former us defence secretary donald rumsfeld has died at the age 88. he was the architect of the us invasions of iraq and afghanistan. it's one year since china introduced a controversial national security law in hong kong, which critics say has been used to crack down on dissent. we have a special report on the impact. the death toll in canada is rising, as the record breaking heatwave continues. police in vancouver report 130 sudden deaths while temperatures soar. welcome to world news america, in the uk on pbs and around the globe. welcome to world news america, in the uk, on pbs and around the globe. today marks one year since china imposed a wide—ranging national security law on hong kong.

critics say it's beijing's way of controlling pro—democracy protestors and stifling opposition. since the introduction of this controversial new law, more than 100 people have been arrested, including some of hong kong's most prominent activists. the bbc�*s danny vincent is in hong kong and reports on how much has changed over the last year. as a young man, lew mon—hung swam across this riverfrom mainland china into hong kong, hoping to start a new life. it took him nine hours to reach the shores of this former british colony. nearly 50 years later, he says he was trying to escape poverty, not communism. translation: this is the critical time for the future of _ one country, two systems. it's important to safeguard it and we should follow president xijinping. 0n the eve of the 100—year anniversary of the founding of the chinese communist party, many questions over hong kong's future loom large.

critics say the introduction of the national security law a year ago is giving china complete control of this semi—autonomous city. control over its territory has long been a goal of the chinese communist party. every chinese schoolchild is taught about the 100 years of humiliation, when china was weak and divided by foreign nations, when hong kong was still a british colony. there's no doubt the law is changing hong kong. ah nam was once part of the student protest movement. translation: most of our generation is going through this. _ they are compelled to, or are planning to, leave their homes. many of my friends in hong kong are either arrested or have been persecuted with political cases. many others have left hong kong due to the national security law and other reasons. despite more than 100 arrests since the law was introduced,

some are determined to continue speaking out. herbert chow's shop sells protest memorabilia. it was raided by the national security police. instead of trying to use the national security law as a law to protect the national security of china in hong kong, and if they decided to use it as a weapon, to silence people, and they arrest you, what can i say? what can i do? i'm not going to change the way i live just because there is something so vague going around in society. if anything, i'm duty—bound to prove that citizens of hong kong should not live in fear. hong kong was promised certain political freedoms for 50 years after the handover. july 1 marks 2a years since this city was returned to china, but today, many fear those freedoms are already being eroded. danny vincent, bbc news, hong kong.

now, the american actor bill cosby is a free man tonight, after the pennsylvania supreme court overturned his conviction for sexual assault. mr cosby, once known as america's dad for his role in the cosby show, was convicted in 2018 of assaulting andrea constand. his was the first high—profile sexual assault trial in the aftermath of the me too movement, which saw women speaking out against alleged sexual abuse by powerful men. michelle fleury joins michelle fleuryjoins me now. we saw bill cosby in public, he did not say much, but how is the reaction? 15 much, but how is the reaction? iis lawyers are saying this isjustice lawyers are saying this is justice being served. earlier on a few hours ago, he left here in carson headed to his home in the suburbs of philadelphia. he was serving at the time 3—10 years for his being

convicted on three counts of sexual assault for drugging and blasting andrea constand back in 200a. —— drugging and molesting. that was the only case he was convicted, despite various accusers leveling charged at him over the years, and a judge came out from pennsylvania's top court and basically said that because of a deal that he had reached with the previous prosecutor, the trial should never have taken place in the first instance. find should never have taken place in the first instance.— first instance. and michelle, is there any _ first instance. and michelle, is there any reaction _ first instance. and michelle, is there any reaction tonight - first instance. and michelle, is| there any reaction tonight from andrea constand herself? we there any reaction tonight from andrea constand herself? we have not heard from indra _ andrea constand herself? we have not heard from indra constant, _ andrea constand herself? we have not heard from indra constant, but - heard from indra constant, but gloria already, who represented more than 30 accusers of bill cosby came out and said that she cannot imagine how those accusers felt, especially those who testified at mr cosby�*s trial —— andrea constand. 0bviously come as you point out, this was a momentous moment in the #metoo

