they came so close, the countdown stopping at t —14 minutes, there were too many technical problems to contend with. and europe's biggest street party returns — after a three year absence due to the pandemic — we'lljoin the carnival at notting hill. welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. we begin tonight with the devastating flooding in pakistan. the country's climate change minister says one third of pakistan is underwater — and much of the best farmland has been flooded. this could affect

the supply of food. the disaster has killed over 1,100 people and affected 33 million. and sent this report. a moment of quiet in the middle of chaos. inside a crowded hall, families that have been displaced by the floods in northern pakistan have found temporary refuge. for many, it was a narrow escape. translation: our houses have collapsed because of _ the floods. we had a home and it was enough for us. now all our belongings are buried under 12 to 13 feet of water. when i left with my children, i saw my house collapse. the rivers are swelling, and all many can do is stand and watch. the raging floods and mudslides have forced people to flee to higher ground.

on the other side of the country, in sindh, there's been some reprieve from the rains, but swathes of land are still under water and unlivable. many families have settled near major roads, or wherever there is still dry land. families have been displaced across pakistan, but the people that have been worst affected are the poor, people who had very little to begin with. the community that we found here used to live on the banks of the indus river, which has been over flooding four weeks. they came here because this was higher ground, many of them travelled for hours and kilometres to try and get here. just behind me is the little means that they have been able to put together. there aren't any tents here, there is no clean drinking water, there isn't even any food, and they don't know, they tell me, why they have been neglected. this farmer has been sleeping in an open field for a week. today, he has finally gathered enough branches and sticks to build shelter for his family.

translation: even when the water recedes, all we | will have are these branches. our homes are gone. we have nothing. i was able to grow my own vegetables back home, and everything is gone now. i can't even feed my children. we need help. the floods have not only taken lives, they've taken livelihoods, too. iqbal ali has travelled across two provinces, searching for suitable land for his herd. he is hoping that if he can keep them alive, then he has a chance to rebuild his life. local aid agencies say they are doing all they can to help, but they admit they are overwhelmed and do not have enough resources. government officials who have dealt with floods many times before have said this time is different.

this year's rains were unprecedented and have brought untold tragedy to the people of pakistan. pumza filhani, bbc news, sindh. meanwhile, here in the us, there's flooding close to jackson, mississippi, after a weekend of warnings in the city. record—setting rainfall caused the pearl river to break its banks, rising close to 36 feet. officials expect the high water to last for at least a week. the unpredictable weather is having a different impact in europe. wildfires, heatwaves and droughts have affected europe, with scientists saying it's on track to become the continent's driest season in 500 years. spain, an agricultural powerhouse, has seen crops badly affected by the extreme weather, which is driving up food prices. our southern europe correspondent mark lowen reports from andalucia, in southern spain. a harvest not reaped but wrecked.

the flowers that worship the sun need the blessing of rain as well and it is nowhere. sunflowers that many planted to make up for those lost in ukraine wiped out by spain's worst drought on record. farmers are unsure if they can go on. translation: if it doesn't rain by the end of the year, - it makes no sense to plant more. that would be like throwing money at the land for no harvest and there is no rain forecast for now. spain's rich farmland is being impoverished. supplying half of all olive oil, the world's biggest producer has trees almost bare. parched soil giving little fruit, the yield is down by at least a third. the country's green gold, as it is called, is now even more prized.

in this factory that exports to the uk production is dropping by half, pushing up prices amidst a global food crisis. as the flow becomes a trickle they worry here that this vital sector is in danger. translation: shoppers| are already paying a third higher than last year, but the drought will increase that even more. with the downturn we may have to lay off some workers. another year like this would be a complete catastrophe. now spain is turning to its shores to help, expanding plants that desalinise sea water to ease the shortage. this one, which purifies enough for a small city, will increase its supply by a third in the next four years. the main problem here is clearly the drought, but there is another issue as well. half of the water coming out of this plant goes towards irrigating the fruit and vegetables growing in these kinds of greenhouses, spain producing the most in the eu,

but perhaps with our climate heating this country can just no longer afford to be the garden of europe. with parts of spain the driest in 1200 years, this dystopian vision of a once bountiful land is a glimpse into ourfuture. mark lowen, bbc news, andalusia. a ukrainian counteroffensive against russian occupation forces is under way in the south of the country. the ukrainian army claims it has broken through russian (map)defence lines around the city of kherson in a counter—offensive that has been highly—anticipated. russia is claiming the ukrainian counter attack has failed miserably. for more, i spoke to our correspondent hugo bachega in kiev. could this be the beginning of a counteroffensive in the case on

