this is bbc news, i'm rich preston. our top stories: the first flight due to deport asylum seekers from britain to rwanda has been grounded, after a series of legal challenges. the uk government says it's undeterred. it comes as hundreds of asylum seekers arrive in the uk, crossing the english channel in small boats. have war crimes been committed in kharkiv? the international criminal court's chief prosecutor visits ukraine's second—largest city. prince william and his wife kate mark the fifth anniversary of a catastrophic tower block fire in london, in which 72 people died. in beijing, thousands of people

are being locked down, and millions face compulsory testing, after a surge in coronavirus cases. and, could the best be yet to come? after nine years together, the k—pop supergroup bts announce they're taking a break, to focus on their solo careers. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a last minute intervention by the european court of human rights has blocked plans by the british government to send seven asylum seekers to rwanda, under a controversial new policy. the home secretary, priti patel, said she was disappointed but would not be deterred, and preparations for a second flight were underway. mark lobel reports. going nowhere.

borisjohnson�*s rwanda plan to cut immigration grounded for now. this flight was originally meant to take over 100 asylum seekers to rwanda, thenjust a handful, when finally all passengers were removed following a series of legal challenges. it's particularly galling for the government, coming on the day more than 300 people arrived in dover after attempting to cross the channel in small boats. the exact journey this policy is meant to deter. britain's partner in this, the rwandan government, remains on board. we are undeterred. we are committed to this partnership and we stand ready to welcome the migrants when they do arrive in rwanda. and so we will wait to see what happens, but on our part we are ready to receive the migrants. the european court of human rights, which is separate to the european union, and to which the uk is a signatory,

has the final say in human rights issues. it ruled asylum applicants would face a real risk of irreversible harm in rwanda, contradicting a ruling byjudges in london. one asylum seeker spoke of his fear of deportation. translation: since i learned that i'm among those to be i deported to rwanda, i can hardly communicate and eat. i' m restless. i'd preferto die, not to be transferred there. it's shocking. home secretary priti patel has said: adding: this row could also feel the uk governing party's election promise to reform human rights laws affecting the uk, after borisjohnson said the government may very well have to change the law to help with the policy. what the criminal gangs are doing and what those who effectively are abetting the work of the criminal gangs are doing is undermining people's confidence in the safe and legal system,

undermining people's general acceptance of immigration. sending asylum—seekers to rwanda is a policy that divides public opinion. a recent poll showing 44% in favour and 40% against, with the majority of those in favour conservative voters and the majority against labour ones. the plan has yet to get off the ground but is not dead. attention now turns to howjudges will rule when they examine the entire rwanda removals policy next month. mark lobel, bbc news. earlier i asked karen doyle who is national organiser for the movement forjustice campaign group for her reaction to this court ruling. it's a real victory for humanity and decency and the european court of human rights

did what the british courts should have done and said that people should not be sent to rwanda when there are serious issues, human rights issues, safety issues, process issues that need to be considered about the entire policy. this ruling was really focused initially on one individual, an iraqi man who went by the identifier kn. but around 100 other people have been sent letters saying they are due to be on planes. do they all have to go through individual processes as well, what is the way forward for this? it's unclear exactly how things will pan out in the coming days. the response from the home office to the european court of human rights ruling. the reality is the european court of human rights has made it very clear statements that the harm that notjust this individual person, but that could be done to asylum seekers by sending them to rwanda, a place that is not

covered by the european court of human rights, where european court has no jurisdiction, when the unhcr themselves have raised serious concerns about people's ability to access the asylum system in rwanda, that's very, very strong. in terms of finding uk judges that would be prepared to overrule the european court of human rights, i don't know what the government is going to do at this point, they said they would try to send another flight but i think it would be very hard for them to do so. the government has said this is reasonable and it is something they are entitled to do, this is about helping people ensure a fair, secure way to gain asylum in the united kingdom if they deserve it, what you make of that? there is nothing fair or reasonable about this policy, it's pure political theatre for a failing government. the reality is we have someone on monday, the day before the flight, who did not have decent legal representation because he had failed to get it

in the detention centre. these are people who have risked everything to find safety and security in a country they expect has democracy and freedom and the ability to be safe, many of them have connections with this country. they come here, they are thrown into prison, they are given seven days to respond to a notice of intent. many of them had no solicitor in that time, everything was given to them in english, and it sometimes took weeks for the people to actually get a solicitor, so, no, there is nothing — nothing fair or reasonable or just about this policy. it is, in effect, an abdication of britain's responsibility to refugees. karen doyle there. russia has banned dozens of british journalists, defence executives and government ministers from entering the country. the list includes the bbc�*s clive myrie, orla guerin and nick beake, who have reported from ukraine, and director general tim davie.

