us treasury secretary janet yellen is set to kick off her visit to beijing in a push to stabilise economic ties. and meta has launched its new competitor to twitter, threads. welcome to our show. us treasury secretary janet yellen has left for beijing, a trip which will test the biden administration's ability to cool relations with the superpower. earlier, my colleague monica miller gave me a preview of the visit. we can expect a less confrontational tone compared to the relationship between the defence ministers which has soured. janet yellen is seen by some as maybe the good cop in this situation, to dial down the tensions between these two countries. over at the g7 injapan a couple of months ago, they changed their language

from decouple from de—risk the situation, which is trying to set the tone that they are not going to part ways from china, but rather work with them, just put some of their supply chain issues in some different countries. but in a recent speech about us—chinese relations atjohns hopkins university at baltimore, maryland, she had said that a full separation of the economies would be disastrous for both countries and it would be destabilising for the rest of the world. and, monica, just before this trip, we saw the chinese government restrict exports on two key materials that are important for manufacturing semiconductors, and hong kong's independent newspaper said this is going to be a bargaining chip during negotiations with yellen. so what is china looking to get here? the timing of this wasn't lost on the us. china sent a not—so—subtle message to america that they are holding the cards when it

comes to some of these materials that are needed to make semiconductors, as well as solar panels, electric cars, all the things that are really on the cusp and in our lives currently. but also on the cusp of what's to come down the pipeline in terms of economics and goods that we're all going to be able to use. so going into this, they're hitting hard, and also, there was a analyst that was saying to the chinese government that this is only just one tool in their toolbox that they're willing to use to fight back against the us. now, what the us did is they also put special requirements — there is a licence that companies have to do in order to do business with certain chinese companies, and this is really based around some of the semiconductors that are used for military equipment, but also, you know, some of the things that are seen as special with intellectual property. so this is now a tit—for—tat in terms of technology. under the trump administration,

we saw a tit—for—tat for tariffs, now we're seeing a tit—for—tat in regards to technology and semiconductors. 0k, ok, this will be an interesting visit for us to watch. monica, thank you so much. we have developing news out of ukraine where at least four people have been injured in an overnight missile attack on the ukrainian town of lviv. that is according to the regional governor. it comes as the un's nuclear watchdog says its inspectors need greater access to the russian—occupied zaporizhzhia plant. they want to make sure explosives have not been planted there. earlier, i spoke to liana fix, a fellow for europe at the council on foreign relations. it is great to see you again. experts say they don't yet have any indication that there are minds or explosives that the site. ukraine is blaming russia. russia is claiming the same back to ukraine. what do you make of what is happening? there is obviously a lot of concern that after

the explosion of the dam that we've seen a couple of weeks ago, russia might opt for another escalation, which will not be a real nuclear escalation, but something which would definitely scare the international community, which would scare ukraine if it were to happen. so the concern is justified, the caution is justified, and the international atomic energy agency is absolutely in the right position and the right actor to verify these claims and to make clear, in addition to western leaders who have been talking to russia and have also made clear that any provocation at the nuclear power plant would be inacceptable to prevent such a catastrophe. what about president zelensky here, who has said that there are explosive devices at this plant? if that turns out not to be true, does that damage his credibility, especially among his partners in the west? i don't think it would necessarily damage his credibility because he obviously has to look out for all kinds of provocations from the russian side, obviously his intelligence

services are constantly looking for these kind of catastrophes that could happen, so at the moment, it is seen as caution, perhaps, from the ukrainian side, as a lot of concern but it is certainly not seen as something where president zelensky tries to present a case for, let's say, western involvement or any kind of further western action in this war, so it is rather seen as ukraine — fear in ukraine, and ukrainian precaution. i want to ask you something about president zelensky has said, he was speaking to cnn earlier, and he said that he told us and european leaders that he wanted to start the counteroffensive earlier and needed weapons for that. what do you make of that statement? did the west react too slowly for these requests for ammunitions and weapons? there is some truth to it because we have seen that the delivery,

