the uk has its hottest day of the year so far — with forecasts of the all—time high being broken tomorrow. trying to keep cool, but nurses are reported to be struggling in overheated hospitals. warnings to the elderly and vulnerable continue — the nhs says there's extra pressure on services. we're seeing a lot more patients coming in the front door. people who have got problems with their chest, in this hot weather, problems breathing. and we're also seeing people coming in that haven't had enough to drink. for many it's been travel misery — with delays of over six hours in the channel tunnel because of the ‘unprecedented heat‘. with predictions that the current heatwave could be the norm in 20 years' time, we'll be looking at how the uk will have to adapt. also tonight: how children with epilepsy have helped bring about a government u—turn — medicinal cannabis products will now be legal. a tearful reunion, but many mexican families still remain separated by president trump's hardline immigration policy i said, "i am the pilot!"

and they didn't believe me and they actually went in the aeroplane and searched it! and remembering mary ellis — the oldest surviving female second world war pilot — who's died at the age of 101. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: he's getting closer to the dream — geraint thomas protects his lead in the tour de france, ahead of the toughest test of all. good evening. the uk has experienced its hottest day of the year so far

with 35.1 degrees celsius recorded in surrey and predictions that the record of 38.5 could be broken tomorrow. the continuing extreme heat is causing problems. in the nhs with the warnings the service is facing problems similar to the winter. and the channel tunnel faced problems. wally is suffering. at 86, the heat has made his lung condition worse. he was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home. i fell, fell backwards into a radiator. took a chunk out. he's now making sure he drinks plenty of water during the heat wave. second time it's happened. and so is don, on the other side of the ward. he came in dehydrated with a kidney problem. i go into the hallway. and the next thing i knew, i'm on the deck. what, you just passed out?

yeah. that's scary. it is. here in milton keynes, the heat has led to an increase in admissions including sunburn and sunstroke. we've got more patients needing more treatment and in fact that this time of the year we've got nearly all of our beds, our winter pressure beds already open, and that is a real concern for us. so you're operating at winter levels at the end ofjuly? absolutely, yes. they have put emergency air con on the ward. next to the ambulances today — an ice cream van. but elsewhere in the uk, medical staff have not been so lucky. we had a nurse who had to be hospitalised after doing a long shift in an a&e environment. jane

filmed her father shift in an a&e environment. jane filmed herfatherjohn in london where she said he was suffering on a hot ward. there is an air conditioning unit last tuesday that has not emerged. it is sweltering. the hospital said it was doing everything possible to keep patients cool everything possible to keep patients cool. when air conditioning problems meant some carriages couldn't be use eurotunnel faced five hour delays. it isa eurotunnel faced five hour delays. it is a joke, two and a half hours queueing to the check in, sat on the the motorway in 34 degrees. fire hydra nts the motorway in 34 degrees. fire hydrants were opened to cool people down. children are having fun. it is like a carnival, but with less fun and more waiting. they have brought in extra water for festival goers at womad in wiltshire and some places are set for rain. if you're not

travelling or working, and healthy there is fun to be had in the sun. so given the ongoing heatwave and the predictions of more extremes of temperature in the future — how can we adapt our homes, and ensure we have an adequate supply of fresh water? here's our science editor david shukman. punishing temperatures on city streets — a thermal camera filmed these scenes. yellow means hot, with the pavements giving off heat. but look at the cooling effect of a water fountain and how the shade of a tree can make a huge difference of nearly 10 degrees. this new assisted—living centre in eastern london is designed to protect elderly people from the heat. i went to see one of flats. inside, they're designed to be cool. jill and morris matthews explained that they have windows on both sides of the building so, a breeze can flow through. i do feel the heat and therefore for me this is brilliant, because where i was before i was just lying there dripping!

with temperatures set to rise in future, experts want all buildings designed to offer more shade like this one, to cope with summer heat. and they're calling for new rules to back that up. it is serious, there is increasing evidence that it's a problem and obviously with climate change it is only going to become more and more likely to happen more and more often. the heat brings a range of different challenges. here, a playground where no one's playing. this is newmarket in suffolk. it is the middle of the afternoon and you'd expect a place like this to be packed, now that it's the school holidays, but it's just too hot. there's only one family here just sitting in the shade. that's why so many people are warning that the country needs to get ready for a future in which it's very likely there will be a lot more heatwaves. the view from our drone — brown when you'd think it would be green. this is the driest part

of the country and people here take water seriously. in this back garden, a rain water storage tank is being fitted. when it's full, it will keep the toilets going. the jones family watch the work. they're part of a pilot scheme to use water more efficiently and raise awareness. the local provider, anglian water, has constructed huge underground reservoirs. they're now filled with water. getting so little rain in this region means the company are already doing what mps are calling for — getting ready for climate change. we are becoming more and more aware of water being a precious resource and i think that you know all water companies have to do their planning for the future and possibly you know scenarios like thisjust bring to the forefront what is necessary to keep taps the running across the country. a reservoir in north—west england. mps are warning that scenes like this and heatwaves could become more common and without serious planning lives could be at risk. david shukman, bbc news.

