welcome to bbc news. our top stories. ukranian troops continue their counter offensive, in the south of the country as they struggle to retake areas seized by russia. the threat here isn't just the artillery. it's also landmines. president biden warns of the threat to equality and democracy from election deniers and "make america great again" republicans. donald trump and the temp is republicans represent an extremism that threaten the

very foundations of our republic. an urgent international appeal is launched to help the millions of people affected by the flooding in pakistan. look at all this water, it's like being in the middle of the ocean, except those people's houses, and the water levels here are rising. and divers seal the vents on a tanker leaking fuel off the coast of gibraltar. marine crews are trying to scoop up the oil that's escaped. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. inspectors from the united nations have finally arrived at the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in ukraine, which has been occupied by russian forces since march. shelling around the plant has led to fears of a catastrophic nuclear accident.

ukrainian troops are pressing ahead with a counter—offensive in the nearby region of kherson, to retake areas seized by russia. our correspondent quentin sommerville filed this exclusive report from the frontline, in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. and a warning, there are some distressing scenes in his report. in donbas, there will be no harvest. as russian shells fall about us, these fields and furrows are instead ploughed by gun tracks and fighting men. ukraine's national guard leads us through the barrage. they pause only briefly and by the cover of tree lines. this is a war of artillery, of seemingly limitless firepower, and of scorched earth. the destruction is measured in the square kilometres. with phosphorus and cluster bombs, russia burns and scores what it seeks to capture.

a canopy of acacias gives some protection from drones. but from here onwards, they must go on foot. the breakthrough in kherson has buoyed spirits, even as russia's dominance in donbas rings out loudly. but this was isn't only being fought at long distance. take care, there is a land mine, be careful. careful. the threat here isn'tjust the artillery you can hear, it's also these landmines are all along this pathway. that's why i'm following very closely in the footsteps of the men ahead. there's another one. explosion. and there are more threats —

some locals are ambivalent, others hostile to ukrainian forces. but not sergiy. where is your wife, is it hard being apart? translation: yes. every hour, every moment i miss her. it's difficult without her because i love her, and she loves me. what a life. but i think we will get through it all, everything will be for the better. despite the shelling, yeva and her mother appear numb to danger. we can hear the shelling all around us. explosion. translation: i am afraid. i have a small selection of medical supplies which could be helpful. if suddenly, god forbid, something happens to my child or to anybody at all, i will give them first aid and take them somewhere for further treatment. but at the moment, as long as i have strength,

i want to stay at home. so for now, julia and yeva will hang on here amid the illusion of a normal life. explosion. in villages and towns for hundreds of kilometres, there's no school, no work, no life. a country frozen in time and in conflict. few live this war as fast and as close to danger as ruslan and his team of army medics. the cost of hesitation lies all too apparent by the roadside. speed is a matter of life and death for them and for their patients. their ambulance can't afford to wait until the shelling stops. but there are times when even ruslan and his medics have to take cover. explosion. translation: over there,

you can see smoke. - their mortar is working. ruslan, we can see incoming russian mortarfire here. what do you do when you have casualties out there and this kind of firepower is coming in? what decisions do you have to make? translation: we see the enemy and the enemy sees us, _ but the enemy hides in the tree line there, disguising himself. we can't do that, our ambulance is exposed. we have to pick up the injured and take them out. man screams. russia's viciousness is the daily burden of ukrainian combat medics. this man curses in agony. only moments earlier, he was wounded by a mine. they're still not sure of his injuries. but in this field hospital, they have an intimate knowledge of the damage that shrapnel and artillery do to the human body. they are covered in blast

wounds, their limbs broken. his colleague too has been hit. time is critical here for two reasons — the patient�*s life, and the medics never know when more casualties will arrive. quentin sommerville, bbc news, donbas. president biden has made an impassioned speech in defence of american democracy. he warned that donald trump and what he termed "maga republicans" represent a form of extremism that threaten the us way of life. he urged all americans to come together to defend american democracy regardless of their ideology. donald trump and the maga republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. i want to be very clear... applause. very clear up front. not every republican, not even the majority of republicans are maga republicans. not every republican embraces

