this is the briefing. i'm ben bland. our top story: searching through the charred remains as the devastation in greece becomes apparent — thejob now is to identify the victims of one of europe's deadliest wildfires. the wildfires were exacerbated by unusually dry and hot conditions. we'll be looking into why the northern hemisphere is experiencing an extreme heatwave. his supporters are already celebrating, but is former cricketer imran khan about to become pakistan's new prime minister after apparently winning its general election? coming up in the business briefing — back from the brink. president trump and eu chiefjean claude juncker agree a deal to head off a transatlantic trade war. also coming up in business — losing friends on wall street. facebook shares slump as much as 24%, wiping $150 billion off the company's stock market value — as growth numbers disappoint investors. a warm welcome to the programme —

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and as facebook shares slump after its income and number of users didn't grow as much as investors expected — we want to know, do you still like the social network? or has it lost you as a friend? tell us what you think. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing we begin in greece, where the desperate search for dozens of people missing after deadly wildfires, continues. at least 80 people have died, in fires that broke out near athens. the authorities are looking

for survivors who fled the blaze, including those who escaped to sea by boat. the wildfires are the deadliest on record in greece. andrew plant has the latest. to the disaster here it is clear. this is a eu humanitarian helicopter, more than 80 people have died, 200 injured and around a dozen are still missing. 0n the ground, that aid is coming in the. clothing and food for the hundreds now left homeless. translation: and food for the hundreds now left homeless. translationzlj and food for the hundreds now left homeless. translation: iwas and food for the hundreds now left homeless. translation: i was very moved. i don't have any loved ones here, or a house, moved. i don't have any loved ones here, ora house, buti moved. i don't have any loved ones here, or a house, but i felt the need to come and be here for as many hours as i can. this man has lived

here for decades, used to seeing some fires, but nothing like. —— summer. “— some fires, but nothing like. —— summer. —— nothing like this. translation: the fires came swirling, like a tornado. it was the wind. wherever the flame touched down, there was a new fire. the fla mes down, there was a new fire. the flames looked like they were coming from a flamethrower, not a burning tree. the flames came down the hillside here, through the houses, those that survived did so by scrambling into the sea. this phone video shows them standing, watching as their village burned. many died as their village burned. many died as they tried to get help. slowly, the horror stories have emerged. a newlywed killed on his honeymoon. brian was separated from his bride, she is now in hospital. now, anger is replacing grief. greek

authorities criticised, many here thought there was no plan, no training to deal with this disaster ina training to deal with this disaster in a country where forest fires are common and have killed people. it though this, now officially the worst such disaster that this country has ever seen. andrew planned, bbc news. —— andrew plant. as we've been reporting, the wildfires in greece have been exacerbated by the dry and hot conditions and the wind, and there have been other instances of unusually extreme weather around the world. higher than normal temperatures have caused major issues in many countries. let's now hear from our correspondents in tokyo, dallas and stockholm. it has been a truly unprecedented month for weather here injapan. it began with a week of record rainfall that caused devastating floods in the west of the country that has been followed by two weeks of extreme heat that again has broken all records. a new absolute high of 41.1

degrees was set on monday and the one—week record has also been broken and this has caused a really shocking cost of life. all up, the floods and the heat had taken at least 300 lives and more than 30,000 people have been sent to hospital. here in north texas we have in dealing with a heatwave for almost two weeks now. we have had ten days of 100 degrees, all the way up to 109, numerous records have been broken and in addition to that, conditions are extremely dry. moderate to severe drought continues across the dallas fort worth region, but good news, some needed rain is in the forecast next week, as well as cooler temperatures, we might even be below average. stockholm's usually one of the most visibly green cities in europe, about 40% of it is made up of parks, but a lot of it is now yellow and crispy after the hottest july since records began.

