keeping weather largely dry for southern areas on thursday. close to the low pressure in the north—west, seeing a number of showers affecting northern ireland, scotland and the north—west of england. the driest and sunniest weather across southern and eastern areas. that's your forecast. this is bbc news. the headlines: a bbc investigation has revealed the scale of suffering in yemen's war. around 17 million people are hungry and 7 million are starving. leaked documents from the united nations suggest both sides are violating international law, killing and maiming children and that the saudi—led coalition is blocking delivery of food and medicine. the american secretary of state has played down president trump's assertions on monday that the united states will win the war in afghanistan. mr tillerson told reporters in washington that the us might not win a military victory over the taliban, but the militants couldn't win either. charges including murder have been filed against two of the suspected islamists captured after last week's attacks in and around barcelona. a third suspect is being held for a further 72 hours for questioning, while another has been released, while investigations continue.

the iraqi city of mosul has been devastated by months of bombardment designed to drive out isis. 90% of the city, where isis declared their ‘caliphate‘ three years ago, has been destroyed and more than a million people have been forced from their homes. returning can be deadly, with many of the remaining buildings booby trapped by retreating isis fighters. yalda hakim has been to mosul to meet survivors and discover how they endured three years of brutal rule under isis. she reports now for our world. this is mosul, iraq's second city. there is nothing left, nothing that is not untouched. when isis unleashed their reign of terror, the world

watched in horror. for the people of mosul, there was no escape. isis have been routed. but what happened to the people who survived? the road to mosul is long and convoluted.

to reach even the outskirts of the city, you have to navigate numerous checkpoints. these roads are busy again, but all around you can see the remnants from nine months of fighting. we've just entered west mosul and we're yet to see the full devastation of this war. while it very much feels like this city is functioning again, there is very much a war going on here. there are still pockets of isis fighters in the old city. the baghdad government has declared this war over but the threat from

isis still lingers. i was here in 2013 and mosul then was one of the most dangerous cities on earth. i was making a film about the arab world's oldest paragliding club. oh, you're such a show—off! like life wasn't already hard enough. a shia—led military backed by the government in baghdad was oppressing the local sunni population. allahu akbar! it was these conditions that helped pave the way for isis. when isis took the city,

i tried to contact the paragliders i'd met on my visit here in 2013. most had fled, but 42—year—old rada adari had decided to stay. hello, rada, it's yalda. i'm well, i'm well — how are you? rada, are you safe now? i tried to keep in touch but eventually, the calls stopped. and this is what liberation looks like. iraq's second largest city, just ruins. a legacy of the months

of bombardment and intense streetfighting. the bulk of this city is just completely destroyed and devastated. there is nothing left, nothing that is now not untouched. i can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like for the people trapped in this city. they weren't allowed out, isis wasn't letting them, and there was constant bombardment here, and now everything is destroyed. trapped beneath these ruined are untold numbers of bodies. ishar tahal is homeless along with a million other people

in this city. what are your children saying? dr amjad hazim is getting to work the only way he can.

mosul‘s only functioning hospital is overwhelmed. there is no one checking the people who are coming and going and so the security forces are concerned that some of these people could be isis fighters or isis supporters. this is shrapnel in the back

and i am examine this side of the shrapnel and this... and just outside, another explosion. a reminder that this war is still not over. at the height of the fighting, dr hazim was treating up to 700

people a day. now the numbers have dropped to 500, and notjust from injuries but illnesses caused due to the lack of clean water. returning home could be deadly. according to the army, retreating isis fighters have rigged 90% of the buildings with improvised explosive devices. do you have the resources?

i mean, do you have enough men to... explosion they've just. . . is that another one? so many more still in this area? the iraqi military is now accused of targeting and killing people they suspect of belonging to isis. the government say they're investigating these allegations. when islamic state swept into mosul three years ago, the world watched in horror as they unleashed their reign of terror.

initially, many here welcomed isis. they saw them as liberators from an oppressive shia—dominated government. mosul university. 0nce home to over a million books on philosophy, law and literature. rare maps, ancient manuscripts and a ninth—century koran have all been lost. this is one of iraq's most famous universities, it is now completely destroyed. isis was using this as a headquarters. they converted the science labs into makeshift weapons factories. computer, mathematics.

