live from washington, this is bbc news. the heavy—hitters get ready to take the pitch at the women's world cup. the usa takes on vietnam this hour. lebanon's economy is in crisis. we hear from the outgoing central bank governor, plus one man who robbed a bank to get his own money. # i left my heart... and singing legend tony bennett has died at the age of 96. i'm helena humphrey, glad you could join me. the women's world cup is heading into day three in australia and new zealand.

team usa is taking on vietnam in group e. and euro 20—22 winners england and asian cup holders china also begin their world cup campaigns later saturday. those matches come after a busy day two, with spain looking strong against costa rica, winning 3-0. elsewhere, switzerland knocked off newcomers the philippines. and canada limped to a draw with nigeria. live now to katie silver, who's in sydney for us. great to see you. the usa and vietnam kicking off pretty shortly. a lot of excitement there. what are you expecting? absolutely. it is imminent here. we heard the us anthem, the players are currently taking the pitch, and the vibes here are incredible. there is a lot of spirit, a lot of excitement, the game that many have been waiting for. the us of the reigning champions, going for a three on the road victory, something that one of the star players, megan ruffino, announcing it is her last world cup, something she wanted to achieve. who better

to speak to about this than some fans? —— megan rapinoe. we have four sisters from raleigh, north carolina, italia, alessia, venezia, and olivia. you have travelled from north carolina for this world cup. how does it feel? good. i'm really— how does it feel? good. i'm really excited. i've been waiting _ really excited. i've been waiting a lot for this. you went to _ waiting a lot for this. you went to the _ waiting a lot for this. you went to the matildas - waiting a lot for this. gm. went to the matildas gave the other night here in sydney at was another game was to go what did you make of it? it was another game was to go what did you make of it?— did you make of it? it was a really fun — did you make of it? it was a really fun experience - did you make of it? it was a really fun experience and i did you make of it? it was a | really fun experience and we were — really fun experience and we were all_ really fun experience and we were all cheering without teammates and stuff. your play soccer, teammates and stuff. your play soccer. what — teammates and stuff. your play soccer, what positions - teammates and stuff. your play soccer, what positions you - soccer, what positions you play? m3 soccer, what positions you -la ? soccer, what positions you play?- ip _ soccer, what positions you play?- ip striker. i soccer, what positions you play?- ip striker.- soccer, what positions you play?- ip striker. play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten. i play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten- i play — play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten- i play ten. _ play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten. i play ten, two. - play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten. i play ten, two. do - play? ip ten. ip striker. i pay ten. i play ten, two. do you. ten. i play ten, two. do you -la ? ten. i play ten, two. do you play? not— ten. i play ten, two. do you play? not since _ ten. i play ten, two. do you play? not since eighth - ten. i play ten, two. do you l play? not since eighth grade. these were — play? not since eighth grade. these were but _ play? not since eighth grade. these were but you _ play? not since eighth grade. these were but you have - play? not since eighth grade. i these were but you have almost a full _ these were but you have almost a full timber soccer players, and — a full timber soccer players, and you _ a full timber soccer players, and you have been playing friendlies here as well. what does it mean _ friendlies here as well. what does it mean to _ friendlies here as well. what does it mean to see - friendlies here as well. what does it mean to see the - friendlies here as well. what i does it mean to see the women compete like this in the international stage ms may you

