james waterhouse _ its very survival. thanks, james.e. - a key supporter of liz truss has insisted the conservative leadership contender hasn't ruled out direct help for people struggling to pay energy bills. yesterday, the foreign secretary drew criticism from her rival, rishi sunak, when she said she would focus on tax cuts rather than what she called "hand—outs." but the trade minister, penny mordaunt, who is backing ms truss, said she was focused on delivering support. research by bbc news has found that holiday food vouchers for children on free school meals have been cut in value — or stopped — by 43 councils across england this summer. the children's society is warning that there is a "postcode lottery of support," and millions of children in england could go hungry this summer. the bbc�*s education correspondent elaine dunkley reports. z watches every penny. today, she's shopping at a community food pantry to pick up discounted essentials for the children. last summer, z got a free school meal voucher in the holidays worth £15 a

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. update on whether ukraine is now getting the sort of weapons it needs from the west. it depends what the ukrainians want to do. they want to repel russia fully. i think to this point, it is clear that this help from the west is allowing the country to hold the defensive line. we need to look at the questions which are raised by what we have seen in crimea over the past 11 days. what has happened to the air defence that russians installed along the peninsula? what exactly caused these blasts that we have seen? were they saboteurs, were they long—range missile strikes, which the west has helped ukraine with, or were they drone strikes indeed, as reported today? there are a lot of unknowns, but it is clear that western weaponry is helping, but ukraine will always bang the drum for more. nevertheless, what we have seen in crimea challenges two myths, i think. firstly, that it is an impregnable base for russia to stage its naval fleet, as well as aircrafts to launch attacks on ukraine, but

let's get more of the story from our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse. it is hard to see where the compromise is going to be. they long fought for a demilitarization zone, moscow is longerf, saying ould leave the area vulnerable to what it described as terrori attacks from the ukrainian side. so, where is the middle ground? if inspectors are allowed in, does a cease-fire follow? i think mr. aussie of the iaea -- mr. rossi of the iaea conceded that the body is not a country, that has helped them get access, but they can only report back on their findings. they don't have capability to enforce a cease-fire. and it is very hard to mitigate for heavy shelling, which we have seen sincehe start of this month. this is where it gets distorted, because ukraine and russia have long blamed each other for shelling the area. it makes less sense for ukraine to shell its own nuclear plant, given the nearest troops are 10 miles away. because of where the site is situated, the concern from kyiv is that this is russia building false narrative ahead of its sham referendums

james waterhouse in kyiv, thank you.si kwarteng, says more support is coming to help with the cost of living. mr kwarteng, a key ally of the conservative leadership frontrunner, liz truss, makes the pledge in tomorrow's mail on sunday. it comes as a new forecast for the energy price cap suggests it could top £6,000 a year from next april. i'm joined by our business correspondent, marc ashdown. marc, longer term predictions always very difficult, but this forecast will worry many? i think ithink so, i think so, remember the price cap is set by the regulator ofjen, the maximum suppliers can charge per unit of energy so built for the average household are currently capped atjust under £2000 per get but these energy consultants now predict the cap could keep rising and reach a high of £6,000 by next april before starting to slowly forward —— set by the regulator 0fgem. this is speculative based on the daily wholesale gas price which is volatile, could go up and down, and april is quite a long while off. this afternoon 0fgem

let's get more from our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse. the chances of international inspectors making it to this nuclear power plant were once remote. they are now looking a lot more promising, more probable. at the moment they are a good hour and a half from the plant itself, but there are still bends in the road. moscow installed officials, but they don't yet have the right permissions to make it through their own military checkpoints. in their words, they will have to get in the queue with everyone else. the iaea chief has laid out what he wants to achieve. >> my mission is a technical mission, a mission that seeks to prevent a nuclear accident. and to preserve this important -- the biggest power plant in the whole of europe, not only in ukraine. this is what we are concentrating on. james: for ukraine, the hope is this will be the first step toward demilitarization, towards russians backing out from the site completely. that is looking remote, but the optimism seems to be remaining. >> this should be a step to de- occupy the militariz

