this is bbc world news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories — the us supreme court overturns the landmark roe versus wade ruling, ending the constitutional right to an abortion that dates back nearly 50 years. there's renewed pressure on british prime minister borisjohnson, after the conservatives suffered a double defeat in parliamentary by—elections. a second earthquake has shaken an area in south eastern afghanistan, causing yet more death and destruction. and — making a comeback after the pandemic — the legenday glastonbury festival kicks off for the first time in three years.

hello and welcome to bbc world news. millions of women in the us have lost their constitutional right to abortion. the supreme court has overturned a longstanding judgment that legalised terminations nationwide. individual states can now decide whether to ban the practice. let's bring you some live pictures from washington, which shows you pictures of pro—life demonstrators, appealing that decision, demonstrating against it, and that has been protests across the united states. these are live pictures from washington. these are live pictures from washington. i spoke to leah litman, assistant professor of law at the university of michigan, about the immediate consequences of this ruling. today, the only remaining clinic in the state of west virginia closed and had to cancel appointments for patients.

they were on the phone with women as they were sobbing, when they found out they would no longer have access to abortion in the state. we are talking about the constitution here, of course. that doesn't protect the rights of women to abortion? right, the united states constitution no longer protects the right to an abortion, and that allows state laws restricting abortion to go into effect. does this open up other things, like marriage equality, the right to contraception, is there other things you are worried about now? i am worried about all those things — in a separate writing, justice thomas explicitly called for the court to overrule obergefell v hodges, the right to marriage equality, as well as the right to contraception, griswold v connecticut. but even more frighteningly, even if the supreme court does not explicitly overall the right to contraception, state legislatures are already trying to classify certain forms of contraception, like ied devices or the morning

after pill, as really just forms of abortion. so they are arguing that the supreme court's decision overruling roe and saying that states can prohibit abortion allows states to restrict certain forms of contraception, that states argue function as abortifacients. where do you go now? can you appeal this, can you challenge this? there's obviously, like yourself, there are obviously many, many people who are against this? the us supreme court is the final arbiter about what the united states constitution means. at least in the sense of there is no other court or body you can appeal to to overall this decision. now that being said, nothing in this decision stops congress, the federal legislature, from choosing to protect abortion rights, and nothing is stopping state legislatures from choosing to protect abortion rights. it is just that the constitution no longer requires them to do so. what would you be calling for

now, what would you be hoping that politicians would do? i would hope that congress would enact a federal statute that codifies a right to abortion, codifies a right to abortion, codifies a right to contraception, and then i would hope that state legislatures do the same, that they amend state constitutions in order to guarantee rights to access abortion in state constitutions, edition of the two passing —— in addition to passing statutes in all of the states as well.— passing statutes in all of the states as well. and i guess the scenario view _ states as well. and i guess the scenario view is _ states as well. and i guess the scenario view is there - states as well. and i guess the scenario view is there is - states as well. and i guess the scenario view is there is there l scenario view is there is there is a chance for a national abortion ban if the republicans control the senate?— control the senate? yes, that possibility _ control the senate? yes, that possibility was _ control the senate? yes, that possibility was specifically - possibility was specifically highlighted in the joint descent highlighted in thejoint descent by the democratic, saying that nothing would prohibit congress from enacting a national abortion ban. already several republican legislators are urging republicans to put together a bill that would ban abortion

after 15 weeks of presidency and —— pregnancy and mike pence has called for the pro—life movement to try to ban abortion in every state. the supreme court by overruling row was returning it to congress, also holding up the possibility of a nationwide abortion ban. with me is our news reporter shelley phelps. which states will enforce these changes, first?— changes, first? this ruling is of momentous _ changes, first? this ruling is of momentous significance. | changes, first? this ruling is - of momentous significance. this will hugely change life for millions of american women, and we have only seen how some abortion clinics in parts of america are already closing. if we look at the map now, we can see the 13 states that already have so—called trigger laws in place, which will now lead to an immediate emotion band. —— abortion ban. they are in the conservative and religious south of the country, places

