welcome to bbc news, i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories: explosion we're on the frontline of war in ukraine, near kharkiv where despite, ukrainian advances, the threat of russian fire is constant. every inch of ground here, every mile gives their city respite from the russian guns that you can hear. in the us, republican senators block a democrat bill which aimed to preserve women's right to abortion nationwide. it was put to a vote ahead of a key supreme court ruling. sri lanka's president vows to give up most of his executive powers, but stops short of resigning over the country's economic crisis. broadcaster al—jazeera accuses the israeli military of deliberately targeting

journalists, after one of its best known correspondents, shireen abu aklay, was shot dead in the occupied west bank. try to hold drive for the ascent. and a passenger with no idea how to fly is given instructions to land a plane in florida, after the pilot fell ill. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we begin our program with a special report from ukraine's second biggest city, kharkiv. in recent days, ukranian forces have been retaking a number of towns and villages, pushing russian infantry and artillery back towards the border. the fighting, which has led to a dramatic fall in russian shelling of kharkiv,

has been slow and costly, but ukrainian forces, say they now have the upper hand. kharkiv is just a0 kilometres from the russian border, and the russians�* retreat, could pose a wider threat to moscow's stated aim of capturing significant territory in the east, as fresh ukrainian troops join the battle there. our correspondent, quentin sommerville, and camera journalist, darren conway, have spent the last week with ukrainian troops, in and around the town of ruska losova, and they've sent us this report. a warning — you may find some of the reporting distressing. air raid siren wails. the spectre of russian victory once haunted this city. but no more. for months, the invaders were at the city gates, but kharkiv has cast doubt vladimir putin's foot soldiers, forcing them back towards the border. siren continues.

this road is deadly. there are landmines either side, and a number of times, vehicles have been hit by russian shelling. so, the russians are retreating, but they're not giving up. they're trying to pin these men down, but retreating they are. there's a lot more at stake here than just the city of kharkiv. the russian supply lines to the donbas are also under threat, and these men, they say that if they can take back their city, the second—biggest in this country, just by the russian border, why can't they take back all of ukraine? for more than a week, they've been fighting and winning. still, they have to move fast. an army in retreat is just as dangerous. so they're on guard.

above them, they know that enemy drones are watching. speaks in ukranian. these men are exposed. at the top of this ridge, russian tanks and artillery still roam and still lay down fire. this has become a far more mobile fight. a deadly game of hide and seek in the kharkiv countryside. 0k, iwill go. you will go there, behind the fence, yeah? 0k? we're following a ukrainian territorial defence unit — all volunteers. distant explosion. sit down. every second out in the open risks targeting from russians who are less than half a kilometre away.

the men you see are from kharkiv. they're fighting for ukraine, but they're also fighting for their city, and it's a close—quarters battle. but every inch of ground they gain here, every other mile gives their city respite from the russian guns that you can hear. distant explosion. we're now in the third month of this war. who's winning? we are winning, of course. ukraine is are winning. every day that our guys do in mariupol, every day that our guys are doing momma— that they commit, you know,

all these are small wins in the big war. through fields and villages, they gain ground. from here, russia attacked kharkiv dozens of times daily. now, only a handful of shells make it to the city. but there's still a danger in the village. a shell whizzes just overhead. explosion. the enemy is there in the forest. out there, a russian tank is on the hunt. but they've grown used to these tactics, so already, the men who make up this unit — an economist, a businessman, a mechanic — have taken cover. little prepared them for this,

but they haven't flinched. explosion. a direct hit knocks out the power. tank fire hammers the bunker. explosion. but the men are untroubled and unharmed. russia's occupation has torn these communities apart. these are local men and a woman obtained under suspicion of aiding the enemy. they'll be handed over to the security services. collaborators who cause ukrainian deaths face a lifetime injail. with each day of this war, the centuries—old ties that bind russia and ukraine together are being torn asunder. ola has been trapped here from the start, she tells me, unable to receive cancer treatment.

