i'm jane o'brien in washington, and this is bbc world news america. in defiance of chinese warnings, nancy pelosi has arrived in taiwan. she is the most senior american official to visit the island in 25 years. one of the world's most wanted terrorists, al-qaeda chief ayman al—zawahiri, is killed in a us drone strike in afghanistan. the house that was targeted in the drone strike is just a few minutes away. but the taliban aren't allowing anyone to fill nearby, insisting there's nothing to see — one even pointing his gun threateningly towards us. shrinking glacier streams in the himalayas are creating a worsening water crisis in the region. we have a special report. and the cost of living squeeze

is crippling new york renters, with average manhattan prices surging above $5,000 a month. welcome to world news america, on pbs and around the globe. after days of speculation, the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi has arrived in taiwan — sparking fury from china. mrs pelosi is the highest ranking us official to visit the island since 1997. the chinese government has threatened military action and in a statement said her visit seriously infringes upon "china's sovereignty and territorial integrity". taiwan is self—ruled, but claimed by china — the result of a regional rift dating to world war two when china took control of the island from japan. but when communists took over beijing in 1949,

the defeated chinese nationalist forces fled south to taiwan. the us has no formal ties with taiwan, and only 13 countries recognise the island's sovereignty. 0ur asia correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes reports from taipei. the speculation has been swirling for days, but it wasn't until this moment with her plane on final approach that we were sure nancy pelosi would defy beijing and become the most senior us politician to visit taiwan in a quarter of a century. for days, china has been making ominous threats that it would not stand by and allow it to happen. taiwan is now braced to see how beijing might respond, although the rhetoric from china's foreign ministry today was less aggressive. translation: if the us continues down the wrong path, _ we will take strong and resolute measures to ensure our sovereignty and security interests.

in taipei, the mood remains calm but defiant, the island's tallest skyscraper was lit up tonight with a message of welcome. i think this time if speaker pelosi can come to taiwan, it would be a crucial time for the united states to show their support to taiwan, to taiwan's democracy. you can see that not everybody in taiwan is delighted by nancy pelosi's arrival here, but on the whole, most people welcome a visit by such a senior us politician. in fact, the taiwanese government would like more such visits, not one every 25 years. but ms pelosi coming here does not by itself change the grim calculus now facing taiwan, which is a serious and growing threat from china which since the russia's invasion of ukraine, suddenly looks a lot more real. gunfire half an hour outside taipei in this disused factory, young taiwanese are learning

basic gun skills. since the invasion of ukraine, enrolment on these courses has jumped by 50%. many of the new recruits are women. next door, this man and his friends are undergoing more advanced training. learning to work as a team and to evacuate the wounded. they used to do this for fun, but now it is much more serious. this is my home country, this is all i want, to protect it. i want to live here with my family, that's all. some critics say if taiwan wants america or any other country to help it fend off the threat from china, then it has to show that it is willing to fight. that is exactly what these young taiwanese men and women want to show nancy pelosi and anyone else who will listen. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, taiwan. the leader of al-qaeda has been

killed by an american drone strike in the afghan capital, kabul. ayman al—zawahiri was one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks on america, and the top adviser to 0sama bin ladin. president biden said his death would help give closure to the families of the thousands of people killed in 2001. 0ur correspondent secunder kermani reports from kabul. one of america's most wanted. ayman al—zawahiri, right—hand man and successor to 0sama bin laden. this was the drone strike that american officials say killed him as he stood on the balcony at this family home in an upmarket kabul neighbourhood. we can hear debris still being cleared up, but then we are told to stop filming. we are in the centre of the city.

the house that was targeted in the drone strike is just a few minutes away, but the taliban are not allowing anyone to film nearby, insisting there is nothing to see — one even pointing his gun threateningly towards us a little earlier on. senior taliban figures must have agreed to al-qaeda's leader living here, but they have insisted in public the group no longer exists in afghanistan, so his death poses difficult questions. he had trained as a doctor in egypt, but became involved with radical circles. after joining afterjoining al-qaeda, he helped plan the 9/11 attacks, and which nearly 3000 people were killed. america placed a $25 million bounty on his head. president biden was in

the command centre when 0sama bin laden was killed. and here he is being briefed on this weeekend's operation, a major success after criticism of last year's chaotic troop withdrawal from afghanistan. no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the united states will find you and take you out. unlike al-qaeda, the taliban have a national, not global, agenda, and they have been close allies of al-qaeda for years. recently they played down their links, promising not to allow foreign attacks being planned on afghan soil. al-qaeda is no longer the global threat it once was, but this drone strike will further deepen the mistrust between the taliban and the west. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. let's cross to kabul and speak to our chief international

in other news: the energy company bp has reported its highest profits in 1a years — and the second biggest in its history. between the months of april and june, the company's profits topped $8 billion — that's more than triple the amount it made in the same period last year. it comes as consumers worldwide face increasing energy costs from the soaring global price of oil and gas. in spain, a new government plan to curb energy use has come into effect. air conditioning and heating temperatueres will be limited in public buildings and businesses. the government has allowed people ten days to implement the rules which will stay in effect until november 2023. the ukrainian azov regiment has been designated a terrorist group by russia's supreme court. much of the regiment surrendered to russia after the lengthy siege at the azovstal steelworks in mariupol.

