hello and welcome to the a controversial new assembly that has the power to re—write venezuela's constitution has held its first session, despite fierce criticism from many quarters. a close ally of president nicolas maduro was sworn in as head of the new body — a move denounced by the opposition. katy watson reports from caracas. outside the parliament building, you'd never guess this was a country in crisis. hugo chavez's face and influence is neverfar away, but today it was about his successor. president maduro, who has remained defiant despite the criticism heaped upon him about what many have called a fraudulent election. "criticism has always been here", this woman told me. "that the people have been on the street 18 years, first supporting hugo chavez and now president maduro, who was legitimately elected by us."

this new assembly will have the powers to rewrite the constitution. there's little detail as to what that means in practice. but the new president gave a hint of what was to come. "we've not come to destroy the constitution," she said, adding they wanted to remove obstacles from the government's path. the assembly has been justified as the only way to bring peace to the country after months of often violent protest, but earlier on friday the pope warned it would only encourage a climate of tension, not reconciliation. on the other side of town, it was another world. no government supporters here. instead, several opposition rallies bringing people together to protest what they say is an undemocratic government. i don't want to live in a dictatorship and we are in a dictatorship.

my work is travelling all over the country and i can see how this country has been destroyed by this government. protesters called for a new venezuela, for unity. while there's a feeling of deflated opposition, they say they aren't giving up. translation: defeated? that isn't in my vocabulary. i was a political prisoner for a year without having committed a crime. i've seen with my own eyes how people are killed in venezuela. human beings who all they dreamed of was a different country. the feeling here today is different to what we saw last week with roadblocks, confrontations between police and protesters, but what people here are saying today is they will continue to protest peacefully

and what is needed most is patience. katy watson, bbc news, in caracas. the united states has officially confirmed that it will pull out of the paris climate agreement by informing the united nations. but the state department said the us would continue to participate in climate change meetings until the withdrawal process was completed. us vice president mike pence made the announcement. this president's been putting america first, like when he announced the united states of america officially today notified the united nations that we are withdrawing from the paris climate accord. applause mike pence, there. let's take a look at some of the other stories the un security council will vote on a new draft resolution it follows pyongyang's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in july. the resolution, drafted

by the united states, aims to impact the country's exports. to pass, it needs support from all nine members of the security council, including russia and china. the electoral commission in rwanda has announced that president paul kagame has won a third term in office with a landslide. the commission said partial results of friday's election gave mr kagame supporters say he's brought stability after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, but his critics say he has ruled through fear. and a british computer expert has appeared in court in the united states charged with creating software to steal bank details. prosecutors, in a las vegas court say mark hutchins had admitted writing and selling malware code, but his lawyer said his client denied all the charges against him. stay with us here on bbc news, still to come: heatwave health

warnings — parts of europe experience the most extreme temperatures in more than a decade. the us attorney general, jeff sessions, has announced a major drive against what he called an "explosive" increase in leaks of classified government information under president trump. four people have already been charged and mr sessions said he would not hesitate to order more prosecutions. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. donald j trump! donald trump is never happier than when he's out of washington. this is where he belongs. an adoring crowd in west virginia, the problems of russia, collusion, special counsels and grand juries a long way from these country roads. have you seen any russians in west virginia or ohio or pennsylvania?

are there any russians here tonight? any russians? 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. he didn't mention the special counsel by name but had him in this sights when he said this. i just hope the final determination is a truly honest one. a grand jury is made up of members of the public meeting behind closed doors to consider the evidence that has been gathered. they can force people to testify or to hand over evidence. they'll decide whether the material is strong enough to proceed to a criminal trial. but crucially, they don't decide if a potential defendant is innocent or guilty.

that's done by a conventionaljury. of course, it may be that the grand jury meeting at this courthouse will come to the conclusion that the evidence doesn't add up to much and there's no need forfurther action. but the fact that a grand jury has been called is a sign that this investigation is intensifying and will last a good deal longer yet. and the other worry for the trump entourage is that the scope of the inquiry will spread as well. that's a source of fury. another is the endless damaging and revealing leaks from within the administration. and today the attorney general announced a new crackdown. this nation must end this culture of lea ks. we will investigate and seek to bring criminals tojustice. we will not allow rogue anonymous sources with security clearances to sell out our country. he's been under tremendous pressure. the president last week humiliated his attorney general, calling him very weak. this was much more muscular, with an attack on the media too.

