Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC 20240703

The dismissal of Oleksii Reznikov signals a strategy shift. Mr reznikov led the Ministry Since before the start of russias full scale invasion in february of last year, winning praise for negotiations to secure allied weaponry and expanding ukraines army. But as ukraines government has ramped up investigations into corruption, mr reznikov has become the subject of increasing speculation over financial misconduct, though he has not been personally implicated. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, ukrainian generals claim that they have breached russias formidable first line of defences in the south, near zaporizhzhia. General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told the Observer Newspaper that extensive minefields had blocked troops for several weeks, leaving them vulnerable to russian shelling and drone attacks. But the general claimed that clearing those mines has allowed his forces to advance, saying that ukraine expects weaker Russian Defences ahead. Questions over ukraines slow progress on the battlefield remain, but ukraine says its forces are making steady gains in the south of the country, expanding its units in recent weeks towards the strategic town of tokmak, a Logistical Centre for russian forces. An adviser to president zelensky, alexander rodnya nsky, has been speaking to the bbc about the significance of the recent breakthroughs. Weve been waiting for this moment for quite some time. Weve been hoping that we would pierce through the Russian Defence line, the first defence line, which was the hardest to pierce through, if you believe Military Experts when they talk about it. So hopefully now, when we reach the second and the third lines of defence that the russians have established, those will be easier to essentially overcome. And perhaps hopefully this is the spot, this is the place where we can now actually put all the modern nato technology, the tanks that weve been getting, and the training that weve been receiving, put all of that to use, to our advantage. Hopefully, its the key moment. Again, well see what happens. Its hard to predict at any point, including at this point. But you know what the objectives are. We have a Common Objective of liberating ukraine, not just for ukraine, but for the whole western developed democratic world, because this is a stand off between democracies and authoritarian systems and its really key for everybody to chip in. So hopefully this is a key moment. Hopefully well be able to build on that and make sure that we liberate all of ukraine in its 1991 internationally recognised borders. Earlier, i spoke with retired rear admiral mark montgomery. He worked on Us Ukraine Relations as Policy Director for the Senate Armed Services committee and in the navy assigned to us european command. He is now at the washington based Research Group foundation for the defense of democracies. I want to start with what we are seeing on the battlefield ukrainian generals say that they have breached russias first line of defences in the south. How significant do you think is that . Thank you for having me, helena. I think this is significant. I think that they are close to putting very important Logistics Lines that the russians rely on for their land bridge to crimea at risk. In this area, there are a few more climbers, five to ten more climbers in their traditional artillery that they have, that we have provided them, and the Cluster Munitions we provided them will be able to cut the Logistics Line that goes to melitopol. I think that will put the russians in a severe position, and then as you come around, that also places berdyansk at risk and eventually mariupol. So all the towns critical to the land bridge to crimea can be at risk if they can get this Logistics Line at risk and, frankly, they are very close. As you know, rear admiral, theres a lot of discussion about whether this could be seen as a turning point. I wonder, what is your assessment . They will have to consummate that breaking of the Logistics Line to have that kind of success. We are about three months in, you know, june 5 to 6 start of this counteroffensive, so were about three months into it, and i think this would be just about time, that they really have to have some kind of breakthrough and so i think this is likely, but obviously, it is critical that they get the artillery within the 155 millimetre in the Cluster Munitions striking ranges so that the kind of artillery they have not the artillery they wish they had, but the artillery they have can break that Logistics Line. If that happens, this really is a breakthrough. The ukrainian general saying today that they have been able to break through the first line of defence, but usually russian forces, they have three. Do the ukrainians have what they need in confronting two more defence lines, and what kind of fight do you think that looks like . So, that is interesting. It is going to be a test of russian persistence, will they persist with their second and third lines of defence . I think the suspicion is not the same degree of depth and scale. And then, secondly, have we provided enough of the Mine Clearing Equipment thats necessary here . And