like mississippi, tennessee, louisiana, and then you have another 13 were said to be moving quickly to ban or severely limit access to abortions. just hours after this ruling, missouri was the first state to ban abortion. they were closely followed by south dakota, which has also banned abortion, except where the life of the mother is at risk. now depending on how many states, and where they ban abortion, this could mean that in quite significant large chunks of america, a woman's nearest abortion clinic is more than 300 miles away. find nearest abortion clinic is more than 300 miles away. and what have states _ than 300 miles away. and what have states that _ than 300 miles away. and what have states that haven't - than 300 miles away. and what| have states that haven't banned abortion said? because obviously a lot of places are looking like they are going to ban abortion but many aren't. we have been hearing from the governor of california, gavin newsome, who has been talking about how he will enshrine the right to abortion in law there, and he was talking about california being open. he says they want to support women who may need to travel therefore

abortion, and they wouldn't be asking for id checks. we have also been hearing from the mayor of new york who has promised to make the city a safe haven.— promised to make the city a safe haven. �* . ., , ., safe haven. and what has global reaction been? _ safe haven. and what has global reaction been? globally, - safe haven. and what has global reaction been? globally, as- safe haven. and what has global reaction been? globally, as we i reaction been? globally, as we have been _ reaction been? globally, as we have been saying, _ reaction been? globally, as we have been saying, images - reaction been? globally, as we have been saying, images of l have been saying, images of protests and abortion clinics closing and all of these things on their tv screens, and they have been asked for reaction on this in news interviews and also they have been giving their reaction on social media. the canadian prime minister justin trudeau has described this ruling as horrific. the british prime minister boris johnson says this is a huge step backwards. french president emmanuel macron saying abortion is a fundamental right. in latin america, there has been shock and some quite critical commentary about this ruling, because some of the commentators are noting how it contrasts with moves in latin america to have more liberal abortion policies, in an area thatis abortion policies, in an area that is traditionally a

catholic area, one mexican seller to a bowing that would be no step back she says in her work to the penalised abortion in el salvador where the parliament is run by anti—abortion politicians, they have welcomed this move, and they say that the us supreme court ruling shows that their view is the dominant position on this issue.— view is the dominant position on this issue. shelley phelps, thank you _ on this issue. shelley phelps, thank you for _ on this issue. shelley phelps, thank you for bringing - on this issue. shelley phelps, thank you for bringing us - thank you for bringing us up—to—date on the reaction to that landmark ruling in the united states. meanwhile, away from the supreme court, history was made on the floor of the us house of representatives where lawmakers approved a gun safety bill, the first time in nearly 30 years that congress has passed a law to combat gun violence. the measure now goes to president biden to sign. the senate passed the bill on thursday. it's a bipartisan compromise, aimed at stopping dangerous people from having access to guns. there's also billions of dollars in funding for mental health and school security. though the measure falls short of the ban on assault weapons sought by gun control advocates, the law's been

hailed as a breakthrough after decades of inaction by congress. ukraine has begun withdrawing its forces from one of its remaining strongholds — the city of severodonetsk in the eastern luhansk area. that's according to the region's top official. it marks a significant step in the war. taking severodonetsk would bring president putin closer to gaining control of the whole eastern donbas region, a key russian aim. from donbas, our international correspondent 0rla guerin reports. this is severodonetsk, a strategic city once home to 100,000 people. it's been shelled for months by russian forces, who can claim a key victory here. ukraine ordered its troops to retreat from the rubble, rather than die in vain. they fought here, building to building, and street to street.

some of the fiercest battles of the war. but they were outgunned by russia's heavy artillery. we reached this commander, who left at dawn under fire, pained by the retreat. 16 of his men died trying to save the city. translation: it is drenched in the blood of ukraine's - defenders, of my brothers, and mine, too. it was incredibly hard. at that moment, i felt despair. but it is ok. it's not over. 0ur leadership saved the troops to fight another day. maybe that's the right decision. i know for sure that we will be back there. his fighters in the svoboda, or freedom, battalion are a mix of old and young.

like, 22—year—old sem. he got married on the 13th of this month, and he was killed five days later. young as he was, he led his own unit, in europe's biggest war for more than 70 years. all volunteers — a brotherhood. the ukrainians were resourceful. they had to be, using inflatable boats to get in and out and bring supplies, after all the bridges to severodonetsk were blown. gunfire. but they lost this battle as they waited for advanced weapons systems from their western allies. day by day, president putin is destroying more cities, and gaining more ground, in a war which nato has warned could last for years.