when iraqi forces retook the east of the city they discovered what they had long suspected and feared. chemicals such as sulphur mustard. according to the us pentagon, the university was central to isis's chemical weapons programme. we are just inside what used to be the computer department. there is hardly anything left here, but classes have now resumed so we are going upstairs to have a look at one of the classrooms. hi, hello. this seat of learning represented everything isis stood against. intellectuals like ali, a renowned professor of law,

feared for their lives. you are a professor, that would have been hugely risky if they found out who you were. what did you do? the sense of life flooding back

into this town is palpable. this cafe has just reopened. but there are still deep scars. fikri was a student at the university. when isis came to power, she had to give up her studies, but much worse was to come.

religious police, known as the hisbah, controlled everything. shaving, smoking, using a mobile phone, were all considered immoral, and the punishment for these transgressions, any thing from public lashings to execution. for the three years isis ruled the city, very little information came out about life inside the caliphate. it's difficult to believe that as foreigners we can now drive freely in the streets. but it's a false sense of security. it's not safe here in east mosul. there are fears that many isis fighters have just

gone back into the community. now checkpoints everywhere, we still have to be so careful. i've come to visit dr hazim, from mosul hospital, at his home in the east of the city. nice to see you. thank you for having us. as—salamu alaykum. this is traditional food? we can come freely to go home now, but life was very difficult in the past three years? 0ver lunch, dr hazim explains

that it was his profession that ultimately saved him and his family from the wrath of islamic state fighters. did that make you nervous that your son would go out to treat isis fighters? is there fear, then, that there

could be another uprising? are you scared about the idea that isis may come back? how do you feel now? are you able to breathe freely? thinking back to the paragliders

i met here in 2013, i remember the love they had for the city. and the freedom they sought through their sport, soaring above mosul. one of them was a true rebel. the wind is like a man's heart, it changes every two minutes! through a contact, i discovered she had stayed in mosul. she had even stood up to isis, running for election to the city council. but that rebellious, outspoken streak was eventually to cost her. friends say she was taken from her home and shot

in the street. the people of mosul have suffered a great deal in these past few years. now they have to rebuild broken and divided city. the people of mosul now have to rebuild a broken and divided city. real reconciliation will be a battle. and all the while, isis fighters are hiding among the population. waiting in the shadows. hi there.

yesterday was a pretty humid day, wasn't it? we did have some sunshine coming through. the best in southwest england, temperatures climbing to 25 degrees in bute. it was not sunny everywhere, a couple of inches of rain in northern ireland, 15 millimetres in just four hours in county tyrone. rain not just heavy but also thundery. thunderstorms rumbling north—east across northern ireland through the night. to the start of friday, the band of rain has moved away from northern ireland and into scotland. a soggy start with some wet weather swinging into north—west england. mild and muggy to start for many of us, 16—17 degrees. wet weather still with us for a good part of the morning across scotland. for eastern areas, low cloud with fog patches around the coast and hills. an improving picture

in northern ireland. cloud breaking to give some sunny spells. starting to see things a bit brighter nibbling in across south—west of wales and south—west england as well. time to see what happens through the rest of wednesday. this area of cloud and rain is tied in with this weather front. slowly pushing eastwards across the country. ahead of that front, warm and muggy air across east anglia and south—east england. if the sunshine comes out through the cloud, it could become very warm. generally, the weather turning a bit fresher from the west as the day goes by. temperatures getting into the low 20s, perhaps even mid— 20s in the warmest areas in the west. further east, we could see highs of 27. to get that, we need some sunshine. 27 would be the hottest day of august so far. wednesday night, rain taking a while to clear from north—east scotland. through the night, showers from north—western areas. a fresh night, temperatures 13—14 fairly widely. the picture through thursday, a north—west, south—east split. a flat ridge of high pressure in the south,

keeping weather largely dry for southern areas on thursday. close to the low pressure in the north—west, seeing a number of showers affecting northern ireland, scotland and the north—west of england. at times, those showers could merge in northern ireland, becoming a long flow with the winds. could be lengthy in places. friday, chances of rain across the west of the uk. the driest and sunniest weather across southern and eastern areas. that's your forecast. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: a special report from yemen, where millions face starvation because of a saudi—led blockade. president trump wants afghan security forces to lead the fight against the taliban,

but how ready are they to do that? as suspects in the barcelona attack appear in court, police reveal much bigger assaults were being planned. "numb and confused": princes william and harry talk to the bbc about the days after their mother's death, 20 years ago.