this is bbc news: i'm ben thompson with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. backed by a former president, republicans and democrats hold their primaries in several us states ahead of november's mid—term elections. the spanish government approves a draft bill allowing 16 and 17—year—old girls to terminate a pregnancy without parental consent. azovstal steel works. ukrainian soldiers leave the azovstal steel works alien spacecraft or

spy steel works alien spacecraft or spy plans? why the defence chiefs are taking this phenomenon seriously. hello and welcome. republican and democratic primaries have been held in several american states ahead of november's mid—term elections. vote counting is currently under way in pennsylvania. first, the republicans, where the contest is between david mccormick, who is married to former trump aide dina powell, and backed by well—known trump advisers. mehmet oz, backed by former president trump or kathy barnette, a far—right candidate who has appealed to maga voters. and for the democrats, john fetterman who is recovering from a stroke, has won. he was up against malcolm

kenyatta, alexandria khalil and conor lamb. john fetterman�*s wife, giselle, updated his supporters after the vote. you may have noticed, i am not john fetterman. the next senator of our great state! so before i get started, i would like to take a moment to address the elephant in the room, which is that my husband, john fetterman, is not in the room tonight. as i'm sure you all know, he had a little hiccup on friday while we were on the road campaigning. thank god he is already on his way to a full recovery and we are so grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital who have gone above and beyond to support ourfamily and have gone above and beyond to support our family and all the families that they serve.

we'll speak to our correspondent — nomia iqbal — who is in pennsylvania shortly. in spain, the government has approved a draft bill that would allow 16 and 17—year—old girls to terminate a pregnancy without parental consent. it's part of a series of reforms centered around women's rights. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. ata time at a time when women's rights are under scrutiny around the world, spain is dragging its own path. thanks to a new draft bill, 16 and 17—year—old girls may no longer need their parent's consent to have an abortion. translation: , ., , abortion. translation: ., translation: is a message of su ort translation: is a message of support to _ translation: is a message of support to feminist _ translation: is a message of| support to feminist movements in the united states, poland and all countries where women's sexual and reproductive rights are threatened, or undergoing a series curtailment. in are threatened, or undergoing a series curtailment.— series curtailment. in spain, voluntary — series curtailment. in spain, voluntary abortion _ series curtailment. in spain, voluntary abortion is - series curtailment. in spain, | voluntary abortion is allowed up

voluntary abortion is allowed up to the 14th week of pregnancy. but not everyone agrees with the changes in the country, which is traditionally roman catholic. translation: ., ., translation: from an ethical oint of translation: from an ethical point of view. _ translation: from an ethical point of view, i _ translation: from an ethical point of view, i am _ translation: from an ethical point of view, i am not - translation: from an ethical point of view, i am not in - point of view, i am not in favour. i point of view, i am not in favour-— favour. i think the limit should be _ favour. i think the limit should be kept- favour. i think the limit should be kept at - favour. i think the limit should be kept at 18, i favour. i think the limit i should be kept at 18, not favour. i think the limit - should be kept at 18, not so much — should be kept at 18, not so much because of abortion itself but because of the responsibility parents have, you are _ responsibility parents have, you are responsible for the child — you are responsible for the child until they are 18. the bill does — child until they are 18. the bill does give _ child until they are 18. tue: bill does give medical staff and out by setting up a register of conscientious objectors. for men like this one, this register is essential. she was refused an abortion at a public hospital, despite the pregnancy endangering her own life, and had to seek private care. translation: in had to seek private care. translation:— had to seek private care. translation: ., ., translation: in that moment, ou feel translation: in that moment, you feel very — translation: in that moment, you feel very miserable - translation: in that moment, you feel very miserable and - you feel very miserable and very guilty. i think the register is fundamental so that

every hospital can guarantee there is a medical team that does not object.— there is a medical team that does not object. does not ob'ect. the bill does not sto does not object. the bill does not stop there. _ does not object. the bill does not stop there. amongst - does not object. the bill does| not stop there. amongst other reforms, spain could also the very first country in europe to offer workers paid menstrual leave, in cases of severe pain. the despite the bill having several legal hurdles ahead of it, the government has called it, the government has called it a new step forward for democracy. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. president biden has visited buffalo in new york state to meet the families of the ten people, most of them african—american, who were shot dead by a white teenager on saturday. mr biden described white supremacy as a poison. in america, evil will not win, in america, evil will not win, i promise you! hate will not prevail! and white supremacy will not have the last word.

