of certain missiles, must now also reckon with increased production in arms factories and some ability to get around western sanctions. certainly the military—industrial complex, i think there's always that phrase that people use about russia not being as strong or as weak as it seems. i saw an assessment from di last year that russia was to run out of barrels and rounds and it was all over bar the shouting and this will enable the ukrainians to sweep the russians into the sea. that's defence intelligence. sorry, when you say from di? yeah, it was from defence intelligence. sorry, it was defence intelligence. but it was also used by the chief of defence staff. i remember talking to another senior journalist and we both sucked our teeth a little bit and said putin has brought the promise of unlimited money. he's brought in new leadership under gerasimov, who is a very close ally to putin. he sent medvedev into the factories to threaten them with stalinist management methods, including execution.

they've doubled work patterns. they've gone quasi—war mobilisation without full mobilisation. they seem to be able to find spare parts for tanks and ships from abroad through what they call parallel imports or smuggling. so, russia's leader buckles down for a long war and was apparently dismissive of the recent african peace initiative, preferring to continue to fight. but could he be toppled if ukraine's counteroffensive succeeds? i think a major reverse in the south which threatens crimea, which putin's put so much stake on... if the bridges are dropped again, if russia has to evacuate forces and people from crimea, that's going to have political repercussions. and then the question is, of course, how does it layout? —— and then the question is, of course, how does it play out?

i think the centre, putin's power, the tarnish... it's been weakened. a feeling of a slight sense of decay. there is a rout, a major reverse by the ukrainians, going to the heart of his grip on power and then we're into scenarios about where we go next. in terms of those scenarios, clearly an awful lot of people in the west don't like putin and presumably would be pleased if he fell from power. would you be in the pleased camp or the worried camp or both? what would you see as the possibilities if he fell suddenly? i'm not convinced that the demise or retirement or elite transfer from mr putin to another leader necessarily brings peace and democracy and freedom and an end to the war. i think that the challenge represented by putin is a generational struggle. it's about extreme nationalism. it's about russia turning away from the west and international norms. it's not about one man. there are deeper issues at play. obviously one would hope that a more liberal, more accommodating,

more positive leader would come through but i'm not convinced. and while putin manoeuvres to remain in power, what about characters like yevgeny prigozhin? he's been outspoken about what he calls needless casualties and is now being forced under tighter control. could he or another commander emerged as challengers to the president? if you look ahead to 2024, the elections and putin's presumably going to run on some platform. what platform's he going to run on, and what role do the mercenaries and these embittered men play in that? so, it's useful to have prigozhin as an asset on your side. so i'd be surprised if, for example, if prigozhin hasn't been targeted. so, somebody�*s protecting him. so, who's using him? who's protecting him and what role can he play in the elections to frighten the elites and also to perhaps act as a magnet for those troops coming back from the front line?

with the summer's fighting still building to its climax, the stakes for ukraine and russia could hardly be higher. that's all from us tonight. i'm back tomorrow. goodbye. so you will you will will is received is you as you as you you as a is you will you as a you as is a is is so you will as well is a you as you experience as is you very very ways in which you might think of is a will is a is is is you you you as you a is you will you is so white there is experience is is the us navy rejected the offer of another piece of equipment that had greater capacity than what they have on site. had greater capacity than what they have on site-— have on site. why would you not brin: have on site. why would you not bring equipment _ have on site. why would you not bring equipment from _ have on site. why would you not bring equipment from europe i have on site. why would you not bring equipment from europe to| bring equipment from europe to assess another set of eyes, another longer tether? why would you do that? we believe that they are still alive, and they are going to be

alive, and they are going to be alive until we eat lunch on thursday. it's incredibly challenging. i don't know that they can be saved but i do know that we should be making every effort and i do know that the united states of america should not be replying on bureaucratic delays in order to access equipment that is desperately needed on site. these are my friends. these are people who are dying as we sit here talking. i don't want to reject the offer to equipment from europe. it's the opposite of what we have. apollo 11, we said failure is not an option. will failure was an option at apollo 11 and what we didn't accept it. we ii and what we didn't accept it. we shouldn't be accepting less than the best either. . , ., ., ., , best either. have you heard anything from the us — best either. have you heard anything from the us government? _ best either. have you heard anything from the us government? those - best either. have you heard anything from the us government? those are| from the us government? those are quite damning accusations. the from the us government? those are quite damning accusations.- quite damning accusations. the us government _ quite damning accusations. the us government us — quite damning accusations. the us government us navy _ quite damning accusations. the us government us navy is _ quite damning accusations. the us government us navy is making - quite damning accusations. the us government us navy is making a l quite damning accusations. the us - government us navy is making a great effort. and i am not taking anything away from that effort. i am saying that there was an offer from europe to send additional equipment that had greater capacity than the equipment that is currently being