their extreme ideology. i know, because i have been able to work with these mainstream republicans. but there is no question, the republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by donald trump and the maga republicans, and that is a threat to this country. these are hard things, but i am the american president, not a president of red america, blue america, but of all america. and i believe it is my duty to level with you, tell you the truth, no matter how difficult, no matter how painful. and here, in my view, is what is true. maga republicans do not respect the constitution, they do not believe in the rule of law, in the rule of law, they do not recognise the will of the people. they refused

to accept the results of a free election, and they are working right now, as i speak, in state after state, to give power to decide elections in america to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself. maga forces are determined to take this country backwards to an america where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. they promote authoritarian leaders and they fanned the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit ofjustice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country. they look at the mob that stormed the united states capitol onjanuary 6th, brutally

attacking law enforcement, not as insurrectionists placed a dagger at the throat of our democracy, but as patriots, and they see their maga failure to stop a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections. sidney blumenthal, a journalist, former senior advisor to president bill clinton and long time confidante of hillary clinton joins me now from washington. do joins me now from washington. you think mr bider what do you think mr biden achieved what he set out to do with that speech? what he set out to do with that seech? ~ ., , . what he set out to do with that seech? ., , . a ., ., speech? well, not since abraham lincoln has _ speech? well, not since abraham lincoln has a _ speech? well, not since abraham lincoln has a president _ lincoln has a president delivered a speech like this, declaring that there was a fundamental threat to american democracy that was internal, not external. and that encompassed the other party, and more than that, the supreme

court, which sees itself as able walk, but is rescinding basic american rights as we saw in roe vs wade. this was his launch before the mid—term to attempt to retain democratic control. i attempt to retain democratic control. ., ., control. i wonder, though, listening to his speech - control. i wonder, though, listening to his speech and some of the threat there, do you think voters will get the message or is it more about the cost of living increase in front of their noses? republicans have a lot that they can speak about, the problem they are having is creating a consistent narrative because of their own internal conflict, and the presence of donald trump, who is overwhelming everything. the

criminal investigations into trump from mar—a—lago to january the 6th place, to the georgia election fraud, is dominating everything. not allowing republicans to develop their own campaign theme, away from his own big lie about the 2020 election and his own difficulties. he is a disruptive factor who is really undermining mitch mcconnell, trying to take control of the republican senate campaign, and at the same time, the trump candidates have dominated, gaining control in the primaries. they are wildly extreme. 0ne candidate in arizona questioning whether the united states fought on the wrong side in world war ii, promoting hermann goering. highly unusual, these candidates right now. this is

why biden is now sounding the alarm, and it strikes a clear bell. ~ , . ., bell. with this particular message _ bell. with this particular message he _ bell. with this particular message he is _ bell. with this particular message he is trying - bell. with this particular message he is trying to | bell. with this particular i message he is trying to get across, he is also concerned about the election results being disputed, for example, when they happen in the midterms. how confident are you that this can be resolved, particularly with what we saw after the presidential election of not accepting an election result? , , , , result? the trump republicans siml do result? the trump republicans simply do not _ result? the trump republicans simply do not accept _ result? the trump republicans simply do not accept election l simply do not accept election results right now and are determined to create a process where elections are not decided by popular majorities. there is a case that will appear before the supreme court when it is nextin

the supreme court when it is next in session, in north carolina, in which the supreme court may rule that state legislatures controlled by one party can determine the outcome of an election. that is what biden is deeply worried about, and the country is deeply worried about. so we are not only looking towards this threat to democracy that's immediate. so immediate that there are threats to the fbi by sitting us senators, saying there would be riots if trump is indicted. in 2024, what would happen if the republicans control the house of representatives and refused to certify an election of a popular majority, and even the electoral college?— electoral college? really interesting _ electoral college? really interesting analysis. - electoral college? really i interesting analysis. thank electoral college? really - interesting analysis. thank you forjoining us.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the divers seal the vents on a tanker leaking fuel off the coast of gibraltar. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting, and wives are waiting. hostages appeared — some carried, some running — trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today. described by all to whom she i

reached out as "irreplaceable", an early morning car crash| in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, - warmth and compassion. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. ukranian troops continue their counter offensive, in the south of the country — as they struggle to retake areas seized by russia. well, let's return now to president biden's speech in washington, during which he warned that donald trump and what he called the maga republicans are a threat to american democracy. professor lauren wright, associate research scholar and lecturer at princeton university, joins us now from newjersey. great to have you with. curious what struck you with that

