hello. 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. 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 — "it's inconceivable that the government would break

into a lawyer's office — almost unheard of. even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client — totally unheard of and perhaps illegal. the good news is that your favourite president did nothing wrong!" earlier, our correspondent in washington, chris buckler, said that michael cohen was more than just a lawyer to mr trump and had been his fixer for many years. mr trump indicates he is not concerned, but he is clearly angry at both the fbi who sees the tape and michael cohen who made it. he is often referred to as donald trump's personal lawyer, but he was more. he 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 mcdougal had sold her story of an alleged affair with donald trump to the national inquirer newspaper. and they seem to be discussing on the recording the potential

of buying the rights of the story, which would stop it being made public — and, if that was done to stop an embarrassing story from emerging during an election campaign, it could breach campaign finance laws. donald trump insists no such purchase was made, however, at the same time, there was a change of attitude coming from michael cohen — a man who once said that he would take a bullet for donald trump. there has been a pointed statement from his lawyers in which they say that their client will not be harmed by what is on this tape. however, they said, that no amount of spin will change what was said. and you can find more analysis and the latest updates, on those reported tape recordings on our website. there's also a profile of trump's former lawyer michael cohen. that's at bbc.com/news. the government has been warned it's multi billion pound scheme to install smart energy meters in millions of homes and businesses, could be an expensive failure. a group of mps says the project must be reviewed to prevent a costly overrun, and to improve

benefits for consumers. their report claims the scheme may only save households around 11 pounds a year on their energy bills. here's our business correspondent, joe lynam. so every year, he could save enough energy... -- voiceover: malcolm got a smart metre. so every year, he could save enough energy... it's the biggest infrastructure projects you've probably never probably heard of. costing £11 billion, the mass roll—out of smart meters into 30 million homes throughout the uk is designed to cut our bills and make our lives easier. but things aren't going to plan. the mobile phone mast isjust there, it's touching distance. warren lives in london, and he's having problems with his smart metre connection. this so—called smart metre wasn't so smart after all. i'm finding my bill still comes through as estimated, where i have to keep updating them, manually phoning them just to give them an actual reading. until they finally reset the metre, and they confirmed that it was sending its readings again.

the big infrastructure group of mps says that smart meters may not be so bright after all. it says the government is rolling out technology which may be out—of—date already in some areas, and it may be useless due to insufficient mobile coverage. and the cost savings for consumers that were expected may not materialise. certainly consumers won't get anywhere near what they were promised originally. it's already down to just about £11 from the originally projected £26. it's likely to fall further, as well, as the problems with this roll—out continue. and we're really calling on government, on ofgem and the suppliers to get a grip of this process. the smart metreing thing... not so, according to the group charged with rolling out the new technology. this infrastructure upgrade is the biggest one that's happening in energy in our lifetimes, so it's really important that people get to talk about this debate, but the thing everyone needs to know is to get a smart metre, because it's going to save us all billions of pounds over the next few years. building an entirely new mobile network to reach 65 million people

from scratch is not easy, not cheap and fraught with potential problems. the government says it's a third of the way there. others say it's the wrong technology, it's behind schedule and won't deliver the savings we all expect. joe lynam, bbc news. the funeral has taken place of 6—year—old alesha macphail, who was found dead in woodland on the isle of bute earlier this month. hundreds attended the service near her home in north lanarkshire, with many dressed in pink, alesha's favourite colour. a 16—year—old boy has been charged with rape and murder. catrina renton reports. everyone was asked to wear something pink, alesha's favourite colour. outside, dozens of ribbons were tied to the railings. # all creatures great and small... inside, family and friends paid tribute to alesha. they called her the best big sister, best daughter, best granddaughter anyone could ask for. alesha had just finished her second

year at chapelside primary school in airdrie. she always came into class with that big, beautiful smile of hers and tried her hardest in everything she did. it was an absolute pleasure to teach alesha. i was so grateful to have known this special little girl. alesha had been visiting her grandparents and father on the isle of bute when she went missing. she was later found dead in woodland. a 16—year—old boy has been charged with rape and murder. her uncle, callum, cannot believe that she is gone. alesha does not want anyone here to be sad. no thinking about whatever has happened. the only thing that i want today to be about is her. alesha's tiny pink coffin was then brought to the waiting carriage. drawn by white horses, as mourners formed a guard of honour to say goodbye. catriona renton, bbc news, north lanarkshire. 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 in a british park, 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. three policemen in paris have been detained for questioning for leaking images of a french presidential bodyguard hitting a demonstrator. emmanuel macron has sacked his aide, alexandre benalla, but there has been continued criticism of the failure of the elysee to act swiftly. france's interior minister has been summoned to answer questions in the national assembly on monday. 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. oh, 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. and... 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. the authorities injapan are warning people to take precautions as a severe heatwave continues. more than 30 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. olivia 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. cu ba's national assembly is considering a new constitution that would bring sweeping reforms, including the recognition of private property. president trump has attacked his former lawyer in the row over alleged payments to a former playboy model. more than 70 years ago, onjuly 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 germanjewish 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 on the british headquarters ofjerusalem, one entire corner of the king david hotel, a building of seven stories, was raised to the ground. —— king david hotel. suddenly everything was black. what happened? i couldn't