the editors—in—chief of the times, the daily telegraph, the guardian, the daily mail, and the independent were also sanctioned. fierce fighting is continuing in the east of ukraine, as russia pushes its advance into the country's industrial heartland. russia says it will give civilians a safe route out of the bombarded eastern city of severodonetsk for 12 hours on wednesday, although attempts to create humanitarian corridors in ukraine have often failed. the international criminal court's chief prosecutor has been in the city of kharkiv, to see the devastation for himself, and he said the court would prosecute the highest ranks of russians responsible. from there our correspondent, wyre davies reports. with this city still under daily attack... so, there was an air strike. ..karim khan's visit to kharkiv was more a statement of intent

than gathering evidence. what were the ages of the children that normally you see? that will come later. the international criminal court's chief prosecutor toured several badly damaged parts of the city, including a primary school which was being used as a shelter when it was hit by russian shelling. civilians were killed here. explosions from the start of the war, russia's been accused of indiscriminate shelling and rocket attacks. this children's hospital peppered with lethal shrapnel from internationally prohibited cluster bombs, one of many such incidents which led to calls for the international criminal court to act. this icc investigation into alleged war crimes in ukraine has already been fast—tracked, and mr khan has said that they will look into allegations of atrocities by either side. but if the evidence points to the higher levels of the russian military or politics, that is where

they will follow. khan's team has already set up base in kyiv, and 42 investigators are already on the ground. but this was his first visit to the eastern front. i will keep on trying to engage with the russian federation because i think any state that wishes to fly the flag of democracy and legality should have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. mr khan didn't have time to stop and talk as he walked past iryna's shell—damaged apartment, but she's in no doubt who his investigation should find accountable. translation: putin and his cronies. - we ukrainians have already condemned them. this is not the way to do things. we are brothers. we are supposed to respect each other. why are they attacking us? iryna will have to be patient. the war isn't over, and investigations of this magnitude take time.

cooperation from moscow is also unlikely to be forthcoming. wyre davies, bbc news, kharkiv. let's get some of the day's other news. the jailed russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, has been moved from the prison where he was being held and taken to an unknown location. an opposition spokeswoman said it was concerning that mr navalny was now alone within a system that had earlier tried to kill him. there's been a sharp rise in the price of natural gas on european markets after a major us producer announced that one of its export terminals would remain closed for months. freeport lng said an explosion and fire last week had halted operations at the plant in texas. ryanair has dropped a controversial test in the afrikaans language aimed at identifying passengers travelling on fake south african passports. boss michael o'leary said imposing the test �*doesn�*t make any sense'. the policy caused outrage

in south africa, where many black people associate afrikaans with the days of white—minority rule. the highest administrative court in france has said it will decide in the coming days whether or not to ban the burkini, or muslim swimming costume, in public pools. the court has examined an appeal filed by the city of grenoble, which challenged the strict regulations in french swimming pools on the types of costume permitted. the duke and duchess of cambridge have laid a wreath at the foot of grenfell tower in west london as people marked the fifth anniversary of the fire which claimed 72 lives. survivors called forjustice for the bereaved and more immediate action to tackle the threat posed by flammable cladding which still affects tower blocks across britain. this report from our home affairs correspondent tom symonds. now in their honour, we will observe a 72—second silence. the people who called grenfell home were scattered by the disaster.

they returned today — alongside them, neighbours and supporters — to remember friends and relatives lost to the flames. # i once was lost # but now i'm found...# but this event was also about the survivors. # but now i see...# eight—year—old ayeesha among them. never forget. i will never forget the fire. i will never forget the smoke. i will never forget the sirens. i will never forget how scary the fire was. i will never forget how worrying the fire was. i will never forget that i survived. we can't change our pasts, but we can change the future. never forget.

applause the community group grenfell united said today, "we don't want our 72 to be remembered for what happened, "but for what changed. "safer buildings, of course, but also justice." five years have passed, and still...still we have not heard the click of a single pair of handcuffs. but alongside an exhaustive public inquiry, there has been a massive police investigation. i've sometimes been shocked at what i've heard, but what i can say is there is nothing which is being heard at the public inquiry which we from our criminal investigation perspective, are not already aware of. only when the public inquiry produces its final report will criminal charges even be considered. many in this area believe that the tower should stay exactly as it is until people go to prison. but for many survivors, the agony of the wait has made the healing harder. i've always said that, you know,

grenfell was a tragedy in three acts, you know? the way we were treated before, the events of the night, and what happened afterwards. if there had been some criminal convictions, if people that lived in social housing were never going to be treated the way that we were treated, if there was no one going to bed at night with the same cladding as grenfell on their buildings, that would be something. but none of that has happened, and that's why it's so painful. because, people here say, this is not over until justice is done. tom symonds, bbc news, at grenfell tower. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: why the k—pop supergroup bts are taking a break after nine years together. there was a bomb in the city centre. a code word known to be one used by the ira was given. army bomb experts were examining a suspect van when there was a huge explosion. the south african parliament