for instance, of tanks which are so important, armoured vehicles in this counteroffensive, has taken really a long time, and until it is, the time frame from the decision which is made until the tanks and the armoured vehicles actually arrive in ukraine, that's exactly the time frame that has partly been missing this spring. so the leopard tanks arrived a couple of months later after the decision has been taken, they need to be trained, they need to be used and integrated by the ukrainian army, but at the same time, it was also the ukrainian army that was waiting for better conditions on the ground, it was waiting for the rain season to pass to start the counteroffensive. in the end, we really have to see how the counteroffensive develops in the next weeks. it's certainly too early to place blames on any side why the counteroffensive is not going as far and as fast as everyone would hope for. what do you think western allies can do in the immediate term to help boost this counteroffensive?

their discussion about further weapon deliveries to ukraine, their discussions about cluster munitions from here in washington, dc to be delivered ukraine, obviously, there are humanitarian concerns about that, but there are thoughts how it can be made easier for ukraine to advance over this incredibly difficult territory that they have to recapture, and russia had in contrast to last year, russia had really months to prepare the territory, to mine the territory. they still have helicopters, which are really a big challenge for the ukrainian army at the moment, so it is an incredibly difficult task and the west will certainly try to do everything to help ukraine with that, but, for instance, the promised f—16fighterjets will not arrive in time for the counteroffensive, they will arrive only perhaps at the end of the year so there is really not that much that the west can do right now. and a quick final question —

we talked about the fact that ukraine is looking for security guarantees at this big nato summit taking place next week. are you seeing any signals that we could see nato membership on the cards for ukraine? no, we don't see these kind of signals. we do see that there will be commitments made to ukraine, that there will be commitments for long—term and formalised support of the ukrainian army, basically saying, well, the ukrainian army, with western equipment is the best security guarantee ukraine has, but we have no consensus on a nato perspective for ukraine, which would probably not be the case during the war, and while fighting still takes place, that those who are in favour argue why don't we give this perspective now for after the war. but it doesn't seem to be the case that there is a consensus, both here at the united states and especially germany are against such a step. great to speak to you. thank you. great to speak to you. thank ou. . ~' great to speak to you. thank ou. . ~ , ., thousands of mourners

are returning to widespread destruction injenin refugee camp after israel's two—day military operation there. funerals for the 12 palestinians who died are now beginning amongst the wreckage. an israeli soldier was also killed. our international editor jeremy bowen sent in this report from jenin. with the israelis gone, the palestinians ofjenin were able to bury their dead. they processed out of the refugee camp and, on a finaljourney, passed the homes of the dead men and around their town. israel says it has closed thejenin terrorism factory. but armed men from the militias that control the camp were everywhere. in 48 hours, israeli forces did a lot of damage in what they call a successful operation to find and destroy weapons. but someone's livelihood will have disappeared along with that van. and smashing the refugee camp's infrastructure, electricity, as well as water, alarmed the un.

it looks more like collective punishment. "there is no solution," said aymen al saadi. "not until we get back what we lost in 1948. "we are refugees here. our lands are there." he means in israel. in the camps are descendants of palestinians who fled or were forced out of what became israel in 1948. mourners brought the bodies back to the camp to be buried. palestinian leaders say their people have a right to defend themselves. israel says the palestinian armed men here firing into the air to salute their dead are cowards, terrorists and the tools of iran. this is about sending a very powerful message that, despite everything

that's happened, they're not beaten, they're still here. in fact, their belief, they are victorious. the conflict sucks in the generations and suffocates hope. at the cemetery, men got into the graves to lay them to rest. israel says this is no longer a protected place for terrorists. palestinian leaders say there are no terrorists here. the poorand angry injenin camp have a deeply rooted culture of resistance to israeli occupation of land palestinians want for a state. israel's military hails its two days injenin as a professional, highly effective operation, but the key to a better future lies in politics and diplomacy, not anyone's bombs and bullets.

