as strong winds and a storm surge better the coastline. we bring you an exclusive report from quentin sommerville on ukraine's eastern front, as russian drones target ukrainian forces. there are vicious battles going on here in the east and the north. in the south, they're making progress bit by bit, but here in the east, it's russia that's advancing. tougher eu style equal pay protections will stay for women in the uk. hello, i'm nancy kacungira, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. we start in the united states. hurricane idalia claims his first death making landfall in florida are now a category one hurricane. still

bringing fierce winds and water searches. these are live pictures from clearwater in florida. all around the state there is flooding, one man died in the big bend region after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. some areas of the state are already seeing flooding, with knee—deep water covering roads and inundating towns. these are the latest pictures from jacksonville near to where the hurricane hit land. although the storm has continued to weaken the winds are around 90 mph. that is 150 kph. earlier florida governor ron desantis said 16 foot storm surges were expected in some areas. more than a quarter of a million people are without power. the hurricane is not crossing into southern georgia and we are expecting an update in the next hour from the authorities in florida. in a briefing just before the storm made landfall, florida governor ron desantis warned people against taking any risks.

you don't want to be messing around with these winds. there's going to be things flying all over the place. obviously, if you're in a place that's close to the coast and you see that surge, that's going to be a legitimate surge. it's going to be a big, big deal and it's going to be very, very dangerous. and there we go with our power here. we're back. sandra viktorova is a reporter at florida—based television station, wgcu , she gave me the latest.

the storm came in at keaton beach, which is in the big bend area along the west western side of florida, along the gulf of mexico. but certainly the damage that we're expecting to see is not just particularly in that area. i can tell you here in charlotte county, which is several hundred miles south of the actual storm, we're still feeling those outer bands. the expectation is, though, where the storm came in there is going to be substantial storm surge. they were predicting up to 15 feet of water into the early morning hours. we know that there's one confirmation on cedar key of water being as high as about seven feet, but they were essentially pleading with folks to get out of that area. it's an area that hasn't been hit by a storm in over 120 years. and so many of those folks obviously have had no experience with these strong storms. and the concern was about whether the homes and that those areas, structures in that area could withstand that, that high storm surge and the winds coming in. so what are florida residents thinking and feeling at this time and how are they dealing with the storms? as you said, some areas haven't really seen anything like this before. i willjust say that it's been frightening for folks all up and down the coast.

obviously, it's been not even a year since hurricane ian made impact, causing billions of dollars of damage. over 100, almost 150 deaths were attributed to that storm. i think that's very fresh in the memories of floridians, especially here in south—west florida. the concern was where exactly the storm was going to come onshore. people, quite honestly, frightened about where the storm was going to go. there are many folks in this area along the coast who still are dealing with damage to their homes. they haven't entirely had all the roofs repaired here. there's still a lot of damage to businesses. so folks are still repairing not just from hurricane irma, but there was also right after hurricane ian, there was hurricane nicole which impacted other parts of our state. folks really talking about ptsd and worried about what it would mean for them and really afraid and unsure about whether to leave, whether to stay. certainly, there's a lot of concern for the folks north of us and what the damage means. we still don't know. early, of course, we heard the governor asking people not to take any risks. looking at these pictures, you wouldn't want to be out in that. butjust how many people have been evacuated? do we have an idea?

it certainly isn't to the hundreds of thousands because it was over 20 plus counties that were being asked to evacuate, certainly along the gulf of mexico, all those folks on barrier islands or in low lying areas along the coast were being asked to evacuate. and the truth is, is even folks, i can tell you here in charlotte county and i'm several hundred miles south of where impact direct impact was made, we even have bridges closed because of the flooding that the storm has brought in. so this is a very widespread area that's being impacted by this storm. i think the biggest concern is, is i mentioned is that this is an area that really hasn't had experience with storms in over 120 years. and the truth is, emergency operations folks will tell you that, unfortunately, it often takes communities going through a storm to really understand the true impact and the danger of it. so the concern was whether or not folks really heeded the warnings to get out of the community because the concern was for loss

