this is bbc news. i'm ben thompson with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. is the us supreme court about to overturn the 50—yearfederal law on abortion rights? a major moment is looming for one of the country's most contentious issues. russian attacks resume on mariupol�*s steel works, despite hundreds of ukrainian civilians remaining trapped inside. those who've escaped tell their story. a special report from the balkans on beijing's big european investment push, with accusations some chinese firms are treating workers like slaves. and fashions biggest night out at the met gala in new york where this year's theme is �*gilded glamour'.

hello and welcome. news breaking and the last hour or so: the us political website politico says it has seen a majority opinion leaked from the supreme court saying that it has voted to strike down the landmark roe versus wade decision which legalised abortion across the united states. the document — said to be written by justice samuel alito — says roe versus wade was wrong since it was first introduced in 1973. if verified, the leaking of the document is unprecedented in the history of the us supreme court. we can now speak to democratic strategist robin swanson, whojoins us from sacramento. thank you for being with us.

first of all, let's start with theissue first of all, let's start with the issue of the leg, unprecedented, what do you make first of all of the fact it has been leaked? it first of all of the fact it has been leaked?— been leaked? it is unprecedented, i been leaked? it is unprecedented, it i been leaked? it is l unprecedented, it is been leaked? it 3 unprecedented, it is disturbing and i think it is only going to elevate the contentiousness on both sides of the issue. it feels like something that was very, very planted. things don'tjust happen to go to politico. it is a political news site so it feels very politically motivated and it is very troubling at its core. who very troubling at its core. who would stand _ very troubling at its core. who would stand to _ very troubling at its core. who would stand to gain _ very troubling at its core. who would stand to gain from such a leak? i would stand to gain from such a leak? ., ., ~ ., , leak? i do not know if it is conservative _ leak? i do not know if it is conservative right - leak? i do not know if it is conservative right wing i leak? i do not know if it is i conservative right wing folks tried to rally the troops before the decision comes out but it isn't disturbing and it

is already dividing the country. is already dividing the country-— is already dividing the count . �*, ., ~ ., country. let's talk about the fundamental _ country. let's talk about the fundamental issue, - country. let's talk about the fundamental issue, the - country. let's talk about the i fundamental issue, the striking down of the roe versus wade decision in place in 1973. what could this mean fault women's rights in the us? it could this mean fault women's rights in the us?— rights in the us? it would be devastating. _ rights in the us? it would be devastating. plant _ rights in the us? it would be i devastating. plant parenthood has said abortion is still safe and legal right now in the united states. —— planned. this decision is not the law of the land dad. folks should know that. they slash the law of the land yet. this would turn back the clock on women's rights in our country and ultimately there will be a patchwork of laws and each state is going to have to decide whether abortion is legal in their state. in my state of california, governor

use and said it would be safe for abortion providers. women will have the right to choose an abortion. —— governor hewson. an abortion. -- governor hemm— an abortion. -- governor hewson. ~ ., ., ~ ., ., hewson. what do we know about other states? _ hewson. what do we know about other states? are _ hewson. what do we know about other states? are there - hewson. what do we know about other states? are there laws - other states? are there laws ready to go, so to speak, should this be confirmed? we should this be confirmed? we should be really clear, it is not unusual there would be multiple drafts and vote trading and sometimes even days before the final decision is made such a thing has happened yet and it is not law until it becomes a published ruling. that's right but it is devastating that it has been leaked. that has never been done before in the history of the supreme court that a decision would be leg before an actual ruling. all kind of

unprecedented things. that is to be balanced measures so states can become century states can become century states as well. you will see a race to the ballot box if this indeed becomes the law of the land in the us and women are no longer constitutionally guaranteed the right over their own body. it guaranteed the right over their own bod . ., , , guaranteed the right over their own body-— own body. it has been great to have your _ own body. it has been great to have your thoughts. _ own body. it has been great to have your thoughts. thank - own body. it has been great toi have your thoughts. thank you forjoining us. let's speak now to our north american correspondent, david willis. we were talking about some of the implications. what reaction everything so far? bring us up to date of what you are hearing?— to date of what you are hearin: ? ., , , hearing? there has been considerable _ hearing? there has been considerable reaction, i considerable reaction, particularly from those under the left, as you could imagine, who find this story potentially devastating if indeed it is proven to be true. this leak of

a majority opinion, draft by justice samuel alito which basically would undermine roe versus wade and overturn it. for example, the leaders of both the house and the senate, chuck schumer and nancy pelosi, have condemned this report, so have condemned this report, so have many governors, many state governors around the country and already there are protesters gathering around outside the supreme court basically to add their voice to the debate. it is an extremely divisive issue. perhaps, the most divisive political issue of the moment here in the united states and this is bound to have considerable ramifications. there are all sorts of fallouts, not least, one of your guests saying, the fact this majority opinion was

