this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president biden accuses republican—controlled states of mounting a dangerous attack on voting rights in america. there is an unfolding assault taking place in america today, an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. 72 people have now died in the unrest following the jailing of south africa's former president, jacob zuma. malaysia reports daily record high of covid cases as highly infectious delta variant is detected in almost every state. the former boss of nissan describes how he escaped from house arrest injapan hidden a box like this. the 30 minutes waiting

in the box in the plane, waiting for the plane to take off, were probably the longest period of wait i've ever experienced in my life. hello and welcome. president biden has accused republican—controlled states of mounting a dangerous attack on free and fair elections by restricting voting rights. it follows donald trump's claim that voter fraud cost him the 2020 election. speaking in philadelphia, the birthplace of american democracy, mr biden called efforts by republican states to restrict voting as un—american. in 17 republican—led states, there've been efforts to pass laws which supporters say will make voting more secure. but president biden pointed out there's been no evidence of widespread fraud.

hear me clearly. there is an unfolding assault taking place in america today, an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. an assault on democracy. an assault on liberty. an assault on who we are, who we are as americans. but make no mistake — bullies and merchants of fear, peddlers of lies, are threatening the very foundation of our country. a state at the heart of the voting rights controversy in texas. several local democratic politicians have left there in a procedural effort to prevent republicans from tightening voting rules. the governor of texas has threatened to arrest them. jasmine crockett is one of those lawmakers who fled the state on monday night. i am an attorney, and that is my background.

i do criminal defence as well as criminal rights work. to be clear, i've not committed a crime, so i can't be arrested and thrown injail. one reason we're out of the state is similar because we know if there's any authority, it does not extend past the state of texas. so, we won't step foot back in the state so that we can go ahead and kill these bills, the house bill as well as the senate bill, in an effort to give dc another opportunity, and an effort to speak our north america correspondent david willis explained why president biden made the speech. he's making it in philadelphia, the simple _ he's making it in philadelphia, the simple reason _ he's making it in philadelphia, the simple reason that - he's making it in philadelphia, the simple reason that that. he's making it in philadelphia, the simple reason that that isi the simple reason that that is the simple reason that that is the traditional— the simple reason that that is the traditional birthplace - the simple reason that that is the traditional birthplace of l the traditional birthplace of the traditional birthplace of the nation _ the traditional birthplace of the nation. of— the traditional birthplace of the nation. of course, - the traditional birthplace of the nation. of course, it's i the nation. of course, it's where _ the nation. of course, it's where the _ the nation. of course, it's where the us _ the nation. of course, it's where the us constitution the nation. of course, it's - where the us constitution and the declaration— where the us constitution and the declaration of— where the us constitution and l the declaration of independence were _ the declaration of independence were both — the declaration of independence were both signed, _ the declaration of independence were both signed, so _ the declaration of independence were both signed, so it's- the declaration of independence were both signed, so it's a - were both signed, so it's a significant _ were both signed, so it's a significant symbolic- were both signed, so it's a significant symbolic placel were both signed, so it's a . significant symbolic place for him to— significant symbolic place for him to make _ significant symbolic place for him to make a _ significant symbolic place for him to make a speech- significant symbolic place for him to make a speech of- significant symbolic place fori him to make a speech of this kind — him to make a speech of this kind a— him to make a speech of this kind a very— him to make a speech of this kind. a very passionate -