we respect the important role that the press plays and we'll give them respect, but it is not unlimited. they cannot place lives at risk with impunity. the president today visited fema, the federal emergency centre, to look at plans for dealing with hurricanes. it's hurricane season. and then he was off on his holidays, two weeks at one of his golf resorts in newjersey and hoping that a storm whipped up by the grand jury does not barrel down on him. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, has called for "unique solutions" to preserve the relationship between the uk and the european union after brexit. during his first official visit to northern ireland, mr va radkar raised concerns that the irish border could become a barrier to free trade and commerce. our ireland correspondent chris buckler reports. leo barak across the irish border

for the first time as prime minister to set out his concerns about what could happen to ireland after practice. —— varadkar. he upset union is with recent comments about brexiteers, but inside queen's university today, he was keen to talk about solutions, not divisions. ata time talk about solutions, not divisions. at a time where wrecks at threats to drive a wedge between north and south, we need to build more bridges and fewer boarders. —— brexit threats. the referendum over the good friday peace agreement marked the first time he was eligible to vote. he said the challenge of this generation is brexit, and he challenged those who he called the brexiteers to come up with proposals to ease the problems posed by new borders. they have already had 40 months to do so. which should have been ample time to come up with the

double post. —— i4. been ample time to come up with the double post. —— 14. but they cannot, andi double post. —— 14. but they cannot, and i believe they cannot, we can begin to talk meaningfully about solutions that might work for all of us. solutions that might work for all of us. if they do want to belong in the customs union, perhaps we could be in an eu england customs union. all of the solutions he put forward for the border had a common theme: free movement for people, goods, and services. but will that be possible? particularly if it turns out to be what many call a hard brexit. there is going to be some former border. because the uk won't want people coming from ireland, and using that asa coming from ireland, and using that as a gateway into the uk itself. coming from ireland, and using that as a gateway into the uk itselflj have never seen before. i am too young. idid have never seen before. i am too young. i did not see the border. but ican imagine young. i did not see the border. but i can imagine it would be good. when

people talk about the irish border and the past, they tend to refer to the use of the troubles, when huge security was needed along these roads. that is not the case any more. this is actually the dividing line between the countries, now. northern ireland's biggest party, the dup, campaign for brexit. but they believe these roads can remake of the open. there are no binary solutions. language like hard brexiteers does not help anybody. brexiteers does not help anybody. brexit has led to a lot of divisive landward instalment. but they still can't agree on a deal to re—establish powersharing. can't agree on a deal to re-establish powersharing. the majority of people have said loud and clear, they voted against brexit. on this shared island, leo varadkar knows that it are many shared interests. and the final

details of the deal that sees the uk leave the eu will be important on both sides of this border. chris buckler, bbc news, belfast. residents who survived the grenfell tower disaster have had theirfinal chance to submit ideas for the scope and remit of the public inquiry into the tragedy. 330 submissions are thought to have been made, but some campaigners still fear the inquiry won't be wide—ranging enough. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, reports. day after day, the names of the grenfell victims are confirmed. today, fatima choukair, just 11, hashim kedir, a favourite uncle, firdaws hashim, his daughter. how, why did they die? this man, the chairman of the grenfell tower inquiry, sir martin moore—bick, has to answer those questions but, when he asked the community what other topics he should consider, he got a rough ride. this is why it's so important to get the terms of reference right and for you to tell me

what you think it should cover. we did, and then you dismissed them on tv. i think you've misremembered what i said. thomasina hessell‘s been in a hotel since the fire, caught between her old life before grenfell and an unknown new one. this is what she wants from the inquiry. for the community, we need specific answers so that we can begin healing. we need that closure to start healing. but the underlying, broader issues behind this, social housing issues, fire regulations, building regulations, the idea that the government is putting profits before people, these are nationwide issues. the judge has to achieve a balance between those wider issues, potentially a huge task, and simply explaining the fire, a more defined one. next week, he'll make his private recommendations two weeks from now, she's expected to make public her decisions on the inquiry‘s remit, and she has the final decision. in september, the inquiry‘s

due to begin work and, within a year, the chairman says he will produce an interim report. it's the judge's job, of course, to find the facts of this tragedy, but the police will have to prosecute anyone responsible, and it's likely theirjob will take priority which means, if there are prosecutions, the inquiry could be delayed. but keeping the community on—side could be one of his biggest challenges. there's a lot of anger, there's a lot of emotion, and i entirely understand why it should be so. we're going to continue to work with them. while remaining impartial, his critics say that doesn't mean he has to ignore the community's feelings. the community has a right to be part of the process. that does not compromise impartiality at all. they are the primary stakeholders. it is they who were affected. it is they who have lost everything. last night, there was another reminder of what's at stake,

