calm in iraq as clashes continue between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadrukraine pushes forward, a southern offensive to try to drive russian forces from kherson. and, awaiting judgement: the man on trial in australia for a murder in the 1980s made famous by a true—crime podcast. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a third of pakistan is underwater. that's according to the country's climate change minister, who called the devastation caused by extensive flooding a �*crisis of unimaginable proportions�*. at least 1,000 people have been killed, and 33 million are affected. that's one in every seven pakistanis. provinces like sindh and balochistan in the south are the worst affected, but mountainous regions have also been badly hit. 0ur correspondent pumza filhani sent this report. a moment of quiet in the middle of chaos. inside a crowded hall, families that have been displaced by the floods in northern pakistan have found temporary refuge. for many, it was a narrow escape. translation: our houses have collapsed because - of the flo

al-sadr has not been able to form a government of his choosing. to resign in june and his supporters have been protesting since july and some even briefly occupied to parliament. they want new elections without the participation of iranian backed groups. >> this is an iraqi revolution. a rock should be returned to its people. reporter: this is not the first time that al-sadr has announced his retirement from politics and many have dismissed it as a bluff to gain leverage over his rivals. already several protesters have been killed or wounded and it is feared that al-sadr's move could lead to more instability. the government has ordered a countrywide curfew to get people off the streets but tensions remain high. the supreme court is due to rule on a petition from southerners amending the dissolution of parliament. anchor: heavy rains and floods have destroyed nearly 700 square kilometers of our cultural land in sudan. at least 4000 homes in one state are submerged forcing people to makeshift shelters and a state of emergency has been declared in si

as someone who has witnessed a al-sadr close-up and as l witnessed a al—sadr close—up and as you saidnted at resigning, why do you think he would do this? is there something he can gain from it, potentially? i something he can gain from it, potentially?— something he can gain from it, otentiall ? , , potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, fl potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, there i potentially? i believe he may 'ust be frustrated, there are i potentially? i believe he mayjust be frustrated, there are several. be frustrated, there are several long periods when he has withdrawn from politics but he has a lot of supported base, perhaps the biggest among the shia arabs and he will be tempted to use that political power to try to shape how the country moves forward, but he wanted new elections, the other members of what we call the sheer coalition have refused that and the country is now in a large and, whether his withdrawal will open it up or not will —— i don't know, but it is likely to lead to more iranians dominance —— dominance of the country and that is no

moqtada al-sadr announced his retirement from politics following months of political deadlock. talking earlier today. -- here he is talking earlier today. moqtada al-sadr: i had hoped for peaceful protests with pure hearts, not ones that result to gunfire. this saddens the revolution. this revolution now resembles violen and killing. it is no longer a revolution. if in the next 60 minutes they do not withdraw, including from the city and in parliament, than even i will leave the movement. >> moqtada al-sadr is so influential, he is a she a cleric, became very famous because he was a vocal opponent of the u.s.-led invasion. he mobilized his followers in the army, which commanders saw as their biggest threat at one stage. this has since been rebranded the peace brigade, and moqtada al-sadr has positioned himself as a naturalist, he wants to end both u.s. and iranian influence on iraq's affairs. his block of mp's took the most seats in the elections, but they cannot agree on a way of reforming a new government would be second-larges bloc, which is made up of parties backed by iran

now, they have to sit on the side of the road and wait for food to be in iraq, shia cleric moqtada al sadralls for calm after dozens are killed in clashes in baghdad, as his supporters stormed government buildings. and abortion injapan — how men are still dominating the argument. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. mikhail gorbachev, the last leader of the soviet union, has died at the age of 91. he oversaw economic reforms known as perestroika — and political ones known as glasnost or openness — which led to the break—up of the soviet union in 1991, and the end of the cold war. russian president vladimir putin has expressed "deep sympathies". our russia editor steve rosenberg looks back at a historic life. he was the kind of russian leader of the world had never seen. mikhail gorbachev smiled, he was relaxed. in the west, he acquired almost pop—star status for helping to end the cold war. but at home, it was a different story. born in the days of dictator josef stalin, gorbachev bec