him to make a speech of this i kind. a very passionate speech. as to— kind. a very passionate speech. as to why— kind. a very passionate speech. as to why he's _ kind. a very passionate speech. as to why he's making - kind. a very passionate speech. as to why he's making it - kind. a very passionate speech. as to why he's making it now, l as to why he's making it now, there — as to why he's making it now, there are _ as to why he's making it now, there are a _ as to why he's making it now, there are a couple _ as to why he's making it now, there are a couple of- as to why he's making it now, i there are a couple of reasons. a number— there are a couple of reasons. a number of— there are a couple of reasons. a number of states, _ there are a couple of reasons. a number of states, republican lead a number of states, republican teed states, _ a number of states, republican lead states, are _ a number of states, republican lead states, are passing - lead states, are passing legislation— lead states, are passing legislation that - lead states, are passing legislation that will- lead states, are passing i legislation that will restrict voting _ legislation that will restrict voting rights. _ legislation that will restrict voting rights. texas - legislation that will restrict voting rights. texas is - legislation that will restrict voting rights. texas is thel voting rights. texas is the most _ voting rights. texas is the most written _ voting rights. texas is the most written dissent - voting rights. texas is the most written dissent to i voting rights. texas is the - most written dissent to attempt to do _ most written dissent to attempt to do so, — most written dissent to attempt to do so, and _ most written dissent to attempt to do so, and because - most written dissent to attempt to do so, and because of- to do so, and because of president _ to do so, and because of president biden- to do so, and because of president biden is- to do so, and because ofl president biden is coming to do so, and because of- president biden is coming under growing — president biden is coming under growing pressure _ president biden is coming under growing pressure to _ president biden is coming under growing pressure to do - president biden is coming under growing pressure to do more, i growing pressure to do more, somehow— growing pressure to do more, somehow find _ growing pressure to do more, somehow find a _ growing pressure to do more, somehow find a way - growing pressure to do more, somehow find a way of - growing pressure to do more, i somehow find a way of gaining passage — somehow find a way of gaining passage through _ somehow find a way of gaining passage through congress - somehow find a way of gaining passage through congress of l somehow find a way of gaining . passage through congress of the voting _ passage through congress of the voting rights— passage through congress of the voting rights act, _ passage through congress of the voting rights act, which - passage through congress of the voting rights act, which would i voting rights act, which would basically— voting rights act, which would basically override _ voting rights act, which would basically override these - voting rights act, which wouldl basically override these moves by individual _ basically override these moves by individual states— basically override these moves by individual states to - basically override these moves by individual states to make i basically override these moves by individual states to make it| by individual states to make it more — by individual states to make it more difficult _ by individual states to make it more difficult for— by individual states to make it more difficult for people - by individual states to make it more difficult for people to i more difficult for people to vote — more difficult for people to vote it's _ more difficult for people to vote. it's his— more difficult for people to vote. it's his impassioned. vote. it's his impassioned rhetoric— vote. it's his impassioned rhetoric today. _ vote. it's his impassioned rhetoric today. he - vote. it's his impassioned rhetoric today. he said i vote. it's his impassioned rhetoric today. he said iti vote. it's his impassioned . rhetoric today. he said it was a morat— rhetoric today. he said it was a moral reckoning _ rhetoric today. he said it was a moral reckoning as - rhetoric today. he said it was a moral reckoning as far- rhetoric today. he said it was a moral reckoning as far as l rhetoric today. he said it was i a moral reckoning as far as the united — a moral reckoning as far as the united states— a moral reckoning as far as the united states was _ a moral reckoning as far as the united states was concerned . united states was concerned that most _ united states was concerned that most significant - united states was concerned that most significant test - united states was concerned that most significant test ofl that most significant test of our democracy, _ that most significant test of our democracy, as- that most significant test of our democracy, as he - that most significant test of our democracy, as he put. that most significant test ofi our democracy, as he put it, since — our democracy, as he put it, since the _ our democracy, as he put it, since the civil— our democracy, as he put it, since the civil war. - our democracy, as he put it, since the civil war.— since the civil war. what's happening _ since the civil war. what's happening with _ since the civil war. what's happening with this - since the civil war. what's - happening with this legislation in congress?— in congress? well, it has installed _ in congress? well, it has installed in _ in congress? well, it has installed in the _ in congress? well, it has installed in the senate. | in congress? well, it has - installed in the senate. there have — installed in the senate. there have treen— installed in the senate. there have been calls _ installed in the senate. there have been calls — _ installed in the senate. there have been calls — i— installed in the senate. there| have been calls — i mentioned