amazed? it international stage ms may you amazed? , , , ., amazed? it is super fun and kind of like _ amazed? it is super fun and kind of like inspiring - amazed? it is super fun and kind of like inspiring to - amazed? it is super fun and l kind of like inspiring to watch them — kind of like inspiring to watch them it_ kind of like inspiring to watch them. it makes you want to play like them — them. it makes you want to play like them to.— like them to. very, very - they actually - _ like them to. very, very - they actually - we — like them to. very, very - they actually - we can _ like them to. very, very - they actually - we can watch - like them to. very, very - they actually - we can watch them l actually — we can watch them and _ actually — we can watch them and get — actually — we can watch them and get tour— actually — we can watch them and get tour lry— actually — we can watch them and get tour by then - actually — we can watch them and get tour by then just - and get tour by then just watching _ and get tour by then 'ust watchingfi and get tour by then 'ust watching. and get tour by then 'ust watchinu. ~ ., ., , watching. what have you been learnin: watching. what have you been learning from _ watching. what have you been learning from them? - watching. what have you been learning from them? some . watching. what have you been learning from them? some of| watching. what have you been i learning from them? some of the moves they _ learning from them? some of the moves they make _ learning from them? some of the moves they make and _ learning from them? some of the moves they make and they - learning from them? some of the moves they make and they can i moves they make and they can beat _ moves they make and they can beat other people with their moves _ beat other people with their moves. ., , , , , moves. how inspiring. is this what you— moves. how inspiring. is this what you have _ moves. how inspiring. is this what you have brought - moves. how inspiring. is this| what you have brought them, sharon, to cedars like this? it sharon, to cedars like this? it is so important tojust see these _ is so important tojust see these women being able the professional level and compete at such— professional level and compete at such a — professional level and compete at such a high level. it is what _ at such a high level. it is what they are all aspire to. we should let _ what they are all aspire to. - should let you go because the game is about to start. if you are going to be cheering is there any specific chair you are likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! _ are likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! amazing. - are likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! amazing. i- are likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! amazing. i will. are likely to be using? yes, - usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise _ usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise that _ usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise that one. _ usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise that one. they - usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise that one. they are l to practise that one. they are all aspire to. we should let

you go because the game is about to start. if you are going to be cheering is there any specific chair you are likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! amazing. iwill likely to be using? yes, usa! usa! amazing. i will have to practise that one. thank you jamie. this is under way right now. might some future team usa soccer stars just there.— soccer stars 'ust there. before ou no, soccer stars just there. before you go. your _ soccer stars just there. before you go. your eyes _ soccer stars just there. before you go, your eyes on? - soccer stars just there. before you go, your eyes on? any - soccer stars just there. before i you go, your eyes on? any other names, you go, your eyes on? any other games, helena, _ you go, your eyes on? any other games, helena, or— you go, your eyes on? any other games, helena, or teams? - you go, your eyes on? any other games, helena, or teams? anyl games, helena, or teams? any other games — games, helena, or teams? any other games you _ games, helena, or teams? any other games you will _ games, helena, orteams? any other games you will be watching closely?- other games you will be watching closely? later today we have england _ watching closely? later today we have england playing - watching closely? later today | we have england playing haiti, england expected to see the us in the final, so that is without a doubt something everyone will be watching. in a way both games are seen as something of a david versus goliath battle and the question is how is team usa going to compete against that dumb here, and how england is going to play against haiti.—

and how england is going to play against haiti. those are some games _ play against haiti. those are some games i'll— play against haiti. those are some games i'll be - play against haiti. those are some games i'll be watching play against haiti. those are i some games i'll be watching as well. i'm notjealous at all, katie. thank you so much and enjoy every moment. as sport fans keep their eyes on the world cup, much of the rest of the world is seeking a break from the latest run of extreme weather. from the wildfires in southern europe to record temperatures in the us and parts of asia, it's been a wild week for the world's climate. we have a series of reports now from our correspondents on three continents, starting right here in washington. i'm carl nasman in washington, dc. and this heatwave has been hitting the united states for several weeks now. around a third of the country has been dealing with dangerously high temperatures. we've seen cities breaking their all—time records in various different parts of the country. but one city in particular, phoenix, arizona, really shows not just how hot it has been, but how long it has been lasting. it set a record with at least 2! days above 110

fahrenheit — or 43 celsius. it hasn't only been hot on land but at sea. the waters around florida at some point in the mid—90s fahrenheit — that's around the temperature of your bathtub. some experts worry could be harming wildlife and damaging coral reefs as well. scientists have been saying that these heat waves are fuelled at least in part by climate change, becoming more frequent and more intense — and this heatwave is not done yet. we're expecting more triple—digit temperatures in the coming days and record highs. i'm azadeh moshiri in athens, the greek capital. the government has warmed that the hot times are not over