of life, quite honestly, because when you have predictions of up to ten feet of water or higher, that's a very difficult situation. and just they were honestly trying to convince folks, you don't have to go hundreds of miles away, simplyjust come further inland, find a shelter, just stay for the night, because it does make the difference between surviving a storm and not. sandra viktorova is a reporter at florida—based television station wgcu. we are expecting an official update on the storm. we are expecting florida governor ron desantis to speak from here. florida governor ron desantis to speakfrom here. this is in tallahassee. we will bring you an update as soon a c enters that room. earlier on he was urging people to stay inside saying, this thing is powerful and just hunker down until it gets past due. so we will expect to hear an update from him. for now

let's turn to the war in ukraine. because both ukraine and russia have launched a wave of air strikes against each other. the biggest air attack on ukraine's capital kyiv in months has killed two people. meanwhile, russia has also reported ukrainian drone attacks in six different regions, with military cargo planes damaged at an airport in pskov. the local governor said the military was repelling an attack. he uploaded video showing a large fire while an explosion could also be heard. all flights have since been cancelled as local officials investigate the scene. pskov is more than 600 kilometres — or about 370 miles — away from ukraine, close to the border with estonia. bbc verify�*s 0lga robinson has been taking a closer look at the footage from the attacks. it's been a night of aerial attacks, both in russia and ukraine. two security guards have been killed in a missile strike on ukraine's capital, kyiv. this image shows the aftermath of the attack that hit a shopping

centre in the east of the city. meanwhile, russia has seen the most widespread drone attacks in a single day since the start of the year. let's look at the map. russia says six regions have been targeted. the heaviest damage is reported here at an airport in pskov, which is in north—west russia. that's deep into russia's territory, well over 600 kilometres from ukraine. and russian media report that at least two ilyushin ii—76 transport aircraft have been damaged, like the ones here on this satellite image that we found earlier. now, we have also been analysing this footage here that claimed to be from the scene. the outline of the plane here matches that of the ilyushin and we know that the footage is new and some of the details in the background, for example these trees, appear to be similar to those around the base. but it's hard to say for sure whether it's from the scene because it's just so dark. there have been multiple reports

of drone attacks also in the city of bryansk, including at least two incidents this morning. this is cctv footage that was verified earlier showing the moment of an explosion near a major russian microelectronics plant, based in the city. now, drone attacks like these have been happening regularly both in russia and the crimean peninsula that russia annexed in 2014. in fact, since the start of the year, we have counted more than 190 reported incidents. moscow has put the blame for the latest attack squarely at ukraine's door, saying its actions won't go unpunished. as for officials in kyiv, we haven't heard from them yet, they have rarely commented on attacks on russian soil. bbc verify�*s 0lga robinson there. kamikaze drones are also being used on the front line of the war.

so far, kyiv has focused its counteroffensive in the south—east of ukraine. it's hoping to split the areas in red, occupied by moscow, to reach the sea. but progress has been slow. but in the north—east of ukraine, russia itself is pushing forward, towards kupyansk and lyman. 0ur correspondent quentin sommerville reports now from the eastern front line, where he's spent the last few weeks speaking to ukrainian soldiers and civilians, who are being bombarded by russian artillery. the battle on ukraine's eastern front has reawakened. it's in these fields and trenches that the conflict now burns at its hottest, ukraine says. there's been a lot of russian activity in this area over the past couple of days. in fact, there were air strikes on the village just behind me. so we're now having to move before dawn to get to the trenches. south of kupiansk, they cast russian forces out of here almost a year ago, but their enemy

is threatening to return. beyond these fields, russia has advanced in recent weeks. the men of the 68th jager brigade, newly installed, are here to ensure that they go no further. they are up against infantry and artillery attacks daily along these lines. you can see here, that's outgoing artillery. along the front, it's said some 100,000 russian troops have gathered in newly—formed battle groups. some, beyond this tree line. now, if you look all around here, there's been incoming fire here. there's lots of damage. so there's plenty of trench positions to take cover in.

