welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... nancy pelosi, the us house speaker, lands in taiwan for a hugely controversial visit. china warns it could have serious consequences for america — the white house is keen to de—escalate the situation. the united states does not seek and does not want a crisis. we are prepared to manage what beijing chooses to do. washington says the taliban broke an agreement not to allow foreign militants on afghan soil by sheltering the al-qaeda leader ayman al—zawahiri, who's been killed in a us drone strike in kabul. 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. and shrinking glacier streams in the himalayas are creating a worsening water crisis in the region. we have a special report on what's unfolding there. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 6am in singapore, and the same time in taiwan — where nancy pelosi, the third—highest ranking american official, has arrived in taiwan on a visit that's infuriated beijing. tensions are high — china has been flying warplanes close to the island. four us warships have also been deployed to the region. here's what we know. ms pelosi — the speaker of the us

house representatives — arrived in taiwan at around ”pm local time on tuesday evening. she is the highest—ranking us official to visit the island since 1997. taiwan's presidential office says she will visit taiwan's parliament, and meet the taiwanese president on wednesday morning. it comes as beijing aggressively warned against the visit, with china's defence ministry saying beijing will launch "targeted military operations" in response to pelosi's visit. taiwan is a self—ruled island, but claimed by china, which sees it as a breakaway province. from taiwan, rupert wingfield—hayes begins our coverage 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. we are now beginning to see china's response. large—scale military exercises. in the seas around the island, starting around thursday. 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 mrs 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. 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, jj lai 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 white house's national security council spokesman, john kirby, is trying to de—escalate tensions with china, reiterating that the us doesn't support independence for taiwan. here he is speaking at a press briefing just a short while ago. the united states will not and does not — 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. our north america correspondent john sudworth says there is a lot at stake here for the biden administration. they have been warning against the wisdom of this trip for days and weeks. now that it's gone ahead, as you heard from john kirby, they're taking a more neutral tone, as you might suggest. but those concerns remain — not over the risk of invasion, most analysts believe the risk of that for now remain small — but simply because i think the american government feels it has enough on its plate, in terms of foreign policy — russia's war in the centre of europe, and the idea of intensifying a diplomatic and geopolitical dispute with another authoritarian superpower doesn't feel particularly helpful.

i'm joined now by professor lance gore liangping, from the east asian institute, here in singapore. it's great to get you on the programme, professor. iwant it's great to get you on the programme, professor. i want to start by asking you, we are already seeing this show of force, i think it's fair to say, from beijing about the visit. do you see more of that happening while nancy pelosi is in taiwan? . ., ., , taiwan? thanks for having me. yes, i think the consequences _ taiwan? thanks for having me. yes, i think the consequences of _ taiwan? thanks for having me. yes, i think the consequences of nancy - think the consequences of nancy pelosi's visit will be felt. china has been sending warplanes and ships around taiwan. this will continue

further — will further advance china's military actions around taiwan. in fact, china's military actions around taiwan. infact, basically china's military actions around taiwan. in fact, basically it'll deprive taiwan of its sovereignty. professor, just on that, we've heard from john kirby, from the usjust a little while ago in the programme, saying the us remains against taiwan's independence and it doesn't want crisis of conflict, obviously trying to de—escalate the situation here. isn't this enough for the chinese? why can't theyjust here. isn't this enough for the chinese? why can't they just see this visit as a visit of a high—ranking us politician? this visit as a visit of a high-ranking us politician? well, i thinkthere's _ high-ranking us politician? well, i think there's some _ high-ranking us politician? well, i i think there's some misunderstanding across that cross purpose discussions here. in the us, nancy

pelosi's perspective is about democracy, you know, democracy versus autocracy, about human rights— it's all moral issues, all political ideals. but in china, it's all about america's attempt to get taiwan independent from china. so i think, despite america repeatedly, including nancy pelosi, saying that the us does not support taiwan's independence, but china just couldn't get out of that kind of mindset. so the perception on both sides is quite different.— sides is quite different. indeed, professor. _ sides is quite different. indeed, professor, thank _ sides is quite different. indeed, professor, thank you _ sides is quite different. indeed, professor, thank you for - sides is quite different. indeed, professor, thank you for your i sides is quite different. indeed, i professor, thank you for your time on the programme.— professor, thank you for your time on the programme. i want to turn now to another big story today —

the death of al-qaeda leader, ayman al—zawa—hiri. washington says the taliban broke an agreement not to allow foreign militants on afghan soil by sheltering the militant group leader, who's been killed in a us drone strike in kabul. ayman al—zawahiri was one of the masterminds of 9/11 attracks on america, alongside osama bin laden, and was one of america's most wanted terrorists. president biden said his death, would help give closure to the families of the thousands of people killed in 2001. our correspondent secunder kermani reports from kabul. one of america's most wanted. ayman al—zawahiri, right—hand man and successor to osama 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're 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. zawahiri had trained as a doctor in egypt, but was drawn into radical circles. he helped plan the 9/11 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. america placed a $25 million

dollar 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, but they have been close allies of al-qaeda for years. recently they played down their links, promising not to allow foreign attacks to be 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.

