i'm a change and environmental conservation is taking shape around the world and how we can all make a difference. knowledge gross through sharing. download it now for free. mm hm. ah ah, this is d, w. news live it from berlin tonight. ukraine watches a long anticipated offensive against russians in the east of the country. keep says it's forces have already broken the 1st line of russian defense. but moscow says it is forwarding any advances and inflicting heavy casualties. also coming up

with deadly clenches rock bank dance, fortify green zone supporters of iraq's powerful shiite cleric. tot al saw there at storm that the government palace after he said that he is quitting politics for good and a scrub. the attempt at lift off nancy postponed the launch of its arguments. one rocket after encountering engine props. ah, i'm brig office, good to have you with it's on this monday, ukraine says that it has launched a major counter offensive to retake the southern region of her song, which is currently occupied by russian forces. now this much awaited push comes after weeks of preparation and anticipation. ukraine has been attacking russia's supply rooms in an attempt to isolate forces. they are both sides to say that the

other has suffered heavy casualties. however, these claims cannot be verified independently. russia captured the city of harrison early in the war facing level if any ukrainian resistance. justin crump is a military analyst based in the u. k. i asked him if this is the start of the counter offensive, that ukrainian president zalinski has been signaling. now for months here the situation is still confused as battlefields tend to be i'm, but it certainly looks like a much more significant offensive operations. but then we can say, it does seem to fall in line with what the president wanted. and of course, there was a, as we discussed before in the program, a timeline, ukraine of wanting to achieve something in cousin before any referendum could be held by rush was hundreds of 10, but so ukraine's had this disco deadline of doing something in,

in the region by september, so it does seem to all fall in line with that, and certainly the scale of what we're seeing is much larger than we've seen recently. will. how much of this announcement than would you say is, is backed by the power of western weapons versus this timing pressure on president zalinski to take action? it's a bit of all of it. i ukraine, i think is all the see, make great use of the west weapon donations up to the high mars in the m l arrest broke it systems to disrupt the russians. we've. we've seen that going on intense fight in the region over the last few days. i've also been husbanding a certain amount of equipment. they've been doing a limited amount of pictures we seen today. show some of the western supplied all of us now car is being used in what appears to be quite a decent combined alms attacked by ukraine. so using tanks, infantry across and he called is not hillary all together to achieve at least a limited breakthrough in the russian front. as far as we understand it now,

policy driven, i'm sick like everything and will ferrell to minutes. extension of fiscal ends, but they've pretty sense that there's a need for an operation on the possibility of succeeding in something. and at this time, we have heard today that near the city of here sold along the front lines, ukrainian forces may have found places where they can most easily degrade russian defense. is that mean? have you heard anything like this? if it is the case, would this be enough to put any segment of the russian army on the defensive? if you think about the church in the russian armies taken on the fall, bank of neat brits about 100 miles wide about 30 miles deep towards nicholas an inquiry in the north ukraine made a small him right on that number of weeks ago. almost got into that river which form a key part about battlefield. and that seems to be where some of the breakthroughs

happening now, right in the middle of the russian lines for the bridges, the russia relies on to reinforce that troops have all been that least heavily damaged by ukrainian longer range strikes. the russians were lying on pontoons to get across the river, which is very slow, very limited. and so they're suddenly in this bad position with a river to their back, with limited ability to reinforce spring forward supplies, or indeed move troops back across the river. and with ukraine tension making him roads right in the middle of that line. and that puts a very strategic time, another kafka within reach. we really important for russia and particularly the crime in water supply. so it's an area that the russians can be very, very sensitive about and off the weeks of shelling there and, and effective deep strike operations by ukraine. obviously they've been pretty degraded. they've been expecting this blow to fall. it remains to be seen how far but certainly the russians are not in a great position at the moment. and that was military analysts just in crop. what's

iraq now we're tensions are high in baghdad, fortified green zone to night. at least 10 people have died. when supporters of the influential cleric, mac tada al thought or stormed the government palace that after he announced that he is quitting politics, now fodder supporters have held weeks of protests calling for reform in iraq. now the country has been without a government or a leader since elections last october. of fodder is reported as saying that he will go on a hunger strike until the violence of the use of weapons stops. ah, supporters of finance, shia cleric mcdonough. it's under reach. but does heavy fortify green's own in india, whom do ministries and embassies the soon over and the government palace? and i thought that out of a our revolution is selena rocky was it?

