This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janut Jalil and in the early hours of Tuesday, the 13th of August,

these are our main stories.

President Zelensky of Ukraine has said his

military's offensive inside Russia's border region of Kursk is intended to

force Moscow to consider peace. As Greece struggles to control wildfires approaching Athens, European countries are sending

firefighters, aircraft and vehicles to help.

Also in this podcast, Water is the most important molecule in shaping the evolution of a

planet and its climate and we've identified how much of it is present and where it's

sitting. Scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water on Mars deep in the rocky crust of the planet.

Nearly a week into Ukraine's stunning incursion into Russia.

Its army chief says Ukrainian forces have now seized a thousand

square kilometers of Russian territory and are continuing their offensive

operations in the region of Kursk. This seems to have been confirmed by the

governor of Kursk who got a dismissive response from President Putin when he told him on a video

call that Kyiv's troops had taken control of more than two dozen villages.

Ukraine's President Zelensky said his country's actions were designed to force Russia to make peace.

General Serzky reported that about 1,000 square kilometers in the Kursk region are under control.

These are in particular the areas from which the Russian army has been striking at our Sumer region.

As of today and since the 1st of June,

there have been almost 2,100 attacks on the territory of Sumer region.

That is why liberating the border from the Russian military is a purely security

...