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. also spoke to james waterhouse and asked him how destabilising these latest attacks are for russia. i think it sends a warning shot, a reminder, while the front line further north in ukraine is not really moving, it is a message to russia to say look, we are bursting myth that you can base your naval fleet next to crimea as well as stage aircraft are to launch attacks across the country. it also challenges the idea that crimea is part of russia. kyiv is very keen to stress all along that it remains part of ukraine and we need to look at the effect that these explosions that we have seen notjust today but over the past 11 days, we need to look at the effect that has had, moscow has been urging people to stay calm. that is something authorities in ukraine were doing in the build—up to this invasion. we have seen thousands of russians try to leave crimea, where they previously had seen it as a desirable holiday destination for the past eight years. where it has firmly remained under russ

james waterhouse, bbc news in 0desa.n this story on our website — where you can see a map following the razoni's route online, and read an in—depth report from james waterhouse in 0desa, who has been reporting on this story for us. that's on bbc.com/news — or simply download the bbc news app. breaking news from the us, because us media is reporting an american counterterrorism operation in afghanistan has killed the al-qaeda leader. reports say he was killed in a drone strike carried out by the cia in the afghan capital of kabul on saturday. there's no independent confirmation of this yet, but the white house has said that president biden will give details of the operation in afghanistan in the next few hours — we will be sure to bring that information and that press conference to you as and when we get it, so do stay tuned to us for that breaking story. turning now to a stark warning from the united nations secretary general antonio gutteres — who says the world is facing a nuclear danger not seen since the height of th

laura: that was james waterhouse reporting from kyiv.q's prime minister says he will vacate his post if the complicated political situation continues. monday there was an out break of vience after the she a cleric moqtada al-sadr said he was resigning from 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 uni

james waterhouse, thank you ve much russia.other wave of travel disruption today, on the sixth day of national rail strikes this summer. this map shows that only around one in five services was running, after 45,000 rail workers walked out again in their dispute over pay and conditions. the rmt union has warned that more industrial action is "very likely". helena wilkinson reports. a now familiar sight for rail passengers across the country. half empty stations, weekend plans and services severely disrupted. so we have had to leave early from home due to the strike action. obviously, it is going to take a lot of time to get to the stadium and also we are worried about what time we will get back and what time the trains are running to. obviously, like, i'm only quite young as well so, like, without me getting back to liverpool, like, i'm kind of just stranded. so it's not really, like, the best for anyone trying to get back to somewhere that out of london. should have gone back yesterday but there was no way— we could travel yes

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.ing senior executive at donald trump's family business has admitted conspiring with the company in a 15—year tax fraud. allen weisselberg, who's 75, avoided paying tax on more than £1.5 million worth of unreported perks. under his plea deal, he will serve five months in prison and will have to give evidence against the trump organization. donald trump himself has not been accused of wrongdoing. earlier i spoke to our north america correspondent, peter bowes, and asked him if allen weisselberg's guilty plea spells further trouble for trump. this is a man who worked for the former president forfive decades. if anyone knows the inner workings of the trump organization, he does. however, it seems as if, as part of this deal to get a relatively short sentence, he has not agreed to give evidence in the future against donald trump. what he will do — he will be a witness at that forthcoming trial involving the trump organization, again involving its tax affairs, and he could well give some ver

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.cross many parts of england, amidst the driest summer for fifty years. a weather warning for extreme heat is in place for parts of central and southern england and wales until midnight on sunday — with temperatures as high as 36 degrees expected over the weekend. our correspondent helena wilkinson reports. a helena wilkinson reports. fire earlier this afternoo started a fire earlier this afternoon it started in fields and spread to a neighbouring farm. people had to leave their homes. this was westbridge furred in nottingham sure today. they were still trying to put out fires. and this is sidelin and dorsett, dried out from the heat desperate for water. and reservoirs load like this one in derbyshire. after nearly six weeks of dry conditions, a drought has been declared for parts of england. southern, central and eastern areas are affected, including devon and cornwall, kent, london and the east midlands. water companies can now bring in stricter measures to save water. when you turn o

james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia.n to the us now where —liz cheney — one of donald trump's fiercest critics in his own republican party — has said she is thinking about running for president. her comments come within hours of a resounding defeat at the hands of one of donald trump's supporters. cheney, whose father dick cheney is a former us vice president, has represented the state of wyoming since 2017. but she's effectively been de—selected after losing a primary election. within a few hours of that result, cheney appeared on nbc�*s today show and was asked whether she was thinking of running for president. she didn't give a direct answer at first, but after being pressed on it, here's what she said. that the decision i'm going to make in the coming months. i'm not going to make any announcements this morning but it is something that i'm thinking about and i'll make a decision in the coming months. 0ur north america correspondentjohn sudworth is in wyoming and was asked what he thinks liz cheney's chances are, if s