for the evil did come to buffalo mac and has come to all too many places, manifested in ghana men who massacre innocent people in the name of hateful and perverse ideology, rooted in fear and racism. can you bring us up—to—date with the headlines there tonight? still very close to call but the two main republican candidates are going head—to—head, and that is mehmet oz an david mccormick who was not blocked by donald trump data is backed by donald trump, and they are very close so far are both men have already spoken to their

respective events. behind me mehmet oz was behind me and said he was not conceding and it would be his knee and which is what his rival, david mccormick said as well. basically we do not have a result and it would take quite a few days to get a result but it is worth remembering that this is really seen as a test of donald trumpabilities to back a winner. he really got behind mehmet oz, who is a very famous celebrity, he had his own tv show similar to donald trump and i suppose the question will he is did donald trump's base also get behind mehmet oz because donald trump wants to use the primary is as a way of proving he still has dominance over the republican party. dominance over the republican -a . �* dominance over the republican .a _ �* ., ., dominance over the republican party. and what would you say are the key — party. and what would you say are the key issues _ party. and what would you say

are the key issues here? - party. and what would you say are the key issues here? of i are the key issues here? of late, there has been a lot of focus on abortion rights in america and i suspect that is quite high up on the ballot. but what is it that people are motivated by there? we but what is it that people are motivated by there? we were at a ollin: motivated by there? we were at a polling station _ motivated by there? we were at a polling station earlier - motivated by there? we were at a polling station earlier today i a polling station earlier today and we stopped and asked people that very question, what is it that very question, what is it thatis that very question, what is it that is motivating you? it falls into the very domestic issues, so we're talking about taxes, inflation, roe versus wade, the decision which allows women to have abortion, obviously under threat, so that is something that has come up as well. what children are taught in school was what one person told me as well. pennsylvania is worth remembering, is a very polarised state in a polarised country. pennsylvania is always seen as a swing state. i was here for the presidential election when joe here for the presidential election whenjoe biden won pennsylvania and it took him

over the threshold when he eventually became president. so, many different issues, they are very domestic focused but, you know, in terms of this particular primary, we have yet to see what the outcome is but for the american press, they are certainly saying what is happening here in pennsylvania as a sort of test of the power of donald trump. he has not yet commented, i should add, on the fact that we have no result tonight. fact that we have no result toniaht. , , ., , , fact that we have no result toniuht. , , . , , ., ., tonight. give us a sense of how much we _ tonight. give us a sense of how much we can — tonight. give us a sense of how much we can read _ tonight. give us a sense of how much we can read into - tonight. give us a sense of how much we can read into this - tonight. give us a sense of how much we can read into this and| much we can read into this and how much ultimately we can read into the mid—term elections in november? are they an assessment, a verdict on president biden�*s term in office or are they, as you said, based on very local issues, quite separate to those happening on a national level? i think it's a bit of both. mid—term elections is an

opportunity for the country to see how they feel about the party in power and traditionally the party in power all do very badly in the mid—term elections. they usually use the senate, which is keen giving the president power in terms of getting laws passed and the only time the president of the time actually did well in the mid—term elections was george w bush after 9/11 and that was at the country really came together. so it is being seen as a referendum on president biden, especially his approval rating is pretty low. it is also to do with a lot of the issues and, as i say, for the republican party, is being seen as a test for them as well, within the republican party, you do have divisions. you have those and we're seeing this in you have those who are more traditional conservative republicans and then you have those candidates in the republican party seen as

quite far right. one particular candidate is seen as a major upset, cathy barrett —— kathy barnette who was actually considered more donald trump than donald trump! so i think it is a test for the republicans as well and a test forjust how influential donald trump will be because if he still has a dominance over the republican party which he hopes to, that could be really important to him, especially if he decides to rerun for the white house in 202a. he decides to rerun for the white house in 2024. yes, this data what _ white house in 2024. yes, this data what could _ white house in 2024. yes, this data what could be _ white house in 2024. yes, this data what could be a _ white house in 2024. yes, this data what could be a very - white house in 2024. yes, this data what could be a very long | data what could be a very long race. we know you will keep us updated, thank you for that. the international criminal court has sent its biggest ever team to investigate alleged war crimes in ukraine. in the kyiv region alone, police say they've found the bodies of more than 1,200 civilians following the retreat

