clearly have the solutions, the future, a 77 percent every weekend on the w ah, this is the only news line from the russian forces sees a control of ukraine, 2nd biggest power plants. it's the latest setback in the east. the area around the capital cave also comes under renewed attack when you cranes as a counter offensive sampling on a key bridge in the south is gaming craft. also on the program,

chinese president jason pink boards, us president joe biden over taiwan. don't play with fire, he says as they talk to the 1st time in months or middle germany, sebastian vegetables time on an illustrious career and they called the next on michael schumacher says he'll retire from sports at the end. ah, i'm so gale. welcome to the program. russian forces have seized you crane 2nd biggest power station, the capture of your votes, but he has got power plants is the latest setback for defenders in the eastern dumbass region. the area around the capitol, keith is coming to miss out of attack the 1st time in weeks. but in the south, ukraine says a counter offensive is gaping grout already. and if it's not from the ruins of this

hotel, rescuers pull a man from the rubble alive. not every one was so lucky when russian rockets hit buck moved on thursday. the city in the doughnuts region has been hit again and again. i indiscriminate russian shelling part of moscow stalled efforts to claim ukraine's east but in the country south keep says a counter offensive is moving forward. the city of her son fell to russian forces early on in the war. ukraine is now stepping up efforts to retake it, keeps as is knocked out the strategic antonio ski bridge. this would help isolate russian forces on the rivers west bank, away from their supply lines. you secure when the wire that there is significant damage to the bridge and its structure. we think that the enemy will try to repair it again with a number of others. we are prepared for this and you will soon hear about our next steps or not about to you booth is welcome was posting on telegram,

an official for the russian appointed administration said the bridge was still functional, while referring to ukraine's armed forces as nazis, as is common in the pro russian camp. so what most of the lord, one of silly goober, the bridge is blown up with. everyone rejoices but these are just allusions. none of the nazis will ever enter have song. so but the destroyed bridge, which you can see behind me, you still exists and objectively speaking this hysteria by ukrainian nazis cuz it won't change. the outcome is studia. agricultural grimaces, though the fighting over this strategic crossing is more than just a war of words. ukraine says it's forces will repair the bridge eventually. but 1st, the aim to liberate her son. michael dash is professor of international relations at the university of notre dame in indiana. he gave me his assessment of today's too big gains. ukraine bombing,

the anthony cambridge in hassan and rushes capture of ukraine's at virtually hiscock power station. well, i think neither of them are really decisive in terms of military operations that are turning into a slow grind. the big issue for the russians in the don't boss is to be able to push ukrainian forces far enough away from the city of don yachts to take it out from under ukrainian artillery attacks which are going on every day. conversely, the ukrainians are making a lot of the supposed offensive to take back her son and they have struck the end to nibs. and so not ski bridge a couple of times with high mars attacks. on the other hand, the bridge is not destroyed and there are other ways over the river, including

a roadway on top of a damn about 40 kilometers to the northeast. and now a pro don't. yes. television is showing video pictures of the russian military building a pontoon bridge across the river. so i think the ukrainians are making a lot of the attack on the bridge, but it's not clear that it's going to, you know, really materially aid their ability to take back here. so it's not decisive as you say. and, and the 2 sides do seem to be having for confrontation in has on, with russia, said to be re deploying through some dumbass and ukraine, gearing up to retake it. how do you think that will end? well that is going to be the real test of the ukrainian military because they will

be on the off fence of attacking russian and russian allied forces who will be on the defensive and the ukrainians have not conducted operation like this successfully. and i think that they're doing it quickly because they feel the need to show some progress on the battlefield. and i think, you know, if they achieve some success, they'll use that to make the case that they can win the war if they don't achieve success. i think they'll be arguing that they need a yet greater infusion of nato and american military technology. ok, and of course the world is waiting to see whether this agreement of a grain exports can be successfully implemented without bombs falling on being smuggled in to ukraine. i do you see that going?

i think both the russians and the ukrainians have a mutual interest in the grain moving out. on the other hand, the russians want to make the point that while they're willing to agree to allow a ukraine to transport grain, they're not going to slow down their attack on other sorts of targets, including targets in port cities like odessa. and so what it suggests is that the future of the war, i will be quite complex with some areas of agreement, whether grain or p, o w exchanges, moving ahead at the same time, you know, continuing hostilities occur good talking to you. that's very clear. thanks for joining us, michael. dash, professor of international relations at the university of know today. my pleasure.