those — have been calls — i mentioned those civil_ have been calls — i mentioned those civil rights _ have been calls — i mentioned those civil rights leaders— - have been calls — i mentioned those civil rights leaders— fori those civil rights leaders— for the president— those civil rights leaders— for the president to _ those civil rights leaders— for the president to push - those civil rights leaders— fori the president to push perhaps for a — the president to push perhaps for a removal, _ the president to push perhaps fora removal, in— the president to push perhaps for a removal, in this - the president to push perhaps for a removal, in this case, i the president to push perhaps fora removal, in this case, ofi fora removal, in this case, of so-catted _ fora removal, in this case, of so—called filibuster— fora removal, in this case, of so—called filibuster in - fora removal, in this case, of so—called filibuster in the - so—called filibuster in the senate, _ so—called filibuster in the senate, which _ so—called filibuster in the senate, which is - so—called filibuster in the senate, which is a - so—called filibuster in the - senate, which is a convention that— senate, which is a convention that requires— senate, which is a convention that requires 16 _ senate, which is a convention that requires 16 vote - senate, which is a conventionl that requires 16 vote majority. of course, _ that requires 16 vote majority. of course, it's _ that requires 16 vote majority. of course, it's 50—50 - that requires 16 vote majority. . of course, it's 50—50 democrats and republicans _ of course, it's 50—50 democrats and republicans in _ of course, it's 50—50 democrats and republicans in the - of course, it's 50—50 democrats and republicans in the senate, i and republicans in the senate, so there's— and republicans in the senate, so there's better— and republicans in the senate, so there's better protection - so there's better protection tegistation— so there's better protection legislation stalling. - so there's better protection legislation stalling. it - so there's better protectionj legislation stalling. it really has nowhere _ legislation stalling. it really has nowhere to _ legislation stalling. it really has nowhere to go - legislation stalling. it really has nowhere to go unless . legislation stalling. it really. has nowhere to go unless the fitibuster— has nowhere to go unless the filibuster is— has nowhere to go unless the filibuster is lifted. _ has nowhere to go unless the filibuster is lifted. that's - has nowhere to go unless the filibuster is lifted. that's a i filibuster is lifted. that's a highly— filibuster is lifted. that's a highly controversial- filibuster is lifted. that's aj highly controversial move. president _ highly controversial move. president biden— highly controversial move. president biden spent- highly controversial move. - president biden spent decades in the — president biden spent decades in the senate _ president biden spent decades in the senate himself. - president biden spent decades in the senate himself. he - president biden spent decades in the senate himself. he is. in the senate himself. he is reluctant— in the senate himself. he is reluctant to _ in the senate himself. he is reluctant to tinker- in the senate himself. he is reluctant to tinker with - in the senate himself. he is reluctant to tinker with his i reluctant to tinker with his tong — reluctant to tinker with his long established _ reluctant to tinker with his long established rules. - reluctant to tinker with his . long established rules. what reluctant to tinker with his - long established rules. what i think— long established rules. what i think he's— long established rules. what i think he's doing _ long established rules. what i think he's doing is _ long established rules. what i think he's doing is to- long established rules. what i think he's doing is to widen i think he's doing is to widen the debate, _ think he's doing is to widen the debate, to— think he's doing is to widen the debate, to press- think he's doing is to widen the debate, to press home| think he's doing is to widen . the debate, to press home to democrats _ the debate, to press home to democrats who— the debate, to press home to democrats who will— the debate, to press home to democrats who will of- the debate, to press home to democrats who will of course | the debate, to press home to. democrats who will of course be called _ democrats who will of course be called upon _ democrats who will of course be called upon to— democrats who will of course be called upon to go _ democrats who will of course be called upon to go to _ democrats who will of course be called upon to go to the - democrats who will of course be called upon to go to the polls i called upon to go to the polls for the — called upon to go to the polls for the midterms _ called upon to go to the polls for the midterms next - called upon to go to the polls for the midterms next year, i called upon to go to the polls i for the midterms next year, how important — for the midterms next year, how important developments - for the midterms next year, how important developments are - for the midterms next year, how important developments are at i important developments are at the moment, _ important developments are at the moment, how— important developments are at the moment, how important i important developments are at the moment, how important it| important developments are at i the moment, how important it is they stand — the moment, how important it is they stand up _ the moment, how important it is they stand up against _ the moment, how important it is they stand up against them. - they stand up against them. david — they stand up against them. david wnus _ they stand up against them. david willis reporting - they stand up against them. david willis reporting there. police in south africa now say 72 people have died in the violence which has erupted since the jailing of former president jacob zuma last week. that includes 10 people killed

