hello. this is bbc news. i'm nkem ifejika. these are our top stories: on the brink of a new era: cuba's national assembly considers a new constitution that would bring sweeping reforms. president trump attacks his former lawyer in the row over alleged payments to a former playboy model. survivors of a boat sinking in the us that claimed 17 lives say the captain told passengers not to use life jackets. a0 degrees and rising: warnings as japan's deadly heatwave claims dozens of lives. and knowing the ropes in paris: a novel way of getting a bird's eye view of the french capital. hello and welcome to the programme.

cuba's national assembly is debating the draft of a new constitution which could introduce radical changes to the communist country's economic and social policies. private ownership of property might be recognised for the first time in 50 years and same—sex marriage legalised. will grant reports from havana. after decades of soviet—style socialism, glimpses of meaningful change in cuba. the 1976 constitution isn'tjust going to be reformed. it's being completely rewritten. key to the changes, private property recognised on the communist—run island for the first time in generations. naturally, the state will remain the biggest factor in this caribbean—controlled economy, but including private property rights in the new constitution gives legal protection to the thousands of small businesses which cropped up since raul castro changed the economic rules a decade ago. whether small restaurants or modest accommodation,

private enterprise has been propping up the boom in cuban tourism. finally, their right to exist will be enshrined in law. term limits are set to be imposed on the new president, of two consecutive five—year terms. socially, too, a huge breakthrough. after decades of a shameful record on gay rights, now there will be a recognition of marriage in cuba as no longer solely between a man and a woman, but simply between two people instead. the principles of equality, justice and humanism that our project has reinforced by the possibility of marriage between two people. i think it is fair. we have discussed it a lot. it is fair. astonishingly, even the very word communism has been struck from the constitution, replaced with the more accessible "socialism." these were the sorts of changes the obama administration had

hoped to foster through its engagement with cuba, but since president trump took office, the bilateral relationship has almost completely frozen once again. as always, change in cuba is closely slow. even once this new constitution is approved, it will still go to a national referendum. but the leadership hope that by recognising private property, they will boost a stagnant economy, and by legalising same—sex marriage they will better reflect a more modern cu ban society. will grant, bbc news, havana. you'll find more detailed information about the changes happening in cuba on our website. there you will find articles and anaylsis as well as reports from our correspondents based in the region. go to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. now let's get some of the day's other news. thousands of nicaraguans have joined rival demonstrations for and against president daniel ortega in the capital managua.

his opponents are demanding his resignation and the release of political prisoners. his supporters accuse anti—government protesters of trying to mount a coup. searches have been continuing throughout the day at a park in where it's believed that two people, poisoned by a nerve agent, may have picked up a contaminated bottle. charlie rowley — whose partner dawn sturgess died — is now out of hospital but still unable to return to his home, which remains cordoned off. spain's main opposition party, the conservative people's party, has chosen a right wing candidate as its new leader. pablo casado succeeds mariano rajoy, who was ousted as prime minister last month after he lost a confidence vote brought by the socialists who now control the government. three policeman in paris have been detained for leaking an image of a

potential bodyguard hitting a demonstrator. the aide has been sacked, but there have been accusations that they move —— moved too slowly. president trump has reacted angrily to reports his former personal lawyer taped a conversation in which they discussed payments to a playboy model who claims she had an affair with mr trump. the president has denied any wrongdoing, and said michael cohen's actions in recording him might have been illegal. the president tweeted that... our washington correspondent, chris buckler, assesses whether the tape could be a problem for the us president. donald trump indicates he is not

concerned, but he is clearly angry about the fbi and michael cullen. he is often referred to as donald trump's for personal, but he was more. it was a fixer who prided himself on making donald trump's problems disappear. and on this tape that was recorded about two months before the election in 2016, they are discussing one of those issues. karen mckibbin will had sold her story to the national enquiry at newspaper. they seem to be discussing on the recording buying the rights of the story which would it being made public and, if that was done to stop an embarrassing story from emerging during an election campaign, it could breach finance laws. donald trump insists no such posters was made, but at the same time there was a change of attitude coming from michael cullen. this is a man who once said that he would take a bullet for donald