on tuesday, al-sadr gave a speech to call for the fighting to stop.hile, iraqi prime minister mustafa al-kadhimi said tuesday he may vacate his post. >> and i one that from now on if they want to continue to stir up chaos, not listen to the voice of reason, i will take my moral and patriotic steps financing the vacancy of the position of prime minister at the appropriate time, according to article 81 of the iraqi. amy: the formation of a new iraqi government has been paralyzed since parliamentary elections in october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats but failed to win an outright majority. al-sadr's supporters had occupied the iraqi parliament since late july in an effort to block lawmakers from choosing a new prime minister. foam over go to baghdad to speak with yanar mohammed, president of the organization of women's freedom in iraq. welcome back to democracy now! the bloodletting in the last day has been horrifying. it looks like it has subsided now. it happened in the green zone where the iraqi parliament, other embassies and go

calm in iraq as clashes continue between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadrand 23—time grand slam winner serena williams is through to the second round of the us open in possibly her last tournament before retirement. welcome to the programme. we start in pakistan. a third of the country is underwater — that's according to the country's climate change minister, who called the devastation caused by extensive flooding a "crisis of unimaginable proportions." at least a thousand people have been killed and 33 million are affected. that's one in every seven pakistanis. let us have a look. provinces like sindh and balochistan in the south are the worst affected, but mountainous regions have also been badly hit. our correspondent pumza filhani sent this report. a moment of quiet in the middle of chaos. inside a crowded hall, families that have been displaced by the floods in northern pakistan have found temporary refuge. for many, it was a narrow escape. translation: our houses have collapsed _ because of the floods. we had a home and it was enough for us. now, all

moqtada i al-sadr comes from the family who al—sadr comes from the family who have a rich history inings going from that? _ further bloodshed. where do you see things going from that? i _ further bloodshed. where do you see things going from that? i think - things going from that? i think there has to _ things going from that? i think there has to be _ things going from that? i think there has to be some - things going from that? i think there has to be some sort - things going from that? i think there has to be some sort of. there has to be some sort of compromise. he may need to form a coalition government with his opponents was his opponents from the other political parties could agree some sort of compromise where some of them do not enter the government and some do, the ones that are acceptable moqtada al—sadr. there may be an option having early elections that will take quite a few months to organise at the moment, there is no indication as to what will happen but hopefully the violence will go away for at least the next two to three weeks. we have an important pilgrimage comin

earlier today, supporters of the shiite cleric muqtada al-sadr stormed the presidential palace afterhe was withdrawing from politics. these pictures are from inside the palace. supporters at the pool deciding to get in. despite all this, iraqi security forces have declared a nationwide curfew, ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. here are some of the protesters. >> our demands are to dissolve parliament and to hold the corrupt to account. we say, my master, their pride is under your feet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. >> our revolution is solely an iraqi one. it is notsadrist. it is an iraqi revolution. iraq suld be returned to its people. s: this is muqtada al-sadr, whose political alliance one the most number of seats in last year's election, but they have not been able to form a government. in response to that, he asked all it is resign, which they did. not long after that, muqtada al-sadr supporters stormed the parliament building and have continued to stage a sit-down in the palace ever since. >> this election last year where his alliance one the mos

on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he wasrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the frontline near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by moscow since the early days of the invasion. it comes as ukrainian forces launch a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. now on bbc news, the travel show. each day, before the sun rises in northern chile's atacama desert, people venture up and up. across bumpy terrain to where the altitude is high enough to make you light—headed. the air is thin and even in summer, the temperatures are near freezing. so, these are one of the main draws for tourists coming here to the atacama desert. an incredible place, it is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere. and here in the andes mountains, at over 4,000 metres, it's the highest in the world. but what i find especially incredible is that we're in the atacama desert — i'm sure you've heard of it — the driest place on earth. but i'm notjust in chile sight

supporters of the powerful cleric moqtada al sadr, who gained the most seats in elections last year,ve been vying for power and resources. these are moqtada al sadr�*s supporters on monday after they'd stormed into the republican palace inside iraq's well—protected green zone — briefly enjoying this unaccustomed luxury before, on tuesday, he apologised and announced he wanted them out. translation: | had hoped . for peaceful protests with pure hearts, hearts filled with love for their country, not ones that resort to gunfire. this saddens the revolution, as this revolution now resembles violence and killing. it is no longer a revolution. and so, his loyal followers obeyed — leaving the green zone as he'd demanded, stood down — calm restored and a clear—up under way. but there are questions now about what both neighbouring iran and its allies and moqtada al sadr will do next. sadr, for all his machinations, is really more of a nationalist, certainly, than he is iranian—influenced. the divisions and rivalry that led to this bloodshed have not been resolved, and the president has now wa

