Hi there, thank you for being with us. We begin with some Breaking News from the brazilian city of belem, where leaders of eight South American countries which share the amazon have been meeting for a landmark summit. The leaders have issued a joint declaration, saying they have established a new alliance, aimed at preventing the amazon from reaching a point of no return. But leaders appear to have stopped short of pledging an end to deforestation by 2030, as brazils president lula, who is hosting the event, had hoped. Our South America Correspondent Katy Watson reports from para, which is the state with the highest Deforestation Rate in the country. Virgin forest still exists here in the amazon, but every day the illegal loggers get closer. From up high, you can see the damage done, the large patches of land totally cleared. This part of brazil has the highest rate of deforestation in the country. Underjair bolsonaro, Illegal Logging soared. President Lula Da Silva has promised to fix the problem. Translation the challenges of our era and the opportunities that arise demand joint action. We need to reconcile Environmental Protection and social inclusion, encourage science, technology and innovation, encourage the local economy, fight International Crime and value the Indigenous People and traditional communities and their ancestral knowledge. For those living under the rainforest� s canopy, its been a difficult few years. Translation you have no idea how much pressure there was in our community under the bolsonaro government. Landowners, circling planes, soya farmers wanting to buy the land to deforest it. Cockerel crows robson, though, didnt get bought out. Instead, he wants to grow sustainable crops like acai. Hes part of a booming Carbon Credit Industry here. Companies emitting Carbon Dioxide can buy credits from projects like robsons and that should help reduce emissions, but not everyone is convinced. Bianca and herfamily, like many in the region, want Better Services like schools and health centres. But they are suspicious of these new carbon Credit Companies offering to help them. Translation it is not that transparent. We cannot see how it would give us a secure life. We are always on the back foot and fear the consequences. Because of the stories we heard, we decided not to sign a contract. And that is a problem. When People Struggle to get by, and when the state fails to help them, it is easier to accept money from lucrative Illegal Logging. Ensuring the amazons future means improving the lives of nearly 50 Million People who live here. Just to get to this part of the amazon, it took 13 hours overnight on a riverboat, and now this smaller boat, to get to the communities here. But if you look on a map, it all looks so close together, and itjust goes to show how vast the amazon is, but also how difficult it is to navigate, and ultimately, also, how difficult it will be for lula to achieve his zero deforestation by 2030. Which is why he needs the backing of all of the countries who share the amazon. Leaders are expected to offer solutions to Illegal Logging and mining, moving away from big infrastructure projects. But money talks, and without offering a better life for those who live in the forest, any discussion of conservation is pointless. Katy watson, bbc news in belem. Adriana lobo is Managing Director for Global Presence and National Action at the Nonprofit Research organisation the World Resources institute. She told me about the significance of the agreement. This commitment is a very significant step. Its very far from where we were in the past, where deforestation was not even being talked about among the amazonian countries. So i think there is a very big period of hope. I was in the conference until yesterday, and we could see a lot of energy, a lot of people Indigenous People, the academic communities, people from all the countries united, with great energy and really in a very different way of expressing the rights and expressing whats needed to halt deforestation. I think of course, we have to very soon advance to have this strong commitment on zero deforestation. Its not a minor thing for eight countries that have different economies and different stages of the pollution, but for sure there are very important signs of brazil in particular and also colombia changing the situation. Brazilian government was very strong to say that, in the first semester, 33. 6 of deforestation has reduced from last year. As you say, this change seems to be happening under president lula, the level of deforestation in brazil seems to have fallen quite sharply, but he himself has said that he has participated in meetings where they talk, talk, talk, approve a document and nothing happens. So how could they make sure that this alliance is different . I think its very important, two things. First, that there is a commitment to strengthen the institution that helps coordination among countries, to strengthen the institution, because the institution has been weakened. There are only 20 people to co ordinate eight countries in this large region, so strengthening the institution is a very significant step, and then getting this commitment and get to an actionable plan. What we should all expect is that there are a few steps from now to the next month on getting this, which is a very detailed. If you look at the plan, its a very detailed plan in many areas but still not an actionable plan, one that can receive investments, one with very clear, direct policies and therefore get action on the ground in the very consistent way. So i would say the Belem Declaration is a good beginning, but for sure the commitment of each one of the countries from now on, and the possibility of a deeper coordination, is going to be absolutely key in the next few months. Adriana lobo, speaking to me a little earlier. Weve been telling you about europes deadly summer wildfire season, and its now portugals turn to feel the heat. As i speak, fires fuelled by roasting temperatures and winds are pushing flames that have already scorched thousands of hectares of land, close to one of europes most popular Holiday Resorts in southern portugal, near the algarve. An area the size of 5,000 Football Fields has been burnt, and 1,400 residents and tourists have been evacuated by the national guard. Fire chiefs say they worked hard to control the perimeter of the fire, but they remain concerned about two areas which may start spreading again. The scale of the damage so far has been laid bare, with the landscape charred and smoking. 