the presidents of china, i'm united states have talked to the 1st time in months in a cold, dominated by tensions over taiwan. china considers the island to be part of its territory. the u. s. is offered taiwan support. if beijing tries to impose its role there, joe biden. and jim pink spoke for 2 hours on the call that beijing is described as candid, recent tensions flag when it was reported that us house frequent hello see a plans to visit the island towards chinese state media. say she warned by not to get involved saying those who play with fire will only get i talked to professor shelley rigor from davidson college in north carolina. she specializes in relations between the us, china and taiwan. and i asked her if this call has changed anything, i think it's really hard to say that something has changed to materially already. but i think the call is significant in a couple of ways. first of all, the fact that it happened means that she didn't ping and president joe biden are

trying to talk to one another and trying to navigate through this very difficult moment. and then the 2nd thing that i think is noteworthy out of this conversation is that president biden affirmed that u. s. policy has not changed. and while i don't think their p r c leadership always entirely believes president biden, and other american leaders when they say that the fact that he is saying it is, i think, a sign of again, an effort to navigate through rather than to continue moving toward a real crisis professor chevy rigor and we'll have a look at some more stories making headlines around the world. starting north korea where the leader kim jong says he's ready to use nuclear weapons in potential conflicts with the united states. so with new south korea, he was speaking on the 69th anniversary of the end of the korean. on up with that,

french president emmanuel macro has welcomed saudi crown. prince muhammad been sell monitors, presidential palace in paris. the visit strolled controversy in france because of saudi arabia's human rights abuses. saudi government was linked to the 2018 killing of journalistic jamal cashandra re heavy rains in the united arab emirates, of course, flash floods closing roads and forcing families to leave their homes. national. why, why the center says it's the most range said for 27 years? proving present pedro castillo is mocking a year in office. i mean dwindling support on the grid. locking congress on wednesday night police broke up a demonstration of his courses, who blamed congress for sabotage electric president's plans. the fence of climate change are apparent around the world in heat waves. wildfires,

floods and rising sea levels. no ad lightning strikes to that list. they've killed dozens of fathers in the last week in just one state in northern india monsoon season. in india all looks calm now. but mere days ago, 7 people died in a lightning strike. not far from where these farmers are planting their rice. many here saw at 1st hand know what we were working in the field after people started shouting, we all started running because there was a very loud lightning strike. the state of utah's pradesh has recorded nearly 50 lightening deaths and just the past week. nationwide weather experts say almost 750 indians have died from strikes since the monsoon season began. there's a direct link to climate change. the head of india center for science and environment says that the chance of lightening increases 12 times for every degree warmer it gets outside. that's bad news for indians who suffered through

a record breaking heat wave this year. some families are permanently changed, so she'll lost his wife when lightning struck. his sister was standing right next to her. now she is disabled and won't buy the galvan. she can't talk much. make her legs and hands don't function any more. isaac, what is the indian government has released new guidelines on staying safe and lightning storms, but the storms themselves will only increase as the planet warms. ah sebastian rattle as an am cease to retire from former one of the end of the phases . the 35 year old german dr. aston martin having previously been at ferrari and red bull. he won for strike championships between the 20102013. but it was never able to hit those heights again in the decade that followed with 4 world titles under

his belt by the age of 26, sebastian federal looked like a racing certainty to surpass the record of 7 championships set by his idle compatriot. mikhail schumacher but a big move from red bill to the glamour of ferrari proved a huge disappointment for the german. there he was outshone by his younger teammate char laclare. tensions often boiled over on the track like here at the brazilian grand prix in 2019 with fred left ferrari having failed to add to his whole of championships. many thought he would retire, but he moved to aston martin where over the past 2 seasons, he struggled to shine in a disappointing car. he has been politically outspoken, the irony of calling for a greener formula, one while simultaneously driving its races is not lost on him. as he explained in

the instagram post announcing his retirement. my passion comes with certain aspects that i have learned to dislike. they might be solved in the future, but the will to apply that change has to grow much, much stronger, and has to be leading to action today. but the golden years that red bill provide the lasting images of his contribution to the sport from which he retires with $53.00 grown pre wins to his name. a game of thrones is back as a pre call series house of the dragon, the global premier and that was spit was in los angeles. the series will follow the ta, gary, and dentistry. as many kings and queens good and evil rule over the 7 kingdoms he was, can expect to see a bloodshed of battles and betrayals, and plenty of dragons show start streaming from the 21st of august. his reminder of our top stories at this hour, russian forces have seized ukraine, 2nd biggest power plant. it's the latest set back in the east, but keeps as

a counter offensive center. the only key bridge in the south is gaining ground. and the president of the united states and china have how their 1st phone call since march tensions over time one dominates the exchange. as using, paying a warrant, joe, biting not to play with fire by intervening over the more world news at the top of the our 1st though to now do more business update in just today . ah, we got some hot tips for your bucket list. romantic corner chat hot spot for food and some great cultural memorials to boot d w, travel.