a second fire at a tower block in dubai, which has cladding blamed for the spread of a blaze in 2015. this time, the building was evacuated quickly. not so here — one of the world's worst tower block fires in modern times. now the struggle for an explanation begins. tom symonds, bbc news, at grenfell tower. our main headline: venezuela has sworn in a new constituent assembly despite widespread opposition at home and abroad. well let's stay with that story — for more i've been speaking to journalist cody weddle, who's in the capital caracas. i asked him if he expected the protests to continue. the day after the election for this assembly, there was also a protest. crowds were certainly subdued. today, there were thousands of people in the streets. another

problem for the opposition will be that they currently had some divisions within their opposition coalition. there are some parts of the coalition that want to continue ahead with elections, there are other parts of the opposition that wa nt to other parts of the opposition that want to boycott any election. they say the recent elections were fraudulent. those internal divisions could also a turnout at these protests. president nicolas maduro says this is to bring peace and stability, that is why he wants this new assembly. our people there buying that? i don't think so. -- are. ironically, it may bring about peace because of divisions within the opposition, but also, nicolas maduro has not been clear about how this would actually bring peace. it isa this would actually bring peace. it is a broad declaration that this

will somehow bring about peace. because the opposition isn't participating, this is not any dialogue process or anything like that. i think most people are doubtful that this could somehow bring the two sides together. we have got the new assembly, it begins work at the start of the coming week. what are you expecting to see in the next few days? there are plenty of rumours among them that the attorney general, who has been dissenting from the government, that she could be removed from office. some people in that assembly have already warned that that will happen. also, we are watching to see if perhaps this new assembly will dissolve the new assembly which is under opposition control. it would basically get rid of opposition voices within the government. we will also be watching to see if there are any more arrests of police and the mac —— of opposition

leaders. let's round—up some other stories now. rescuers at one of russia's largest diamond mines were searching late into the night on friday for nine miners still unaccounted for after water leaked into an underground shaft. it happened at the mir mine in the sakha region, more than four thousand kilometres east of moscow. two miners were injured in the accident. powerfailure has hindered the rescue effort. lates figures show the us economy has seen strong jobs growth injuly, mainly in the hospitality sector. 209,000 jobs were created, more than expected. president trump has welcomed the news, tweeting: excellentjobs numbers just released — and i have onlyjust begun. airlines are warning passengers of delays at eu border controls. tighter security has been introduced within the passport—free schengen

zone, following terror attacks in belgium and france. travellers are being urged to arrive at airports at least three hours before their flight. health warnings have been issued across europe as the dangerous heatwave continues. in parts of italy, spain and the balkans — temperatures have soared into the high forties. some regions are still contending with drought and forest fires. sarah corker reports. large swathes of southern europe are sweltering in this heat wave, known as lucifer. the extreme heat has triggered health warnings in at least a dozen countries. in albania, massive forest fires have raged for weeks. the government is now asking for help from the eu. in northern spain, flames are turning the sky red and shutting down highways. on the french island of corsica, planes continue to douse flames below.

translation: we have more than seven kilometres of forest edges, many spots remain inaccessible which are likely to start again. italy and the balkans have been most severely affected. one man died in romania and 80 people are in hospital due to the extreme weather. plumes of heat are pushing temperatures above 40 celsius, stretching from albania and as far as portugal. it is the most extreme and widespread heatwave for 14 years. it is notjust people suffering, in budapest zoo they have found some innovative ways of keeping the animals cool. even at altitudes of 3000 metres, glaciers in the austrian alps are melting. holidaymakers have been sharing their heatwave experiences. as temperatures hit 44 degrees,

the safety advice is, wear a hat, drink plenty of water and find some shade. it is not expected to cool off until next week. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories: the royal bank of scotland was back in profit in the six months tojune, the first time it's been in the black since 2014. the bank, which is still mostly owned by taxpayers, made a recorded profit, of 939 million pounds, compared with a two billion pound loss, in the same period last year. the nhs says it's found a bed for a suicidal teenager, whose case prompted a seniorjudge to issue a scathing attack

on services for children with mental health problems. the head of the family courts in england and wales said if a safe place wasn't found for the girl on her release from a secure unit, then the state would have blood on its hands. two officers and two pilots, accused of misusing a south yorkshire police helicopter to film naked sunbathers and a couple having sex have been cleared of all charges. during the trial, the four men blamed a former colleague, pc adrian pogmore, who'd already admitted misconduct in a public office. they're young, british, and taking on hollywood. a new generation of black actors, including john boyega in the blockbuster star wars, have been trained at the identity school of acting, in london. established in 2003, it now boasts a roster of talent, that's doing well in america. the british film institute has identified a lack of diversity in film making, and colleen harris has been to meet some of the school's stars, who're breaking the industry's glass