in a stampede during looting on monday night at a shopping centre in soweto, the country's biggest township. the military has now been deployed to help the overstretched police. nomsa maseko reports. thrown by her mother to safety. cheers of relief after looting, fires and rampage caused these people to flee their homes. rioters targeted on the ground floor here, then set the building on fire, affecting apartments on the upper floors. this man returning again and again to help people escape. what initially started as a pro—jacob zuma protest has now become almost like a free—for—all. the looting spree began five days ago and it has continued unabated. the military has been deployed on the ground, but even they cannot

control the situation. nearly 800 people have been arrested and the leaders of the provinces affected by rioting have said 19 people have died, while the death toll stands at 26. despite the visible criminality and violence here, some believe this is still very much aboutjacob zuma, the jailed former president. do you think this is aboutjacob zuma? it is about the jacob zuma because if you notice very well, this started on the day after it was people didn't want jacob zuma in the beginning. the president of this country should have done something to prevent this. in guateng, the country's economic hub, people say livelihoods have been affected. it's sad because they are increasing unemployment and some of us are not employed

for that yet depending with food and everything else, so this is not okay. whatever they're doing is not okay. my sister's at home doing nothing, she was unemployed. i don't know what's gonna happen from now. i feel bad because we are using the shops, we are going to be i hungry and we are not going, we're going to go _ far away and they... more troops are expected to be deployed overnight to prevent the rioting from spreading to other areas. let's get some of the day's other news. the un world food programme says it needs to sharply increase the quantity of food aid it's started delivering to ethiopia's tigray region, where months of fighting has led to widespread hunger. a spokesperson said a hundred trucks a day would be needed to reverse what he described as catastrophic conditions. hundreds of thousands

of people are facing famine. the french competition authority has fined google a record $600 million in a copyright dispute. the authority said google hadn't negotiated in good faith when it came to paying for press reports it runs on its news aggregator site. the crown and the mandalorian are leading the charge for this year's emmy awards, with 2a nominations apiece. netflix�*s hit series based on the british royalfamily garnered acting nods for olivia colman, josh o'connor and emma corrin. it is also up for best drama series, while disney's the mandalorian is recognised in the same category. malaysia on tuesday announced measures to help its ailing health system. with over 11,000 new infections. the third daily record seen in the past week at 125 news deaths —— new deaths.

the surge comes even after malaysia ramped up its vaccination programme. prisoners in migrant workers are on the front line of the covid battle the country. the country's human right commission says prisons are full to bursting, running at 40% more than capacity. for more on this, i'm joined now by dr adeeba kamarulzaman from the world health organization science council, who joins us live from kuala lumpur. hello to you. thanks for being with us. as part of the problem in malaysia that the has not been stringent enough? it’s been stringent enough? it's difficult to _ been stringent enough? it�*s difficult to understand where the infections are coming from in the largest state, the most densely populated state. it's a combination of infections coming from dormitories and factories and construction