james waterhouse, bbc news in kyiv. i spoke earlier to angela stent.llow at the brookings institution. i started by asking for her analysis on the latest reports of explosions in crimea. i think the ukrainians are finally hitting the russians back where it really hurts. in crimea. the russians thought they had crimea secure and that they're having summer holidays and suddenly, ukrainians have shown that they can really damage russian assets there. airfields, ammunition dumps and it's really making the russians have to recalibrate what they're doing now. when we look at that recalibration, this is taking place against backdrop of increasing worries about the nuclear power plant in zapori—cha; un sec gen is there any way out of this, two sides coming to an agreement? i wish they were, but the russians have recklessly used this nuclear power plant, the largest one in europe, as a military base, and they're firing from the nuclear power plant out into ukraine. and, of course, the ukrainians really cannot fire back because they would risk a major nuclear ex

james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia.plosion has ripped through a mosque in the centre of the afghan capital, kabul. the blast is thought to have occurred during evening prayers, killing at least three people, and injuring dozens more. it's not yet clear who was responsible for the attack, which comes just a week after the death of a prominent taliban cleric in a suicide bombing. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kabul, and sent us this update. what we know is that there is a powerful bomb ripped through a fairly crowded mosque after night fell in at evening prayer at times when the mosque will be crowded. and this mosque was notjust full of adults but many children attending evening prayers. a religious student said he was just outside the mosque when the explosion happened and saw many dead and injured bodies sprawled inside the mosque. and what we know from the main hospital here, emergency run by an italian ngo, which is often the hospital which treats the victims of violence, it has received doz

james waterhouse reports from ukraine. the hunt for a solution. turkey's president erdogan, antonio guterres, the united nations chief, and ukraine's leader, volodymyr zelensky. one agenda item, russia's continued occupation of the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. there were repeated calls for a demilitarisation zone and for international inspectors to be let in. moscow has continually refused but ukraine is practising for a worst—case scenario. in an online post, staff there have described feeling powerless in the face of madness. agreement is urgently needed to establish zaporizhzhia as purely civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safety of the area. the next agenda item seemed more positive. the only diplomatic breakthrough in this war. a grain deal which has and still is allowing ukraine to export it through the black sea. kyiv and moscow were urged to make sure it continues to succeed as it could be a long—term route to peace. today though we were reminded of ukraine's condition for that to happen. translation: i'm very surprised to hear

james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia.n has ripped through a mosque in the centre of the afghan capital, kabul. the blast is thought to have occurred during evening prayers, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more. reports suggest the imam of the mosque is among those who died. the wounded are said to include a seven—year—old child. it's not yet clear who was behind the attack, which comes a week after the death of a prominent taliban cleric in a suicide bombing. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kabul, and gave us this update. what we know is that there is a powerful bomb ripped through a fairly crowded mosque after night fell in that evening prayer at times when the mosque will be crowded. and this mosque was notjust full of adults but many children attending religious prayers. a religious student said he was just outside the mosque when the explosion happened and saw many dead and injured bodies sprawled inside the mosque. and what we know from the main hospital here, emergency run b

this is what the bbc correspondent james waterhouse paid attention to. on this day, president zelenskyi walked along khreshchatyk in a designer black suit, followed by an armed military column, which was a show of force. on central street, now and then russian equipment is damaged or captured, the mood is much more gloomy, accompanied by a warning from the us state department however, in his opinion, russia will increase attacks on government buildings and infrastructure, i think this is a precedent for 8 years of russian aggression against ukraine, usually around this time of the year, before ukraine's independence day, russia increases its activities, previously it happened because of militants in the east of the country, but today everything is completely different there are also reports about the largest nuclear power plant in europe. i spoke with the ceo of agtera file grosi. he says that he expects to get access to the plant after weeks of institutions providing this access and expects to receive it in a few days. -what a moment it is, here is a sh

james waterhouse reporting.nalysis on the war in ukraine on bbc news online. head to bbc.co.uk/news or use the bbc news app. here, the chief constable of merseyside police says the investigation into the murder of olivia pratt—korbel is progressing at pace. the nine—year—old was shot on monday evening by a masked attacker who'd burst into her home. joseph nee, a former drug dealer who's thought to have been the intended target of the shooting, has been arrested. the gunman is still at large. our correspondent danny savage is at the scene. reeta, it is exactly 48 hours it seems the awful events in the street behind me, but as you can see, the blue and white police tape is still there, still several streets sealed off, it is a large crime scene. as for people living here, shock and disbelief i think is quickly turning to anger that such an awful event could happen to a nine—year—old child living in their community, and it is clear that information is flowing from the people here to the police. the hunt is still on