yet. many of the archaeological sites have decided to shot —— shut operations, including the acropolis behind me. it will be shut every day from noon until 5:30pm, until temperatures dissipate. countries in southern europe will experience the same thing. spain, italy, greece, all these letters have been given weather alerts. that means that southern europe is now feeling the real effects of climate change, which makes extreme weather more frequent and more severe. i'm jean mackenzie in seoul. and this week in asia we've had to contendj with various weather extremes, from record heat in china - to flash floods - here in south korea. last saturday, 14 people were tragically killed - in their cars when a i major underpass was suddenly flooded. south korea is in the| midst of its monsoon season, but already this year it's received more. than the total- amount of expected rainfall. china, india, and japan have also experiencedl torrential rain, with millionsl of people affected by floods, landslides, and power outages. south—eastern china _ was battered by a typhoon that saw nearly a quarter of a million - people displaced i from their homes.

while in the northeast of the country, china, | on monday, recorded its hottest temperature ever, 52.2 degreesj celsius. this is the most - populated continent in the world, home to i about 4.4 billion people. it makes it more - vulnerable to the effects of climate change. this extreme weather. events can cause water shortages, crop failures, | and help spread disease. well, it's been an eventful week for diplomacy around the world as well, with two major stories breaking through. first, tensions have escalated between north korea and the us after an american soldier crossed the border from the south. and second, the ongoing fallout after russia backed out of the black sea grain deal. let's start in north korea, and us secretary of state antony blinken says he has no further updates on the condition of us solider private travis king, but added that there are concerns. private king remains in custody in north korea. national security council spokespersonjohn kirby defended the deployment of a us nuclear submarine

to south korea, telling cnn that the us has to: meanwhile, russia has continued to pound ukrainian grain silos for a fourth straight day, causing wheat prices to skyrocket. russia's defence ministry also says its black sea fleet has practised firing rockets at surface targets in a live fire exercise. earlier, my colleague sumi somaskanda spoke with the pentagon's deputy press secretary sabrina singh about all of this, starting with north korea. sabrina, it's great to have you back on the show. i want to start with north korea escalating its rhetoric on nuclear weapons, saying that the deployment of a us nuclear capable submarine to south korea is a provocation that could meet its criteria for its own use of nuclear weapons.

and according to the state run news agency, the defence minister said they would be use "in case nuclear attack is launched against it or is it is judged that the use of nuclear weapons against it is imminent"? what's your response to that? well, thanks again for having me on today. really appreciate the opportunity to be with you. look, we do not seek conflict with the dprk. our alliance with the republic of korea is defensive in nature. and the arrival of this submarine that you mentioned is part of the washington declaration that the president discussed when president came to visit the united states just earlier this year. this is about deepening our military cooperation. again, we don't seek conflict. this is about our military strength together with the republic of korea and a commitment that we said that this submarine would, in fact, visit this port. yet we are seeing this rhetoric, these threats from north korea. do you think this is an attempt

to get concessions from the us, from south korea, on its nuclear programme, or do you think these are serious threats? well, it's hard to get in the mind of what north korea is thinking. all i can really say is speak for is our representation and our partnership with south korea. again, this is an iron—clad relationship, an iron—clad alliance that is defensive in nature. it is really the north koreans who continue to fire off ballistic missiles, conducting these tests that are in violation of international law that we are concerned about. but again, we don't seek provocation with them. this is something that was announced back earlier this year, and part of the washington declaration. and so, again, this isjust part of our military alliance with south korea. sabrina, i also want to ask you about the us soldier who is currently being held in north korea. the defence department has tried to contact the north koreans, has had, as you've said, no success.

to get more information on his whereabouts and how he's doing, there's been no response. are you worried about private king's well being? unfortunately, sumi, that's correct. we have reached out at all levels of levels of government. this is a complete inter—agency effort from here at the department of defence to the state department and the nsc, working to pull all levels of government to bring private king home. at the end of the day, that is our main priority. but of course, it is concerning, but it's not surprising. we do not have a military relationship with the dprk. so our engagements are really through other countries such as sweden. we have the united nations command that also serves as our liaison with the dprk. but again, we do not know how private king is doing, and that's our main concern. we know that his family must be under an incredible amount of stress, missing him, wanting him returned home.

