live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, iam in london, and 3am in the last stronghold of so—called islamic state, the syrian city of raqqa. the extremists are facing all out war on several fronts now. across the border, iraqi troops have re—taken most of the city of mosul, but not in time to save the famous mosque there. in raqqa, us—backed fighters of the syrian democratic forces are close to pushing is out. our correspondent, gabriel gatehouse, and cameraman, fred scott, are with the sdf on the frontline, and sent this exclusive report from raqqa. this has been a long and brutal road. we are inside raqqa now, driving to the centre of the syrian democratic forces, the sdf, a coalition of kurds and arabs. they have onlyjust retaken this street from fighters that called themselves islamic state. here is is often unseen but all the more dangerous for it. a noise in the sky signals the presence of a drone. what's happening, we havejust driven down this narrow sidestreet and suddenly there's gunfire. everyone's searching in the sky for these is drones. the sdf is advancing on three sides. as they push forward, cars emerge flying white flags. some of these families have spent years trapped inside a nightmare. there are tens of thousands of people still in raqqa, hostages essentially. is has been killing anyone caught trying to leave. the sdf has made rapid advances towards the centre. they have support from american air strikes and artillery. but now they're within a few hundred metres of the old city. islamic state is hemmed in, almost surrounded, and they're fighting back. sniper. snipers, booby—traps, suicide bombers. is has weaponised here. they have done this perhaps more successfully than any other group. but these fighters seem immune to terror. this war has been going on for longer than world war two. this is about as far forward a position... gunfire. ..as far forward as they have managed to go but as you can see there is sniperfire going on. welcome to raqqa, the capital of a caliphate under siege. among the kurds, men and women fight alongside one another. even on the front lines there are no distinctions. delilah is 22 years old. she was studying to become a nurse but here she has found her true calling. returning from the front, fighters described intense all—night battles as islamic state uses its network of tunnels to stage sneak attacks behind the sdf lines. this is going to be a long, hard fight. if is loses raqqa it will surely mean the end of the caliphate. but then what? will the ideology die along with it? probably not. it certainly won't be the end of syria's long war or the violence it has spawned around the world. also making news today. theresa may has set out what she's called a "fair deal" to ensure eu citizens can continue to live in britain after brexit, with the same rights as british nationals. but she said these proposals could be adopted only if the same rights were granted to uk citizens settled in the eu. more than three million eu citizens are living in the uk, and around 1.2 million british nationals have settled in other european union countries. the german chancellor, angela merkel, said the offer was a good start. translation: theresa may made clear eu citizens who had been in great britain for five years could keep theirfull rights. britain for five years could keep their full rights. that is a good start. but of course there are many questions about brexit, about finances coming about the relationship with ireland, which means their is still a lot to do until october. -- there. president trump says that he hasn't any recordings of his conversations with the former fbi chief, james comey. the president had implied after sacking mr comey there might be some tapes. the pair have publicly disagreed about conversations they had about the fbi's investigation into whether russia tried to influence last year's us presidential election. a former diplomatic officer has been arrested and charged with giving top secret defence documents to a chinese agent. kevin mallory is alleged to have travelled to shanghai earlier this year. he told fbi agents he believed the person he met there was working for a chinese think tank. he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty of espionage. safety tests being carried out on about 600 high—rise buildings in england in the wake of the grenfell tower fire have revealed that at least 11 have combustible cladding. it's believed the covering may have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze in which 79 people are believed to have died. us officials say they believe north korea carried out another rocket engine test on wednesday, the first since march.the engines can be used in rockets for putting satellites in orbit, but the us is concerned the technology is being tested to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile. in cricket, afghanistan has been granted test match status by the international cricket council. it means the nation willjoin teams like pakistan, india and england in playing five day test matches. ireland has also been given the same status. thousands of people have attended the funeral of the american student, otto warmbier, who died on monday after he was returned home last week from north korea in a coma. the 22—year—old had spent 18 months in captivity after stealing a political poster from a north korean hotel. suffering from severe brain damage he died at a hospital in cincinnati. aleem maqbool reports from ohio. for many who knew him his casket is