around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. bbc news. bringing you different stories from across the uk. tuesday morning and the streets are packed with cars and vans parked on the pavements. in day just adds to the problem. it is almost impossible _ just adds to the problem. it 3 almost impossible to navigate and it is unfair... almost impossible to navigate and it is unfair. . ._ and it is unfair... doey lives nearby- _ and it is unfair... doey lives nearby- she _ and it is unfair... doey lives nearby. she walks - and it is unfair... doey lives nearby. she walks and - and it is unfair... doey lives| nearby. she walks and works and it is unfair... doey lives - nearby. she walks and works for a charity. nearby. she walks and works for a chari . ., , ., nearby. she walks and works for achari . ., ,., , a charity. two-thirds of people from our walking _ a charity. two-thirds of people from our walking and - a charity. two-thirds of people from our walking and cycling i from our walking and cycling indexin from our walking and cycling index in bristol also support a parking permit. the index in bristol also support a parking permit.— index in bristol also support a parking permit. the problem is a payment _ parking permit. the problem is a payment parking _ parking permit. the problem is a payment parking is _ parking permit. the problem is a payment parking is a - parking permit. the problem is a payment parking is a bit - parking permit. the problem is a payment parking is a bit of i a payment parking is a bit of a grey area. while in london it is completely banned, giving a ticket, for example, to a car park like this here is a lot more subjective. later on we bump into a family struggling tojust take their bump into a family struggling to just take their newborn baby for a walk. to just take their newborn baby for a walk-—

for a walk. the ma'or concern, we cannot h for a walk. the ma'or concern, we cannot work. _ for a walk. the major concern, we cannot work. you - for a walk. the major concern, we cannot work. you can - for a walk. the major concern, we cannot work. you can see l we cannot work. you can see over there, _ we cannot work. you can see over there, the _ we cannot work. you can see over there, the white - we cannot work. you can see over there, the white van, i over there, the white van, there _ over there, the white van, there is_ over there, the white van, there is no space to walk with my baby _ for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're watching bbc news. for the past few months, cuba has been in the grips of a devastating fuel crisis. people have had to endure days—long lines for gasoline and widespread blackouts. now, cuba's leadership has turned to an old ally to help ease the crisis — russia. cuba reached new agreements with russian companies on everything from tourist infrastructure to much—needed crude oil. a little earlier, i spoke with our correspondent will grant, who recently returned from reporting inside cuba. great to have you on the show. how are people coping with this in cuba? they have been coping with this as best they can for quite some time now, notjust this crisis but the past decades, being pulled in one direction by government mismanagement, and then pulled on the other direction by the us economic embargo.

that is a huge strain on the economy and on the cuban people. when you put on top of that the downturn in the tourism sector because of the coronavirus, it really has become very, very bleak for people. so a lot of people are quite hopeful about the role in russia, and perhaps helping pull cuba out of its current situation, but to be honest, when the crisis hit fuel, as it has done recently, then they found that patience was being tested to its very limits. it's hard enough for cuban taxi driverjorge lloro to keep his soviet—era lada of the road. spare parts are scarce and expensive. but recently, even filling the tank turned into a days—long ordeal. over the past month, petrol shortages in cuba became so severe that, at their height, the queues at petrol pumps stretched for several city blocks. thousands of waiting customers were organised into whatsapp groups. jorge is number 426, and he's just been told

it's his turn. but at the petrol station, the tanker hasn't arrived, and nobody knows when it's due, much to the drivers�* frustration. translation: the system | is inefficient and ineffective. we're not allowed to fill a full tank. people are not informed. it lacks proper organisation and infrastructure. if the latest challenge for cuba has been in fuel, then the queues at the petrol pumps must be set into context of other major challenges the island has faced in recent years — in food security, inflation, and electricity provision. it must feel to the beleaguered cuban people like the country simply lurches from crisis to crisis, forcing out an entire generation of young people from the worst economic conditions since the 1990s. the root of cuba's problems is a potent combination of government mismanagement, global economic downturn, and the decades—long us embargo. to alleviate the situation, the cuban state recently signed

new accords with russian businesses, in sectors from tourism and agriculture to energy. the islands leadership hopes russia can provide part of the crude oil, which socialist ally venezuela can no longer afford. amid the war in ukraine, though, some economists see closer russian ties as only a short—term fix. translation: while we are putting out fires on several. fronts, russia is coming to shore up that unstable situation. the problem lies in the medium—term, because these are not soviet companies giving out government credits, but private russian firms that will demand a return on their investment. after a sweltering day of waiting, jorge was able to fill up his tank. his lada goes on a little longer. like these classic cars, the cuban revolution also dates to the 1950s, but both are now running on fumes,