that's exactly what we want. and so we're going to keep working to bring him home safely and securely. but unfortunately, we have not heard from the north koreans on this issue. sabrina, i want to ask you about ukraine as well, because we've seen russia hit food exports facilities for fourth straight day, also practice navy drills in the black sea. and this comes, as we know, after russia allowed this international deal to create a safe passage for transporting grain to expire. would the department of defence support, for example, a nato's or a un mission to escort these ships? or would that raise the risk too much of a direct confrontation with russia? well, as you mentioned, we don't see conflict or confrontation with russia. our priority right now is making sure we get ukraine, what it needs in defending itself and its sovereign territory, which comes in our security assistance packages. i don't want to get ahead or speculate of what could be done or what security assurances could be taken by nato's allies or other partner countries. what i can say is that it's incredibly irresponsible that russia withdrew from this grain deal at the expense of millions of people around the world, africa and latin america and other countries

that are food insecure. we've already seen the price of this wheat grain has skyrocketed. and so what we have urged publicly, and we'll do so privately as well, is to return to the grain deal. russia should return to the grain deal. this is, again, we're seeing vladimir putin take the side of continuing his unjust, unjustified, unprovoked war at the expense of really creating a food crisis around the world. and sabrina, one more question about the battlefield itself. we have seen the ukrainians say themselves that the counteroffensive that they've launched is not going as fast as they had desired. is the pentagon confident that ukraine can be successful in this counter—offensive? well, again, you've heard the ukrainians speak to their counter offensive operations. and while it is slow progress, there is still progress being made. we know that these minefields in front of them right now that russia has laid are a real obstacle. but we are confident in the security assistance that notjust we, the united states, but partners and allies around the world that have provided

this assistance to ukraine. we are confident in their combat power and them being able to be successful in this counteroffensive. sabrina, great to speak with you again. thank you. inside russia, a prominent pro—war blogger and critic of president vladimir putin was taken into custody on charges of inciting extremism. igor girkin, who also goes by the last name strelkov, is a russian nationalist and former military commander. he's publicly accused putin of not pursuing the war in ukraine harshly or effectively enough. our russia editor steve rosenberg has more. so let me paint a little the picture of igor girkin. he is a pro—war nationalist, a former officer of the fsb, russia's domestic security service, who has become a prominent blogger. he has been vocal in his criticism of how the russian authorities have been waging war in ukraine. and, more recently, vocal in his criticism of the russian president.

he recently described vladimir putin as a non—entity and a cowardly waste of space. so, earliertoday, knock on the door, law enforcement officers arrive, "come with us please", mr igor girkin was arrested on extremism charges. he was brought to court, he told thejudge he has heart problems and requested house arrest but in the end the judge remanded him in custody of police until 18 september. he faces up to five years in prison. a little bit more about him. in 2014, igor girkin was also known as igor strelkov, was a key figure in the fighting that erupted in ukraine's donbas region. that conflict was basically orchestrated and engineered by russia. his role there was to organise and to command pro—russian militias.

last year, he was committed in absentia by a court in hague for his role in the shooting down of the malaysian airlines flight mhi7 over eastern ukraine in 2014. since russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine last year, we have seen literally thousands of russians being detained for expression anti—war views. with igor girkin's arrest, it is sign that the kremlin is losing patience with some of its most vocal supporters of the war. people like igor girkin who are accusing the authorities of not doing enough to secure russia's victory on the battlefield. writer editor steve rosenberg there. —— russian. lebanon's central bank governor is about to step down from after 30 years on the job. he leaves behind an economy in a state of collapse and a population struggling to make ends meet. some people have resorted to robbing banks just to get access to their own money. anna foster reports now from beirut. a bottle of acid. omar is