0ur correspondent Alison Roberts is in portugals Capital Lisbon and gave us this update. Portugal escaped much of the heat wave that was suffered across Southern Europe last month, but in recent days, temperatures have soared. And along with months of drought, thats greatly increased to the risk of fire across the country. On tuesday, 120 municipalities almost half of Mainland Portugal was at maximum risk of fire, and as many again at high or very high risk of fire. The worst blaze on tuesday was in south western portugal, in 0demira, where more than 1,000 firefighters were in action over many hours. Fire chiefs said they believe the perimeter of the fire was brought under control but that there were several critical points that meant there could be further break outs at any time, and thats something theyre watching overnight and into wednesday. In fact, temperatures are set to decrease slightly as the week wears on, but the level of fire risk will remain high, and as it happens in southern portugal, where the temperatures are lower, the fire risk actually will increase as the week goes on. So we do expect that many hundreds of firefighters will be in action there and in other places throughout the week. Alison roberts reporting there. In a major data breach, the names and Work Locations of thousands of Police Officers in Northern Ireland have been mistakenly published online. Though no private addresses were released, the data is particularly sensitive because of Northern Irelands troubled past and security threats facing Police Officers. The forces Assistant Chief Constable has apologised to officers, saying, this is unacceptable. Chris page has the story. Nonetheless, Senior Officers will stress very regularly that there are paramilitary groups out there who continue to target members of the Security Forces and who try to take their lives. To give you an example of how the situation for police is perhaps different to other parts of the uk, the media agrees not to show prominently the faces of any Police Officers in pictures in newspapers, on the tv such would be the fear of their identity being widely known. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Bringing you different stories from across the uk. Lugging the weekly shop the long way round. No one will deliver here, so sarah rogers and the other residents of forge mews have to take this route every time they want to get from their cars to their homes. I do the shopping for my next door neighbour, whos disabled. If i didnt do his shopping, then, you know, he wouldnt have any stuff. For two years now, its been like this. The bridge was closed in 2021 because of concerns that it might collapse under its own weight. Some repairs meant it could be reopened to pedestrians 18 months ago, but Newport Council has no date for when things will be completely back to normal. All we get, whenever we try to contact them, is the fact that theyre monitoring the bridge. I mean, how long does it take to monitor a bridge . Newport council said work had proved complex and technically challenging. It said repairs were ongoing and thanked the residents for their patience. It said all the Emergency Services had been given the code to the gate. For more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. Youre live with bbc news. Now to some Breaking News. The rapper tory lanez has been sentenced to ten years in prison for shooting and wounding the us hip hop star meghan thee stallion. During the trial in los angeles, the jury heard that lanez had fired a gun at the singers feet and shouted for her to dance in 2020. The pair had left a party at kyliejenner� s home in the hollywood hills. Lanes lawyer gave this response after the sentencing. I think the sentence handed down was incredibly harsh. I have seen cases, vehicle or homicide and other cases the more there is death, and a person so its less than ten years, and in this case, to get a ten year sentence is extreme and reallyjust another example and really just another example of and reallyjust another example of someone being punished for theres liberty status, someone being utilised as to send an example a celebrity status. And he is not an example, he is a human being. The Prosecution Team also gave their reaction a few minutes ago. The fact that she is a successful entertainer has brought the spotlight on the important issue of violence against important issue of violence against women. There are many people against women. There are many peorfle in against women. There are many people in our community that interacts people in our community that interacts of violence every day, interacts of violence every day, from people close to them, and feet day, from people close to them, and feel reluctant to come forward and feel reluctant to come forward when this happens. I hope forward when this happens. I hope that her bravery gives hope hope that her bravery gives hope to hope that her bravery gives hope to those that feel helpless. In fact, today, at sentencing, through her statement yesterday, she empowered others who have been simites empowered others who have been similes situated similarly situated~ the Us State Of Ohio is due to vote on abortion in november, and pro choice activists are hoping to Enshrine Abortion Rights in the us states constitution. But the republican majority in the State Legislature has pushed for another referendum which could make it harder to change the constitution. 