welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: anger as president trump reimposes a ban on transgender people serving in the us military. the president uses twitter to attack his own attorney general again. the new head of white house communications defends his boss's tactics. you know, one of the things i cannot stand about this town is the backstabbing that goes on here. where i grew up, in the neighbourhood i'm from, we're front—stabbers. wildfires tear through the countryside in southern france. thousands are fleeing homes and campsites to escape. poland's government faces legal action from the european commission over plans that would let politicians sack judges. warsaw complains of blackmail. and one of the most notorious serial murders in american history. nearly a century later, new light on the killing of the osage indians. president trump has made a surprise

announcement that he is banning transgender people from serving in the us military. he says they risk burdening the military with large medical bills and disruption, even though during last year's election he assured lgbtq voters i will fight for you, i have your back. campaigners have called his decision shocking and ignorant. there are thousands of trans people already serving. what happens to them now is not clear. aleem maqbool reports from texas. there are thought to be thousands of members of the us military who identify as transgender. many have spent time in iraq or afghanistan. today, they woke up to a shock from the very president they serve. "after consultation with my generals and military experts," he tweeted, "please be advised that the united states government will not accept or allow transgender

individuals to serve in any capacity in the us military." riley dosh has spent the last four years as an officer in training at the military academy at west point. she came out last year, after president obama lifted the ban on transgender people serving openly. she now has to find a newjob, even though it was a lifelong dream to serve the us. i just fell in love with this country, and even those that completely fundamentally disagree with me, ifelt this desire. i want to serve and defend you, and i want to defend your right to disagree with me. how do you feel now, when you are told you can't serve? i'm going to have to find some other way to serve. not necessarily in the military, but serve the country, either in the private sector or public sector. it's heartbreaking that they won't let me be an officer, but for now that's how the cards fell. the white house says it is doing

this because of the cost of medical transition procedures for transgender servicemembers. the president's expressed concern, since this obama policy came into effect. but he's also voiced that this is a very expensive and disruptive policy, and based on consultation that he's had with his national security team, came to the conclusion that it erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, and made the decision based on that. but the cost of procedures for transgender people is estimated to be just 0.1% of the military medical spending budget. well, this is another attempt to reverse an obama policy, and it may go down well with some trump supporters. but in the us, transgender people enroll in the military at a much higher rate than the population as a whole, and in one move, thousands have been left devastated. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in fort hood in texas. for the third day in a row,

president trump has used twitter to attack his own attorney general. he questioned whyjeff sessions hadn't sacked the fbi‘s acting director, andrew mccabe, because of his wife's political ties to hillary clinton. it is the latest in a flurry of critical tweets since mr sessions stood aside from the russia investigation. so are the days numbered for the president's top law officer? the bbc‘s emily maitlis is in washington, and asked the new head of white house communications, anthony scaramucci. tell us first of all, what we should understand about the relationship with jeff sessions? i think this will resolve itself over the next week or so. and what i would say to colleagues and cabinet members is you must understand

the personality of the president. he is a straight—shooter, he likes to express himself, and let people know how he feels. sometimes those are tough conversations. why isn't he talking to jeff sessions? why is he tweeting, letting rumours take over? he is a very tough person, and i mean that in a good way. he is trying to use the bully pulpit in the oval office, and his presidency, to execute an agenda on behalf of the people. do i think he will stay? it will be up to the president. would like to see sessions staying? i do not want to interrupt the outcome, between the attorney general and the president. i like with people. i worked with attorney generaljeff sessions of the campaign. what i would say to my colleagues, have a tough exos keleton, colleagues, have a tough exoskeleton, be a tough person with a strong backbone. at some point they will meet. but does having a

tough skeleton mean allowing the president to be rude to you, to call you believe it, the basically slagged you off in a public forum. 0k, slagged you off in a public forum. ok, so you're from great britain, but i'm not from great britain. i'm from a town that is right on the corner of queen ‘s, and the president grew up in queens. we have a different medication style. it is a different medication style. it is a little bit more direct, it is less su btle a little bit more direct, it is less subtle and polite but you don't think that politicians in your hometown hitting each other left and right? they may be hitting each other in a more subtle way. i sort of like the more open approach. one of like the more open approach. one of the things i cannot stand about this town is the backstabbing that goes on here, ok? where i'm from, and the neighbourhood i grew up, we are front stab as. we like to tell you exactly where we are from, and what we are doing. so to me, if you can handle the president's personality, you can handle his temperament, which i happen to love, then you can integrate with the president. -- do great with the

