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announcer: and now, "bbc world news". jane: i'm jean o'brien in washington and this is bbc wor news america. a summer of devastating droughts. a record alert in china as crops are threatened while europe and the usc little relief from the heat. safety concerns and europe's biggest nuclear plant in ukraine af it was disconnec from the national power supply. former pakistani prime minister appears in court on terrorism charges. he could face years in jail. and back from the brink, the large blue butterfly has its best summer hint 150 years. -- it's best summer in 150

years. jane: welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. there are many parts of the world facing soaring temperatures and serious drought. china has been particularly hard-hit by record heat waves. severe droughts are threatening crops and drying up riverbeds. officials have issued a national red alert in some provinces experiencing temperatures of over 40 degrees. water levels in the yange river, a vital source of power, are at record low levels. our beijing correspondent steve mcdonald reports. steve: in august, this temple is surrounded by water. this year you can walk to it across the dry bed of the lake. for 70 days, the river basin has been caught in a record heat wave. and low river levels have hit

hydroelectricity production. one of the worst affected cities has been the in land metropolis, home to tens of millions of residents. they have been riding underground trains in the dark because of power rationing. >> this year, you turn off the cold water tap for a few minutes and yet, it is still coming out extremely hot. >> the weather is so ho i cannot sleep. then i wake up with the heat as well. steve: environmentalists were opposing calls for more fossil fuel electricity to guard against future effects on hydropower. >> the energy supply in the industry is supposed to be the most priority thing right now. we are concerned that this kind of narrative will give opportunity for more power in local provinces. steve: china has been

experiencing extreme high temperatures across vast swaths of the country for months on end. bringing climate change into sharp focus for people onhe street. to make thin worse, this turned into a drought which is really hitting the economy. consumers across china could find a certain food harder to come by unless the drought breaks soon. what's more china cannot risk its harvest. it has to by food from overseas and this could have an effect on global supplies. crops are under severe threat according to china's officials. extra water has been diverted with water there is hope.to this water is coming all the way from who nan. steve: water for everyday use is hard to come by in some communities. river levels are so low, previously submerged 600-year-old who does have become visible -- buddhas have become visible.

they will gaze out until the rains return, replenishing water which will reclaim the relics. steven mcdonnell, abc- bbc news beijing. jane: it has been a sweltering summer in other areas. drought conditions have been seen in many parts of the world as extreme summer heat causes water ls to drop or dry up completely. in europe, two thirds of the continent is under some sort of droughtning with the worst conditions seen in 500 years after weeks of hot, dry weather. here. >> according to scientists it is set to remain warmer and dryer. we have said it before, it appears to be the worst since at least 500 years. jane: here in the u.s., 42 states are currently experiencing drought conditions affecting 130 million people. putting crops and livestock at risk. and as we heard earlier, extreme

heat is fueling a drought in china, with plummeting water levels in rivers, causing a power crisis in some parts of the country. joining me now to tell us what is going on is michael man, a professor of atmospheric science at penn state university and the author of the new climate war. thank you for joining me. how are all of these droughts related. are they all related? michael: yes, well, it is good to be with you. we are witnessing the impact of climate change here, there is no question about that. sure, we tend to get trouts naturally in various regions -- droughts in various regions, but they are becoming more pronounced because the surface of the planet is hotter so it evaporates more moisture. loses more moisture. climate change is changing the circulation of the atmosphere, pushing the jetstream farther to

the polar regions during the summ. denying the latitude regions the summer rainfall. you take the combination in many places, many parts of the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, less rainfall, hotter temperatures, more evaporation. you put those things together and by the way, less accumulation of ice and snow as the planet warms up,o there is less of that snowpack to draw upon during the dry season. you put that altogether, you put those ingredients together, and you get the sorts of unprecedented droughts that we are seeing playing out across the entire northern hemisphere this summer. you get those wildfires, when you combine the heat and the drought. so we are seeing the impact of climate change play out in real time. jane: it seems to me that another part of the problem is it is causing an inability to use the very green technologies that we are supposed to be using

to help mitigate this. hydroelectric power dried up in china for instance. an inability t charge electric vehicles because of the high price of electricity. it seems we are caught in a vicious cycle, aren't we? michael: well, it's true. certain forms of renewable energy like hydropower are threatened by the decrease in stream flow, iniver flows, for example. we are seeing lake powell and lake mead dry up in the western u.s., so there is no question but that is a problem. but, of course, wind, solar, renewablenergy and general is far more plentiful in fact. in many places, cheaper than fossil fuel energy. and so, it makes sense, even despite the fact that there can be some impact when it comes to hydropower. the impact of climate change. it still makes sense to move dramatically away from fossil fuels, toward renewable energy.

