this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at ham — the investigation intensifies in washington — a grand jury is assembled to look into claims that russia interfered in the election that brought president trump to power. they can't beat us at the voting booths, so they're trying to cheat you out of the future and the future that you want. police in australia say two men charged with plotting to bring down a plane were taking directions from islamic state. from so—called islamic state. a british cyber—security expert — who helped stop the cyberattack on the nhs — appears before a judge in the us for allegedly creating software to steal bank details. one of the world's tallest residential buildings — the torch tower in dubai — has caught fire for the second time in two years. also — sizzling in the sun in continental europe.

parts of europe are experiencing their warmest sustained heatwave in more a decade, with temperatures reaching 45 celsius. and it's the first day of the world athletics championships. good morning. it's friday 4th august. welcome to bbc newsroom live. donald trump is coming under increased pressure over allegations that russia interfered in the election that brought him to power. it's been announced that the man investigating the claims has convened a grand jury — a first step to bringing possible criminal charges.

the move suggests robert mueller, former head of the fbi and the man appointed by thejustice department as a special counsel to oversee the investigation into russia interference at the us election, may be taking a more aggressive approach to gathering data on possible collusion with donald trump's campaign team. grand juries are used to issue subpoenas to compel people to testify. the president has again poured scorn on the inquiry, telling a rally in west virginia it was a "total fabrication." tom burridge reports. with the grand jury up and running, the investigation is into a new phase and the president as always in in fighting form. the russian story ofa in fighting form. the russian story of a total fabrication, just an excuse of a total fabrication, just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. that's all it is. the grand jury is meeting to consider evidence behind closed doors in this building. it is a

panel of american citizens. the job is not to determine guilt or innocence. they can call witnesses to testify or demand to see documents and they must decide if the evidence that the trump campaign couuded the evidence that the trump campaign colluded with russia is strong enough for a criminal trial. the decision to call a grand jury was made by this man, former fbi boss, robert mueller. it shows the evidence gathered so far is worthy of being properly investigated. according to the us media, the grand jury according to the us media, the grand jury already wants information about a meeting between donald trumpjr and the russian lawyer injune of last year. donald trump jr and the russian lawyer injune of last year. donald trumpjr has admitted he was promised damaging material about his dad's opponent hillary clinton but he says he got none. the white house said it supported any action that would accelerate the conclusion of the

investigation fairly. today, the president is off on holiday, to play golf. the us media is unlikely to ta ke golf. the us media is unlikely to take time off from talking about what went on before he was elected. tom burridge, bbc news. with me now is jacob parakilas — deputy head of the us and americas programme at chatham house. we need to define our terms for those of us in britain who are not used to a grand jury and what it does. the grand jury doesn't determine guilt or innocence or sit at the end of the trial and say we have decided beyond reasonable doubt this person is guilty. it back stops the prosecutor. the prosecutor says there is reasonable grounds for suspicion that a crime has happened at thejury considers suspicion that a crime has happened at the jury considers that evidence decides whether to permit them to issue a subpoena, compel witness testimony and whether an indictment is warranted. it is a lower standard of evidence that what is required of

ajury ata of evidence that what is required of a jury at a criminal or civil trial. how could you be sure this is not just a fishing expedition on the pa rt just a fishing expedition on the part of the prosecutor? part of the proof is less about the grand jury being empowered and more about the calibre of the people joined. being empowered and more about the calibre of the peoplejoined. senior partners from robert mueller‘s previous employment have joined the organisation of the special council's office has been getting bigger and bigger. it council's office has been getting biggerand bigger. it is council's office has been getting bigger and bigger. it is one of the few offices in washington at the moment that seems not to be leaking, what is apparent from what is visible outside, this is a serious investigation. it doesn't mean this will result in prosecution or convictions but it does mean these very serious lawyers are taking this seriously. they think there is something to be investigated. how much will this worry the white house? i think this particular step doesn't necessarily worry the white house more than any other aspect of

the investigation that has been announced so far. and indeed the response to it was relatively muted, they said anything that helps this come to a conclusion is welcome. there wasn't an outburst on twitter oi’ there wasn't an outburst on twitter or anything like that. this isjust pa rt or anything like that. this isjust part of the general process but i think as evidence that this investigation is serious and it is expanding and considering notjust direct collusion but also other aspects, financial impropriety is, that has to be worrying. to what extent could a defence make use of what comes out of the grand jury, given it all happens in secret. the defence, you don't get to defend in the grand jury, except in so far as people from the trump campaign will be called as witnesses. you could have the grand jury bring in someone involved in the trump campaign to offer witness testimony. that could be an opportunity for them to

present their version of events. because this is about the prosecution, determining whether there are indictments to be made, there are indictments to be made, the defence it has a fairly limited input. how quickly are we likely to know whether this grand jury is going to provide the prosecutors with useful evidence so they will move on and not drop the enquiry. there is no way to tell. they can ta ke there is no way to tell. they can take weeks or months, sometimes yea rs, take weeks or months, sometimes years, because we don't know about the exact scope of the investigation beyond the fact it is large and a p pa re ntly beyond the fact it is large and apparently expanding. we don't know whether there will be a first round of investigations, with the hope of rolling that in the big investigations. we don't know where they are starting or where it will end. soi they are starting or where it will end. so i can't tell you how long it will last. thank you. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences on thursday were taking directions from a senior so—called islamic

state commander. investigators believe an improvised device, using military—grade explosives, was due to be smuggled onto an etihad airways flight last month, but the attempt was abandoned before the men reached security. hywel griffith reports from sydney. described as one of the most sophisticated terror plots ever on australian soil, officers say they have ended a plan which could have caused catastrophic loss of life. they believe khaled khayat and his son, mahmoud khayat, were sent high—grade military explosives by the so—called islamic state through air cargo and say they then put together a bomb packed into a meat grinder. onjuly 15th, it's alleged the men planned to take the improvised explosive device, or ied, on to an etihad airways flight out of sydney but officers say it was never checked in. we will be alleging in court that a fully functioning ied was to be placed on that plane on the 15th ofjuly. one thing that is important

to state, though, is it did not get through security. having aborted the first attack, it's alleged the men took apart the bomb to create a chemical device instead which would emit poisonous hydrogen sulphide. officers say the men were arrested before that plot became advanced. detailed forensic searches are continuing. a third man is being questioned by police. airport security routines have now returned to normal. passengers are being assured the threat has been disrupted, but new questions have been raised over how explosives could be sent into australia by the islamic state and how the terror threat is evolving. hywel griffith, bbc news, sydney. a british it expert — who helped stop the cyberattack that hit the nhs — has appeared before a judge

in the us over alleged links with other malicious software. marcus hutchins — aged 23 and from devon — appeared in a las vegas court charged with creating a programme designed to steal bank and credit card details. our north america correspondent james cook has more. marcus hutchins was hailed as a hero for stopping an attack which crippled the nhs and spread to tens of thousands of computers in 150 countries. his arrest is not related to this role in neutralising the so—called wannacry ra nsomwa re, which we discussed in this recent bbc interview. i checked the message board and there were maybe 16 or 17 reports of different nhs organisations being hit. that was the point where i decided my holiday was over and i had to look into this. in the past week, mr hutchins had been in las vegas for the def con cyber—security conference. he was apparently arrested at the airport minutes before he was due to fly home. we've now obtained a copy of the indictment

against marcus hutchins, and another unnamed defendant. it reveals they're facing charges in the us state of wisconsin. they're accused of creating and selling a programme to harvest online banking data and credit card details. prosecutors say the arrest here in las vegas came at the end of a two—year—long investigation. cyber security remains a top priority for the fbi, says the special agent in charge. marcus hutchins may now face his biggest challenge yet in an american court room. james cook, bbc news. the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, will address the issue of brexit and the border with northern ireland this morning, when he makes his first official visit to the province. he said under negotiations well underway in brussels. our northern ireland political correspondent enda mcclafferty is in belfast. very much spelling out his concerns

once more about the implications for brexit, particularly on north— south relations. he made it very clear there are implications across the board for everybody. he talked also about those who are advocating a ha rd about those who are advocating a hard brexit and he said those should be the ones who come up with a solution to deal with the border and not his government. he also talked about the difficulties and how the political process here has stalled so political process here has stalled so much and that means northern ireland doesn't have a voice in the brexit negotiations and that is a dangerous place to be. he talked about the difficulties of brexit driving a wedge between north and south and he said what we want is a bridge, not a wedge. we now have a new self—confidence. a

founder memberof we now have a new self—confidence. a founder member of the euro and the single market. we have taken our place widely among the nations of the world. your pro—chancellor professor english has written that the concept of freedom has been a recurring melody in national symphony. i think we found south of the border over the past few decades, that's the kind of freedom that some people thought was impossible has been achieved through the international symphony of our membership of the european union. i passionately believe that being european is an essential part of modern irish identity. it's an enhancement, not a delusion of who we are. in my opinion, it's a tragedy of the brexit debate that appears that this common european identity is not valued by everyone on these islands. as well as talking about the many challenges and be

problems brexit will present, he also came up with what he thought might bea also came up with what he thought might be a solution to try to ease the path of the negotiations. he talked about the uk remaining in the european single market, to allow more space for the negotiations to continue. that something that was picked up on by the ambassador to the uk. our hope would be that britain might decide to remain in the customs union because that would solve many of the problems that arise on the island of ireland, but that's a matter for the british government to decide. we're simply putting our cards on the table and saying that would solve the problem. if that doesn't happen, then we have to find a solution that is flexible and that maybe breaks new ground. uppermost of course to the people of northern ireland is when power—sharing will return here and leo varadkar was mindful of the fact he had many politicians in the audience and he reminded them of

their responsibilities to bring power—sharing back as soon as possible. he has meetings this afternoon with the political parties in northern ireland. thank you. the headlines on bbc newsroom live — donald trump is coming under increased pressure as a grand jury is convened in washington to look into claims that russia interfered in the election that brought him to power. police in australia said two men charged with terrorism offences... and in sport, usain bolt and mo farah are top of the bill on the first day of the world athletics championships at the london stadium.