region? counteroffensive in the case on reuion? ,., counteroffensive in the case on reuion? ., region? -- in the here son reason. we could be _ region? -- in the here son reason. we could be seen _ region? -- in the here son reason. we could be seen in _ region? -- in the here son reason. we could be seen in the _ region? -- in the here son reason. we could be seen in the beginning | region? -- in the here son reason. l we could be seen in the beginning of eight it is still very different to —— difficult to verify the reports coming from the area. they have been reports that ukrainian forces have managed to break through the first line of russian defence around the city, fighting is said to be intense in this area. for weeks, the ukrainians have been targeting attacking russian positions, infrastructure, supply lines, deep inside russian —controlled territory away from the front lines and this has only been possible because of those sophisticated weapons being provided by western countries. hugo. provided by western countries. hugo, is president zelensky _ provided by western countries. hugo, is president zelensky under _ provided by western countries. hugo, is president zelensky under domestic pressure to make progress in that war? could that be one of the reasons behind this counteroffensive thatis reasons behind this counteroffensive that is what it turns out to be? i

think up until now, there have been questions about the ukrainian ability and capacity to go ahead with a massive offensive, this is not going to be easy, the russians have been there for a very long time, we have had reports that the russian appointed authorities are planning to hold a referendum to annex those regions, and also in the last few weeks there have been reports that the russians were sending reinforcements and troops to those areas, so presumably there will be very heavy fighting in the coming weeks if the ukrainians are indeed going ahead with this counteroffensive.— indeed going ahead with this counteroffensive. ., , ., , counteroffensive. hugo, separately, un inspectors _ counteroffensive. hugo, separately, un inspectors are _ counteroffensive. hugo, separately, un inspectors are heading _ counteroffensive. hugo, separately, un inspectors are heading towards l un inspectors are heading towards that nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia, a white house report said today a controlled shutdown of the plant would be the safest option, is that something that is being discussed? it

option, is that something that is being discussed?— option, is that something that is being discussed? it seems that this is another alternative _ being discussed? it seems that this is another alternative to _ being discussed? it seems that this is another alternative to try - being discussed? it seems that this is another alternative to try to - is another alternative to try to de—escalate tensions around this facility, finally this visit seems to be going ahead, these monitors are expected to arrive at the zaporizhzhia power plant later this week. it took days of intense difficult negotiations for this trip to go ahead. up until now, they have been calls for the international monitors to be allowed into this facility but also calls for the demilitarisation of the region around this facility, something that the russians have rejected. so, it seems that it is another possibility to try to reduce tensions around this facility. to try to reduce tensions around this facility-— to try to reduce tensions around this facili . ., ~ . ., this facility. thank you so much for bein: with this facility. thank you so much for being with us- _ in iraq, latest reports say at least 12 people have been killed in clashes in the heavily guarded green zone of baghdad. this comes after the shi'ite cleric and political leader moqtada al sadr announced he was resigning from iraqi politics. in response, hundreds of his angry supporters stormed the presidential palace, leading to violent clashes with security forces. (00v)and these pictures are from inside the palace,

and these pictures are from inside the palace, you can see protesters taking over the swimming pool. earlier, iraqi security forces declared a curfew in baghdad and ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. joining me now isjimjeffrey, the former us amassador to iraq. welcome back to the programme, ambassador, what do you make of these scenes of chaos and infertility tonight in baghdad? thanks for having me back. first of all, this is a breakdown of the democratic order. there were elections in iraq ten months ago, they have not yet been able to form a government. he is part of the problem and also part of the solution because he represents nationalism against the threat of iran which is pushing many of the parties to undercut the democratic

system. his withdrawalfrom politics, if he had those through with it, i see him do this before and it comes back all the time, but if he goes through with it, it will be a blow to democracy because like him are not, however unstable he often is, he is a powerful political independent nationalist and that is whatever needs. this independent nationalist and that is whatever needs.— independent nationalist and that is whatever needs. a ., ., whatever needs. as someone who has witnessed a — whatever needs. as someone who has witnessed a al-sadr_ whatever needs. as someone who has witnessed a al-sadr close-up - whatever needs. as someone who has witnessed a al-sadr close-up and - whatever needs. as someone who has witnessed a al-sadr close-up and as l witnessed a al—sadr close—up and as you said, it is not the first time he has hinted at resigning, why do you think he would do this? is there something he can gain from it, potentially? i something he can gain from it, potentially?— something he can gain from it, otentiall ? , , potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, fl potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, there i potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, there are i potentially? i believe he mayjust be frustrated, there are several. be frustrated, there are several long periods when he has withdrawn from politics but he has a lot of supported base, perhaps the biggest among the shia arabs and he will be tempted to use that political power to try to shape how the country moves forward, but he wanted new