it has roots in a far—right ultranationalist militia that was later absorbed formally into the ukrainian national guard. russia continues to view it as a neo—nazi organisation, which ukraine rejects. california and illinois havejoined new york in declaring a state of new york over the monkeypox outbreak. according to the cdc, there have been 23,000 cases worldwide, more than 5000 of which are in the us. 0n than 5000 of which are in the us. on tuesday, president biden assigned a monkeypox response organiser to lead the response to the virus. let's get more on our top story — nancy pelosi's visit to taiwan which has infuriated china. at a press briefing at the white house earlier today, national security council spokesman john kirby explained the white house's position on the latest developments.

the united states will not and does not — it will not seek and does not want a crisis. we are prepared to manage what beijing chooses to do. at the same time, we will not engage in sabre—rattling. we will continue to operate in the seas and the skies of the western pacific, as we have done for decades, and we will continue to support taiwan. let's bring in the bbc'sjohn sudworth, who is here in washington. we know that this trip was intended to show american support for taiwan— but that was never in doubt, so what else does the us gained by this trip? else does the us gained by this tri - ? ~ . else does the us gained by this tri . ? . ., ., , else does the us gained by this tri?~ . else does the us gained by this trip? well, that was a concern from the administration _ trip? well, that was a concern from the administration here _ trip? well, that was a concern from the administration here all- trip? well, that was a concern from the administration here all along. l the administration here all along. they've been warning against the wisdom of this trip for days and weeks. now that it's gone ahead, as

you've heard from john kirby, they are taking a more neutral tone as you might suggest. those concerns remain. not over the risk of invasion, most analysts believe the risk of that for now remains small. but simply because i think the american government feels it has enough on its plate in terms of foreign policy. in the idea of intensifying a diplomatic and geopolitical dispute with another authoritarian superpower does not feel particularly helpful. that said, i think it's interesting to note something that's happening across the wider political landscape, and maybe this is where you could identify some advantage for taiwan — you now have democrat and republican senators bringing forward legislation to increase military aid. you have former trump administration stalwarts like mike

pompeo and john bolton tweeting in favour of nancy pelosi, people who would not normally have considered themselves among her fan would not normally have considered themselves among herfan base. the unintended consequence for china you could argue, as a result of its increased threats and bellicose rhetoric over the past months and years, is to have carved out a rare space for political consensus gear and a city where of late, it's been in very short supply, of course. but john, in very short supply, of course. but john. how — in very short supply, of course. but john, how big a setback for us chinese relations is this when the roll is facing so many problems that require the cooperation of these two superpowers —— when the world is facing? i superpowers -- when the world is facin: ? ~ , superpowers -- when the world is facin: ? ~' , ., facing? i think there will be real concerns. _ facing? i think there will be real concerns, that's _ facing? i think there will be real concerns, that's obviously - facing? i think there will be real. concerns, that's obviously behind the position the administration here took before this trip. and they will be worried about china's reaction, you know, these military drills very close to taiwan, inside its

territorial waters. again, not due to any real concern that this is the preempting of a serious aggressive military action, but really because of the risk of miscalculation and mistake. when you have a small island that sees itself facing an existential threat from a bigger power right off its coast, then obviously people will worry. i think the bigger picture is something is changing in taiwan, and i think nancy pelosi's trip is there to signal it, that taiwan is changing, something fundamental is shifting. in the question for america going forward is, what does it do about that changing reality?— forward is, what does it do about that changing reality? john, thanks ve much that changing reality? john, thanks very much for— that changing reality? john, thanks very much forjoining _ that changing reality? john, thanks very much forjoining me _ that changing reality? john, thanks very much forjoining me because l that changing reality? john, thanks i very much forjoining me because we have to return to our earlier story, that the leader of al-qaeda, ayman al—zawahiri, has been killed by an american drone strike in kabul. we can now go to kabul now and speak to

lee's doucet. was this primarily a mission about punishing ayman al—zawahiri for his role in the 9/11 attacks? it’s punishing ayman al-zawahiri for his role in the 9/11 attacks?— role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard to say this _ role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard to say this is _ role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard to say this is a _ role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard to say this is a substantial - role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard to say this is a substantial blowl role in the 9/11 attacks? it's hard. to say this is a substantial blow to the al-qaeda movement. at 71 years of age, ayman al—zawahiri was suffering from ill health for many years, he'd been living in hiding ever since the 9/11 attacks, and the fact that he became one of the us�*s most hunted man. there were reports that he had actually died of ill health, which is why there's still a lot of scepticism and cynicism about this latest report that they have killed the al-qaeda leader. and if he was alive, the general assumption was he would be living in the rugged terrain cult democrat recruits of the afghan— afghanistan border. this comes a surprise to many residents of kabul that he was living smack in