meanwhile, ed warner, who is stepping down from hisjob as the head of uk athletics, has told the bbc that drug cheats exist around every corner in sport. he says officials are working hard to root the problem out. england are batting first in the deciding test against south africa at old trafford. six for no wickets so far. one of the world's tallest residential buildings — the torch tower in dubai — has been engulfed in flames for the second time in two years. as the fire spread rapidly, debris fell into the streets from the 350—metre—high building. the blaze has now been brought under control. harvey biggs reports. fire engulfs one of the world's tallest residential buildings. floor by floor, flames spread up the side of the torch tower in dubai's upscale marina district as residents flee to the streets. all they can do is watch as firefighters work to bring the blaze under control. witnesses, many of whom filmed the blaze and uploaded images on social media,

describe seeing burning debris falling from the building. originally the top of the building was out of control, and they had that dealt with, and then the centre of the building absolutely caught fire, and you can still see the remnants of that now. dubai authorities say crews successfully managed to evacuate the building with no injuries reported. it's the second time the six—year—old 79—storey skyscraper has been hit by fire. in 2015, 100 apartments were severely damaged when a massive blaze swept through the tower, and it's the latest in a series of high—rise fires in dubai in recent years, including inferno at the address downtown hotel that broke out on new year's eve in 2015. at the time, onlookers said the blaze tore up the side of the building in a matter of seconds. luckily no one was killed. many of dubai's tower fires have been blamed on the aluminium composite cladding on the outside of the building, a material

that was only outlawed in the country in 2013. what started this latest blaze is yet to be determined, but once again it will bring the spotlight back on the safety. oxford university has urged one of its employees — who's suspected of murdering a man in chicago — to hand himself into the us authorities. andrew warren, who's 56, is wanted alongside an american professor, in connection with the death of a man found with multiple stab wounds. four teenagers have been arrested in north london on suspicion of being involved in acid attacks. they were tracked by a police helicopter in the early hours of this morning — dumping a stolen moped before being detained on an estate in islington. airlines, including british airways, rya nair and easyjet, are urging passengers flying home

from europe this weekend to turn up earlier than normal at airports. tighter security checks have led to big delays at passport control. the new measures are in response to the recent terror attacks. ba and easyjet are texting passengers to arrive at least three hours before their flights. sir mo farah and the fastest man on the planet, usain bolt, will be in action this evening, on the first day of the world athletics championships in london. it will be the last time both athletes compete in a major competition. a record 650—thousand tickets have been sold for the 10—day event. our sports news correspondent, andy swiss, has more. five years on from london 2012, they are back. the world's top athletes chasing global glory, including britain's best. tonight mo farah could once again light up the stadium as he goes on the 10,000 metres in his last major championships. the emotion comes pouring out! it's a once—in—a—lifetime to have the olympics at your doorstep and do what i did and then you come back years later and it's the world championships and i'm like, you know what,

i'm going to end it at that track. while mo farah is back competing here, the other stars of london 2012 aren't. greg rutherford is injured, jessica ennis—hill retired — the hosts will have to find new heroes. for the sport, meanwhile, it's goodbye to the greatest. tonight, usain bolt will begin his quest for the final 100 metres title before he retires. this is a moment i've been looking forward to. after the race or during the race the emotions will come out, it depends on how the crowd reacts. if there is applause and cheering i'll be happy, but they will find ways to get emotions out of you. it will be the fondest of farewells and as the athletes arrive once again the stage is set for some golden moments. the deadline for submissions on what the grenfell tower fire inquiry should cover will expire later today. hundreds of suggestions have been

received with the total expected to hit around 300 by the 5pm cut—off. inquiry head sir martin moore—bick promised to consider a broad range of evidence when he launched a public consultation into the terms of reference injuly. speaking on the bbc‘s victoria derbyshire programme, christos fairbairn who lived on the 15th floor of grenfell tower and survived said the inquiry needed to be led by someone from the community. you need someone from the community to speak. if you are someone from the community, actually involved in it, it is more personal. to me personally, a lot of people died, a lot of people are still missing and it's very sad. i just lot of people are still missing and it's very sad. ijust hope that it

does get sorted out and it doesn't repeat itself and the people that suffered and lost families, that they can get on with their lives because for me personally, i'm still trying to cope with what happened. there are other people in there who have lost their family, the whole generation of families and for me personally, i just hope generation of families and for me personally, ijust hope that it doesn't repeat itself and the people who have been affected by it, they do get help, mentally and physically and they can carry on with their lives. we will hear from the mp for kensington emma dent coad very shortly. millions of eggs are being recalled from shops in german the and the netherlands after they were found to contain high levels of a toxic pesticide. farms are been shut down

temporarily under criminal investigation been launched. dutch authorities have published a list of serial numbers of eggs that are deemed contaminated and unsafe. this is a widening food scandal now affecting three countries — the netherlands, germany and belgium. the warning had been triggered when a toxic insecticide was found in egg samples. that prompted a shutdown of around 20% of dutch poultry farms. warnings of a serious risk to public health followed. translation: we have investigated around 180 companies. the result is that 20 of them are clean. they've been given the green light. we found fipronil at 147 companies. at one of them, the levels were so high that we have spread a warning — don't eat these eggs. fipronil is commonly used in veterinary products to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks. but it's banned from being used to treat animals destined for human consumption. in large quantities,

it can cause damage to the kidneys and liver and thyroid glands. eggs with this code have elevated levels of the chemical. at least 3 million contaminated eggs have been sold in germany. supermarkets there have pulled the affected products. translation: i expect all competent authorities to give a quick and complete clarification of the circumstances. the public authorities of belgium and the netherlands play a key role. however in belgium, none of the affected eggs have made it onto supermarket shelves and as tests continue, one theory is that the chemical may have entered the food chain when barns were cleaned with a detergent against insects. the financial losses for dutch farms are potentially huge. "this batch of eggs have been blocked as

a precaution," the trader says. "the damage is enormous. "we are fighting a crisis at the moment." millions of eggs are now being destroyed and a criminal investigation is under way. sarah corker, bbc news. parts of southern europe are suffering from the hottest sustained heatwave for more than a decade. temperatures have reached 45 degrees celsius in some parts of italy and the balkans. our europe correspondent gavin leake is in sicily. it looks fantastic, the ideal spot to be but it is really uncomfortable. so much so that today, possibly, sicily will be the highest temperature in the whole of europe, not just this highest temperature in the whole of europe, notjust this year but for many years. where i am,, just south of here near palermo will be 46

celsius today. not just of here near palermo will be 46 celsius today. notjust here, but italy, rome, florence, across the spain, de cordova and granada and the balkans, belgrade, croatia, places where there are lots of tourists right now, all seeing a0 degrees for the past few days. all of this, over 100 celsius. touch 11a today. that is about ten to 15 celsius more than it usually is in august. several governments have put out warnings to say, first of all, emergency crews need to be on stand—by. there is a risk of forest fires. advice from tourists about to go away, to stay indoors through the afternoon for the next few days because this little appearance but intense heat will be with us well up until next week. gavin lee in a5 degrees heat... but by an infinity pool! will we see any of this, lucy? our temperatures fortunately a

little more comfortable. more clout in the way, near scotland today. it could be quite heavy. northern ireland, sunny spells and showers, they could be quite heavy. good spells of sunshine for much of england and wales. the odd isolated shower possible. this evening and overnight, a couple showers still in scotla nd overnight, a couple showers still in scotland and northern ireland. some will feed into wales in the early hours. another day tomorrow sunny spells and showers. you could see a shower pretty much anywhere but i think there will be largest in central scotland. high pressure building on sunday, a fresh start with plenty of dry and bright weather to begin with but our next area of low pressure not far away. that will bring some showery outbreaks of rain later in the day on sunday. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines.