0rla guerin, bbc news, donbas. a second earthquake has shaken an area in south eastern afghanistan, causing yet more death and destruction. more than 1,000 people are known to have died in the quakes in paktika province, one of the poorest areas in one of the poorest countries in the world. from gayan, secunder kermani reports. scrambling for scraps of bread. for survivors of this earthquake, support is flowing in, but more is needed. in this district, close to the epicentre, hundreds of homes have been destroyed, families wiped out. there are still injuries to treat. this charity normally removes landmines, but now they have set up a mobile clinic.

this five—year—old had his arm trapped by rubble. "there are lots of wounded children," he tells us. "12 patients had to be flown to kabul by helicopter because they needed specialist care." nearby we meet this man, his home reduced to rubble. when the earthquake struck, he faced a terrible dilemma, who to save first. "when the ceiling fell down, my wife cried out for help, "but my daughter was in the room with us, "and i took her out first. "then i went to my other children." by the time he returned to his wife, she had died. the winding dirt roads, leading to the remote, worst—affected villages are now busy with trucks, carrying supplies from the taliban government and humanitarian agencies. aid is arriving.

the un are here, as are international charities and domestic ones. but this is a country that was already struggling with a dire economic and humanitarian crisis. the red crescent is distributing packs with essentials, blankets and cooking oil. "we need everything because everything we owned has been buried in the dirt," this man says. across the road, one large extended family is setting up tents they have just received. their homes having been destroyed. seven of their relatives were killed, including four young children. "there is no meaning to my life now," this man tells us. "i saw my three daughters and four grandchildren die. "my heart is broken. "we need help. "we have nothing," he says.

"whatever we owned has been destroyed." back by the main bazaar, now an aid depot, the crowd waiting for donations has grown. a weary population struggling with a new crisis. secunder kermani, bbc news, paktika province. let's get some of the day's other news. the un has warned that somalia is on the brink of catastrophe, and called for a massive scaling up of funding to avert a potentialfamine. the warning came amid rapidly increasing levels of malnutrition in the country, caused by four consecutive failed rainy seasons and a rise in food prices as a result of the war in ukraine. officials in bangladesh say the floods in parts of the north—eastern sylhet region have got worse, with a key river flowing above the danger level. the water has inundated vast areas already reeling from flooding, triggered by torrential rains upstream. so far, more than 60 people have been killed in the floods, and large areas of

land are submerged. there's renewed pressure on britain's prime minister borisjohnson after his conservative party suffered a double defeat in parliamentary by—elections. the liberal democrats overturned a big tory majority in tiverton and honiton in devon in south—west england, while labour regained the west yorkshire seat of wakefield in the north. boris johnson conceded the results were "not brilliant" but vowed to "keep going". here's our deputy political editor vicki young. liberal democrats are getting used to toppling tories in by—elections. but this victory broke all records. the winning candidate said voters have sent a message. your behaviour, mrjohnson, makes a mockery of leadership. by any measure, you are unfit to lead. this was one of the safest conservative seats in the country. their losing candidate couldn't get out quick enough. reporter: helen, did i you not want to say thank

you to everyone? in wakefield, it was labour celebrating. at the last election they lost dozens of seats like this that they'd held for decades. they hope this is a sign they can win them back, and they think mrjohnson is helping their cause. borisjohnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated. as dawn broke, the conservative party chairman decided to quit. 0liver dowden's letter to his leader was polite but pointed. and the first time, former conservative leader michael howard is calling on borisjohnson to just that. i think the country needs new leadership and i think the time has now come to provide it.