holding up his bank to get his own money back. since the financial crisis began here, people's money has been hugely devalued and hard to access. he lives with his cash to pay for the next surgery doctors say he urgently needs. without it he could be left paralysed. what about the people who work in the bank, did you think about them? because this isn't their fault and that must�*ve been really frightening moment for them. translation: , ., ~ , translation: they are like my sisters and _ translation: they are like my sisters and brothers. _ translation: they are like my sisters and brothers. and - translation: they are like my sisters and brothers. and they l sisters and brothers. and they apologised to them now. they never intended to harm any of them, but i also was for them to understand my situation and where i'm coming from.- where i'm coming from. omar isn't the first _ where i'm coming from. omar isn't the first in _ where i'm coming from. omar isn't the first in lebanon - where i'm coming from. omar isn't the first in lebanon to i isn't the first in lebanon to hold up a bank to withdraw his savings. unicef says nearly nine in ten households can't

afford basic essentials. lebanon's economy is in a dire state. its currency has lost 98% of its value. some of the blame for that has been levelled at its long—standing governor, riad salameh, as he prepares to stand down after 30 years he is being investigated ijy years he is being investigated by at least seven countries for embezzlement and illicit enrichment. as claimed he lauded more than $300 million. to have the governor of a central bank being suspected by european prosecutors of belonging to a criminal organisation, that's a first. when we sat down for a rare interview at the back i asked mr salameh about these accusations. i’d mr salameh about these accusations.— mr salameh about these accusations. �* , . , accusations. i'd deny all these suspicions- — accusations. i'd deny all these suspicions. why _ accusations. i'd deny all these suspicions. why didn't - accusations. i'd deny all these suspicions. why didn't you - accusations. i'd deny all these suspicions. why didn't you go | suspicions. why didn't you go to be questioned _ suspicions. why didn't you go to be questioned when - suspicions. why didn't you go to be questioned when you i suspicions. why didn't you go i to be questioned when you were called? because if you are being transparent and if there is no way to to these allegations why don't you fully co—operate with the investigation? i co-operate with the investigation?- co-operate with the investiuation? . . all investigation? i am attending all the interrogation - investigation? i am attending

all the interrogation that - investigation? i am attending all the interrogation that i - all the interrogation that i have to attend in lebanon. so, first, let us decide if there is a crime in lebanon and then that this crime will have repercussions in the country where i invested money. fire repercussions in the country where i invested money. are you coin: where i invested money. are you auoin to where i invested money. are you going to france _ where i invested money. are you going to france to _ where i invested money. are you going to france to be _ going to france to be questioned?- going to france to be questioned? going to france to be cuestioned? ~ ., , questioned? when i am duly notified i _ questioned? when i am duly notified i will— questioned? when i am duly notified i will go _ questioned? when i am duly notified i will go to - questioned? when i am duly notified i will go to france. l notified i will go to france. please give us a date for us to come. ~ ~ ., come. whether mr salameh will ever appear _ come. whether mr salameh will ever appear for _ come. whether mr salameh will ever appear for questioning - come. whether mr salameh will ever appear for questioning in i ever appear for questioning in france remains to be seen, but his departure from the top job won't mark an end to lebanon's economic crisis. with no clear successor and no solution in sight, public angertowards successor and no solution in sight, public anger towards the banks will only keep growing. anna foster, bbc news. us presidentjoe biden on friday nominated admiral lisa franchetti to lead the us navy, which would make her the first woman to serve as a member of the military�*s joint chiefs of staff if she is confirmed. franchetti's nomination

willjoin the list of hundreds of military appointments being held up by republican senator tommy tuberville, who is blocking military nominations due to the pentagon's policy concerning abortion. campaigning is wrapping up in spain ahead of its general election this sunday. the incumbent prime minister, pedro sanchez, has been trailing in the polls, and called the snap election in hopes of wrong—footing his centre—right opponents. but as guy hedgecoe reports, mr sanchez is still the underdog. as spain's election campaign comes to an end its the conservatives of the people's party led by alberto nunez feijoo who are the favourites to win sunday's election ahead of the socialists of prime minister pedro sanchez. however, is not necessarily the winner of this election will go on to form a new government. the really key issue here is whether the parties on the left overall will be able to form a

majority in congress or whether the parties on the right overall will be able to do that and that will decide who forms the next government. this has been an extremely acrimonious campaign. issues that you would normally expect to see talked about, like the economy, really haven't figured very much. instead we've seen, for example, the opposition constantly attacking prime minister pedro sanchez over his parliamentary alliances, which have included basque and catalan nationalists. now the opposition say those alliances undermine spain's territorial unity. mr sanchez and his left—wing allies have hit back ijy left—wing allies have hit back by attacking the people's party and saying that the people's party is planning to form a right—wing coalition with the far right vox party after this election and that is a coalition that would undermine, that would erode many of spain's most basic social rights. guy hedgecoe reporting there.