a lot of that initial Mine Clearing Equipment came under pretty strong duress and fire from the russians before the ukrainians got the tactics of it correct. So, they really need the right equipment, and then i think they need a little bit of luck in where they go versus the russian defensive measures. One thing ill say is, as we move from summer into fall, these defensive positions are going to be much more exposed as the leaves come off trees. So it is good now, it could be even better a month from now. Weve also been hearing today that president zelensky said that he would replace his Defence Minister in what is the biggest shake up since the beginning of this war. How might a change of leadership like that impact the battlefield . The replacement of Minister Reznikov is not president truman replacing General Macarthur in korea this is a much different set of roles. Reznikov is responsible for procurement, for acquisition, for logistics. Very important and a strong 18 month performance by him and his team. But i this is more about signalling. This is signalling to the United States and european allies and supporters that because of the allegations of corruption, he has taken president zelensky is taking serious action. While reznikov was not directly accused of any of this corruption, he is accountable as a Minister Of Defence and he is being held responsible by president zelensky. So, again, not truman replacing macarthur, but still a pretty big deal. And just briefly, one last question, ukraine saying today it will be deploying f 16 against russia next spring in a defensive role. If that gives us an indication of how prepared they are to go on, will the support from us remain at the level at that next juncture, next spring . Well, for sure. Ukraine believes they will continue this war until they have crimea back. From their point of view, of course they would say this. For a ukraine supplemental package. Logically, it is the right thing to do. I think there are enough votes when you count both sides of the aisle, but probably speaker mccarthy, the House Republican leader, is going to need the House Democratic leader to get him across the finish line and there are signals thatjeffries may not be interested in that. Lets hope that is wrong, lets hope the two of them can Work Together and it will pass the senate. The president will sign it as soon it is approved. Thank you as always for your insights. Thank you, helena. Taiwan is being battered by its biggest storm in four years. Typhoon haikui has brought winds of up to i90km h. Dozens are reported injured, thousands without power. And there have been concerns of landslides and rockfalls in communities in the mountains of western taiwan. Our reporter Nicky Schiller is in the newsroom with more. The storm gathered pace as it approached taiwan, and what you can see behind me as one of the government webcams where you can see the Torrential Rain Pounding the lens. Now, it is predicted in some areas there could be at least half a metre of rain by monday. Now, with Those Winds Of I90km h, its no surprise that trees and powerlines have been brought down in several coastal towns, causing, as you can see, damage to vehicles. Now, the state run Taiwan Power Company says it is working hard to restore electricity to Tens Of Thousands of homes and businesses. All domestic flights were cancelled on sunday. Roads have also been damaged with the authorities warning that there is a risk of landslides in some mountainous districts. Thousands of people have been moved to evacuation centres, whilst others are staying sheltering in their homes, although they have been told to stay away from windows in case they get broken by flying debris in those strong winds. Now, the military have mobilised soldiers and equipment to help with those Evacuation Efforts and the flood relief. Taiwan has escaped any direct hits by major storms since 2019. Although the typhoon is expected to cause extensive damage, it is passing over a relatively sparsely populated area of the island. It will then move, forecasters say, across the Taiwan Strait and into china. Despite warnings from organisers, some people have begun to leave the Burning Man Festival in the us desert state of nevada. Vehicles began exiting the event sunday after a rare rainstorm had cut off access, leaving thousands stranded. Others have been getting stuck in the mud. The festivals official website is still warning people not to attempt to drive due to unsafe conditions. More wet weather is expected sunday after a half inch of rain earlier in the week turned the remote desert into a mud pit, making it difficult to walk or drive. Officials had told the 70,000 in attendance to shelter in place and conserve food and water until conditions improved. Police say one person has died. The cause is under investigation. It could be several days before the ground dries up enough for people to leave. And while many party goers are making the best of it, some say the conditions are a disaster. Heres seven year veteran of Burning Man David date. Theres hundreds of vehicles that are completely stuck in the mud. There are people walking on foot to the nearest city of gerlach, and there are camps, a lot of european camps, that