and towards energy storage technologies that can allow us to transition our grade away from fossil fuels, to a clean, green, energy system. jane: michael man, thank you very much for joining me. michael: thank you. jane: well, once again, there have been growing fears about the potential for an accident at the nuclear power plant in ukraine, which is being held by russian forces. the un's nuclear agency says ukraine reported that the plant was twice disconnected from the grid for the first time in its 40 year history. ukrainian officials said a fire at a coal plant next door had damage the last outgoing powerlines that were not already compromised by shelling blamed on russia. ukrainian president zelenskyy said the incident showed the plant is, is in his words, one step away from nuclear disaster. russia editor at bbc has been

following the situation closely. bitterly, what do we know at this point? bitterly: it's a tense situation, because it's the first time anything like ts happened at the power plant. we kw that the situation has been resolved and the power has been reconnected to ukraine's electricity, but four hours, tens of thousands of people have been affected in ukraine's southern region and parts of the region occupied by russia. there is speculation that this can be used by russia to divert electricity supply from the station to areas that it controls. we're talking about roughly 20% of ukraine's electricity supply. so potentially, this could lead

to energy crisis in ukraine. jane: h difficult is it getting information out of the region at the moment? you know this very well, don't you because you grew up nearby. under the current situation, who do we believe? >> well, it is a matter of knowing who to trust. there are people who we have been speaking to, friends and contacts in the region. they are saying that ukrainian staff, that still run the nuclear power station, they are being intimidated by russian forces, some of them have been abducted. and yesterday, 2 staff members working at the nuclear power station were detained or abducted by russian forces. supplying information about russian troops and equipment stationed at the station.

this is something reportedly russia itself, the day before, one employee of the station was shot dead traveling in a taxi. so all of this just es to show how fragile and tense the situation is, but the hope is that such issues, as electricity, the lines going down, they are worked into the design of a power station as big as this. so, at this stage, we are not facing the risk of a nuclear disaster, frankly. jane: and indeed, thank you so muchor that. earlier, we spoke to michael schneider, an independent nuclear policy analyst, to give us his assessment. michael: i am very concerned and i must admit that this is only the higher stage of what we are seeing, we have been seeing for the past six months. i mean, this is absolutely

unprecedented situation. those nuclear power plants, any nuclear power plant in the world, has not been degned to operate in wartime situations. safety and security, based on a very complex system of regulatis, inspectis, control, you know, spare parts that are permanently replacing old parts, so it is a complex whole chain of activities that maintain reactors as safe and secure. and that is a situation we have not seen in six months. i am particularly concerned about two this. one is obviously, electricity supply, because you cannot cool a nuclear power plant without an existing. we've seen that in fukushima, what the consequences could be. the second thing is the people.

i mean, can you imagine, for six months, how many people per reactor have been working at basically gunpoint conditions? jane: that was michael schneider talking to us earlier about the risks imposed by the nuclear power plant. the war in ukraine has been pushing up food and energy prices around the world and now, there are warnings europe could be facing many difficult winters to come. possibly lasting a decade because of soaring energy costs and harsh economic conditions. govements on the continent are under pressure to support their citizens with billions being spent to shield the most vulnerable. our europe correspondent jessica reports from belgium. jessica: darren nneka often wears a smile. her money does not go far. she gets a discount on energy lls through a social tariff, along with households.

but still, she is taking fewer showers and will not keep her flat above 60 degrees. higher energy costs will have consequences. >> if they are increasing, i will have even less to live on. i do not know what i will do them. eventually, i will have to deliver parcels to eat. that's happening to more and more people i know. jessica: europe is awash with warnings about hard times ahead. and information campaigns on how to cut energy use. it is hitting the news as governments use tax breaks, price caps and lump-sum payments to help people with rising prices. how long can this go on for in terms of providing this level of government support? >> this cannot go on forever, so that means that we have to look for a structural measures. we need a price cap. at the same time, we need to

accelerate the energy transition to renewable energy. it is the most affordable form of energy and will bring energy bills down. jessica: but moving to a green economy is a lot. to the west is france, across the border is the u.k.. while countries are taking national measures, this squeeze on supply pushing up energy causes dust prices is spilling across borders. governments are looking at ways to help face the same question everywhere. will it be enough? >> i have been looking at energy poverty for the last few years and it has never been this bad. it is not only people in poverty that are worrying, it is a big middle class of people who also worry. abt their energy bill. jessica: the war in ukraine feels far away from here as families enjoy the last days of summer. but supply cuts from russia are feeding a crisis that could

seriously test political and public resolved. jessica parker, bbc news belgium. jane: in britain, soaring inflation and wage stagnation has led to a wave of strikes on a scale not seen for decades. train drivers, transit workers, postal employees, even some lawyers are taking action. in scotland, trash collectors have walked off the job and the rubbish is piling up. our scotland correspondent reports. >> edinburgh in august with its festival always attracts attention. this year, the spotlight has been on the city for less positive reasons as well. some businesses have had to close. people have a mixture of sympathy and dismay. >> it's not very nice, you know, but -- >> i could not understand why they are doing it, but it's horrible. and wonder what impression it

gives to people who have not been here for a while. it's embarrassing. >> everybody is struggling. >> in the same situation, we can see they've been pulled away. >> there are worries that is the rubbish piles up, rats might not be far behind. >> is likely to cause the rats to multiply and rats do multiply quickly in general. what we fear will be the issue that will affect the mastic properties or commercial operties, so we would like to turn to these issues. the strike is now spreading. more scottish councils have walked out. in aberdeen as well as glasgow. soon it and nurseries could also be affected by the strike. >> into weeks time, were going