translation: i lost so much weight because of nerves. - we decided to get evacuated from here. amid the maelstrom, and numb to danger, is 66—year—old raissa. she grew up in the soviet union, lived in east germany. she can't believe it's come to this. her home and her history in ruins. translation: shards of. the glass hit me in the face. how could she forgive russia these wounds? translation: why didn't - the shrapnel hit me in the head so that i would die

immediately? for days, she suffered through this. translation: but i hardly feel physical pain any more. - the pain is in my soul. "you're lucky to be alive," says the medic. translation: yes, my arm is working. | but lucky? god didn't let me die. now i have to live in pain. in a time gone by, raissa's father and vladimir putin's father battled hitler. distant explosion. but that shared memory is now lost to history. here in russian—speaking ukraine, the past runs deep — and the suffering brought here won't be easily forgiven norforgotten. quentin sommerville,

bbc news, kharkiv. britain and finland have signed a mutual security deal, hours after the uk agreed a similar deal with sweden, against the background of the russian invasion of ukraine. the british prime minister, borisjohnson said the uk from what he called a 21st century tyrant. he's been visiting both countries which are considering nato membership, in the face of president putin's decision a bill that would protect nationwide access to abortion democrats had attempted to introduce the measure ahead vice president kamala harris spoke to reporters shortly and sadly the senate

failed to stand in defence we can now speak to democratic strategist robin swanson who joins us from sacramento. thank estimate for joining thank estimate forjoining us. first question, why did the the first question, why did the democrats go this particular piece of legislation is put together, it need 60 votes for it to would need 60 votes for it to be considered. they were never going to get that, why go ahead with this particular process? senator schumer clearly wanted to put senators on notice, he wanted voters to know what their record was on a choice, so this is about dragging

voters to the polls in november 2022. and choice, abortion rights, reproductive rights are going to be the driving issue for the november 2022 allergens full. for democrats, they needed an issue to mobilise around, and today's senator watt shows how important elections are, because when you lose something like this by one vote, when the united states senate has less than 25% women senators, who are making fundamental decisions impacting a woman'swriter dues, things need change because i think this was about sending a message to the american people about how important elections are. but, in fact, are. but, infact, it are. but, in fact, it was two of the female senators who were perhaps i think democrats were hoping would vote with them, which have in the past, but instead also decided to vote against this legislation, so it is a bigger issue than that, but it must be that republicans

believe that is what their constituents want? the two women who voted against it were republican senators who were normally pro—choice republican senators but in this point they didn't stand up for reproductive rights for women, but i do think if there was equal representation and at the united states senate and house of representatives, this would not be a question. let's turn to the midterms. you say it may be a kind of rallying cry, but will it make a difference? turnout can be low for midterms, even if there can be a lot riding on it like issues like roe v wade, like we are discussing. the democrats need a plan, it is only a few months away. you're absolutely right about that, the party always had a tough time and we are fighting an uphill battle, but the truth is this is a law that has been

in place for 50 years that is about to be overturned. if this does not mobilise voters, much less female voters, i don't know what will. i really see this as the rallying cry for democrats and a reason for people to get out and vote and get to the polls, get their friends to the polls. it was interesting to see kamala harris there, ifeel she has been absent, i haven't seen her as much as you would perhaps expect through the administration so far.- perhaps expect through the administration so far. what do ou think administration so far. what do you think she _ administration so far. what do you think she or _ administration so far. what do you think she or president - you think she or president biden needs to do in the next couple of months? sending vice president kamala harris to the senate for this really important vote a signal that the white house is not sitting on the on this issue, and i think she will be mobilising female voters from across the country. you are seeing them go to swing states where these competitive races are, and i think you will see a lot more of her on the campaign

trail. thank you so much for speaking to us. sri lanka's president, gotabaya rajapaksa, has promised to appoint a new cabinet within a week but stopped short of stepping down himself. he made the pledge in his first address to the country since anti—government protests erupted last month. his brother, the prime minister, resigned on monday. anbarasan ethirajan is in colombo. the sri lankan president, gotabaya rajapaksa, has addressed the nation in an attempt to solve the political crisis facing the country. sri lanka has been witnessing weeks of protests against the government, and the protesters have been accusing the government of mismanaging the economy. and the prime minister was forced to resign on monday after violence during these protests. now, president gota baya raja pa ksa says a new cabinet will be formed within a week, acceptable to the public and also parliament. and he's willing to amend the constitution to transfer more powers to parliament.

he will have discussions with the coming interim government about abolishing the executive presidency in the country, and he also warned that strict action would be taken against anyone who damaged public property or threatening lives. this speech comes on the backdrop of even the central bank governor warning that if there is no political stability here in this country, then we can expect more long power cuts and fuel shortages. this is a very stark warning from the central bank governor because sri lanka has run out of foreign exchange reserves. they are struggling to import basic supplies like fuel and food — at the moment, they are getting these things from india on a credit line. so, economists warn that if this political instability continues, if there is no agreement between the political parties to form a government, that will have a devastating effect on the economy because the country's already running low on revenue.