movement, it was a chance for women to speak out about sexual assault against people in power. now for mr cosby, this is an opportunity for him to try and reestablish himself, because years before any of these allegations came to light, he was known as america's dad, playing cliff huxtable in the 1980s hit tv show the cosby show. but. cliff huxtable in the 1980s hit tv show the cosby show. but, michelle, what are the — show the cosby show. but, michelle, what are the applications _ show the cosby show. but, michelle, what are the applications of - show the cosby show. but, michelle, what are the applications of bill - what are the applications of bill cosby�*s conviction being overturned for other sexual assault cases? does it mean that you cannot bring in evidence that is not directly related to the accusation that is being tried? if related to the accusation that is being tried?— being tried? if you listen to the reaction from _ being tried? if you listen to the reaction from legal _ being tried? if you listen to the reaction from legal circles - being tried? if you listen to the reaction from legal circles at i being tried? if you listen to the l reaction from legal circles at the moment, laura, they keep going back to the idea that this was maybe just a procedural point specific to this case, that mr cosby had an immunity deal years ago a with prosecutor here in pennsylvania, in exchange

for giving statements as part of investigation they were conducting. in return for speaking to prosecutors, they said they would not charge him, but later a different prosecutor decided not to stick to that agreement, and that really has been the legal argument that split pennsylvania's top court but ultimately they felt that he had not received theirjustice under the fifth amendment, his right not to them committed himself, the rules had not been followed.— had not been followed. michelle, does this seem _ had not been followed. michelle, does this seem to _ had not been followed. michelle, does this seem to be _ had not been followed. michelle, does this seem to be the - had not been followed. michelle, does this seem to be the end - had not been followed. michelle, does this seem to be the end of. had not been followed. michelle, i does this seem to be the end of the legal process for bill cosby, as far as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried. — as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried. so _ as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried, so the _ as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried, so the only _ as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried, so the only way - as you can tell tonight? he cannot be retried, so the only way that i as you can tell tonight? he cannot. be retried, so the only way that you could see something like this begin again is if there were new allegations, and if you think back to the particular case at the heart of all this, as it was, when charges were brought back in 2015, the window was closing on the statute of limitation. i think there was just two weeks at the time they had left

to bring charges, so given the historical nature of this, it doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleu , doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleury. thank— doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleury, thank you. _ doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleury, thank you. -- _ doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleury, thank you. -- it - doesn't seem unlikely. michelle fleury, thank you. -- it does i doesn't seem unlikely. michelle i fleury, thank you. -- it does seem fleury, thank you. —— it does seem unlikely. the former us defence secretary donald rumsfeld, the architect of the us—led invasions of iraq and afghanistan, has died at the age of 88. he was both the youngest defence secretary ever in 1975, and the oldest when he returned to the job in 2001. mr rumsfeld was inside the pentagon when it was attacked on 9/11. sarah campbell reports. donald rumsfeld served four presidents over five decades. charismatic and outspoken, he was a key architect of america's response to 9/11, the invasion of afghanistan and the war against iraq. a navy pilot in the 1950s,

rumsfeld later became an illinois congressman. richard nixon and henry kissinger admired his ruthlessness and gave him a job in cabinet. a strong defence posture gives weight to our values and our views in international negotiations. in 1975, gerald ford made him defense secretary, the youngest ever. ronald reagan sent him to the middle east, where he met saddam hussein, the leader he would one day help to overthrow. i'm submitting the name of donald rumsfeld to be secretary of defense. nearly 20 years later, george w bush reappointed him defense secretary. within months, america came under attack. rumsfeld was in his pentagon office on september 11, 2001 when an airliner hit the building. he helped move the injured and then planned a way to strike back. rumsfeld believed the iraq war would be over in months and the invasion would be vindicated. but the fierce insurrection that followed claimed thousands of lives.