sweden is not set up for high temperatures, the buildings are designed to insulate and very few offices have air conditioning. it is the countryside which is worse effected, the worst wildfires in decades are still being tackled by firefighters from around the eu after sweden called for international assistance and more hot weather is on the way in the coming weeks. here in the uk, mps are warning that the current heatwave could become the new normal for summers across the country in the coming years because of climate change. the environmental audit committee is warning there could be up to 7,000 heat—related deaths every year in the uk by 2050 if the government doesn't act quickly. roger harrabin has more. elderly people and severe heat don't

mix. the 2013 heatwave sort double the amount of usual consultations for heat related illness. people with diseases of the heart, lungs and kidney are at risk. the waves affect our health, productivity and well—being. the message is that the government needs to do a lot more to educate the public about the risks that heatwaves pose, the actions any to ta ke that heatwaves pose, the actions any to take to protect themselves and others and we need to fundamentally redesign our city so they are able to cope with higher temperatures. here is something the mps want more of. these apartments have movable sunshades. the flats behind them have balconies that cut out the fiercest son from windows below. unlike these flats nearby, in full glare the midday heat. we would like the government to recognise overheating as a risk to people, health and well—being. we would like it to be introduced in the regular

tory framework, from building regulations, to planning regulations ina regulations, to planning regulations in a holistic manner. of course, some like it hot. for children, this isa summer some like it hot. for children, this is a summer from heaven and it looks as though hot summers will increasingly become the new normal. but the mps are saying that while the kids are having fun, we must make sure that the elderly are you too. as the population ages, the mps say we will need to start taking hot weather more seriously. and we've got in—depth coverage throughout the day here on bbc news as we examine the heatwave affecting much of the northern hemisphere. later on — you can watch ‘feeling the heat‘ — which is on at 19:30gmt — that's 8:30pm in the evening if you're watching here in the uk. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a block of flats in north—west london. the london fire brigade said 15 engines were at the scene in west hampstead.

the fire is on the fifth, and top, floor of the building. we'll bring you more information when we get it. a group of republican lawmakers in the us congress have begun a bid to try and remove the country's deputy attorney general from his post. rod rosenstein is overseeing the special counsel investigation into allegations of russian interference in america's 2016 presidential election. it's thought highly unlikely the attempt at impeachment will succeed. japan has executed 6 more members of the aum shinrikyo cult that carried out a deadly gas attack on the tokyo subway in 1995. this morning's executions come three weeks' after the cult‘s leader, shoko asahara, and six other followers were put to death. all 13 had been on death row since their convictions back in 200a. the uk brexit secretary dominic raab and the eu's chief negotiator

michel barnier will hold face—to—face talks in brussels at the end of the latest round of negotiations. both sides are stepping up plans to cope with the uk leaving without a deal in march 2019. prime minister theresa may has said the british public should take "reassurance" from government preparations for a possible no—deal brexit after it emerged plans were being developed to stockpile food and medicines. you had a few of my guest, we will be talking at threat of a trade war between the eu and the us. european commission president jean—claudejuncker met donald trump to discuss tariffs, after the us president said america was losing out because of unfair deals. it led to him putting tariffs on steel and metal imports in may. after the meeting, as well as buying

more us soybeans and energy, the head of the eu's executive said they agreed to work towards zero tariffs on industrial goods. we have identified a number of areas on which to work together. we work towards zero tariffs on industrial goods, that was my main intention. we propose to come down to zero ta riffs we propose to come down to zero tariffs on industrial goods. maike currie is investment director at fidelity personal investing. good to have you with us. it was really interesting, thatjoint press conference, it struck me that a lot of the commitments were made on the pa rt of the commitments were made on the part of the eu to buy more saw what —— sweepings, to buy liquefied gas, what was the us offering in return? it is an interesting point because it seems like a victory for donald

trump because his confrontational, aggressive approach seems to be winning, if you look at what has been decided. clearly, jean—claude juncker is a skilled negotiator and he is talking donald trump's language about striking a deal, negotiating. while donald trump is saying that he has got a victory, this is getting the results he wa nts, this is getting the results he wants, in the meantime, businesses, consumers, farmers are all losing out and ironically, the us now needs to subsidise farmers to the tune of $12 billion because they are losing out as a result of the tit for tat trade tariffs. so no one really wins because companies need to, ultimately, take a hit on profits, 01’ ultimately, take a hit on profits, or they need to pass the cost on to consumers. what happens when you have these tariffs, growth suffers, jobs suffers, the whole economy suffers. what was interesting was