to be doing waste and schools. and then you'll have to sit down and think of the next level of strate. but this is not going to stop, this is not going to go away unless there's more money put on the table. >> in edinbuh, some festival performers are trying t keep the city clean, but the bins across much of scotland will now be filling up. and soon overflowg. the scottish government says it is giving 140 million plans towards dutch pounds towards it. they do not have any reserves. unions are warning it could be months of disruption. bbc news edinburgh. jane: the former pakistan prime minister and ran has appeared in court in islam on terrorism charges that could affect his future career. the cricket player turned politician was charged after he condemned police and judicial

officials for the detention and torture of his political aide radar pakistan correspondent sent this update from outside the court. >> he may not be a stranger to controversy, but these charges are the most serious yet. he is facing terrorism charges and if they sta and he is found guilty, they pose a serious threat to his political career. when he arrived in court today, he arrived in an armored car. security a few hundred meters from the courthouse, supporters have been standing in the rain, chanting he is our man. long live imran. this man still enjoys the support of the public and there is reason for that. people here in pakistan say that all the charges around him or the controversy arnd him is root in a political conspiracy. he has or said that the government are behind it and they are trying to hamper his chances of coming back into politics. he has been using the man since

her mood as prime minister as a clinical tool to try to garner support. the next move is that this needs to be resolved by the courts. they will need to be resolved by the courts and on the first of september is the next move, when he will be once again expected to present himself for the terrorism case. jane: reporting there. that's have a click look at the rest of the days news. a federal judge in florida has ordered a release of the redacted version of the affidavit used in the fbi search of armor president donald trump for the home. the government now has until noon eastern time on friday to do so. the affidavit is a sworn statement outlining why investigators have probable cause to pursue a search warrant. the fbi removed more than 11 sets of classified government records from mar a lago earlier this month. one of india's most prominent rod casters, and dtv is trying

to lock an attempt by the country's richest man to buy him a storyoes majority stake in the network. it is seen as an ally of the prime minister, but am dtv has taken a critical view of his government. the news network is regarded by some as one of the few independent media voices remaining in india. now, the large blue butterfly became extinct in britain more than 40 years ago, but thanks to a reintroduction program and extensive conservation work, they are flying high this summer. thousand seven recorded this year with the restoration of wild meadows in southwest england. helena briggs has the story. helen: the large blue or flight, declared extinct in the u.k. in 1979 has had to be rescued by bringing caterpillars in from sweden. now decades of conservation work is paying off with more large blue butterflies recorded this summer than any time in 150

years. but one scientist -- for one scientist, it's a dream come true. >> it has been a great thrill to see the butterfly back in such large numbers again. when the large blue went extinct in this country many years ago, at the time, i never thought i would see it back. but now, 4, 5, 6 or more is just terrific. helen: the butterfly is tricky to protect, because it is fussy about where it lives and depends on and spirit the young caterpillars tricked the ants into tricking them into their nests to spend the winter underground. restoring the flower rich meadows where the butterfly likes to lay eggs has been key to turning fortunes around. >> just trying to get the large blue butterfly back. re-creating a missing type of habitat for various reasons.

had more or less disappeared from at least the northern half of england. helen: you can see the large blue across much of southern england, alongside other rare insects. the butterfly remains endangered with climate change and extreme weather the greatest challenges ahead. but the resurgence is, for today at least, providing a bright spot for conservationists. helen briggs, bbc news. jane: isn't it lovely to have them back? here is another story where the pictures tell it all and this is another of them. two-year-old joey went into the sea for the very first time, using a new beach buggy. for disabled people ithe northeast of england. it does up here that we do not actually have those pictures, but never mind. oh, you do? we do? and there they are. >> he's laughing, what you

don't really get from joey. he's got two moods, he's either happy or really, really grumpy. when we see the video, we will see how happy he was. we do not tend to go to the beach very often, because of his leg. he is disabled, so it is really difficult pushing the tram across the beach. he was able to do all you would want to do when playing in the sea. he gets left out quite a lot with him not being able to do much. but he was truly genuinely happy. >> he was laughing his head off. i just felt really happy abt my brother. ab him, no matter what. >> yeah, i cried. his dad, he cried also. we have not stopped watching the video, have we?

feeling a bit down, watch joey's video, it will cheer you up. jane: and it certainly narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-da-da-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

♪ amna: good evening and welcome. i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight. trump investigations -- a judge orders the release of a redacted affidavit outlining the reasons for an fbi search at former president trump's florida home. then. one year on, the former president of afghanistan discusses the fall of his government to the taliban following the u.s. military withdrawal. one has to take responsibility for trusting a partner that then trampled our sovereignty. amna: and -- something fishy, the burgeoning salmon farming industry sparks controversy over pollution and sustainability. how some operations are trying to address the concerns and still meet growing demand. amnaal