elections, the other members of what we call the sheer coalition have refused that and the country is now in a large and, whether his withdrawal will open it up or not will —— i don't know, but it is likely to lead to more iranians dominance —— dominance of the country and that is not a good thing. country and that is not a good thin. ~ ., , ,, thing. the white house said the us embassy inside _ thing. the white house said the us embassy inside the _ thing. the white house said the us embassy inside the green - thing. the white house said the us embassy inside the green zone - thing. the white house said the us embassy inside the green zone hasj embassy inside the green zone has not been evacuated but there are reports tonight that kuwait has ordered all of its citizens out of ever, what does that say to you about the seriousness, potentially, of the situation? can about the seriousness, potentially, of the situation?— of the situation? can i have seen the green _ of the situation? can i have seen the green zone — of the situation? can i have seen the green zone overrun - of the situation? can i have seen the green zone overrun by - of the situation? can i have seen i the green zone overrun by al-sadr's the green zone overrun by al—sadr�*s people before, the violence is not from them, it is apparently from pro iranian shia militias who don't take orders from the iraqi prime minister and have called for a quiet and

non—violent approach to these protesters. the american embassy is well protected and it is very important that it stays on the ground. important that it stays on the round. �* , ., important that it stays on the round. ., ,, , ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank ou ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank you so — ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank you so much _ ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank you so much for— ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank you so much forjoining - ground. ambassadorjames geoffrey, thank you so much forjoining us - thank you so much forjoining us tonight. more than a thousand palestinians could soon be evicted from their homes in the west bank by israel's army. in may, the israeli high court sanctioned plans to expel them — to make way for an israeli military training site— in an area known as masafer yatta. un experts have warned israel that if it goes ahead with the mass eviction of palestinians, it could amount to a war crime. our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, has been to masafer yatta. you see now, they are demolishing houses. it takes just seconds and a palestinian house is gone. a family is homeless.

israel says they built here illegally. abu mohammed had pleaded with the israeli soldiers and police to stop. the family that was living in this house, abu mohammed's relatives, they don't even know that the house has been demolished because they were away at a wedding. no—one's been able to call them and get in touch. the routine is all too familiar in this part of the west bank under full israeli control. it's virtually impossible for palestinians to get a building permit here, so most people build without them. come, come, come. we realise today's demolitions aren't yet over. so we've raced up to the top of this hill, really breathless, because the roads have been closed off, and you can see here it's animal pens that are being demolished. there's a big flock of sheep just over there. arguing. there are scuffles with anti—demolition activists, who are threatened with arrest. everything is going be confiscated so that the

shepherds can't easily rebuild. and just look how many security forces there are up here, keeping us all back. but such losses aren't the only problem in masafer yatta — jewish settlements are expanding here. they're seen as illegal under international law, but israel disagrees. for basil, it's a double standard. these settlers come here, steal our land, there's palestinians digging on it, and build their homes. i mean, the state supports them doing that and providing the infrastructure for the settlers on my land, but the same state and the same government is, like, approaching us from here by demolishing our homes, schools and water well, and roads. the israeli army doesn't agree to an interview but has a large presence in masafer yatta. this sign up here is telling us we are about to enter into a firing area and israeli military zone. it says, "danger." well, "entrance is forbidden."

i see more demolitions along the road. israel's supreme court recently ruled that this army training area was legal. hundreds of palestinians now face eviction. this is where the family lives. i'm off to meet one couple who insist they won't move. they live in a cave created by na'aman's grandfather before his birth. "if the army sees the solar panels, they'll remove them," he tells me. they live under tight israeli restrictions. and suheir, who's days from giving birth, is afraid. what's the future for you? "what future?", she says. "we're living in fear. "we have no future, nothing." if israel's mass eviction goes ahead, it will be one of the biggest in the west bank in decades. the international community's warned

against it but for those trying to stay here, that is little help. yolande knell, bbc news, masafer yatta. in other news... a major sea level rise from the melting of the greenland ice cap is now inevitable, even if the world stops emitting greenhouse gases immediately — that's according to a scientific study from denmark and greenland. the research found that global warming to date will cause more than a hundred—trillion tons of greenland's ice to melt, causing a sea level rise of at least 27 centimetres. in brazil, the right—wing president, jair bolsonaro and the country's former leftist leader, lula da silva, have taken part in the first televised debate — ahead of october's general election. the two traded barbs over their respective records. opinion polls suggest lula — who served as president for seven years until 2010 — leads bolsonaro. ukraine's president zelensky says his country is willing to store gas for european countries, to help them through the winter.

speaking at an oil and gas conference in norway, he accused moscow of what he called economic terror. as an energy crisis looms, the french energy ministry has started talks with algeria — about potentially increasing gas imports to france. nasa called off today's launch of the most powerful rocket it's ever developed — the artemis mission had been due to take off for an uncrewed test flight to the moon. but there was a problem with one of the engines. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle has been following developments at the kennedy space center in florida. it was all looking so good, even the weather. nasa's new rocket was ready to make history and head to the moon, but then the problems began. the hydrogen team reporting that they started seeing a leak trending up. first of all, a fuel leak, with liquid hydrogen escaping. that one was fixed. then a possible crack was spotted, holding things up even more,

although this turned out to be frost in a crevice.