this is bbc news. i'm nkem ifejika. our top stories: the venezuelan government says there has been an attack during a parade. brazil's former president in jail for corruption is chosen by his party to make another run for the presidency. lebronjames gets the backing of the first lady hours after the us president makes insulting remarks about him. and more than 1000 firefighters tackle blazes in portugal and spain where temperatures hit 46 degrees and records hello and welcome to bbc news. we ta ke we take you straight to caracas

where president nicola smith euro is speaking, addressing his cabinet and military leaders. —— nicolas maduro. (speaks spanish). so that as president nicolas maduro addressing his cabinet in spanish. he wasjust saying, i wonder how the people can understand what is happening. president maduro has been speaking for about 20 minutes and has made extraordinary accusations. has

accused the colombian president why manuel santos of accusing an attack against him. he says it was taken out. also, right—wing sectors in the united states. he described how this accident happened and there were two drones loaded with explosives. 0ne of them approached him when he was at the end of his speech. he thought it was some pyrotechnics, something that might have gone wrong. and then there was the explosion. he says it was quite big. he remained calm and then, moments later, he heard another explosion on the other side close to where the military families were. the military parade celebrating the anniversary of the venezuelan army. soldiers ran away in despair. what president maduro

said on television was that some of the people responsible for the attacks have already been detained and they seized evidence. these are some very serious allegations, especially bringing the colombians into this. colombia has a centre—right government which is a difficult relations with venezuelan for a long time. president santos, his relations with venezuela were not as bad as they were in the time of president urribe but the him to make allegations of president sa ntos, make allegations of president santos, who is coming to the end, it's quite amazing. many of the people who have fled venezuelan have actually gone to columbia. they are

mainly refugees and many colombians there, they have accused the colombian mafia of acting against them. you can see images of people running away from the explosion. it is an amazing developments here. the president is speaking with all his ministers, the military ministers bear. saying he has the support of the military. he is saying already, people have been arrested. he has evidence. we are not going to say anything more now. it's clear this is the first known attempt on the life of the president that we know of. thank you very much. we are so desperate to get into that tape that

we didn't even introduce you. hasler iglesias is youth leader of the voluntad popular party or the people's will party and he is in caracas. i asked him what happened. today is the national guard in venezuela, they were making a ceremony in the main avenue of caracas. at the moment, we didn't know what was happening. we saw in the screens that maduro and the first lady being scared and the soldiers were running but there is no official information. these were being transmitted in the national channel and the transmission was stopped at that moment. after we listened to the information, saying what you have just explained, he is blaming the opposition that it's hard to believe the opposition at this moment is going to make an attempt when they have never made an attempt in this way in 20 years. when he says the opposition,

that would include people like you who have opposed the maduro presidency vehemently over the past few years. yes, yes. when he says opposition, everybody made an accusation, also, we can be aware that the situation is going to be used to persecute and imprison and the queues and repress more against us. all these days in these moments, there have been demonstrations in the streets. not big ones but very focused, small demonstrations of the people in the health system, people who don't have domestic gas or people who don't have food or water in their houses.

there have been a lot of mobilisation of people in small groups. yesterday, there were ten demonstrations in caracas. they have not repressed any of these demonstrations but once this has happened, they could use more violence against people. but given the circumstances, you could forgive president maduro for thinking that there are people who are trying to get rid of him and don't want him to be in power. the last year, in venezuela, there have been a lot of calls to the military to reorganise and defend the constitution, and that means getting rid of nicolas maduro.

nobody has called to assassin nobody in venezuela or kill nobody. we are making lots of efforts to generate democratic transition by peaceful ways in our country. we're never going to use violence, we never had to use weapons and we are not going to do it and we hope that the change we need in venezuela is going to be in a peaceful way, in a democratic way, not getting rid of a dictator to have another one. we need democratic relations being made in a country with an electoral committee that is fair and inside rules of the constitution. president maduro is still speaking. he has been speaking for more than

20 minutes. he says he hopes were some help from the trump administration. the united states columbia are seeking violence in venezuela. that is one of the things he has said. he says after this attack, he is more decided than ever to continue as president despite facing a lot of opposition in the last elections that were held, being seen as last elections that were held, being seen as illegitimate by some opposition members. he says initial investigations showed several financiers and planners of the attack, that they live in florida. he has also said right—wing elements within venezuela from colombia and from miami and the united states have all contributed to this attempted attack on his life. he is calling it an assassination attempt thatis calling it an assassination attempt that is the president speaking in

caracas, speaking to his cabinet and his military leaders after an incident at a military event celebrating the venezuelan military we re celebrating the venezuelan military were there were two explosions while he was watching, many of the soldiers scattered off. seven soldiers scattered off. seven soldiers are said to be in hospital and there has been some injury reported as well. not long after that, the president addressing his cabinet and that is what we are watching at the moment. as we get more details of what happened, we shall bring them to you here on bbc world news. the former brazilian president, luiz inacio lula da silva, has been nominated by the workers party to run in 0ctober‘s presidential elections. he's leading in opinion polls, but there's a bit of a snag: he's currently serving a jail sentence for corruption. the bbc‘s gail maclellan reports. some 2,000 members of