the centre of kabul in a house with balconies, a multistory villa, said to be used by one of the senior taliban leaders. it's a symbolic blow, but the al-qaeda movement is certain to choose a new leader quickly and move on. the certain to choose a new leader quickly and move on. the white house sa s the quickly and move on. the white house says the taliban _ quickly and move on. the white house says the taliban knew _ quickly and move on. the white house says the taliban knew he _ quickly and move on. the white house says the taliban knew he was - quickly and move on. the white house says the taliban knew he was there, i says the taliban knew he was there, but they pledged to prevent afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists. where does this leave the taliban with its standing in the international community? it underlines that the deal of 2020 was not watertight. it committed the taliban to prevent any attacks on its soil from the united states, like those of september 11, but it was not clear that the taliban had severed all links with the islamist groups, including al-qaeda, and we've been reminded again that those links are deep and personal, and historic, and the al-qaeda leaders,

including ayman al—zawahiri, had signed an oath of allegiance to taliban leaders, both former and current leaders. so the taliban don't see it as a violation of the deal. they accuse the us of violating their agreement by targeting a residential compound here in the heart of the afghan capital. here in the heart of the afghan caital. ., ~' ,, , here in the heart of the afghan caital. ., ~ ,, , . indians living in remote villages in the himalayas are facing a water crisis. glacial streams are shrinking, and it's hard to fetch water in freezing temperatures. the government is now using special methods to bring tap water to these villages. for her latest report on india's water problems, the bbc�*s divya arya travelled to ladakh, to gauge the success of such methods. 13,700 feet above sea level. it is a desert over a mountain. this woman has lived here all her

life, and never had tap water. translation: | keep | water for drinking here, and for washing utensils here. she and her husband take me on their daily trek to fetch water. we climb over many lower streams to reach the cleanest source. translation: temperature is full so low that water - freezes when left outside, so we feel only as much as we need. if we need 20 litres, we fell 20 litres. she has to make daily trips inviting winter. —— in biting winter. even that doesn't suffice. traditionally, these glacial springs had enough water to service the drinking water needs of this entire region, but over the decades, as the himalayan ice has receded,

these springs have also shrunk, and this region has had to move its dependence to underground water. deep digging is under way. to deliver on the government's promise of providing tap water, pipes and tanks must be safe from freezing. translation: ladakh is not like the plains, l where there are overhead tanks, from where water is distributed to homes in the village. here, tanks are built underground to prevent water from freezing. after a year of preparation, water supply is being tested in the village today. hello? most of the special thermal—coated taps remain dry. the local engineer explains that

a pipe burst, causing the leakage. while she waits, this tanker is the solution. if only they could get tap water. divya arya, bbc news, ladakh. in new york, rents have soared in yet another sign of the cost—of—living squeeze. the average rental price in manhattan has surged above $5,000 a month, for the first time in the city's history. here's the bbc�*s north america business correspondent michelle fleury. this is how bad new york's red—hot rental market has become. prospective tenants waiting to see an apartment. new york's crazy right now. videos of frustrated would be tenants popping up on social media. ijust got my new lease, and guess what? they're raising my rent 48%. even this estate agent finds little comfort in this booming market.

the rent on his two—bedroom manhattan apartment is going up. his landlord just increased the price from $4,500 a month to $6,000. we knew it would go up. i obviously had expectations of it going up, but probably not by that much. for him and his family, it's the final straw. they're packing up and leaving the city. we did look at trying to find a place in manhattan, but firstly the inventory was so low. and secondly, the kind of rates that landlords are now expecting are so high. so it left us with no choice but to look further afield. and we're actually moving to newjersey now. this is a perfect example of what you can get in new york city on the upper east side for under $5,000... for the first time in the big apple's history, the average rent in manhattan is $5,000 a month, yet demand remains strong. this 375 square foot one bedroom just leased for $4,500 a month. so how fast does an apartment like this go? usually it takes about 24—48 hours the most _

to rent this apartment. so extremely fast. very fast. one reason is that more people are returning to the city after covid lockdowns. we have new hires, we have students, and we have new yorkers coming back to new york and it all affects the prices. are you surprised, given how expensive things are and post—pandemic, and reports of high crime, that new york continues to be a desirable place? new york is in new york. there is no other place like new york. another factor is the role played by america's central bank. by raising borrowing costs to control record high inflation, more potential home buyers are being pushed into the rental market. have you ever seen anything like this? not in the rental market. 14—15% increase above pre—pandemic levels is a bit surprising. a long standing expert on new york real estate, sees no signs of a slowdown. the middle class is being squeezed. this has been going on forfour decades. it continues to get worse.

