a massive area, roughly 230 square miles, is thought to be underwater. surveying the damage, the president attacks what he says is a lack of international aid following the flood. we'll have the very latest. also this lunchtime. four children aged three years old, and an adult, have been stabbed in a knife attack in the french alps. three of the victims are in a critical condition. a dire warning on uk health services struggling health services struggling to provide effective care for cancer patients. smoke from canadian wildfires crosses the border, smothering parts of the united states, including new york. and party time in prague as west ham's footballers win the europa conference league.

and in sport on bbc news, liverpool will confirm the signing of argentina's world cup winner alexis mac allister from brighton. the midfielder has described moving to anfield as a dream come true. hello. ukraine's president zelensky has visited flood hit parts of the south of the country following the destruction of a huge dam in the war with russia. a massive area, around 230 square miles, is thought to be underwater. the president praised rescue efforts, but also hit out at what he says is a lack of international aid following the flooding, describing the situation as catastrophic. the red cross has raised concerns that landmines may have been dislodged in the waters. from the capital kyiv,

here's paul adams. it has been three days since the dam was blown _ it has been three days since the dam was blown up and three days in which the true _ was blown up and three days in which the true scale of this man—made disaster— the true scale of this man—made disaster has become horribly apparent. disaster has become horribly a- arent. ., disaster has become horribly apparent-— disaster has become horribly a- arent. ., , apparent. today president zelensky went to see — apparent. today president zelensky went to see it _ apparent. today president zelensky went to see it for _ apparent. today president zelensky went to see it for himself. - apparent. today president zelensky went to see it for himself. a - went to see it for himself. a wartime president with yet another crisis on his hands. thanking rescue workers and volunteers who have worked round the clock since tuesday. the president is angry, saying aid agencies have been slow to respond in ukraine is dealing with the catastrophe alone. floodwaters in kherson are no longer rising but people are being rescued from low—lying areas. translation: i from low-lying areas. tuna/mom- from low-lying areas. translation: , translation: i wish i could get someone for _ translation: i wish i could get someone for this, _ translation: i wish i could get someone for this, one _ translation: i wish i could get someone for this, one of - translation: i wish i could get someone for this, one of the - someone for this, one of the russians for what they did. how many lives are ruined and for destroying

our environment. at a lives are ruined and for destroying our environment.— our environment. at a hospital, a warm welcome _ our environment. at a hospital, a warm welcome for— our environment. at a hospital, a warm welcome for president - our environment. at a hospital, a - warm welcome for president zelensky. how are you being treated he asks the women. it seems they have no complaints. ukrainian officials said 230 square miles of land either side of the river is under water, an area the size of the isle of man. the river sustains agriculture across southern ukraine. the scope of the disaster is vast. while the eyes of the world are on the flooded streets of kherson battles are raging to the east. ukraine's anticipated counteroffensive which seemed to begin on monday is still gathering pace. the long—running battle for bakhmut is part of that. they hope to cut off perhaps russian troops inside the city. russia says it controls the city but these battles

outside seem intense. translation: «a, ., ., ., translation: ukrainian tactics are like this. first — translation: ukrainian tactics are like this. first smaller _ translation: ukrainian tactics are like this. first smaller groups - translation: ukrainian tactics are like this. first smaller groups move i like this. first smaller groups move in with armoured vehicles and make up in with armoured vehicles and make up a concentrated task force but have had no success so far. ukraine's main effort is likely to be further south near this city which has been on the front line for months. a dire existence for hardy civilians who remain. translation: ., , translation: people are constantly d inc, translation: people are constantly dying. regularly _ translation: people are constantly dying, regularly wounded. _ translation: people are constantly dying, regularly wounded. we - translation: people are constantly dying, regularly wounded. we are . dying, regularly wounded. we are very afraid- _ dying, regularly wounded. we are very afraid. ukraine _ dying, regularly wounded. we are very afraid. ukraine is _ dying, regularly wounded. we are | very afraid. ukraine is deliberately saying little about the military plans. keeping its enemy guessing. we know there is heavy fighting not far away, we know there is heavy fighting not faraway, but we know there is heavy fighting not far away, but we do not know who is winning. and on that, we are hearing of explosions in kherson itself. that is right. a short time after president zelensky left, there was