it's easy to forget — with so much focus on the counter—offensive in the south of ukraine — that there are vicious battles going on here in the east and the north. in the south, they're making progress, bit by bit. but here in the east, it's russia that's advancing. this is a war on many fronts, and it's straining russia's resources, but it's also straining ukraine's, too. so in the south and the east, the demands on ukrainian forces are rising. this is front line, front line. i cannot go. andriy�*s taking us forward. but a russian drone spotted his vehicle before we took cover. "we must go," he says, "get in the car! a dozen shells land in as many minutes. come on, we need to get it together, come on. we first met andriy injune, when he was fighting in the southern counter—offensive around velyka novosilka. "this eastern front is far

deadlier," he says. translation: velyka novosilka was less dangerous. _ there were far fewer soldiers there than there are here. and they have more weapons here, more of everything. that's why it's more dangerous here. its gains are modest, but from kupiansk to lyman, further south, russia is resurgent. and in the serebryans'kyy forest, it's especially fierce. we're heading deep into this forest. there's been a lot of fighting here. this is artillery strike this morning, maybe a couple of hours ago. can you see it is still burning? all this road is shelled by drones and missile systems. can you see it? no tops of the trees. the men compare the artillery barrages to the first

world war�*s verdun. but there is a new lethal threat to contend with here. kamikaze drones. the gunner has fallen inside. he's unhurt, he signals. that was a drone attack against our car. that was a drone, russian drone. so they saw us, they send a drone, and now they are seeking us and hunting us, so we need to go faster. they're just a couple of hundred metres from our position. the drones work in pairs, a surveillance drone is still up above, so they get off the road. so we've had to stop

going forward because the danger here is the deeper you get into the forest, cover doesn't get better. there's constant russian artillery, setting some of the trees on fire, and it's turning these areas into wide—open areas, very exposed. there's no tree cover here, so we've had to come off the road. there are drones up above, and we just saw what they can do. the humvee�*s thick armour and the driver's quick thinking means that everybody inside was unhurt. but of course, civilians along these re—ignited front lines have no such protection. young and old, villagers around kupiansk are being evacuated from their homes. they are now in range of russian guns, and russia doesn't discriminate.

last year, they endured six months of occupation here. they refuse to again. once more on the eastern front, the advance of russian guns is casting ukrainian families apart. viktor gives his family a final hug before they separate. sophia is just five months old — too precious to remain in harm's way. why are you leaving? translation: because it's very scary to live here. - i want to safeguard my children. it's very scary not knowing if the shelling will hit or not, if we will survive or not. viktor hoped that he was done with goodbyes...

..but as russia advances, he's once again left praying that he'll see his family again. quentin somerville, bbc news, kupiansk. we are expecting some official update after hurricane idalia hit florida. these are the live pictures from clearwater beach in florida. as you can see the damage is now being surveyed. there has been a lot of flooding in many areas. we can show you pictures now from jacksonville. we are expecting some updates there from officials who are speaking. but we are also watching tallahassee, we are expecting governor ron desantis to give an update on the situation in florida. hurricane idalia has hit florida and of course is now

crossing into georgia. still powerful winds and potentially life—threatening conditions. we will bring you the latest here on bbc news. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. now let's go to a story we are keeping an eye on. the property website zoopla says the number of houses sold in the uk this year is on track to be the lowest in more than a decade. around 1 million sales are set to be completed, down almost a fifth from last year.