president trump is remaining defiant against criticism which accuses him of any wrongdoing over russia. the man who is investigating the claims has convened a grand jury, which could bring about possible criminal charges. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences yesterday had obtained military—grade explosives, and were being directed by a senior commander from so—called islamic state. the irish prime minister has urged northern ireland's politicians to resolve their differences and restore powersharing as the brexit talks enter their crucial stage. leo varadkar has arrived in northern ireland for his first visit since becoming taoiseach. a british computer expert who helped stop a worldwide cyber attack which hit the nhs has been arrested by the fbi in the united states. marcus hutchins, who is 23 and from devon, is accused of creating malware to steal bank details. and one of the world's tallest residential buildings has been

engulfed in flames for the second time in two years. authorities say no casualties have been reported at the 330—metre torch tower in dubai. let's catch up on the sports lunesdale. —— sports news now. it's day one of the world athletics championships in london, with big name stars in action later. jess creighton is live at the london stadium for us. jess, britain could have a gold medal at the end of the day. and it's also the begining of the end for one of the usain bolt. yes, good morning. welcome to the london stadium. i'm inside and the final preparations are being put in place for tonight's action. it gets under way tonight and two legends of the sport will be on the track

tonight. usain bolt will be in action of the opening heat of the 100 metres. this is the man that has lit up tracks around the world for over a decade, he has won pretty much everything there is to win in this sport. he will hang up his spikes after this performance here ina spikes after this performance here in a major championship. he is retiring at the end of the season. bolts would be the only big star in action, because british fans will have mo farah to look forward to. —— bolt won't be. what they could be for him if he could repeat the double success that he witnessed here back in london 2012, five years ago. mo farah won't be the only brit in action. we canjust ago. mo farah won't be the only brit in action. we can just have a look now. you will see that the long jump will also get underway today. there will also get underway today. there will be no greg rutherford, he is out injured. also, british fans can look out for holly bradshaw in the poll vote and laura muir, heavily tipped as one of the future stars of british athletics, will go in the

1500 metres. —— pole vault. but athletics under the microscope for dropping and senior figures have been talking about this today. yes, you are quite right. as much as there is excitement and anticipation for this world athletics championships, there is a cloud hanging over the sport because of doping. there will be no athletes representing russia here at the world championships because of a doping ban. and the head of uk athletics, ed warner, has been talking about that this morning. in any walk of life, you find cheats around every corner. there are 2500 athletes here. we'll we'll be cleaned the same i doubt it. the authorities working hard? guests. only yesterday two ukrainian sprinters were provisionally banned asa sprinters were provisionally banned as a result of failing drug test. sprinters were provisionally banned as a result of failing drug testm you are getting no fail tests, i would say they not working hard enough. this board has a fight on its hands. it's gradually winning the battle, but it will be a long—term process.

the battle, but it will be a long-term process. lots of positives to talk about in sport, particularly for british fans tonight. or the action gets away from six o'clock across the bbc. jess, inside the london stadium, thank you very much. neymar has been getting acquainted with his new surroundings in paris following his world record move from barcelona yesterday. the £200 million transfer was completed last night, and the brazilian's switch to paris saint—germain has already captured the imagination of the parisien public — as our sports news correspondent, richard conway, explains. neymar has signed for paris st germain. it is a world record fee we know about. but just look at the effect it has had on the paris st germain fans. they've been queueing here now for hours to try to get into the store when it opens. they wa nt to into the store when it opens. they want to be in that shop, buying neymar jerseys, want to be in that shop, buying neymarjerseys, get want to be in that shop, buying neymar jerseys, get that want to be in that shop, buying neymarjerseys, get that name on their backs. they are hugely excited. he will be unveiled to the media later today. and then of

course on saturday, i had a paris st germain's first game of the season, he will be presented to the fans. they can't wait to see him, they can't believe it's actually happened. neymar is a paris st germain player. finally, england won the toss and decided to bat on the first morning of the fourth and final test at old trafford. a few early alarms, but so far openers alastair cook and keaton jennings have emerged unscathed. the latest — 17 without loss. liverpool have joined german club offer he. celtic play stan from kazakhstan. we will have more later. today is the last chance for residents of the grenfell tower to have their say on the inquiry into the tragedy. let's speak to the labour mp for the

kensington constituency. confidence is not migrate this process a few weeks ago. how has the scope of the enquiry change that? depends on how come the submissions are dealt with. the next stage to gaining public confidence is to really consider those seriously and include as many different lines of enquiry as possible. the leader of the enquiry was criticised as not being the right man for the job. was criticised as not being the right man for thejob. how was criticised as not being the right man for the job. how has that changed, given a different advisers have been brought into supporting? i've met some of the different advisers. they've been talking to the community and that has improved things. i wish that happened in the first stage, but it didn't. they should have done that from square one. that's a huge shame. i do think it has improved things like the. one. that's a huge shame. i do think it has improved things like them terms of what needs to be included, that have been hundreds of suggestions from people. what are

the absolute must haves, as far as you are concerned ? the absolute must haves, as far as you are concerned? there have been many of them this week. some from the royal society for the prevention of accidents, the fire brigade union, some from a legal position. i'm hoping they will be dealt with in different categories. the whole issue about housing funding and management and what actually happened, all of those things. maybe there will be a housing category we re there will be a housing category were all about is looked into. we also need to look at the health implications. health and mental health before and during and after the fire. and also the responsibility of the use. there are lots of different aspects that people are interested in and i hope they will all be taken into account. we won't know until september. we are told they will sign doing people in late september. we will have to wait and see now. —— they will start interviewing people in late september. how do you envision is

the community being involved in the enquiry process? people can put themselves forward to be interviewed and come up with evidence or discussion. if they were witnesses, or even people who were on the phone to people in the tower and had experience of what was happening while the fire was under way. obviously, firefighters and all kinds of people involved, including people who were involved in the management, or mismanagement of the building. ithink management, or mismanagement of the building. i think there will be a wide range of people and i do hope that all of it is on family and no stone is left unturned. as we were promised, some weeks again. thank you very much for talking to us. royal bank of scotland has reported its first half—year profit in three years. the bank, which is still predominantly owned by the taxpayer, made almost £9a0 million in the six months to the end ofjune, compared with a loss of £2 billion in the same period last year. our correspondent, joe lynam, is here. quite a turnaround. how have they

done it? rbs is shrinking itself and has been doing so for the past nine yea rs. has been doing so for the past nine years. it was a major global bank, with m investment bank attached to it. -- with with m investment bank attached to it. —— with an investment bank. it has had to set down the investment bank, said on campus in case things go wrong, and focus more won the uk. that's what it's doing. it is the biggest lender to companies in britain, smes, except. but it is also a major retail bank. natwest is one of the biggest mortgage providers in the land. it is sticking to the knitting, rather than the major global footprint it had at the time of the global crisis. but it is substantial, it is getting its act together. £2 billion loss this time last year. almost £1 billion profit this year. having said all that, it does expect to post a loss for the entire year of 2017 because of legacy issues. as ross mcewing, the chief executive,

was telling us this morning. it's all based around which organisation, or which part of the doj all based around which organisation, or which part of the do] you are dealing with. there are three banks still outstanding and we happened to be one of those. we just weren't at the front of the queue. but we would like to get it tied up this afternoon we don't have these big issues hanging over it but what it sounds like there was a danger that it won't happen this year if you haven't even started talking about the amount? there has got to be a chance that it doesn't happen this year. we have been tying up other things in the interim. we have sorted out the mortgage—backed securities. what will focus on is getting whizbang whacking great shape. we are playing our big part in this economy and making sure it's funded well. —— is getting this bank backin funded well. —— is getting this bank back in great shape. we are the largest bank for businesses in the uk. we've had growth in the first six months of a.1%. this bank is doing what it should be doing now. the chief executive of rbs speaking

to our business editor. how keen as the government to get this bank off its books? presumably they want shot of it, of course. or do they want to be accused of selling off at a loss, because that is what they would be doing. the break even point is around £5 a share. over at around 270 p at the moment, so they are well shy of break even point. the chief executive said if they would sell today, they would be selling off at sell today, they would be selling offata sell today, they would be selling off at a loss for taxpayers. if the question of time as to when they rerelease this bank back into the wild. but it has to get the legacy issues done. there is still a multi—billion pound fine to be paid over the next year. thank you very much. parts of southern europe are suffering from the hottest sustained heatwave for more than a decade. temperatures have reached a5 degrees celsius in some parts of italy. let's ignore to a freelance

journalist based in rome. ordinarily we ought to envy you. but how unbearable if it? it's very, very hot here. i've been here for ten yea rs hot here. i've been here for ten years and this is the worst summer i've lived through. there seems to be no relief because the temperatures are so intense. and at night they really don't come down at all. ina night they really don't come down at all. in a city like room where you don't get much of a breeze, it's quite oppressive. you can see on the streets, tourists walking around looking exhausted. they are clamouring for a piece of shade on the street. the civil protection authority has distributed 12,000 bottles of water. so people here are really feeling the pinch and white rome has a lot of fountains. they must be very tempting! they are, and we have had the issue come up in the past few months. there are heavy fines for tourists and others who decide to dip their toe or body into a fountain. we haven't seen too many

fines being issued, but we have seen some tourists, a young boyjumped into the trevi fountain in the last day or two. this is a big issue for italy. the city really does want to keep people out of the fountains. it is difficult, as you can imagine, when the temperatures are around a0 degrees. very serious implications in terms of the public health problem that it poses for people who just can't cope in this heat. we have seen hospital admissions rise by 15%. that is a great deal of concern about the elderly. particularly concern about dehydration. the city of rome has added some extra services to take ca re of added some extra services to take care of the elderly and make sure there are centres for elderly people to go to to make sure that they're protected from the heat, and have some kind of refreshments. but the city that are affected, we are seeing 26 cities on a red alert. and

