this is bbc news. i'm samantha simmonds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. warnings of a near—critical situation in ukraine's zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, under russian control, as they train for a crisis that some fear could be more serious than the chernobyl disaster. translation: it is impossible to ensure the safety _ of the powerplant by the russian occupying forces are there. firefighters run for safety as wildfires sweep through forests in spain — with thousands of homes evacuated. the us judge who approved the search warrant for donald trump's florida home is due to hold a court hearing to discuss requests to unseal the documents.

the latest trial of the singer r kelly opens at a federal court in chicago. he's facing accusations of sexually abusing underage girls in the 1990s. running dry. the boats navigating a perilousjourney down germany's biggest river, as the heatwave means water levels are now dangerously low. and after one venue cancels his latest production, over comments on trans rights and the metoo movement, monty python's terry gilliam says british theatre needs to be more courageous. i think the whole artistic community has to be brave, that's what art is about it's about pushing the limits. officials in ukraine are warning that the situation at the russian—occupied zaporizhzhia nuclear power station "is approaching critical". emergency workers have been staging drills and practising

cleaning operations in the event of radioactive contamination. russia took control of the nuclear plant, the biggest in europe, in early march. and there's recently been heavy shelling at and around the site, with both sides blaming each other for the attacks. our correspondent james waterhouse reports from zaporizhzhia city. ukraine's vast, rich landscape, full of produce, industry, but still under threat. we are being taken to see preparations for a worst—case scenario. if you want to get anywhere quickly these days, this is how you do it. we are travelling very low to stay out of range of russian missiles and aircraft. you get a real sense ofjust how vast this country is. in zaporizhzhia, they are training for a crisis which some fear could be more serious than the chernobyl

nuclear disaster, the worst ever. the region's power plant further south has been under russian control since early march and officials say the situation is approaching critical. it's changed dramatically, and of course we are concerned. that's why we are here, that's why we created this group, that's why we are involved in everyday communication with this. translation: it's impossible to ensure the safety _ of the nuclear power plant while the russian occupying forces are there. this is the key concern that we all need to clearly understand. there are growing concerns that russia has been using it as a military base. the city of enerhodar, where the plant is, has seen recent heavy shelling, both ukraine and russia blame each other. elena has just escaped from there with her children and just wanted to get out. translation: there has been many more explosions and it i became much more

dangerous to stay there. i didn't want to leave home, but when it became unbearable, i had no other choice. the nato alliance is the latest voice to call for international inspectors to be let into the plant. with ukraine unable to force the russians out, it's instead preparing for the worst, if it happens. james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia. in spain, firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have led to the evacuation of thousands of residents. in one instance, a train service running between valencia and zaragoza narrowly avoided being engulfed by fire. sylvia lennan—spence reports. flames reports. ripped through the land as flames ripped through the land as firefighters shout run, run scrambling for their lives. the might of mother nature here in spain combined with the impact of time a change presenting a

terrifying threat to communities facing the flames. as the fire spread, north—west of valencia ten passengers were hurt, three seriously when they tried to escape a train caught up tried to escape a train caught up in a sweeping fire. this thermal image showing flames encroaching on the tracks. translation:. encroaching on the tracks. translation: ._ encroaching on the tracks. translation:. ~ , u, translation:. when they came out of the tunnel _ translation:. when they came out of the tunnel they _ translation:. when they came out of the tunnel they found - out of the tunnel they found the fire coming in front of them so the driver stopped the train. the injured were in bad condition, the passengers were scared we gave them water and did everything we could for them. , ., ., , ., them. hundreds of homes have been evacuated _ them. hundreds of homes have been evacuated with _ them. hundreds of homes have been evacuated with more - them. hundreds of homes have been evacuated with more than j been evacuated with more than 2000 people moved from the region. firefighters for as much as 6,000 hectares of land has been ravaged by the fire. another blaze also near valencia started by lightning late on saturday has devastated an area twice as large. more

than 25,000 hectares left smouldering, a reminder of the power of the flames. but while this fire may be out, the sum of season still has several months left to go. sylvia lennan—spence, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. a large explosion inside a mosque in the capital kabul has killed at least three people. dozens more, including children, were taken to the city's emergency hospital. the blast happened during evening prayers. torrential rain has hit new zealand's south island, causing severe flooding. hundreds of people people have been evacuated as more than 50 centimetres of rain fell. the worst hit area was nelson. new zealand has had weeks of unseasonably wet weather, particularly on the south island. passengers are being told not to travel by train unless absolutely necessary today, as tens of thousands of railway workers around britain are on strike as part of ongoing disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. only around 20% of the usual rail services will run, with none at all in some places.

