michael bristow, abe two bbc pacific editor. good to - bbc pacific editor. good to talk to you.s of wagner boss yevgeny prigozhin have been a mystery since he led a short—lived rebellion in russia last month. under the deal to end the stand—off, charges against him were dropped and he was offered a move to belarus. but yesterday, belarus leader alexander lukashenko said prigozhin was in russia after all. last week, bbc verify revealed these satellite images that appeared to show activity at a disused military base around 64 miles from the belarusian capital. the area has been reported in russian media as a place that could house wagner fighters. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg has visited that site — and he's sent this report. this is an abandoned soviet military base about 1.5 hours from minsk. and this is one place that the leader of belarus, alexander lukashenko has offered to the wagner mercenaries as a camp, a base, if they relocate to belarus. that isn't clear at the moment. and we have been brought here today by the belarusian defence ministry to take a look. and you ca

pacific. this is bbc news — the headlines:

pacific ocean. the sun newspaper says a bbc presenter has been accused of paying

pacific ocean. the sun newspaper says a bbc presenter has been accused of paying a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photographs, beginning when they were 17. it's understood that the bbc is looking into the allegations. hello, i'm krupa padhy, thank you forjoining us. five—hundred days into russia's invasion of ukraine president volodymyr zelensky visited snake island, where ukrainian soldiers famously defied a russian war ship at the beginning of the war — calling it a sliver of land in a wide sea — but proof — he says — that ukraine will win the war. today we are in snake island which will never be conquered by the occupier. like the whole of ukraine. because we are a country of the brave. today we honour here our ukrainian heroes. hold the soldiers who fought for this island, who liberated it. under though this is a small piece of land in the middle of our black theatre is a great proof that ukraine will we gain every bit of its territory. i wanted to thanks, from here, from this place of victory, each of our soldiers for these 500 days. the visit comes as president zelensk

pacific ocean. the sun newspaper says a bbc presenter has been accused of paying a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photographs, beginning when they were 17. it's understood that the bbc is looking into the allegations. facial recognition technology will be used for the first time at the formula 1 british grand prix to try to stop criminal activity. hello, i'm krupa padhy, thank you forjoining us. on day 500 of the war in ukraine, president volodymyr zelensky visited snake island, where ukrainian soldiers famously defied a russian war ship at the beginning of the invasion. he also thanked the united states after washington agreed to supply cluster bombs to ukraine. it's a weapon that has been banned by more than 100 countries around the world. despite this, ukraine has been pressing for the artillery shells which drop multiple explosives to help with their counter offensive against russian forces. russia has been using the weapons since the start of the war. human rights groups say cluster bombs kill indiscriminately and unexploded devices can pose a danger to civilians for ma

pacific. scientists say it is likely to make next year even hotter than this one. justin rowlatt, bbc news. prasad. he is fiji's former ambassador to the united nations and chair of the pacific small island developing states at the un and is currently the climate lead at abt associates for the asia pacific. we're looking at record—breaking temperatures in europe. in other parts of the world. we are looking at it supercharged monsoon in asia, in india right now. and we are looking at an el nino across the whole of the blue pacific islands. from the pacific islands perspective, it brings home two things. one, that much higher temperatures than we anticipated, perhaps even five years ago means that ice melt will be much faster than predicted earlier. it's consequences for sea level rise is potentially significant and quite immediate. so if countries were contemplating adapting over three or four decades' time, now they have to compress it and take it far more serious efforts to adapt any much shorter time frames. the urgency is so immediate, but thank you again very much for sharing what is qu

bbc news website. britain joins britainjoins an britain joins an indo—pacific trade block.brexit. plus, all eyes on china as the world cosmic second—largest economy is set to announce as late growth figures. hey there, welcome to the asia business report. we begin in the uk which is joined indo—pacific trade block the also includes

bbc news. the ukjoins a trade pact with countries in asia and the pacific.uite a momentous occasion and we are all here so proud, so excited. nearly a third of americans are under extreme temperature warnings as the us joins southern europe in the grip of a heatwave. and in sport, novak djokovic will face carlos alcaraz at wimbledon later, in what is one of the most anticipated finals of a generation.

bbc sounds. an australian sailor who survived two months in the pacific ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwatermexico for french polynesia in april but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later. they were rescued by a helicopter this week. in a news conference tim shaddock paid tribute to his furry companion. betta conference tim shaddock paid tribute to his furry companion.— to his furry companion. bella sort of found me _ to his furry companion. bella sort of found me in _ to his furry companion. bella sort of found me in the _ to his furry companion. bella sort of found me in the middle - to his furry companion. bella sort of found me in the middle of - to his furry companion. bella sort - of found me in the middle of mexico, she is mexican, you know, she... she is a spirit of the middle of the country. and she wouldn't let me go. i tried to find a home for her, maybe three times, and she just kept following me onto the water. and so, you know, ifeel... ifeel like she is a beautiful animal. i'm just grateful she's alive, you know. she is... she's a lot braver than i am, that's fo