specialist doctors in the uk will be able to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis from the autumn, following a review by the home office. ministers decided to relax the rules after a series of high—profile cases of children with severe epilepsy being denied access to cannabis oil. others forms of cannabis will remain illegal. here's our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. t] is 14 and has a rare form of epilepsy. he used to have up to 100 seizures a day, but since he went on a trial of a cannabis oil medicine, he's been seizure—free. he's just full of life and he lights up the room. having seen him go for years and years suffering, going for treatment, endless visits to hospitals. now he's alive. the epilepsy medicine tj takes was developed by a british company at this cannabis research facility in kent.

it also has a licence drug for multiple sclerosis. no doubt then that cannabis medicines can work. but a series of sick children like alfie dingley were denied access to cannabis medicines, because the drugs, produced overseas, has not undergone rigorous clinical trials. he ended up in hospital, having multiple seizures, until his mum was granted a special licence to import the drug. now, parent power has persuaded the home office to reschedule cannabis products to make it easier for specialists here to prescribe them. just impossible not to be moved by what they had to go through, they had to climb mountains on behalf of their children. now, we found licences and solutions for them within the existing law. but the home secretary and i came out of those experiences feeling these rules feel very out of date.

alfie is now doing well, his mum said the rule—change will help other families with sick children. this announcement today gives every person in that situation hope that they can try this medication and that itjust might work. i've always been clear that it doesn't always work for everyone, but when it works, it works like a miracle. the government is adamant that this will not lead to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use. cannabis remains an illegal class b drug. so the production, possession and dealing of cannabis are still criminal offences. anyone trying to grow this lot at home would risk a jail term. there are more than 100 active compounds in the cannabis plant. this change in the rules should make it easier for researchers to investigate their potential benefits, as well as harms. fergus walsh, bbc news. the former pakistan cricket captain imran khan

has claimed victory in the country's general election. his political party has won the most seats and he's set to become prime minister. but his opponents claim there was widespread vote—rigging and interference from the armed forces. 0ur pakistan correspondent, secunder kermani, is live in islamabad for us, secunder? we're still waiting for the final results, but it has been clear that imran khan will be prime minister. he has been a divisive figure, but the tone of his speech has won his praise, even from his critics and his supporters have been celebrating. crowds gathered outside imran khan's home on the outskirts of islamabad, hoping for a glimpse of the man set to become pakistan's new prime minister. he can bring real reforms and we think that he's the only one who can take pakistan forward in the right direction.

from inside his home, imran khan addressed the nation. pakistanis across the country watched him promise to create a fairer, more equal society. translation: we will run pakistan in a way it has never been run before. we will provide the kind of governance it has never had. khan first became a star as an international cricketer. in britain he was known for his good looks and playboy lifestyle. in 1995 he married — and later divorced — british socialitejemima goldsmith. he developed a keen interest in charitable causes, one he shared with his friend, princess diana. after entering politics 22 years ago, he initially struggled but in recent years his anti—corruption message has energised young voters. he has, however, faced accusations that pakistan's powerful military has been working behind the scenes

to bring him into power. his political rivals have rejected the results of the vote. we are all united tomorrow in islamabad and we will give our strategy to the people of the country from a united political front, and will spell out our concerns over these historic rigged elections in pakistan. khan's party, though, dismissed those claims. for his supporters, imran khan represents a break with the old form of politics, one that was dominated by a few influentialfamilies. imran khan's promised to create a new pakistan, but as prime minister he will face real challenges. chief amongst them will be reaching out to those who didn't vote for him, as well as continuing questions about the fairness of this election. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. the eu has cast further doubt on the prime minister's plans for

trading arrangements after brexit. ben wright is in westminster. michel barnier seems to have kicked away a corner stone of the government's brexit plan. the government thinks it has moved a long way on the way the eu and the uk will trade after brexit and the uk has proposed a complex idea involving the uk collecting tariffs on the eu's behalf. today michel barnier said that was unworkable. he said the eu could never delegate eu customs policy in that way. so a big disagreement remains with not much time left. negotiations continues bs but on the question of customs it

shows how theresa may is trapped between the eu demanding the uk changes its position and many of her mps saying she can't budge an inch thank you. a government minister in greece has said there are "serious indications" that wildfires near athens earlier this week were started deliberately. over 80 people died and many more are still missing after the fires which started near athens on monday. mark lowen reports. searching for the trace of a life. at the place where 26 bodies were found after the fire, some hugging each other, rescue workers think they spot something else. it is so charred that they call police to make out if its human remains. could this field of devastation yield even more fatalities? for the family who lived here, the nightmare endures. the first group running down... jason fragos says 30 people ran through here, escaping into the sea as the flames closed in.

