,, , reunited. this year the us is on course —

reunited. this year the us is on course to _ reunited. this year the us is on course to take _ reunited. this year the us is on course to take in - reunited. this year the us is on course to take in around | on course to take in around 100,000 refugees, capped at 125,000 for the year. given the size of this country, how does it compare to other nations in terms of how welcoming it is for refugees?— terms of how welcoming it is for refugees? the united states is able coming _ for refugees? the united states is able coming country, - for refugees? the united states is able coming country, i - for refugees? the united states is able coming country, i would | is able coming country, i would say that there are many host countries around the world who take many refugees as well. it is difficult, it's a difficult situation dealing with the resettlement process. it is a difficult process and there are certain criteria and i think the united states has done very well in welcoming those who are displaced. but there are still things that the administration can do such as the family reunification programme and speeding up some of that process in order to bring families together and bring those who are truly being

forcibly displaced and fleeing from dire situations.- from dire situations. human riahts from dire situations. human rights advocate _ from dire situations. human rights advocate and - from dire situations. human rights advocate and deputyl rights advocate and deputy chair of the united states refugee advisory board, thank you for speaking with us on world refugee day.- you for speaking with us on world refugee day. that is it for the moment. that is all we have for you. thank you very much for watching bbc news. stay with us here, you can keep up—to—date on our website. hello, there. desired ingredients to make the perfect summer solstice is obviously plenty of sunshine and plenty of warmth — and we had just that on thursday. the question is, will it continue into the weekend? and the answer is, on the whole, yes. warm for many of us with sunny spells, but there will be some rain around in the far west. let's take a look at that. arriving in the next few hours, this weather front here, tied into this area of low

pressure, will bring a little bit more of a breeze and some showery outbreaks of rain into the north—west, albeit slowly. light winds elsewhere, maybe a little bit of early morning mist, but that will clear away very quickly indeed. a lot of sunshine for east wales, central, southern, and eastern england, along with eastern scotland throughout the day. we will start to gradually see some rain pushing into the isles of scilly and the far tip of cornwall, maybe into south wales, too — but ahead of it with the sunshine, we'll see 23—2a celsius once again. cloudy with some showers, perhaps, moving to the isle of man, rain into northern ireland and to north—west scotland by the end of the day. a few showers ahead of it, but parts of eastern scotland, aberdeenshire in particular, may well see 19—20 celsius, if you keep the sunshine. now, as we move out of friday into the early hours of saturday morning, that frontal system continues to sink its way steadily eastwards. it will weaken off substantially, but a band of showery rain moving its way across the pennines and down into south—east england, perhaps lingering across the essex and kent coast, first

thing on saturday morning. with the cloud around, those temperatures will hold up, perhaps into double digits for many. we start off on saturday with much of central and eastern england cloudy. still the odd spot or two of showery rain, but that should tend to break up, sunny spells come through, the risk of a few showers to the north—west of scotland, but on the whole, not a bad afternoon for many, and temperatures again still responding, ranging from 15—22 celsius. moving out of saturday, into sunday, on the whole, we could chase a little more in the way of cloud around, but this high pressure continues to build in for the early half of next week, and with that south—westerly flow, it will turn increasingly warm and potentially a little more humid, as well. so a good deal of dry, fine weather to start off the week. a little bit of a question mark, really, from wednesday into thursday. it might turn a little bit more unsettled.

v0|ce—0ver: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. narendra modi still has his hands on the levers of power in india, but thanks to the recent election,

his grip isn't as tight as it was. his prime ministerial third term will depend on the reliability of the smaller parties in his ruling coalition, and the opposition in india's parliament has been reenergised after years on life support. my guest, sachin pilot, is a seniorfigure in the congress party, which will lead a diverse opposition coalition. is india heading for a period of consensual government or chaos? sachin pilot,

welcome to hardtalk. thank you.