another walk out is planned for saturday. in the united states — a federal magistrate who approved the search warrant for donald trump's mar—a—lago home in florida, is due to hold a court hearing to discuss requests to unseal investigators' "probable cause" affidavit, which thejustice department has opposed releasing. our correspondent chichi uzundu has more. the document the media want made public as the body of evidence that the prosecution had to take to a judge in order to secure a warrant to search mar—a—lago, donald trump's primarily residents. the media says this is of historical importance and that is what should be in the public domain. last monday donald trump in a statement announced the fbi was searching his mar—a—lago home and florida, then on friday,

the department ofjustice asked a court to unseal the details of what the fbi removed from his home, we found out that there were 11 sets of records that were removed from the property and some of those were scanned top secret. the department ofjustice don't want this ever david and the public domain they set contains classified nation and could identify steps in their ongoing investigation, why this is so interesting is because this is an ongoing investigation to have details of the warrant released was unusual then to have any details of the affidavit released at this point because it is an ongoing investigation is even more unusual. as donald trump says this has never happened to any united states president, in history, before. chichi uzundu, bbc news. the latest trial of the singer r kelly has opened at a federal court in chicago.

the fifty—five—year—old is accused of sexually abusing five underage girls in the late 1990s, as well as of bribing and threatening witnesses during a 2008 case which saw him acquitted. r kelly, who's already serving 30 years in prison for a string of other offences, denies wrongdoing. gareth barlow reports. last year in a new york court r kelly was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, crimes for which the former singer and songwriter was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. on wednesday at his latest trial this time in chicago, the r&b artist faces 13 charges of child pornography and obstruction. and prosecutors alleged who harbours a hidden darkside really seen by the public. his lawyers urging the jury not to accept the portrayal of r kelly is a monster. but for more than two decades roberts or mr kelly has faced allegations of sexual abuse, in a now infamous 2019

interview he fervently denied the accusations.— the accusations. pride didn't do the start! _ the accusations. pride didn't do the start! | _ the accusations. pride didn't do the start! | didn't - the accusations. pride didn't do the start! i didn't do - the accusations. pride didn't do the start! i didn't do this| do the start! i didn't do this i am fighting for my life. the chicano i am fighting for my life. the chicago trial _ i am fighting for my life. the chicago trial is _ i am fighting for my life. the chicago trial is seen - i am fighting for my life. the chicago trial is seen as repeat for 2008 trial when he raised charges of child pornography and acquitted on all accounts. two former employers are facing charges linked to the singer, it is expected the hearing will take at least four weeks, after that r kelly still faces cases in illinois and minnesota. i'm joined now byjon seidel who is federal courts reporter for the chicago sun times. take us through the details of the charges that r kelly faces. as we heard there are 13 counts, three different charges of child pornography, there is the conspiracy to obstruct justice and the 2008 trial, and there is also a series of

charges of enticing miners into criminal sexual activities, that deals with five different alleged victims. that prosecutors say r kelly had sex with when they were teenagers. how does this fit in with the fact is already in prison serving a sentence for previous crimes? ., u, crimes? you might recall the new york — crimes? you might recall the new york case _ crimes? you might recall the new york case for _ crimes? you might recall the new york case for which - crimes? you might recall the new york case for which he l crimes? you might recall the i new york case for which he was convicted last year in the chicago case for which he is on trial now, the details of those cases became public in 2019 july when r kelly was arrested for the last time and never free to gain. it was never clear exactly which case would go first until we got further through the pandemic, new york went first but this case has to be resolved as well, whatever, attempt there was to reach a plea deal, obviously was not successful. the only other way