sites, as well as the community. so, the lockdown at the moment, as you said, is not stringent enough in terms of some of the factories being allowed to operate. so, on the other hand, this is also where 70% of infections are coming from. , 70% of infections are coming from, , ., , from. so these are highly concentrated _ from. so these are highly concentrated areas, - from. so these are highly concentrated areas, lots| from. so these are highly i concentrated areas, lots of people packed together and working conditions, and we're seeing a big spread. how is the country's vaccine roll—out in relation to all this? country's vaccine roll-out in relation to all this? actually, the vaccination _ relation to all this? actually, the vaccination programme l relation to all this? actually, | the vaccination programme is going very well. we have vaccinated at least 25% of the population with one dose, and 12% two doses. so we're really ramping up the vaccination

programme, and at the rate we're going, we hope to vaccinate about 70% of the population by october. so, it really is a race against the very high level of infection we're seeing at the moment and the concern around the variants. is the concern around the variants.— the concern around the variants. , . . ., variants. is there a fear that potentially. _ variants. is there a fear that potentially, this _ variants. is there a fear that l potentially, this concentrated area where we see a rapid increase in infections, that could sort of spread wider? indeed. i think the pattern that we're seeing in the state with the highest number of infections is notjust the factories and construction sites, but also this highly, densely populated housing commissions, set ups where we've also seen a large number of cases. so, the next donation

programme, i think it's going to target those areas —— vaccinated programme, as well as factory workers and migrant workers. the other— as factory workers and migrant workers. the other we're going to leave it _ workers. the other we're going to leave it there. _ workers. the other we're going to leave it there. doctor, - to leave it there. doctor, thank you so much forjoining us. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a question of consent — why sexual consent education is being made mandatory in parts of australia. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the euro zone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust in the worst crisis to hit the euro zone has been averted. 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's completely blacked out. it's a timely reminder to all

americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris- fora summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoinedl the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champs—elysees. . wildlife officials in australia have been coping with a penguin problem. fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much, they could barely stand. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: president biden has accused republican—controlled states of mounting a dangerous attack on voting rights following donald trump's defeat in the 2020 election. more than 70 people are now known to have died in south africa in violent unrest and looting sparked by the jailing of former

presidentjacob zuma. it was an extraordinary escape. carlos ghosn, the former boss of the carmaking giant nissan, has been describing how he fled house arrest injapan by hiding in a box that was then loaded on to a private jet. he'd been arrested in tokyo in 2018 and charged with financial misconduct offences. he denies the charges and says he believes he is being treated as collateral damage. he is now in exile in lebanon, from where he has been speaking exclusively to our business editor, simonjack. i could not show my face, so i had to be hidden somewhere, and the only way i could be hidden is to be in a box, or be in a luggage. so, nobody could see me, nobody could recognise me and obviously, the plan could work. before joining the box, i needed not to be detected because i departed from an airport outside tokyo.

so, we used a train and taxis, so i had to wear things that i never usually wear. you know, the plane was scheduled to pick up at 11pm that night. we were ready and i was in the box in the rear of the plane probably around 10:30 p:m.. the 30 minutes waiting in the box in the plane, waiting for the plane to take off, were probably the longest period of wait i've ever experienced in my life. and for our viewers on bbc world news, you can hear more of that interview in asia business report in less than 15 minutes. the uk government has seen off a rebellion within the ruling conservative party over the plans to cut the foreign aid budget. several senior members of parliament voted against the plan, which will wipe almost four billion pounds from the sum the uk spends

on tackling poverty and corruption overseas. some of the biggest charities say it's a disaster. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. britain has long given humanitarian aid like this to the world's poorest people, but the government is cutting that aid. and what was promised to be temporary has now become much longer—term — and all, the prime minister says, to save money. we are doing this in the midst of a terrible crisis, when our public finances are under greater strain than ever before in peacetime history and every pound we spend in aid has to be borrowed. millions less has already been spent on humanitarian crises in syria and yemen, part of a £4 billion cut this year to the aid budget, money that labour said made a real difference. it reduces conflict, it reduces disease and people fleeing from their homes. it is a false economy to pretend that this is some sort of cut that