iraq's influential cleric moqtada al sadr asks his followers to call off their protests.nd the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting, and wives are waiting. hostages appeared — some carried, some running — trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today. described by all to whom she i reached out as "irreplaceable", an early morning car crash| in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, - warmth and compassion. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the last leader of the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev, has died at the age of 91. along with president reagan, he helped bring an end to the cold war. iraq's president, barham salih, has addressed the nation after nearly 2a hours of violence that's left dozens dead and hundreds injured in the capital baghdad. mr salih said that he thought early elections could help resolve

announcement he's quitting politics. >> before we were committed to the orders of al-sadr.e is letting the people take the lead in their own revolution. we are ready to die. we have nothing to lose. am the formation of a new iraqi government has been paralyzed since parliamentary elections in october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats but has faced failed to win a majority. al-sadr's supporters had occupied the iraqi parliament since late july in an effort to block lawmakers from choosing a new prime minister. pakistan's government has launed a maj appeal after monsoon rains fuel by the climate crisis swept away homes and bridges, destroy crops, splaced tens of millions of people, killed over 1000. the climate minister declared it climate dystopia at our doorstep. >> one third of pakistan is underwater. 33 million are affected. tell me how that is not catastrophic? amy: pakistan's planning minister estimates the cost of rebuilding at over $10 billion and said t figure isikely to rise once rescue crews are able to access remote areas cut off floodwaters pay

let's look at why moqtada al—sadr is so influential.est threat. this militia has been rebranded the peace brigades. he's positioned himself as a nationalist who wants to end us and iranian influence over iraq's internal affairs. his bloc won the most seats in october's elections but could not agree on the formation of a new government with the second largest bloc, comprised mainly of iran—backed parties. in response, back injune, muqtada al—sadr asked all of his mps to resign — which they did. injuly, mr sadr�*s supporters stormed the parliament building — and they've continued to hold a sit—in inside the green zone in baghdad ever since. this week's fighting took place between mr sadr�*s peace brigades, militias supported by iran and members of the iraqi security forces. here's bbc arabic�*s sajad jiyad. moqtada al—sadr comes from the sadr family, who have a rich history in iraq. his father—in—law was involved in setting up the political establishment that we have. he was executed under the regime. his father was assassinated in 1999 b

supporters of the powerful cleric moqtada al sadr, who gained the most seats in elections last year, been vying for power and resources. these are moqtada al sadr�*s supporters on monday after they'd stormed into the republican palace inside iraq's well—protected green zone — briefly enjoying this unaccustomed luxury before, on tuesday, he apologised and announced he wanted them out. translation: | had hoped . for peaceful protests with pure hearts, hearts filled with love for their country, not ones that resort to gunfire. this saddens the revolution, as this revolution now resembles violence and killing. it is no longer a revolution. and so, his loyal followers obeyed — leaving the green zone as he'd demanded, stood down — calm restored and a clear—up under way. but there are questions now about what both neighbouring iran and its allies and moqtada al sadr will do next. sadr, for all his imaginations, is really more of a nationalist, certainly, than he is iranian—influenced. the divisions in rivalry that led to this bloodshed have not been resolved, and the president has now warne

on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he wasrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the front line near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by russia since the early days of the invasion. ukrainian forces have launched a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. a very good early morning to you. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. not only has ukraine been irrevocably changed by vladimir putin's military aggression, so has russia. putin has used the conflict to crack down harder on dissent and instil an ever more strident brand of nationalism that made life in moscow unbearable for my guest today. pinchas goldschmidt was chief rabbi of moscow till he fled from russia and left his post. his fate has exposed the scale of widerjewish flight from russia and divisions within thejewish community. why is this war deepening jewish anxiety? rabbi pinchas goldschmidt in jerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. hi, stephen. thank yo