0ur North America correspondent peter bowes has the details on todays vote. All eyes are on ohio to see what happens. And as you say, this is an attempt to essentially increase the threshold for changes to, or amendments to, the constitution. Currently, it requires a simple majority 50 plus one vote and the attempt is to raise that to 60 , to make it more difficult to see these amendments go through. And republicans say this is an attempt to safeguard the constitution from outside financial interests. We often see this in american politics, where a decision is being made in the state and outside interests pour a lot of money into campaigns on one side or another to influence the vote. And republicans say this is an attempt to safeguard the state from that, but opponents of this say it has everything to do with the Abortion Vote that is going to take place in november in ohio. And that is an attempt to enshrine or codify a womans right to an abortion into the state constitution, and this is something weve seen in other states that after the ending of roe v wade, a womans constitutional right to have an abortion. Weve seen many states introduced anti abortion measures, and there are fears that this is exactly whats going to happen in ohio. In fact, a six week ban on abortions was to be introduced. That is on hold at the moment because that particular measure is being challenged in a lawsuit. Briefly, of course abortion will be a very divisive topic during the next years president ial elections as well . And thats why this is so interesting, because across the country, it is being watched, especially by republicans, to see whether this could potentially be a strategy in other states, to make it more difficult for State Constitutions to be changed to essentially allow a womans access to reproductive rights in a particular state. So it is a hot button political issue right now and, as you say, clearly in the next election. Peter bowes reporting there. The former pakistani Prime Minister imran khan has been disqualified from politics for five years after receiving a Prison Sentence for corruption. It means hell be dismissed as an mp and forbidden to stand for Public Office before 2028. He denies any wrongdoing and is challenging the decision in a high court on wednesday. On sunday, mr khan started serving his three year sentence in a jail. 0ur correspondent Caroline Davies has this update from the capital islamabad. When he was sentenced on saturday, we knew that immediately he would probably be disqualified. But i think what many people, his supporters and his lawyers held out hope for was, in the course of the next few days, that they might be able to find some form of relief, that they might be able to delay this whole process. It wasnt entirely clear how quickly the Electoral Commission would move to disqualify him altogether, but the fact is that within just a few days, they have moved to disqualify him. And we now know that for five years, he will not be able to hold Public Office and he will not be able to lead his party, the pti party, which leaves a lot of questions. Firstly, the expectation is that there is a general election expected this year. By the constitution, it needs to be by early november. And of course, if imran khan is not leading his party. He has represented his party, he has founded his party, the emblem of the pti is a cricket bat, and so the fact that he is not there leading his party really does mean that the major government opposition will not be standing in a very meaningful way unless someone else is able to take the reins and give it a different direction. This is probably one of the last parts of hope that maybe imran khan, his lawyers, his supporters, had, was that they might be able to create some form of delay. But the fact that hes now been disqualified really means that this is a very big uphill struggle if imran khan is going to find any way to be able to contest the elections. Lets take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. The us Secretary Of State has warned of the dangers of a Russian Mercenary Group taking advantage of the Military Coup in niger. Speaking to the bbc, Antony Blinken said wherever wagner had gone, it left death, destruction and exploitation in its wake. The South African Government says that violence connected with a strike by taxi drivers in cape town has killed five people since thursday. A minister said the Murder Victims included a Police Officer and a British National who were caught up in violent protests. Thousands of people, including politicians and pop stars, have turned out to pay tribute to the singer Sinead Oconnor. The private Funeral Service took place in her hometown, with well wishers lining the streets. She died in london last month, at the age of 56. Colin paterson has the story. They had come in their thousands to pay tribute to a woman they loved. My mother is 93 and she wanted to come out here. It was your mums idea . Yes. She was a woman that spoke what she wanted, you know . Yeah. For the people. She was a warrior and a weapon standing up to the powers thatl be before anybody else was. Sinead oconnor lived on the sea front in bray, County Wicklow for 15 years. She loved the town. We love you . And the town loved her back. Even the hills were honouring her. The Funeral Cortege included a vw van with a sound system on the roof, which pulled up right outside her old house and tellingly blasted out bob marley, the very singer whose song Sinead Oconnor sang on Saturday Night Live before ripping up a picture of the pope. Fans had flown in from all over europe, including the netherlands. Ive been a fan now for 33 years. And i think her songs saved my life. Good night and joy. Shes like a patron saint, isnt she . L i think everybody come to pay their respects to sinead and honour her, the trail blazer that she was. She spoke the truth, the irish people loved her and well miss her. Shell be very, very sadly missed. She was such a heartfelt, Soul Deep Activist for what she believed in and what she cared about. Earlier, a private Funeral Service had included prayers led by an iman to reflect her islamic faith. Bob geldof was amongst those invited, while Hothouse Flowers lead singer liam maonla was in the crowd. She went in there to crazy territories for us, for the nation and for the world. Nothing compares to you. In the video for nothing compares 2 u, Sinead