for president biden, the opportunity to kill one of america's most wanted men was fraught with risk. 0ur security correspondent gordon corera has more analysis on how the operation was carried out. so how, after years on his trail, did the us finally find the al-qaeda leader? they appear to have first tracked his family to kabul. then by the spring, they established that ayman al—zawahiri himself was in a particular building which he never seemed to leave. they spent months monitoring his movements, establishing what's called pattern of life, even building small scale models of the compound. after previous disastrous mistakes in the afghan capital, washington wanted to make sure they had the right target. eventually the decision was taken to launch two missiles from a cia drone when he was out on the balcony. some

reports say these missiles may have used blades, rather than explosives to minimise the risk of other casualties. so why was he in cobble? after the september 11, 2001 attacks, the us and allies went in to out democrat afghanistan to remove the taliban from power because it had been sheltering al-qaeda. al-qaeda's leadership fled to the wild tribal areas along the pakistan— afghanistan border. at last august, the us left afghanistan in a hasty, chaotic draw, allowing the taliban to come back to power. we know that soon after, al-qaeda's leader moved back to the capital, believing wrongly he had found a safe haven. so what does his death mean? it has real significant emotional powerfor the mean? it has real significant emotional power for the us, mean? it has real significant emotional powerfor the us, the hunting down of one of the key players of the 9/11 attacks. but al-qaeda is not what it was — its

ability to land a tax abroad has been enormously reduced, being eclipsed by other groups like isis, though the us tonight claimed ayman al—zawahiri still posed a threat. ayman al—zawahiri's presence in afghanistan, which the us claims the taliban tried to cover up after the strike, will though raise questions about whether that country is once again becoming a sanctuary for those planning attacks, and whether the us will be able to maintain the capability to go after its targets as it managed to do in this case. we will have more on the death of ayman al—zawahiri with collin clark, a senior research fellow in pennsylvania injust a senior research fellow in pennsylvania in just a few moments, so do stay with us for that coming up so do stay with us for that coming up on newsday. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: shrinking glacier streams in the himalayas are creating a worsening water crisis in the region. we have a special report on how

people there are trying to cope. the question was whether we want to save our people and the japanese, as well, and win the war — or whether we want to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at 2am this morning. mr bush, like most people, was clearly caught by surprise. we call for the immediate i and unconditional withdrawal of all iraqi forces. 100 years old and still full of vigour, vitality, and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long — and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that she's achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the

church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines... nancy pelosi — the us house speaker — lands in taiwan — at the start of a hugely controversial visit which china warns could have serious consequences for america. the leader of al-qaeda is killed by an us drone strike in the afghan capital. ayman al—zawahiri was one of the masterminds of the 9/11 terror attacks, with osama bin laden. let's return to one of our top stories — that the leader of al-qaeda ayman al—zawahiri has died in a drone strike in the afghan capital of kabul. us president biden

said killing zawahiri, who had been one of the key planners of 9/11, meant "justice had been done". but it raises questions about that relationship between the us and the taliban. let's get more on that story now with colin clarke, who's a senior research fellow at the soufan centre, from pittsburgh, in pennsylvania. it's great to get you on the programme, ijust want it's great to get you on the programme, i just want to get your thoughts on the killing of al—zawahiri in the first instance. has this significantly weakened the al-qaeda, in your view? has this significantly weakened the al—qaeda, in your view? weill. has this significantly weakened the al-qaeda, in your view?— al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big deal. _ al-qaeda, in your view? well, i think it's a big deal. first - think it's a big deal. first symbolically, it's really important for americans. we lost 3000 innocent citizens that day in the 9/11 attacks, so there's a sense of vengeance that i think a lot of americans, you know, not only those who work in national security felt when the president announced al—zawahiri's death. more fundamentally for the group, it's a big blow because al—zawahiri has let

the group since may 2011, after bin laden was killed. he's lead al-qaeda through some turbulent times, including the arab spring revolutions, but also the rise of the islamic state in 2014. so without him, they'll be searching for a new leader, and without him, they'll be searching fora new leader, and i without him, they'll be searching for a new leader, and i think there's a lot of uncertainty within the organisation at the moment. 50 the organisation at the moment. so who do you see as replacing him? is there any sort of definitive person or leader that could replace him? and how do you see them steering the al-qaeda? ~ . ., ., ., al-qaeda? well, the conventional wisdom suggests _ al-qaeda? well, the conventional wisdom suggests that _ al-qaeda? well, the conventional wisdom suggests that the - al-qaeda? well, the conventional| wisdom suggests that the egyptian jihadist, much like al—zawahiri, with some military training and experience will take over. he is a known quantity, but is also believed to be living in iran, which is problematic for a number of reasons. first, he would be assumed to be under the thumb of the iranian regime, and second, he'd be vulnerable to being assassinated by