leaked in this way, something thatis leaked in this way, something that is unprecedented in the history of the us supreme court which has traditionally been one of the most leak free institutions in washington. just to be really clear and we should explain how this process work for viewers who may be unfamiliar. this is not final until it is published and it is perhaps likely there will be a bit of trading going on to try to perhaps sway them either way. how might that work? absolutely. this is a majority opinion which was written by one of the people who supported the decision, of course, justice samuel alito. it was after a vote was ta ken justice samuel alito. it was after a vote was taken on the issue, following oral arguments backin issue, following oral arguments

back in december and, of course, it could be amended, it is possible, of course, that the decision could be changed if one of the justices changes his or her opinion but that does seem unlikely. it has happened before, it happened once before in regard to roe versus wade, in fact, when a justice on the supreme court changed his opinion on whether to overturn roe versus wade but it seems very unlikely that will happen this time around. although, that said, the leaking of this majority opinion at this particular time may well galvanise support amongst pro—choice advocates such that this becomes a very much bigger political issue and perhaps does have some influence on the justices of the supreme court. it is almost certainly going to make the

issue of abortion in this country a hot button political issue in the run—up to the mid—term elections in november which could of course decide the complexion of congress, the republicans need five seats in order to have the majority in the house. the senate is already divided 50—50 and those elections could become additionally significant, bearing in mind that this majority opinion, if it sticks, would basically put the governance, the rulings on abortion in and over to the states to decide so individual lawmakers, the complexion of congress would prove extremely important as far as this issue is concerned going forward. david, for now, thank you. i know you will state on this

story. we will keep you right up story. we will keep you right up to date with that. let's get some of the day's other news: boris johnson will announce a further £300 million of military aid for ukraine, when he addresses the country's parliament via videolink today. the british prime minister will be the first western leader to do so since the russian invasion. united nations secretary general antonio guterres arrives in nigeria on tuesday on the third leg of his west african visit. it comes at a time of political instability in the region and internationalfood and energy crisis following the war in ukraine. during the visit, the un chief will meet with families deeply affected by violence and over a decade of jihadists' insurgency. the parents of madeleine mccann have said it's essential they learn the truth about what happened to their daughter, exactly fifteen years after she disappeared in portugal. in a message on the official find madeleine campaign facebook page, kate and gerry mccann wrote that knowledge and certainty would give them strength.

hundreds of people in haiti have fled their homes in the outskirts of the capital, port—au—prince, as battles between rival gangs spread through the area. in the shanty town of cite soleil, residents ran away in panic, leaving their belongings behind. haiti is going through a political crisis following the assassination of president jovenel moise last year. a government minister from the uk is visiting the british virgin islands, days after an inquiry suggested the territory return to direct rule from london because of corruption and misgovernance by elected officials. amanda milling said she was looking forward to engaging with the islands' political leaders and community groups and listen to their views on what's best for the people. but there have been protests against the proposal to impose direct rule. the attempts to evacuate more civilians from the devastated city

of mariupol have stalled. ukrainian officials say russia has ended a ceasefire and it's now blocking humanitarian corridors. hundreds of women and children are still trapped in bunkers beneath the city's huge azovstal steelworks, the azovstal plant is surrounded by russian troops. on sunday, about a hundred people were evacuated to nearby zaporizhzhia. james reynolds reports. imagine having to make your home in the depths of a nuclear bunker. hundreds of civilians, including around 20 children, remain deep under the azovstal still works alongside ukrainian soldiers. this underworld is their only refuge from russia's siege. hundreds of billions on sunday managed to get out. they were driven away from the

frontline. —— 100 civilians. there is much to reflect on, often in simple silence. in this same region, bbc team has mated to a town besieged on three sides by russian forces. this family say they cannot afford to flee. this nine—year—old refuses to be frightened. the sound of the bombs? you are not scared? here, ukrainian soldiers recoverfrom their here, ukrainian soldiers recover from their injuries. the united states believes russia may now make a grab for this entire eastern region of ukraine. ~ . . ., ., ukraine. according to the most recent report. _ ukraine. according to the most recent report, we _ ukraine. according to the most recent report, we believe - ukraine. according to the most recent report, we believe thatl recent report, we believe that russia will try to annex the dynex people's republic and ——

donetsk luhansk republic. fix, donetsk luhansk republic. a second strike on this city since saturday. the 15—year—old boy was killed in the latest attack. how, asked ukraine's president, was this child afraid to the russian state? stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a bbc special report on allegations that workers are being exploited by chinese companies operating in europe. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterand. but the tunnel is still not yet

ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and i islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit - symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us political website politico says it has seen a majority opinion leaked from the supreme court saying it has voted to strike down the landmark roe versus wade decision which

legalised abortion. attempts to evacuate more civilians from the devastated city of mariupol have stalled. ukrainian officials say russia has ended a ceasefire and it's now blocking humanitarian corridors. the war in ukraine is forcing countries across europe to reconsider doing business with russia. it comes at a time when moscow's most powerful ally, china, continues to expand its economic interests across european countries. but there are allegations of worker exploitation, environmental damage and so—called "debt traps" where beijing has stepped in to lend billions of dollars. china denies the accusations and insists it's a reliable partner and offers investment where others are unwilling. 0ur europe correspondent nick beake has visited key chinese projects across the balkans and southern europe and has this special report. it's an unmistakably chinese scene...

..from the workers to the offices. beijing is pouring money into this copper mine, hoping it's a golden gateway to further economic expansion. but this is not china — it's serbia, on the edge of the eu, where the red of the communist party is leaving its mark. translation: the chinese company treats us terribly. | we tracked down this vietnamese man, who said he'd paid $1,600 to come here for a constructionjob. they forced us to work more, but they did not provide enough supplies. there are 20 or 30 workers living together in each container. they treat us like slaves. after half a year, the father of three tried to leave, but was stranded. shortly after we met, he did manage to return home, only after taking out a $2,000 loan.

this is the linglong tyre factory where he worked. employment contracts we've seen appear to be copied and pasted from the middle east. if you're caught stealing, your hand is chopped off. if you were to murder someone, you're beheaded. the company did not respond to the various made against them. this is the most visible case of labour exploitation we had in the country so far. human rights groups say it's a warning, as chinese business expands further into europe. if you're actually having chinese companies coming to other countries and not having institutions who are strong enough to prevent human rights violations, or labour standards violations, or any other violations, you will have probably the race to the bottom with other companies. from serbia to neighbouring croatia. this former yugoslav country is in the european union, and the eu is paying

for its biggest infrastructure project — the peljesac bridge — but it is beijing—built, down to the last bolt. the tender from the chinese state—owned company was 20% cheaper than its nearest competitor. european rivals called foul, but couldn't stop the deal. croatia and all other european countries face a delicate balancing act in dealing with beijing. concerns remain over alleged debt traps, cyber security, not to mention human rights, but there is a general reluctance to side exclusively with the united states, and to reject all future chinese investment and big infrastructure projects. so in croatia, we don't . have fears about chinese influence... this academic argues that, if european governments are smart and selective, they can benefit from partnerships with beijing. so if we exclude critical- technologies, if we cooperate

on physical things, - like railways, infrastructure projects, i don't thinkl there is much problem in satisfying both the eu, nato, the us and china. i we asked five chinese ambassadors in europe for an interview about beijing's vision for the continent, but none was available. but european countries are reassessing doing business with beijing, which has failed to condemn ally russia's attack on ukraine. it could mean europe watching more big chinese investment opportunities pass by. nick beake, bbc news, croatia. let's get a full round—up of all the sports news now. hello, i'm tulsen tollett, and this is your sports news where we start with ronnie o'sullivan winning the world snooker

championship for a seventh time. despite a nervy afternoon session that saw judd trump win 6 out of 8 frames to force a final session, it was the a6—year—old, now the oldest winner of this event, who held his nerve for an 18—frames—to—13 win, and he matches stephen hendry�*s seven titles at the crucible theatre in the modern era. i have never bothered about records, don't get me wrong, when you get that it's nice but i have never been, never performed well going for stuff like that, just try to enjoy the game, competing, being on the game, competing, being on the circuit, try to enjoy what i do and work on my game, and you left that 17 days were on my side. in the premier league, manchester united have beaten brentford 3—0 in their final home match of the season. cristiano ronaldo was again among the united goalscorers, with his 18th of the season in the league as the red devils remain sixth, six points ahead

of 7th—placed west ham, having played a game more. the interim manager was asked afterwards if ronaldo would still be at the club next season. the way that he played again tonight, not only because he scored a goal he got a penalty, he also helped, defensively, tonight, so, why should he not be a player still part of the squad and the team, this is a question you have to ask him once he is here and also christiano himself, his role and his position. liverpool take a 2—0 lead into the second leg of their uefa champions league semi—final against villarreal in spain later. jurgen klopp's side are still in with a chance of claiming four trophies, having already won the league cup, are in the fa cup final and sit second in the premier league and there's real belief among the team. this is always the best time of