the workers party gathered in sao paulo and declared lula their presidential candidate, cheering as a message from the man was read out. "brazil needs to restore its democracy," he said. the former president is leading most opinion polls and is appealing his conviction for corruption but it is uncertain whether the electoral court will allow him to stand. he has denied taking bribes from a construction company and said his conviction was part of a right—wing plot to prevent him from returning to power. if he loses the appeal, his party will be able to nominate another candidate. meanwhile, the establishment heavyweight geraldo alckmin secured his nomination from the centre—right psdb in coalition with a number of influential conservative parties. they object to all that lula and his workers party

accusing him of corruption and nepotism. 0fficial campaigning starts in two weeks' time. gail maclellan, bbc news. the first lady of the united states, melania trump, has come out in support of basketball star lebronjames, just a day after president trump questioned the nba player's intelligence on twitter. during an interview about his latest project, opening a school for at—risk children, lebron james criticised the president calling him divisive. chris buckler reports from washington. 0n on cnn, he accused the president of using sport to split the us apart and it is not the first time he has spoken out against donald trump. and it is not the first time he has spoken out against donald trump.|j have this platform to let one

individual, no matter the power, no matter the impact that he or she should have, ever use sport as a platform to divide us. in an angry tweed, donald trump fired back at both the basketball star and the news it is farfrom it is far from the first time an athlete or cnn have angered the american president. earlier this year, donald trump cancelled a traditional visit to the white house by the super bowl winners after most of the philadelphia eagles players said they didn't want to go. and after some american football players neeld during the national anthem to

protest against police brutality against african—americans, he demanded they were fine. but lebron james has a surprising ally, donald trump's own wife. a statement said oppressed. 0n the next generation. he hasjust opened oppressed. 0n the next generation. he has just opened a oppressed. 0n the next generation. he hasjust opened a new oppressed. 0n the next generation. he has just opened a new school for at risk students in his hometown in 0hio. at risk students in his hometown in ohio. it at risk students in his hometown in 0hio. it offers a range of extra support for children from low—income families. she was opened to the idea of going to visit it. that is a sign of going to visit it. that is a sign of support for lebron james, of going to visit it. that is a sign of support for lebronjames, even if as he feuds with her husband. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: what appears to have happened to a

studio in beijing owned by dissident artist ai weiwei. the question was whether we want to save our people, and japanese as well, and win the war and taking a chance to win the war by killing our young men. the invasion began at 2am. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly caught by surprise. we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old and still full of vigor, vitality and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that she's achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether

the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the venezuelan government says there has been an unsuccessful attack on president nicolas maduro by drone. the president said he was unhurt. in the past few minutes he has been broadcasting to the nation saying that he was well and that neighbouring colombian president was responsible for the attack. there has been no response from columbia. soaring temperatures in portugal and southern spain have led to a series of major wildfires. more than 1,000 firefighters are trying to bring the flames under control. temperatures reached 46 degrees celsius in some areas. sima kotecha reports from cordoba in spain.

there's hot and then there's really hot and it is, across the iberian peninsula. in southern portugal, the intensity of the heat led to wildfires. more than 1,000 firefighters tackled the blaze in a popular tourist destination. here in cordoba in southern spain, by mid—morning, temperatures had already reached 30 degrees celsius and then it got hotter. we arrived here yesterday afternoon when it was about 43 degrees. peter stayed in the hotel. i said, "i'm going out for a walk", and i came back pretty quickly. as this torrid weather continues, the government is frequently reminding people here how to stay cool and doctors have told us they are particularly concerned about those who are visiting from colder climates. it is so much warmer here, so much warmer but we have come to see cordoba and that is what we will do. i didn't listen to the health warnings. ijust wasn't going to cook my head. there's no sign of this extreme heat subsiding soon.

forecasters say it is expected to be like this for at least a few days yet but determination often prevails and for some, no heatwave is going to get in the way of having a good time. sima kotecha, bbc news, cordoba. the dissident chinese artist ai weiwei says the authorities in beijing have demolished his studio there. in a series of clips on instagram showing the former factory being torn down, ai claims he was given no notice of the decision. the 66—year—old has lived in germany since leaving china in 2015. he is a strong critic of china's government. lebo diseko reports as the walls of his studio were torn down, ai weiwei said farewell. a post on social media explaining the space he had created and kept some of his most iconic work was being destroyed. workers boxed up what they could but itjust wasn't possible to move