Oconnor shed two of the most famous tears in music history. Today, the crying was all for her. Colin paterson, bbc news, bray, County Wicklow. This week marks 78 years since the us dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima And Nagasaki during the second world war. Its the only time Nuclear Weapons have been used, and as japan remembers the victims of one of historys most catastrophic war events, a professor in tokyo has created a Virtual Reality world to allow people to experience what it was like walking through the streets of Hiroshima And Nagasaki before and after the bombings. Ive been speaking to hidenori watanave, professor of Information Studies at the university of tokyo. He told me why he decided to create the vr world of the cities. Its been 78 years since the atomic bombing, and soon we will enter an era where there are no survivors who personally experienced it. This means that there will be no more people who deeply wished for peace and a World WithoutNuclear Weapons. The Hiroshima Archive was created 12 years ago, to pass on the experience and feelings of the bombing survivors to future generations, and the content has been continuously updated with new interviews and historical materials. So can you tell me what kind of experience a user can get by using your Vr Technology . Yes, so users can view over 140 testimonies and more than 150 photographs of the atomic bombing. These testimonies are mapped to the specific locations where the survivors were on august 6, i945. The photos are positioning three dimensionally, Replicating The Original camera angles. Using Virtual Reality technology, we can show hiroshima at that time. I understand you were in hiroshima and also nagasaki in recent weeks. Whats been the reaction of those who experienced your vr world . Yes, so in Hiroshima And Nagasaki, local High School Students have been interviewing survivors of the atomic bombing, and so it means we can connect. A bond has formed between survivors and the younger generation, with this referred to as a memory creating a space for closer generational communication. So they all enjoyed this archive, to pass on the memories to for the future. You also used the same technology for the current conflict in ukraine. Can you just tell us about that . Yes, 0k. Ive also created a 3d map of ukraine. The damage to buildings in ukraine has been scanned using new technology by ukrainian creators, who then shared this data with me. I integrated this data into a Virtual Reality map, and the map has been made available publicly. This serves as a digital archive, to communicate the damage suffered to the world and ensure it is shared in future generations. Professor hidenori wata nave, speaking professor hidenori watanave, speaking to me a little earlier. That is it for the programme. Hello there. Today looks a lot better across the south of the uk than what we had on tuesday. All that rain and drizzly conditions, it felt quite cool as well. So today and also thursday look to be drier and warmer certainly warmer on thursday across the board but it will be short lived as low pressure brings a return to cooler, showery conditions friday and the weekend. High pressures building in across the country, as we move through the day today. There will be variable amounts of cloud in places, particularly towards the south and the west. But some good spells of sunshine across northern, central and eastern areas. A bit of Fairweather Cloud is bubbling up into the afternoon, so it will be one of patchy cloud and sunny spells. It will be turning warmer, a bit more humid in the south 2a celsius in the south east, a little bit warmer as well across some northern areas, but it will stay quite windy for the northern isles. As we move through wednesday night, we see a lot of dry weather around clear skies, variable cloud. Well start to import some warmer, more humid air from the south. So were into the mid teens, Northern Ireland, england and wales, even much milder across scotland, too. And you can see the orange colours spreading their way northwards on thursday, as we pick up warm airand humid air from france and spain. So a much warmer day across the board on thursday. Again, variable cloud, some good spells of sunshine, winds coming in from the south, and well see those temperatures reaching 25 celsius or so across the central belt of scotland, widespread mid 20s across england and wales, and we could see highs of around 26 27 celsius. But, like i mentioned, it doesnt last well see this cold front spreading across the country during the course of friday. Thatll bring the temperatures down again and introduce showers or longer spells of rain, some of which will be thundery across central and northern areas. But the south east of England Holding on to the Sunnier Skies for longest, so not a bad day here until the band of cloud with some showers starts to push in later on. So again, 2a 25 celsius in the south east, but youll notice the temperatures will be coming down further north and west. Low pressure sticks close by, unfortunately, for the weekend, generally to the north, north west of the country so its the northern half of the country will see most of the blustery showers, some of them heavy and thundery. A better chance of staying drier towards the south. But, like i mentioned, some of the showers will be heavy at times and, with the breeze coming in from the southwest, itll feel on the cool side for august. Wall street closes in the red, after a Credit Downgrade on some banks spooks investors. China gears up to release its latest Inflation Figures and there are concerns the economy could enter a deflationary cycle. Hello, and welcome to Asia Business report. Im mariko 0i. We start this morning on wall street where all three major indices have closed in the red on tuesday. All down by just over all down byjust over. 5 . The sell off was sparked by the downgrading of several us banks by Credit Ratings agency moodys. The move has reignited fears about american banks and the economy. From new york, Michelle Fleury with more. Wall street was seeing red on tuesday, bank stocks leading the way