shelling. we understand at least one she“ shelling. we understand at least one shell landed in an area of central kherson where the president had been not long before and there was shelling elsewhere. ukrainians have accused russia all week of continuing to fire into the city as rescue workers try to do their work. it is worth emphasising this morning, it seems as though there was firing going both ways. it is worth remembering kherson is on a front line, albeit with the dnipro river so swollen, and extended front line, and kherson has been hit repeatedly for months. four children aged about three years old, and an adult, have been stabbed in a knife attack in the french alps. at least three of the victims are in a critical condition. it happened just before ten

o'clock this morning, when a man entered a children's playground at a park in the town of annecy. president macron tweeted that the attack was an act of "absolute cowardice". a man is in custody, as hugh schofield reports from paris. the lakeside gardens at annecy this morning, tranquillity shattered by horror. in a playing area toddlers were watched by minders when a man with a knife appeared and began stabbing the toddlers, some in their push chairs. a witness caught this footage of the man running from the attack with a knife classed in his right hand. shortly after he was overpowered by police. i right hand. shortly after he was overpowered by police.- overpowered by police. i was approaching _ overpowered by police. i was approaching that _ overpowered by police. i was approaching that end - overpowered by police. i was approaching that end of- overpowered by police. i was approaching that end of the i overpowered by police. i m3 approaching that end of the lake. overpowered by police. i —.w3 approaching that end of the lake. i saw and heard multiple police sirens and a helicopter about to land. for these young children, innocent children, to be murdered, gravely injured on a beautiful summer day is

just... it injured on a beautiful summer day is 'ust. .. . injured on a beautiful summer day is 'ust... . , injured on a beautiful summer day is 'ust... , i, just... it is very shocking. the prime minister _ just... it is very shocking. the prime minister elisabeth - just... it is very shocking. the | prime minister elisabeth borne just... it is very shocking. the i prime minister elisabeth borne is rushing to annecy and the president emmanuel macron described the attack as absolute cowardice. he said the nation was in a state of shock. translation: we nation was in a state of shock. translation:— nation was in a state of shock. translation: ~ ~ ., ., , ., translation: we know the assailant has been neutralised _ translation: we know the assailant has been neutralised and _ translation: we know the assailant has been neutralised and arrested. i has been neutralised and arrested. the prime minister is going to the scene. there are young children in a state of emergency and i invite you to respect a minute of silence for them and theirfamilies. in to respect a minute of silence for them and their families.- them and their families. in the national assembly _ them and their families. in the national assembly a _ them and their families. in the national assembly a minute'sl them and their families. in the - national assembly a minute's silence when news of the attack came through. police said the attacker is a syrian man in his 30s who has refugee status granted in sweden. his motivation is not clear. france is no stranger to knife attacks but this act, carried out against children aged no more than three is in a different dimension from what has gone before, a new depth of

horror. hugh schofield, bbc news. there's a dire warning today, that health services across the uk are struggling to provide safe and effective care for cancer patients. the royal college of radiologists, which represents many cancer doctors, describes the situation as a "ticking time—bomb", because of what it calls "chronic staff shortages". new figures also show more people are having to wait longer for cancer treatment in england. here's our health reporter, jim reed. come on, derek. come on. carol from south wales is recovering from chemo. all right, there we go. there's a tummy rub. she was first checked for cancer lastjune at a screening appointment that had been delayed. i could see that there was something very wrong with that mammogram. i didn't have to be an expert to see that. it looked like two fireworks had gone off in my breast, basically. but it took another two months until august to be called back for more tests. she had to wait until november for surgery and january for chemo.

every time i have a consultation or have a operation or have a biopsy, it's at least a two—week delay. so...it adds up. and that's the main thing, isn't it? catch it early, treat it early, better outcome for everybody. i don't want to leave my family. that has frightened me. i do not want to be that sort of burden that i'm not here for my family. there is no evidence of recurrent disease below the diaphragm, full stop. cancer targets are being missed across the uk as hospitals struggle to shift a backlog caused in part by covid. doctors say one key reason is a shortage of specialists. we're really concerned for patients. we're really concerned that if we don't do something about this, that the delays are going to get longer. in all four nations of the uk, ministers say investment is being made in staff and equipment.

in england, a long—awaited strategy to plug big staffing gaps across the nhs is expected in weeks. we're bringing forward a long—term workforce plan which will also look at things like the demand on cancer services. what is really heartening is we're catching more cancers earlier, which is really important in terms of patients' survival rates. all this comes as demand for cancer services has been soaring. in blackpool in lancashire, for example, the number coming forward for cancer checks is up 60% in the last five years, and that rising trend is only expected to continue as the population gets older, putting even more pressure on nhs services. so we're just going to take a locating photograph. at this clinic, they've had to change the way they work. last year, richard was one of the first to have images of his suspected skin cancer taken by a medical photographer. so this is a very suspicious—looking lesion.