the government is looking at issuing a state of emergency in 11 regions. that gives you some indication of how widespread this drought really is. and the tinder dry conditions propose a fire risk, as we've seen in other parts of europe. what is the impact on farming? we have seen fires across the country. one woman died from a wildfire that was sparked on herfarm. but more broadly, there is a great deal of concern about agriculture. the largest agricultural organisation has said that this is going to cost billions of euros. the wine harvest has already begun extremely early in both the north and the south. these temperatures are quite unheard of. it's also going to have an impact on the olive harvest. that is expected to fall by 50%. and also an impact on cheese production, as she rely on

water supplies that have now been diminished. —— as sheep rely. some widespread damage in the agricultural sector and the government will be calling on a national solidarity fund that has been set up for agriculture that includes contributions from the european union to aid farmers in the coming months. lets hope for you fairly soon. thank you. the french authorities have been accused of failing to provide for asylum—seekers as a deliberate policy of trying to dissuade migrants from coming to the country. hundreds of migrants are living in squalor on the outskirts of metz. jonny dymond reports. splashing around in the summer heat. try stopping these children from enjoying themselves. but this, for them, is home. a ramshackle collection of tents perched on the outskirts of the city. some have been here for days, some for many months. all are squeezed into tiny tents. they complain of rats,

of not enough toilets, of not enough help. noruz is from irbil, northern iraq. he's been here forfour months, and he wants out. life, it's difficult for life. i need to go to england. i can't, because border‘s closed. difficult. we don't have so much money for going to england. these kinds of places are becoming more common in wealthy europe, as people stream west in search of a better life. some say that france is denying these people assistance on purpose. when you are in this kind of policy, non—incentive, at the end of the day i think that you create such conditions for people who know that when they are in france, when they arrive in france, they have no better conditions than in their own country. it is a charge vigorously

rejected by the authorities. translation: we currently have nearly 5,000 people housed in the region. if the state didn't want to do anything, why would it be providing this accommodation? if this camp existed just to dissuade people, then it's clearly not working. most of these people will fail to be accepted for asylum. wanting a better life is not a good enough reason for the authorities. france wants to speed up the whole process. until it does, these ramshackle camps and the misery that flourishes here will continue. more help from the french state is coming. but the pull of the rich west continues. the future for migrants and their children remains hard and often dangerous. let's bring you a line breaking news

regarding girlx, as let's bring you a line breaking news regarding girl x, as she is known, a vulnerable girl currently in custody. there seems to be difficulty in finding provision for her when she is released. further assessments are being carried out this afternoon about the suitability of care placements for the girl, who is 17. yesterday a judge said it was a disgrace that it was proving so difficult to find the right provision for her, and went on to say that the state would have blood on its hands if the teenager should attempt to take her life again. we are told that a conference call is going to take place between the various agencies and experts involved in her case. it's scheduled to ta ke involved in her case. it's scheduled to take place later today. in a moment, a summary of the business news this hour. but first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live: president donald trump is coming under increased pressure as a grand jury is convened in washington, to look into claims that russia interfered in the election

that brought him to power. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences had obtained military—grade explosives, and were being directed by so—called islamic state. the irish prime minister says every every single aspect of life in northern ireland could be affected by the outcome of brexit. in the business news... for the fourth month in a row new car sales have fallen — a drop of 9% betweenjune and july. and for the first time the society of motor manufacturers and traders, which collects the figures, has blamed the fall on a fall in business and consumer confidence linked to brexit uncertainty. it said the government must act quickly to provide concrete plans regarding brexit. royal bank of scotland, rbs, made over £900 million in profit in the last six months. and it has said it is moving about 150 staff to amsterdam after brexit. but the bank, still 73%

owned by the tax—payer, may still not make a full year profit depending on how much it has to pay out in legal costs in couirt cases in the us related to the mis—selling of mortgage backed securities during the build up to the 2008 crisis. one of the uk's biggest business lobby groups has urged the cabinet to stop "dancing around the edges" of brexit. the institute of directors, which has about 30,000 members, has criticised the cabinet for engaging in what it called "a range of speculative arguments over transition". it warned that without agreement, business faces "short—term chaotic cliff edges". let's go back to that story about car sales. fairly dramatic numbers, and it is the fourth row in a row that we have seen a new car sales falling. tamzen isacsson is from the society of motor manufacturers and traders. this is the first time you have

really linked it to not brexit, but uncertainty over brexit and uncertainty over brexit and uncertainty over brexit and uncertainty over the way in which brexit is being dealt with. there's been a great deal of uncertainty, as you can imagine, over breakfast this year. and the beginning of the year we we re year. and the beginning of the year we were predicting a slight decline forecast for the annual new car registrations this year of around 296. registrations this year of around 2%. that is really because there's been an unprecedented period of growth in the new car market. so we a lwa ys growth in the new car market. so we always predict that it would fall slightly. but the last four months have seen considerable declines in the new car registration market, both in terms of fleet business and private buyers. that's why we're making this statement today. it's imperative that government puts on the table brexit plans that will restore confidence. you say it falls on purchases and private purchasers, but business sales have fallen sharply. that's why it's imperative

that we get clear outlines for the interim deal that is needed before we have a bespoke comprehensive trade deal with the european union. buying a new car for many buyers across the uk is an incredibly important decision. while there is great uncertainty over the future of the uk, then it is of concern to consumers is quite that the whole car industry is going through an enormous period of change. and will continue to do so over the coming yea rs. continue to do so over the coming years. diesel, particularly at the moment, is a very uncertain choice for the consumer. there have been a huge amount of speculation around diesel in the last few months. and the uncertainty over the government's clean air plans. these remaina government's clean air plans. these remain a very popular fuel type. 700,000 diesel cars have been bought already. and nearly one in two new ca rs already. and nearly one in two new cars is a diesel car. that's because

it's valued for its fuel efficiency and contribution to low carbon dioxide levels will stop but we do need clarity on the clean air zones. consumers should be reassured stage that the latest euro six new clean diesels will not face any charge anywhere in the uk. but the real move is with alternative fuel vehicles. that is really quite a substantial change. can you explain some of the figures we have seen in sales in that area? there are two things going on with the diesel market. primarily british consumers are buying all the cars. they like superminis and small family cars. that generally means a petrol car. there we have seen that market shift happening. but in terms of alternative fuel vehicles, we have seen substantial growth. absinthe in percent. but the market share still remains at a very low level. a—5%. there is still a lot to do to

encourage consumers to take up these new types of vehicles. we need better infrastructure, more charging points, and greater incentives. many of these cars to carry a high price label. a fascinating market and a huge amount going on. thank you very much for your comments. some other business stories we've been following: spin royal bank of scotland shares are up 5%, coming back into profit for the first half of the year. taylor wimpey, that has been a report out in property week magazine which says that the government may be thinking about putting an end to the help to buy scheme. that has really hit the companies. taylor wimpey is down 6.a points. the euro is looking quite strong, the pound is looking quite strong, the pound is looking quite strong, the pound is looking weak against the euro. that's all the business news. we will be back later soon. the 70th edinburgh international festival gets under way later. created in the aftermath of the second world war — to give a "platform

for the flowering of the human spirit" — the arts and culture extravaganza is now the largest in the world. as thousands of performers prepare to fill hundreds of venues once again, we meet the couple who've been there since the beginning. this is ingrid and henry wuga's story. may, 1939, i came by kinder transport, a traumaticjourney by train from germany through holland, and eventually we landed in great britain. the child refugees from germany... i'm 90...i think i'm 92. 93. lam not 93, am i? you are, dear. we were all interested in music. when music was going on, we said, can we possibly go? can we afford to go? to the first music and drama festival in scotland's capital come 120,000 visitors.

we were young, we had very little money. it was pretty well sold out. but we didn't mind standing up the back. orchestras from many countries, from europe, even america within the first couple of years. all of a sudden there was life, there was a rekindling of life, art and music. but people were determined. people determined to lead a better life, and it did work, it did. because it had been war. i think they were determined that it should change, and should be better. this iconic singer, kathleen ferrier, who became a star in a very short time. it was fantastic. and once, having tasted that, of course, there was no stopping us. we were hooked from that moment on. i saw dudley moore, jonathan miller and michael palin. i mean, it was absolutely outstanding. we only knew these people vaguely now and again on television. here they were there. no, they were there. they were there in life!

it really made it. and they are also bringing back this year, they are bringing back la boheme, because they played it in 19a7, so they are bringing things back that for 70 years ago. the festival is changing. it has to change, and it has to grow. henry and ingrid. another day of sunny spells and showers today. low pressure remaining in charge of our weather. it has been sitting above the north of the uk, slowly edging its way towards the east. over the next few days it is making its way into wards scandinavia. we are looking at a few sunny spells today and i weather watcher has sent in this beautiful picture of blue skies in hertfordshire. as we move through the day today, more in the way of cloud across scotland. shami outbreaks of ringing the north—west.