that was james waterhouse reporting on that story for us.c website for you on our special coverage of ukraine, including the latest accusations being traded between russia and ukraine. that's on bbc.com/news or simply download the bbc news app. that is, of course, if you haven't done so already. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. police in liverpool have named the nine—year—old girl who was shot dead in her house on monday night. olivia pratt—korbel�*s death has sent shock waves through her community and beyond, after she was shot in the chest by a gunman who was targeting a man who'd run into herfamily home. police are appealing for any information that could help them capture the gunman. the killing of a nine—year—old child is an absolute tragedy and crosses every single boundary, and i would urge them to do the right thing so we can put this person behind bars. a student nurse, owami davie, has been found safe and well seven weeks after going missing. she was located in hampshire in the south of england a

james waterhouse, bbc news in kyiv.w hours, since those talks, there have been several explosions near a military airfield in russian—occupied crimea north of the city of sevastopol, around the belbek airfield. the governor of sevastopol said russian anti—aircraft forces had shot down a ukrainian drone, although it's not yet known whether the two events are connected. you'll remember another russian airbase in crimea was hit by explosions earlier this month. and seperately, in russia itself, two villages close to the border with ukraine were evacuated after a fire broke out at an ammunition depot. the fire was less than fifty kilometres from the frontier. no casualties were reported. i spoke earlier to angela stent, she's a senior fellow at the brookings institution. i started by asking for her analysis on the latest reports of explosions in crimea. i think the ukrainians are hitting back really hurts. where it really hurts. they thought they had crimea secure and that they're having summer holidays and suddenly, ukrain

james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia.n, firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have led to the evacuation of thousands of residents. in one instance, a train service running between valencia and zaragoza narrowly avoided being engulfed by fire. sylvia lennan—spence reports. flames reports. ripped through the land as flames ripped through the land as firefighters shout run, run scrambling for their lives. the might of mother nature here in spain combined with the impact of time a change presenting a terrifying threat to communities facing the flames. as the fire spread, north—west of valencia ten passengers were hurt, three seriously when they tried to escape a train caught up tried to escape a train caught up in a sweeping fire. this thermal image showing flames encroaching on the tracks. translation:. encroaching on the tracks. translation: ._ encroaching on the tracks. translation:. ~ , u, translation:. when they came out of the tunnel _ translation:. when they came out of the tunnel they _ translation:. when th

james waterhouse, bbc news, in 0desa. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines...tastrophe, including human extinction, are not being taken seriously by scientists. the authors say that the consequences of warming beyond three degrees celsius have been "dangerously underexplored" and the world needs to start preparing for the possibility of what they term the "climate endgame. " at least 37 people have now died in the us state of kentucky, as the region braces for more rainfall. the state's governor said the death toll would continue to rise as "hundreds" remained unaccounted for. 0vernight curfews have been declared in two devastated counties. a member of a militia group from texas who was convicted of storming the us capitol has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. his sentence is the longest so far for anyone involved in last year's riot. guy reffitt had also threatened to shoot his own children if they informed on him to the fbi. now to a story that's dominated headlines in asia this week — the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pel

james waterhouse reporting there for us. to flee their country. ukrainians to flee their country. many countries around the world have offered to resettle refugees, allowing them to start a new life far away from their homeland. australia is one country which has accepted thousands of ukrainians since the conflict broke out. one of those is angelina samko, whojoins us live now from sydney. first off, angelina, thank you so much forjoining us on the programme and suppose it is appropriate to say happy independence day as well. just talk us through your experiences at the third of the war. what happened and what did you do? war. what happened and what did ou do? ~ ., , , you do? when it happened, we did not expect _ you do? when it happened, we did not expect it _ you do? when it happened, we did not expect it at _ you do? when it happened, we did not expect it at all, - you do? when it happened, we did not expect it at all, so - you do? when it happened, we did not expect it at all, so we l did not expect it at all, so we were not ready for this. t