the first they have seen of otto warmbier since he went to north korea. he was arrested the early last year, jailed and finally sent home to his parents in a coma to die just days later. in march 2016 otto warmbier was seen pleading for his freedom in a north korean courtroom. instead he was sentenced to 15 years hard labour in prison. he had been accused of crimes against the country for allegedly taking a sign at the hotel he was staying at. he decided while travelling in china to take what was supposed to be a quick trip across the border with a tour group. this footage was taken in the days before his arrest playing with local children in the snow. danny craven from staffordshire was in the same tour group and had shared a room with otto warmbier in north korea. he has left an indelible mark on me. he was such a lovely lad. and for such a lovely young lad who went on the adventure of a lifetime and his life is over, it's hard for me to believe. i find it very surreal and very upsetting. i have spoken to a lot of people who went on the tour and they were absolutely devastated. north korean officials say otto warmbier had been in a coma for more than a year. the americans say there is no evidence of botulism. look at otto, beautiful otto. he went over a beautiful, wonderful boy and you see how he came back. as this funeral takes place, there are now fears for three other american nationals also being detained in north korea. well, as people from his hometown say their final goodbyes to otto warmbier, there are people across this country who are asking how north korea is now going to pay the price for what many see as the murder of an american citizen. bbc news, ohio. prince harry has suggested that no—one in the british royalfamily wants to be king or queen. in a candid interview with an american magazine he said the royals were acting for "the greater good of the people." here's our royal correspondent, peter hunt. it's a moment seared on the nation's psyche, the funeral of a princess killed in her prime. her 12—year—old son on unforgiving display. 20 years on prince harry is critical of those who put him there. and he has voiced his considerable discomfort in an american magazine. the enduring diana fascination is global. i think he has spent so much time hiding away from himself and his demons, and now he has faced them and to a large extent conquered them he feels confident to be optimistic, truthful and say how he feels. a monarch with three heirs, harry is suggesting that while the windsors are selflessly focused on the greater good, none of them is desperate to be sovereign. this interview will irritate republicans who seek an elected head of state and upset some monarchists who believe that, in return for a privileged palace life like the one harry enjoys here, royals should step up to the mark without a fuss. i don't think it's such a good idea to be quite so open. he has done a lot for mental health in bringing out his own true feelings. i think it's got to a point now where enough is enough. harry is desperately seeking the increasingly unattainable — a relatively ordinary life. inspired by his mother's examples, the "personal prince" insists he's not completely cut off. older royals like prince phillip, who left hospital this morning, know all about balancing the private and public. there are a grandson and grandfather who know about service, duty and occasional eyebrow—raising public utterances. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. he's a famous dog—whisperer in the us. we find out his thoughts on the current state of play in american politics. also on the programme: jazz hands at the ready. we take a look at an exhibition that celebrates all that was good about the jazz age. members of the neo—nazi resistance movement stormed the world trade centre, armed with pistols and shotguns. we believe that, according to international law, that we have a right to claim certain parts of this country as ourland. i take pride in the words "ich bin ein berliner." cheering and applause. chapman, prison pale and slightly chubby, said not a single word in open court. it was left to his lawyer to explain his decision to plea guilty to murdering john lennon. he believes that onjune 8th, god told him to plead guilty, and that was the end of it. the medical research council have now advised the government that the great increase in lung cancer is due mainly to smoking tobacco. it was closing time for checkpoint charlie, which for 29 years has stood on the border as a mark of allied determination to defend the city. this is newsday on the bbc. our top storie: a new offensive is underway to take raqqa, the capital of the caliphate of the so—called islamic state in syria. thousands attend the funeral for american student otto warmbier, who was held for 15 months in a north korean prison before being returned to the us in a coma. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the china daily is following president xijinping on his fact—finding tour around the country. his party looks for ways of trying to lift families from poverty. the philippine star focuses on the government's fight against islamic extremists in the country. troops have been joined by militiamen as they drive out rebels and urge muslim and christian solidarity. and there are celebrations at britain's royal ascot on the sports page of gulf news. the daughter of dubai's ruler, seen here in a striking blue hat covered in butterflies, is presented with a trophy by princess eugenie after her horse won on ladies day. now, what stories are grabbing attention online? oh, sharanjit, another craze on social media. people have taken the traditional middle eastern folk dance, the dabkee, to a whole new level. the challenge has got groups of friends literally dancing up the wall! it started with party—goers in australia posting their moves on social media and since then many have posted their own versions in lebanon, france and the united states, to name but a few countries. papua new guinea will go to the polls this weekend. it has one of the country's most diverse electorates, spread across hundreds of islands whose big to more than 800 languages. previous elections have been marred by violence. i spoke to a correspondent for bbc news in port moresby and asked what the factors were behind the violence. papua new guinea has a lwa ys violence. papua new guinea has always had a real reliance on tribalism and lots of isolation between different ethnic groups, even within a small geographic area. that frequently leads to conflict. it has done so historically and is now ina it has done so historically and is now in a new democratic context, democracy is only 42 years old in png, it leads to election violence when the of one candidate or one cla n when the of one candidate or one clan clash with supporters of others and there's a lot of election petitions when people aren't happy with the result and often one way people resolve their differences, especially in the highlands, a more volatile region, is through the use of violence. the economy is a major issue. papua new guinea is a resource exporter with gold and copper as well and it's a very vulnerable economy to shocks like that in the world's economy prices and the revenue has basically collapsed, rich means we have had to make cuts to things like health which has really put the government under pressure. it had an agenda to deliver things like free healthcare. it claims to have delivered those but the evidence on the ground is pretty pink. the main thing for people in papua new guinea is services and development. about 85% of the population live in very rural areas and access to government services is incredibly limited. but in times of such low revenues and when the government is likely to pay its bills, it will be really hard for any newly elected leader to deliver on those promises. jazz tunes, flapper girls, and speakeasies were just some of the fixtures of 1920s america. now a new exhibit in new york is bringing that era to life. called the jazz age, it features the accessories, arts and architecture of the time. we went along to have look. the jazz age is a term that f scott fitzgerald used about the age because jazz was popular. we feel thatjazz is both a metaphor and an actual fa ct. women get the right to vote. they drop their corsets. there are new fashions, new ways of life. it is a lot less demure. and part of it has to do with the jazz nightclubs that were being frequented by whites, particularly after they got introduced to them by going to paris. we have a few objects in the exhibition that directly reflect jazz. we have a bracelet in diamonds with sapphires of jazz players. we have a wonderful painting by archibald motley which shows not only woman smoking a cigarette, a woman with a long necklace that can move around while you dance, and cocktails and glasses of wine, as well as musicians. the empire state building, a giant of steel and stone, dominates the skyline. i think architecture is the most significant american contribution of the 20s. we have a number of pieces that are of skyscraper form. everything from ceramic vases that have a setback shape through to a silverplated tea set by louis rice that also has setback lids. we even have a tiffany necklace that has the shape of skyscrapers and diamonds. it's a mixture of different styles and different influences that were so important in this country, where we have immigration as a major source of stylistic impetus. of course the 1920s was all about image. the president of the us very conscious about his own image. that's right, he is indeed and how can he possibly improve it? well, by getting a dog, of course, and that's according to the dog whisperer caesar milan. i spoke to the mexican born behaviourist on his trip to singapore. he is known the world over as the dog whisperer. but many don't know that cesar milan left rural mexico and crossed the border illegally into the us when he was just 21. we caught up with him and asked him what it was like to live in an america now ruled by donald trump, who's called mexicans rapists and plans to build a wall on the border. i think in this day and age, we need to be careful in how we choose our words and really how we inspire people. we need more inspirational and motivational leaders, who brings the pack together, rather creating separation. a good pack leader makes sure that everybody feels important. you know? the middle class is the middle of the pack. and then, of course, the wealthy are going to take the leader positions. but that does not mean that the bottom of the pack can't take the leader position, which i did. i understand the leadership responsibility that a leader has, and the responsibility and the stress. i am running a company. i know what it is. he is running a country. he needs to make sure that we have greater relationships, you know?. that is one of the things that i teach my clients — make sure you lead with confidence. not with ego. not with envy. not with selfishness. it is not about you, it is about the