welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: a serious blow to president trump's healthcare bill, as two more senators from his own party announce their opposition. war as a way of life. we have a special report from eastern ukraine, where three years of conflict have brought misery to thousands of people. this war has ground to a stalemate. and that means untold suffering, particularly for the civilian population. two weeks after north korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test, seoul says it is time for military talks with pyongyang. and george and charlottejoin the duke and duchess of cambridge for a family state visit to poland. president trump's plans to repeal obamacare has been hit by news that

two more republican senators have said they will oppose their party's planned replacement for the healthcare system. mike lee and jerry moran say the new legislation does not go far enough in repealing obamacare. mr trump has tweeted: let's cross live to the bbc‘s suzanne kianpour, in washington. this was such a signature proposal from the trump campaign and the republicans for years, before there was a trump campaign. what is going on here? well, healthcare has been a political football for a while around here, and now what we are seeing is a bit of a stalemate in

the senate. we have actuallyjust got the latest, is that senate majority leader, the republican leader, mitch mcconnell is saying that they will try to pass an obamacare repeal bill with a two year delay in implementation now. so this now puts the clock on democrats. so how did we get here? mr mcconnell really couldn't afford to have any more than three republicans break ranks, and vote no for a repeal and replace hill on healthcare, on obamacare. —— bill. but since then, senators jerry healthcare, on obamacare. —— bill. but since then, senatorsjerry moran and senator mike lee have come out against this. and the biggest concern, we have got statements, the biggest concern is that senator moran... or senator mike lee says that after conferring with trusted experts, they feel that it doesn't

do enough for lowering premiums, as well as flexibility... as well as flexibility in the states. and basically, mcconnell has a bit of a problem. in essence, he doesn't have his party... his party has splintered, effectively, and there are too many factions in the party. there are just too many people who have too many different issues, and in essence, you can't have your cake and eat it too, as many experts would say. so president trump has come out and tweeted, saying that he was republicans to start from a clea n was republicans to start from a clean slate, which isn't actually that far from what democratic leader schumer said, asking for republicans to start from scratch, and work with democrats. some critics would say,

really, that this is a bit of an for the republican embarrassment for the republican party. because the republicans are in essence in control of all parts of the government right now. the house, the senate and the white house. so the big question is, why aren't they able to come together unless? and as your colleague was saying just earlier, there was a reason why republicans fought early on against the expansion of medicaid. once medicaid expanded and people began to rely on that, it became very hard to take away. thank you so much for bringing us up to date on that. eric ham is a political analyst and journalist. he is also the author of the award—winning book the gop civil war: inside the battle for the soul of the republican party. he told me this crisis has been eight years in the making. after this bill was passed by barack obama, republicans immediately jumped on, and they used it as a large campaign tool that they used to take over both the house and the senate,

and it's one of the major issues that largely helped secure donald trump's victory. now here we are, in the final hour, where mitch mcconnell was trying to get this bill over the finish line, and now, just recently, we've seen two more republicans peel away from this bill. and so it's becoming increasingly difficult for mitch mcconnell, who's normally seen as a very shrewd political operator, not being able to bring along his caucus. i think this is very problematic, not only for the republicans but for mitch mcconnell personally, because he's always seen as a stalwart champion of being able to bring his caucus together. but now, just when we thought that he only needed maybe one or two votes, now you see more republicans peeling off. yeah, eric, he has said, i will be very angry if it doesn't

get through, he said a lot of people will be very disappointed, but does he not see it as his job to work hard to get the bill through? is that not what he thinks he should be doing? well, i do believe he thinks he should be working. i think what you are seeing is a president who is boxed in. he can't find support within the republican—controlled congress, and he can't go out into communities, into states, and try and muster up support among regular americans. because, overall, the bill only has a 12% approval rating. but the bill has a very low approval rating, and so he can't find the support for the bill within the public. he can't find it within the senate. and this is in essence where, because he is only six months in, typically with young administrations, the party in power will actually give the president what he wants, even if they see that it as not beneficial to their chances of winning re—election.