speech. i what struck you with that seech. ., ., _ speech. i have to say, i think biden out — speech. i have to say, i think biden put himself _ speech. i have to say, i think biden put himself in - speech. i have to say, i think biden put himself in a - biden put himself in a difficult position here. because he is making a bet, roughly 35% of americans who still believe in this lie that the 2020 election was stolen will never vote for him anyway so he doesn't need their votes, and he can go all in on this maga republican message. however, then he follows that “p however, then he follows that up with this unity message about being the president for all americans. and rhetorically as someone who studies politics, it's a very difficult trick to pull off. 50 trick to pull off. so interesting - trick to pull off. so interesting that. trick to pull off. so interesting that you say that, because i was wondering as i watched it. i was like, with his message, he was hoping to get moderate republicans on board, at least to the democracy part of it, even if they may not vote for a democrat in the elections. but if that maga group, make america great again, and

following american politics, they will never be on board perhaps with him or his message... where does he go from here? do you think he is trying to get people ready for a bruising mid—term election? yes, i think the mid—term message is a good one. it's one any politician in his position would make. look, the last guy is still around and he's telling the dangerous falsehoods, and we don't want to get into a situation where his party is in control and he is in control. by the way, joe biden is probably right, that republicans will not vote for him, so in that sense, it's a safe gamble. but it's a hard platform for any president, thinking back tojoe biden's very first televised presidential address from the

white house, got about 31 million views, when all of the networks were airing it. that was not the case tonight because this was a political speech. by contrast, about 100 million people watched the super bowl in the united states. when you start looking at the pie of who watches this political content and are interested in it, you start getting smaller and smaller when you think about who is persuadable, it's very few people. so you are right, looking at the speech tonight, it was to assess what the democrats' mid—term message is going to be, and it's going to be very much about donald trump. if be very much about donald trum -. . ~ be very much about donald trum. . ~ ., , trump. if we talk about these factions, the maga _ trump. if we talk about these i factions, the maga republicans as mr biden called them, obviously he has the democrats, and then he talked about others... do you think you can get a large swathe of moderate republicans on board with his democracy message, for example

when there will be, as we expect, contested election results after the midterms? he miaht results after the midterms? he: might have benefited from that. in fact, we know donald trump alienated a lot of moderate republicans the first time around in 2016. in a presidential setting, around in 2016. in a presidentialsetting, biden might benefit. in these specific congressional races, however, the house sleeps in particular, that is where we are going to see a lot of sway, where people are going to be reacting negatively to the economy. —— the house sleeps in particular. and the low approval. —— the house seats. in some of these governor races, you might say something a little different. because there are some ideological e extremely republicans running who believe in no exceptions for rape and abortion for

instance, so those might be narrated in which you have to appeal to a large amount of voters, that a biden —type messenger, a centrist democrat, might be able to get some of those people on board. thanks so much for — those people on board. thanks so much for your— those people on board. thanks so much for your analysis. - let's turn to pakistan now, where the disasters emergency committee has launched an urgent appeal to help the millions of people affected by the floods caused by exceptionally heavy monsoon rains this year. more than a thousand people have died and around a million homes have been destroyed or damaged. 0ur correspondent pumza fihlani reports from dadu, close to the indus river. finally on safe ground — but kareem is injured. it takes a group of people to carefully help her out of the boat. she's shaken and disoriented. translation: one of | the walls fell on my leg. i was stuck there and

couldn't move for days. i've lost everything. i thought i was going to die. kareem is then treated by medics. officials say 80% of dadu is already under water, and it's spreading to more villages. people need saving and there isn't much time. the military, aid agencies, and villagers are all part of a frenzy to evacuate those stranded. wejoined them. just look at all this water. it's like being in the middle of the ocean, exceptjust over there are people's houses, and there are many more in far—flung communities, and the water levels here in dadu are rising. and officials say around 250,000 people are at risk of drowning unless they can get them out to safety. after some time searching, we come across a village. tens climb on board, but not everyone can make the trip. some have left relatives behind.