to resolve this is at trial. some have pointed out even though he is appealing to the new york case, this is like an insurance policy that would keep him in prison if the new york case is overturned. what ossible york case is overturned. what possible sentence _ york case is overturned. what possible sentence could - york case is overturned. what possible sentence could he i possible sentence could he face? if possible sentence could he face? u, . possible sentence could he face? . ., face? if convicted across all counts they _ face? if convicted across all counts they would - face? if convicted across all counts they would call - face? if convicted across all counts they would call for i face? if convicted across all| counts they would call for 55 years in prison, he might be able to serve some of that it's the same time as 30 years he is serving a new york but that is still taking 25 years onto the sentence, as it stands is not likely to get out of prison until his late 70s.- likely to get out of prison until his late 70s. thank you for taking — until his late 70s. thank you for taking us _ until his late 70s. thank you for taking us through - until his late 70s. thank you for taking us through that i for taking us through that case. germany has been baking in searing temperatures for the last few weeks, which has drained the water levels of the rhine. the lower water level means fewer boats can navigate germany's biggest river and that's pushed freight costs through the roof. wendy urquhart reports. the rhine stretches from the swiss alps to the north sea and it is a major freight route, with hundreds of tonnes of

goods being shipped down the river every day, but the lack of rain this summer means that water levels have plunged to depths not seen since the drought of 2018, making it extremely hazardous for captains to navigate the river, without damaging the boats, and many have already got stuck on the riverbed. shipping companies have reduced their loads by up to 70% to make sure they can reach their destination, but they've also had to contend with a hike in freight charges, from 20 euros a tonne to 110 euros a tonne, sincejune. germany was planning to use coal this winter as a substitute for the lack of russian gas supplies. and it's being shipped down the rhine to the local coal plants. translation: before the war, one in ten barges were carrying coal. now, it's one and five, so there has been a big

jump in coal transport. the problem is the longer the drought lasts, the more likely it is that there will be a severe shortage of coal in the winter months, because right now, the boats just cannot carry enough to meet demand. wendy urquhart, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll tell you what's made monty python's terry gilliam say that british theatre needs to be more courageous. washington, the world's most political city, is today assessing the political health of the world's most powerful man. indeed i did have a relationship with ms lewinsky that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today, in one of the worst days of violence between rival black groups. over the last 10 days, 500 have died. crowd chant: czechoslovakia must be free! _ man: czechoslovakia

must be free! i crowd chant: czechoslovakia must be free! _ russia is observing a national day of mourning for the 118 submariners who died on board the kursk. we are all with them now, within our hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 million people in his hometown of krakow. "stay with us, stay with us," i chanted this ocean of humanity. "well, well," joked the pope. "so, you want mej to desert rome?" this is bbc news. the latest headlines: there are warnings of a near—critical situation in ukraine's zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, under russian control, as they train for a crisis that some fear could be more serious than the chernobyl disaster. firefighters run for safety as wildfires sweep through forests in spain, with

thousands of homes evacuated. thousands of students across england, wales and northern ireland will be getting their a level, t level and btec exam results today, the first externally—assessed exams in three years. there are expected to be fewer top grades, as the exam regulator tries to bring results back in line with pre—pandemic levels. kate mcgough reports. i'v e i've tried my best, so i'm feeling pretty good. to wait for results _ feeling pretty good. to wait for results is _ feeling pretty good. to wait for results is over. - feeling pretty good. to wait for results is over. for- feeling pretty good. to wait. for results is over. for pupils whose education has been severely disrupted by covid, with remote learning and the cancellation of their gcses, the last national exams these pupils took where their sats at primary school. it’s pupils took where their sats at primary school.— primary school. it's been the first external _ primary school. it's been the first external exam - primary school. it's been the first external exam since i primary school. it's been the i first external exam since covid that was adjusted whole added pressure. the advanced information was probably the biggest help out of everything.

they can't be quite as many a's, — they can't be quite as many a's. it — they can't be quite as many a's. it still_ they can't be quite as many a's, it still makes eerily nervous _ a's, it still makes eerily nervous and that fact because you worked hard for what you are doing _ you worked hard for what you are doing and for them to be like — are doing and for them to be like you _ are doing and for them to be like you might not get the aid that you — like you might not get the aid that you deserve is quite demotivating.— demotivating. the exam regulator _ demotivating. the exam regulator wants - demotivating. the exam regulator wants to i demotivating. the exam regulator wants to bring | regulator wants to bring grades back and line three pandemic levels, after two years of results being determined by teacher assessments. last year nearly 45% of grades in england, northern ireland were a star or a level. they save the marking this year will still be generous and most students will get their first choice of university but there are concerns about competition for places. are concerns about competition for places-_ are concerns about competition for places-— for places. this year is going to be probably _ for places. this year is going to be probably the _ for places. this year is going to be probably the most i to be probably the most competitive admissions round in living memory, the surge in 18 —year—olds that is happening this year, is going to happen over the next decade so you got this real dynamic here where you have got more students applying for places and fewer places for them to fill, and so