has destroyed the foundation of apartheid by abolishing the population registration act which, for 40 years, forcibly classified each citizen according to race. just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home. | early this evening, the new prince was taken by his mother and fatherl to their apartments . in kensington palace. germany's parliament, the bundestag, has voted by a narrow majority to move the seat of government from bonn to berlin. berliners celebrated into the night, but the decision was greeted with shock in bonn. the real focus of attention today was valentina tereshkova, the world's first woman cosmonaut. what do you think of - the russian woman in space? i think it's a wonderful achievement and i think we might be able to persuade the wife it would be a good idea, if i could, to get her to go up there for a little while. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the first flight due to deport asylum seekers

from britain to rwanda has been grounded after a series of legal challenges. the government says it's disappointed but undeterred. investigating whether war crimes have been committed in kharkiv — the international criminal court's chief prosecutor visits ukraine's second—largest city. in the coming days, the us supreme court will issue a much anticipated decision on abortion which could overturn the roe versus wade ruling of almost 50 years ago that established the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. if that happens, 13 states have "trigger laws" in place which would almost immediately ban the procedure. sophie long reports from the mississippi delta, where the impact of a new ruling could be felt at once. no! i don't want to! titan, mega and seven are happy, healthy boys, but this is not the life amanda had hoped for. she was a struggling single mum with a baby,

having just escaped an abusive partner when she found out she was pregnant again. come on big man. you ready? she was adamant she wanted a termination, but said she was tricked by a crisis pregnancy centre into thinking they would help her until it was too late. eventually i found out that i had timed out. i knew then my only other option was to go somewhere else, another state, but i didn't have any transportation, i didn't have any funds, so i left there furious, upset, sad. she had no choice but to have the baby, in the poorest region of the poorest state with the lowest number of doctors per capita anywhere in america, and where a basic lack of transportation and nutrition put many pregnant people in the highest risk categories. at the delta health centre in mount bayou, its only obstetrician tells me banning abortion will exacerbate an already desperate situation.

the banning of abortion will increase maternal morbidity and mortality, and what i think sometimes missing in the general discussion of abortion is that abortion is a necessary part of reproductive care. blindly banning abortion really puts women's lives at risk. an hour and a world away in greenwood, another doctor is among the church choir. he doesn't agree. there will be more children being given a chance at life. i don't think women's healthcare will be impacted. maybe we shouldn't have sex outside of marriage, and then we wouldn't have to make those difficult decisions. when abstinence fails, crisis pregnancy centres, which women often confuse with clinics, step in.

their answer to unwanted pregnancy and any hardship it my bring is counselling and prayer. have you ever sat in his room and thought maybe having this baby is not the right choice for this girl? never. i don't think there is such a thing as a child that should not be born. i just think the world is a better place with more children in it, and i understand they are a higher risk but i also know that women who are in poverty do have healthy babies. no thanks to you, because you don't know what we went through. you don't know that my abuser had to be escorted out of the hospital when i had mega, but it all worked out. did it really? what about the young woman who is dead? what about the kids who don't have a mum? what about the child who is being abused? what about the kids in the foster care system who are suffering? what about the kids who there

is no grocery store, there's no hospital? they don't have books at school. what about the parents they don't have jobs? so yes, we have these children but we can't support them. life in the delta will go on, but the court's ruling will do nothing to ease these ills or to close the chasm in this increasingly divided united states. sophie long, bbc news, the mississipi delta. thousands of people in beijing are being locked down in their homes and millions are facing compulsory testing, after a surge of covid—i9 cases linked to a late—night bar in the chinese capital. it's raised concerns of a city—wide shutdown just as shanghai is slowly re—emerging from a two—month lockdown. a short time ago, i spoke to our china correspondent stephen mcdonell, who's quarantining in a hotel in the southern city of xiamen. he's just returned to china. i asked him to give us a sense what these

restrictions are like. the rest of the world may have moved on from all these covid restrictions but not china. it is the last remaining major economy sticking to a zero—covid approach, where every new outbreak is squashed, or at least they attempt to squash it with very restrictive measures. so, for example, i'vejust come back into the country and i'm doing two weeks of quarantining, in the south of the country, but there is also quarantine internally in china. if you go from, say, beijing or shanghai to another city, you have to do quarantine. now, people might wonder, why would you go then, why would you travel? i know somebody who has to start a newjob in shenzhen, they have no choice, so they have to first do a week of quarantine in that new city — and that's within china. other measures — i mean, there is a series of measures being put in place to try to restrict the latest outbreak