used. why in gods name would you hold that up for bureaucratic reasons and not put in place? there are hours to go. you get the sense that maybe they gave up and they are just trying to find it. why would you give up? it still possible to save human lives. western society is predicated on the belief that there is no price that can be put on human life. so we should not be stopping at anything. it should be all out and we should accept any assistance that proffered. and i am not denigrating the navy. they are making an extreme effort. ijust don't understand why they would put up don't understand why they would put up an obstacle to allowing europe to send equipment to help in that search. that makes no sense to me. i know it's a very tight knit community that you are a part of, and i wish you the very best. thank you for sharing your insights on the programme. you for sharing your insights on the programme-—

around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. bringing you different stories from across the uk. six—year—old owen whiteman was hit by a car whilst playing close to his home in wakefield in 2011. somebody came here to tell us what had happened. obviously we got to the scene and was hoping that we could hear him crying and screaming. when we got there, there was no sound. the car was being driven at 57 miles per hour. we went to hospital. theyjust said, i'm really sorry, but he's gone. the 22—year—old driver didn't stop and later received a five year prison sentence break. brake want 20—mile—an—hour zones to be enforced outside of all schools in the uk? how important is it that that happens? very important. owens gone to cross the road, but he'd only put his leg out.

if that car had hit him at the 20 mile an hour, it'll still be here. last month it would have been his 18th birthday. he's never been forgotten. for more stories from across the uk. head to the bbc news website. us presidentjoe biden's son, hunter biden, has agreed to a deal with prosecutors that will see him plead guilty to three charges. one for gun possession, and two for failing to pay taxes. the terms of the agreement are likely to keep him out ofjail. however, republicans have dismissed it as a "slap on the wrist". our north america editor sarah smith reports from washington. the president's troubled son has long been the focus of controversy. joe biden deliberately embraces him, while his republican opponents target hunter, hoping to harm the elder biden with corruption allegations against the younger. father and son travel together a lot. it's in their home state of delaware that hunter has agreed a plea deal which will see him admit guilt for minor tax crimes and admit

he lied on a gun license application when he said he was not a drug user. his supporters describe a recovering addict who's taking responsibility for his mistakes. at a san francisco conference, president biden was asked if he had spoken to hunter today. i'm very proud of my son. republicans say there's a double standard, comparing hunter biden to donald trump. if you were the president's leading political opponent, the doj tries to literally put you injailand give you prison time. if you are the president's son, you get a sweetheart deal. hunter biden has been under intense scrutiny since the contents of his notorious laptop were made public after he abandoned it in a computer repair shop. a republican—led congressional committee is investigating accusations of bribery and corruption. and the bidens themselves suppressed the story of hunter biden's laptop... why did a chinese energy company pay him almost $5 million? and was he paid a multimillion dollar bribe by a ukrainian energy firm? mr biden was asked about his business dealings by the bbc in 2021.

my dad did nothing wrong and i did nothing illegal or wrong. but you're right, i created a perception that was wielded against us in an incredibly wild and conspiratorial way. this plea deal marks the end of hunter biden's legal case, but republicans will not let it stop there. their claim that there is an unfair two—tiered justice system in america, one that's persecuting donald trump while ignoring hunter biden's crimes — that's one they will pursue all the way to the next presidential election. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. the social media influencer andrew tate, and three other defendents — including his brother tristan — have been charged in romania with human trafficking and forming a criminal organisation to exploit women. one of the defendents has also been charged with rape. both have previously denied the allegations. they have been under house arrest in romania for months during a police investigation.

our correspondent lucy williamson sent this report from bucharest. the man accused of targeting women across several countries. now the target of romanian prosecutors himself. andrew tate, his brother tristan, and two female associates formally charged with crimes, including human trafficking. the indictment filed at the bucharest court this morning, the result of six months of investigation by romania's organised crime unit. prosecutors say all four defendants formed an organised group to commit human trafficking, notjust within romania, but in the us and the uk. the charges involve seven alleged victims, who the indictment says were forced to produce pornographic material after being recruited by the tate brothers with false promises of love and marriage. the charges also include rape, illegally accessing a computer system, and violence against one alleged victim.