so, if the investors want to come in, if the imf wants to give a loan, or any other foreign cou ntry wa nts to help sri lanka, they would like to see political stability — and that is what the central bank governor was warning. now, it remains to be seen whether the protesters will accept what president gotabaya said this evening, a few minutes ago, because they've also been demanding the resignation of gotabaya rajapaksa, saying we need a new political system for sri lanka. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll tell you how a brave passenger and a quick thinking air traffic controller saved the day when a pilot fell ill in florida. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief

in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentencedl to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication - she felt even - the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake — the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, garry kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking i place in massachusetts. god bless america! cheering this is bbc world news, the main story this hour: ukrainian forces launch counter attacks in the east — forcing russian troops out of villages near the country's second biggest city kharkiv.

the middle east—based broadcaster al—jazeera has accused the israeli military of deliberately targeting journalists after one of its best known correspondents was shot dead in the occupied west bank. shireen abu akleh died from a bullet wound to the head, while covering an israeli army raid on a refugee camp. israel's prime minister has denied thatjournalists were targeted, and accused palestinians of firing the fatal shot. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman reports from the west bank. gunfire. dawn injenin refugee camp. and the depressingly familiar echo of gunfire. and yet another death. this time, that of a well—known palestinian journalist. a storyteller silenced. shireen abu akleh was a household name to millions, one of the best—known women reporters, explaining the conflict and occupation to a

generation of viewers. and this morning, she got ready to cover an arrest raid by israeli troops. at the hospital, there is disbelief among those who were with her when the shooting started. translation: we could not provide first aid to shireen. the youth who were trying to pull her out were also shot at. whenever anyone moved forward, they were shot at. the israeli army says when it went in, there was indiscriminate shooting from palestinian gunmen, claiming shireen abu akleh may have been hit by them. but at least two reporters with her say the gunfire came from the soldiers — an account backed by her network. 0utside aljazeera's offices in the west bank, those who worked with her must now cover the death of one of their own. you can just sense

the grief here, but also the anger. for people that worked with her, she was more than just a colleague, but a symbol of fearless reporting, of the realities on the ground for palestinians. and her death adds to the weight of grief that has been descending across this region. israelis have been shocked at one of the worst waves of violence on their streets in years. since march, at least 18 people have been killed by armed attackers. with arrest raids launched and tension surging, at least 25 palestinians have been killed in the west bank. they gather to support the family, preparing for the first night without their daughter. she was also an american national — now the us is demanding answers. israel says it is investigating, as a veteran correspondent falls

victim to the conflict she covered. tom bateman, bbc news, ramallah. let's get some of the day's other news. an investigation ordered by the us interior department has uncovered historical abuse of native american children at boarding schools, including more than 50 burial sites. the reports said that until the late 1960s, native american children were forced to live in brutal conditions at schools run by the government or by churches. survivors and relatives of people who died when an apartment block collapsed in the us state of florida are to receive just under one billion dollars in compensation. nearly one hundred people were killed when the building at surfside, near miami, came down lastjune. google has announced a big expansion of its google translate service, adding 2a new languages. the latest additions range from mizo in north—east india to lingala which is spoken across central africa. google says it has used a new translation technology which can learn a language based on just a few paragraphs of text.

authorities in shanghai are further restricting access to hospitals and food as the city enters the most severe phase of its extended lockdown. some neighbours of confirmed covid—i9 cases and others living close by are also being forced into government quarantine facilities as officials push ahead with enhanced measures that they think will stop the spread of 0micron. from shanghai robin brant has more. this was initially a lockdown that was supposed to last four days. we're now into its seventh week. this does feel, frankly, like the darkest time. we are seeing, as well, some of the most extreme measures imposed as the authorities try to contain the spread and try to get towards their target of what they're calling "societal zero" — so no new cases emerging outside of quarantine. now here, we are restricted on the food we can get over the next few days.

no commercial deliveries, no group buys — just government—approved food deliveries. there's also further restrictions on access to the hospitals — anyone needing anything other than emergency care in the next few days will need approval of the local communist party neighbourhood committee. now, i'm aware already of people needing emergency ambulances that have struggled to get them, they couldn't come quick enough, so they've had to go by private car. so, all of that shows you how desperate, frankly, the authorities are to get towards this target that has slipped. i think one of the most severe measures we're seeing announced now, though, is bigger swathes of people living in apartments who are near positive cases being swept up and taken to quarantine centres. the authorities now say anyone living on the same level in an apartment block, maybe even in just the same apartment block, even if they're negative, will be taken to centralised quarantine facilities.