and you know, it's really to the city's advantage to solve, or a city's advantage to solve affordable housing, because many of many of those would—be employees are what makes the city run. views like this help explain why so many people want to live in manhattan. but soaring prices are putting it increasingly out of reach for many. in fact, you'd have to make around $200,000 a year if you only wanted to spend 30% of your income on rent. with more people being squeezed by the cost of living crisis, the only question on renters minds is when will prices come down? michelle fleury, bbc news, new york. $5,000 a month is certainly eye—popping, but affordable housing is a problem everywhere, of course. and finally, it's a sum that

would test the principles of even the richest people in the world — but tiger woods has apparently turned down a deal of over $700 million to take part in the liv series. woods has been opposed to the saudi—backed breakaway league since late last year, and delivered his strongest comments at the open saying players who signed up had "turned their back" on the pga tour that made them famous. our golf correspondent ian carter has the details. this has been bandied about for quite some time, but it's now effectively been confirmed by the chief executive of liv golf, the saudi arabia funded circuit. greg norman is the man who fronts that, and he did an interview with fox television network in which he confirmed that before he actually took over as the chief executive, tiger woods was approached and something in the region of $800 million was offered to tiger woods. clearly tiger woods is a massive figure in the role of golf, the

dominant playerfor two figure in the role of golf, the dominant player for two and a half decades, the dominant personality, as well, so he was seen as the prime target by a liv golf as they set up their breakaway league. but woods was not interested in taking the deal. what he has told us is that he's much behind the idea of legacy left behind in golf, and the legacy left behind in golf, and the legacy left behind in golf, and the legacy left behind the pga tour, the american circuit where he predominantly played his golf. he has the record for 82 victories there. he looks at the liv golf set up, which is played over three rounds, ratherthan up, which is played over three rounds, rather than for, rounds, ratherthanfor, doesn't have a cut — it's all about razzmatazz, in his opinion, and it doesn't feel that that represents what golf should be all about. in carter with tiger woods putting his money where his mouth is. maybe i should take up golf. i'm jane o'brien. thank you for watching world news america. you can find all the latest

headlines on our website. join us tomorrow. good evening. we've had some much—needed rainfall in the past 2a hours, not for all, but across north wales, northern england, northern ireland and scotland. we've seen some significant falls. the wettest place i saw, just over 117mm in cumbria. and it's all brought by this area of low pressure here. tightly packed isobars, so it's also been a windier day today, and those brisk winds will continue to carry yet further cloud and showery bursts of rain into the north and west of scotland. our weather front across england and wales is going to continue to slip southwards through the night. it is humid air, so we've got lots of mist and drizzle around the hills and coasts in the south and the west, and as a result of all that cloud, it's going to be another warm night, quite humid and uncomfortable for sleeping, i think. and it'll be another warm day

tomorrow, particularly across england and wales, the remnants of that weather front still leaving a few showers around, showers following as well across scotland, into possibly northern ireland, northern england as well, but some sunshine in between. but we've changed the wind direction tomorrow. still quite brisk, but it's northwesterly, so it will feel fresher across northern ireland, scotland. but for england and wales, we keep that higher humidity, so once again, we're looking into the mid to high 20s celsius, similarly so across birmingham for the commonwealth games. it should be a dry day here and we should, by thursday, be losing that humid air. in fact, through wednesday evening and overnight, hopefully we'll see that ease away from the south, so a more comfortable night for sleeping here as well. still some fairly high temperatures further north, but as i say, we've lost the humidity. still a few showers around here. so that is the tail end of that really warm and moist air here, this cold weather front, so thursday looks as if it'll be bright skies, we'll have lost the mist and low cloud around some of the coasts and hills in the south and west as well. 16, 17, scotland and northern

ireland, so a cooler day here and a fresher feeling day for england and wales. so if anything, temperatures be a little bit below average through thursday and friday, and into the weekend, across scotland and northern ireland, but it will feel pleasant enough with the winds falling light by that stage in that strong sunshine. again, in the south as well, really dipping back. but high pressure is set to stay with us through the weekend. weather fronts will bring some rain on saturday, particularly to scotland, but for many, the dry spell continues. yes, not as warm or as humid over the weekend, but still dry for most.

hello, welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are adam payne, the political editor at politics home, and natalie fahy, who's senior editor, amongst other titles, including the nottingham post. now, tomorrow's front pages. huge profits for bp on the front of the mirror. the paper points out that the oil giant made almost £7 billion in three months, as household energy bills soar. that story also in the guardian, highlighting what it calls "outrage" in response and accusations of "unfettered profiteering."