struggling to maintain momentum, without a significant overhaul in the years ahead. the question on many cubans' lips are whether these agreements with russia will be enough, will they make a difference to the economic state of the island at the moment? and in a sense i think the answer is that they could. as we heard a contributor there in the piece say, in the short term, it makes sense that you are putting out fires, you have to deal with that, but of course i think cuba really still needs the backing of its socialist ally, venezuela, who has its obvious own economic difficulties, and they are looking the other partners too, like in the southern cone, the return of president lula in brazil offers a possibility, mexico, but perhaps russia is the obvious major partner, even at this very, very sensitive time of the war in ukraine. so what do you think russia is looking for in return here? that's the thing. again, as our contributor said in that piece, this isn't

like 1982 or 1976, where they can afford to simply have a satellite nation 99 miles off the coast of the united states and needle the us via cuba constantly, by fidel castro, but these companies will want to see some return on their ruble. they are going to want to see money back for everything they are putting in, whether or not that is in sugar, rum or the major industries stilljust about taking over on the island. quick last question, what about where cuba stands on the war in ukraine? they have been one of the vocal backers, as you can imagine, and i think the kremlin is very grateful for that. they look at three nations really, venezuela, nicaragua and cuba, and as we heard, the armed forces minister, the head of the military basically saying, the defence

minister, i should say in russia, saying that cuba remains their most important ally in the region. now to the race for the republican presidential nomination. meanwhile, former president donald trump nearly doubled his fundraising in the second quarter of 2023, raking in more than $35 million in cash. with me now as rubber kostova. great to see you. we want to take chekhov where things stand right now in the gop race. we have seen photos of ron desantis in his parade. the former president is taking shots at ron desantis saying he has no support and his parades are as weak as his supporters at the moment. what has ron desantis�* response been? he is showing up on new new hampshire.

he is under pressure to show he has a political coalition in that first in the nation primary state. the republican race at this early stage remain so crowded in iowa. so many conservative contenders vying for the support of religious conservatives in the midwest. new hampshire with its more libertarian streak remains a better playing field for ron desantis, based on my conversations with his allies and campaign organisers. he will want to be theirjuly four, and he will be there again because if he can have a strong trend so, they could give him a boost going to south carolina on tuesday. how is he taking the criticisms from the former president? he's mostly ignoring them, but he is a time is going on conservative news outlets and speaking to conservative

news personalities and talking through his positions. he has stood by his positions on issues such as transgender rights, his conservative position on gay rights, how he has handled the issues in florida. he believes donald trump is vulnerable on the right with some conservative voters but hasn't generated huge traction with his right wing attack on donald trump. most republican voters i have encountered on the trail say that trump is conservative enough of them. that is an interesting point because we look at the strategies here ron desantis�* team last week released a video challenging donald trump's history on lgbt issues. but we have a poll here from desantis and donald trump is still the leader by some way. a poll here from echelon insights. desantis still trailing far behind at i6%. do you think we will see the desantis team change strategy if that is not working? it is hard to change

strategy if you don't have an to go face—to—face with your main rival. if donald trump doesn't show up at the first debate in milwaukee, wisconsin, in august, and ron desantis doesn't have the opportunity to have a foil on stage. by coming at donald trump from the right on issues such as the vaccine and how that was handled by the federal government, mandates, how donald trump handled his work with anthony fauci, desantis believes he can win over some conservatives. when you talk to some major donors and strategies, they say that by doing this as a strategy, desantis, should he become the nominee, it may be making himself vulnerable with some voters who might be turned off by this. at this point he also doesn't want a day—to—day muddy political fight with donald trump because that has its own political cost. what is what is in it for donald trump? to avoid debating the other candidates. he has really sucked the political oxygen out of this race