president. there is plenty more on our website, including full details of the feud between president trump and his attorney general, and in—depth analysis from our north america reporter anthony zurcher. that is at bbc.com/news, or you can download the bbc news app. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the european court ofjustice has ruled that austria and slovenia did act legally when they returned asylum seekers to croatia during the migrant crisis two years ago, rather than process their asylum claims. eu rules state migrants must apply for asylum in the first member state they reach. the parents of the terminally ill baby charlie gard have until midday on thursday to reach agreement with the hospital over how his life will end. they have accepted charlie will spend his last days in a hospice, rather than at home, but they are asking the high court in london for more time with their son before his life support is taken away. as a two—day general strike gets under way in venezuela, washington is to impose sanctions on some of venezuela's most senior officials. the strike has been called in opposition to president maduro's plan to rewrite the constitution. he has called the american sanctions illegal, insolent and unprecedented. the italian health minister has

warned that water rationing in rome could lead to serious public health issues. beatrice lorenzin said hygiene standards would suffer, and there would be serious problems in providing essential health services. the lazio region has been hit by a severe drought. thousands of people in south—eastern france have been evacuated to save them from wildfires. many are spending a second night on beaches, or in sports halls and other public buildings. at least 6,000 firefighters and troops are now battling the flames, which have been raging for several days. the bbc‘s duncan kennedy is in provence, and reports on how the fires developed on tuesday. the raging power of the fires was at its most terrifying during the night. this was bormes—les—mimosas, west of st tropez, where hillsides were engulfed by the burning shrubs and trees.

for hours, it swept through the countryside, in an unstoppable curtain of flames. thousands of people, including british tourists, were forced out of campsites and other homes. mary and alan anderson, from ramsgate, said the sight of the fires was extremely distressing. we looked over onto the hill, and all we could see was black smoke billowing from umpteen various places, sources. and then the planes came over, picked up loads of water, and have been dousing all day to try and dampen the flames. the sheer force of the fires were caught by holiday—makers on their phones. strong mistral winds gave them an unstoppable energy. many fires burned throughout the night. even the 4,000 firefighters and soldiers sent in couldn't get control, when faced with this. the fires led to a huge evacuation of 10,000 people, many from campsites like this one. they were told to spend

the night on nearby beaches, out in the open. tonight, we found dozens of people in a gymnasium. there are beds and plenty of food, but their holiday has been ruined, and for some, it is their third night in this makeshift accommodation. the morning brought no letup in the fires. some tourists were far enough away to continue their holiday, the lushness of their scenery now replaced by a menacing inferno. in other places, all that was left was a vast, scorched landscape, an area decimated across 15 square miles. 19 aircraft, including ten water—bombers, have been brought in, with the french authorities asking other european governments for technical help. well, these fires have been burning for two days now, and we're seeing fires on hills all around this area. we're also seeing aircraft, helicopters laden with water, trying to put them out. but, at the moment, they don't seem to be able to bring

them under control. temperatures here are in the 30s, and the wind shows no sign of letting up. a combustible, deadly mixture, that will continue to threaten this area. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in southern france. we have now heard from the french prime minister, who has been visiting the area, and there are harrowing tales from people who narrowly escaped the flames. translation: all of a sudden, we were in front of a wall of flames. we did not hesitate. we took some belongings, we took the dogs, and we left. translation: i came back in the morning. i climbed high and saw a picture of desolation, because all the camping was surrounded with flames, and we could do nothing. translation: the situation

remains difficult. you can feel the wind. it continues to blow, and tomorrow will be another difficult day. it will require courage and determination. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the serial killings that triggered a pioneering fbi investigation. nearly a century after members of the osage indians were murdered, a new book reopens the case. mission control: you can see them coming down the ladder now. it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunction of sperm

unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump has made a surprise announcement that he's reintroducing a ban on transgender people serving in the us military. wildfires tear through the countryside in southern france. thousands are forced to leave their homes to escape the flames. let's get more on our top story now: mark follman is a political journalist. hejoins us from san francisco. as far as you can tell, what kind of

reactions coming through this?” think there is a strong degree of shock and outrage in many quarters, not just for the policy shock and outrage in many quarters, notjust for the policy itself, but how this is carried out by the trump white house. you know, the policy may be debatable, but the politics and the process in which it was handled is extraordinary. it looks like another wild and disastrous move from the trump white house, having not thought through what this would do. most immediately, what about all of the trans people, thousands of them, some say 2500, some say 15,000, those on active service, will they be sacked, as you understand it? no one has any idea, to be honest, including i think the white house. they were not able to a nswer white house. they were not able to answer questions about that today after announcing this news. itjust goes to show how this method of