bbc news. and an update on the australian sailor who survived two months in the pacific ocean by eating raw fishd tim shaddock — along with his dog bella — left mexico for french polynesia in april, but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later. they were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them. at a news conference, mr shaddock paid tribute to his furry companion. bella found me in the middle of mexico. she's mexican, you know. she is the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn't let me go. i tried to find a home for her, maybe, three times and she just kept following me onto the water and so, you know, ithought she is a beautiful animal. i'm grateful she is alive, you know? she's a lot braver than i am, that's for sure. a reminder of our top story — the us military has named the soldier who crossed into north korea from south korea as private second class travis king, a 23 year—old who was facing discliplinary action. he was on an organised tour of the un—run demilitarized zone which divides the two countries. it's unclear whether he has defected t

bbc news. the uk hasjoined a new trading bloc — making it the twelfth member of asia & pacific nations bloc known the uk's trade secretary, kemi badenoch, signed on the dotted line in auckland, in new zealand. other members include, australia, canada, chile, japan, mexico and malaysia. but critics of the deal have questioned its benefits to britain. the government's own estimates indicate being in the bloc will only add 0.08% — less than 1% — to the size of the uk's economy in 10 years. our business correspondent marc ashdown has more now on what the deal means for british businesses and the economy as a whole. frictionless free trade for uk exporters and this is a block which generates about 13% of the roads and come and now the uk is on board and this should amount to about £11 trillion. but it means is no tariffs and also to things, from cheese to whisky, two cars and various bits of machinery and it should, in theory, booster exports and it is worth noting that we did have deals already in place with nine out of 11 of these countries in this block and in terms of what it is worth to our econo

pacific. some question its value — but the trade secretary says it's good news for britain. this is bbce age of 76. 0ver100 million americans are facing extreme temperatures as the us joins southern europe in the grip of a heatwave.

pacific. some question its value — but the trade secretary says it's good news for britain. now on bbcews...click. this week, we're taking a deep dive into artificial intelligence, and how it's transforming the world around us. yeah, that includes in healthcare, where we meet the ai helping radiologists to diagnose cancer. you can see these little white dots. the ai is highly suspicious. and in the fast moving game of ai artwork, who owns what? and can artists protect their work? for some time artificial intelligence has been all around us. you might not have noticed it, but your video streaming services, social media feeds, the maps on your smart phones, they've all been steadily improving their performance because the computers behind them have been learning. and then last year, something important happened. yeah. ai got human — or at least it felt like it did. companies like google and open ai started showing off stunning photorealistic images like these, all created by ai from short text descriptions. and then ai started having conversations with us. they were starting to generate

pacific. scientists say it is likely to make next year even hotter than this one. justin rowlatt, bbc news. a court in london that he's a "big flirt" and was "somewhat intimate" with one of the men he's accused of sexually assaulting, but he denied behaving aggressively. mr spacey has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges relating to four men, between 2001 and 2013. lucy manning reports from southwark crown court. some of the jury admitted they'd watched his award—winning films. now they saw kevin spacey close up, in the witness box, at times emotional, fighting for his innocence. the judge told the actor he didn't need to tell him to project, and mr spacey spoke confidently, mentioning judi dench, eltonjohn, john gielgud and jack lemon. but this was not about the american beauty star's career, but about allegations of multiple sexual offences. he was asked about a driver who claims he was sexually assaulted. "we had a fun time together," the actor told the court. mr spacey, who described himself as a flirt, said it did not happen in a violent, aggressive, painful way. "it was gentle and, to my

bbc news, in northern taiwan. us secretary of state antony blinken is due in australia today, the latest stop on his tour of the pacificiewed in part as an effort to counter china's implements in the region. let's now bring in viola now when, a senior fellow forindo viola now when, a senior fellow for indo pacific defence and strategy at the international institute for strategic studies, a british think tank. thank you forjoining us on the programme. firstly, it seems the us is really trying to show its commitment to the south comac —— to the south pacific after china targeted the region with its belt and road initiative.— with its belt and road initiative. ,, ., , ,., , initiative. sure, absolutely. i think chinese _ initiative. sure, absolutely. i think chinese investment - initiative. sure, absolutely. i think chinese investment in l initiative. sure, absolutely. i. think chinese investment in the south pacific has been a concern around the influence that might afford china as well, in the direction that the united states and others are potentially not comfortable with, that we can to the rule of and decrease transp

