this is bbc news. the headlines: millions of women in the united states have lost the constitutional right to have an abortion after the supreme court overturned a 50—year—old ruling that legalised the procedure nationwide. the conservative—dominated court voted 5—4 to set aside the long—established precedent, known as roe v wade. president biden said he was stunned by the ruling, saying it was cruel and driven by extremism that set america back to the 19th century. he pledged to help women to cross state lines for an abortion and urged voters to put personal freedoms on the ballot. his predecessor, donald trump, who appointed three of the conservative judges, welcomed the ruling

as "god's work." some high—profile us firms have already offered to fund travel expenses for employees seeking out—of—state abortions. protests have been held outside the supreme court in washington and in other cities. there's renewed pressure on borisjohnson after the conservatives suffered a double—defeat in parliamentary by—elections. the liberal democrats overturned a big tory majority in tiverton and honiton in devon, while labour regained the west yorkshire seat of wakefield. the party co—chairman oliver dowden has resigned, and the former leader, lord howard, has said it's time the country had new leadership. 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? borisjohnson, your contempt for this country is no longer tolerated. as dawn broke, the conservative party chairman decided to quit. oliver 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 six miles away 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.

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. now on bbc news, our world. injuly 2021, in july 2021, anti—government protests injuly 2021, anti—government protests took in july 2021, anti—government protests took place across iran. the protests were triggered by water shortages in the southern province. failing crops, dying wildlife, no

drinking water. people here face a water crisis. i report on the environment for bbc persia. seeing people suffering, i wanted to see what caused these water shortages. is it climate change, or other other factors? what is happening in iran today is the outcome of decades of bad management, poor governance, not time to change. the bbc cannot operate freely inside around, so i pieced the story together using social media. that inside iran. and visited the united states to see how they manage their water. , , . ., water. this is amazing. look how much — water. this is amazing. look how much the _ water. this is amazing. look how much the water - water. this is amazing. look how much the water has - water. this is amazing. look. how much the water has gone down. figs how much the water has gone down. �* , . . , how much the water has gone down. ~ , . . , ., down. as iran and the rest of the world _ down. as iran and the rest of the world tackle _ down. as iran and the rest of the world tackle water - the world tackle water scarcity, i will be asking, what can be done to improve the

water supply for people in khuzestan? khuzestan has long been thought of as lush and green, with wetlands and diverse wildlife. it's writ is used for leisure and agriculture. —— its rivers. 0ver agriculture. —— its rivers. over the last decades, that has changed. today, rivers are dirty or run dry. the great wetlands have been drained for oil extraction. the environment and communities destroyed. iran cosmic student news showed in villages across khuzestan, water is

to understand these people's angen to understand these people's anger, we need to look at the readers feeding the area, and the many demands made on them. this is khuzestan, lying in the south—west of iran. it is a coastal province on the border with hero. iran's longest and most well—known river originates in the mountains on the eastern side of khuzestan. there are four more rivers that also originate outside khuzestan's official borders, but flowing into the province, making khuzestan one of the most water abundant provinces in iran, supplying its industry, agriculture and drinking water. but for many

years, farmers have protested that water simply does not reach them, their villages and their crops. these protests have largely been peaceful and contained two farming areas. but injuly contained two farming areas. but in july 2021, contained two farming areas. but injuly 2021, but changed. protests began in a few cities in khuzestan and spread first across the province and then to the rest of the country. i tracked events through social media, and saw the rising tide of anger in the crowds as protesters brought in other issues like unemployment, poverty and political freedoms.

the government viewed the situation as a security issue and cracked down. there protests lasted ten days. eight people were killed. this woman is a human rights lawyer defending a number of protesters, charged with disrupting public order. during our conversation, she told me more about who the protesters were.

security sent in by the state silenced the protesters, but a fundamental question remained. what has gone wrong with the water supply? my search for answers began at the un climate change conference in glasgow. glasgow was a long way away from khuzestan and its problems, but the water crisis is really being discussed here because it affects all regions like khuzestan stop. the head of iran's delegation addressed the conference. the government ofthe the conference. the government of the islamic _ the conference. the government of the islamic republic - the conference. the government of the islamic republic of - the conference. the government of the islamic republic of iran i of the islamic republic of iran is committed, alongside with other nations, to combat crime and change and global warming. and later he agreed to an

interview with my bbc colleague matt mcgrath. you say that climate change has impacted the issue of water, but in khuzestan and elsewhere, is itjust climate change? 0r is itjust climate change? or is itjust climate change? or is itjust climate change? or is it the management of the water issue? because that caused the problem is to be worse there?