trump. there has been appointed statement from his lawyers in which they say that their client will not be halved by what is on this tape. —— cohen. but they said that no of spin will change what was said. the us director of national intelligence, dan coats, says he hadn't meant to be disrespectful toward president trump when he reacted with obvious surprise to news the president was planning a second summit with vladimir putin. vladimir putin... today you? yes. 0k.... -- didl vladimir putin... today you? yes. 0k.... —— did i hearyou. this will be special. mr coats said his response earlier this week had been "awkward" but he, and the entire intelligence support to mr trump. a woman who lost nine members of her family in a tourist boat accident on a lake in the united states has been describing the disaster. tia coleman said passengers

were told they would not need lifejackets but if she had managed to reach one she might have saved her children. 17 people died when the amphibious vehicle — called a "duck boat" — sank in stormy weather. sophia tran—thomson reports. these boat passengers filming a sudden storm on table rock lake while out on tour seem unaware of the danger they are in. oh, no. oh, my god. 0h, we're goin' under. sinking. further ahead of them, another boat couldn't cope in the severe weather. of the 31 on board, more than half were killed. one of the survivors said as conditions worsened, the passengers were not told to put life vests on but to stay seated. i couldn't see anybody, i couldn't hear anything, i couldn't hear screams, ijust — it felt like i was out there on my own. and i was yelling and i was screaming and finally i said,

lord, just let me die, let me die. i said i can't — i can't keep drowning, just can't keep drowning. that's how i felt. then ijust let go and i started floating. nine members of herfamily died in the accident. according to the national weather service, the winds were over 100 kilometres per hour. and the authorities say whether is the cause of the accident. the owner of the duck boat has also taken responsibility. what can you say? we're so sorry, i mean, that this happened. it wasjust, something happened and we don't know exactly what it was and we will but it doesn't matter. any time that people suffer a loss like that, it can't be replaced. i mean, it's absolutely devastating. investigators say a preliminary report should be complete in a month. but there are still several

unanswered questions about whether the boat crew was aware of the weather warnings and why the passengers didn't have life vests on. in vietnam at least 10 people have died in floods in the wake heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in the northern coastal region triggering landslides and damaging thousands of houses. large areas of farm land have been damaged and thousands of livestock killed. more rain is expected in the coming days. the authorities injapan are warning people to take precautions as a severe heatwave continues. more than thirty people are reported to have died as a result of the heat over the last fortnight, and thousands more have sought hospital treatment. in the city of kyoto temperatures have exceeded 38 degrees for seven consecutive days. 0livia crellin reports. earlier this month, western japan looked like this, after being buffeted by severe storms and waves

of up to nine metres. now, the waves look somewhat more inviting as temperatures have rocketed to over a0 celsius in some parts. a five—year nationwide high. translation: it's hot all overjapan. it was 39 celsius yesterday, and the day before. when i was a kid the hottest day was about 33 degrees. the recent climate is surely abnormal. it's a dangerous high. the heat wave has already killed about 30 people. and with thousands more hospitalized for heat—related conditions, authorities are urging people to stay hydrated. translation: my job is physically demanding so i make sure i drink lots water. that advice is even more challenging for the hundreds of volunteers taking part in flood recovery efforts. the rain that pounded japan led to flooding and landslides.

over 200 people died and more than a500 people who were evacuated are still not able to return. the heat is weighing on volunteers' minds as they continue the clean—up effort. translation: i will take care not to get sick from the heat because that would only cause trouble for other people. it's no longer rain, but rays pounding japan. a new meteorological trial for its citizens, but for some, like these children soaking up the sun on a beach open for the first time since the country's 2011 tsunami, the weather means summer has arrived. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a novel way of getting a birds eye view of french capital. ok, coming down the ladder now.

that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30—year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunctioning sperm, unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime, as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc news,

the latest headlines — cu ba's national assembly is considering a new constitution that would bring sweeping reforms — including the recognition of public property. president trump has attacked his former lawyer in the row over alleged payments to a former playboy model. more than 70 years ago, on july 22nd 1916, an armed jewish group opposed to british rule in palestine planted bombs inside the king david hotel in jerusalem. their target was the offices of the british authorities housed in the iconic hotel. 90 people were killed in the explosions and dozens more were injured. a german—jewish woman called shoshana levy kampos worked for the british as a secretary and she was in the hotel that day. she's been telling her story to witness.