iraqi parliament, protesting efforts led by al-sadr's pro-iran rivals to form a new government.dr supporters have declared an open-ended sit-in at parliament until their demands are answered. meanwhile thousands of al-sadr opponents held a counter protest monday and were met with police using water cannons. at least 125 people have been injured in the unrest. the formation of a new government has been stalled since the parliament election was held last october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats. back in the united states, voters head to the polls today for primary elections in arizona, kansas, michigan, missouri, and washington. in arizona, several republicans who have denied joe biden's 2020 presidential election victory are competing to become secretary of state the official who oversees elections. they include trump-endorsed state representative mark finchem, who sought to overturn trump's 2020 loss, and state lawmaker shawnna bolick, who sponsored a bill to allow lawmakers ignore election results and choose their own presidential electors. in washington sta

the violence comes after hundreds of supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed thean announcement from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. as you can see here, protesters are taking over the swimming pool. earlier, iraqi security forces declared a total curfew in baghdad and ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. let's hear from some of the protesters. 0ur demands are to dissolve parliament and to hold the corrupt to account and we say, my master, moqtada al—sadr, their pride is under yourfeet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. 0ur revolution is solely an iraqi one. it is not sadrist nor tishreen. this is an iraqi revolution. iraq should be returned to its people." a judge is due to deliver the verdict in the murder trial of a former australian school teacher accused of killing his wife in the 1980s. chris dawson's lawyers tried to get the case thrown out, arguing his right to a fair trial had been risked by a podcast called the teacher's pet — which had close to 30 million downloads. i'm joined now by our correspondent phil me

on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he wasrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the frontline near the city of kherson — which has been occupied by moscow since the early days of the invasion. it comes as ukrainian forces launch a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. now on bbc news, weather world. this time on weather world — record heat, drought and the fire that ripped through people's homes at the end of the uk's hottest day. as temperatures hit a0 celsius for the first time, i'll hear about london fire brigade�*s busiest day since world war two. and why wildfires are a growing problem. and i'm talking to the scientist whose near real—time analysis has shown how climate change has supercharged this summer's weather extremes. they'll show me a0 degrees in the uk is virtually impossible without climate change and why hotter heatwaves matter. we have 40 degrees. many more people die than if we just have 36 degrees. and that is — that is a huge diff

hundreds of supporters of the powerful iraqi cleric, muqtada al—sadr, have stormed the presidential palaceom politics. medical workers say eight people have been killed and 85 others injured in the violence. a nationwide curfew has been declared. bbc world service's middle east analyst, sebastian usher has the latest on the violence and muqtada al—sadr�*s future. he's played a political game since the election last october, in which his alliance won the most seats, and they will have seen themselves, once again, as being the power that could decide who would be the next prime minister, and that hasn't happened. usually it takes a long time in iraq after an election, but the different factions, despite all their differences, reach some kind of compromise, some kind of agreement, and that hasn't happened. what triggered, not just today, the sadrist took over parliament briefly, and they've been staging a sit in for the past few weeks, was when the other shia faction finally came together themselves, and they presented their own candidate for prime minister, and that was the moment muqtada al

it all started when the sheer cleric mercado al—sadr he was from politics. from us, withdrew from politics and is letting the people take the lead. the politics and is letting the people take the lead.— politics and is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading in _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading in response l take the lead. the powerful cleric| said he was leading in response to other shear leaders�* failure to reform what he called a corrupt government. for his supporters, this was a call to arms. there are heavily armed militia pushing back against rival groups aligned with iran. they charge through baghdad�*s�*s streets, eventually breaking into this government building, known as the republican palace. outside of baghdad, supporters burned tires and rode through smoke in southern provinces. before these clashes, iraq was already at a standstill. despite muqtada al—sadr�*s political alliance winni

. >>> al sadr said protests are an opportunity for those looking to change iraq's political system.thousands of people stormed the capital's green zone twice in the past week angered that al sadr's rival was nominated. right now they're holding a sit in at parliament to derail efforts to form the country's next government. as you can see cnn's nada bashir is reporting for us. what do you think the scenes mean? >> reporter: these are the largest protests we've seen in baghdad since the elections back in october. as you mentioned, mug al sadr t yesterday, the driving force behind these protests and all iraqis to take to the streets to protest against what he describes as injustice and corruption in the iraqi government. these protests were sparked to the announcement of shiya al sudani. but we've seen the demonstrations gain momentum and evolve. people calling for an end to corruption and injustice. accusing those in government of presiding over a system of government, one that works for the interest of iran, as opposed to the iraqi people. that's what we're hearing from the iraqi peo

