welcome to bbc news, i'm david eades. our top stories: nancy pelosi, the us house speaker, is in taiwan, much to the annoyance of china. the white house tries to manage the mounting tensions. 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. the killing of ayman al—zawahiri — washington says the taliban broke an agreement to keep foreign militants off afghan soil. 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. shrinking glacier streams

in the himalayas are creating a water crisis — we have a special report on getting tap water to villages. hey, josh, it's gillian, how are you doing? very well, thank you. how are you? and the glasses allowing deaf people to see real—time conversations right before their eyes. she knew it would antagonise beijing but that hasn't stopped nancy pelosi — america's third—highest ranking politician — from paying a high—level visit to taiwan. in the past hour she's been at the taiwanese parliament but before arriving there the chinese foreign ministry summoned the us ambassador, nicholas burns, to beijing to protest against the visit.

during her meeting with taiwanese politicians she insisted that she had come to taiwan in what she called �*peace for the region'. we come in friendship to taiwan. we come in peace for the region and our chair of the veterans affairs committee, representing our veterans, understanding the value of peace and the avoidance of conflict. i am sure he will speak to us about that but i want to salute him for his protection of our veterans, not just our veterans, but the veterans of all countries engaged in war. nancy pelosi speaking there. at the heart of all this china's determination that a self—ruled, democratic island is in fact part of chinese territory. rupert wingfield—hayes reports from taiwan. 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 on 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 islands 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 rather 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, in taiwan. it has created a challenging situation for the white house. the white house national security council spokesman, john kirby, is trying to de—escalate tensions with china, reiterating that the us doesn't support independence for taiwan. 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. we will continue to support taiwan. lyle goldstein is director of asia engagement at defense priorities and a visiting professor at brown university. he's in barrington, rhode island. thank you for your time. i wonder what you make of the situation. it is clearly tense. there are military over chills and overtones as well. — at over chores. how risky is this? i'm very concerned. we have seen some moves that are somewhat unprecedented. and my own view is this all not likely lead to war but i think it is

fair to say that, you know, that the us and china do seem to be on that collision course. this is one step down that road. i am very, this is one step down that road. iam very, very concerned. and watching how this is developing. there are probably some reasons why china might consider use of force earlier rather than later, we can explore those but generally i think there are more reasons suggesting that china will not pull the trigger now. so i am thinking this is a show of force but, still, it showsjust how delicate the situation is and i'm extremely concerned. presumably, they are watching and considering what their best response is. we have some pictures here of, this is, we are waiting for nancy pelosi to meet the president of taiwan,

that will happen soon. those pictures are we beamed around the world but also beijing will see them and those irritations, presumably, mount up?- presumably, mount up? right. china is about _ presumably, mount up? right. china is about this _ presumably, mount up? right. china is about this and - presumably, mount up? right. china is about this and have . china is about this and have made that very clear. and they are aiming to show that and will do so over the next few days with some very intense military exercises and these exercises will happen to the north, south, east and west of the island, and that is totally unprecedented. hold onto your heart and buckle your seatbelt! this is very, very dangerous. —— — onto your hat... sorry to interrupt you. that is very worrying language. hat interrupt you. that is very worrying language. not many --eole worrying language. not many peeple are — worrying language. not many people are expecting - worrying language. not many people are expecting open i people are expecting open confrontation at this stage though? confrontation at this stage thou~h? . , though? that is right, most --eole though? that is right, most

people believe _ though? that is right, most people believe the - though? that is right, most people believe the timing i though? that is right, most. people believe the timing for a variety of reasons, there will be a major party congress in the fall, that probably, president xijinping has been facing a lot of challenges at home because of the pandemic and economic challenges, and the ukraine war has been painting a sobering picture of what real war is like and there are many reasons why this is probably why it will not lead to conflict and maybe the chinese are ready but not 100% ready. so there are reasons why hopefully this will not create open conflict. ijust think it is important that this goes well beyond the pelosi visit. there has been a string of high—profile visitors. this vitriolic language has been characteristics of chinese statements for the last five years though not terribly new. it is a pattern and growing over time and i think china has