fly in and do burning man, have left everything, their trash, their tents, their infrastructure, so this is a disaster like never been seen at burning man. Our david willis is there amid the mud. Well, this was supposed to be the day that people attending this festival headed home. Instead, Tens Of Thousands of them are stranded here, mired in mud, which has thickened over the course of the last few hours following renewed downpours of rain. As you can see behind me, some people are packing up in readiness for their departure, but a driving ban remains in force here. The organisers say it is simply too wet and too muddy for people to leave. Some, though, have tried it, only for their vehicles to end up stuck in the mud. Others have abandoned their camping gear altogether and left this festival on foot. Meanwhile, the local Sheriffs Department is investigating a death which took place at the height of the torrential rain on Saturday Night at this festival. At the moment, that they are saying very little about the identity of the deceased, only that his next of kin have been informed. It is thought the worst of the rains here may have already abated but there is still the chance of some thunderstorms, and it could be several days before the landscape here is actually dry enough for everyone here to be able to leave. People here are tired and wet and very muddy, in many cases, and everybody seems to be very anxious now to leave. As this summer comes to an end here in the Northern Hemisphere, weve seen another season of major wildfires around the world. Researchers say forest fires are becoming more widespread. From canada and the us to hawaii and across europe, communities are recovering from destructive and deadly wildfires. Science editor Rebecca Morelle has a closer look. At times this summer, it has felt like the world was on fire. Flames racing across swathes of land, destroying homes and lives. The images are unforgettable. But how bad has the Wildlife Season been . Looking at the total area affected by fire, so far this has not been an unusual year, although were only part way through it. But there are some exceptions. In europe, greece has seen some extreme fires, one of the largest ever recorded in europe. But countries like portugal and romania, the area burned has been below average. Over in canada, huge fires have been raging for months their worst Wildfire Season on record. In the us, its been quiet. In california, a wet winter and cool spring has lowered the fire risk. In hawaii, though, the fire was small but its impact was enormous. The death toll is still rising, making 2023 the deadliest year for wildfires this century. So whats the overall trend . Are wildfires increasing . The total area of burnt land is changing over time, the areas decreasing year on year. It is driven by a fall in savannah fires, mainly in africa, part of the natural cycle. They make up about 70 of that total area burned. But as land use changes, the area is getting smaller. Forest fires, on the other hand, cover a much smaller area but they are becoming more widespread. As parts of the world battle wildfires, whats the impact of Climate Change . Climate change is leading to hotter and drier conditions, helping wildfires to take hold. Scientists estimate that since 1979 the global fire season is now 27 longer and the United Nations projects that extreme fires could increase by 50 by the end of this century. The Northern Hemisphere season is not over yet and summer is just starting in the southern hemisphere, so all eyes will be and what happens next. Rebecca morelle, bbc news. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. Torrential rains have swept across spain, with residents in madrid advised to stay at home. Large areas of the countryside in the castellon have been flooded. Emergency services sent Text Messages to residents of madrid advising them not to use vehicles. La liga Football Division suspended the match due to take place between Atletico Madrid and sevilla in madrid due to the alert. India has switched off its moon rover after successfully conducting a list of experiments. Indias space agency said on x, formerly known as twitter, that it was set to sleep mode, adding that it hopes to eventually wake it back up for another set of assignments. Indias Chandrayaan 3 was the first spacecraft to reach the Lunar South Pole just over a week ago. To argentina now, where the world cup of tango danced off in buenos aires. Argentina took home the top prize in both the salon and stage categories. These are pictures of the couple that won the salon competition. Dancers from All Over The World took part in the event. Youre live with bbc news. For many Retail Employees, its becoming dangerous just to go to work. In the us, grocer whole foods temporarily closed one of its Flagship Stores in San Francisco this year citing Safety Concerns for staff. The Retail Council of canada says Store Violence is on the rise there. And the British Retail Consortium says cases of violence and abuse against Retail Employees have almost doubled from pre pandemic levels. Now, one of the Worlds Largest retailers is taking action as it calls for tougher laws to protect shop workers from increasing attacks. Bbc� s mark