according to his campaign organisers. and even if he has this huge global political reputation and is a major figure, he is elevating that by even being in the same room as his opponents. with donald trump, you can never really rule him out from appearing at the debate until the day of the debate because he is always somebody who is putting his finger up and listening to his advisers, trying to see where the political winds are moving. if he feels he needs to be there, he would not rule it out. he could surprise us, certainly. he is still facing several legal troubles and there was a new ruling on the mar—a—lago warrant today with the judge ordering that more be unsealed from the affidavit. many news organisations have been pushing for more information to be made public and as

a reporter i am of the belief that sunshine is the best disinfection, whether it is dealt with donald trump's investigations or any investigation, the public and reporters deserve to know as know as much possible, as much as is feasible about what the federal government has learned through these warrants and what they are searching for in the course of an investigation, because the person they are investigating is running for federal office. it is in the public interest. but we're learning minimal things about how donald trump store different documents at mar—a—lago, his florida estate. because it is an ongoing investigation, when you pick up what thejudge has issued, you see many black strips of colour, blocking out a lot of things, a lot of redactions. so we haven't had that much. a quick last question. are these indictments. georgia will he be indicted in georgia will he be indicted in georgia and in the january sex investigation could be moving towards an indictment on the federal level. the trump campaign are looking forward to those moments if you have three orfour those moments if you have three or four indictments as a

candidate not a situation as popular as donald trump may be. always great to have you on the programme. instagram parent company meta launched its new app called threads, which appears to be a direct rival to twitter. meta describes the app as a text—based conversation app where communities come together. the new app is the latest chapter in the rivalry between facebook boss mark zuckerberg and twitter owner elon musk. zuckerberg announced that threads surpassed over 2 million sign—ups its first two hours. stay with us here on bbc news. that's all from us here in washington. we leave you with these live pictures of london as we hand off to our colleagues there. they will be taking over at the top of the hour. thank you for watching bbc news.

hello. our fairly unsettled spell ofjuly weather is set to continue through the remainder of the week, really, and we're going to be seeing temperatures gradually on the rise over the next few days. but through thursday, some sunshine in the forecast, particularly so towards the east, but also a bit of rain, mainly across the north—west of the uk, down to the fact that we've got this area of low pressure approaching from the atlantic, whereas high pressure across the continent is dominating things further south and east. so for thursday, fairly fresh start to the day. the best of the sunshine will be for eastern scotland, eastern and southern parts of england and into wales, but cumulus cloud builds through the day and that willjust bring the odd shower, mainly in the north and the west of the british isles. more persistent rain arrives across northern ireland during the afternoon. it'll be windy here, with gusts about a0 mph, and temperatures 15 to 22 degrees. don't think we'll see any interruptions at wimbledon today due to the weather, but just a very small chance of a shower in the afternoon as that cloud builds. next few days at wimbledon, hot and humid on friday, thunderstorms and showers

possible for saturday and for sunday. now back to thursday, in the afternoon and the evening, that area of rain drifts out of northern ireland across parts of scotland, becoming fairly light and patchy overnight, but across england and wales, quite a warm, humid night. temperatures certainly remaining in double figures overnight. so not quite as fresh, compared to wednesday night. but what we're going to see on friday as this area of low pressure, this frontal system drifts its way northwards, it'll open the doors for this warm and moist flow coming in from the south. so a hot, humid—feeling day for some of us on friday, especially so across england and wales. a bit more cloud and showery rain at times for scotland and northern ireland, with a bit of a breeze blowing, too, but for the warmest spots, we're likely to see 28 or 29 degrees on friday, typically the low—20s, further north. now heading on into the weekend, we've got that warm, moist, humid air with us, and then low pressure again moving in from the atlantic, so the combination of those two things means we could see some very lively weather on saturday.

some thunderstorms possible almost anywhere where you see these heavy showers and that hot, humid air. fresher airjust returning from the west, later in the day. a bit of uncertainty about the timing, location of some of those showers, still quite warm ahead of them, with temperatures again in the mid—20s. so a brief spell of heat, i think, friday into saturday, but some thunderstorms through the weekend and they're going to continue the unsettled trend into next week. bye— bye.