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narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> in washington, thc world news america. ukraine accuses russia of destroying part of a major dam in southern ukraine. unleashing a torrent of water. prince harry makes history, making the first senior royal to give evidence in court for more than 100 years. was it worth the wait? the aston martin bulldog does what it was built to do more than 40 years later.

welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. starting with ukraine. the country has accused russia of deliberately destroying part of a huge dam on the river to hamper its counteroffensive in southern ukraine. the damage has caused thousands to leave their homes in towns and villages because of flooding. the nuclear power plant that relies on the river to cool its reactors is also under threat. russia is placing the blame on ukraine for the damaging part that is two miles long. and in russia held territory. on his way to washington, rishi sunak said if russia was found to be responsible for the collapse, it would demonstrate the new lows that we would have seen from russian aggression.

our correspondent reports. >> a breach, a barrier designed to protect. failing to contain a reservoir resembling a city. the river surged downstream towards dozens of towns and villages. it is effectively a front line that separates territory in ukraine and russia occupies it. the city of gores on. people worry it can become catastrophic. when our team arrived, it did not take long to find out life is like that. >> it is dangerous she says. russia may have retreated here last year, but they are not far away. it takes a lot in these parts to make people leave.

upstream, you cannot really see what is left. so who did this? russia controls the area. >> the hydroelectric station, it was an absolutely deliberately prepared explosion. they knew what they were doing. >> the regime committed under -- the hydroelectric dam was blown up, leading to the flooding of significant territories. >> what is the significance of the dam? it applies water to huge swaths of the land, including crimea. the reservoir behind it causes water further upriver. both areas under russian control.

the river is especially wide here. 150 miles long, up to 40 miles across. this is what it looks like undamaged. the image of a smaller breach was taken days ago. since early this morning, this is what it has turned into. thousands are at risk from flooding. villages are underwater. the landscape is transformed. whoever destroyed it new this would happen and decided it was worth it. one ukrainian mp watched as the river burst its banks. >> you can see the water coming up every second. it is starting to rise. ukraine has been ravaged by the giant battlefield. the country remolded now a region partially submerged.

>> thus spokesman for the white house national security council said the u.s. will work with ukrainian authorities to establish exactly what happened. >> what is clear and what we can say is the damage to the ukrainian people in the region will be significant. the dam built in 1956 as part of the hydroelectric power plant sits astride ukraine's river. it is about 30 yards high and about 100 yards or so wide in the reservoir holds about as much water as the great salt lake in utah. that is a lot of water that supplies southern ukraine, including the crime medium peninsula and the nuclear power plant. >> that is the view from washington. i spoke to steve, he gave the view from moscow. what was the reaction as the news trickled in in moscow? >> there was initial confusion

about what happened. the russian news agency put out a report early this morning and quoted the moscow appointed official where the dam was breached. he basically denied something happened. he said everything was peaceful, nothing was going on. an hour or so later, another report quoting the same official , he had remembered something had happened. he claimed there had been multiple strikes at 2:00 in the morning. then another report quoting security officials, security sources. saying there had not been a missile strike. and it collapsed. a confusing situation to begin with. gradually through the day, russian officials came out with a set story. their viewpoint was this was a

ukrainian terrorist attack. an act of sabotage is what his spokesman said. that is 180 degrees different from the claims coming out of kyiv. >> it is banned in the geneva conventions to target dams during a war. yesterday, moscow was fairly quiet about whether the long-awaited counteroffensive by ukraine had actually begun. what is moscow saying today? >> today we heard from the minister who said the ukrainian who three days ago, he made a claim saying russia had the counteroffensive and came up with all kinds of figures claiming more than 3000 ukrainian soldiers had been killed, 71 russian soldiers had been killed over the last three days, we

cannot confirm those figures, we have to be very careful about figures. we are not sure how accurate those are. but russian officials claim the ukrainian counteroffensive has gotten bogged down, but they have no evidence. i think we should be cautious about those claims. >> on those casualties and claims, the head of the group that is operating in ukraine right now has dismissed russia's claims about ukrainian casualties. has become known for criticizing the kremlin fairly often. how is moscow reacting to his voice becoming louder? >> a fascinating character, he says things and does things that would put other people in jail, but he seems to get away with it. he's publicly very critical of the senior leadership of the defense ministry, chief of

general staff, but nothing happens to him. the kremlin does not say anything publicly against him. the suspicion is he continues to have vladimir putin's support. basically owes his position to vladimir putin. it seems the kremlin is prepared to allow this to happen. may support the idea of public criticism expressed by this populace figure. >> so many questions. thank you for joining us. >> you are welcome. >> turning to the u.k.. rinse harry has become the first senior member of the royal family to give evidence in court for 130 years after taking to the witness stand in his civil case against mirror group newspapers. he's accused the publisher of using unlawful methods, including phone hacking to get stories about him. something they deny.