james waterhouse, bbc news in kyiv.nior executive at donald trump's family business has admitted conspiring with the company in a 15—year tax fraud. allen weisselberg, who's 75, avoided paying tax on more than 1.5 million worth of unreported perks. under his plea deal, he will serve five months in prison, and will have to give evidence against the trump organisation. donald trump himself has not been accused of wrongdoing. meanwhile, a judge in florida has un—sealed some of the documents relating to the fbi's search of the mar—a—lago home of donald trump. it comes after american news organisations argued it was in the public interest to know more about the search. well, let's get more on both of those developments from our north america correspondent, peter bowes. whojoins us who joins us now. whojoins us now. a sign perhaps from donald trump himself. nobody knows more about the inner workings of the trump organization than allen weisselberg. does his guilty plea spell further trouble for the former president do you thi

james waterhouse, bbc news in kyiv.ement of people in the world today. a third of ukraine's population has been uprooted by the war. there are now an estimated 6.5 million refugees across europe. many have been re—homed here in the uk. so how is the uk refugee programme going, and what more can be done to help? jon kay has been finding out. 2,000 miles from ukraine, the somerset village of oak hill, now home to dozens of refugees. do you want to come on in? robin's front room is no longer his own. just through here. so, here we have our family, what we've got over from the ukraine. so the head of the family is natasha. hello, hi, i'mjon, nice to meet you. this isjon. so there's natasha, her daughter, and her grandchildren who have moved in, and their cousins are all staying next door. what do you think of this place, of this village of oak hill and the welcome you've had? i, i was amazed how many people opened their houses, and invite us, robin and his wife sue were among the first in the village to offer their home. it

james waterhouse, bbc news in odesa.with his offensive, despite international condemnation, sanctions and what some in russia concede are "significant" troop losses. the kremlin uses its almost total control of the media, to persuade the russian public that what mr putin calls the "special operation" is necessary. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, has travelled 500 miles north of moscow, to the pskov region, to find out whether the message, is getting through. at st elijah�*s church it's a special day. in the village they are venerating a saint. and asking god to help russia. we pray for our blessed country, he says, for its rulers and for its army. ukraine isn't mentioned by name but it's on people's minds. in ourfamily, we have a lot of young men who are serving there, ludmilla says. god won't abandon them, they will come home. many soldiers haven't. in the village cemetery we find two dozen fresh graves. russian paratroopers killed in ukraine. it was president putin who ordered the invasion. his idea, his special op

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.residential palace in somalia's capital mogadishu. the attack comes after parliament met to approve the country's recently appointed cabinet. prime minister hamza abdi barre's 75 member cabinet includes a former al—shabaab deputy leader. the islamist militant group frequently targets government officials and has recently stepped up its attacks. let's look at some of the day's other news. the us secretary of state has arrived in south africa at the start of a three—nation african tour aimed at countering russia's efforts to boost its influence. south africa has remained neutral in the ukraine war, refusing to join western calls to condemn moscow. after pretoria, antony blinken will visit the democratic republic of congo and rwanda. police in thailand have arrested the owner of a nightclub where15 people died in a fire that broke out early on thursday. at least 30 others were injured in the blaze in chonburi province. the police said the owner turned himself in — he's expected to face ch

james waterhouse.s are continuing to battle an unknown number of islamist gunmen who stormed a hotel in the capital mogadishu yesterday. locals people have been reporting gunfire, explosions and smoke billowing from the roof of the hayat hotel. security officials say al—shabaab militants are holed up there with hostages. at least 12 people have been killed, while dozens more, including children, were rescued. there are fears that the cost of living crisis will make it easier for criminals to recruit children into drug dealing and violence. youth workers are concerned that as families fall into poverty, more young people could be exploited by so—called county lines gangs. zoe 0'brien has the story. do you know what? it's the money. it is easy money. money, money, money. it starts with the promise of family, of quick cash and fast cars. to some young people, the draw is irresistible. but the reality of being in a county lines gang is very different. i've been attacked. i've attacked people. i have been s

our correspondent james waterhouse has the latest from kyiv.ng destabilised, frankly. this is a place which russia has occupied for eight years and of all of the territory it has seized in ukraine, crimea is where its grip is tightest. but in the last couple of weeks, we have seen ukraine use its new capability of longer—range attacks — apparently, although it hasn't officially accepted any responsibility. we've seen ammunition depots explode, watched on by russian holiday—makers who until that point had felt confident enough to use it as a regular holiday destination. so crimea is getting pulled into this conflict, and for moscow, it will be embarrassing as it looks to portray this conflict as a success back home. james waterhouse. somali security forces are continuing to battle an unknown number of islamist gunmen who stormed a hotel in the capital mogadishu yesterday. local people have been reporting gunfire, explosions and smoke billowing from the roof of the hayat hotel. security officials say al—shabaab militants are holed up there with h