so the iranian government says that water shortages have been caused by climate change. but critics say that climate change has exacerbated years of water mismanagement, that has damaged the delicate balance of supply and demand. when we look at the sources of the rivers that flow into khuzestan, the first thing we find is a network of canals, pipelines and tunnels that take the water to other provinces, and as far away as qom. protests in january this year

with the result of tensions over these water transfers. two provinces east of khuzestan were protesting over who takes how much water. after the water transfers, the rest of the water that flows into khuzestan is captured by a number of terms. on karun river alone, there are one, two, three, four, five dams built, one after another. and more dams on khuzestan's other rivers. in fact, iranian authorities have broken records over the number of dams they have built. close to 650 dams in a span of a0 years. with so many dams controlling the supply of water, why do shortages persist, both in khuzestan and across iran? las vegas is one

of the fastest growing cities in the us with each household using 1000 litres of water a day. and yet, when you are in las vegas, it is easy to forget that this is a town built in the middle of the desert. the landscape here reminds me of when i used to live in iran. iran is essentially a dry country, this barren land for me is a reminder of home. and thatis me is a reminder of home. and that is why i am here. both the south—west of the united states and iran are dry, and make heavy demands on their river water. so what is happening here and tell me something else about iran. iam heading i am heading to the hoover dam, 60 kilometres north of las vegas. it depends on its water

supply. construction of this mighty piece of engineering began in 1931. the idea behind it was to regulate water supply, and also to generate electricity. the same idea behind building this dam was also applied to building dams and other developing regions of the world. this is tehran, promoting awareness of how water is used. there is finally a global consensus about the need to act strongly to mitigate climate change and to... pat strongly to mitigate climate change and to. . ._ strongly to mitigate climate change and to... at the time, it was the _ change and to... at the time, it was the deputy _ change and to... at the time, it was the deputy head - change and to... at the time, it was the deputy head of - change and to... at the time, it was the deputy head of the | it was the deputy head of the environmental protection agency. following pressure from the intelligence services, he feared for his safety and flat

iran. he argues that politics has driven down building in iran, while human and environmental concerns like submerging villages and animal habitats get sidelined. and far from solving water supply problems, he sees dams in the reservoirs they create as the fix that backfires.— fix that backfires. when you build a reservoir, _ fix that backfires. when you build a reservoir, you - fix that backfires. when you build a reservoir, you also l build a reservoir, you also create some demand downstream. now, everyone downstream is looking at the water that has been stored also everyone has a plan for it. someone wants to use it in the agriculture, some people want to develop cities below reservoirs. industries keep growing and your demand keeps increasing in water shortage keeps getting bigger and bigger. shortage keeps getting bigger and bi cer. ., shortage keeps getting bigger and bigger-— and bigger. from the hoover dam, demand _ and bigger. from the hoover dam, demand downstream l and bigger. from the hoover- dam, demand downstream can't be seen. but what is plain to see is the supply problem at the source. well, this is amazing.

look how much the water has gone down. you can clearly see those water marks. officially, they are saying that the water capacity is only 38%. in both the south—west us and iran, there is less rain and snowfall in the reservoirs are running low. i put it that surely climate change is key to water shortages everywhere. including around. what _ shortages everywhere. including around. what is _ shortages everywhere. including around. what is happening - shortages everywhere. including around. what is happening in . around. what is happening in iran today is the outcome of decades of bad management, poor environmental governments, a lack of foresight. not climate change. climate change have a role? yes, to an extent, as a catalyst. but that did not consider water as a limited growth may continue developing and development, thinking that with money and engineering, they can overcome the natural limitations.

singing. this musician is from iran. for years, _ singing. this musician is from iran. for years, he has - singing. this musician is from iran. for years, he has used i iran. for years, he has used social media to both songs in english and persian about water. singing. in this video, he explores the river. industry, agriculture, even hospital waste is dumped into this river. for people in urban areas, sewage and sanitation are bigger water issues than supply alone.