our leader muqtada al sadr is the decision maker." >> and he decided to flex his populist muscle.rs laid siege to parliament to show their rejection of the post-2003 political order. >> iraqi parliament is just a succession of corrupt parties, gangs and militias who are looking out for their followers, while the poor are struggling to survive. reporter: ironically, sadr has been part of the very system he now wants to upend. the descendant of an influential plant -- family of clerics he , first gained notoriety for fighting the american army following the 2003 invasion of iraq, but then transformed his movement into a dominant political force. his party won last october's parliamentary election. in a bid to tighten his grip over the state, he broke with the previous custom of sharing power with other shia parties, but ultimately failed to form a government. after months of fruitless negotiations, the mercurial cleric instructed his 73 members of parliament to resign thus , forfeiting his electoral victory in what some observers called a strategic mistake. now his followers are occ

this is muqtada al—sadr. supporters stormed the parliament building and they've continued to hold a sit—in inside the green zone in baghdad ever since. which brings us to today. sebastian usher, bbc world service middle east editor. i was watching this play out in thinking, given this man a step down from politics why are his supporters storming the presidential palace? ihe storming the presidential palace? ti9 has stepped away from politics a number of times before. quite often at elections. this election last year where his alliance wasn't the most seats, there was a lot of chewing and throwing over whether he would have his alliance stand at the end. they did. i think the fact that he says in his words it's his final retirement. i think a lot of people both supporters and others in iraq would not feel this is the end in any sense of his engagement and politics, it may be another strategic move. we don't know this for sure but it kind of looks that way. almost immediately after he made that announcement his

al-sadr: i still believe that my supporters are disciplined and obedient. the next 60 minutes they do not withdraw, as well as from parliament, then i will abandon these supporters. simona: sadr's call for de-escalation came after weeks of unrest, during which he tried but ultimately failed to force his will onto his political rivals. moments after he announced his withdrawal from politics on monday, hundreds of angry supporters stormed the government palace. the protests quickly exploded into heavy fighting with security forces and armed wings of iran-aligned parties who oppose sadr, forcing the cleric to back down. al-sadr: i had hoped for peaceful protests, with pure hearts, hearts filled with love for their country. not ones that resort to gunfire. this saddens the revolution. simona: the clashes stoked fears that the country could descend into a fresh cycle of violence. nour: this dangerous situation and the overtaking of the government's property or storming the highest authority, which is the republican palace, will destabilize the economic situation

the clash erupted yesterday after muqtada al-sadr announced his withdrawing from politics.security forces pushes supporters out of the palace by firing tear gas and live bullets. officials say at least 30 people were killed and dozens more hurt. in a televised address this morning, muqtada al-sadr apologized to the iraqi people for the bloodshed. iraq's military announced airlifting a nationwide curfew. >>> the u.s. military has floating drones sailing around the persian gulf. i ran tried to catch capture one of them overnight according to the pentagon. in this video. the u.s. navy real release it of an iranian naval ship telling an american sale drone. that's what you are seeing there. the pentagon tells nbc news the un-crude vessel was in international waters. the officials say the iranians let the drone go after a u.s. navy patrol ship confronted them and set out to cut the towline. we are told the line has sensors, raiders, and cameras but that is not store any classified or sensitive information. >>> the united nations appealing for $160 million in emergency aid to hel

. >>> in iraq, the powerful shia clerk, moktada al-sadr, cheering on supporters, calling it a goldenopportunity as the occupy the parliament. thousands of people stormed the green zone twice in the past week, and one of his rivals was nominated as prime minister. right now the clerc supporters are holding a sit in to derail efforts from other formula countries government. now tracking developments from the vantage point in this temple, what are you learning about this political crisis playing out in iraq and where might be going?>> rosemary, the protests are gaining momentum. the largest demonstrations we seen in baghdad since elections were held in october. as you mentioned, the influential shia clerk, cleric, moktada al-sadr, calling for supporters to take to the streets, his supporters have largely made up the majority of the demonstrators demonstrations, the driving force behind this latest protest but in the statement he described demonstrations as a golden opportunity for all the rockies to bring about political reform, and these protests were sparked wednesday in response to t