ashdown examines the new Extremes Tesco is going to protect its workers in the uk. Why are you touching me . What are you touching me for . Get out now. What are you touching me for . A Body Worn Camera captures a suspected shoplifter, unleashing a torrent of abuse. The British Retail Consortium found there are now 850 attacks on retail staff every single day, almost double the number before the covid pandemic. Staff report being sworn at, spat at, racially and sexually insulted, and verbally and physically abused. The boss of britains biggest retailer, tesco, says enough is enough. Writing in the mail on sunday, ken murphy said millions of people stock the shelves, walk the floor and serve the tills. These Unsung Heroes are being made to feel unsafe by customers who will be verbally or physically abusive, or who will threaten or attack them when challenged. These attacks are unacceptable, he said. For these colleagues and their families, its heartbreaking. After the co op and waitrose started using Body Worn Cameras, tesco will now offer them to any staff working face to face with customers. But does it work . Clearly, there are some people who just dont care but what it does do is make some people think twice. It makes them realise that, you know, they are on camera, that their conflict is actually being recorded. Obviously, it is also a huge cost to the retailers and it is a cost which ultimately gets borne by the customer in terms of, you know, the prices we see in stores. There is growing evidence that organised criminal gangs are targeting shops more frequently. One former Security Manager at asda told us the squeeze on Household Budgets is also having an impact. I think people are more accepting of violence in society today. I think with the economic situation, more people are desperate, so they are willing to use violence to get the items that they need. In scotland, abusing staff is a specific criminal offence, which Industry Leaders want to see extended across the uk. Body worn cameras are just one tactic in the ongoing fight against retail crime, which costs the industry £1. 8 billion every year. Marc ashdown, bbc news. Now to one English Village that has found a green way to heat their homes. Danjohnson dan johnson has this danjohnson has this report. A Special Delivery down cornwall� s country lanes. To kehelland, claimed to be europes first village heated by waste Vegetable Oil, called hvo. This is our boiler. Its a kerosene boiler, its about 27 years old. Dave is a happy customer because it is saving him the costs of fitting a heat pump. We would have to run Something Like about £37,000 to have the roof fully insulated, and that doesnt include the cost of the Air Source Heat Pump itself and all the piping and all the radiators and Everything Else that has to go inside the house to replace this. So, how much would you be talking about . Well, a minimum of 60,000. There is no gas here, and the Electricity Network isnt great either. You have got these beautiful old stone houses, but they are difficult to heat and even harder to properly insulate. And then you have got buildings like this, which are even more of a challenge. The Carbon Emissions are down 80 or 90 without huge conversion costs. Its given us a realistic option to start going greener on site. And at this charity for people with learning difficulties, they are glad they have switched. We have been able to keep the original equipment, very little disruption to the site, and now we are able to heat this amazing space, which we use for therapeutic horticulture, while producing 90 less carbon, which isjust amazing for us. But not everyone is convinced. There is a Question Mark over the impact of supplying enough Vegetable Oil to serve 1. 7 million rural homes. We need to electrify everything that we possibly can and only use biofuel for very special applications where there is no alternative, and they are shipping. And aircraft in particular. The village school, theyve managed to convert over to the hvo. The boss of the oil company is subsidising this because taxes currently make it more expensive. But he says its what people want. They dont want to remove their existing system. They cant afford to move away from it. You would say that because your business is absolutely dependent on it, isnt it . Well, you know, we are a fossil fuel supplier, and we are quite passionate about moving away from fossil fuels. And, you know, hvo seems to be a very good solution to do this. The road to net zero is being questioned, and its Rural Communities which must decide first how to keep warm without fossil fuels. Danjohnson, bbc news, kehelland in cornwall. Plans for a permanent memorial are under way to remember Queen Elizabeth ii. Itll be unveiled in 2026 to mark what would have been the year of her 100th birthday. Our royal correspondent Daniela Relph has more. In 1955 on in1955 ona in 1955 on a gloomy day in the mail in london. The young Queen Elizabeth unveiled a statue to her father king george vi. It was a public memorial, a tribute to his reign when her daughter praised his wartime service. He was the Living Symbol of our steadfastness. He never wavered in his faith. That with gods health, the cause of freedom prevail. There are