pack. a dog in the white house, that's what donald trump needs in the white house to boost his popularity? everybody needs a dog, you know? my suggestion is definitely golden retriever. happy—go—lucky. that will turn his energy down and make him feel more... he has a family, i get that. everyone is very successful and he wants to make sure that his kids goes to good schools. but that will bring some soulful energy into the white house. that was dog whisperer caesar milan, saying the president needs a dog. rickard has been —— crickets have been leaving people unable to sleep. they have forced people to leave, and locals are asking to help control the plague. it is not just it is notjust the site but the sound of the cricket that is causing misery in this robbins of peru and they are everywhere, making their way inside homes, forcing people to move out, leaving their belongings behind. —— province. move out, leaving their belongings behind. -- province. translation: we won't live alongside these crickets. they fall on the ground and sometimes they stay alive. everything stinks. the bugs have also invaded schools, with classes suspended and children sent home. the extent of the infestation is clear. the crickets are just about everywhere. translation: this village is more than anywhere else badly affected by this plague of crickets. schools, every resident and neighbours are affected by this problem. health experts in the country don't believe the crickets spread disease, but are calling on locals to help control the plague. but as people tried to do their bit to get rid of them, it is clear this isa to get rid of them, it is clear this is a job that will take some time. that has made me quite squeamish! you've been watching newsday. iam you've been watching newsday. i am still scratching! we will leave you with this great story. schoolboys in devon in the south of england who've been forced to resort to extreme measures, to deal with this week's heatwave. when male pupils were told they couldn't wear shorts, and had to wear trousers, they protested by wearing skirts instead. lead the revolution! thanks for watching. well, it has certainly freshened up right across the uk. here'sjust a reminder of the heatwave we had on wednesday. the peak 35, nearly, degrees celsius across the south—east. come thursday, almost a ten degree drop as these fresher atlantic conditions are setting in. but some spectacular weather as well. this is a picture of a thunderstorm taken by a weather watcher in kent. but further north, and across western areas, those atlantic clouds have been rolling in, bringing much cooler conditions. this is the system. this system will be responsible for bringing some quite windy weather, particularly into northern areas, back into the weekend. let's look at friday, early hours of the morning. rain getting into parts of northern ireland, western and south—western scotland. for most of us in the south and east, it will be a dry end to the night. still quite warm for the morning. 14—15 celsius. let's look at rush hour. at this stage in belfast, glasgow, maybe edinburgh, some spots of rain, nothing too heavy. some heavier pulse is possible a little further south into the lake district, lancashire maybe, northern parts of wales, but for most of the central and southern areas, a dry start to the day. some sunshine poking through and temperatures around 15 or 16 degrees. now, this here, this band of weather, this is actually cold front or cool front, that brings fresher atlantic conditions in, it is going to sink southwards in the morning and into the afternoon. so across parts of the midlands and wales, there will be spots of rain, and as it moves south, it is going to brighten up in belfast and glasgow. so some sunshine in the afternoon. a fair bit of cloud in london, up to 23. it is worth pointing out the wind in northern scotland. could be up to gale force. pretty unusual for this time of year, with showers around, as well. i think on saturday, and sunday as well, a bit of a mixed day — sunny spells, passing showers, and even those even fresher atlantic conditions setting in. in fact, many of us will not have temperatures up to 20 degrees. maybe london just scraping into the low 20s. how are we doing compared to the rest of europe? it has been hot in paris. similar temperatures to london. berlin as well. as you'd expect in the mediterranean, in rome, temperatures still on the hot side. temperatures still into the 30s. the next two days, fresh and breezy. rain at times, but also some sunshine from time to time. goodbye. this is bbc news. our top story: a new offensive to take back raqqa from the so—called islamic state is under way. us—backed fighters of the syrian democratic forces are pushing ahead into the city, the last remaining strong—hold of is which the group has claimed as the centre of their caliphate. thousands have attended the funeral for american student, otto warmbier, who was held for 15 months in a north korean prison. he was returned to the us in a coma and died just days later. and this story is trending on bbc.com: prince harry has suggested that none of his family wants to be a future king or queen. in an interview with the american magazine, newsweek, he said the royals were acting for "the greater good of the people." and that is all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: theresa may, has presented her plans to ensure the rights of eu citizens in britain after it leaves the eu. mrs may said they would be given a new immigration status referred