and of course as you mentioned, this has come off the back of the announcement from al sadr that he would be withdrawing from political life, that he would be closing all of his political offices associated with him across the country. and this is not the first time we've heard this rhetoric. back in june he called for his lawmakers to step back from their seats in protest of what has been months and months of political stagnation. his bloc unable to form a government despite coming out on top in elections back in october and unwilling to enter into negotiations with his rival, the framework alliance. and he has encouraged iraqis to take to the streets to protest what he has described as corruption in the government. he's called for the delusion of parliament, complete overall of the iraqi political system. the concern now is that these protests we've seen yesterday and today could escalate, we're seeing a crackdown, tear gas being used, heavy gunfire. and so there are concerns that this will lead to sustained instability. >> and we'll continue to monitor it. thanks very much. >>> and nex

>> by the time al-zawahiri burst on the world scene after the assassination of egyptian president al-sadrmmitted to turning egypt into islamic state. the young doctor came from one of egypt's leading families. there was even and al-zawahiri street in cairo named after his grandfather. his uncle described him as pious. >> he was a good muslim and he came to pray in the mosque and to read and seeing. >> al-zawahiri spent 3 years in prison after al-sadr's assassination, and made his way to pakistan where he used his medical skills to help those in afghanistan. that's where he met osama bin laden, and they found a common cause. he talked about it a decade later. >> we are working presently -- since more than 10 years [inaudible] >> al-zawahiri was many places in the early 1990s. even it is believed, visiting california on a false passport. his group attacked egyptian embassies and try to kill egyptian politicians. eventually, al-zawahiri folded his group into al-qaeda. >> he pretty much flip the group ended a strategic policy of with al-qaeda's agenda was, and suddenly bin laden gave his auth

there was no one as enigmatic as muqtada al sadr, explain who he is?> you're right, john, that's how the middle east got turned upside down on its head during that time period, calling for attacks on military. as you can see, ben laid out exactly the chaos there in baghdad. he is able to say, because they were a deadlock essentially as ben laid out, he was like, fine, you want to take over the country, you do it, i'm removing myself. i don't buy that he's removing. he's done this in the past. he's come back particularly around election times and re-emerges. he spent two decades when he was just rising up, we were both on ground in iraq. he spent two decades leading his followers, i don't see him completely leaving. i want to show you a map of iraq, ben laid out the civil war. down here in basra, this is where 80% of the oil comes out. why this is so important, people are watching this, the oil, when we're talking about the situation in russia and ukraine, many of the gulf region saying they're tapped out. they weren't produce more. they were hoping ira

monday there was an out break of violence after the she a cleric moqtada al-sadr said he was resigningm politics and his supporters stormed gernment buildings. iraq has had no conclusive government since inconclusive elections last october and new elections may be the answer to political deadlock. a reminder of our top story this evening. mikhail gorbachev, the last leader of the soviet union, has died at the age of 91. the hospital where he died said he had been suffering for a long and serious illness. mr. gorbachev hadook over in 1985 and is best known for opening up the ussr with the west. he reached arms control deals with the united states and crucially, he refused to intervene when eastern european nations rose up against their communist rulers. he is seen in the west as an architect of reforms who created the conditions of the end of the cold war and the breakup of the soviet union. but he was unable to prevent his country from collapsing in 1991. i'm laura trevelyan. thank you for watching "bbc world news america." ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is p

in iraq, shia cleric moqtada al sadr appeals for calm — after dozens are killed in clashes in baghdad

in iraq, shiite cleric muqtada al-sadr again announced he's resigning from politics, triggering violencet killed 15 of his supporters. crowds stormed the government palace and battled security forces. later, followed a rival militia. at least 15 protesters were wounded, in addition to those killed. al-sadr's party won the most seats in elections last october, but efforts to form a government have failed. back in this country, a judge in georgia ordered republican governor brian kemp to testify before a special grand jury on the 2020 election. the panel is probing alleged attempts by then-president trump to alter the results. the judge did rule that kemp will not have to appear until after the november 8th elections, when he's nning for a second term. nasa's goal of returning to the moon hit a new delay today after last-minute problems scrubbed an unmanned test launch. a crowd waited as the sun rose behind the "artemis" rocket at cape canaveral, florida, but hydrogen fuel leaks and an engine problem halted the effort. nasa administrator bill nelson took the setback in stride. >> this is j