the cost of mortgages and rents have risen sharply since banks started increasing rates on lending. hundreds of tents have been left behind at campsites following leeds festival at the weekend. drone footage shows camping equipment littered all over the fields at bramham park. you are live with bbc news. ministers have pledged the extra rights will be written into uk law. let's go live now to our correspondent at westminster. tell us what is happening, the laws were scrapped and now brought back? there has been a bit — scrapped and now brought back? there has been a bit of _ scrapped and now brought back? there has been a bit of row _ scrapped and now brought back? there has been a bit of row over— scrapped and now brought back? ti” has been a bit of row over this here in westminster today. it is still a bit of hangover of brexit because labour have accused the government today of putting at risk protections

for women who want to bring equal pay claims. women specifically who are injobs pay claims. women specifically who are in jobs that are outsourced have are in jobs that are outsourced have a right under eu law to bring equal pay claims if they can compare their jobs to other men in the same jobs evenif jobs to other men in the same jobs even if the parent company is the same, so this is trying to protect outsourced workers and allow equal way —— equal pay claims even if your job is outsourced. those rates were uk workers have been enshrined in uk law because they are in an eu treaty because the government is in a process of disentangling the uk law and eu law so it is repealing and replacing hundreds of bits of eu legislation so labour has said that the government putting this equal pay provision at risk because it would expire at the end of this year. but the government to say, you never had any intention to do that. but we will do is bring in new legislation that we still enshrined that rights of women can still bring those equal pay claims. what i think

has happened here is that labour has drawn attention to this issue and it has forced the government to be explicit about its intentions. labour are trying to save the government termed because of the pressure that they have put the government under but i think the reality is labour has forced the issue in the government have now confirmed there will be new legislation to enshrined this rights to bring equal pay claims further, because a single source test so that still will be available to uk workers after the end of this year. just explain a bit more about that single source test and how important this legislation is because it has been used in the past to fight battles over equal pay. those e . uali battles over equal pay. those equality legislation _ battles over equal pay. those equality legislation in - battles over equal pay. those equality legislation in the - battles over equal pay. those equality legislation in the uk | battles over equal pay. those - equality legislation in the uk that requires women and men to be paid the same for doing the same jobs, but there was a bit of a loophole that meant that equal pay claims could not be brought for women doing a job for example in a different location from man or in a different company. but there was a provision in eu law that said if you are

working for the same source company, a parent company if you would like, then you can bring equal pay claims against men working in different locations orfor another against men working in different locations or for another outsourced company. so it is quite a specific protection, but it is a protection and labour are saying that this protection discourages companies from outsourcing parts of their supply chain. so it is a protection that has been in place under eu law. remember as a result of brexit, the uk is repealing and replacing all of the eu bits of legislation that had wheat here in the uk. there is a lot of work on the way hundreds of bits of work on the way hundreds of bits of are being repealed and that will happen by the end of this year, but the specific provision in the single source test that would allow these equal pay claims to be brought had not actually been mentioned specifically by the government up until now. labour think that they have put pressure on the government to declare its cards. the government are saying, we have never any

intention of doing this and there will be a new legislation, domestic legislation in place by the end of this year. legislation in place by the end of this ear. . ~ legislation in place by the end of this ear. ., ~ , ., legislation in place by the end of this ear. . ~' ,, legislation in place by the end of this ear. ., ~ . ., this year. thank you so much for that analysis. _ this year. thank you so much for that analysis. some _ this year. thank you so much for that analysis. some of _ this year. thank you so much for that analysis. some of the - this year. thank you so much for that analysis. some of the days| this year. thank you so much for. that analysis. some of the days of news now. north korea wants to suspect ballistic missiles. the missiles fell in the sea nearjapan. the launch comes as the us and south korea are completing 11 days of military exercises which north korea has snouts. kim duncan has called for an increase in his country's may —— need leasing to sea is brimming with danger of a nuclear war. the british broadcasting executives are mark thompson has been picked to rent the us cable news network cnn. mr thompson was director general of the bbc in the 2000s and then ran the bbc in the 2000s and then ran the new york times for eight years. cnn has seen its ratings decline with a fall of 25% in may, putting it behind rivals msnbc and fox news. japan's prime minister has released a video of himself eating raw

