this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: a serious blow to president trump's proposed healthcare bill as two more republican senators announce their opposition. wore it as a way of life. a special report from the ukraine were three yea rs of report from the ukraine were three years of conflict have brought misery to thousands. —— war as a way of. untold suffering is a way of life here. forest fires sweep towards the croatian coastal city of split. hundreds of firefighters and soldiers are battling the blaze. the business news. stronger than a house of cards. netflix wows markets as it surges past 100 million subscribers, potentially sending shares to a record high. and would giving away 1,000 euros a month to a stranger free them up to pursue their passions? we discover how one bold start—up is finding the answer.

hello, and welcome to bbc news. president trump's efforts to replace 0bamacare have been dealt another major blow, with two more republican senators refusing to back their party's latest plans. it makes it impossible for the bill to pass in its current form. with a majority of only four in the us senate, and all democrats expected to vote against the bill, the republicans can only afford to lose two votes. 0ur north america correspondent, nick bryant, reports. actually, we will cross live to washington. can you explain what this latest latest development means? what we are seeing is what we

could call a senate stalemate. mitch mcconnell, majority leader, faced with a mathematic impossibility. he could not afford to have more than three republican senators vote no to repeal 0bamacare. when senatorjerry and mike lee of utahjoined others, basically, this bill was no longer able to go ahead, even for a debate. it could be seen as a bit of an embarrassment for the republican party given they currently control the house, senate, and white house, and repealing 0bamacare was a major, major promise for candidate and

president donald trump and those wanting to be elected to the house and the senate. to not even have that come the debate is a blow to the party and shows some splintering in the republican party, showing different factions, showing they are not even able to come together, which, you know, is not good when it comes to the optics for the party. we will have to wait and see what happens. thank you very much. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. donald trump has pledged strong action will be taken if nicolas maduro continues in what he is doing. donald trump described him as a bad leader dreaming of becoming a dictator. iran's foreign minister says his country is not designing ballistic missiles capable

of carrying nuclear warheads. it comes as the white house is due to make an announcement on whether iran is in compliance with the deal it reached during the 0bama administration. president trump has repeatedly said he thinks the agreement is bad for america. senior russian officials are suggesting talks in washington are close to resolving the row over two diplomatic compounds, seized and shut by the us last december when it expeued shut by the us last december when it expelled 35 russian diplomats accused of interfering in the presidential election. russia wants the compounds back, and russia's foreign minister has accused washington of stealing their property. 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. it's been three years since malaysian airlines flight mh17

en route from amsterdam was shot down in eastern ukraine, with the loss of 298 lives. it was the worst single loss of life in the war between russian backed separatists and the ukrainian government that has claimed 10,000 lives. a dutch led investigation found that the missile which hit the plane had been brought from russia and fired from territory controlled by the separatists. there is currently a ceasefire in the region though there are regular breaches. our special correspondent, fergal keane, and cameraman, darren conway, have been to the frontline in the town of adiivka. war has piled ruin on ruin. relentless shelling for three years has made men seek shelter. men have

dug these trenches. it really is like something from another era, the last century, which saw so much bloodshed and suffering in this part of europe's east. there is a ceasefire. it is not over. more than 10,000 people have been killed in this conflict. more than a million people have been displaced, driven from their homes. the ceasefire allows men to be close to rebel lines. we are at the furthest point forward. these trenches are between 40 forward. these trenches are between a0 and 50 yards from russian backed forces over there. that is why no one speaks loudly. you can see how it is by looking at the sniper position here, watching for any movement on the other side. what does that tell you? that this war

has become a stalemate. that means u ntold has become a stalemate. that means untold suffering, especially for the civilians. rachel is here with all the business news. are you a subscriber? no, i am stuck with traditional television at the moment. we start with netflix. the video streaming giant surprised investors overnight with its second quarter earnings. the company added 5.2 million subscribers in the past three months, boosting its global customer base to 10a million. it's a company whose growth reflects the changing culture of tv viewing habits around the world. since its transformation from a dvd rental service to video streaming ten years ago, the firm's share price has rocketed from just over $3 to more than $160 a share. and netflix is splashing the cash. this year, it will spend $6 billion on content. that's 25% more than its rival amazon is thought to be spending. it's all in an effort to lure viewers away from traditional tv networks. netflix has been aggressively expanding abroad and says it is now in more than 190 countries.