instead of seeing one doctor face—to—face, these detailed images can be shared and checked far more quickly — the technique known as teledermatology. i dread to think what we'd be like without teledermatology, in all honesty. i think we'd really be struggling and we wouldn't be meeting any of our cancer targets and meeting the needs of our patients in the area. come in and take a seat. thank you. how are you? half of us will get cancer in our lifetime. doctors say new ways of working, new technologies and more staff will all be needed. so more patients like richard — now back for his final checkup — can hear news like this. and that's fantastic — there's nothing concerning about today. we have new figures on cancer waiting times today.— waiting times today. really illustrating _ waiting times today. really illustrating the _ waiting times today. really illustrating the pressure i waiting times today. really - illustrating the pressure system is under. there is one key cancer target. if you go to a gp and they suspect you might have cancer you

should be referred to a specialist and start treatment if needed within two months. 62 days. in april in england, 61% of patients were treated or began treatment in that time. as doctors and nurses and cancer department struggled to shift the backlog caused in part by the pandemic. we should point out we are talking about england with these statistics but the same pressure is felt across the uk. when you speak to the nhs about this, they point to the big spike in demand for cancer services. last year, we learned this morning, in england, 2.8 million people were referred into the system for an urgent check, almost 3 million people. that trend is likely to continue as the population gets bigger and, to continue as the population gets biggerand, crucially, olderacross bigger and, crucially, older across the biggerand, crucially, olderacross the uk. bigger and, crucially, older across the uk. ., ~ _,

the nurse, lucy letby, accused of murdering seven babies, has denied killing an infant, in order to get the attention of a doctor whom she was fond of. she's in the witness box for a 13th day, at her trial in manchester. she's also accuysed of attempting to murder a further ten babies, at the countess of chester hospital in 2015 and 2016. she denies all the charges. 0ur north of england correspondent, judith moritz, is outside the court for us now. what else did we hear today? we have heard evidence _ what else did we hear today? we have heard evidence today _ what else did we hear today? we have heard evidence today about _ what else did we hear today? we have heard evidence today about two - heard evidence today about two babies, 0, p. we cannot identify the children in this case. they are two brothers out of a set of triplets. lucy letby is accused of murdering both boys in 2016. she denies that. we heard she had been on holiday when the triplets were born, and she texted a nurse as she came to work

just before returning to say she would probably be back at work with a bang. within 72 hours of sending that text, the court heard that babies 0 and p had died and a third baby, baby 0, had collapsed. we have heard detail about one of the staff members at countess of chester hospital, a doctor we cannot name for legal reasons, and about the friendship between him and lucy letby. the prosecution said he was her boyfriend. she denies that. we saw texts between them including one when lucy letby texted him boo on the morning baby 0 died. she was askedif the morning baby 0 died. she was asked if she tried to get his attention and she said no. she called the doctorfor attention and she said no. she called the doctor for help and she was asked about whether she was trying to get his attention and she said for the baby, not his personal attention. she was told about the

situation around the death of baby 0 and p. baby 0, she was asked, you injected air into his stomach. no, she said. you injected air into his circulation? no, she said. you also, through a violent mechanism, caused injury to his liver? she said no do that. she denies all the accusations. but the prosecution said they all happened on your watch? yes, she said. lucy letby denies the charges and she continues today in the witness box here. thank you. rishi sunak is due to hold talks with president biden at the white house. the challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence,

as well as the war in ukraine are on the agenda. in the last few minutes, the prime minister underlined the uk's continued support for ukraine, in the war with russia. this is an appalling act, and hundreds of thousands of people are being affected by it. we'll continue to provide support for ukraine. we discussed this at the g7 just the other week injapan. we've provided long—range weapons — the first country in the world to do so. that's making a material difference to ukraine's ability to launch its counteroffensive. but we're in constant dialogue to make sure we give them the support they need. the prime minister speaking in the last few minutes. live to our correspondent gary 0'donoghue in washington. is there anything concrete likely to come out of this meeting? that is there anything concrete likely to come out of this meeting?- is there anything concrete likely to come out of this meeting? that is a aood come out of this meeting? that is a good question- _ come out of this meeting? that is a good question. there _ come out of this meeting? that is a good question. there is _ come out of this meeting? that is a good question. there is potentially| good question. there is potentially perhaps an announcement on ukraine but we are not sure what that might be. we have seen in the past weeks that the americans have agreed to allow the training of fighter pilots to go ahead. ukrainian fighter pilots on the f—16 platform.