seafood from fukushima to convicts people of its safety despite the release of treated waste water from the wrecked nuclear plants into the sea. the prime minister is seen tucking into sashimi from fukushima with his ministers. china has planned —— advanced japanese seafood after the release of the water used to call the damaged reactors. the un atomic watch struck another scientist have said it will have a negligible environmental impact. you are watching bbc news. back to some live pictures as we follow hurricane idalia. this is clearwater beach in florida. you can see there there are still high winds. the hurricane hit florida and now crossing into georgia but let's not show you pictures of tampa where the damage is being surveyed after those high winds and to seek surges. many areas

are submerged, people have been advised to stay indoors and not make any movements. there has been one to confirm death after a driver lost control of his vehicles. that was in pascoe county during the heavy storm conditions according to florida highway patrol. we are expecting to hear from governor ron highway patrol. we are expecting to hearfrom governor ron desantis highway patrol. we are expecting to hear from governor ron desantis with an update on hurricane idalia. and the impact of that. we will bring you that here are bbc news. as soon as it happens. i am nancy catching her and this is verified life stay with us. hello.

big contrasts in our weather on thursday. many northern and eastern areas will enjoy the sunshine, whereas further south, cloudy with outbreaks of rain. and here's the approaching weather front. you can see it's just to the west of us. ahead of it, the skies are clear. and that's good news because some of us want to still catch a glimpse of that super blue moon. so yes, clear spells across the bulk of the uk, but later on we'll see those clouds increasing in the southwest and eventually it'll turn wet. why is it called a super blue moon? super, because the moon is at its closest approach to earth this year, so it'll appear bigger and brighter, and it's also the second full moon of the month. normally we get one, but this is the second one. so once in the blue moon, not that the two sayings are necessarily all that related, but anyway, here it is clear skies across many northern and eastern areas through early thursday out towards the west. we've got that weather front approaching. wet weather in the southwest, the west country, of course, wales not cold here, ten, 12 degrees. but with the clearer skies in scotland, it's closer to seven in edinburgh and aberdeen. so the morning starts off bright, if not sunny, and that's how it's going to stay for most of the day here. beautiful weather, stunning in the north east of scotland, but out towards the west,

thick cloud with outbreaks of rain for northern ireland, for wales, parts of the midlands, but particularly i think across the south here. and that rain will come and go. it'll be intermittent at times and also heavy, even the possibility of some rumbles of thunder. and if anything come the evening on thursday, the rain could turn heavier still. eventually on friday, that rain shears off to the near continent. but then there's still a few showers here across parts of northern england. the temperatures over the next few days, high teens, low 20s, but it is looking promising for the weekend. here's the jet stream looping around the north atlantic and around the uk. in this loop we've got an area of high pressure building from the azores and that spells fine settled weather for the weekend. we've had so many weekends this summer with a low pressure, but this weekend it does look as though it is going to be the high pressure that wins. so look at the outlook saturday and sunday, bright or sunny. and that fine weather also lasts into next week as well. and feeling really quite warm. not bad at all. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines. hurricane idalia is downgraded to a category one is a strong crosses to georgia. this is the scene live in an area called clearwater.

evacuation orders are enforcing more than 20 counties as fierce winds hit the coastline. and this is tallahassee. we are expecting to hear from tallahassee. we are expecting to hearfrom florida governor rhonda santos at this hour. the foreign secretary defence talks with chinese officials in beijing —— rhonda santos. the first of their time and five years. the military and gabon says they power as the ousted president calls for help in a new video message. i president calls for help in a new video message.— president calls for help in a new video messaue. , . , video message. i sending a message to all friends — video message. i sending a message to all friends that _ video message. i sending a message to all friends that we _ video message. i sending a message to all friends that we have _ video message. i sending a message to all friends that we have all- to all friends that we have all work, determined to make notice for the people here have arrested me. thank you for staying with us on verified live. we will be listening into florida governor he as just to arrive, perfect timing. let's listen in. the state is still being