the absence of any explicit mention of the proposed us tariffs on car at ta riffs of the proposed us tariffs on car at tariffs and car import taxes on the eu. clearly it is an area that the eu. clearly it is an area that the eu is worried about, especially germany, its reliance on car export. it hasn't been mentioned that that is whatjean—claude juncker and his fellow ministers are really worried about. donald trump has gone from his language in describing the eu as a foe and taking advantage of the us on trade, to saying that everything is fine now, we had an agreement, we both like each other and we can negotiate. it is interesting how quickly he turns. we will talk more a little later, it has been covered in some of the main global papers, we will talk about whether it will calm market jitters we will talk about whether it will calm marketjitters little later. ——

a little later. stay with us on the briefing — still to come: fighting off the wannabe ninjas — the japanese city inundated with job applicants wanting to become an ancient assassin. 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. our headlines: the task of finding more bodies in greece's devastating wildfires goes on. the united states and european union avert an all—out trade war and agree on getting rid of tariffs and the threat of sanctions. the results in pakistan's general election, are only trickling in because of what the election commission says are technical problems. partial tallies indicate the party of the cricketer—turned—politician, imran khan, is in the lead. his supporters are already celebrating. his main opponent, shahbaz sharif —

the brother of the jailed former prime minister — has already rejected the emerging result, alleging there's been widespread rigging and malpractice by the hundreds of thousands of soldiers at polling booths. zohra yusuf is a human rights activist and has been following the election closely. she joins us now from karachi in pakistan. *why are there concerns around the fairness of this election? what are those concerns based on? justice. it should be seen to be done. i think the election process has been totally transparent and seems to be free and fair. prior to the election, the human rights

commission of pakistan, the elections have been manipulated, in ways we did not foresee. practically not collapsed but courting such controversy. what is protecting. the pakistan's people's party. in the smaller regional parties. they are all complaining that support has just been announced in front of the parties. and that was not done. there are concerns that the results have been manipulated. there are

issues of transparency. the army has been accused of interfering their support. of course, why would they be supporting him? the last government had become in certain areas. civilian democracy is and to assert itself as a political leadership in the country. and

traditionally the army is usually done this directly or it has had done this directly or it has had done influence. particularly in foreign policy. the here's our briefing on some key events happening later. hello, your thursday sport briefing. geraint thomas is wihtin touching distance of claiming the tour de france with stage 18 heading out shortly, unai emery takes charge of his first arsenal match when the gunners face atletico madrid and england name their squad for the first test against india starting next wednesday. it's 17 down and just 4 to go for geraint thomas at the tour de france.

the team sky rider is in the leader's yellowjersey ahead of stage 18 from tree—sur—byeese to pau, later on thursday. thomas, who is heading for his first grand tour win, created even more of a lead for himself in wednesday's 17th stage. he's now1 minute and 59 seconds ahead of dutchman tom dumoulin in second place. not since 1996 have arsenal played a match without arsene wenger in the dugout. in just a few hours time in singapore, new boss unai emery will take charge of the gunners for the first time. they're taking on atletico madrid in a pre—season friendly — the team that beat them in the semi—finals of the europa league last season. the spaniards have travelled to asia without 9 of their first—team, after they featured at the world cup, but manager diego simeone says it's a chance for others to step up.

i would say that resting is the most important thing after world cup. it doesn't mean we would change anything. we always intended to give our maximum and it's a beautiful opportunity of the young players working well to show how well they can play. and in cricket england name their squad for their upcoming test match series against india. the first of 5 test matches begins next wednesday at edgbaston in brimingham, with the hosts desperate for a series win. they didn't win a single match earlier this year on their tours of australia and new zealand and things certainly won't be any easier against the world's number one ranked side. in case you missded it serena williams says she's happy to do whatever she can to keep tennis clean but maybe there's a limit. the former world number one has accused anti—doping authorities of discrimination after getting tested again on tuesday. the 23—time major winner has been tested more than any other player this year according to figures from the us anti—doping agency. here's what williams has posted on social media:

and if you're looking for some skills with more than one type of sporting ball then look no further than this. world champion pro freestyle footballer andrew henderson posted a video of him doing tricks with a football, basketball and finally a rugby ball before putting the ball in the net, some skill indeed from me in the team, that is your thursday sport briefing. now — how do you fancy a change of career? a well—paying job that demands dedication — and is steeped in tradition.