making their way down towards the south—east. tom will be quite heavy. asimilar south—east. tom will be quite heavy. a similar story south—east. tom will be quite heavy. asimilarstory in south—east. tom will be quite heavy. a similar story in northern ireland will —— for much of northern england and wales, much of dry and bright weather. the chance of the odd shower, but many people missing them. lighter winds than we saw yesterday. feeling fairly present. the risk of one or two thundery showers in scotland. more in the way of cloud with a north—westerly breeze taking the edge off those temperatures. it looks like it will be cloudy today in the gulf with shami outbreaks of rain. —— cloudy at the golf with showery outbreaks of ring. through this evening and overnight, summer showers persisting in scotland and northern ireland. plenty of dry weather, close bars across england and wales. starting to see some showers feeding to wales

in the early hours. temperatures falling to an overnight low. tomorrow, sunny spells and showers. you could see showers pretty much anywhere, but they will be largely focused across southern and central england. through wales into midlands, and later into east anglia. they could be quite heavy, but where you don't see them, sunny spells. temperatures a touchdown in the south—east, highs of 21. but with less of a breeze, it will feel pleasant. into sunday, a ridge of high pressure building in. that will settle things down, but it's not too long before our next area of low pressure pushes in from the west. a fresh start to the day on sunday. good spells of sunshine. one or two isolated showers, but starting to see that rain pushing in from the west. fairly showery in nature. temperatures at a maximum of 22 celsius. sunny spells and showers through this weekend. this is bbc news and these are the top stories

developing at midday — the investigation intensifies in washington — a grand jury is assembled to look into claims that russia interfered in the election that brought president trump to power. they can't beat us at the voting booths, so they're trying to cheat you out of the future and the future that you want. police in australia say two men charged with plotting to bring down a plane were taking directions from so—called islamic state. the irish prime minister warns "every single aspect of life" in northern ireland will be affected by the outcome of brexit. a british computer expert — who helped stop the cyberattack on the nhs — appears before a judge in the us for allegedly creating software to steal bank details. also — sizzling in the sun in continental europe. parts of europe are experiencing their warmest sustained heatwave in more a decade, with temperatures reaching a5 celsius. brazilian forward neymar has arrived

in paris ahead of his unveiling as the most expensive player in the history of football. good afternoon. i'm martine croxall. welcome to bbc newsroom live. donald trump is coming under increased pressure over allegations that russia interfered in the presidential election. it's been announced that the man investigating the claims has convened a grand jury to weigh up the evidence. the move suggests robert mueller, former head of the fbi, may be taking a more aggressive approach to gathering evidence on possible russian collusion with donald trump's campaign team. grand juries can issue subpoenas

to compel people to testify. but the president has again poured scorn on the inquiry, telling a rally in west virginia it was a "total fabrication." tom burridge reports. in west virginia last night it felt that the president was still fighting an election. but he and his very loyal supporters are battling allegations that his campaign in last november's election colluded with russia. now, with the grand jury up and running, the investigation is into a new phase and the president, as always, is in fighting form. the russia story is a totalfabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics, that's all it is. the grand jury is meeting to consider evidence behind closed doors in this building. it is a panel of american citizens. theirjob is not to determine guilt or innocence. they can call witnesses to testify

or demand to see documents and they must decide if the evidence that the trump campaign concluded that the trump campaign colluded with russia is strong enough for a criminal trial. the decision to call a grand jury was made by this man, former fbi boss robert mueller. the move is a logical next step in his investigation into the trump campaign. but it shows the evidence gathered so far is worthy of being properly investigated. the whole investigation as a rallying cry for president trump's co re rallying cry for president trump's core support. his supporters are not put off by what has happened in washington, rather they have been galvanised by it. the constant trump opposition to the media and resistance, as they call it, of the

democrats in congress. according to the us media, the grand jury already wants information about a meeting between donald trumpjr and a russian lawyer in june of last year. donald trumpjr has admitted he was promised damagingly material about his dad's opponent hillary clinton. but he says he got none. the whitehouse said it supported any action that would accelerate the conclusion of the investigation fairly. today, the president is off on holiday to play golf. the us media is unlikely to take time off from talking about what went on before he was elected. tom burridge, bbc news. we can speak to scott lucas — professor of american politics at the university of birmingham. explain if you would the process and purpose of a grand jury. a grand jury purpose of a grand jury. a grand jury isa purpose of a grand jury. a grand jury is a panel between 16 to 23 people that are brought to assess whether there is enough evidence to

go to trial. whether there is enough evidence to indict, in other words, in this case, for example, associates donald trump if not the president himself. they do not issue guilty or innocent verdicts, all make the decision on is that the evidence is there, the next step should be taken, or alternatively, there is not enough that has been gathered and enquiry can be halted. to go to the trouble of assembling a grand jury, it has to be held in secret of course as well. what does that lead you to think the prosecutor suspects about the strength of the case?” prosecutor suspects about the strength of the case? i think this is serious. this grand jury, we found out, although only yesterday, has been empanelled for weeks. in other words, they have already been provided with some evidence, they have been asked already to issue some subpoenas. secondly, robert mueller is a former fbi director for 12 years, a tough lawyer, he would

not swing at the king, so to speak, if he wasn't well prepared. i think they have significant evidence on three different lines of enquiry, although we won't know about this publicly because this will be within a closed session. when have grand jury a closed session. when have grand jury is proved to be pivotal in the beginnings of a case in the past in american politics? the closest parallel i think we have is probably the watergate scandal of the 1970s and the downfall of richard nixon. in march 197a, after hearing months of evidence after the subpoena of witnesses, as would happen in this case, a grandjury witnesses, as would happen in this case, a grand jury brought indictment against seven of nixon's top aides, including his chief of staff. they also wanted to indict nixon but the prosecutor said, you can't do that because he is still president. so instead, he was named as an uninvited co—conspirator. he tried to hold on politically but it

was the beginning of the end and he had to resign in august. if the same happens with donald trump, that is the huge question we are about to find out the answer to. he has poured scorn on the idea of the investigation, saying to that rally in west virginia, it is a total fabrication. well, he would. let's show how serious this is, first, confirmed meetings between trump associates, including his sun, his son—in—law, campaign manager, former national security adviser, with russian officials. we know national adviser michael flynn has been subpoenaed because of his meetings with the russian ambassador. secondly, financial links. there has been an investigation since last summer at the fbi of whether the russians have put money into the accou nts russians have put money into the a ccou nts of russians have put money into the accounts of trump associates. or into the trump campaign itself. robert mueller is investigating those possible financial links.

trump himself has now been brought into this because a possible obstruction of justice. into this because a possible obstruction ofjustice. in the firing of james comey obstruction ofjustice. in the firing ofjames comey to try to halt the investigation in may and last week in the revelation he dictated a misleading memo that tried to sweep away the meeting between donald trump junior and the criminal envoys. other people have come under pressure. they looked like they would face impeachment and emerged unscathed. so we are a long way from president trump's downfall, as his critics might be hoping for? bill clinton, to take the parallel you are drawing, having relations with an intern in the 1990s, is not as serious as a possible collusion with a foreign power to interfere in the election in which you claim victory. as far as how long it will take, it will of course not happen in the

next few weeks. donald trump will not give up. i think nicky relation of evidence means republicans peel away from him and this time next year, with elections closing in, i suspect trump will be encouraged to resign to avoid impeachment. exciting and interesting. thank you. we can speak to our north america correspondent rajini vaidya nathan. someone clearly has leaked this information which seems to be the theme of this administration. normally, these proceedings are secret. it is unlikely we will find out anything about what sort of evidence they have gathered, who

they might have called as witnesses u nless they might have called as witnesses unless of course they decide to ultimately press charges against anyone. we are hearing via reuters that the kremlin is saying it fully agrees with president trump who said ina agrees with president trump who said in a twitter message that washington's relation with russia is atan washington's relation with russia is at an all—time and very dangerous loan. how will that be read by those involved in this investigation? this all involved in this investigation? this a ll follows, involved in this investigation? this all follows, a tricky week when it comes to us— russia relations. earlier in the week, president trump signed a bill which would increase sanctions against russia but he did say is somewhat begrudgingly. he issued a statement after he had signed that bill saying it was a flawed bill and it was unconstitutional. in a way, he was backed into a corner by congress, who voted overwhelmingly to increase sanctions against russia. it also limits and restricts the president's

ability to ease those sanctions in the future so the president says it limits his foreign policy power which is why he was angry about it. also the message it sends to russia, russia is a country the president hoped during the campaign he could work with. what we saw earlier in the week is the russian prime minister dmitry medvedev saying relations between russia would be an all—out trade war. we are hearing from the kremlin, what you said, it is the latest episode in what has been a very tumultuous week. last week of course russia ordered the expulsion of 755 diplomatic staff working at the consulate in the russian country as well. thank you. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences on thursday were taking directions from a senior commander of so—called islamic state. investigators believe an improvised device, using military—grade explosives, was due to be smuggled

onto an etihad airways flight last month, but the attempt was abandoned before the men reached security. hywel griffith reports from sydney. described as one of the most sophisticated terror plots ever on australian soil, officers say they have ended a plan which could have caused catastrophic loss of life. they believe khaled khayat and his son, mahmoud khayat, were sent high—grade military explosives by the so—called islamic state through air cargo and say they then put together a bomb packed into a meat grinder. onjuly15th, it's alleged the men planned to take the improvised explosive device, or ied, on to an etihad airways flight out of sydney but officers say it was never checked in. we will be alleging in court that a fully functioning ied was to be placed on that plane on the 15th ofjuly. one thing that is important to state, though, is it did not get through security.