the world has lost one of the most iconic voices of the past century. tony bennett has died at the age of 96. with a career spanning seven decades, the jazz crooner won hearts around the globe for his take on the classics, and his high—profile collaborations. david sillito has more. # i left my heart in san francisco... # cheering tony bennett, suave, charming, elegant. # san francisco... # in the world ofjazz and the great american song book, he was a master, the last of the greats from his generation. but making it look this effortless took years of hard work. we used to do seven to ten shows a day in the old days. if you had a hit recording, you would play the paramount

theatre, let's say, and you would start at 10:00 in the morning and leave the theatre at 10:00 at night. # where gigolo and gigolette # can take a kiss without regret... # but it turned the man born anthony dominick benedetto into a star, who was also an accomplished painter, a campaigner for civil rights. # oh, the good life, full of fun # seems to be the ideal... # and for his friends and many friends it's the end of an era. among them the son of the bbc�*s benny green, who championed him in the uk. i remember as a kid being sat at tables listening to tony and my father talking about music and art and culture and politics and everything in between, he was a magnificent flag waver for equal rights and equality, and he fought racism. # you've got me flying high and wide... # there was a moment when he wondered if he was going out of fashion,

but then a new generation began to call. christina aguilera... amy winehouse... # myself to you... # lady gaga... # and good's bad today... # and ijust said, i'd love to do an album with you someday. i'm making music with a legend. # when i come home to you... # and so there he was in his 80s, playing to some of the biggest crowds of his career. there have been many tributes today, but perhaps we only need to mention one, from another singer, a certain frank sinatra, who once said, "for my money, tony bennett "is the best singer in the business." tony bennett, who's died at the age of 96. you are watching bbc news. thanks for your company. more coming your way at the top of

the hour. goodbye for now. hello. it's going to be a wet one for many of us this weekend. in fact, it'll feel more like september, perhaps even early october, with the strength of the wind — really not a pleasant picture at all. the weather systems are lining up in the atlantic. here's the satellite picture. multiple weather fronts heading in our direction and that cloud has already spread across the uk. it has been raining and the rain will get heavier in some areas as we go through the morning and into saturday afternoon. now, over the next two or three days, we will have rather a lot of rain in some parts of the country where you see the deeper blue colours here, the darker blues. that's the rainfall accumulating to around 50 millimetres of rain or more, so about a month's worth of rainfall in a couple of days. so the forecast for the morning shows that rain across many parts of the country. the north of scotland, however, will have had clear skies and in fact, really chilly in the sheltered glens, maybe 4—5 degrees in rural spots, but for most of us, it's in the range of around 12—14.

so a lot of cloud in the morning. the winds will also be strengthening in southwestern parts of the country to near gale force along some coasts. notice that the north of scotland escapes the rain. in fact, for our friends in lerwick, we're anticipating mostly sunny skies, and indeed northern parts of mainland scotland also enjoying some sunshine. all the weather action will be way to the south. outbreaks of rain turning heavier in northern ireland, parts of wales and also the northwest of england. all of this does not bode well for the ashes. interruptions are likely, and it also is not ideal for golf either. the forecast, then, for sunday. the low pressure is still with us. it's in a process of moving away into the north sea. but this long weather front here, well, it's trying to pull away, but it's doing so at a glacial pace, so that does mean more rain to come, especially across parts of northern england and wales. now, come monday and tuesday, now, come monday and tuesday, that low is across scandinavia. that low is across scandinavia. the weather does tend the weather does tend to improve a little bit, to improve a little bit, but the air is generally coming in from the north atlantic, so that means that the temperatures will remain subdued

in the week ahead. and, actually, the weather outlook is still looking fairly unsettled with all of these shower symbols here in the outlook. wherever you are, have a good weekend.