but with one notable exception, china. in april, the firm agreed a deal to licence its content to one of china's biggest streaming sites, which is controlled by baidu. we will be looking at that in around 20 minutes. what do you think? would giving away one thousand euros a month to a person free them up to find a job and pursue their passions? 0r cause them to shy away from work altogether? the idea of a universal "basic income" has been floated by various left—leaning politicians, and has even been piloted in finland. now, one entrepreneur in germany is so determined to find the answer, that he's launched a start—up that gives away money to complete strangers. we'll have the details, coming up on world business report. if you want to get in touch with me 01’ if you want to get in touch with me orare if you want to get in touch with me or are the if you want to get in touch with me orare the team, if you want to get in touch with me or are the team, i am on twitter. —— 01’ or are the team, i am on twitter. —— or the team. thank you very much.

montenegro has asked for international help to fight wildfires, which have led to the evacuation of several hundred people from villages on the adriatic coast. and in neighbouring croatia, forest fires have spread to suburbs of the coastal city of split. hundreds of firefighters and soldiers are battling the blaze. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. desperately trying to control one of nature's strongest forces. firefighters in croatia have been battling a blaze that spread for 20 kilometres along the adriatic coast along the city of split. it started in the early hours on monday and took hold of pine forest and scrub land, helped by strong winds and dry conditions. translation: the fire came from the north this morning. we crossed the road, carried by the wind. we cannot fight against it without air forces. but assistance from the air was limited due to

turbulence, meaning the fire could spread quickly. one death has been reported. others were evacuated as villagers were blanketed by heavy smoke. water supplies were affected. people were told to shut doors and windows and not leave homes are less told to be manpower is crucial in a blaze of this size. a00 firefighters and more than 100 army personnel we re and more than 100 army personnel were deployed. translation: and more than 100 army personnel were deployed. translationzlj and more than 100 army personnel were deployed. translation: i would like to thank all of our firefighters and all of those working day and night to defend our villages and cities from these fires. insomuch as is required, we will activate additional reserves, including the military, so as to stop this wave of very unfortunate wildfires in the middle of the tourist season. much of the blaze is 110w tourist season. much of the blaze is now under control, because still unknown. but with 20 smaller fires still burning in dalmatian, there

are fears this will be repeated. bbc news. the duke and duchess of cambridge are continuing their visit in poland today along with their children. they will visit a concentration camp. last night, prince william delivered a speech in warsaw, praising the fortitude and bravery of the country. peter hunt reports from warsaw. in warsaw, prince william talked about how their tyres were still going strong. polishes the second most spoken language in the united kingdom. people are growing up feeling both british and polish. 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. they will visit a concentration camp. the living conditions where more than 60,000 died will be on display. also on view, the crematorium. peter hunt, bbc news, poland. stay with us on bbc news. still still to come. listening to the sky. south africa joint efforts to unlock the secrets of the universe. —— joins. 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 latest 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. three years after malaysian airlines flight mh17 was shot down over eastern ukraine, the region remains locked in a brutal stalemate. lawmakers in california have voted to extend the state's pioneering law to extend the state's pioneering law to cut carbon emissions. the vote puts them at odds with president donald trump, who is pulling the us out of the paris agreement to tackle climate change. james cook is in los angeles. james comey it is an interesting move. can you explain this law? cap and trade essentially

means the state of california sets a limit for emissions, and it is trying to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by a0% from 1990 levels by the year 2030. then the trade element of cap and trade means that companies can buy permits to pollute at a higher level. so essentially, and there is a dispute about this, but essentially it amounts to a carbon tax. so companies have to pay to pollute, basically. this was in place, it was due to expire in 2020, but the democrats in the senate and the assembly, of the california state legislature, wants to extend it to 2030. tonight they have got their wish and they are past that measure. this happens in the context of donald trump withdrawing from the paris climate agreement. is that why california has done this? is it a direct political decision? it is not

directly linked to donald trump in that sense. california has been pioneering the approach to tackling emissions way back into the 1960s and 1970s when smog was a terrible, terrible blight on particularly the city behind me here. but yes, there isa city behind me here. but yes, there is a sense that california is going in one direction under the leadership of its governor, jerry brown, a democrats, and the united states as a whole is going in a different direction, the president making it clear that he prioritises economic growth over tackling climate change. so there is a real clash. this is a big win forjerry brown. he has been saying that other countries around the world are now looking to california, from canada to china to the european union, form waddles for action on tackling climate change. —— for models. he says this is courageous action and