having aborted the first attack, it's alleged the men took apart the bomb to create a chemical device instead which would emit poisonous hydrogen sulphide. officers say the men were arrested before that plot became advanced. detailed forensic searches are continuing. a third man is still being questioned by police. airport security routines have now returned to normal. passengers are being assured the threat has been disrupted, but new questions have been raised over how explosives could be sent into australia by the islamic state and how the terror threat is evolving. hywel griffith, bbc news, sydney. a british it expert who was hailed as a hero when he stopped a global cyber attack which hit the nhs has appeared in court in the united states, accused of creating software to steal bank details. 23—year—old marcus hutchins

from devon, was arrested in las vegas, where he was attending a security conference. our north america correspondent james cook has more. marcus hutchins was hailed as a hero for stopping an attack which crippled the nhs and spread to tens of thousands of computers in 150 countries. his arrest is not related to this role in neutralising the so—called wannacry ra nsomwa re, which he discussed in this recent bbc interview. i checked the message board and there were maybe 16 or 17 reports of different nhs organisations being hit. that was the point where i decided my holiday was over and i had to look into this. in the past week, mr hutchins had been in las vegas for the def con cyber—security conference. he was apparently arrested at the airport minutes before he was due to fly home. we've now obtained a copy of the indictment against marcus hutchins, and another unnamed defendant. it reveals they're facing charges

in the us state of wisconsin. they're accused of creating and selling a programme to harvest online banking data and credit card details. prosecutors say the arrest here in las vegas came at the end of a two—year—long investigation. cyber security remains a top priority for the fbi, says the special agent in charge. marcus hutchins may now face his biggest challenge yet in an american court room. james cook, bbc news. the headlines on bbc newsroom live — donald trump is coming under increased pressure as a grand jury is convened in washington to look into claims that russia interfered in the election that brought him to power. police in australia said two men charged with terrorism police in australia say two men charged with plotting to bring down a plane were taking directions from so—called islamic state. the irish prime minister says every every single aspect of life in northern ireland could be affected by the outcome of brexit. time for the sport now.

it's day one of the world athletics championships in london — all the action kicks off tonight. mo farah will aim for his third 10,000 metre title at the london stadium. it's ahead of his retirement from track running. he will focus on running marathons instead. it has been double, double, double so to be able to maintain that level, it's difficult because as you know, as a runner, as an athlete, when you are up there, you have got a target on your back and every year, you have got people throwing things at you, left, right and centre and you have to be smart, how you respond to that and what you do, knowing what counts. it has been ha rd over do, knowing what counts. it has been hard over the years. apart from the 10,000 metres final, the highlight the is the start of usain bolt‘s

final 100 metres at a major championship. the heats start the night, as does the winning's1500 metres. holly bradshaw goes in pole vault qualifying. full coverage across the bbc. liverpool have been drawn against hoffenheim from germany in the play—off round of the champions league. hoffenheim finished fourth in the bundesliga last season, while celtic face kaza khsta n last season, while celtic face kazakhstan champions astana. neymar has been getting acquainted with his new surroundings in paris following his world record move from barcelona yesterday. the £200 million transfer was completed last night and the brazilian's switch to paris saint germain has already captured the imagination of the parisien public as our sports news correspondent richard conway explains. neymar has signed for paris st germain, a world—record fee. look at the effect it has had on the paris

st germain fans, who have been queueing for hours to try to get into the store when it opens. they wa nt to into the store when it opens. they want to be in that shop and buying neymar jerseys and want to be in that shop and buying neymarjerseys and get that name on the back. they are hugely excited. he will be unveiled to the media later today and then on saturday, ahead of the first game of the season, he will be presented to the fans. they can't wait to see him and i can't believe it has actually happened. neymar is a paris st germain player. finally england won the toss and decided to bat on the first morning of the fourth and final test at old trafford — keatonjennings is the only man out so far. the irish prime ministers leo varadkar has been warning that time is running out to achieve the best

outcome for the island of ireland after brexit. he was speaking in belfast during his first official visit to northern ireland. he also said every single aspect of life in northern ireland could be affected by the outcome of brexit. our northern ireland political correspondent enda mcclafferty is in belfast. in recent weeks, he has been giving increasingly pointed speeches. today's speech wasn't as pointed as some of his words last week in which he speaks specifically about him not designing a border for he speaks specifically about him not designing a borderfor brexiteers. he had quite harsh language. he was a little more measured today. nonetheless, he set out clearly what he felt with a big concerns about what brexit could mean for this whole island. clearly concerned about the economy, also about what will happen in terms of impact on society. one of the interesting things he mentioned was that he was

eligible to vote for the first time in the good friday agreement referendum. the first time he was able to actually vote. it shows he is an irish prime minister of a different generation and as far as he is concerned, the issues were all of the generations, both north and south, is what happens when brexit occurs and that is certainly true here in northern ireland. the brexit negotiations are now well underway in brussels and the quote michel barnier, the clock is now ticking. every single aspect of life in northern ireland could be affected by the outcome. jobs, economy, the border, the rights of citizens, the rights of cross—border workers, research funding as i mentioned earlier, trade, agriculture, energy, our fisheries, aviation, eu funding, tourism, public services. the list goes on.

in october, not that far away, i sit around the european council table in brussels with 26 other prime ministers and presidents and we will decide together whether sufficient progress has been made on the treaty issues to allow the brexit negotiations to proceed to the next stage. those key issues as you know, citizens' rights, financial settlement between the uk and the european union and specific issues relating to ireland. that will be an historic meeting for this island. it is my fervent hope progress will have been made by them. but i do not underestimate for a second the enormity of the challenges that we face. when you listen to the speech, there were flashes of frustration, certainly about the time this is taking. he is feeling the negotiation perhaps i'm not moving quickly enough. he kept referring to the idea that the clock was ticking which is something else he said inside a news conference a short

time ago. he also set out what he feels is the right suggestion and we have heard this from the irish government over and over again. that any brexit deal has to protect the free movement of goods, services, people across that irish border. that is something that has been emphasised today by the irish ambassador to the uk. our hope would be that britain might decide to remain in the customs union because that would solve many of the problems that arise on the island of ireland, but that's a matter for the british government to decide. we're simply putting our cards on the table and saying that would solve the problem. if that doesn't happen, then we have to find a solution that is flexible and that maybe breaks new ground. leo varadkar will go on and meet some political parties here. stormont itself has collapsed, the power—sharing agreement has fallen apart. there are still attempts to get stormont itself up and running. that'll be one of the things he is

talking to them about. he made the point there is a question about who is speaking for northern ireland while all of that take place. there could also be an interesting conversation about leo varadkar and the democratic unionist party, not just about his recent comments about brexit but also the issue of same—sex marriage. leo varadkar is of course gay and has made it clear he will attempt a pride brexit ahead of the pride parade tomorrow. the dup has blocked the introduction of same—sex marriage in northern ireland. there is quite a divide and there might be interesting conversations around that. oxford university has urged one of its employees — who's suspected of murdering a man in chicago — to hand himself into the us authorities. andrew warren, who's 56, is wanted alongside an american professor, in connection with the death of a man found with multiple stab wounds. airlines, including british airways,

rya nair and easyjet, are urging passengers flying home from europe this weekend to turn up earlier than normal at airports. tighter security checks have led to big delays at passport control. the new measures are in response to the recent terror attacks. ba and easyjet are texting passengers to arrive at least three hours before their flights. the french football club paris st germain have signed the brazilian forward neymar for germain have signed the brazilian forward neymarfor a germain have signed the brazilian forward neymar for a world—record fee of £200 million from barcelona, making him the most expensive player in the history of football. the 25—year—old will earn £a0 million a year before tax. from the five year deal. how will he cope? our sports correspondent richard conway is in paris. this is a phenomenal sum of money, how can any one person be worth it? he is one of the best players in the world and paris st

germain want him to take them to champions league glory. this club has huge ambitions, based by qatar, the qatari sovereign wealth fund. in five minutes, we will hear from neymar, appearing here at the park des princes, talking to the world's media. journalist or waiting to hear from him about why he has left barcelona to come to paris. his ambitions and his hopes for his new team. the sign in front of the place where he will be speaking says, dream bigger. one of the mottos of paris st germain. it can be no bigger dream in world football right now than perhaps signing a player of neymar‘s calibre. it comes with an incredible price tag and that is something we will be talking about, is he worth the money and will he deliver? i think he hasjust earned £223 and the time you were speaking

and he hasn't even kicked a ball! thank you, richard conway in paris. not counting, honest! parts of southern europe are suffering from the hottest sustained heatwave for more than a decade. temperatures have reached a5 degrees celsius in some parts of europe. our europe correspondent gavin lee is in the trapani province of sicily. it is a3.5 celsius. the average in autumn is 33 degrees and for the south of europe, we think this is the highest temperature. it will reach aa degrees today. it was a8.9 degrees a few years ago. what is happening here, across the balkans, budapest, belgrade, croatia, the