translation: i left everyone behind, but i'm worried, - because i don't know when the next boat will arrive and when i'll be able to return to them. but i have to go and find food for us, we are going hungry. on our way to dry land, we come across more people and pick them up. they've been in the water for hours. three boats had gone past them in a rush to get to other villages. for one of the men, help came too late. translation: our friend drowned just moments i before you arrived. he slipped, and he was swept away. we couldn't save him. he's gone. in other parts of dadu, families who've lost their homes are sleeping on the roadside. some do not even have tents, let alone food. and it's all become too much. "our children are

hungry," she says. "we're not getting any food, why is no—one helping us?" the water is coming from all sides — from the overflowing indus river and the mountains in the north, and in the middle of it all are people growing more desperate by the day. pumza fihlani, bbc news, dadu. divers have managed to stop fuel leaking from a ship that's beached off the coast of gibraltar after colliding with an lng tanker. the hull of the 0s35 broke off and started leaking fuel. the gibraltar port authority and spanish marine rescue crews are trying to skim the fuel that escaped. james neish from the bbc�*s interactive unit hasjust returned from gibraltar, and hejoins me now. so what is the situation? this is a race against _ so what is the situation? this is a race against time - so what is the situation? ti 3 is a race against time to pump fuel from the sinking ship. it has about 500 tonnes of fuel on board. interestingly, this is

not cargo, this is fuel for its own engines and consumption. that means this sinking vessel is not double hulled, it is not transporting fuel. so the fear is that if the ship breaks apart, there are concerns it might break in two because of the strain of tide water, of the strain of tide water, of the collision. if the tank breaks, hundreds of litres would spill to the coast of morocco and up the coast of spain. and of course this beautiful cove in gibraltar. i've just come back from there, the ship is metres away from this lovely beach, which is very, very popular with locals and tourists. now some good news through the morning, they are pumping the fuel from the ship, about 250 tonnes of diesel, half of that operation is now complete. there is a lot of concern but also optimism. thank you, we will continue to

follow that story. thank you for watching, stay with us. hello there. summer 2022 was certainly a memorable one, wasn't it? and as we bring summer to a close, these are some of the standout headlines — england'sjoint warmest summer on record, and the driest year so far for the uk since 1976. now, there is actually some rain in the forecast as we go through friday and towards the weekend. the weather is set to change. we've got this weather front here gathering pace into the northwest, and this weather front�*s been bringing some showers. now, those showers may well linger for parts of england and wales — fairly isolated, but nevertheless, they'll still be there. the best of the sunshine, north wales, northern england and eastern scotland. showery outbreaks of rain gather into the far north west of scotland and northern ireland. here, temperatures perhaps at around 18 celsius the high — but it will be another hot

and humid afternoon for central and eastern england, with temperatures into the high 20s. all change as we move into the weekend — for some, there will be some thundery showers around or longer spells of rain, and it will turn increasingly windy for all. as an area of low pressure anchors itself out to the west, spiralling around that low in an anti—clockwise direction is a series of weather fronts that'll bring some rain, some of it fairly persistent, through northern ireland and southwest scotland throughout the weekend — and that could have an impact. it will certainly have an impact on the feel of the weather. elsewhere, sunny spells and scattered showers. not a bad day to the far north of scotland, highs of 19 here — but in the sunshine, in east anglia, if you dodge those showers, you should see highs of 24 celsius. more wet weather in a similar position coming up through southwest england, wales, and then, sitting across northern ireland and southwest scotland. showers elsewhere — if you dodge those showers,

you still keep those blustery winds, but it will still feel quite warm in the sunshine for parts of england and wales, as temperatures still likely to peak at highs of 25 celsius — disappointing under the cloud and the rain. the low pressure is not set to move very far very fast at all — into the early half of next week, it anchors itself down to the southwest. the wind direction still coming from the south, still relatively mild, but still, we could see some showers and those showers could be heavy and quite widespread for the early half of next week.

this is bbc news. the headlines... ukranian troops continue their counter—offensive in the south of the country as they struggle to retake areas seized by russia. skirmishers have taken place as un inspectors check on the safety of the zapo region nuclear power plant. —— the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. president biden has made an impassioned speech in defence of american democracy. he warned that donald trump — and what he termed "maga republicans" represented a form of extremism that threatens the us way of life. mr biden asked all americans to defend democracy regardless of their ideology.

an urgent international appeal has been launched, to help the millions of people affected by