something britain has pushed forfor sometime even though britain does not own its own f—i6s. i think also perhaps talk about other weaponry. the british have started supplying storm shadow long distance missiles. bearin storm shadow long distance missiles. bear in mind the americans are wary about anything particularly long range because they fear escalation into russian territory, something they want to avoid entirely. in terms of other things, i think rishi sunak will push the business about britain being a centre for artificial intelligence. he has announced a summit on al to take place in the autumn in london. there is talk i think that he wants the americans to agree britain should be the place where future international regulator of ai should be based. we will see if there is progress on that. and of course, the final and

thorny issue of trade. no overarching free trade. that has long gone. perhaps agreements on smaller areas, long gone. perhaps agreements on smallerareas, look long gone. perhaps agreements on smaller areas, look out for announcements on that potentially. gary 0'donoghue, live in washington. the time is 1.18. our top story this afternoon... ukraine's president zelensky visits the scene of the floods caused by the destruction of a huge dam, in the south of the country. wanda, something's out there! it's 90 years since the first recorded sighting of the so—called loch ness monster. we look at the myths enduring appeal. coming up on bbc news, celebrating in style — we'll have reaction to west ham united's first european title since 1965 after their dramatic victory over fiorentina in the final of the europa conference league in prague. canada says nearly 100 million people are being affected

by poor air quality, caused by wildfires burning out of control. it's happening in the province of quebec, but thick smoke has spread across the border to new york, where us officials say the air quality levels are now "hazardous". there are fears that georgia and florida, much further south, could also be affected. from new york, samira hussain has the latest. a thick orange haze engulfed new york city. smoke from several hundred wildfires burning across canada blanketed the northeastern united states with polluted air, giving an eerie orange glow to the sun — yet another new york city attraction to photograph. fires across canada have already burned more than 3.8 million hectares of land. more than 600 firefighters have been sent to canada to assist local officials, the white house announced on wednesday. officials told people to stay

inside to minimise their exposure to the smoke, due to the fear of immediate and long—term health risks. as we all know, the normal air quality index, safe, normal, is 50. parts of our state have seen a level of over 400 in the last 2a hours and that's a dangerous situation. those that did go outside wore masks, reminiscent of the pandemic. have you ever seen anything like it? no, i said it was like the apocalypse, that's what it feels like, it's very scary. and dangerous too. i haven't had a mask on since covid. no, never seen anything like it before it at all. this is bonkers. i was completely- shocked by the haze. it's like you can smell this horrible, horrible smell. l it feels like a video game, it smells weird, this is crazy, my lungs feel weird right now. 0vernight, new york recorded one of the worst air qualities of a major city in the world. normally, from where i am in lower manhattan, you can easily make out those buildings in newjersey. if you step over this way,

over my shoulder should be the statue of liberty, and if you can't make it out, well, you'lljust have to take my word for it. the actress jodie comer was forced to halt a matinee performance during her one—woman broadway show, prima facie, after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the polluted air. the blurry new york city scenes may be around for a few more days as the hazardous air will linger until the end of this week. samira hussain, bbc news, new york. the former green party leader, caroline lucas, is to stand down as an mp at the next general election after ten years in the job. she says the pressures of constituency work and being the party's only mp have left her unable to focus as much as she wanted on what she called the "existential challenges" of the nature and climate emergencies. there has been a "massive shift" in the way millions of us do our grocery shopping, since the pandemic. we visit supermarkets far less and spend more on cheaper

supermarket own—label brands. the cost—of—living crisis is also affecting shopping habits, and our business reporter daniel thomas is here to explain more. take us through it. the research firm cantor takes track of the way britons shop and it tells the bbc there's major changes. before covid, the average household makes 16 trips to the grocery per month and that's down from 18 times a month since before the pandemic and the reason it says because we are working more from home and have fewer opportunities to visit the shops. they say shoppers are increasingly stopping established brands for cheaper supermarket alternatives. that comes as food prices are rising at their fastest rate in 45 years and people are looking to save money. so according to cantor, about half the money we

spend on groceries goes on these supermarket own label brands. uk shoppers are also spending a lot more at the discounters, aldi and lidl. their sales soared by more than 23% apiece in the year to mid—may. that's more than sales are growing at the two biggest uk grocers, tesco and sainsbury�*s. we should remember algae is already the fourth largest supermarket in the uk and some analysts think it's only a matter of time before it becomes the fifth. daniel, thank you for taking us through the numbers, daniel thompson. west ham fans have been celebrating in prague after the hammers won the europa conference league — their first major european trophy since 1965. they beat italy's fiorentina 2—1 in the final, as andy swiss reports. after more than a0 years of frustration, at last west ham in wonderland after a night they'll never forget.