yes, it is going to be very competitive.— yes, it is going to be very cometitive. �* ., :: :: :: :: :: competitive. around 200,000 btec level _ competitive. around 200,000 btec level students _ competitive. around 200,000 btec level students will i competitive. around 200,000 btec level students will get i btec level students will get the results today and it is also the first year of t level in england, a qualification with a focus on industry placements.— with a focus on industry lacements. .,, placements. even the most confident — placements. even the most confident person _ placements. even the most confident person will i placements. even the most confident person will be i placements. even the most confident person will be a l placements. even the most. confident person will be a bit nervous. . , , ., , confident person will be a bit nervous. . ,, ., , , . nervous. the admissions service sa s nervous. the admissions service says there _ nervous. the admissions service says there will _ nervous. the admissions service says there will be _ nervous. the admissions service says there will be 30,000 i says there will be 30,000 courses available through clearing today, but after three years of disruption, these students are hoping their results will be the start of a more certain future. time for a look at the sport now. hello, i'm mark edwards with your sport. tiger woods has been rallying support for the pga tour as it faces up to the increasing numbers of leading players joining the controversial saudi—backed liv series. the meeting took place in delaware ahead of the bmw championship which starts on thursday.

that's the second of the three tournaments which make up the end—of—season fedex cup play—offs. many of the world's top 20 were in attendance, including major winner rory mcilroy. he is the hero that we have all looked up to, and his voice carries further than anyone else's in the game of golf, and his role as navigating us to a place where we all think we should be. football, and benfica look well—placed to reach the group stage of the european champions league. they beat dynamo kyiv 2—0 in a match played in poland. brazilian defender gilberto junior opened the scoring after only 10 minutes, with goncalo ramos adding the sebond just before the break. british businessman jim ratcliffe has emerged as a contender to buy english premier league side manchester united.

news of his interest follows a report that the glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club. ratcliffe, is the majority shareholder of the chemical group ineos and is said to be the uk's wealthiest man. he already owns a host of sports teams including the french ligue one side nice, and the swiss club lausanne—sport. his company sponsors the ineos grenadiers cycling team, and they're also in a partnership with the mercedes formula one team. tennis, and hard courts really do seem to suit emma raducanu, the brit is through to the third round of the cincinnati open as she prepares for the defence of her us open title later this month. 2a hours after thrashing serena williams, the number 10 seed eased into the last 16 in the states with another one—sided victory against anotherformer world number one. raducanu beat two time major champion victoria azarenka for the loss ofjust two games, next up she'll face the number 7 seed jessica pegula. world number one iga swiatek is safely though to the third round after a hard—fought

straight sets victory over the former us open champion sloane stephens. swiatek coming through 6—4, 7—5, next up for the reigning french open champion. madison keys of the usa in the last 16. in the men's singles, there was an all british clash in cincinnati as cameron norrie and andy murray faced off in the second round. it all started well for murray as he powered through the first set and the triple gland slam champion had his chances to win too, missing 11 break points in total. that opened the door for the ninth seeded norrie to continue his stunning year, which includes that run to the semi finals of wimbledon he fought back to win 3—6, 6-3, 6—4 and seal his place in the last 32. thats all from us here at the bbc sport center. you can get all the latest sports news, including the latest on the first test between england and south africa on our website — at bbc.com/sport.

but from me marc edwards and the rest of the sport team, bye bye. the monty python star — and director — terry gilliam, has told the bbc that theatres have got to be braver, in his first broadcast interview since london's old vic cancelled his production of �*into the woods' last year. it comes after some old vic theatre staff were said to be unhappy, about the director's remarks about �*trans rights' and �*the metoo movement.�* the musical has since been picked up by the theatre royal in bath. our culture editor, katie razzall has been speaking to terry gilliam and the show�*s co—director, leah hausman. the show goes on at bath's theatre royal. # into the woods to grandmother's house, # into the woods to grandmother's house...# a production axed by the old vic reportedly because some of the london theatre staff were upset by comments director terry gilliam had previously made about the metoo movement,