bbc news. and now to the remarkable story of an australian sailor who survived two months at sea. they were attempting a 6,000 km solo voyage across the pacific — for two months! here he is — this is the castaway — tim shaddock — and on his right you can see his beloved dog bella. the pair set off from la pez, along the baja california peninsula in mexico, in april. they survived on a diet of raw fish and rainwater, and the pair were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them. and here is tim now — looking very thin but happy and alive. and don�*t worry — i know you�*re thinking where�*s bella? — i can assure you — even though bella is not in this picture — she survived the ordeal too. that�*s all we have now, i�*m monica miller thanks for watching. hello. if you�*re wondering whether any of the heat that�*s currently affecting southern europe might head our way, well, the answer is a resounding no, but that is good news, i think, when you look at these temperatures. these temperatures which we recorded in the south of europe on monday, are very dangerous indeed. and this heat shows no real sign of letting up. now, we are

bbc news. japan may be one step closer to discharging tons of treated water from the fu kushima nuclear disaster site in the pacificby neighbouring countries including china. on tuesday, the director—general of the international atomic energy agency will visit the site, and present a final report to japan's prime minister. after that and another study, the water could start to go into the ocean. it's a crucial step in fully decommissionning the fukushima site. the disaster happened following a 2011 earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged the nuclear power plant. live now to our correspondent shaimaa khalil in tokyo. great to see you. what do you think that we can expect from the report. how certain can they be that it is safe to release the water into the ocean? i release the water into the ocean? ~ ., ., ocean? i think that there are two key things. _ ocean? i think that there are two key things. one - ocean? i think that there are two key things. one is - ocean? i think that there are two key things. one is that l two key things. one is that they'll be looking at the liquid processing system. this is essenti

bbc news. to japan now, where the country may be one step closer to discharging tons of treated water from the fukushima nuclear disaster site in the pacificsed by neighbouring countries, including china. the director general of the international atomic energy agency is visiting japan, and later will visit the site, and present a final report to japan's prime minister. after that, and another study, the water could start to go into the ocean. it's a crucial step in fully decommissioning the fukushima site, following the earthquake and tsunami that crippled the plant. live now to shaimaa khalil who is in tokyo for us. talk us through this process, which i assume is quite controversial? it which i assume is quite controversial?- which i assume is quite controversial? it is quite common _ controversial? it is quite common -- _ controversial? it is quite | common -- controversial common —— controversial involving the words radioactive water released into the sea enough to raise a great deal of anxiety among public here in japan, especially fukushima and especially among the fishing community, we went to fukushima a couple of weeks ago and we h

korea and pacific islands — and fishermen in the region who believe it will decimate their industry — yet again. back in 2011, no one wanted to buy their produce — here s haruo ono who spoke to the bbcish from fukushima is popular again. | people know we check every fish for radiation so they feel safe. but now the government wants to release this contaminated water into the sea. we do not trust them and we do not feel safe. let's hear now from professsor robert richmond from hawaii university, who has been part of a pacific island forum, advising island leaders on this water release and has met japanese officials numerous times over this issue. it was made a while ago. and everything that we've heard from japan and iaea has been towards pushing this forward. as i mentioned, china and south korea have been vocally against the plan, but according to the japanese government, their nuclear power plants also release water with higher levels of tritium. is that true? and if so, why should fukushima be treated differently? there's no question that bad behaviour on behalf of one group does not justify bad behaviour by another group. and that's been a source of frustration for myself and ot

bbc news website. welcome back. you may seen today a remarkable story of the australian castaway who has been found alive and well — after surviving two months adrift in the north pacific his boat had been badly damaged by a storm and he was drifting for several weekseventually he was spotted by a helicopter that was working in tandem with a tuna trawler. the skipper they found was a fair bit thinner and a little bit bushier. he doesn't look unlock tom hanks, does he in the film cast away. he said he had survived on fish and rainwater. and the company of his dog who is called bella — not wilson. it is a seafaring tale of survival that is being widely compared to the tom hanks' movie "cast away". i'm not so sure about this. a fish supper every night, time alone with the dog, no need to shave. are we absolutely sure he was last? it sounds like the perfect holiday to me. , , ., ., sounds like the perfect holiday to me. , , , ., ., me. listen! fish food is great for our me. listen! fish food is great for your brain! _ me. listen! fish food is great for your brain! keep _ me. listen! fish food is great for your brain! keep going. - me. listen! fish food is great for your br

pacific ocean. fascinating to l hear from you. thank you. that is professorjim smith, a professor of environmental science at the university of portsmouth. around the world, and across the uk, you are watching bbcs fell for the third month in a row injune according to the mortgage lender, the halifax, while mortgage rates continue to rise. it said the annual fall of 2.6% was equal to around £7,500 being wiped off the average uk house price. the typical uk property now costs £285,932. at wimbledon, the british number one, cameron norrie, might be the last brit standing after making it through to the second round. the two—time champion, andy murray, showed his pedigree on thursday leading two sets to one before it was stopped due to a curfew imposed by the local council. play is to resume later today. and it's the end of the road for the ford fiesta as it rolls off the production line for the last time. the fiesta has been the most popular car ever sold in the uk ever since it first hit the roads in 1976. the factory in cologne, germany is being modified to make more room for electric vehicles. it's become the fastest growing app of all time. threads — the social media platform launched by meta t