for the thousands watching in the nearby fan park, the party could begin, and for some supporters it was almost all too much. this is the best night of my life ever! ijust can't believe i'm here. i think i'm dreaming! i just can't believe west ham have won something! it feels the best feeling i think i've ever had watching a football match. no words can describe how awesome this is feeling. i go on, you hammers! cheering. earlier, the match itself had been tense and at times ugly. fiorentina's cristiano biraghi hit by a missile thrown by west ham supporters — behaviour the club later condemned. benrahma scores! when said benrahma's penalty put the hammers ahead after the break, the fan park erupted. butjust moments later fiorentina equalised and extra time seemed to be beckoning. in the very last minute though, what drama!

yes! as jarrod bowen sealed his place in hammers folklore. west ham have won it! for the players, the manager and the fans, a moment of pure euphoria. the best feeling of my life. i never thought in my wildest dreams as a young boy growing up that i'd win a european trophy, so to do it is, i keep saying, it's the best feeling in the world! well, you can see just what it means to west ham's players out on the pitch and you can hear what it means to their fans as well. they know they have seen something truly historic here. after so many years of frustration, so many disappointments, at last they have a trophy. and the celebrations continued into the dressing room. manager david moyes had promised a victory dance and he certainly delivered.

earlier there had been an emotional moment when moyes gave his winners' medal to his 87—year—old dad. yeah, i thought he was the first one who should get it, get it round his neck. he's probably watched a lot of things over the years and not had that moment, so i hope he's enjoying it. i hope he can enjoy it with me later on tonight as well. west ham celebrate the fa cup win. and so some 43 years after they won the fa cup, west ham finally have another major trophy. later, they'll parade it through east london after a night of hammers history. andy swiss, bbc news, prague. well done the hammers. it's been an enduring myth that's occupied a unique place in scottish folklore. and it's now 90 years since the first recorded sighting of the so—called loch ness monster. while its existence has never been verified, nessie has become a symbol of the highlands, as lorna gordon explains. the tranquil water of loch ness,

home to a mythical monster said to be hiding in its depths. when things are flat calm on loch ness, you know, we can see for miles around. those who go out on boats here, always on the lookout for anything unusual. the echo sounder on our right hand side here, we're really looking for a sonar contact on that. so that would be nice. we can see there's a big contact on the screen just now. that's just a fish. there are plenty of hiding places here for the fabled beast. reaching depths of over 200 metres, loch ness is vast and contains, it's said, as much water as the lakes of england and wales combined. steve feltham has dedicated his life to solving the mystery of the loch ness monster, believes he saw it once too. it was like waves going that way across my vision, and the waves were maybe a foot and a half high. something shot through like a torpedo, and as it hit each oncoming wave, a splash of water.

when i arrived here full time in 1991, i was looking for long—necked dinosaurs, convinced that was what i was here to find. i'm not now. i know we haven't got plesiosaurs in here. i know for sure they're not in here. i wish they were. but the identity of nessie's not up to me. it's...whatever it is, it is. wanda, wanda, something's out there. there's been more than 1,000 recorded alleged sightings. can you get it? no, i can't. though the legend can be traced to the sixth century, modern records go back 90 years. the history, sightings and scientists who've investigated the phenomenon... you're a big part of this story, adrian. ..celebrated at the revamped visitors' centre, reopening to the public. what's the appeal to you? i was a schoolboy of the '605, and the '605 were a time

when anything we wanted could be true. so, yes, that's what drew me. i had my little submersible hide, sat on the bottom, we baited it to attract the fish and hopefully something bigger. well, we didn't have an encounter, but there we are. we've used sonar. so would you say you're a septic or a believer then? i'm sceptical, but i'm not cynical. there's a difference. i would say urquhart castle, there, that's a definite hot spot. - those hunting for the monster hoping they will be the one who finally prove it really does exist. if you're in the right place| at the right time, anybody could solve this mystery tomorrow. and i'm here all the time and i'm watching, - it could be me. the scenery here is stunning, but it is the legend of the loch ness monster that is equally the draw. lorna gordon, bbc news, at loch ness. a very real humpback

whale has been rescued,