Plus: US braces for more storms, and the live worm found in a woman's brain
| | | | | | | Today we have a powerful report from Quentin Sommerville, who offers rare insight into the sheer scale of loss, as Ukraine tries to retake territory from Russia. Scroll down for a look at Saudi Arabia’s football finances, and a memorable time-capsule reveal. Also, if storms are heading your way, take a look at our tips. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Ukraine counts the cost of fighting back | | | | Cemeteries like this one, in Lviv, have filled as the counter-offensive has dragged on. Credit: Darren Conway/BBC |
| | Ukraine treats its war casualty numbers as a state secret but recent reports have put the number of toops killed since Russia's full-scale invasion as high as 70,000. In a brick mortuary near Donetsk, one of a number along the eastern front line, our correspondent Quentin Sommerville finds bodies "piled high". At a desk, mortuary worker Margo faces the grim task of counting the dead. This was how she discovered her own partner had been killed. "The hardest is when you see a young guy who hasn't even reached 20," she says. "You cannot get used to this." Outside, body bags are opened and wallets, phones and photos retrieved to identify the fallen. "This is difficult. Unpleasant. But we have to give the boys a proper send-off," one officer says. Read Quentin's full report. | | | | |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Hurricane season: Cuba and Florida are bracing for Tropical Storm Idalia, predicted to intensify into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday. Another storm - Franklin - is heading for Bermuda and the East Coast. Read our tips on prepping for storms. | | • | ‘Yuck factor’: It started with stomach pain, a cough and night sweats, and ended with an 8cm (3in) worm being pulled – alive – from an Australian woman's brain. Scientists say it’s never happened before. See the specimen. | | • | Flight turbulence: Disruption to air travel in the UK is set to last several days, the government is warning, after a technical glitch led to hundreds of flights being cancelled on Monday. Get the latest and - if you’re due to fly into, or out of, the UK - see our advice. | | • | Kiss controversy: The row over Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales kissing World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso rumbles on. While he’s refusing to resign – and his mother has locked herself in a church in protest at his treatment – regional leaders are calling on him to go. | | • | Taking the rap: He's the rising star of the Republican presidential race. But a video of Vivek Ramaswamy rapping to Eminem's Lose Yourself didn't impress the real Slim Shady. He has told him to stop using his songs. |
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| | | | | | The multi-billion dollar football bet | | Is the Saudi Pro League’s $850m spending spree on big-name footballers just the latest “sportswashing” distraction from the country’s human rights record? Some analysts believe there could be more to it. | | | | Sameer Hashmi, Middle East business correspondent |
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| | This is not a one-off splash, according to the league's chief financial officer, Carlo Nohra. The Saudi Arabian government has given a commitment to financially back the league until it achieves its goal of becoming one of the top leagues in the world in terms of revenues and quality. Mr Nohra says they will continue spending big to attract foreign players until the league achieves its objective. But he adds: “It is important for us to make ourselves commercially viable so that we are responsible for our own financial growth and not completely dependent on government capital." |
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| | Beyond the headlines | | The iPhone billionaire bidding to lead Taiwan | | | | Terry Gou says he would use his experience in dealing with China to improve relations. Credit: Getty Images |
| | A charismatic businessman with a rags-to-riches story has entered the race to become Taiwan's president. But Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, in Taipei, says Terry Gou - who made his billions manufacturing iPhones - might end up further dividing the opposition vote. | | | | |
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| | | | First Nation travel pioneers | | The indigenous North American trails finding new life as biking and hiking routes. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | It was billed as a historic moment: the opening of a mysterious 1820s time capsule, discovered at the base of a monument, at the famed West Point US military academy. Such was the interest, the event - played out in a packed auditorium with top brass in attendance - was live-streamed. But when the box was opened, a surprise was in store. See how it unfolded. |
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