of russian forces. ukrainian forces are trying to resume duties in areas where the russians have retreated, saying keeping people safe is still their priority. one of the officers, ivan, has returned to work after losing six members of his family in an airstrike on his home. he showed our correspondent, james waterhourse, round what used to be his home. the story of ukraine's war is not over. but so many lives. there is nothing here that resembles ivan�*s home. then he looked closer. then you realise it's notjust rubble. with extraordinary composure, and detail, ivan shows me what he has lost. translation: ~ ., , has lost. translation: ., , ., translation: we found my mother dead on the fridge _

translation: we found my mother dead on the fridge here _ translation: we found my mother dead on the fridge here and - dead on the fridge here and then we kept searching. zoo then we kept searching. 200 metres away. _ then we kept searching. 200 metres away, he _ then we kept searching. 200 metres away, he found - then we kept searching. 200 metres away, he found his brother, next years dog. then he found his grandmother, covered in bricks. then his one—year—old daughter, on a so far, still breathing. then his wife. then his father. it was a hara. it wife. then his father. it was a hara. , ., ., , ., hara. it is hard to understand. you hope _ hara. it is hard to understand. you hope someone _ hara. it is hard to understand. you hope someone is - hara. it is hard to understand. you hope someone is an -- i hara. it is hard to understand. | you hope someone is an -- still you hope someone is an —— still alive in the basement. all]! you hope someone is an -- still alive in the basement.— alive in the basement. all he is left with — alive in the basement. all he is left with our _ alive in the basement. all he is left with our memories i alive in the basement. all he | is left with our memories and pictures. the baby died the same day. ivan lost six of his family. this is the playstation where ivan was working when his home was hit —— police station. he is not interested in justice, in his words, he wants

the russians to die in ukraine, to send a message and the police force he works for says it is working to hold those russians to account, but that is a long way off, if it happens at all. today, ivan has a new police station to go to and is also being recognised by the head of ukraine's national police. translation: ~ , translation: we will remember the heroism _ translation: we will remember the heroism and _ translation: we will remember the heroism and the _ translation: we will remember the heroism and the grief- translation: we will remember the heroism and the grief of- the heroism and the grief of our people. the most important thing is that police will be close to people and they will know where to come for help. ivan is given an award for courage. he helped people escaped after the russians moved in, even after losing everything. translation: ~ , ., , everything. translation: g ., translation: my relatives are u set, translation: my relatives are upset. crying. _ translation: my relatives are upset, crying, especially i translation: my relatives are upset, crying, especially when l

upset, crying, especially when we go to a cemetery and see six graves there. every time you go there, you cry. graves there. every time you go there. you cry-— there, you cry. ivan's life has changed _ there, you cry. ivan's life has changed forever. _ there, you cry. ivan's life has changed forever. so - there, you cry. ivan's life has changed forever. so has i there, you cry. ivan's life has changed forever. so has his i changed forever. so has his country. james waterhouse, bbc news. a ukrainian minister has said that everything possible and impossible is being done to save the remaining fighters inside mariupol�*s azovstal steelworks. an operation to get them out has been continuing, with more buses leaving the site last night and travelling to areas held by pro—russian rebels. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: why an ancient tree is taking centre stage to commemorate queen elizabeth's platinum jubilee.

this morning, an indian air force plane, carrying mr gandhi's body, landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it has become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax. to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. i it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far, but suddenly, the police are tear—gassing the crowd. we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, but just a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least,

it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: republicans and democrats hold their primaries in several us states ahead of november's mid—term elections. spain moves forward with plans to allow 16 and 17—year—old girls to terminate a pregnancy without parental consent. the us congress is holding its first hearing into ufos in more than half a century. thousands of sightings of unexplained objects in the sky have been reported over the years and now the pentagon has decided to establish a permanent office to gather information. gail maclellan reports. we used to call them ufos but

now the us defence department them on aerial phenomena. the steering makes it clear they are now being taken seriously. unidentified aerial phenomena are a potential national security threat and they need to be treated that way have reported or laughed at when they someone can be explained ljy they someone can be explained by these puzzling green triangle is finally determined to be visual effects of light passing through nightvision goggles when unmanned aerial systems were known to be nearby. systems were known to be nearb . �* ,., ., nearby. but some remain unexplained. _ nearby. but some remain unexplained. naval- nearby. but some remain i unexplained. naval intelligence deputy director scott gray told the hearing there are some objects that move or fly in a way that's totally unknown without usual flight