we saw those with president barack obama, when he passed obamacare eight years ago. many democrats knew that to support the bill meant that they would lose their seats, and many of them did. but they gave the president what he wanted, because they knew this is what he needed in order to establish himself as the president. not for the country, but for being able to move legislation in washington. and republicans are turning their backs on this president. it is three years since the malaysia airlines flight mhi7 was shot down over eastern ukraine, killing 298 people. it was the worst single loss of life in the conflict between russian—backed separatists and the government in kiev. but the civil war has killed at least 10,000, and forced more than a million from their homes. a ceasefire isn't holding. there are regular skirmishes, as rebels who want closer ties to moscow battle ukrainian armed forces, in mainly russian—speaking areas. our special correspondent fergal keane and cameraman darren conway have been to the front line, in the town of avdiivka. high summer, and at first the land looks at peace, until very quickly, we walk into the war. here, you follow in the steps of those who know the safest paths, like this woman.

50 years old, she joined the army when the war began. we just paused here, because there is a sniper who has a direct line. she is telling us to go now. the sprint to cover that is the hallmark of all the world's warzones. this was once a thriving industrial zone, now mangled by shellfire, where the long silences of a half—hearted ceasefire are suddenly shattered. thousands of shells have landed here, this unexploded rocket detonated by ukrainian troops. there is a grim humour here, the bullet placed next to the bible. this army is hardened now, after three years of war. bolstered by local soldiers, whose homes lie beyond the bridge where the territory of the russian—backed forces begins. so that big building to the left is them?

the trenches of a european war, with a front line more than 400 km long. the ceasefire allows men to dig close to rebel lines. there is some protection, but it is not a place to stand tall and draw attention. we are at the furthest point forward now, in the ukrainian positions, and these trenches are just a0 — between a0 and 50 yards from the russian—backed forces on the other side, just over a wall here. that is why nobody speaks loudly in this place, and you can get a sense of how precarious it is by looking at the sniper who is positioned here. and he is scanning, he is watching for any movement on the other side

that could threaten the men digging these trenches. what does all this tell you? it tells you it is about permanence, that this war has ground into a stalemate. and that means untold suffering, particularly for the civilian population. more than a million people are displaced on both sides. lyudmila minenkova has moved from one war—battered village to another. she takes her seven—month—old son for a morning walk, taking advantage of the absence of shelling and the emptiness of war. a four—lane highway. nothing comes but an occasional military truck. lyudmila came here after her own home was shelled at the beginning of the war. but it is the fear of random shelling that haunts the family, making this tiny basement their refuge.

lyudmila worries constantly about a direct hit. there are many stories like this on the other side, too. for those who cannot move, but must eke out their days near the front line, a visit from aid worker olga breaks the relentless loneliness. living in a flat that was hit by a shell and gutted by fire at the war‘s beginning is anna. she survives on a pension of £50 a month.

i'm praying that god will take me, she says. her memory stretches back through previous ages of famine and war in ukraine. zhenya, aged seven, is an orphan of the war. and what that bomb did is locked in her memory. she found her mother's mutilated body just after the shell landed. her grandmother is laying flowers at the spot where her daughter and three others were killed. there are small reminders of the lives taken away. mobile phones, left here since the day of the shelling last may. in a country whose war has

become a brutal stalemate, she has learned too young, too cruelly, the fragility of human life. fergal keane, bbc news, ukraine. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the united arab emirates says it had nothing to do with a hacking attack on qatar's news websites which helped to trigger the boycott of qatar by neighbouring states. the washington post has suggested the uae instigated an operation in which qatar's ruler was made to appear to praise iran. the united nations says the number of civilian casualties in afghanistan has reached a record high this year. 1,600 people were killed by the end ofjune, an increase of 2% on the same period last year. most victims died in attacks by the taliban and the islamic state group. an australian woman has been shot dead by police in minneapolis,

responding to an emergency call. justine damond, who was living with her american fiance, had reported a noise near their home, and was shot when she approached the police car that responded. her family want to know why the officers' body cameras were switched off at the time. the white house says an announcement will be made very soon on iran's nuclear agreement, reached with world powers during the obama administration. every 90 days, the us state department must notify congress if tehran is in compliance. president trump has repeatedly said he thinks the agreement is a bad deal for america. iranian foreign minister mohammad javad zarif said iran is a serious partner for all those countries fighting extremism in the region. it looks likely, not yet confirmed, that the agreement will stay in place for now. iran was met foreign minister said that iran is a serious partner for all those fighting extremism in the region. we have fought extremism in afghanistan, we