the season for the lads, everything is a final, pushing on all fourfronts everything is a final, pushing on all four fronts really, it's, these are the exciting games you want to be playing, you want everything on the line you want everything on the line you want everything on the line you want to feel like you have to win it, ifeel like you want to feel like you have to win it, i feel like the lads feel the same way comics exciting the buzz you get from scoring again and you know it's vitally important. it sounds like something out of a 1940s sci—fi horror film — a mysterious yellow slime called the blob. it has no brain or nervous system, but it can make decisions and even solve puzzles. now scientists in belgium are allowing families to adopt a blob of their own. the bbc�*s tim allman explains. it looks a bit like scrambled eggs gone wrong, but this yellow substance is, in its own way, a scientific marvel. it is a type of slimy mould.

but when it comes to the blob, it is easier to say what it isn't, rather than what it is. translation: the blob is neither a plant nor- an animal nor a fungus. its nucleus will divide every eight hours, and that is why it doubles or even tripled in size every day. the blob fascinates, because it seems to break all the normal rules. it doesn't have a mouth, stomach or eyes, but it can detect and consume food. it doesn't have a brain, but it seems to be able to think. looking for answers, a team of young scientists are being recruited to experiment with the blob at home.

translation: here is the precious envelope| in which the blob is stored. the blob is asleep. when you have decided which day you are going to start, you are going to wake the blob up by soaking it in water. assuming it isn't an alien invader, secretly planning to take over the world, some sort of scientific breakthrough may occur. and, finally, we might discover the secrets of the blob. tim allman, bbc news. it will be taking over here next. just before we go, it's affectionately labelled fashion's biggest night out, the met gala in new york, where this year's theme is "gilded glamour". it's hard to know where to start in terms of red carpet highlights — kim kardashian in a dress once owned by marilyn monroe seemed to be a winner. model gigi hadid in what we're told was an extremely heavy dress, some light relief with popster lizzo playing the flute, and even an appearance

from a former first lady at the annual fundraiser — the first time it's taken place since the pandemic began. you are up to date, world business report is next. hello, there. cloud was the main weather feature for many places on bank holiday monday, and we take lots of that cloud with us into tuesday. the cloud showing up here on our earlier satellite picture. it is low cloud. it's turning things quite misty and murky in places, and there are some weak frontal systems, just providing enough impetus to give a little bit of rain and drizzle, here and there. but a mostly cloudy start to tuesday, some spots of rain and drizzle around, and where things brighten up, perhaps most especially in southern england and wales, where we see some sunshine, we will also see some scattered heavy showers and the odd thunderstorm breaking out into the afternoon. many spots will stay quite cloudy. rather cool for some north sea coasts. ten degrees for aberdeen and newcastle, 16 for cardiff, 17 in london, and we see some showery rain into

northern ireland through the afternoon. that will push across a good part of scotland through the evening, and then getting down into parts of england and wales through the early hours of wednesday. but the rain, quite fragmented, quite hit and miss. there'll still be some lengthy dry spells, a mild start to wednesday morning. those outbreaks of rain brought about by this very weak frontal system. it's running into relatively high pressure, so that means it's certainly not going to be a wash—out. the rain, very hit and miss, very sporadic. some showery bursts of rain, tending to clear eastwards. then we'll see some sunshine on wednesday, some brighter skies, generally, but quite a few showers, some of which will be heavy and thundery. it will be a warmer day, highs, for many, between 15—19 degrees. and that theme continues, as we head towards the end of the week. high pressure building to the south, frontal systems running to the north—west of the uk, and this broadly south—westerly flow of air bringing some rather warm conditions in our direction. so, thursday looks like this. much of england and wales

will be dry, with some sunny spells and just the odd shower. northern ireland and scotland seeing more cloud and some splashes of rain at times, but not all the time. but the temperatures, 15 degrees there for glasgow, 16 for belfast, but 21 in london, maybe somewhere towards the south east getting to 22 degrees. now, on friday, there'll some warmth once again towards the south east of the uk. but this band of rain looks like it will make some progress southwards, and behind that, something just a little bit cooler and fresher. so, temperatures of 12 degrees for stornoway, but 20 the high in london.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world: the eu says its ready to fastrack a ban on russian oil but there remain obstacles in the way. a setback for the amazon labour union, as workers at a new york facility vote no to forming a trade group. and re—open for business — new zealand welcomes tourists after its long lockdown. i'll speak to the man in charge. hello and welcome, if you're watching in the uk

or around the world. i'm ben thompson.