it's not southwest. no, this isn't a rocky revolution with any of the iraq. it should be returned to people with any other data up. why am i how i let, what's your plan? oh my, our demands are to dissolve parliament and to hold the corrupt to account and we say to saddler, we will sacrifice for you victory's aus alina, while you inside many was seen lounging in meeting rooms, used by iraqi heads of state, and cooling off in a swimming pool in the garden, they were soon driven out by security forces using tear gas and gunshots. the un mission to iraq, as well as the united states, called on all sides for his change. the planet with violence follows months. a clinical deadlock in iraq looked at others movement as of this block was the biggest winner in october's election. but he failed to form

a government that excluded his. she r, i was close to iran law moral, marcia, he would you, his lawmakers from parliament in june. what was that while on my, on buddy, his followers have since been stating a sitting outside the parliament calling for french elections. well, this isn't the 1st time the influential carrick has withdrawn from politics. you thought in the garden deadlock in iraq appears hotter to resolve than in the past. john davis, and he is the iraqi bureau chief for reuters news agency in baghdad. and he updated me on the situation. there is very tense. now. it sanctions as the rescue lighted, since smoked idols under major's announcement earlier today who was withdrawn politics since then they've been trashes between his supporters and between supporters of armed and political groups that are mostly along with iran. and at

the moment that this sporadic gunfire that's been iraq baghdad from time to time this evening. so it's very tents and several people have been killed in the clashes . and or did you see this announcement coming in and did you see the, the violet reaction to coming? i think many observers didn't necessarily see the announcement of his complete withdrawal from politics coming. i think maybe people were expecting a bit of violence. some stay between these different groups, it had been quite a long time coming, but it had managed to be averted so far. the minute that looked at all sudden decided to withdraw from politics. he effects actively kind of just gave the green lights at his supporters to protest him whatever man of a a. so fit in it. talk to me a little bit about his influence in iraqi politics. i mean, the fact that he says that he is quitting politics. it has obviously led to a,

a vacuum that's being filled with violence right now. i. yeah, he's always been a very influential player in iraqi politics since the u. s. invasion in 2003, his political powers growing in the last few years. he has millions of supporters who are loyal to him and has been able to control them pretty well up till now. they've been quite disciplined in their protests. up until this point, and today the minute that he pulled out, it seemed like it was a bit of a free rule for those people who dakota to protest in the 1st place. and we know that i was under his and said that his moves have been against corruption. do we know exactly though? um, what does he resigning from? well, she said there was always. ready position of being his overarching political leader . he doesn't hold in the office. so what he's resigning from is,

is any sort of intervention that would guide the political process or political events in the country supposed to. but also he done this before. he said that he's not going to participate in politics again. and yet he's led is the course to participate in elections again. he retains a lot of power in the states and over certain government ministries. so it's much more of a symbolic move, but it's a move which is a real consequences on the ground. john davidson from reuters agency in baghdad. john, we appreciate your reporting. thank you. let's take a look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines. this, our international aid has begun to reach pakistan as the army and volunteers tried to evacuate tens of thousands of flood victims. unusually heavy monsoon rate to triggered flash floods claiming the line to more than a 1000 people. this sum, brazil's mean presidential candidates have faced often a televised debate ahead of october's general election incumbent president. john

urbanatto accused his once jailed rival, the former president louise ignacio lou. the de silver of corruption. lulu was leading the winter of last week's election. the commission said that the longer ruling m. p l a party won a 51.2 percent majority. fewer than half of anger was registered voters, however, turned out for the ellipse. well, it's one of the world's most ambitious space programs. nasa's multi $1000000000.00 artemus mission aimed at one day, getting humans back on the moon, individually to mars. but it has gotten up to a disappointing start. the u. s. space agency was forced to scrub the watch of its largest ever rocket to day after a number of technical problems. the next attempt is likely to happen. on friday. the 98 meter rocket and its unmanned capsule, a ryan were left sitting on the launch pad. as the minutes ticked by us,

vice president carmella harris had flown in to cape canaveral to witness the lift off of the most powerful rocket ever built by nasa. tourists had flocked to nearby locations all keen to get a glimpse of the action. but a whole series of technical problems meant the launch had to be called off. it's yet another disappointment for the artemus noon program after a series of postpone launches. but nasa says spotting problems is part of the exercise. that is the whole reason for this test flight to stress it and to test it to make sure it's as safe as possible when artemus to, when we put humans in the spacecraft upon all rab r bye up with northern holes

a century ago landing on the moon captured the imagination of an entire generation . now the human race is looking once again to attend to the moon. if all goes well with this test mission accrued flight could be launched as early as 2020 full. one of the stated ambitions of the art in miss mission is to put the 1st woman unfair person of color on the moon. it's expected to be astronaut, jessica watkins. i certainly would, would be a jess absolutely thrilled to be able to be a part of the effort to, to go to another planetary surface, whether it be the man or mars, it's the red planet. that's the ultimate goal. that the optimist mission hopes to 1st build a permanent presence on the moon. it would then use the moon as a proving ground from mission to mars. but 1st, it has to get his name and test flight successfully off the launching pad. if it does user reminder now of the top story we're following for you this,

our ukraine says that it has launched its long anticipated attempt to retake the southern region of their song. moscow says it is for warding offensive and inflicting heavy casualties. stephen beardley is up next with the w business news. i'll see you tomorrow with sh, i'm skill that i think that's hard and in the end the some me, you are not allowed to see you anymore. we will send you back. are you familiar with this.