ceiling. they're some of the british faces breaking into hollywood — an industry under scrutiny over its lack of diversity. i was raised to do one thing... before hitting the big time with star wars, john boyega began his career at the identity school of acting, then a small start—up in london. your voice is inside of you... i went to see the school and to meetjohn. it's a family environment identity, but at the same time there's a discipline that kind of mirrors what it's like in the industry after being in it now. so they teach you what it's like to work. how much about what you do is about breaking glass ceilings? all of it. and there's purpose in everything, i feel there is a value in making others see themselves in a better way. you have got to break glass ceilings to do that and that's what i'm doing. today, it's thriving and open to all, but the school opened 14 years ago as britain's first black drama school. its founder femi oguns also set up an agency with it to address the lack of diversity.

for me, rather than join the chorus of complaint, i decided, you know what, we need to do something about this and this is something we developed in the school. we developed this whole sense of worth. you have to celebrate your sense of purpose and you have to realise that you the architect of your own fortune. another identity graduate, letitia wright, will soon appear in cinemas in the new marvel black panther film. she says the school instills a sense of confidence and self—belief. we went into audition rooms not looking at the colour of our skin, but looking at our talent and i remember when i went for holby city, i was the only black girl in the room, but i never felt inferior, i felt i had something to offer and the role turned from a caucasian girl to a black girl, because our agents made that fight to say, why not? and that breaks chains. that attitude helped

launch malachi kirby. his portrayal of kunta kinte in the roots remake has been highly praised by critics. my way of fighting is through my art. by not accepting that there are roles that for one won't be given to me and there's like stories that i want to tell and there are stories that i believe i know how to tell and they're not just defined by what i look like. capitalising on its talent, 60% of identity‘s clients are now working and based in the states. but here, the work continues and john boyega is being honoured for his success. a movement that's nurturing the next hollywood success. colleen harris, bbc news. time for a look at the weather.

hello, once again. whatever you have got on your mind this particular weekend, you are going to have to keep a close eye on the weather front, because there is quite a mix on offer. i don'tjust mean for farmers and growers. if you are out and about, there is a bit of a mix on offer. showers, yes, but longer spells of rain. as has been the weekjust past, bit disappointing for this time of year, as with the weekjust past. starting off on a cold note, double—figure temperatures will just about do it for most of us. heavy showers and thunderstorms from the word go across wales, eventually into the midlands and pushing on further eastwards into east anglia and the south—east. bypassing the south—west, leading a rather charmed life, further north, showers coming through past the middle afternoon, coming into the fyfe area and the eastern borders. some getting into the north—east of england. showers, too, across the eastern side of northern ireland. having had those thunderstorms first up, i think much of the rest of england and wales settles down into a mixture of sunny spells, variable cloud and some showers.

not with the intensity that we may have seen for a time. notjust as i have already described, but they could get down towards the london area and affect the world championships until quite late on, when things begin to calm down generally because of this high—pressure moving in from the atlantic. underneath those clear skies and that ridge of high pressure. not so much in towns and cities, but in the countryside. sunday starting on a chilly note. could be a touch of frost in the sheltered glens of scotland. underneath those clear skies, a glorious start to the new day on sunday, the notable exception is northern ireland. cloud, wind and rain pushing in from the atlantic. eventually crossing into central and western parts of scotland. it may turn up eventually across cumbria and into western wales. generally speaking, the further south and east you are, the drier and brighter your weather will be. those are the sort of conditions

will see arsenal take on chelsea at wembley on sunday afternoon. if you are on holiday orjust out and about to start the new week, i am afraid it remains more of the same, more unsettled weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: the government of venezuela has inaugurated a controversial constituent assembly, despite fierce criticism at home and abroad. in several cities, crowds gathered to protest against what that say is a creeping dictatorship that's stifling the voice of opposition parties. the us attorney general, jeff sessions, has announced a major drive against what he called "an explosive increase" in leaks of classified government information under president trump. four people have already been charged and mr sessions said he would not hesitate to order more prosecutions. a british computer expert has appeared in court in the united states, charged with creating software to steal bank details.

lawyer representing mark hutchins say he denies all the charges against him. prosecutors insist he has admitted writing and selling malware code. mo farah won gold last night at the world athletics championships. it was in the 10,000 metres, his last competitive race at the distance. natalie pirks followed the action in stratford.