in beijing, short of a full—scale lockdown, and they include testing millions of people in the chaoyang district, three days in a row this week, so every person in that district three times this week. but elsewhere, if there have been cases — i know somebody there whose father went to a supermarket, and the day before somebody had visited that same supermarket, turned out to be infected. well, they had a sticker on their door saying, you have to stay home for a week. so this sort of stuff is going on right across the city and also the same types of measures are being put in place in shanghai and people are wondering here, they're looking around the world, seeing that things have changed elsewhere, and wondering how much longer they are going to have to put up with this type of thing, and for the moment, the government is saying we are not giving up on this approach for the moment, anyway. the biggest band to emerge out of south korea's

k—pop scene, bts, have announced that they're taking an extended break to pursue solo projects. emily brown has more. the catchy songs have won south korean boy band, bts, legions of fans over the past nine years. theirsong, permission to dance, has had over 770 million views on youtube, but after a nearly decade of success, the group has announced will take an extended break and will pursue solo projects. the seven—member band talked about their future in a video to fans. but the company behind the groundbreaking k—pop group say they aren't taking a hiatus but have agreed members will focus on more solo work. bts have had international recognition, evenjoining a white house daily briefing. this is an important month for america. a lot of our asian american friends have been subject to real discrimination.

we want to say thank you, sincerely, for your decision, such as signing the covid—19 hate crimes act into law. it's unsurprising their announcement has been met with an emotional response from devoted fans around the globe. it's a tough day and heartbreaking day and i think also at the same time there is a lot of excitement and hope on this day. one fan tweeted to say bts will be welcomed back with open arms, but for now, the future of the band is in limbo. emily brown, bbc news. we will leave you with some pictures of the second supermoon of the year which has been wowing stargazers around the world. it is called the strawberry supermoon, here it is rising above the temple of poseidon on the south coast of

athens. they would harvest strawberries during this time, it is also called the honeymoon or the rose moon. hello. rarely do we see weather conditions across the uk uniform, and certainly this week, some big contrasts being played out, and we'll continue to see them through the rest of the week. scotland, northern ireland always more in the way of cloud here. some brighter breaks, but also some wetter weather at times. as for england and wales, sunshine dominates and increasingly hot and humid — that heat peaking as we head the week out on friday, temperatures widely high—20s, low—30s, into the 90s in fahrenheit for some. and just to put that in context, we're a good 10—12 degrees higher than we'd normally be for this stage in june. so, why? well, it's all down to the fact we've got high pressure to the south and east, which will eventually tap in to building heat across france and spain. but to north and west, close to areas of low pressure, we'll see weather fronts push in, bring in some damper weather at times —

and that's exactly how we start wednesday morning across the north and west of scotland. here, though, temperatures higher than they will be for some in england and wales — 4—5 celsius for some after clear skies through the night, but lots of sunshine to begin with. a bit of cloud building up across wales and northern england through the day. couldn't rule out a shower over the hills. most will be dry. greatest chance of some rain coming and going in the breeze across the north and west of scotland. and a bit more compared with tuesday across northern ireland, though not as windy as it has been. temperatures still lifting here at a degree or so above normal for this stage in june, but up to around 27 celsius in the greater london area. pollen levels also a problem for some of you as we go through wednesday. starting to lift up across scotland and northern ireland. and we'll finish here with some outbreaks of rain or drizzle, but most places become dry through the night and into thursday. so, we have some clear skies around into thursday, i—2 spots down to single figures, but what you'll notice through the nights and the end of the week — temperatures by night lifting up. the nights getting muggier and more humid. and quite a humid day to come on thursday — most start dry, but some wetter weather developing for northern ireland, west and southwest scotland

later on. to the south and east, though, it'll be a pretty hot one — temperatures more widely into the mid—20s for england and wales. but the big surge in heat really will come into friday, but this is where the biggest contrast will be, as far as weather's concerned. scotland and northern ireland, a lot of cloud, into the far north of england by the end of the day. temperatures, high—teens, maybe low—20s here. but this is where we could see temperatures into the high—20s, low—30s, especially across central and eastern areas of england. and if that's too much for you, the heat breaks down this weekend, but of course, with some thunderstorms. bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the first flight due to deport asylum seekers from britain to rwanda has been grounded, after a series of legal challenges. the government says it's disappointed but undeterred. it came as hundreds of migrants arrived in the uk, after crossing the english channel in small boats. the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court has visited ukraine's second largest city, kharkiv, which has been badly damaged by russian shelling. on his first visit to the eastern front of the conflict, karim khan announced an investigation into possible war crimes, during russia's invasion. in beijing, thousands of people are being locked down, and millions face compulsory testing, after a surge in coronavirus cases, in the chinese capital.

the outbreaks have raised concerns about a city—wide