tributes to king than queens across the country. The traditional imposing statue remains the most common memorial. But marking the reign of britains longest serving monarch may require something special. The queens former private secretary lord chandra will lead the new memorial committee. He says he now faces a unique challenge getting this project right. The committee will consult the royal family, the government, and the public to find the best way to remember Queen Elizabeth ii with both memorial and whats described as a National Legacy programme. It is the First Anniversary of her death this friday. The royal family will spend day privately. In 2009, Queen Elizabeth unveiled a statue to her mother, just below the one of her father from 1955. Now the country she served for so long will look for a fitting way to remember her. Daniela relph, bbc news. We leave you this half hour with a look at the dozens of hot air balloons taking off from a park in colorado springs. About 70 hot air balloons take part in the annual event. Its part of a three Day Celebration of the Labor Day Holiday weekend here in the us. They range in size from 25 to 35 feet tall and are flown using a liquid propane burner. Stay with us here on bbc news. Thats all from us here in washington. We leave you with these live pictures of london as we hand over to our colleagues there. Thank you for your company, i will see you soon. Hello. We have a very warm week of weather in prospect. In fact, it could turn out to be some of the warmest weather of the year so far. The highest temperature we recorded over the summer was all the way back injune at 32. 2 celsius. This week we are expected to get to 30 celsius, but some places could getjust a little bit warmer than that. Certainly some very warm or even hot weather in the outlook with plenty of strong sunshine, Butjust A Little Bit of mist and fog here and there some to start monday morning, particularly across parts of southwest scotland, but a few patches elsewhere, tending to lift and clear very quickly, and then we will see lots of sunshine. A little bit breezy down towards the Far Southwest, the far north of scotland, but really only the western and Northern Isles seeing more cloud and a few splashes of rain. Temperatures in Eastern Scotland up to 25, 26 degrees, parts of central and southeastern england could well get to 29. Through monday night, it stays dry with clear skies, still this Weather Front in the far north of scotland with a few splashes of rain and maybe the odd shower into the Far Southwest of england by the end of the night, 16 there in plymouth to start tuesday morning, a very warm start, a mild start elsewhere as well. For tuesday, this area of low pressure swirling to the southwest of us may introduce the odd shower across the southwest of england, parts of wales, possibly northern ireland. A Weather Front in Northern Scotland will be weakening. Elsewhere lots more sunshine and plenty of warmth as well, but a slight shift in the Wind Direction will bring a slightly cooler day in the eastern side of scotland, 21 for aberdeen, further south 27, possibly 28 degrees. As we move into wednesday, this area of High Pressure changes shape, shifts to the east of us and we start to bring the winds up from the south, so another surge of very warm air. Wednesday is the day when some places could get up to 30 celsius or possibly even a little bit higher than that. A few patches of mist and fog around some of the coast but elsewhere it is a story of warmth and sunshine. And as we head towards the end of the week, we stick with the same theme, temperatures could still get close to 30 degrees on thursday. Only very, very slowly will it turn more unsettled from the west. Voiceover this is bbc news. Well have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. Welcome to hardtalk. I am Stephen Sackur and this is lake como in northern italy. Back drop for the canberra city forum, gathering of international politicians. There is a real sense of geopolitical and easier, partly because of the ukraine war, but also because another us president ial election looms, and it looks likely to be a rematch between trump and biden. And that will not be pretty. My guest today is a us congresswoman nancy pelosi, former speaker of the house of representatives. Her Democratic Party right to stick with biden . Nancy pelosi, welcome to hardtalk. Nancy pelosi, welcome to hardtalk nancy pelosi, welcome to hardtalk. G , hardtalk. My pleasure to be with yom hardtalk. My pleasure to be with yom it hardtalk. My pleasure to be with you. It is hardtalk. My pleasure to be with you. It is a hardtalk. My pleasure to be with you. It is a pleasure hardtalk. My pleasure to be with you. It is a pleasure to l with you. It is a pleasure to have you with you. It is a pleasure to have you on with you. It is a pleasure to have you on the with you. It is a pleasure to have you on the show. With you. It is a pleasure to have you on the show. You| with you. It is a pleasure to have you on the show. You have always been seen as an incredibly internationalist american politician. I think in your years as speaker of the house and congresswoman you have visited more than 80 countries. But in the experience, would you