a passenger with no flying experience has had to land a cessna aircraft at palm beach airport in florida after the pilot fell ill. the plane had taken off from the bahamas. the passenger, who has not been named, was given landing instructions by an aircraft controller, who reportedly had a picture of the plane's dashboard in front of him so that he could tell the passenger exactly which controls to use. i have a serious situation here, i am i have a serious situation here, iam in i have a serious situation here, i am in the air and i have no idea how to fly an aircraft. have no idea how to fly an aircraft-— aircraft. what is your position? _ aircraft. what is your position? i _ aircraft. what is your position? i have - aircraft. what is your position? i have no l aircraft. what is your - position? i have no idea. maintain _ position? i have no idea. maintain wings _ position? i have no idea. maintain wings level- position? i have no idea. maintain wings level and | position? i have no idea. - maintain wings level and just try to follow the coast either north or south bound and we are trying to locate north or south bound and we are tryin- to locate you. north or south bound and we are trying to locate north or south bound and we are tryin- to locate you. so

north or south bound and we are trying to locate north or south bound and we are tryin- to locate you. so calm, trying to locate you. so calm, i am trying to locate you. so calm, i am ready — trying to locate you. so calm, i am ready for _ trying to locate you. so calm, i am ready for the _ trying to locate you. so calm, i am ready for the movie - trying to locate you. so calm, i am ready for the movie to l trying to locate you. so calm, | i am ready for the movie to be made of that. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc nuala hello. rain reached some of the driest southern areas of the uk on wednesday. it wasn't very much, but it was more than has fallen for quite some time. that system now out of the way, and southern areas are having a mainly dry thursday to come — whereas across northern areas close to a weather front, there'll be some more rain, particularly across parts of scotland, and especially in the west. there will be a lot of dry weather to begin the day and a cooler start, with temperatures quite widely into single figures, a little bit lower than this in some rural spots. there will be a lot of sunshine first thing. all parts will see cloud increasing — not everywhere will get rain from that cloud. there will be a few showers popping up in northern ireland during the morning lasting into the afternoon. northwest scotland turning wetter more widely across western parts of scotland — later in the day, you'll see some rain, some of that pushing a bit further east during the afternoon. the odd shower for wales and southwest england to cross wales and england,

more cloud in the afternoon compared with the morning. and a warmer day across the east and southeast of england, where it stays dry with some sunny spells, compared with wednesday's rain. it is scotland, northern ireland, northern england with some patchy rain on to thursday night, and then, really by friday morning, it'sjust the northern half of scotland really seeing some rain on what will be a milder start to the day. so on friday, then, it's really across northern scotland we will see some further outbreaks of rain for a time. some cloud elsewhere in scotland, northern england, and northern ireland. it's wales and the southern half of england that will see the lion's share of friday's sunshine. and what will be a windy day across scotland, northern ireland and northern england in particular, really quite gusty winds here. and temperatures are edging just a touch higher. now, it is a sign of things to come into the weekend — it will be pleasantly warm, especially when you get

to see some sunshine, high pressure is close by. but that's not the whole story — later saturday, saturday night, first thing sunday, there are some showers, even some thunderstorms pushing up from the south into parts of england and wales. some of those come back sunday night and into monday morning. so, whilst many places this weekend will stay dry, there will be a chance of seeing a shower or maybe a thunderstorm, especially the further south you are. so, a selection of locations — you can find more places, of course, online and through the app showing a lot of fine, pleasantly warm weather when the sun is out. but again, that chance of showers and thunderstorms later on saturday, particularly into england and wales.

this is bbc news. the headlines: ukrainian forces launch counter attacks in the east, forcing russian troops out of villages near the country's second biggest city kharkiv. the city is just a0 kilometres from the russian border, and the russians�* retreat could pose a wider threat to moscow's stated aim of capturing significant territory in the east. us republican senators have blocked a democrat bill which aimed to preserve women's right to abortion nationwide. democrats had attempted to introduce the measure ahead of a supreme court decision that is expected to overturn a ruling that established the right to abortion in the 1970s. sri lanka's president, gotabaya rajapaksa, has promised to appoint a new cabinet within a week but stopped short of stepping down himself. he made the pledge in his first address to the country since anti—government

protests erupted last month. his brother, the prime minister, resigned on monday.