his biggest asset has always been his ability to win votes. but i'm afraid yesterday's results make it clear that he no longer has that ability. the prime minister, though, is more than 6,000 miles in rwanda, at a commonwealth get—together, and says it would be "crazy" for him to resign. when people are finding it tough, they send messages to politicians, and politicians have got to respond. but would he take personal responsibility for the results? people will, you know, continue to beat me up, and say this or that about, you know — to attack me, that's fine, that's quite right. that is the job of politicians. in the end, voters, journalists — they have no—one else to make their complaints to. i have to — i have to take that. but i also have to get on with the job of delivering for the people of this country. the conservatives have now been in power here for 12 years. there's been a pandemic, there's a cost of living crisis

— not the kind of political backdrop where you would expect the government to be doing well in by—elections. but dozens of conservative mps think that boris johnson's leadership is making things worse, that voters are finding any way they to punish the party. labour's path back to power is steep, but sir keir starmer insists that the result in wakefield is more than a protest vote. this is hugely significant for the labour party, and i'm so proud that we can present that confident labour party, utterly focused on the voters. that's what i wanted to achieve and this is evidence, evidence that we're on course for a labour government. the liberal democrats are on the march in southern england. is that close enough? and their leader says that's partly down to mrjohnson's unpopularity. under borisjohnson's leadership, things keep getting worse. so let me tell the prime minister what the british people expect. they expect to be led,

and to be led with decency. labour have had a good win — the lib dems, a spectacular one. it's a combination that could be fatal to the conservatives' chances of staying in power. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. the latest new cake suggest covid cases are continuing to rise across the country, 1.7 million people had coronavirus last week, around one in 35 of the population. that is a jump of 23% on the previous week. health officials have said that more than half of covid cases are driven by the new strains of the 0micron variant. which spread more quickly and stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. we stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. we had very little evidence _ getting vaccinated. we had very little evidence that _ getting vaccinated. we had very little evidence that it _ getting vaccinated. we had very little evidence that it causes - little evidence that it causes more severe disease however we are concerned that there are a number of people, particularly in the higher risk groups, the over 75's and those that immunosuppressant have not come forward for their fourth dose

of the spring booster. those people we think will get the consequences of severe covid. we are urging people if they have been offered their fourth dose, to come forward. billie eilish has used her headline set at the glastonbury festival to address the us supreme court's decision to end the constitutional right to abortion. before her performance on the pyramid stage, the 20—year—old singer said it was a dark day for women in the us. the world—famous music festival's main stage opened today after three years of covid cancellations. a warning, this report by our culture editor katie razzall contains flashing images. it's the 50th birthday party, twice postponed. finally, glastonbury is back, with its youngest ever headliner, billie eilish, taking to the pyramid stage. sam fender's never even been to this festival before, now he knows what it's like to perform here

in front of thousands. let's have some fun. brit winners wolf alice nearly didn't make it today after their original flight from america what is it about glastonbury that means you didn't want to miss it? everything about it, i think. especially playing on the pyramid stage. it's like a dream come true. i think every gig we have played since, well post—covid, no—one has gone anywhere. since we have been allowed to play it has been like fever pitch. 200,000 people here in the city that springs up from the somerset countryside. for three long years the cows have had this place to themselves. now, all sorts have been marching into the farm. i am excited to be free for five days from anything else in the world. you could go here, your mum could go here, do you know what i mean?

it's great. it's great to be back - in a place where everyone is having a good time, i especially with last three years. sir paul mccartney is the headline act tomorrow. tonight, 15 miles away, a few hundred lucky souls were treated to a warm—up gig by an 80—year—old who clearly loves being on stage. this weekend mccartney will make the history as this festival's oldest ever headliner. katie razzall, bbc news, glastonbury. now, if you want to look up at the stars, one of the best places you can go is chile. its high altitude make it a great place for astronomers. network is under way on the biggest telescope ever made. it will bring the unknown close than ever before. a building site in northern chile. this is no ordinary building site. it is a place that could soon help us