it would be an overstatement to say we're happy, but we do welcome it, because this means we have the opportunity to submit evidence, we have the opportunity to build a defence. we're looking forward to clearing the brothers' names as soon as possible. the arrest of andrew tate and his brother here in december shone a spotlight on his online influence around the world. teachers, police and rights organisations in the uk have all warned about the impact of his views on women and their relationship to men. earlier this month, we interviewed andrew tate as prosecutors were wrapping up their investigation here, and asked him about similar claims of exploitation being made against him by women in the uk, including one woman who spoke anonymously to the bbc under the name sophie. if any female on the planet has a problem with me, i strongly recommend her to go to the police and try and pursue me for criminal charges. i'm actually such a nice person that i've never had anyone come... the bbc has spoken to somebody since your arrest who says exactly those things, that with you, it's all

manipulation, there's an ulterior motive... is this sophie? is this "sophie"? this sophie, which the bbc has invented, which there is no face of, nobody knows who she is... the bbc did not invent her. of course not. and she... cos you never invent anything. and she has not filed criminal charges against me. what are we talking about here? what is she saying? we're talking about emotional manipulation into the sex industry for yourfinancial gain. absolute garbage. last week andrew tate was served with notice of a separate civil action by four uk women, alleging rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour claims he denies. tomorrow, he and his brother will enter bucharest�*s main court for the first time. to begin the technical hearings around their case. the two conflicting narratives around andrew tate, masculine icon or dangerous misogynist, are facing their test in court. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines.... at least 41 people have been killed in a prison riot

in honduras capital, tegucigalpa. according to officials, a fire was deliberately started, causing the majority of the deaths. honduras, along with neighbours el salvador and guatemala, is a major transit route for cocaine coming from south america to the united states, and that's seen violence soar in the region in recent years. the chinese premier, li qiang, has been continuing his visit to european union countries, as beijing seeks to maintain economic ties with the bloc. after meeting the german chancellor, olaf scholz, mr li said germany and china would work together to invigorate the global economy. mr scholz, however, said berlin was continuing to seek to diversify its trading partners. french police have raided the headquarters of the committee organising next year's paris olympics. the national financial prosecutor's office said the raid is related to a preliminary investigation launched in 2017 into contracts made by the summer games'

organising committee. the indian prime minister, narendra modi, has arrived in the us on a three—day official visit, described as a turning point in bilateral relations. he and president biden are expected to discuss defence cooperation and sharing of high technology. mr modi is also addressing a joint session of congress on thursday. here's some good news for those of us who like to sneak in a0 winks. regular napping during the day could help to preserve brain health. researchers at university college london found that nappers' brains were 15 cubic centimetres larger than those who don't indulge in a daytime snooze, which is equivalent to delaying ageing by three to six years. that's all for now — stay with bbc news.

hello. june has certainly been a warm month for many of us and at times it has felt like the middle of summer. talking of which, the 21st ofjune marks the first day of astronomical summer or the summer solstice, and it will be the longest day of the year. but let's get to the forecast then. this is the satellite picture from the last day or so, and that's where the front that brought the rain to many parts of the country in the last 2a hours. it will be moving away northwards. but in its wake, we'll see an area of high pressure developing towards the south and west, but we will also be brushed by weather systems over the next few days in north western areas of the uk. but the high pressure to the south is also going to open up the doors to much warmer weather streaming our way from spain, portugal and france. so, it does look as though it's going to get hot towards the weekend. that's still to come. let's have a look at the forecast for wednesday then, and starting on a clear note for many of us. and temperatures will be on the mild side first thing, between around 13 and 16 degrees celsius.

so, a dry morning for most, but certainly not for everybody, right from the word go. a few showers possible across northern ireland and scotland, and showers will also develop across wales and other parts of england, but not too many of them further south. most of the showers will be further north and this is where the heaviest of the ones will be, possibly one or two thunderstorms across eastern scotland, maybe one or two in the borders as well. later in the afternoon, the weather's actually going to improve in northern ireland. the sun should come out for everybody, and across england and wales, just a scattering of showers here and there, and it'll be warmest in eastern parts of england with temperatures up to about 25 degrees celsius. that takes us into thursday. and thursday is also going to be another warm day with temperatures widely into the low or the mid 20s. and again, one or two scattered showers are possible on thursday, and it's going to be every bit as warm i think on friday too, with generally fine weather, at least across the bulk of the uk. however, in the north west of the country, as we head towards the weekend, we are going to be brushed by weather systems. so, there's always a chance of some

rain across parts of scotland and northern ireland. but further east and south, the weather will be drier and brighter. so here's the outlook into the weekend, and you can see these climbing temperatures to nearly 30 degrees celsius in the south by the time we get to sunday, mid 20s, for example, in cardiff. bye bye.

this is bbc news. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. demographers reckon india hasjust overtaken china to become the world's most populous nation. its economy is growing at 6%—plus per year despite global headwinds, and its leader is a populist who appears to be popular. so should indians be feeling good about the state of their nation?