how about becoming a ninja? well — it seems some vacancies had opened in the ancient japanese city of iga but as the bbc‘s tim allman reports, things weren't quite what they seemed. asjobs go, this one looks quite a challenge. you have to be quick on your feet, proficient with a sword, and a dab hand at throwing razor sharp metal stars. this is iga, the traditional birthplace of the ninja. a recent us radio broadcast had announced the city was on the lookout for new recruits. there was a shortage of ninjas, and they were willing to pay big money: more than 9 million yen, or $85,000 a year. local officials were inundated with applications from all around the world. there was just one small problem... translation: the city of iga is home to the ninja and should entertain visitors and promote culture,

but we are not going to recruit any ninjas from abroad. the legend of the ninja stretches deep into japanese history, perhaps as far back as the 12th century — an assassin, a spy, a mercenary, they were feared, and they were renowned. surviving in popular culture, practitioners of the martial art take it very seriously indeed. translation: i won't hire people who just want to make money. only those who want to be dedicated professionals. culture and tradition can only be passed onto dedicated people. the city has put out an online message in five different languages to clear up any confusion. from me in the team, that is your thursday sport briefing. for now — no ninjas required. stay with me on bbc news, i'll be back with the business

briefing in just a few moments — we'll have more on facebook shares taking a hit. we've been asking, and that's also our talking point today — the number of new users is less than expected. have you unfriended facebook? — let us know your thoughts — use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. josh says he stop using the chefs —— the social network when it found out how biased and they can use were. freeman says facebook has crossed the line so many times, nobody should be on a sport. carl says he hasn't posted on there in over a year. he will be deleting next week. if you think it's been hot enough

already this summer, well, just wait for the next couple of days because it looks like it's going to turn even hotter. 36 degrees impossible in some parts of the east. frontal systems are approaching. we will cease and outbreaks of rain towards the weekend ahead of those weather systems, we are still pulling in this very hot air from the south, particularly the southern and eastern portions of the uk. starting thursday morning on a very mild, my keynote, 18, 19, 20 degrees. double digits just keynote, 18, 19, 20 degrees. double digitsjust about keynote, 18, 19, 20 degrees. double digits just about wherever you are. as we go on through the day, a lot of hot sunshine to come. a bit more cloud as the day wears on. showers across parts of northern england. cloud thickening up, the first of those atlantic frontal systems

starting to show its hand. a bit cooler here across parts of scotland but down towards the south—east. have a look of this, 35 degrees in the centre of london on thursday. as ago the centre of london on thursday. as a go through thursday evening into the night, without building heat and humidity, we start to see some thunderstorms sparking off across central and eastern areas, particularly becoming more widespread as we get into the first pa rt widespread as we get into the first part of friday morning and all the while, the figure cloud in the west across northern ireland. a very muqqy across northern ireland. a very muggy start of friday morning. drink friday, would see this cloud in the west bringing outbreaks of brain into western scotland. thunderstorms blossom into life across parts of the south—east, the east midlands, north—east england. a bit of uncertainty about where these will crop up. to the east of the showers and storms, parts of east anglia,

somewhere might get to 36 degrees but we push these various frontal systems through the uk as we move on into saturday. behind that, we start to bring in some much, much fresh air. those temperatures really dropping away for the weekend, dropping away for the weekend, dropping by about 10 degrees in places. 25 in london on saturday compared with 35. some sunny spells and showers at times through the weekend and breezy as well. this is the business briefing. i'm ben bland. back from the brink: president trump and eu chiefjean claude juncker agree a deal to head off a trans—atlantic trade war. plus losing friends on wall street: facebook shares slump as much as 24% as revenue and user growth disappoint investors. and on the markets that deal on trade helping asian shares follow the us higher, taking a global stock market rally into its fourth day.