when no weapons of mass destruction were found, rumsfeld struggled to explain why. there are known knowns. there are things we know that we know. there are known unknowns. that is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. but there are also unknown unknowns. there are things we do not know we don't know. he was prepared to push boundaries, including with the treatment of suspected terrorists, but when these photographs of the brutalisation of iraqi prisoners appeared, there was a backlash. these events occurred on my watch. i am accountable for them, and i take full responsibility. but the scandal damaged him, and with his iraq strategy increasingly questioned, he resigned in 2006. donald rumsfeld reshaped the us military and worked to apply its power overseas. he was a man never short of critics,

but steadfast in his belief that he acted in america's best interests. remembering donald rumsfeld, who has died at the age of 88. north korean state media reports the country's leader kim jong—un has berated top officials, over errors which led to an unspecified "great crisis" related to coronavirus. in a politburo meeting, kim accused party executives of neglecting their duties, including failing to implement long—term measures to fight the pandemic. north korea had claimed it had no covid cases — a claim experts always doubted. the bbc�*s nari kim reports from seoul. no mask wearing, nor any sort of social distancing. a special politburo meeting of workers party of korea, the usual choreographed drills and chants.

but this time, it is a tough situation and a really tough message from their leader. without giving any details at all, kim jong—un referred to a great crisis related to covid—19 inside the country. he said, "a great incident has caused a great risk to people and the nation's safety." he said he was going to punish several officials by removing them from their posts, including one of the powerful five—member standing committee. kimjong—un's comments indicated a possible breach of the coronavirus system. north korea is not a place where we can expect to get daily case numbers or death numbers. but it could be a rare sign of the pandemic�*s severity in the country. north korea was one of the first countries to seal its borders when the virus emerged in wuhan. the stringent restrictions completely crippled the economy, as trade with china plummeted. some food and medicine have not been

able to get through. two weeks ago, the communist leader admitted there are food shortages, comparing the situation to the country's deadly 1990s famine. kim's comments and measures today could mean that the north korean narrative of winning over the virus may be coming to an end. nari kim, bbc news. dozens of people have died in western canada during a record breaking heatwave that's lasted three days. on tuesday, temperatures hit a new high, reaching 121 degrees fahrenheit in british columbia. cities in america's pacific northwest are also seeing intense heat. it's been blamed on a thick layer of warm air, trapped by a ridge of high—pressure in the region. 0ur science editor david shukman has more.

a sign of trouble in a world that's getting hotter — an emergency cooling centre in a region that normally never needs one. the western united states and canada are experiencing heat they're just not used to. i think it's incredibly important that we set up these spaces so people can come in, feel taken care of, feel safe, get cool and get some water and a bite to eat if they need it. you know, the hotels seem to be sold out as well because people are running away. they need to go somewhere cool with ac. it's just unbearable. it's impossible to be out. it's most dangerous for the homeless. helping them with shade and water is essential. in canada, which is famous for its cold, the heatwave has been blamed for more than 100 deaths. it's the elderly, who are less able to regulate their body temperature, who are most vulnerable. whether you have heart or breathing problems, | or even if you're an elderly person, sometimes you just don't cope i quite as well in the heat and sun. and the hotter it gets, the more wildfires are likely to start. this one was filmed in california a few days ago. president biden has warned

that the rising temperatures bring all kinds of dangers. the extreme heat we're seeing in the west is not only a risk amplifier for wildfires, it's a threat in and of itself. people are hurting. it's more dangerous for kids to play outside. roads are buckling under the heat, and again, i need not tell all of you. so, what's causing this heat? well, there's a vast dome of high pressure above western canada. it's like a lid in the atmosphere, trapping warm air and pushing it down where it gets even hotter. and the heat is held in place by the path of the jet stream, so temperatures have kept climbing. and this is really unusual. the dark red area is far warmer than average. and scientists say that its human activity, the burning of fossilfuels, that's made this far more likely. our analysis of the temperatures that we're seeing in the western side of north america just wouldn't have been feasible in

the natural course of events. we've analysed the climate that you would expect without emissions of greenhouse gases, and you just don't see these sorts of extraordinary temperatures that we're seeing at the moment. the next big worry is farmland, and whether crops will survive the punishing temperatures. the heatwave won't last forever, but it is a reminder of what climate change can really mean. david shukman, bbc news. and that punishing heat is continuing tonight in the pacific northwest. in other news: the ethiopian prime minister has downplayed the capture by rebels of the tigrayan regional capital mekelle. abiy ahmed said government forces withdrew because the town was no longer the conflict�*s centre of gravity. the rebels say mr ahmed is lying — and federal forces were forced to leave because they were beaten. authorities in myanmar have released hundreds of anti—coup protesters from the prison in yangon,