thought extremism in iraqi. we fought extremism in syria. us allies supported extremism in afghanistan. you remember, the only three countries that recognise the taliban as government were pakistani, a neighbour, saudi arabia and the uae. these are the same countries that support terrorism and extremism in syria, the same countries that support terrorism and extremism in a right. they have been consistent in supporting terrorism and extremism. we have been consistent in objecting to it. they made the wrong choices and now they are complaining, why are they not reaping the fruits of their own wrong choices? it is not ourfault their own wrong choices? it is not our fault that we made the right choice. iran's foreign minister there. much more to come on bbc news, including best. we speak to the cast and crew of the film lipstick under my burqa, which has

finally been passed i censors in india. —— by censors. the flamboyant italian fashion designer gianni versace has been shot dead in florida. the multi—millionaire was gunned down outside his home in the exclusive south beach district of miami. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worst floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the "great white way" by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. it is a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. 200 years ago today, a huge parisian crowd stormed the bastille prison — the first act of the revolution which was to topple the french monarchy. today, hundreds of thousands throng the champs—elysees for the traditional military parade. finally, fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on a huge shoal of their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much they could barely stand. this is bbc news.

the headlines: in the us, two more republican senators have said they will oppose president trump's proposed healthcare bill. it's now impossible for the bill to pass in its current form. north korea has yet to respond to military talks proposed by the south, in an effort to de—escalate tensions. they would be the first high—level talks since 2015. recent ballistic missile tests by north korea have heightened hostilities. south korea's president moonjae—in has long signalled he wants closer engagement with the north. if there are talks, the government in seoul says they could be held in the demilitarised zone between. previous talks have been held at tongilgak. just a few kilometres from there is dorasan, a disused train station, once a beacon of hope and a symbol of the sunshine policy, now a dead end. steven evans took the train there and back from seoul. this is the train to the dmz

from seoul, one of the most bizarre train journeys in the world. it goes up from the south korean capital to the border with north korea, and then it returns. this bridge is a new bridge. the old one was destroyed in the korean war. it is a politicaljourney. it is designed to make the point that the train goes, and can go no further. so i've just arrived at dorasan station, and you look around and it seems completely normal, like loads of stations. actually, though, look a bit closer and it is very abnormal. you get in that it with this sign. it is a propaganda station. pyongyang that way, seoul back that way.

this is the most militarised part of the whole planet. as you come in here, you see mined areas walled off on either side of the tracks. until 2008, freight trains would go down that track to north korea. it is two kilometres to the actual border, just over a mile. this place was built as a real station, and look at it — magnificent waiting room and booking hall. the booking desk is still there, turnstiles. "to pyongyang" — a sign from a different time. the sunshine policy, north and south korea wanted communication. and then what happened? north korea let off a nuclear device in that first nuclear test. that was the end of the sunshine policy. but there is a new government now. president moon, the new president, wants more communication. he hopes this station will again bustle, like it never quite did.

the duke and duchess of cambridge are in warsaw for the first part of an official visit to poland and then germany. 3—year—old george and 2—year—old charlotte joined their parents for the trip. our royal correspondent peter hunt reports from warsaw. at three, he is far too young to know if he is a reluctant royal, but prince george definitely wasn't keen to embrace warsaw without his father's helping hand. on the tarmac, george struck a nonchalant pose, and practised the odd ballet move. a fidgeting prince, with a lifetime under an intense spotlight ahead of him. princess charlotte faces a similarfuture, a reality, aged two, she can remain blissfully unaware of for now. does anyone speak english? the language divide isn't the only challenge. here, a country that relatively recently embraced the eu is welcoming royals from one on the way out of the institution. it's the union jack.

it's called the unionjack. unionjack. the nitty—gritty of brexit won't feature here. rather, william and kate are in warsaw to remind people of the depth of past links, and the potential for future ones, between the uk and poland. warsaw's past on display on a memorial wall to those murdered when, during the second world war, the poles tried and failed to end german occupation. tonight in warsaw, prince william talked about the two countries' close relationship, and the fact polish is the second—most spoken language in the uk. such links, diplomatic, military, cultural, offer much promise and opportunity for the future. he didn't utter the word brexit, but it influenced his speech, as it will the time william and kate spend, first in poland, then in germany.