they didn't see the group of 26 behind. our house, it was our heavenly place, and that we had all our childhood memories, both mine, my mother's and even my grandmother's. inside our property, inside that house, 26 people were dead, were actually burned alive. i couldn't walk, i couldn't breathe. his neighbour, alexandra, heard the screams from the sea and shouted back, "where are you?" to no avail. as they fled, a piece of burning wood hit her husband's eye. the rescuers are determined and resilient. until our last drop of strength, we will be here looking for everything. you can't stop thinking that it might be your children, it might be your child, it might be your husband, it might be your mother. pain is turning to rage — the defence minister tells survivors he doesn't believe they waited for hours to be rescued,

and he blames illegal building for the fact houses were destroyed. they have occupied the coast without rules. after this tragedy, i think it's the moment to understand in themselves that it is dangerous for them and for their families to don't follow the rules and the laws. this traumatised country takes solace in community, donating supplies to those who've lost everything. greeks come together at a time of crisis, and this is no exception — people give whatever they can. and with many feeling that the state has come up short, they turn to each other for solidarity. the rain they craved came lightly today, but not enough to quench the anger or heal the wounds. mark lowen, bbc news, mati. the us government

is struggling to meet a deadline of today for the reunification of families separated at the southern us border by donald trump's controversial zero—tolerance policy aimed at discouraging illegal immigration. under that policy, more than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents and detained. 879 parents have since been reunited with their children. but more than 450 immigrant parents who were separated from their children have already left the country, although it is unclear whether that was voluntary or not. our correspondent aleem maqbool has been talking to some of the migrant familes on the us—mexico border. yessica has had to wait in what has been the worst time of her life. earlier this year, us immigration officials took away her six—year—old son, not telling her where they were sending him, even joking, she says, that they were giving him up for adoption. the last time we saw her, yessica had been desperately

trying to find out anything she could about her son's whereabouts. finally, weeks later, the agony is over. "i'm the happiest woman in the world," she says, "having this little one with me." and across the us, there has been a flurry of reunions with immigrant parents and their children after a court gave the trump administration a deadline. but this is certainly not the happy ending for many migrants. the us has already deported hundreds of parents without their children, and we know it currently views many more to be ineligible for reunification, and we ourselves have just spoken on the phone with a mother inside this detention facility who was one of many immigrant parents who are still waiting to hear as to when they'll see their child again. maritza came from honduras with her 11—year—old daughter, from whom she was separated. she's seen no sign

they will be reunited. translation: in here, you feel forgotten because you are locked in four walls. we spend our days waiting for good news, but nothing comes. iam not a bad person. my only mistake is coming here illegally. for maritza, coming across the border in the window during which donald trump suddenly decided to implement a much tougher stance has been a disaster. but others celebrated that change, including many whosejob it is to catch illegal immigrants. the idea of adding a consequence to an unlawful act paid dividends. even if it meant separating families? if you are shopping with your child at a walmart and you're shoplifting, you get arrested. is that child going to go with you to countyjail? no, they will be separated, because you as an individual who violated the law need to be prosecuted.

but as a result of coming here in many cases for the future of their children, some parents have paid the very high price of being deported without them. lawyers have been shocked by government tactics used to get parents to sign away the right to reunification. deportation officers are going into barracks and cafeterias, and some people truly feel they are being forced to sign this without the presence of an attorney, and now they are not ever going to have a chance to reunify with her child. this is changing the course of a child and a parent's life forever. in what has been a chaotic process, it's clear that yessica realises how lucky she is to be back with her son. if i could do it all again, she says, i would never have come over with him — it's the worst thing that can happen to a mother, to be separated from their child. she now hopes for a better future for them both in the us, where her immigration cases being considered, but hundreds of parents who wanted

the same thing for their families are still living through agony. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in el paso, texas. hundreds of people are still believed to be missing after the collapse of a dam in a remote part of laos. at least 27 people died after monday's disaster at the dam, but the secretive nature of the country's communist regime means it's hard to estimate the final toll. our correspondent nick beake is the first western correspondent to gain access to the area and has sent this report. bruised, bewildered and with no idea if their parents are still alive. the stories from the hospital nearest the collapsed dam tell you all you need to know about the ferocity of the flood it unleashed. this couple quietly explain how their one—year—old daughter was swept away. translation: i put my daughter and my wife on a boat. i tried to hold it, but the water was very strong, and the boat flipped over, and my daughter fell into the water.