characteristics, nothing, he says has been ruled out. the importance _ says has been ruled out. the importance of _ says has been ruled out. the importance of this _ says has been ruled out. tie: importance of this hearing as they made it clear they are removing that stigma of little green men, on this whole question, and that is important because now pilots, commercial pilots as well as military and professionals, can feel better about reporting their incidents.— about reporting their incidents. �* , ., incidents. after decades of deflecting. _ incidents. after decades of deflecting, debunking i incidents. after decades of deflecting, debunking and| deflecting, debunking and discrediting ufos, the us government now seems committed to determining the origins of these objects, emphasis has changed from fantastical theories extraterrestrials to concerns that someone, somewhere is building technology beyond imagining. gail maclellan, bbc news. a conservative mp has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. he has been told to stay away from

parliament while the police investigation continues. they say he was in custody on allegations that day between 2002 and 2009. time for all the sport now. hello, i'm gavin ramjaun, with your update from the bbc sport centre. liverpool ensured the premier league title race will go to the final day of the season by coming from behind to beat southampton 2—1 at st mary's. southampton took the lead early in the first half, thanks to a goal from nathan redmond while takumi minamino got the equaliser for the visitors. joel matip's crucial second—half winner moved the reds a single point behind leaders manchester city to set up a thrilling finale on sunday. i think last time when city became champion because of 11 metre and an inch there, if somebody wants to ask me, we have to win first, and we need to get a point. it's possible.

not likely but possible, that's enough. wednesday sees the final of the europa league as rangers take on eintracht frankfurt in seville. the scottish side have already knocked out two german clubs — borussia dortmund in the knockout stages and leipzig in the last four while the two sides in the final are the two leading scorers in the competition. frankfurt got the better of west ham in the semis, they're hoping for a first major european trophy in 40 years. they're unbeaten in the europa league this season, and could become only the third side to win the competition without losing a game. their manager is very fond of playing in spain. always like to come to spain because we like the food, the tuppence, fantastic stadium. the picture is always perfect preparations, really good, everything is perfect for us. daniil medvedev, the

world no2 in tennis, didn't have the happiest of comebacks from injury — he was beaten by richard gasquet, at the atp event in geneva. gasquet took the match 6—2, 7—6 and kept the pressure on medvedev throughout in a 90—minute win. the russian, returning from a hernia procedure hadn't played since miami in march. france's gasquet will play kamil maishak in the quarter finals. and — history in the giro d'italia — eritrea's binyemim girmai has become the first black african rider to win a stage at a grand tour. it happened on stage 10 — and against top—class opposition in the shape of mathieu van der poel, who put his thumb up to admit defeat as the eritrean beat him to the finish line. 22—year—old girmay continues to make history, having become the first black african to win a one—day classic race this season. see you soon.

an ancient black oak tree found perfectly preserved beneath the peat near cambridge, has been transformed into a giant 13—metre long table which will commemorate queen elizabeth's platinum jubilee. the craftsmen and women involved say they've created a �*national treasure' and hope the size of the table will help us to understand the scale of the ancient forests which were lost because of rising sea levels. jo black reports. described as a giant amongst giants. a 5,000 year old ancient black oak tree has now been turned into this impressive 43 feet long table. 150 people have been involved with the project but for the man leading the team, finding this particular oak was like finding the holy grail. that, is about a _ finding the holy grail. that, is about a third _ finding the holy grail. that, is about a third of - finding the holy grail. that, is about a third of the i finding the holy grail. that, l is about a third of the length of the tree, and that you kind of the tree, and that you kind of thing, no, i can't, of the tree, and that you kind of thing, no, ican't, i of the tree, and that you kind of thing, no, i can't, i can't cut that, ijust of thing, no, i can't, i can't cut that, i just want to save

it. like it is, you know, regardless of how crazy that sounds. this tree, was so vast, its apocalyptic descent would have just smashed and crushed everything in its path and it would havejust everything in its path and it would have just gone splat to the mushy sort of what was much —— once the forest floor. the mushy sort of what was much -- once the forest floor.- -- once the forest floor. when a farmer _ -- once the forest floor. when a farmer in _ -- once the forest floor. when a farmer in norfolk _ -- once the forest floor. when a farmer in norfolk discovered | a farmer in norfolk discovered this tree hamish was called in, his decision not to chop it up to retain the link you to all kinds of logistical challenges. a special sawmill flown in from canada and carpenters and students constructed a bespoke saw bench in the field. once converted into planks the tree had to be transported to a quarry. with no kiln in the country big enough to drive the board the team had to build one, moving the planks around it king's college in london meant roads had to be closed