israeli commandos who are alleged to have assassinated another al-qaeda leader several years ago in tehran. so given what you've just described, and from some of the things i've read about what you've written, you've described before reference, the franchise model of terrorism, i think that you put it as, that groups like the al-qaeda and isis have used it to grow their networks around the region. with no definitive leader right now at the al-qaeda, is the world a safer place, or more dangerous? i think unquestionably, _ place, or more dangerous? i think unquestionably, without _ place, or more dangerous? i think. unquestionably, without al-zawahiri unquestionably, without al—zawahiri on this earth, we are safer. but that doesn't mean that someone won't come up and replace him — and it could be someone more capable, more aggressive, more radical, someone far younger that's able to attract a new generation ofjihadist recruits. so al-qaeda has proven throughout

its inception to be highly adaptive, it's been highly responsive to changes in the counterterrorism environment. so this unfortunately isn't the last we will hear of al-qaeda, but it is quite a big blow to the group. al-qaeda, but it is quite a big blow to the grow-— to the group. great to get you on the programme _ to the group. great to get you on the programme. thank— to the group. great to get you on the programme. thank you. - let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk... british oil and gas company bp has reported its biggest quarterly profit for 14 years on the back of soaring oil and gas prices. the energy giant saw profits hit more than $8 billion for the period between april and june. the report comes as household energy bills have been forecast to rise about $4,000 a year this winter. conservative leadership candidate liz truss has backtracked on plans to link public sector pay to local living costs. truss' comments prompted backlash from tory mps and opposition parties

after she proposed regional pay boards in a bid to save taxpayers £8.8 billion. the policy was criticised by several senior tories, archie battersbee's mother, hollie dance, has said his life support will start to be withdrawn on wednesday. archie was found unconcious at home in essex on 7 april, and never regained conciousness. the family's appeal against the decision to end his life was refused by the supreme court on tuesday. prosecutors have filed treason charges against a man arrested on the grounds of queen elizabeth cosmic mike rowley residence, windsor castle. the 20—year—old was detained on christmas day last year while carrying a crossbow. i want to bring you a special report now from india — where 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 says it has found a solution —

and is now using special methods to bring tap water to these villages. so are these methods working? for her latest report on india's water problems, the bbc�*s divya arya travelled to ladakh to see how successful this initiative is. 13,700 feet above sea level. it's 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: temperatures fall so low that water - freezes when left outside. wo we fill only as much as we need. if we need 20 litres, we fill 20 litres. she has to make daily trips 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. she's been reporting on a series of india's water crisis throughout the week. lots more on the website about

that. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. well, after another very warm and fairly humid night, as well, the humidity levels will drop across most parts of the country as we go through wednesday. and you'll also notice the winds starting to ease down after a very blustery spell weather. strongest winds on the southern edge of this area of low pressure. the freshest of the air, though, is off to the northwest behind this weather front, which will be moving into parts of western scotland and northern ireland first light. but to the south and east of that, look at the temperatures as we start the day — around 16—19 celsius for the vast majority. now, whilst many of you start dry, we've got that rain at times in western scotland and northern ireland, there'll be a zone of cloud, rain or drizzle south west england through the midlands towards the wash — and that'll towards east anglia and the southeast. could produce a few spots of rain, but very little for the gardens

here, and it will break up to sunny spells later. lots more sunshine around, in fact, through wednesday. a few heavy showers through scotland and northern ireland, where temperatures will drop away through the day — whereas for england and wales, it still remains pretty warm. the humid air towards east anglia in the southeast 27—29 celsius. so, becoming less humid in the birmingham area, a lot more sunshine around for the commonwealth games, though, compared with tuesday, and a sunny end the the day here. there will be a few showers on northern england, scotland, northern ireland, some of those will continue through the night. some heavy ones, maybe the odd rumble of thunder, too. but what you will notice, as we go through into thursday morning, temperatures will have dropped more widely — still in double figures for the most part, but certainly a bit more comfortable to geto to sleep in. but for thursday, lots of dry and sunny weather around for the vast majority. a zone of cloud and a few showers through northern england, wales drifting into the north midlands. some further showers then across scotland, very well—scattered, most places staying dry. and by this stage, temperatures actually dropping a little bit below normal across scotland and northern ireland, and maybe the far north west of england.

still pretty warm, though, east anglia and the southeast. that'll be the case on friday, but another cooler start, temperatures in single figures for some to begin the day. sunny start, a bit of cloud bubbling up, 1—2 isolated light showers, most will be dry. still with temperatures the mid—20s and the very far southeast, but most actually high teens, low 20s. and then, as we go through into the weekend, high pressure building in across southern areas does mean we'll see some wet and windy weather push across scotland for the start of the weekend. and temperatures will rise here into sunday. but for many, still a lot of dry weather around, but a good deal more comfortable across some southern parts. that's how it's looking, see you soon.

this is bbc news. nancy pelosi — the us house speaker — has arrived in taiwan — at the start of a hugely controversial visit. taiwan is a self—ruled island, but it's claimed by china, which sees it as a breakaway province. beijing says they will launch targetted military operations — in response to the visit. the leader of al qaeda has been killed by an us drone strike in the afghan capital. ayman al—zawahiri masterminded the 9/11 terror attacks with osama bin laden, and was one of america's most wanted terrorists. russia's supreme court designates ukraine's azov regiment a �*terrorist�* group.

that means moscow may no longer treat some