peter hunt, bbc news, warsaw. an indian film, lipstick under my burkha, will be screened in cinemas this week after a long battle with censors in the country. it's a movie which revolves around female characters and one of the reasons given for it being banned initially was that it was "lady—oriented." censorship has recently become a big issue in india, with many filmmakers having to make cuts to their movies before they can be released. let's take a closer look. the uproar, the outrage that was out about this film, you would think that we have done something very wrong. but we haven't. there is nothing wrong with being lady—oriented, and what is wrong with telling stories from our point of view? why should it make

people so threatened? i don't think there should be censorship in the first place. i think, in a free and democratic nation, where adults are allowed to elect their own governments, they should be able to watch a film if they want to. it is not like we don't see women at all. we see women. but often the sexuality of the storyline for the women is gratuitous, and it serves the purpose of the main protagonist. india is a country where there

is so much violence against women, and there is so much discrimination against women. in that kind of a society, when you have a popular culture that is legitimately trying to silence 50% of the population, there's something wrong. just briefly, our main news again. two republican senators have said they will oppose president trump's plans for healthcare. mike leigh and jerry marana sebi legislation does not go far enough in repealing the obamacare. it is now impossible for the bill to pass in its current

form. the republican leader of the senate, mitch mcconnell, is now proposing a vote on a total repeal of obamacare proposing a vote on a total repeal of obamaca re with proposing a vote on a total repeal of obamacare with a two—year delay, the idea apparently being to draw up an entirely new plan in that time. much more on all the news at any time on the bbc website. thank you for watching. hello there, good morning. yesterday, we saw 27 degrees in the london area, with increasing amounts of medium and upper—level cloud, but the sky stayed pretty much clear in northern scotland. and, through the day today, we're going to see those temperatures creeping up a notch or two. 29 degrees somewhere in england and wales. then midweek, big changes on the way, some thunderstorms heading our way, and then by the end of the week, it is going to be a good deal cooler, 27 degrees. as the cloud goes to the southern half of the uk, clearer skies further north to end the day on monday. and, with those clearer skies, we see temperatures dipping down

to 11—12 degrees in major cities, and rural areas could be single figures. but not so further south — it is a warm night here. today, a south—easterly breeze striking in some hot and humid air from the near continent. that breeze will be quite a noticeable breeze, in the south—east in particular. but a decent day for many places. some sunshine for much of scotland. maybe a shower or two developing as we get on into the afternoon, but a lot of sunshine, and it is going to be quite warm as well. 25 in glasgow and 22 in inverness. northern ireland should have a decent afternoon, 22 degrees or so, similar in northern england. always a bit fresh along that north sea coast. but get away from that, 25 or so in the manchester area. southern england and wales gets to 28—29 degrees. but, as we get down towards the south—west, we start to see some thunderstorms developing. they will be in the channel islands early on, and drift ever northwards. hit and miss, but if you get one, you will know all about it.

and those thunderstorms continuing to drift their way north through the small hours of wednesday. there will be some hail, some gusty winds to go with that. wednesday itself, thunderstorms continuing to drift north. dry in large parts of england and wales. but then we see more rain coming in from the west, and some of that could be quite heavy. temperatures coming down a little bit across the west side, norwich 29 degrees, but generally temperatures are beginning to come back down on wednesday. and that process continues on into thursday. as this weather front goes from west to east, it will bring some rain with it, and also some fresher air. for the golfers at royal birkdale, quite strong winds making it challenging. early rain and then sunshine and showers into the afternoon, and temperatures in the upper teens. so on thursday, yes, some rain spreads from west to east. it will be an unsettled end to the week, with some more general rain across quite a large area. this is bbc news. the headlines: in the us, two more republican senators have said they'll oppose president trump's proposed healthcare bill. mike lee and jerry moran say

the new legislation doesn't go far enough in repealing obamacare. it's now impossible for the bill to pass in its current form. three years after malaysian airlines flight, mh17, was shot down over eastern ukraine, the region remains locked in a brutal stalemate. a ceasefire has failed amid regular skirmishes between rebels who want closer ties to moscow and ukrainian armed forces. just two weeks after north korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test, seoul has proposed military talks with pyongyang, in a bid to de—escalate tensions in the region. if they were to go ahead, they would be the first high—level talks since 2015. north korea has yet to respond. now on bbc news, hardtalk.