off. the team behind the project say they have created a table for the nation. this tree was unearthed in 2012, the year of the queen �*s diamond jubilee. it has taken ten years but it is now ready, and this platinum jubilee year. and at the cathedral, a royal visit with princess and officially unveiling this extraordinary piece of furniture in, made from thejubilee oak. piece of furniture in, made from the jubilee oak. that's re from the jubilee oak. that's pretty insane- _ from the jubilee oak. that's pretty insane. that's i from the jubilee oak. that's pretty insane. that's a i from the jubilee oak. that's pretty insane. that's a long| pretty insane. that's a long tree. �* , pretty insane. that's a long tree. ,~ . tree. absolutely fantastic, eah, tree. absolutely fantastic, yeah. you'd _ tree. absolutely fantastic, yeah, you'd never- tree. absolutely fantastic, yeah, you'd never think. tree. absolutely fantastic, yeah, you'd never think of| tree. absolutely fantastic, i yeah, you'd never think of it, would — yeah, you'd never think of it, would you? no, it's amazing. as we would you? no, it's amazing. we were would you? no, it's amazing. as we were walking around thinking about— we were walking around thinking about it. — we were walking around thinking about il. it's— we were walking around thinking about it, it's the _ we were walking around thinking about it, it's the most— about it, it's the most fascinating _ about it, it's the most fascinating thing i about it, it's the most fascinating thing with| about it, it's the most- fascinating thing with never seen — fascinating thing with never seen. ., , fascinating thing with never seen. . , , seen. the table will stay in the cathedral— seen. the table will stay in the cathedral until - seen. the table will stay in the cathedral until march l seen. the table will stay in i the cathedral until march next

year then it will go on tour and be hosted by other venue across the country. keep polishing. get in touch with me on twitter. ben thompson. business headlines coming up next. hello, there. heavy rain, thunderstorms have been moving northwards and eastwards through the evening and overnight, after what was the warmest day of the year so far — 27.5 degrees celsius at heathrow airport. so that's in the warmth ahead of these weather systems, but this low pressure is driving those in, it's dragging that warmth and that moisture northwards and eastwards. so a lot of that heavy rain will have cleared, except for the northern isles, by the end of the night. warm, as you can see, for most areas, but windier in the northwest. a little bit of fog first thing, particularly for england and wales, but plenty of dry, bright, sunny weather, strong sunshine. it looks like drier weather will be around for northern ireland. the early rain across northern and western parts of scotland, as well, clears for lengthy spells of sunshine.

but it is windy — gusts of wind potentially 50 mph in northern and western areas. that rain approaches later. the clouds gathering in the south. but ahead of that, 20—24 degrees celsius, i think, on the cards for wednesday. now, as we head through this evening, it looks like we could see some more thunderstorms dragging their way northwards. that heavy rain coming in from the west, and it looks torrential. it could be very wet for a time, through this evening and overnight, before, again, it clears out of the way. so we're watching that one. gusty winds, hail, thunder and lightning, but a warm end to the night, bringing us into a ridge of high pressure pushing in for thursday night. now, it could be that we see some thundery showers, though, across southern and eastern areas, but otherwise it's looking like a drier day, too, after that overnight rain. a little bit of dampness, a little bit of gray weather, low cloud, and a risk of some rain for the west of scotland. and as i say, a risk of some thundery showers in southern and eastern areas. but with the sunshine

elsewhere, temperatures once again in those high teens, to low, possibly mid, 20s for many parts. the warmest in southern and eastern areas. that ridge of high pressure then builds through for a time as we go into thursday night, but again, i think more widely wet during the day on friday. the weekend, then, brings that high pressure into southern areas, with the weather fronts towards the north. so it looks as if friday will be more widely unsettled during the day this time, and then, the driest weather, but fresher weather, for the weekend in the south. a bit more unsettled further north as ever. as ever, you can keep up to date, including the warnings, on the website.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the squeeze on incomes gets even tigher: uk inflation figures are due later with the cost of living set to hit new highs. back in business — the world's biggest airline body tells the bbc the industry is recovering, but china and parts of asia are still facing turbulence. the eu turns up the economic heat on russia; announcing a new energy plan to hit the kremlin in the pocket.