including localjournalists who were jailed for covering the aftermath of february's military takeover. it's estimated that more than 6,400 people have been detained since february 1, although it's unclear how many have now been released. indian regulators have approved moderna's covid—19 vaccine, making it the fourth in the country to be given emergency use authorisation. india is seeing an increase of cases of the delta variant, and while the pace of vaccinations nationwide remains slow, the government hopes that more available vaccines will speed up the process. the world health organization has certified china as malaria—free, after a seven—decade campaign against the disease. in the 1940s, china was recording 30 million cases a year. you're watching bbc world news america. still to come on tonight's programme: indonesia feels the impact of covid, with shortages of oxygen and vaccines, as the delta variant leads to record numbers of new infections.

russia reported record high covid deaths today. it's the second day in a row that the figure has reached new heights. president putin called on more russians to get the jab, but vaccination rates are lagging. 0ur moscow correspondent sarah rainsford has more. remember, back in august, vladimir putin himself hailed sputnik v as the first registered vaccine against covid in the whole world, and it was meant to be a world beater, too. certainly the statistics suggests it's up to 90% or more effective against covid, and yet we've got this massive spike in cases now and increase in deaths. and it's simply because, or primarily because, russians are not getting vaccinated. they don't trust sputnik or the other vaccines that there are available here, so it's interesting that today, in his direct line, his phone—in with the public, vladimir putin finally revealed that he himself had

received the sputnik vaccine and he was trying to urge russians to go and get vaccinated. so a real push now to get people protected against a very reluctant population. delays in opening the global economy to summer travellers are having a massive impact on the tourism industry, according to the united nations. it's just released findings showing that the fallout from the covid—19 pandemic is costing trillions of dollars. the report is highly critical of the unequal pace of vaccination programmes, with europe and the us racing ahead, while lower—income countries in asia and africa lag behind. the un estimates the cost of lost tourism could rise to almost 3 trillion dollars this year — and it suggests there is unlikely to be any real recovery until 2023.

with more from geneva, here's the bbc�*s imogen foulkes. 2020, the year of no foreign holidays. it's a disaster for countries like thailand whose economies depend on tourism. now, famous resorts like phuket are desperate to reopen but the damage is done. the tourist will come and see nothing. they see like the building on sale, building for rent. the shop closed, souvenir store closed, you know that, right? you think it's a good environment for the tourist? no. in europe, where vaccination programmes are racing ahead, there is hope for a better summer this year. but travel restrictions which seem to change all the time and lack of agreement between governments about what the rules should be are undermining traveller confidence. people don't travel because there is so much uncertainty. will their vaccination

cards be accepted? or if they are not vaccinated, will their negative test be accepted? will they come home? and the regime change, meanwhile, as we have seen now in some european countries, where people could travel to say portugal and then they changed their regime, like germany in this case. they said, no, if you come back, you have to go into quarantine, which people didn't expect when they left. so there is a lot of uncertainty. in many african and asian countries, vaccination rates are still low. in thailand, less than 10% of people have been vaccinated. very few travellers will want to book a long haulflight to a destination where the pandemic might still be raging or where a lot or where a lockdown might suddenly be imposed. the report calls for much greater fairness in access to vaccines. without that, the economic damage for developing countries will be enormous and long—term. imogen foulkes, bbc news, geneva.

well, as tourists struggle to make plans in this uncertian environment, aid agencies are warning that indonesia is on the edge of a covid—19 catastrophe, as a new wave of infections grips the country. health officials say the crisis has been fuelled by the highly transmissible delta variant. the bbc�*s courtney bembridge reports. 15 months into the pandemic, and this has become a familiar sight. hospitals so full that patients are being treated in the corridors. this is indonesia, the hardest—hit country in southeast asia. translation: in a lot of cases, | patients are dead when they arrive because of a lack of beds. they have to wait until there is bed space before they can be hospitalised. oxygen is in short supply and prices in the capital, jakarta, have almost tripled. the red cross says the country is on the edge of catastrophe

and the government is considering tougher restrictions, as the relatives of the sick try desperately to get them care. translation: i have been looking i for oxygen tanks for three days now, so i've come here to join the queue. hopefully, i can get it here. translation: it's been - so difficult to refill my tank. this morning, i went to one market, but there was a sign saying "oxygen not available". i went to another place — it's the same, they didn't have any supplies left. indonesia is reporting a record number of cases and it's being attributed to the more infectious delta variant, as well as large gatherings like this in april to mark the holy month of ramadan, without much social distancing. the country is banking on mass vaccinations to tackle the virus, but with less than 5% of the population fully vaccinated so far, there's a long way to go.