race, and trans rights. i think theatres have got to be braver. i think the whole artistic community has to be brave. that's what art is about, it's pushing the limits. and when you start censoring, closing down, making a safe little world to go to the theatre is boring, folks. and it's death to a healthy civilisation. cinderella had planted a branch at the grave of her mother. into the woods feels like a good fit for the intensely imaginative former python. # why, then, am i left behind? # mother, is there something more that i should do?# gilliam and his fellow director are promising surprises in their production of stephen sondheim's classic musical, which subverts some of our best—known fairy tales. # silver and gold throw down on me.# so on one level, you get the stories of cinderella, jack and the beanstalk, you get rapunzel and her tower, you get the princes, you get all sorts of wonderful, delightful things, but then you get the flip side of the story,

which is the genius of sondheim. you get what happens after the happy ending. what do you think he would have made of your production? i think he would like it. he's very ironic, sardonic, he's asking for trouble half the time. takes one to know one. this octogenarian stands by the comments he made that apparently offended some old vic stuff, though he points out he is often making jokes. comedians have a responsibility to speak recklessly. the last straw, it's been claimed, was when gilliam encouraged his facebook followers to watch the comedian dave chappelle's netflix show, criticised by many as transphobic. i'm very worried that people are frightened to think freely and to express their thoughts. that's what i am frightened by. trans people say they don't have a voice. i'm wishing them good luck, good luck, be whatever you want, but remember to learn to take a joke. i'm not attacking anybody. the controversy around this production is yet another example of the debate raging

about where the lines are drawn when it comes to free speech. for terry gilliam, art is about pushing boundaries, but too far for the old vic, which says it wishes the show well for its future. katie razzall, bbc news, bath. a 16—year—old elephant in pakistan who's been suffering for years from a dental infection, and pain caused by a broken tusk, has finally found some relief. madhubala is one of four african elephants being treated in karachi, and after a six—hour operation, performed by a team from a global animal welfare group, she's back on the road to recovery. that is great news for her. more on all our top stories on

our website. that's it from me for the moment. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @samanthatvnews. i will be back very shortly with all the day's top business stories. hello there. over the past couple of days we have seen some torrential downpours across parts of england and wales. localised flooding in places. but those heavy thundery showers have now eased away, and it looks like, over the next few days, we will see a little bit of rain at times, mainly in the north and west, with increasing amounts of sunshine, particularly in the south and the east. low pressure pushing in off the atlantic will bring more of a breeze during thursday, and this weather front will bring a band of cloud and rain, which will slowly spread from west to east across the country. so, initially we start off with quite a bit of cloud around. one or two heavy showers in the south—east there, but increasing amounts of sunshine for central,

southern and eastern areas into the afternoon. this weather front will bring patchy rain across scotland, northern ireland and then into western parts of england and wales. behind it, some heavy showers for scotland, and northern ireland, into the afternoon. further south and east, it'll tend to stay drier, with temperatures reaching 25 degrees, the high teens further north and west, and it will be quite breezy, too. that weather front continues to cross england and wales during thursday night. a bit of a hang back for east anglia and the south—east. elsewhere, clearer skies, the odd shower. temperatures a little bit cooler in the north and the west, but quite warm and quite mild in the south and the east. that weather front eventually clears away from the south—east on friday. we've got low pressure to the north of the uk, fairly brisk westerly winds, and it's going to be one of sunshine and blustery showers. so we lose that cloud and rain in the south—east on friday morning. plenty of sunshine in central, southern and eastern england, but scotland, northern ireland, perhaps north—west england, west wales, will see a mixture of sunny spells, scattered blustery showers, the odd heavy one at times. temperatures will range from around the high teens, up to 20 degrees in the north, 20—25 celsius further south and east. temperatures around the seasonal norm. on saturday, low pressure sits to the north of the uk,

so it's northern and western areas which will see most of the showers. some of them could be quite heavy. some sunshine in between. a greater chance of staying dry across southern and eastern england. again, highs 25 degrees, mid—to—high teens further north. as you move out of saturday, into sunday, that area of low pressure clears away, but we look to the west to another one, pushing in across the uk. it'll arrive later in the day, so, actually, much of the country will have a dry sunday before it turns more wetter and windier. initially across western areas, then gradually spreading into eastern areas during sunday night and into monday.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. taming the inflation beast. the latest minutes from the us central bank suggests more interest rate hikes. the latest from new york. here in the uk, passengers are told to stay away from travelling as only 20% of trains will run due to strikes. with the average student in england leaving university with a debt of £45,000, is vocational training a better bet? you can even get paid as you learn.