after a bomb explosion caused by terrorists in the british quarters ofjerusalem, one entire corner of the hotel was raised to the ground. suddenly, everything was black. what happened? i suddenly, everything was black. what happened 7 i couldn't suddenly, everything was black. what happened? i couldn't understand. you only think how do you get out. the british soldier is there only because it is hisjob to keep british soldier is there only because it is his job to keep the peace. in a quarrel which is none of his making, he doesjust peace. in a quarrel which is none of his making, he does just that and precious few thanks he gets for it. my precious few thanks he gets for it. my family was a jewish family from

germany, came to palestine because we we re germany, came to palestine because we were in danger in germany. i was 21 yea rs old we were in danger in germany. i was 21 years old when i worked for the british. i was doing shorthand typing and it wasn't a happy time. it was always tense because they didn't know how to stop all these attacks. always trips on the street. british police are soldiers. —— troops. we work for them. we had to have a salary. there wasn't so much workforce there was a warning. a telephone call that bombs were laid

in the cellar of the king david hotel, that the people, all the workers, should go out immediately. i was just getting up from my place and suddenly i heard an explosion and suddenly i heard an explosion and black. i don't see anything because of after some time, i have heard somebody was coughing. they said oh, there is another one living. they were cranes, bulldozers and shovels to reach the unfortunate victims are still buried in the wreckage. knew they would be very, very, very many victims, dead. terrible. i started to cry. jono 65

killed, 47 injured and 58 missing. -- 65 killed, 47 injured and 58 missing. —— 65 killed. my boss, he was a very nice man and he was killed in the attack. of course, i was angry at you did it. i didn't know until they told me it was one of thejewish groups who were against the british. they wanted the british to go out but that wasn't the right way to do it. no, ican't but that wasn't the right way to do it. no, i can't agree. but that wasn't the right way to do it. no, ican't agree. i but that wasn't the right way to do it. no, i can't agree. iworked but that wasn't the right way to do it. no, i can't agree. i worked for the british until they left. three months, they gave me salary. i got compensation and that was all. so i had to say thank you. the exceptionally dry start

to the summer in the uk is forcing the closure of one of britain's longest waterways. 55—miles of the leeds and liverpool canal will shut for a month at the end ofjuly, because of concerns over water supplies. phil bodmer has the story. a narrow boat navigates barrowford lock on the leeds liverpool canal. but from the end of this month, that will no longer be possible as a 55 mile stretch of one of britain's most popular waterways is closed simply because of a lack of water. we have not got the water to feed into the canal to keep them going. it is a difficult decision for us to take but it is simply down to this glorious summer that we are all enjoying. the leeds liverpool canal, which crosses the pennines through yorkshire and lancashire, is the longest man—made waterway in britain. it is also one of the highest, with water travelling downhill from huge reservoirs it is stored in.

this is just one of a number of reservoirs high in the pennines which feeds the canal network. at the moment, as you can see, it is around 20% of its total capacity. indeed, sheep are now even beginning to graze where the water level should be. just 50 millimetres of rain fell between the first ofjune and the 19th ofjuly this year. meaning this is the driest summer since records began. despite recent rain in the north—west of england, it is not enough to replenish depleted reserves. phil bodmer, bbc news, lancashire. until the age of 12 martin pistorius had an unremarkable childhood but then he fell ill with what's known as locked—in syndrome. for over a decade he could see and hear everything around him but no—one knew he was conscious. eventually a carer spotted life in his eyes, setting him on the road to a remarkable recovery. this is his amazing story.

i was trapped inside my body for more than a decade. the doctors said i was unaware but i could see and hear everything. as at child, growing up i was perhaps our little quieter than most but happy. healthy and always busy with something. shortly after my 12th birthday, i became ill. i came home from school with what seemed like a cold and within months, i was an empty shell of the vibrant little boy i once was. being unable to communicate was the worst, most terrifying feeling at the. —— ever. iwas worst, most terrifying feeling at the. —— ever. i was utterly powerless. they kept my mind busy by

escaping into my imagination. living in my mind was the only way i was able to distract myself from my dire reality. i often wished i could tell people i was in pain or reassure my mum that she was a good mother and to simply tell people that i loved them. she recommended i be taken for an assessment to see if there was an alternative way for me to communicate. my family were overjoyed when after the assessment it became clear that i was still in there and have the potential to communicate. i found readjusting to life really