doesn't have consequences. for the first time, mps had a chance to vote on these cuts, either to restore aid spending to previous levels next year or tie any future rise to the state of the government finances — a vote the government won despite a sizeable tory rebellion. the ayes to the right 333, the noes to the left 298. i the ayes have it, the ayes have it. | so now, two new tests will have to be passed before aid spending rises. the amount of long—term debt the government owes must be fully, and day—to—day government spending must no longer be reliant on borrowing. the prime minister believes these cuts reflect the priorities of voters, even if not all his backbenchers, who said these tests would not be passed for years. we made a promise to the poorest people in the world. the government has broken that promise. this motion means that

promise may be broken for years to come. there is an unpleasant odour wafting out from under my party's front door. this is not who we are. this is not what global britain is. when i come to choose i between money and lives, i always choose lives. only rarely does the house of commons debate matters of life and death, but today's vote means that the government's cut in aid spending is no longer temporary but locked in for a number of years. and that will have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people around the world. this vote is going to mean children not getting vaccinations around the world, half a million children whose lives could have been saved through uk aid who will now die. we are going to see 3 million children no longer in schools. the government will still spend £10 billion on aid this year, but its costs are now entrenched and backed by a majority of mps. james landale, bbc news. sexual consent education is being made mandatory in some parts of australia after thousands of young women shared stories

of being sexually assaulted by boys they knew at school. for some, the testimonies were shocking, but for many, the scale of the problems came as no surprise. shaimaa khalil spent the day with a group of students at a school in brisbane, and a warning — shaimaa's report contains sensitive content with sexual references. they said it was aimed towards 16—year—olds, but then didn't even use the word sexual consent. i think it was a bit embarrassing. sexual consent may not be the easiest subject for a school podcast. but at brisbane girls grammar, it's got students talking. they've been inspired by a petition demanding that children are taught more about it. i was not clear before this campaign what the term sexual harassment, sexual consent meant, and to be honest, i'm not too clear now what that means. schools have a responsibility to more explicitly teach these issues from younger ages. we need to know about them and there's no point covering| up the truth so that we have to learn about it personally. | this girl has become an unlikely hero among young women in australia.

her social media poll asking friends if they've been raped or sexually assaulted by people they knew at school went viral. so far, more than six and a half thousand people have shared their stories. to me, there was nothing surprising about the testimonies. i wasjust like, yup, that's what happened to my friends. itjust happened in a different state, different school, different year group. australia prides itself on having one of the best education systems in the world, but in reality, this rape culture has gone so deep, i think that it's the norm. the scale of the problem was certainly shocking, but what also came out of these stories was a lack of clear understanding about sexual consent and how schools needed to do a lot more. the fact that students don't know that people they trust can sexually assault them, they don't think that boyfriends can sexually assault them, it's an injustice on the students to be so vulnerable that we are sexually assaulted and not even having the tools to be able to define what that is. i think all schools are reviewing our programmes,

and most would agree that is true that we are very, very clear that these things are dealt with holistically, in the home with parents from the earliest ages. so much of this is impacted by societal attitudes. generally, government has a role, so it's not the sole responsibility of schools, but we do play a very important part. lucinda hoffman didn't fully understand sexual consent when she was assaulted aged 16. we were in the car- and we started kissing, and then he locked the doors, | pushed me down and said that i have to perform oral sex. and i'm not let out until i do. i feel let down by the - education system as a whole. we weren't taught enough and l the boys weren't taught enough, because there are some . instances where education would've100% prevented a lot of sexual assault. _ hey, hey! hey, ho! sexual violence is got to go! the demand for more education is part of a bigger movement. tens of thousands of women

rallied across australia, protesting against abuse and harassment earlier this year. there are no quick solutions, but many agree schools are a solid place to start. and students here are determined to keep the issue alive, even when it's no longer in the headlines. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, brisbane. the delayed tokyo 2020 olympic games are around the corner, but lockdown has made training hard. here's some of the ways athletes from around the world have managed to do it. don't try some of these at home! lockdowns have been tough on athletes, but some have found different ways of keeping in shape for the tokyo olympics. no treadmill, no problem for this 5000 metre runner. the american athlete took this jokey approach to indoor training.