courtney bembridge, bbc news. and before we go tonight, when astronauts are up in space, they're not usually eating gourmet meals. think freeze—dried food. but this french astronaut has been raising the bar for space cuisine, whipping up a strawberry—chocolate crepe. the crepe is actually a tortilla and the strawberries aren't fresh, but he's saying it's his finest creation so far. with three months left on the space station for this crew, maybe filet mignon is next! i'm laura trevelyan. thanks for watching bbc world news america. have a great night. hello there. the final rainfall stats forjune will be confirmed over the next day or two as more data comes in, but it has been a month of big contrasts across the south of england.

parts of sussex, hampshire, kent have seen more than twice the amount of rain that we'd normally expect, but that is in sharp contrast to what has been a dryjune for much of the uk. particularly so, though, for parts of scotland, northern england and wales. there are a number of places that have seen around about a quarter of the amount of rain we'd normally expect to see. wednesday had big contrasts in weather as well. cloud across eastern england bringing some patches of light rain and drizzle. further west, wales and south west england having some lovely sunshine, but in the afternoon, we did see a few isolated showers build in across these areas, and we've also seen these patches of rain running into parts of east anglia and parts of kent as well. now, the rain is going to be clearing overnight tonight, so most areas will have a dry night with clear spells initially. always rather cloudy across eastern coastal counties of england. some cloud reforming across parts of wales as well, but it's a relatively mild night. temperatures quite widely around 10—13 degrees, a bit cooler than that for parts of northern england and scotland. now, for thursday, generally, i think there's going to be slightly

greater chances of seeing breaks in the cloud and more in the way of sunshine to be spread around. the exception to that story, again, around some of these eastern areas of england where the cloud will be thick enough for an odd patch of rain. and again, we'll probably start to see a few afternoon showers build across wales and parts of southern england as well, but for most of the uk, we're looking at drier weather with sunshine. 21 degrees in glasgow and 20 in belfast. should feel warm enough with light winds and that fine sunshine around as well. now, friday, broadly speaking, is a day of sunshine and showers. the sunniest weather coming through during the afternoon, but that's also when the temperatures rise and we start to see those showers and thunderstorms develop. most of them will be across england and wales, but there will be big gaps between the showers. there'll be a lot of you that escape with a dry day, top temperatures around 23 celsius. this weekend, it looks unsettled, this area of low pressure pushing weather fronts across england and wales with further fronts following for the second half of the weekend as well. it's not going to be raining all weekend, but it is a weekend that will see

rain at times, some bright spells between, and temperatures just coming down a degree or two. that's your latest weather.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the us celebrity bill cosby has been released from prison, after a court overturned his conviction overturned his conviction for sexual assault. for sexual assault. judges in pennsylvania's supreme judges in pennsylvania's supreme court ruled the jury had court ruled the jury had heard tainted evidence. heard tainted evidence. the former us secretary of defence, the former us secretary of defence, donald rumsfeld, has donald rumsfeld, has died at the age of 88. died at the age of 88. he was one of the architects he was one of the architects of america's war on terror — of america's war on terror — and had a key role in the invasions and had a key role in the invasions of iraq and afghanistan of iraq and afghanistan in the early 2000s. in the early 2000s. officials in northwestern canada officials in northwestern canada and the us are warning and the us are warning

of the threat of wildfires, of the threat of wildfires, following several days of following several days of record—breaking high temperatures. record—breaking high temperatures. the canadian province of british columbia reported 100 excess deaths, thought to have been caused by the heat. the uk is planning to offer booster covid jabs ahead of the coming northern hemisphere winter. more than 30 million of the most vulnerable people could be given a third dose.