chanting against the prime minister, accusing him of collaboration with al-sadr to remain in power.any fear it could get worse. opposing groups have been intensifying campaigns and seemed to be pushing for a takedown. a top leader with the coordination framework has warned of bloodshed and called for dialogue. this escalation comes against the backdrop of leaked audio recordings attributed to former prime minister nouri miliki, where he's is heard insulting his affiliates. sadr suggested mandatory recordings be condemned as a prerequisite for dialogue. >> we will remain here until our leader instructs us to leave. it is not just a political dispute, it is a revolution against corruption and oppression. reporter: the conflict over forming a government here along -- among lawmakers months ago. these protesters say they not only follow the leaders, but they also want to change the whole political system. al jazeera, baghdad. maryam: this is a former leader advisor to the united nations focusing on reform in iraq. he says a negotiated solution will be the most likely conclusion to the p

amna: in iraq shi-ite cleric , muqtada al-sadr again announced he's resigning from politics, triggeringlence that killed 15 of his supporters. crowds stormed the government palace and battled security forces, and later, fought a rival militia. at least 15 protesters were wounded, in addition to those killed. al-sadr's party won the most seats in elections last october, but efforts to form a government have failed. back in this country, more than 375,000 people in michigan are without power tonight after a series of severe storm swept across the state in northern ohio. a woman died tonight in toledo ohio when she was crushed by a falling tree. judge in georgia ordered republican governor ryan came to testify before a special grand jury in the 2020 election. the panel is probing alleged attempts then president trump to alter the results. the judge did rule that kim will not have to appear until after the november 8 elections when he is running for a second term. nasa's goal of returni to the moon hit a new delay after last-minute problems scrubbed and unmanned test launch. a crowd waited

al-sadr called for elections after the last vote failed to create a government. >> this whole escalation comes against the backdrop of 10 months of political rivalries, of dispute that have been derailing forming the government. the dispute namely between one movement and the iranian backed politicians on the other hand. the parliament has failed more than once to form a government or elect a new president due to that political rivalry over who is entitled to form a government. >> pakistan's minister says losses from the floods could be higher than $10 billion. it will take five years to rebuild and recover. the rains have killed more than 1100 people since june. the government's warning of shortages because of how many crops have been lost. helicopters are being deployed to help those stranded in remote areas. there are conflicting reports out of ukraine that after it launched a counteroffensive against russian forces to retake the curse on region, ukraine's troops -- ukraine says its troops have broken through. russia says the ukrainian advance has been repelled and ukraine suffered he

calm in iraq as clashes continue between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr

the violence comes after hundreds of supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed theent from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. as you can see here, protesters are taking over the swimming pool. earlier, iraqi security forces declared nationwide curfew and ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. let's hear from some of the protesters. translation: our demands are to dissolve parliament i and to hold the corrupt to account and we say, my master, their pride is under yourfeet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. translation: our revolution is solely an iraqi one. - it is not sadrist nor tishreen. this is an iraqi revolution. iraq should be returned to its people. russia will start some military exercises with china. it's the second time this year that russia and china have engaged in a joint military drill. the military drills will run for a week and include a number of other nations including india, belarus and mongolia. it's the second time this year that russia and china have been engaged injoint military drills. earlier on the pr

overseas tonight and to iraq now, political chaos in iraq after the influential shiite cleric muqtada al sadr announced his resignation. his supporters taking to the streets and clashing with security forces in baghdad's fortified green zone, home to government buildings and the u.s. embassy. at least 12 people were killed. protesters also storming the presidential palace, once saddam hussein's home, swimming right there in the palace pool. >>> and overseas in pakistan tonight, the catastrophic flooding. weeks of extreme monsoon rains have now killed more than 1,100 people. nearly half a million are homeless and crowded into camps. and look at these at lite images tonight. the indus river four months ago, and the same view now. homes and fields under water. aid is beginning to reach the most in need, but we're told the rains are forecast to return there. >>> when we come back here on this monday night, the dire predictions from climate scientists tonight about sea levels around the world. the eye-opening prediction. >>> and later here, going to the movies here in the u.s. for just $3. so, whe

now, they have to sit on the side of the road and wait for food to be in iraq, shia cleric moqtada al sadr