leading coming from trump, if you can call it that, is really, he is stumbling from one disaster to the next. it is reminiscent of the immigration ban he did earlier in the year. but mistakes now in some ways are more extraordinary. you are talking about americans serving in the military. one of the most important roles of public service. i think the trump white house signalled today through the media that they had expected this to be a smart political move and kind of put democrats on their heels and then insta ntly they democrats on their heels and then instantly they are met with outrage and opposition from republicans. it is just remarkable that they seem to have no idea what they are doing in terms of the process of rolling out something like this, which is quite an extreme move. if you are a supporter of the president you might think it is reasonable when he talks about trans people as a burden on the military, or at least a disruption. what about that

so—called burden? disruption. what about that so-called burden? well, there is really no evidence to support that. i think, you really no evidence to support that. ithink, you know, trump really no evidence to support that. i think, you know, trump uses it as a kind of kostic political talking point and you will see more of that, iam sure point and you will see more of that, i am sure —— caustic. if you look at the way the issue has been studied, there was a study done by rand recently which is circulating far and wide today that shows little if any negative impact on military operations from having transgender people surf. there are some very positive things about their service —— serve. they are twice as likely to serve as other americans. they have served in all kinds of roles, including in the navy seals, a leak troops. the facts about what we know about this service from people willing to step up and serve their country just fly directly in willing to step up and serve their countryjust fly directly in the face of this message from trump —— elite troops. including the fact it would cost a lot of money. the facts

just don't bear that out, it is a drop in the budget competitor get budget for the military let alone the overall money that is spent. i thank you. several have been injured when a ride malfunctioned in i —— ohio. people were thrown from the road known as the fireball when a part of the right came loose. the european commission is launching legal action against poland over plans to give politicians more power to sack and appointjudges. the commission says poland will be stripped of its eu voting rights if it goes ahead with proposals to force all supreme court judges into retirement. officials in warsaw call that blackmail. sarah corker reports. crowd chanting "constitution ! ". the controversial reforms have prompted days of protests, in dozens of polish cities, and split the country. in warsaw, crowds gathered outside the supreme court as unease and anger about the government's plans to give the justice minister and mps braod powers

to sack and appointjudges. that set poland and the eu on a collision course. in brussels, the eu commission said it would sue poland and strip the country of its voting rights if it goes ahead. the first time such a sanction would be used. we have now finalised a comprehensive legal analysis confirming that four laws, as adopted by the polish parliament, would have a very significant negative impact on the independence of the polish judiciary and would increase the systemic threat to the rule of law. earlier this week, poland's president duda vetoed two of the most controversial bills, including one would would fire all supreme court judges but, despite his vito, poland's right wing government remains defiant. translation: poland will not tolerate any blackmail and pressure form eu officials in the context

of proposed changes in poland. these changes, as well as those related to judiciary system, are in line with the polish constitution. and that perceived eu interference sparked a counter protest in warsaw. "go away european union," the crowd chanted. poland's eurosceptic government insist the reforms will streamline an outdated legal system, others though, fear democracy is under attack. sarah corker, bbc news. national rebellion day is a pretty big deal in cuba. it marks the anniversary of the attack in 1953 on the moncada barracks, the beginning of the revolution. raul castro attended the celebrations for the last time as president. he's expected to step down next february. from cuba, the bbc‘s will grant. in cuba it's known as the day

of national rebellion, when fidel castro led a group of young radicals in a failed attempt to overthrow a military barracks in 1953. it marked, in effect, the starting pistol for the cuban revolution. and every year the authorities hold this event for the party faithful, attended by the handful of survivors who were there that day, including the octogenarian president, raul castro, the rhetoric has remained pretty much the same over the years. president castro did not speak himself but the communist party's second—in—command warned that the us president that any attempts to unseat the revolution was doomed to fail. this is the first such event to be held since fidel castro died at the end of last year. and the last to be led by his younger brother, raul castro. he is due to finally hand over

the reins of power when he steps down in february, 2018. but the passing to a younger generation presents its own problems to this entrenched political system. the likely successor is the 57—year—old vice president miguel diaz—canel, a man who has not seen military action at north fought in the revolution in the late 1950s. some suggest without those same revolutionary credentials as the castro brothers, he will struggle to inspire the nation, especially the island's youth. activists who turned out for this event, however, disagreed. translation: i am not worried because the new generation has been training alongside the new old leadership and will accept them. translation: our leaders trust in the use and have set an example for them so things will not be left up in the air. we will make sure things work out as well as they did

for the castro brothers. the incoming leader will receive a stagnant economy, an island under embargo and fresh challenges in terms of the relationship with washington and president trump. although a election approaches, ordinary cubans can't vote directly for their president. the communist party hopes that this memory of this part of revolutionary history will ensure popular attendance for years to come, even without a castro brother at the helm. now, one of the most notorious serial murders in american history. in the early 1920s, members of the osage indian tribe became wealthy overnight when oil was discovered on their land. but, soon after, many were shot and poisoned, and the killings triggered a pioneering fbi investigation. a new book puts a spotlight on a chilling episode. the united states was still remarkably lawless country back in the 1920s.