dalmatian coast, spain, grenada, called oba all seeing over a0 degrees and it has been successive overfour degrees and it has been successive over four days. several governments haveissued over four days. several governments have issued a red heat stress warnings. emergency services on stand—by, forest fire risk, dehydration. people are being told to stay indoors. if anyone is going to stay indoors. if anyone is going to be here, this is near palermo in sicily. relatively few people on the beach but if you are going to be anywhere, you head for the city. this is the main square. it is very quiet. a couple of colleagues from the restaurant is trying to get people in. just in front of us, this is the local information tourist booth, restaurants, completely empty. look this way above the hills, there has been a big issue of forest fires overnight. you can see the charred remains of the trees, a

fire a few days ago right around the back of the mountain. it took three days to put the fires out before it spread here. just as i palermo, another forest fire going on, destroyed 1000 hectares of land and it is still going. it has destroyed crops, a lot of agriculture for people as well. big problems, intense heat. you have convinced us, kind of! gavin lee in sicily. joining us now, olivia pullman, a british tourist in the croatian town of split. it is about 36, 30 7 degrees at the moment. that is almost cool in comparison with some of the places coping with a5 degrees. what is like at night? it get any easier? it does get a bit cooler. it goes down to about 20

eight, 29. but if you consider that is about as hot as it gets in london in summer, it is crazy. you still need a con. . last night, we were out and it was 29. beaches and swimming pools deserted. . how are you keeping cool? youjust swimming pools deserted. . how are you keeping cool? you just need air conditioning. as soon as you walk into it, it is like walking into a fridge. you have to drink water all the time. when we first got here, we couldn't find our accommodation and it was sweltering. i poured a whole bottle of water on my head in the middle of the street. i was so hot. that actually works. people have

found out, people with leaflets and men menus constantly fanning themselves. the beachjust behind me, it is pretty busy at the moment. everyone is sweating but everyone is on the beach, trying to make the most of it. perhaps they are all british! quite right. you only get one holiday a year, often so you have to make the most of it. it is not going to be anything like that, i believe. let's find out. we could be looking at 2a degrees across the south—east, that is pretty stifling compared to how it has been over the last week or so. low— pressure has been over the last week or so. low—pressure is pulling away, we have lost the strong winds. a few showers around the south—west. quite a lovely afternoon to come for much of england and wales. good links sunny spells. with lighter winds, it

will feel quite pleasant. warmer than of late, but cooler across the north because of north—westerly winds. into this evening and overnight, the showers die away for most areas and it's a dry start to the night. by the end of the night, a cluster of showers will moving across western areas — particularly into wards wales. that means that for saturday morning we were sort of fine and dry. lovely sunshine through the morning. a cluster of showers across wales will move through the midlands, perhaps into the east midlands and east anglia some of these could be heavy with halo and. but some sunshine in between are more chance of sunshine later on. —— with hail and thunder. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines. donald trump is coming under increased pressure over the allegations that russia interfered in the presidential election.

the man investigating the claims has convened a grand jury made up of private citizens to weigh up the evidence. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences yesterday had obtained military—grade explosives and were being directed by a senior commander from so—called islamic state. the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, is warning that time is running out to achieve the best outcome for the island of ireland after brexit. he was speaking in belfast during his first official visit to northern ireland. a british computer expert who helped stop a worldwide cyber attack which hit the nhs has been arrested by the fbi in the united states. marcus hutchins, who is 23 and from devon, is accused of creating malware, which steals bank details. and one of the world's tallest residential buildings has been engulfed in flames for the second time in two years. authorities say no casualties have been reported at the 330 metre torch tower in dubai. parts of europe are experiencing their warmest sustained heatwave in more a decade, as temperatures have reached a5 celsius in parts

of italy and the balkans. several countries have issued special warnings for residents and tourists. the deadline for submissions on what the grenfell tower fire inquiry should cover will expire later today. hundreds of suggestions have been received with the total expected to hit around 300 by the 5pm cut—off. inquiry head sir martin moore—bick promised to consider a broad range of evidence when he launched a public consultation into the terms of reference injuly. speaking on the bbc‘s victoria derbyshire programme, christos fairbairn who escaped from the 15th floor of the tower said the inquiry needed to be led by someone from the community. you need someone who's actually there, or part of it, or someone from the community, to speak. for someone who's been there before.

because it has more of an effect. when people, enquiries, it'sjust business. it's just them when people, enquiries, it'sjust business. it'sjust them doing when people, enquiries, it'sjust business. it's just them doing the job what they're doing. but if it's someone from the community who's actually been there, or done it, or was involved, then it's more personal. for me personally a lot of people died and a lot of people are still missing. and it is sad, it's very sad. and ijust hope that it does get sorted out. it doesn't repeat itself. and the people that suffered and lost families, that they can go on with their life. for me personally, i'm still trying to cope with what happened. there is other people in their who's lost theirfamily, their whole other people in their who's lost their family, their whole generation of families. and from me personally, ijust hope of families. and from me personally, i just hope that of families. and from me personally, ijust hope that he doesn't repeat itself. and the people who's been affected by it does get help. mentally, physically, and can carry

on with their life. a former resident of grenfell tower. earlier i spoke to the labour mp for kensington emma dent coad — and asked about whether the residents confidence in the inquiry had improved following the consultation period. well, it really depends on how people have made countless submissions and how they dealt with. the next stage to gaining public confidence is to really consider those seriously and include as many different lines of enquiry as possible. sir martin, who was going to leave the enquiry, was criticised as not being the right man for the job. how has that changed, given a different advisers have been brought into supported ? different advisers have been brought into supported? i've met some of the different advisers. they've been out talking to the cumulative. that has improved things and i wish they'd have happened in the first stage, but they didn't. they should have done that from square one. that's a huge shame. but i do think it has improved things slightly. in terms

of what needs to be included in this enquiry, there have been hundreds of suggestions from people. what are the absolute must haves as far as you are concerned ? the absolute must haves as far as you are concerned? i have read many of them over this week. some from the royal society for the prevention of accidents,, the royal society for the prevention of accidents, , company the royal society for the prevention of accidents,, company fire brigade union, and i'm hoping they'll be dealt with in different categories. all of those things, maybe there will be a housing category where all of that will be looked into. we also need to look at the health implications, physical and mental, before, during and after the fire. there were lots of different aspects that different people are interested in and i'm really hoping they will be taken into account. we won't know now until september, some point in september. we've been told by going to start interviewing people in late september. we will have to wait and

see. it's a very anxious time for people who want the issues dealt with. how do you envisage the community being involved with that enquiry process? people can put themselves forward to be interviewed. and come their evidence. or if they were witnesses, or even people who were on the phone to people in the tower and have some experience of what was happening while the fire was under way. obviously the firefighters and all kinds of people involved, including those involved in the management, or mismanagement of the building. i think there's going to be a very wide range of people and i do hope that all of that is down a thoroughly, and no stone is left unturned. as we were promised some weeks ago. the labour mp for kensington. shares in royal bank of scotland rose by 3% after the bank reported a half—year profit for the first time since 201a. rbs, which is still predominantly owned by the taxpayer, made £9a0 million in the six months to the end ofjune. that compares with a £2 billion loss in the same period last year. a short while ago our business

correspondentjoe lynam explained how rbs has turned its fortunes around. it was a major global bank, a major investment bank attached onto it. so it's hard to slim down the investment banking side of things, set—aside loads of capitaljust in case things go wrong, and focus more on the uk. that's what it's doing. it is the biggest single lender to companies in britain, s anys, etc. but it's also a major retail bank. natwest is one of the biggest mortgage providers in the land. it's sticking to the knitting, rather than this major global footprint that it had at the time of the crisis. this is a substantial crisis, it is getting its act together. a £2 billion lost this time last year. almost £1 billion in profit this year. it looks good. having said all that — does expect to post a loss for the entire year of 2017 because of legacy issues. as

ross mcewing, the chief executive, was telling us this morning. it's all based around which organisation which part of the doj you're dealing with. there are three banks still outstanding and we happened to be one of those. we just weren't at the of the queue. we would like to get tidied up this year. we have to live that report and go live to paris, where the record—breaking signing of neymar to paris st—germain is being unveiled. let's listen in to the proceedings. translation: he already brought such positive things for the team already. ourfans positive things for the team already. our fans have positive things for the team already. ourfans have always positive things for the team already. our fans have always dreamt at adding neymar to paris st germain, and he is there with us today. alongside neymar, our project is getting bigger, getting stronger. our championship is getting more

interesting and getting more visibility worldwide. neymar signed with us in order to win all the trophies that we can win this season, and the coming season. we really wa nt season, and the coming season. we really want to write the history of paris st germain. the most wonderful city in the world, that is paris. thank you very much, neymar. to have come here to paris st—germain. thanks to your family, thanks to your stats, and i would also like to thank my staff, who were very strong. it was a very difficult thing to settle. everybody worked really ha rd on thing to settle. everybody worked really hard on this transfer. so thank you, everyone. so now, of course, i would like to say thank you, —— say welcome, neymar, to your

new home, paris st—germain. i now give the floor to neymar. translation: i'm very, very happy. thank you for these kind words, thanks for everything. thanks for this new challenge that is coming now. i'm really happy to come here to paris, to paris st germain, which isa to paris, to paris st germain, which is a great cloud. a wonderful city. —— a great club. i really can't describe what i'm feeling right now in my heart. i'm really looking forward to starting practice with my new team— mates, two forward to starting practice with my new team—mates, two starting to play games for paris st germain. and of course trying to achieve the objectives i want to achieve. questions, please?