decided to draw the line. find decided to draw the line. and erha -s decided to draw the line. and perhaps the _ decided to draw the line. and perhaps the most _ decided to draw the line. and perhaps the most high—profile element of is that gradual ratcheting up as well. thank you very much indeed for your analysis and we do thatjust as we are waiting for pictures of nancy pelosi meeting with the president of taiwan. we will bring you pictures as they come to hand. let's get some of the day's other news. britain's governing conservative party has changed balloting procedures for its leadership contest after the cyber intelligence agency, gchq, warned that hackers could alter people's votes. originally, party members were going to be allowed to vote by post and amend their choice online if they changed their minds. the first grain ship to have sailed from a ukrainian—controlled port since russia invaded the country has reached turkish waters. the cargo vessel razoni is waiting north of the bosphorus strait. it's hoped that resuming grain exports from ukraine will help

ease a globalfood crisis that was compounded by russia's blockade of ukrainian black sea ports. a man's been charged with treason after being arrested in the grounds of windsor castle on christmas day, allegedly with a crossbow. jaswant singh chail, who's 20, is accused of intending to injure the queen. he's also been charged with threats to kill and having an offensive weapon. the american novelist stephen king has appeared in court to support the us government's case against the merger of two of the country's biggest publishers. the justice department wants to block the $2.2 billion deal between penguin and its rival, simon and schuster, on competition grounds. the author of carrie and the shining said it had become increasingly difficult for authors to make money. the american government claims

that the taliban broke an agreement not to allow foreign militants on afghan soil by sheltering the al-qaeda leader ayman al—zawahiri, who was killed in a us drone strike in kabul. he was one of the masterminds of 9/11 attacks on america, alongside osama bin laden, and one of america's most wanted terrorists. 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 of 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. zawahiri had trained as a doctor in egypt, but was drawn into radical circles. afterjoining al-qaeda, he helped plan the 9/11 attacks in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. america placed a $25 million bounty on his head. president biden was in the command centre when osama bin laden

was killed. and here he is being briefed on this weekend'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.

lisa curtis served as white house national security council lead for south and central asia during the trump administration, and attended those negotiations with the taliban in qatar — i've been speaking to her about where the strike leaves the doha agreement. chemical weather shows us so weak that link is. of course at weak that link is. of course at the weak that link is. of course at the shows is that week is link. the taliban chose it differently. it shows the weakness of the agreement and that the terms were never clear, because if you read it carefully, and you did just read it out, but nowhere does it say the taliban must break ties to al-qaeda, and nowhere does it say that the taliban must expel al-qaeda from afghanistan. and even though it says the taliban will not grant travel documents to foreign terrorists

trying to come into afghanistan, that really could be seen as a loophole, that they could allow terrorists to come in, and as long as they don't provide the documents, then it's ok. i think that's what we need to understand. the taliban is the same taliban they were over 20 years ago, and were any doubts about that, i the fact that we see that sour heery —— al—zawahiri was sheltered in the middle of kabul by the taliban leadership, that should lead to rest any doubts as to what the taliban is about, the fact they are still allied with al-qaeda. there is some suggestion, and we are talking about harbouring foreign terrorist ear, and the point has been made that the taliban, 21 years ago in fact, granted al—zawahiri citizenship within afghanistan, so again perhaps that is bouncing around on the head of a pain a little bit as to who is or isn't eligible for bohar arrangements. but i suppose the

point about the agreement was that it was going to be the model that allowed the current situation to develop, for the united states to get out? yes, i think united states to get out? yes, | think that's _ united states to get out? yes, i think that's right. _ united states to get out? yes, | think that's right. | think- i think that's right. i think this shows the doha agreement was meaningless. you can drive a truck through it and that is exactly what the taliban has done, and anybody who is following the situation closely, who is reading about what is happening, the united nations has been very clear that the taliban remains allied with al-qaeda, that al-qaeda is rebuilding its strength in afghanistan, so yeah, i think the point is this agreement was very flawed, it is a very weak agreement, it doesn't protect us national security interests, and it is meaningless. really, the biden administration should have scrapped the deal when they came to power injanuary 2021, and now it is clear that