our media editor has been following the case in london and has this report. >> in a cul-de-sac in central london, the world's media. focus on itself and one man. others have settled claims over the years. here was prince harry determined to have his day in court. telling those inside the packed court 15 that every single article had caused hidden distress and agreeing he felt hostility to the media even before he knew about their methods. he was asked about this line in his witness statement. how much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness? he told the court he was talking about journalists responsible for causing pain, the press in general. asked if he was in the witness box, he replied "that is my hope." his case is specific articles from 1996 to 2011 were based on

phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering often by private investigators. he's been questioned about the main detail. he said the journalist behind this story about a visit for his mother on his 12th birthday with a user of private investigator. the barrister said journalists could not have hacked his mobile phone because he did not have one. he replied it could be my mothers's. how could journalists know he was at that reported in this article? isn't it likely the celebrity shipowner contacted the paper? and mgm's barrister told this story of a thumb injury had been reported by the press association the day before. harry claims and encouraged others to take stories further using illicit methods for that extra information. he said he was teased at school for these kind of articles, causing him paranoia and distress leading him to dump friends and distrust his own

brother when a disagreement leaked. mgm denies phone hacking and unlawful information gathering for the articles. in a civil trial in which a judge will describe. >> is it more likely than not the mirror engaged in phone hacking, or more likely that they did not? just to see where the balance tilts? it is a lower standard. >> the prince also had sharp words for the former editor piers morgan, saying he makes them physically sick and he wants to hold him and others accountable for their vile behavior. mr. morgan denies wrongdoing. it has been an intense day for prince harry. the first time a senior oil has been cross-examined in more than a century. and there is more to come. >> afghanistan now. more than 80% of the world's

opium is the main ingredient used these to be produced there. last year, poppy cultivation was banned by the taliban. the bbc found evidence the taliban government had major success cracking down on it. this is a country reeling from an economic crisis. farmers say it is just another blow. this report from afghanistan. >> men who were once fighting this land now control it. and they are enforcing their leader. >> we have been given rare access to the taliban's campaign to eradicate poppy in the province. we have to get to more remote areas near the border with pakistan to find standing crop. >> the field to the right has already been destroyed, and we are working to another one,

which they are in the process of destroying right now. >> this field belongs to ali mohammed. i asked why he would fight it. >> you don't have enough food in your house and your children are going hungry. what else will you do? if we grew wheat, we want enough to survive. >> the taliban go armed and in large numbers. there have been instances of clashes with locals. afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium. the taliban are accused of profiting from it when they were fighting against foreign forces and the former afghan regime, a claim they denied. now from what we have seen and from satellite images, evidence of an unprecedented reduction. this is helmand province.

it used to be afghanistan's opium heartland. wheat now stands where poppy has grown. he tells us in this taliban struggle, farmers have all but complied with the order. >> we are very upset. i've had to take a loan. hunger is at its peak and we have not gotten any help from the government. >> we met the main spokesman of the taliban government who told us they banned opium because it is harmful and goes against their religious beliefs. farmers say they are not getting any support from the government. how do you plan to help them? >> opium causes a lot of harm. we call on international organizations to help. >> at the same time, you are making the operations and funding of agencies in this country difficult by the ban on afghan women working for them.

you cannot have it both ways. >> they should not link humanitarian issues with politics. the whole world is affected by opium addiction. >> for now, the taliban appear to have accomplished what no one else could. there are questions about how long they can sustain it. >> here in the u.s., the campaign announcements keep trickling in. former new jersey governor chris christie is the latest republican to throw his hat into the presidential race. he filed his paperwork ahead of his official announcement. it is the second time he's bidding for the white house. he joins a list of contenders trailing behind donald trump in the polls. ron desantis is a contender and a favorite. other contenders are former vice president mike pence, and longshots on the list include senator tim scott.