unravel some of the mysteries of the universe. it is the location of the extremely large telescope or elc. —— elt. the name may seem mundane but there telescope is anything but. translation: is telescope is anything but. translation:— telescope is anything but. translation: , ., . ., translation: is a pro'ect for the future * translation: is a pro'ect for the future that t translation: is a pro'ect for the future that will _ translation: is a project for the future that will allow - translation: is a project for the future that will allow us i the future that will allow us to reach other places in the universe. it is currently the largest telescope under construction.- largest telescope under construction. ., , , construction. nothing is being left to chance. _ construction. nothing is being left to chance. these - construction. nothing is being left to chance. these are - left to chance. these are seismic structural dampeners that will protect the elt in case of an earthquake. hundreds of finely honed mirrors will be used to build a telescope that will provide images 15 times sharper than those of the hubble space telescope. translation:— hubble space telescope. translation: the basic questions _ translation: the basic questions of _ translation: the basic questions of astronomy i translation: the basicl questions of astronomy of translation: the basic - questions of astronomy of 30 years ago have already been answered, with the elt we want

to answer the questions are today not those of 30 years ago. that is why we need to build bigger and bigger telescopes to push the limits of technology.— of technology. the whole -ro'ect of technology. the whole project is _ of technology. the whole project is estimated - of technology. the whole project is estimated to i of technology. the whole l project is estimated to cost nearly $1.1; billion. it will not be complete for another five years. when it is, the potential value of what it may discover could be priceless. let's bring you a reminder of our main story. millions of women in the united states have lost the constitutional right to abortion after the supreme court overturned a 50—year—old ruling legalising the procedure nationwide. the court voted five to four to set aside the decision known as roe v wade saying that abortion rights were not mentioned in the constitution. president biden said he was stunned by the ruling saying it was cruel and driven by extremism and

regressed america to the 19th century. that is just about it form me for now. you can get worn news on our website. hello. plenty of fine weather around this weekend but showers in the forecast too. however, some of us may miss them altogether, and end up with a dry weekend but i will add that around coastal areas it could be windy at times and feel a little on the cool side. this changeable weather is brought by an area of low pressure which will basically park itself over ireland, it has already arrived and the showers are becoming more frequent across some western areas and they will be over the course of the next 2a hours. we have had showers in the last few hours they will continue through early saturday morning across parts of western scotland but generally speaking it is a dry end to that night with clear spells and temperatures ranging from around 10— 15 degrees, not particularly cold first thing in the morning.

let's have a look at the forecast for saturday then. here is the area of low pressure with clouds and showers swirling around, this is a cool atlantic breeze so around these coastal areas of cornwall, devon and the coast of wales, the irish sea and into scotland. it will be chilly. temperatures around 15—16 degrees in some spots. basically, the further east you are the sunnier and warmer it will be. 0ut towards the west always a chance of catching some showers even heavy ones, not just through the afternoon but in the evening as well. they will have a tendency to drift northwards carried by the breeze circling this area of low pressure. that was saturday, this is sunday. look at this, even some persistent rain at times expected in northern ireland and some of the western part of the uk, further east dry and bright and in fact in east anglia and the south—east and along the south coast of england it should be a mostly sunny day on sunday. here, temperatures up to 23 degrees in one or two spots but more typically talking about the mid or high teens

a little bit further towards the west. and the low pressure is still with us early next week but what happens is, it actually moves away and another one takes its place, bringing spells of rain to western parts of the uk once again. overall, we are in a spell of fairly unsettled weather. here is the outlook for some of our major cities, you can see the further north and west you are, the more changeable it is with these showers. the best of the weather will always be further south and south—east. have a good weekend.

welcome to bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories — the us supreme court overturns the landmark roe versus wade ruling, ending the constitutional right to an abortion that dates back nearly 50 years. the historicjudgment will transform abortion rights in america, with individual states now able to ban or restrict the procedure. critics say the ruling is a major set—back to a woman's right to choose. president biden has strongly condemned the decision. the court literally taking america back 150 years. this is a sad day for the country, in my view. but it doesn't mean the fight�*s over. but senior republicans, including former vice president mike pence, and mitch mcconnell, welcome the ruling, saying it's a victory for the unborn.