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.f course the commonwealth games, let's join jane dougall in birmingham. new manchester united boss erik ten hag lost his first premier league game in charge. brighton beat them 2—1 in their first win at old trafford. matt gravling reports. another season, another man in charge. erik ten hag became the eighth boss in the nine years since alex ferguson. can he finally unite united? is the starting 11 had no number seven, christian ronaldo on the bench. exactly three months ago, brighton put four past manchester united. the south coast side started strongly again. it is united. the south coast side started strongly again-— strongly again. it is pascal gross who is there! _ strongly again. it is pascal gross who is there! this _ strongly again. it is pascal gross who is there! this was _ strongly again. it is pascal gross who is there! this was the - who is there! this was the midfielder's _ who is there! this was the midfielder's fought - who is there! this was the | midfielder's fought a

james waterhouse, bbc news, in zaporizhzhia.it by pollution warnings, after untreated sewage was discharged into the sea. heavy rain is partly to blame, and as you can see here, it's affected beaches in many popular resorts, including bognor regis, newquay, southend—on—sea and exmouth, from where phil mackie, has more details. the weather's lovely and the sea looks inviting, but the beach has been empty. the message is clear. typically it would be heaving here on a sunny august afternoon, but people have been warned off. how many inches has it gone down? rose from sheffield and her family are still enjoying the sand, even if they can't go in the sea. it's a bit worrying. you know, you've got your children and you want them to come out and have a nice swim. and then you hear that there's sewage wastage in the... so there's that fear of the children getting poorly. so they can't really have that full experience because they are quite limited in terms of swimming out to sea. the trouble with the old drains inland is they can't cope

james waterhouse.e continuing to battle an unknown number of islamist gunmen who stormed a hotel in the capital mogadishu yesterday. locals people have been reporting gunfire, explosions and smoke billowing from the roof of the hayat hotel. security officials say al—shabaab militants are holed up there with hostages. at least 12 people have been killed, while dozens more, including many children, were rescued. michael gove has said he'll back rishi sunak to be the next leader of the conservative party, saying he has what it takes to do the job. the former levelling up secretary criticised leadership candidate liz truss, saying her tax policies would disadvantage the poorest in society. earlier, our political correspondent helen catt told us more about michael gove�*s endorsement. so he initially backed kemi badenoch, who he had worked with in the department for levelling up. he backed her campaign. of course, she was eliminated in the mp stage. and since then, he hasn't said who he's going to back. he

james waterhouse, bbc news in kyiv. a public inquiry, and says she wants no other family to go through what they went through. the 12—year—old suffered severe brain injuries after being found unconscious at his home in essex in april. 0ur correspondent helena wilkinson has been speaking to her. i'm so honoured to be his mum. i had 12 of the best years of my life with that little boy. and i can honestly say there is not a single day that i could sit back now and go, i regret that day, or, that weren't a good day. i've had the best 12 years. hollie dance wanted to speak to the media so soon after her son's death because she says she doesn't want other families to go through what they have been through. i feel that we were... we were just stripped of all our rights and were backed into a corner by the system. and just, i've explained it before, it felt like we were on trial. the stress that you go through isjust... change is needed. archie became the centre of a lengthy legal battle over his care. doctors at the royal lond

james waterhouse reports from the ukrainian capital, kyiv.is what and where this is, which makes this smoke significant. another apparent strike in russian—occupied crimea. over the last 11 days, there have been a series of explosions on mostly military targets. out of all of the ukrainian territory which moscow has taken, crimea is where its grip has been strongest. but that grasp appears to be weakening. translation: russian's commanders aren't saying what happened, - but it is either a failure of russia's air defences, or of russia's intelligence services. regardless of who is causing these explosions, for ukraine, the result is the same. it is the weakening of russia's position in the south, because we confirm that crimea is ukraine. further north, in kyiv, preparations for independence day. captured or destroyed russian tanks are big tourist attractions here. now they are on the move. to here, the main street in kyiv. ukraine wants to tell the world it will continue to fight. it has not acknowledged any responsibility for these strikes i