difficult. it was absolutely wonderful but also scary and very daunting. there was so much i didn't know. in april, we found out we were having a baby. we were based very surprised. perhaps a little shock. —— we were both. and excited. i think the most difficult thing about fatherhood will be about finding is that if ways to communicate with the baby. in i have experienced extreme loneliness but it taught me to be co mforta ble loneliness but it taught me to be comfortable with my own company. i think it is easy to take communicating for granted. everyone says actions are more powerful than words but i wonder, communication is

one of our most powerful tools and is it not all words that lead to action? —— not all and here in the uk the royal family will be celebrating prince george's fifth birthday today. this new official picture of the prince has been released — showing him looking rather happy. the photo was taken after the christening of his brother prince louis in the garden of clarence house — the official residence of the duke and duchess of cambridge. to mark prince george's birthday, a new £5 coin has been issued by the royal mint, showing st george and the dragon. if you are afraid of heights, look away now. we're just going to show you some pictures of french tightrope walker tatiana—mosio bongonga scaling the skyline above montmartre hill in paris.

ms bongonga walked on the cord, suspended 35 metres from the ground, with no security cable attached to her costume. she's been tightrope walking since she was 8—years—old, and has spent the last year preparing for this stunt. let's bring you some breaking news now police in los angeles are responded to an "active" incident at a supermarket in the us city of los angeles saturday that us media reported was a possible hostage situation. there is an active police incident at the traderjoe's near the intersection of hyperion ave and griffith park blvd in #silverlake. please stay clear of the area," the los angeles police department tweeted. us media are rporting that police are saying there was a possible hostage situation at the store after a suspect who was being pursued by law enforcement crashed his vehicle and ran inside. well, looks like the temperatures are going to soar over the coming

days in some parts of the country. we got up to 29 on saturday. sunday will be similar. so we are technically already in a heatwave, but the really hot air is set to return from monday. temperatures will be in excess of 30 celsius. this is true mostly for south—eastern parts of the uk. in the short term we have weather fronts close to north—western parts of the uk. in fact, this weather front is responsible for bringing a lot of cloud through the early hours of sunday morning, and also very humid air stuck in this air mass which is coming off the atlantic. temperatures dropping no lower than 15 degrees in belfast, 18 in london. quite overcast, quite murky, misty and with a bit of drizzle in some areas. a damp feeling to things, but it is still very, very warm. sunday starts off overcast and i think the clouds will be thickest through the day across north—western areas, even some spots of rain.

the best chance for the clouds to break up, if sunshine is what you want, it is good news for those in southern areas. temperatures once again getting up to 28 in london, 26 in norwich. mid—20s into yorkshire, even newcastle will be around 24. mid—20s for belfast and aberdeen. a little bit fresher across western scotland, maybe not quite so warm in glasgow. warm enough. that is how we are going to end the weekend. bright rather than sunny skies, but cloudy here in the north—west, with some very light rain on and off. next week, or rather in the week ahead, we will see more weather fronts pushing on to north—western areas, with slightly fresher atlantic air. ahead of the weather fronts, that air is coming all the way from africa, from spain and portugal, across france. so we could see some of the highest

temperatures we have seen so far this summer, affecting some south—eastern, eastern and maybe central parts of england. 33 degrees is not out of the question. for london and norwich, at least 31, possibly already hitting 33 in one or two spots. northern ireland in scotland, much more comfortable. temperatures mostly in the 20s, and the possibility of a little bit of rain. look at those temperatures in london. over 30 degrees pretty much all through the week. much more comfortable in cardiff. that's it from me. this is bbc news. the headlines: cu ba's national assembly is debating a new constitution which could bring far—reaching changes. measures to drastically reduce the communist state's control of the economy are being considered — including the recognition of private property.

presidential term limits may also be introduced and same—sex marriage could be legalised. president trump has hit out at his former lawyer, michael cohen, after claims he secretly recorded them talking about payments to a former playboy model. mr trump said it was inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client, and insisted he'd done nothing wrong. survivors of the boat sinking in the us that clamed 17 lives have been giving their accounts of the disaster. one woman — who lost nine members of herfamily — said the captain told the passengers not to grab the life jackets — as they wouldn't need them. the government's scheme to install smart energy meters