understand. you only think, how do i get out? while arab and jude have a cause to a full four, the british soldier is there only because it is his job to keep the peace. in a quarrel which his making, he doesjust that, and precious few thanks it gets for it. my precious few thanks it 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. in the king david hotel. typing. it wasn't a happy time. it was always tense. because they didn't know how to stop all these attacks. always troops on the

streets, british police or soldiers. reworked for them, we had to have a salary. —— will we worked. there wasn't so much work. there was a warning. telephone calls, that bombs we re warning. telephone calls, that bombs were laid in the cellar of the king david hotel, that the people, the workers, should all go out immediately. i was just getting up from my place, suddenly i heard an explosion, and black. i don't see anything. art some time —— after some time i heard somebody was coughing. isaid, there

some time i heard somebody was coughing. i said, there another one living. men of the army and police we re living. men of the army and police were working with cranes, bulldozers and shovels to reach the unfortunate victims still read in the wreckage. i knew they would the many, many, many dead. victims, terrible, terrible. i started to cry. the latest casualties lists included 65 killed, 47 injured and 58 missing. my killed, 47 injured and 58 missing. my boss, he was a very nice man. he was killed in the attack. of course, i was angry o2 was killed in the attack. of course, i was angry 02 did its —— angry at who did it. i didn't know, until they told me it was the irgun. the irgun was one of thejewish groups who are against the british. they wa nt to who are against the british. they want to be british to go out, but

that wasn't the right way to do it. no, ican‘t that wasn't the right way to do it. no, i can't agree. i worked for the british till bailout. three months, they gave me salary. i got compensation. and that was all. so i had to say thank you. 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 a child growing up, i was perhaps a 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 ever. i was utterly powerless. i kept my mind busy by escaping into my imagination. living in my mind was the only way i was able to cope and 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 had 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 both very surprised, perhaps a little shocked, and very excited. i think the most difficult thing

about fatherhood for me will be finding effective ways to communicate with the baby. i have experienced extreme 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 our words that lead to action? 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. now if you're afraid of heights, brace yourself. spectators in paris have been thrilled and had their nerves wracked by a tightrope walker performing in front of one of the city's most iconic sights. aaron safir has the story. they call paris the city of lights. for one afternoon in the montmartre neighbourhood, it was the city of heights. with the skyline as her backdrop, french tightrope walker tatiana—mosio bongonga started 35 metres above montmartre hill, and inched her way towards one

of the city's most famous sites, the sacre—coeur basilica. she wasn't the only one hanging by a thread. down below they looked on thrilled, with wonder, admiration, but also a little fear. this was done without a security cable. translation: it was very surprising, and very dangerous. it really impressed, actually. i noticed that she was not secured. there was a lot of acrobatics. i had a really good time. even getting to the starting position would scare off the fainthearted, but this stunt has been a year in preparation, all to be carried out one step at a time. and, waiting for her at the end, members of the city's chamber orchestra, who provided the soundtrack for this parisian high—wire act. translation: every walk brings something unique, because it takes place somewhere different.

here, i had the chance to face a monument, which has never happened to me before. it was something new, and it was wonderful. 31—year—old tatiana—mosio says she grew up on a tightrope. she started when she was eight, so while she has had time to develop her nerves of steel, the spectators have some catching up to do. the japanese olympic committee has revealed their mascots — in costume form — for the tokyo olympics in 2020. the characters were originally chosen in february. miratowa on the left and somete on the right. the mascots were chosen by japanese school children. miratowa will represent events for the olympics and somete will be the symbol for the paralympics. organisors say the olympic mascot "embodies both old tradition and new innovation" and the paralympic mascot is a "cool character" with cherry blossom ears and supernatural powers. coming up on the programme, the

headlines, but first, the weather. 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, but 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. so temperatures dropping no lower than 15 degrees in belfast, 18 degrees in london. but it is quite overcast, quite murky, mist, even a little bit of drizzle in some areas. a damp feeling to things, but it is still very, very warm. now, sunday starts off pretty overcast, and i think the clouds will be thickest through the day

across north—western areas, even some spots of rain. but the best chance for the clouds to break up, if sunshine is what you want, then i guess it's good news for the folks across southern areas. and those temperatures will once again get up to 28 in london, 26 in norwich. mid—20s into yorkshire, even newcastle will be around 2a celsius. mid—20s for belfast, for aberdeen there. a little bit fresher across western scotland, maybe not quite so warm there in glasgow, but warm enough. and that's how we're going to end the weekend. so bright rather than sunny skies, but cloudy here in the north—west, with some very light rain on and off. and next week, or rather the week ahead, we'll see more weatherfronts just about pushing into north—western areas, so slightly fresher atlantic air. but ahead of the weather fronts, my goodness, the air is coming all the way from africa, from spain, portugal, across france. so we could see some of the highest temperatures we've seen so far this summer, affecting some south—eastern, eastern and maybe central parts of england. 33 is not out of the question. this is sort of a more conservative estimate there. for london and for norwich, at least 31, possibly already hitting 33 in one or two spots. but notice northern ireland and scotland, a lot more comfortable here. temperatures mostly in the 20s, and the possibility of a little bit

of rain, at least some showers. now, look at those temperatures in london. over 30 degrees pretty much all through the week. mid—20s, so more comfortable, i think, for you in cardiff. that's it from me. this is bbc news. the headlines: 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 seventeen lives have been giving their accounts of the disaster. one woman — who lost nine members of herfamily — as they ‘wouldn‘t need them'.