and particularly in this last remnant of the wild west. you had outlaws wandering the streets with their six shooters in their pockets. you had sheriffs, you had oilmen there, and prospectors. my name is david grant, i'm the author of osage. the indians once controlled much of the central part of the united states and were eventually forced to cede more than 100 million acres of their territory. it was at that time that an osage chief stood up, and he said we should move to this territory because the land is infertile and a white man considers it worthless so he will leave us alone. the seemingly forsaken land turned out to be sitting upon some of the largest deposits of oil then in the united states.

and in the beginning of the 20th century, the 2000 or so osage became the wealthiest people in the world. they had white servants, who said at the time, as one american might own a car, each osage owned 11. the world's provoked all sorts of reaction among white americans. envy, jealousy. they then began to be mysteriously murdered in one of the most sinister crimes in american history. in 1923, after a law more than two dozen osage murders, the case was taken up by a rather obscure branch of the justice department, a pretty ragtag operation known as the bureau of investigation. and it would later be renamed the fbi. the osage murder cases became one of the fbi's first major homicide investigations and one of the first major homicide investigations of its new, very young,

very secretive and ambitious director, j edgar hoover. as you begin to did the part you realise there were scores of murders and many of these cases were never investigated. you can't understand the formation of the united states without understanding this case, this original sin from which this country was born. the author on a terrible tale from the 1930s. a group of polar bears at a zoo in lapland got an early wintry treat when truckloads of snow were delivered. the delivery came from a nearby ski centre that had been holding the snow from the previous winter in order to use it for the start of the ski season in october. with july temperatures reaching 25 degrees, however, the bears' fun in the snow may be short lived. that's it for now. thanks for watching. hello.

there is some downpour dodging to be done during the day ahead and in fact through the rest of this week. a mixed weather picture, some spells of sunshine, showers as well, with showers heavy, blown along on a blustery wind at times. low pressure in charge of the scene. the isobars fairly tightly packed. that shows that we will have strong wind and a few showers around as well. showers initially most widespread across northern ireland and western scotland and then develop more widely across the country. some heavy with rumbles of thunder mixed in and some fairly blustery wind as well. after a cloudy start in southern areas things will brighten up a little bit. by the afternoon, although there will be heavy showers around with gusty wind there will also be some decent spells of sunshine between those downpours. 19 degrees in london, 17 in hull. some hefty showers stretching up across north—east england into scotland as well. across orkney and shetland that is the place to be if you want reliably dry weather. not many showers here at all and plenty of sunshine through the afternoon. northern ireland, sunshine and showers. similar story across wales, 18 degrees in cardiff and down across the of england. yes, sunshine and showers once again.

as we head on through thursday night into the early hours of friday we still have our way of low pressure up to the north—west. some showers continuing. fewer showers further south, clear spells as well and overnight temperatures of 11—15 degrees. as we head on into friday, an area of low pressure still with us. and then there is this feature down here to the south. this will bring persistent rain later in the day. initially spells of sunshine, showers as well, they will fade for a while until they are replaced by a lump of rain pushing its way in from the west. most of the wet weather will move its way through fairly quickly during friday night and into the early part of saturday. once that clears away then, you guessed it, we are left with a mixture of sunshine and showers. still our area of low pressure

close by, the temperature around 16—23 degrees. for sunday wherever you are across the country you can expect downpours. the far north of scotland and shetland likely to stay dry. where the showers pop up there could be heavy with hail and thunder, feeling cool in a blustery wind. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump is reintroducing a ban on transgender people in the us military. it is thought there are thousands. he tweeted that they risk burdening the military with large medical bills and disruption, even though on the campaign trail he assured lgbtq voters i will fight for you. campaigners say his decision is shocking and ignorant. wildfires in south—east france have forced the evacuation of at least 10,000 people. hundreds of firefighters are battling flames on the cote d'azur and the island of corsica. the government has asked neighbouring european countries for more help. poland's government is facing legal

action from the european commission over its plans to give politicians more power to appoint and sackjudges. the commission is threatening to strip poland of its eu voting rights. officials in warsaw complain of blackmail. now on bbc news, click.