can you actually confirming you made the first step to what is paris st germain this season, and why are you in front of us today? why have you signed for paris st germain? well, this is a question of ambition. this is a very similar ambition. this is a very similar ambition to mine. i want something bigger. i want a bigger challenge. and my heart made that decision. my heart made the following this ambition. this is why i'm here in front of you today, in order to give my best to help this club, to help our team to achieve and to win trophies. neymar, what was the approach for

you to leave barcelona? people were saying and you were not the star, that you were maybe not having the status of a real star barcelona. here are paris st—germain, you will be the big laugh. but that have an impact on your decision? no, that didn't impact my decision at all. i wanted to come to paris, and this was only linked to me willing to find a new challenge. it's not because i didn't feel like i was the star at fc barcelona, or that i wanted to be the big star. no, no, i felt that i wanted to be the big star. no, no, ifelt really that i wanted to be the big star. no, no, i felt really well in barcelona. so this is not what i'm looking for here in paris. i'm really looking for new challenges, something new, trophies. and this is

what paris st germain once, they deserve it. and this is why i came here. new trophies, new challenge. and this is what motivates me. i wa nt and this is what motivates me. i want to dream big. i want to do my best, and to do even better. last season, paris st germain tried to sign you as well. why did you sign this year, and not last year? may be the challenge wasn't big enough last year? no. it's difficult to describe or to make it as simple as you are saying. right now we had all the right ingredients for me to sign. my heart told me that it was the time to sign for paris st germain, and i did it.

the challenge might be similar than la st the challenge might be similar than last year, or even bigger this year. i really want to start and train with my team—mates, play the games, orto with my team—mates, play the games, or to be happier at the club. neymar, you barcelona team—mates really wanted you to stay in barcelona. you had a lots of great friends over there. who did you talk to at paris st germain, who did you discuss with in order to come here at p56, and explain to you about the clu b at p56, and explain to you about the club and the city? it was one of the most difficult decisions i ever took. i was at a

grey, barcelona. i have friends that the club. and it wasn't easy at all, ican the club. and it wasn't easy at all, i can guarantee you that. it was a very tense moment. i had to think, we think and think again about what i want to do in my life. i leave a lot of very good friends behind. but thatis lot of very good friends behind. but that is football. things go really fa st that is football. things go really fast in football. you make some friends wherever you're playing, every team that you play for. that is bigger than anything. so of course i would like to thank all my friends at barcelona. they welcomed me so friends at barcelona. they welcomed me so well when we were there at barcelona. but i felt it was the right time to leave, and to look for new challenges, and to look for something different. of course there we re something different. of course there

were some challenges barcelona. but i was looking something different. though i spoke with the brazilian players here at paris st germain, and they were happy for me to arrive here. they were my friends. i feel home already. within the whole process, where you ever doubting when you were doing the pre—season in the us, what a paris st germain didn't have all these brazilian players. would your friends have accepted you —— would you have accepted to play for paris st germain? but wouldn't have changed my approach. of course, i have friends here. but i arrived here because the global environment here because the global environment here is positive. and once again, this wasn't an easy decision. i had to think a lot. i wanted to think

about what to do with my life. people wanted to talk to me, to communicate about it. but it's very complicated, to communicate when you're not sure about something. i wasn't 100% you're not sure about something. i wasn't100% sure of what i wanted to do. and people were wanting me to do the impossible. it was impossible for me to answer. but as soon as i made the decision and i was 100% sure what i wanted to sign here, then i started communicating. the process was really difficult, the decision—making. but i'm very happy. this is what my heart told me to do. i always ask my heart, every day. and my heart told me, yes, go to psg. so you didn't go to practice during

the whole week. are you ready to play tomorrow against amien? well, i'm really hungry for football. i will respond to play football. i will respond to play football. this is what i've wanted to do with my life. yes, i'm ready to do with my life. yes, i'm ready to defy can play tomorrow, yes, why not? my first question is to neymar. what could you say to the fc barcelona fans? you could ever say to the fans? well, what i want to say to the fans asi well, what i want to say to the fans as i have a lot of french, a lot of respect towards the barcelona fans. i was very happy for those four years. i have nothing to say,

really. i'm not sad for is quite the contrary, i'm really happy. i'm very happy. i think that i've written my chapter there are dusty barcelona. i once in trophies. —— there at fc barcelona. i helped barcelona in the best possible way that i could. but you can't make everybody happy. obviously, the fans speak with the herts. but what i've done goes beyond football. what i want to say to the fans is thank you for your friendship. it seems that the effect that neymar 's idea for paris st germain is kind ofa 's idea for paris st germain is kind of a revenge. 's idea for paris st germain is kind ofa revenge. is 's idea for paris st germain is kind of a revenge. is that the case? not add salt. it's nothing to do with

it. as i told you, for me he is the best player in the world. there we wa nt to best player in the world. there we want to have the best player in the world. it's nothing to do with revenge. i have the respect of barcelona, the president, the fans. iadmire them, barcelona, the president, the fans. i admire them, what they did. they revenge, big respect for them. did you consider any other challengers, such as a move to the premier league? what would you say to people who feel that this move is purely motivated by money? what i could say to these people surveyed in anything about my personal life. i was never motivated by money. it was never my first motivation. what i think about is my

happiness. i want to be happy. and together with my family. i want them together with my family. i want them to be happy, and i'm very happy. i follow my heart. not considering the money. if i was following the money, i would be maybe somewhere else in a different team in other countries. i'm really sad to hear that people still think that way. i really would like to thank paris st—germain, because they believe in my potential. i want to pay them back. i think some of them are talking about money, which is not true at all. writing neymar came here for motivation. i can guarantee you today, he can get much more money than what we give him. that is for sure, you know? i can guarantee you, trust me, he didn't come for money. if you came for money, he could go to other clubs and have even more

money with other clubs. he came for the project, for ambition. because he loves football, he loves new challenges. he communicated himself. today it's very positive for us, and for him, i believe. this is a great moment. a very positive moment for everybody. it's been making headlines everywhere in the world today. it's amazing, we are going to talk about it for a long time. hopefully positively, because he wa nts to hopefully positively, because he wants to win a trophy. he didn't come for money. he wants to win a trophy. he wants to write the history of this club. thank you again for coming here, history of this club. thank you againfor coming here, neymar. hello, neymar. congratulations on your transfer. a question first of

all to you. how does it feel now, being the world's most expensive player ever? is that a badge of honour or priest each? 0r player ever? is that a badge of honour or priest each? or will it be some sort of burden in how you ove rco m e some sort of burden in how you overcome that? and to the president, it isa overcome that? and to the president, it is a very expensive dual. there are a lot of people asking with financial fair play how you could afford it — could you explain that. and what is neymar's release clause, how much is that worth? you just paid when, does he have one on his contract? honestly, you ask yourself into years, is going to be expensive? maybe today it is the most expensive. but in two or three years... when we look at neymar as a brand with paris st—germain, why don't think is expensive. because

i'm sure we're going to make more money than what we paid, definitely. this is the brand, together, neymar with paris st—germain. this is the power which it is difficult to put two together. the name brand with the paris st—germain brand. but together the club itself... twit—macro together the club itself... twit-macro studio: that is where we will if the press conference and paris st—germain, when neymar, the brazilian footballer, has been signed by the french club for a record £200 million stop let's take a look at the weather forecast now. for much of the uk today, things are looking drier than yesterday. far fewer showers, more in the way of sunshine. that is because our area of low pressure which brought the windy weather is gradually moving away. still quite a blustery day across northern areas, but a good deal of sunshine further south. glorious weather watcher pictures

coming through — this one from cambridgeshire. lots of sunshine across england and wales. more across england and wales. more across parts of england and scotland, and heavier ones into wales and north—west england. however, it looks like we showers will remain largely confined to northern parts of the uk. still blustery as well across this north—east corner, even into woods north—east corner, even into woods north—east england as well. further south, showers are few and far between. feeling a touch warmer in south—east england. for england and wales, a degree or so up. we could be looking at 2a celsius. the showers were long for a while across the northern half of the country. and things turned drier for the first part of the night. by the second part, clusters of showers pushing into parts of wales, south—west england and potentially the midlands as well. dry for

saturday, but showers across wales and the midlands will continue to move eastwards. some could be heavy with hail and funder, potentially across the east midlands, into woods east anglia. and improving page with sunshine making a return. on into saturday evening, those showers fizzle out. a fine end to the day for many with glorious sunset for most. as we head into sunday, we start of fine thanks to a ridge of high pressure. this area will mean conditions will go downhill across western areas. a glorious morning for the bulk of the country on sunday, with lots of sunshine. then we see lots of rain pushing in. into next week, it looks like it'll be a shower restarts. drive from mid week onwards as high pressure builds with more in the way of sunshine.

in the election that brought donald trump to power. speaking for the first time since the news was announced, the president once again dismissed concerns about his campaign's links to the kremlin. the russia story is a totalfabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. also this lunchtime... the royal bank of scotland, still mainly owned by the taxpayer, reports substantial profit for the first half of the year. ireland's prime minister and challenges britain to come up with an answer to the difficult issue of the irish border. the brazilian forward neymar's unveiled at paris st—germain, as the most expensive player in the history of football.