it all happened right before my eyes. it's feared as many as 3000 people are still stranded in this part of southern laos, their rooftops now islands in a murky sea of despair. the authorities are reluctant for the world to see this and so have banned foreign journalists, but we managed to press on undetected and find more survivors. well, we've just found a shelter where hundreds of people are now gathered. they want food, water, blankets — medicine if they need it. talking to people here, they all tell you same story — they had very little time to escape, their homes have been destroyed by the flood water, and this now is the reality of their life. this evening, on the border with thailand, new teams are arriving to help survivors and to retrieve the dead.

harnessing the power of water was supposed to turbo—charge the country's economy, but this disaster has plunged laos into a humanitarian crisis, and there are concerns the regime will keep the true human cost shrouded in secrecy. nick beake, bbc news, southern laos. the bbc has agreed to pay £850,000 towards sir cliff's legal fees, after it broadcast a police search of his home. this afternoon, a judge denied the corporation the right to appeal a privacy ruling against it. our special correspondent lucy manning is here. what does this mean for the bbc? well, today we are starting to get an understanding of the size of the bill the bbc is facing for losing that case against sir cliff richard

last week. it stands at eu million, including £850,000 last week. it stands at £1.1 million, including £850,000 going towards his legal fees. million, including £850,000 going towards his legalfees. that million, including £850,000 going towards his legal fees. that will increase as well. and today the bbc tried and failed to get permission to appeal the judgment. the judge, tried and failed to get permission to appealthejudgment. thejudge, i have to say, was fairly dismissive of the bbc‘s arguments, he said some of the bbc‘s arguments, he said some of them were irrelevant, wrong and meaningless. the bbc has to decide now whether it will go straight to the court of appeal, or tried to go to the court of appeal. the bbc says it doesn't want to make this case any longer, to draw it out any longer, but it believes there is an important issue of press freedom, and that because the bbc and other newspapers think this judgment makes it difficult for them to properly report on police investigations, and thatis report on police investigations, and that is why they may challenge it. but for the bbc, the decision is, are they going to try and risk potentially more licence fee payers money to appeal this. lucy, thank you. let's ta ke

let's take a look at some of today's other news stories. police have released pictures from moments before a speedboat accident in which a woman died. jack shepherd was found guilty in his absence of killing charlotte brown on their first date. the vessel had a number of defects. he is now on the run after skipping bail. child protection measures in scottish football and not fit for purpose, according to an inquiry into the abuse of youngsters in the sport. the head of the scottish football association has apologised unreservedly but said scottish football is now a safe environment for children. tributes have been paid to any suitor, and up and coming snowboarder, after she died on her 18th birthday. yesterday she won a medal at the youth olympic festival. no details have been released about her death. all this week we've been hearing

from people directly affected by what's been called the biggest scandal in nhs history. thousands of patients in the 1970s and ‘80s were given blood products from abroad, some of which were contaminated with viruses like hiv and hepatitis c. so far, almost 3,000 people have died. now, a public inquiry has started to find out how that was allowed to happen. tonight, matt merry from south london tells us how he was infected with hiv and hepatitis c atjust eight years old. it was a massive gamble, giving us the factor viii. and that's like playing russian roulette with one empty chamber. and that's just absolutely shocking. my name is matthew merry, i'm a severe haemophiliac. that means my blood doesn't clot properly. you can't do stuff that normal kids do, you can't play games, you can't play rugby or football in case of bleeds into yourjoints or limbs. factor viii is a replacement protein

that's injected into the veins. i've been receiving factor viii injections since the late 1970s, and there was no warnings given about whether there might be any risks attached to this or anything. when my mum told me, i don't think it really went in. i remember that night crying myself to sleep, because i knew hiv leads to aids and leads to death. and at the time, it was a death sentence. i failed my a—levels, i was just really turning up and going out with friends and smoking cannabis and going to raves and reallyjust trying to squeeze as much enjoyment out of life as possible before i died. when i was thinking about my future, i thought that if i did survive, then i knew there would be no chance of having children,

and that upset me, because i think i always wanted to have kids, and i knew it would be difficult to find someone to be able to trust, to have a girlfriend, to get married and just lead a normal life. it's a very sort of poignant year for me next year, because my children will be... well, one of them will be the same age i was when i was infected. and to actually sort of see how young he is — and that was me. i wasn't infected as a middle—aged man, i was infected as an eight—year—old boy, and that makes me so angry, thinking back about what was done to me, and how we were forgotten and basically told to go away and die.

what i want the inquiry to do for me is provide accountability. i want to know who knew hiv and hepatitis c was coming into the country, when it was coming into the country, and what they did and specifically what they didn't do about it. i'm very positive about my future. i think i have come from a very dark place in my teens and very early 20s and sort of turned that around. so, yeah, i've got everything to look forward to now. matt merry there, and you can read much more about his story, just head to the bbc website.