chris christie ran for president in 2016 among dozens of candidates running for the gop nomination. but he lost to donald trump. let's break it down with our north america correspondent. if you watch regularly, you will know he's been following the latest developments on the race for republican nomination. thank you for joining us. this is not his first rodeo. what does he think will make the difference? >> he finished sixth in new hampshire. i think he thinks two things, he will be able to get on a debate stage and go after donald trump. saying he's the only one who can stand donald trump. donald trump is a front writer, and someone has to take him down. he has to concentrate on new hampshire. it did not do him any good last time around, but he things his pugnacious style, he can get a good showing in new hampshire and use it if trump falters, to

compete well. >> he has a string of controversies around him. we talked about bridgegate. do you think you can impact his chances? >> in 2012, chris christie was probably the most popular republican in the country. things like bridgegate were some of his assistants created a traffic problem to punish the democratic mayor who would not endorse him. after he ran for president, he showed up on a beach with his family when the beaches were closed because of a budget standoff with democrats. those things dented his popularity. now he has comically low popularity. the unfavorable literally rating for new hampshire was 44%. >> he clearly thinks it is worth it to run. donald trump is the front runner. what was his reaction? >>'s campaign released a statement saying it reflect poorly on ron desantis because other candidates are entering the field.

everyone thought he was a big rival. i think the problem for chris christie is he may not even make a debate stage. there are standards he will have to meet. there is a possibility donald trump doesn't even show up for the first debate. if you bank on that big moment and don't get it, you can be in trouble. >> as far as donald trump is concerned, is it good or bad if the candidates keep trickling in? >> it is good, because he has a base core support of 30%. the more there are other candidates who break up the remaining people, break up the remaining support, the better it helps donald trump. he could win a lot of primaries. >> thank you for the update. now for a different kind of competition. the pga tour have agreed to merge with liv golf in a deal that ends the acrimonious split in the game.

the surprise announcement comes after unprecedented disruption in the men's game following the launch of liv golf. >> existing tours saw their arrival of liv golf as an existential threat. they felt there was a possibility of their best players being taken away. they had to dig deep into their pockets to come up with their own string of tournaments to fend off the threat. now we have this cordiality, this agreement and calling off of expensive and lengthy legal action. it is an extraordinary turnaround. the players can get along fine playing for the biggest prize. money is the massive driver. the likes of remodeler, they used to be best friend.

mcelroy was a groomsman at his wedding. they now don't speak. that thing will be shoved to one side. we will wait to see what shape men's golf will take going forward. they will be going forward with a significant cash investment from saudi arabia as part of the backbone financing it. >> looking at the days other news. three people killed in an earthquake in the haitian city days after floods left dozens dead. the earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning, but came in the wake of torrential rains that have displaced more than 13,000 people. in france, anti-pension reform protesters stormed the headquarters at the paris 2024 olympic games. that is trade unions making the last attempt to pressure lawmakers to reversing president microns raising of the retirement age. trade unions fought with his move to make the french work for

longer with ongoing strikes and protests. this is the aston martin bulldog. the only one, it was built in 1979. its mission to become the first production card to receive a top speed of 200 miles an hour. moore was supposed to be built, but it was too costly and was shelved before the car reached its milestone speed. it ended up in storage. more than 40 years later, it finally achieved what it was built to do. our scotland correspondent joins us from the track. >> the only one of its kind ever built, the aston martin bulldog a testament to british design, innovation, and engineering. the challenge, hitting 200 miles an hour.

>> i've got three straw bills to use, some reference points of where i can think about it. i don't want to be impartial. up into the fields down there. >> today he was about realizing the promise made 40 years ago come true. >> this is very exciting to me. i'm nervous, i have butterflies, but hopefully i brought a big enough net. today is about making dreams come true. >> after decades, the waiting was over. the angular superstar -- supercar restored to its glory, powering down the track. taking moments to reach and exceed its goal. >> i have no idea.

>> richard oversaw the restoration. his father ran aston martin when they planned to put the car into production were canceled. >> people talked about childhood posters. this is my childhood poster made real with huge parts of my family history and meeting this original team and a lot of hard work. >> it took more than 7000 hours of work. for those involved, it was a labor of love. the unique car finally realizing its potential. >> finally, considered one of the greatest brazilian singers of all time, he has died at the age of 83. with her soft and sultry voice, an instant hit propelled to fame

winning her a grammy and helping to popularize bossa nova around the world. in later years, she withdrew from the limelight, concentrating on animal welfare and her painting. thank you so much for watching world news america. plenty more on our top stories. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

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introducing a technological achievement so advanced... it rivals the moon landing. wow! ok. rude. that's one small step for man.

one giant leap for mankind. ♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the newshour tonight, a major dam breach in ukraine endangers several cities and prompts evacuations as russia and ukraine trade blame. amna: former new jersey governor chris christie launches his bid for the republican presidential nomination, signaling he plans to take former president trump head on. geoff: and, the mayor of los angeles on her city's strategy to counteract the alarming increase in homelessness. >> we are not just pushing them away, we are getting them housed. the commitment to get to the underlying causes as well as put them in supportive housing. ♪