this woman made use of her sister and this nearby balcony to keep her beach volleyball skills sharp. fortunately, she won't have to deal with trees in tokyo. this woman from the philippines swapped the gym for the kitchen and livestreamed her weightlifting sessions to raise money for charity. boxerjenny made her own gym outside, breaking rocks on a hillside. up on the roof, cuban wrestler daniel worked out with a little help from his coach. this man from india found ten metres inside to practice

shooting. this woman from lebanon also swapped outside for inside by using her garage. and before we go, we have the heart—warming story of a long overdue reunion in china. this is the moment when a mother and father were reunited with their son, 2a years after he was taken from their doorstep. gwo gangtung's son was snatched, aged two, by human traffickers. gwo spent years riding a motorbike across china, trying to raise awareness about his child's disappearance, and those like him. in all, he travelled more than 500,000 kilometres, or 300,000 miles. and if this sounds like the stuff of movies, well, actually, it is. the events inspired a film in 2015.

that's it for bbc news. much more coming up. stay with us. bye—bye. hello there. summer weather is increasingly set to take hold over the next few days. it is looking largely dry. we'll see increasing amounts of sunshine and increasing temperatures as well, and it is all because of high pressure. currently, this area of high pressure is sitting to the southwest of us, but it is going to build towards the uk over the next few days, hence the increasing amounts of sunshine and those higher temperatures as well. but actually, through wednesday, many spots will see a decent amount of sunshine. we will have quite a lot of cloud through the morning across some eastern parts of scotland and eastern england, tending to retreat towards the coast through the day, and also, more cloud into northern ireland and western scotland. and actually, as that cloud thickens up through the afternoon, it could even produce the odd spot of drizzle. but elsewhere, some good spells of sunshine. temperatures in the sunniest

spots up to 2a or 25 degrees. a bit breezy for northwestern areas and also for some eastern coasts. now, as we head through wednesday night into thursday, we will see more cloud rolling down across northern ireland and scotland, getting into northern england and wales by the end of the night. clear spells further south, a pretty mild night — 11—15 degrees in most places. into thursday, we are going to see more in the way of cloud pushing southwards down into england and wales. there'll be some spells of sunshine and certainly, some brighter conditions developing for northern ireland and for scotland, and in the best of the sunshine, temperatures again getting up to around 2a or 25 degrees. and for friday, many spots can expect to see plenty of blue sky and sunshine. a bit more cloud at this stage across northwestern parts of scotland, northern ireland, but certainly more cloud across the northern isles. the sunnier skies further south lifting those temperatures up to 25—26, maybe at this stage, up to 27 degrees. and that sets us up for the weekend because our area of high pressure is going to become firmly

established across the uk, bringing lots of dry weather, lots of sunshine. you can see frontal systems close to the far north perhaps giving a bit more cloud at times, but with our high pressure in place, we can expect some pretty warm weather through both saturday and sunday. so, let's look at some city forecasts. you can see across shetland, it'll stay cloudy and a bit cooler, 15 or 16 degrees. but most other places, fine, dry, some spells of sunshine and temperatures easily up to 27, maybe 28 degrees.

this is bbc news, the headlines.

president biden has accused republican—controlled states of mounting a dangerous attack on free and fair elections by restricting voting rights. the republican national committee dismissed mr biden's remarks as dishonest. it said republicans were trying to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. the deployment of hundreds of troops in south africa has failed to prevent a fifth day of violent unrest and looting. at least seventy— two people have been killed and about eight hundred have been arrested since protests erupted in response to the jailing of the former president, jacob zuma. the un world food programme says it needs to sharply increase the quantity of food aid it's delivering to ethiopia's tigray region, where months of fighting has led to widespread hunger. a spokesperson said a hundred trucks a day would be needed to reverse what he described as catastrophic conditions. now on bbc news... hardtalk.