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.ant that led the fbi to search his house in florida. the former us president claimed the search was unnecessary and politically motivated. unsealing the warrant would make the reason for the search available to the public. the family of the american actress anne heche, who was badly injured in a car crash a week ago, say she is not expected to survive. she's been in a coma since the accident in los angeles. anne heche, who's 53, is known forfilms including donnie brasco, cedar rapids and the 1998 remake of psycho. johnson &johnson says it will stop selling its baby talcum powder around the world next year. the pharmaceutical company has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits in the us and canada from people who claimed the product caused cancer — something the firm has denied. it will transition to a baby powder based on corn starch. thousands of train drivers who are members of the aslef union will stage a strike across nine rail companies tomorrow, in a dispute about pay. there will be

james waterhouse, bbc news.s on course for its worst drought in at least 500 years. in a new report, the global drought 0bservatory says two thirds of the continent is under some form of alert. gareth barlow has more details. from increasingly empty reservoirs, to rivers, the drought in europe is gripping almost the entire continent and for 15 countries, including france, spain and ireland, the uk and moldova, the situation continues to get worse. 5s uk and moldova, the situation continues to get worse. 47% of the territory — continues to get worse. 4796 of the territory remains _ continues to get worse. 4796 of the territory remains in - the territory remains in drought warning and this means precipitation has been less unusual and soil moisture is in deficit, 17% is in alert condition. deficit, 1796 is in alert condition.— deficit, 1796 is in alert condition. ., , , ., condition. from distribution issues from _ condition. from distribution issues from drinking - condition. from distribution issues from drinkin

our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse has this report. they continue to move.t vessels have now made it out in this landmark grain deal, carrying a quarter of a million tonnes. they're inspected at istanbul in turkey before heading on to their final destinations. the most fragile of agreements is holding. ukraine wants its grain to keep flowing out. 20 million tonnes have been stuck since the start of this invasion. 17.5 million more has just been collected. and the sunflower harvest is about to begin. after everything its economy has been through, ukraine needs this deal to work, which is why it's looking to build confidence by telling shipping companies that there's money to be made here, by showing insurance firms that the level of risk is acceptable. but it also has to build some kind of trust with russia, despite continuing to fight for its very existence. it's hoped this agreement will last for four months. it could be extended. this is still the one patch of common ground in the most hostile of landscapes. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. let's take

james waterhouse reporting. next parliament, if he becomes prime minister. but supporters of his rival, liz truss, have accused him of performing "another u—turn" on taxation. postal ballots are due to be delivered to conservative party members from today, with the winner being announced in september. our political correspondentjonathan blake is at westminster for us. as ever, economic policy is the big dividing line in this contest. but at this stage, it is rishi sunak talking about tax cuts, albeit in the future. as you say, the former chancellor has pledged to reduce the basic rate of income tax to 16p in the pound by the end of the next parliament, which could be as far away as 2029. he describes it as a radical, but realistic plan, and one which is paid for by the treasury, receiving more money through taxes as a result of forecast economic growth. liz truss's campaign, on the other hand, have promised immediate tax cuts on several fronts and they say they are needed straightaway, not in several years time.

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.r has introduced a hosepipe ban for hampshire and the isle of wight, while restrictions will come into force for south east water and welsh water customers in the coming days. but the rivers trust has accused water companies of "waiting until the last minute" to implement the ban. it says the government instead needs to come up with a long—term solution to deal with future shortages and dry spells. let�*s speak to tim hess, who is professor of water and food systems at cra nfield university. a lot of customers across the country where on the understanding that water is in reserve for situations like this and that we shouldn�*t have to worry and hosepipe bans were a thing of the past, but that doesn�*t seem to be the case? know, and it�*s definitely not. water know, and it's definitely not. water management is about balancing the suppity— management is about balancing the sunpiy of— management is about balancing the supply of water on the one side and the demand for water on the other a

james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. malnourished beluga was first spotted on tuesday and has swum upriver to within 70 kilometres of paris. rescuers say it has so far refused their offerings of fish, either because it lacks energy or is sick. they hope that the vitamin injection will stimulate its appetite and help it to make the 160km return journey to the english channel, where it can swim back to its arctic habitat. it's got quite a way to go, though, to swing back. —— to swim back. sad news for you. the italian actor, carlo... , the voice of the animation, pingu, has died at the age of 85. animation, pingu, has died at the ae of 85. ., ~ animation, pingu, has died at the aie of 85. ., ~ animation, pingu, has died at the aieof85. ., . animation, pingu, has died at the ae of 85. ., . age of 85. hello! where did you go? are! piniu age of 85. hello! where did you go? are! pingu was _ age of 85. hello! where did you go? are! pingu was a _ age of 85. hello! where did you go? are! pingu was a huge _ age of 85. hello! where