looks like good government, and his predecessor, yatala schwarzenegger, says that california will remain the golden dream by the sea for generations to come. —— arnold schwarzenegger. 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 the two countries. 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. that was stephen evans in south

korea. if you're interested in the search for extra—terrestrial life, south africa should now be on your radar. the first stage of a giant new radio telescope is nearing completion, so powerful its makers say it will be able to see three quarters of the way across the universe. andrew harding has been to visit. in the emptiest corner of south africa, some of the most sensitive technology on the planet. the meerkat array of radio telescopes. near completion now, and already probing the far reaches of the universe. the radio waves come from space. the head scientist takes us

closer, but to film here we have to ta ke closer, but to film here we have to take the cautions. these receivers are so take the cautions. these receivers are so delicate, any electronic interference could destroy them. the dishes could pick up a mobile phone signal and jupiter. with this, south african astronomy is suddenly becoming a world beater. because some people had the vision, the know—how, the guts and the support of the whole country, fundamentally, to do this. here we are. yes, it is in africa, that it is going to be world —class in africa, that it is going to be world—class science and a matter where it is. it happens to be in south africa which is very exciting of course. soon there will be 64 international receivers. they will thenjoin up international receivers. they will then join up of international receivers. they will thenjoin up of an international receivers. they will then join up of an international array that will be 10,000 times better than today's models, better at exploring space and black holes and the origins of our own galaxy. so what you have here, basically, are incredibly sophisticated rockets. they are designed to catch radio waves that have been travelling for so many billions of

yea rs travelling for so many billions of years a cross travelling for so many billions of years across the universe that they contained within them secrets about what was going on not long after the big bang, and the more buckets you have and the more widely spread of oui’ have and the more widely spread of our common to clear the picture. at the headquarters in cape town, the biggest challenge right now is to work out how to cope with an impending soon army of intergalactic data. —— tsunami. impending soon army of intergalactic data. -- tsunami. we believe we will be able to probe the deepest recesses of the universe. who knows what we might find? perhaps another planet with life. there were collea g u es planet with life. there were colleagues in other parts of the world who would say, focus on your poverty problems. what are you doing with this? we said, this is part of oui’ with this? we said, this is part of our answer to poverty. you cannot neglect science and believe you will address your deepest problems. the amplified blip is of distant radio waves reaching the african continent. —— blips. who knows what

secrets they might hold? first in the queue to use these telescopes are astronomers searching for alien life, convinced this network might be their best chance yet. more than 60 years ago, a feisty little girl named eloise took new york by storm. her adventures in the plaza hotel entertained many who read the books and got lost in her world. now an exhibition in manhattan is celebrating the book that kay thompson and hilary knight created. it's appropriately named eloise at the museum, and we've gone to have a look. she gets in trouble. she is a free spirit. and everybody wanted to be haagen—dazs. —— wanted to be eloise. eloise landed with a squabble and squeak at the plaza hotel in 1955 in new york. she was a six—year—old

girl, no parents, no siblings. just a nanny, living in luxury in this splendid hotel. and america fell in love with her. i think the secret of eloise's charm and a law —— and lure is twofold. one is that a voice. that funny voice. the other is hillary not‘s ranks, which are full of marvellous detail and rivermen the gesture and lines. when a child reads a picture bookie enters into the book. that is what i was trying to accomplish in this gallery. you enter the plaza, you can see the house phones and listened to bernadette peters reading the four books out loud. you see eloise in paris. you see eloise at christmas time. and you see a beautiful suite of finished roaring is from eloise in moscow, which was published in 1959 and was the last

in the original series. in the middle of the cold war, kn tillery went to the soviet union. it is like kay's prank phone call to the soviets. she is spoofing the harshness of the soviet regime by contrasting it with this little girl from the decadent west, this rich young things who arrives in a rolls—royce. to be a really successful picture book you have to do three things. you have to have an amazing heroine or hero. you have to revote a wonderful spot, like the plaza. and you have to laugh through several generations. eloise has done all three of those things. she is one for the ages. looks like lots of fun. don't forget, you can get in touch with me and the team on twitter. there is also much more on the website. you can get all of our top stories there. 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 world news. the headlines: in the us, two more republican senators have said they'll oppose president trump's proposed healthcare bill. 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. forest fires are sweeping towards the croatian coastal city of split. hundreds of firefighters and soldiers are battling the blaze. neighbouring montenegro has also been hit by wildfires, and has asked for international help. venezuela's political crisis has deepened, after voters rejected plans

to rewrite the constitution. president trump has said the country will face strong and swift economic