there is no need for it, and, in fact, if i canjust make one last point. in fact, if i can 'ust make one last point.— in fact, if i can 'ust make one last pointh yeah, last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, ithink last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, i think the — last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, | think the us _ last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, i think the us needs - last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, i think the us needs to - last point. 0k, briefly. yeah, i think the us needs to halt l i think the us needs to halt its engagement with the taliban, and it needs to reinstate the travel ban on the taliban, because that's only allowing them to gain legitimacy, when they do things like attend international conferences, which they did in uzbekistan just two weeks ago. the views they are of lisa curtis who worked there during the trump administration. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the new glasses allowing deaf people to see conversations through real—time subtitles. the question was whether we wanted to save our people and 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 two o'clock this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly-

caught by surprise. we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old, and still full of vigor, 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 this 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 bbc news. the latest headlines —

the us house speaker, nancy pelosi is in taiwan, for a hugely controversial visit, which china warns could have serious consequences for america. washington says the taliban broke an agreement not to allow foreign militants on afghan soil, after ayman al—zawahiri, the leader of al-qaeda, is killed by a us drone strike in kabul. the himalayan mountain range harbours the third largest amount of iglesia ice in the world. it is a huge source of melt water for countless rivers, including the ganges and the indus, but the glaziers are melting and shrinking at an ever increasing rate, and that means ever declining water supplies downstream for hundreds of millions of indians. now, though, the government believes it has found a solution and is using special methods to bring tap water to these villages. well,

are they working? let's have a look at the situation we are talking about, and to consider india's water problems, we travelled there to see how successful the initiative is. 13,700 feet above sea level. it's a desert over a mountain. lamo 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. so we fill only as much as we need. if we need 20 litres,

we fill 20 litres. so lamo 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 lamo waits, this tanker is the solution. if only they could get tap water. divya arya, bbc news, ladakh. being part of a conversation can be problematic for those who are hard of hearing or deaf. so imagine how amazing it would be if they could actually see what people are saying — real—time subtitles, if you like. well, with the help of new glasses and an app, that could be possible,

as wendy urquhart reports. hello? hey, josh, it'sjillian, how are you doing? this new software makes it possible for people to see real—time subtitles of conversations that other people are having, which means those who are deaf or hard of hearing can actually see what people are talking about. it's the brainchild of dan scar, from xrai glass, who said he had an "a—ha!" moment when his granddad started losing his hearing. there was just a little epiphany moment, where i thought, "hang on a second, he watches tv all the time with subtitles on. why can't we subtitle the world?" the way it works is the glasses are tethered to smartphones with an app, which turns the speech into text, and that's displayed on the inside of the lenses — and it's causing a sensation. it's powerful. i can't understate the power and importance for people who are hard of hearing all over the world to feel that they don't have to solely rely on lip—reading any more,

and it's a big moment. this is just the start. dan has big plans to adapt the software so that it's able to translate languages, voice tones, accents and pitch, and, for many, this is an opportunity to be involved in conversations for the first time ever. i might not quite catch everything, but this i is going to mean a real—time narrative, which enables me| to be informed, to be - involved, to make decisions, because i know. what is being said. to help perfect the software, xrai glass is hoping to recruit alpha testers who either can't lip—read, orstruggle when multiple conversations are taking place at the same time. wendy urquhart, bbc news. just time to tell you that

nancy pelosi is due to meet the president of taiwan shortly. she is meeting up. this is part of her delegation in taipei. we will keep you cross that here on bbc 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 of 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, while 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 southwest 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 and the southeast the humid air towards east anglia and 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 to the day here. there will be a few showers, though, in 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 get 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 northwest 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, one or two isolated light showers, most will be dry. still with temperatures in the mid—20s in 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. the headlines: china's foreign ministry has summoned the us ambassador to beijing to protest against the visit to taiwan of nancy pelosi, the us speaker of the house of representatives. the self—ruled island is claimed by china as a breakaway province. the white house said mrs pelosi's visit was consistent with the one—china policy. president biden�*s administration has accused the taliban of breaking an agreement not to allow foreign militants on afghan soil. the rebuke came after a us drone strike in kabul killed ayman al—zawahiri, the leader of al qaeda. the first grain ship to have sailed from a ukrainian controlled port

since russia invaded the country has reached turkish waters.