james waterhouse, bbc news, in odessa.eet when she was attacked. deivida5 skeba5, who is 22, has been remanded in custody. the funeral of the former first minister of northern ireland, lord trimble, has taken place in lisburn. he died last week at the age of 77. david trimble played a key role in securing the good friday agreement in 1998 — which earned him the nobel peace prize. scientists have radically updated one of the world's most powerful tele5copes, which might lead to new discoveries, about the origins of our galaxy. the william herschel tele5cope has been fitted with a new instrument, able to capture light from a thousand 5tar5 every hour, revealing their age and origin5. our science correspondent, pallab ghosh reports. they shine in the night sky, but how did they get there? the answer is contained in the light the stars actually give off. gavin dalton has spent more than a decade developing an instrument to study the light from 5 million 5tar5 — to reveal the secrets of how our galaxy was created — and now, it'

james waterhouse in 0desa, there.cause. that's rougly 168 than in the previous week. 696 people were detected crossing the english channel in small boats on monday — the highest number on a single day so far this year. french authorities say they stopped one boat at sea with 35 people on board. it's been more than three months since the home secretary announced plans to send migrants to rwanda to try to deter people from crossing the channel. an international study says that the risks of a climate change catastrophe, including the extinction of the human race, are not being taken seriously by scientists. the authors say the consequences of warming beyond three degrees celsius have been "dangerously underexplored" and the world needs to start preparing for the possibility of what they term the "climate endgame." the report's authors, who include scientists from the universities of cambridge and exeter, say that in the case of warming more than three degrees, two billion people would be living with extreme heat by 2070

our correspoent in kyiv, james waterhouse, is following the movements of the vessel. >> this does representirst convoy in this grain agreement. still a small one. no issues so far but these are seas littered with midnight and they are passing under very watchful eye of a dominant russian naval athlete. 58,000 taurean on board and ukraine is taking the opportunity today, alongside this movement, to call for the route to be used for other materials, like metal. we've been in the dark on when the ship will leave and how much. we've seen them getting prepa but according to the minister of infrom structure. it's clear he's very ambitious but the numbers seem to be changing over time. at the start of this week, ukraine said it acted to ex port i've million tons from its coast. today he's saying at least three million so i think he might be accoing for a bit more of the reality of this whole delicate operation but nevertheless, this is something that ukraine is desperate to keep going and these vessels will, as every other ship in this agreement, make their way to istanbul where they'll be in thed

let's get more now from our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse.se counteract offensives by ukraine on and around the city of kherson are significant for ukraine, but there are some caveats. we are still talking about a sizeable chunk of territory, and ukraine aborts counterattacks in almost a daily basis. however, it is clear that after weeks of using these long—range missile systems to take down important bridges, to strafe the russian supply lines, the target command centres as they claim it is clear the ukrainians have the confidence to push forward, which is why they are to have pushed through the first russian defensive line. not just that, there are reports of fighting in the city, we have heard gunfire, we have seen dark smoke billowing over the city's skyline and also moscow has acknowledged it is defending a tax. the difference is, russia claims those attacks have failed. but there is a bigger picture. ukraine is very keen, president zelensky specifically, to show to the west what it can do with the weapons it is being provided with. as a

james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.: for more on the situation at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and the progress of the war in ukraine, i spoke to the ukrainian mp and former head of the service. britain's defense ministry has said this morning that russia's airfield in crimea was significantly degraded by those blasts on tuesday. how is it ukraine or its allies were able to strike so deep into russian held territory? >> we officially don't confirm that it is directly ukrainian forces. but we do understand that these strikes really hindered russia. because alof the russi aircraft at the crimean airfield were part of russian innovation -- invasion forces from the black sea. and the fleet of russia carries the most dangerous missiles call caliber which russia is using against our population even here in kyiv where i am now speaking out of. laura: n that ukraine has these new weapons, this kit used in crimea. i know you're not going to say. but these mobile rocket launch symptoms -- systems, is it transforming the ability