although official figures have never been released, according to unofficial estimates, a large portion of the population is arab, and many of them blame for water infrastructure on a long history of central government discrimination against the region. sitting on the border of iraq, people here also felt the full force of the irani rug war in the 1980s. —— iran—iraq war. he shows his followers what the lack of water infrastructure means for people in their homes.

he says the water from the main tap is only for washing, not booking or drinking. —— cooking. water filter, tanks, —— cooking. waterfilter, tanks, water pumps, it all sounds very benign, the but this is the daily reality in the lives of the people who live in the towns and cities of khuzestan.

just a few miles from the centre of the country �*s farmland. the farmers who protest that there is not enough water for the crops are part of an agricultural system that in fact takes the lion's share. globally irrigated agriculture, it accounts for 70% of water consumption. but in iran, that figure rises to a staggering 90%. agriculture enjoys considerable protection from government because it is a key driver of a long—held policy. after the 1979 revolution, food self—sufficiency became one of the most important slogans of

the most important slogans of the state. us sanctions further drive commitment to this goal. but many experts doubt this is achievable, given iran's current level of development. one of the most important crops in the drives for self—sufficiency is sugar. in the 1990s, the government planted commercial scale sugar farms across khuzestan. today,

the province provides close to half of all the sugar grown across the country. but sugarcane is one of the most water intensive crops in the world. every year in khuzestan up world. every year in khuzestan up to 3.5 billion litres of precious water are released from the dams to grow sugarcane. more than any other crop in khuzestan. this strain on water supplies was forewarned by many, including in parliament 18 years ago. now retired, this man remains frustrated that the government is wedded to sugarcane rather than alternative crops that need less water.

rather than reducing water demand, running in government is more focused on increasing water supply. one source of water supply. one source of water iran has turned to is the sea. iran is investing billions of dollars in an ambitious infrastructure project called the hope line. the intention is to provide and transfer desalination water across the whole country. they believe local desalination projects

have potential benefits, but transferring large volumes of desalination water across the country is not sustainable. mil? country is not sustainable. why would you _ country is not sustainable. why would you use _ country is not sustainable. why would you use water _ country is not sustainable. “teeny would you use water to country is not sustainable. twig would you use water to grow rice in central iran and then desalination water and transfer of water to the dry locations? it doesn't make sense. the --eole it doesn't make sense. the people of— it doesn't make sense. the people of khuzestan - it doesn't make sense. the people of khuzestan who face another year of unpredictable rainfall have made it clear. they want action from the government. the head of the environment protection agency says they are ready to act.

iran has managed its water supply sustainably for centuries and the expertise to do so still exists today. but critics say this expertise is ignored.

many would view such a prediction as extreme, but we are experts, critics and the government agree is that the waters are —— solving khuzestan's water crisis is combated, addressing the needs of people here while coping with the impact of climate change will be a formidable challenge. hello. bow bridge has buckets ireland and will be driving a weather

for next couple of days, many an increasing breeze towards the west and occasional showers. this is what it looks like early on saturday morning. temperatures between 11 and 15 degrees, lots of sunshine from the word go, but frequent showers affected out towards western parts of the uk and a strong breeze around coastal areas. basically, the further east you are, the sunnier, drier and warmer it will be. temperatures in norwich will get a 22 degrees. i think we will match that inhale as well. tomorrow evening the low pressure is still with us and will be with us through the course of sunday and monday as well. looking at the outlook for the weekend, you can see showers both for saturday and sunday with temperatures around 16 to 20 degrees.

this is bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: the us supreme court overturns the landmark roe v wade ruling, ending the constitutional right to an abortion that dates back nearly 50 years. the historicjudgement will transform abortion rights in america, with individual states now able to ban or restrict the procedure. this decision to overturn national abortion rights, to overturn roe v wade, was a radical legal move. but it has no way and at the political fight over abortion. critics say the ruling is a major setback to a woman's right to choose. president biden has strongly condemned the decision. but senior republicans, including former vice president mike pence and mitch mcconnell, welcome the ruling — saying it's a victory for the unborn.

and ukraine orders its soldiers to withdraw