everything before the demolition started. they had known they had to leave by the 15th of this month, the lease had come to an end. but they didn't expect was the wrecking the machines. translation: someone called me and said we must move out of the building within three days. in only three days, of course i don't have the ability to move everything out in three days. 0utside, remnants of works left where it had been standing in the place mr ai had used for 12 years. it's not the first time this has happened. another one of his studios in shanghai was destroyed in 2011. that time, too, he claimed he had no warning. mr ai had been a favourite of the chinese government but has since become an outspoken critic and some would say has paid the price. in 2011, he was detained for 81 days on charges he says were

politically motivated. he has since moved to berlin. it is not clear at the destruction was directly targeting mr ai. authorities have been clearing large parts of beijing for redevelopment and demolitions have been taking place in this complex for the past three months but given relations between the man who may be china's most famous artist and the authorities, many will be asking why this studio and why now. lebo diseko, bbc news. protest in several iranian cities despite riot police presence. 0ne protester was shot dead and at least 20 detained according to one news agency. any bowler virus is thought

to have killed 30 people in the congo. it included a refugee camp which makes the outbreak hard to contain. pesticides lead to the declining population of bees. the insecticide used to fight off pests will now be allowed in some protected areas. it has been anger about the decision. the populations in america are apparently declining the several species. donald campbell's bluebird has taken to the water — for the first time in more than 50 years. the restored hydroplane, which crashed in 1967 killing its famous pilot, was launched in front of cheering crowds on the isle of bute. 0ur correspondent, catriona renton was there. the final checks, after 17 years of painstaking restoration, as bluebird prepares to get back in the water. tense moments, but also exciting.

just to be able to touch it is amazing, but to actually be able to be privileged enough to actually get in it and mash it, that is pretty good. bluebird was salvaged from coniston water in the lake district in 2001. around 90% of her body work has been restored from the original. this is notjust a technical feat for those involved, but a personal one. emily's father has been working on this all her life. this boat has changed his life and made him so proud of his friends and his team and this has really changed our family, and i'm really proud of him. one, two, three. today was the culmination of all that work, a labour of love. bluebird was finally ready to launch — almost. take it back out! but there was a need for some assistance. one last push and she was off. yay. cheering. it's more than 51 years since bluebird was last on the water, and here she is, fully restored, back where she belongs.

donald campbell's daughter clutched her father's mascot, that was also rescued from the wreckage. i mean, the lump in my throat and electric shocks travelling through my spine are just something almost indescribable. as you say, we've waited a long, long time but everything good is worth waiting for. today was about seeing that bluebird is watertight and checking her buoyancy. tomorrow, it is likely people on the island will hear her as herjet engine is set to be put to the test. at the moment, she is not moving quite so fast. it is hoped she will return next year when she can run at speed. 11 boys saved from a cave have completed the retreat. heads shaved

and draped in orange ropes, the wild boars now famous, entered as a football tea m boars now famous, entered as a football team and the part as a squad of spiritual and lightened. they have been ordained as a novice monks and, during their short stay, they reflected on their recent ordeal through free and meditation. pa rt ordeal through free and meditation. part of a tradition for males to survive adversity. under the care of temple monks, this has been an opportunity to retreat from the sometime frenzied international attention. the past 11 days have been important for honouring those responsible for the rescue, especially if the former navy seal who died during the rescue. nine is a lucky number here in thailand and this period has a very different to the nine days these children and their coach spent trapped in

darkness that was until two british divers found them. another nine days to co m plete divers found them. another nine days to complete the risky operation to get them out. this temple stay is the latest in spiritual rights and activities the boys have taken part in. they have been blessed in traditional ceremonies and the process of religious cleansing took place at the mouth of the cave. thailand is a deeply spiritual country. the extraordinary escape of the steam has captivated the population deeply and many hope this process will bring an end to their suffering and allow them to embark on new beginnings. those are the latest stories on bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ nkem ifejikia. thank you for watching, bye—bye. hello.

if you had the sunshine on saturday, there is more to come on sunday. like saturday, though, there will be more cloud once again across northern ireland and scotland and, at times, that could bring some showery rain, but for most, it is mainly dry and there will be a good deal of sunshine, as this area of high pressure continues to develop from the south—west. clear skies overnight for much of england and wales, will give way to sunshine by day. always more cloud though for scotland and northern ireland, with this front to the north—west actually bringing some more rain later in the day — more on that in a moment. could just be some patchy rain fopr a time across the western side of scotland. the best of any breaks in the cloud the further east you are. some brighter sunny spells for northern ireland, even though there is a lot of cloud. but the lion's share of sunshine once again across england and wales. some fairweather cloud developing through the day. highs of 15 to 19 celsius for scotland. 21 for northern ireland. mid to high 20s celsius for much of england and wales, and getting close to 30 celsius for east anglia and south—east england.

for many, it is a fine evening to come on sunday, with late spells of sunshine and clear skies overnight. but further north and west, i'm sure you can see, the cloud increasing, outbreaks of rain coming into scotland, northern ireland and slowly sinking its way south and eastwards. temperatures a little higher than they will have been on sunday night. 13 to 17 celsius the overnight low on monday morning. so this is how we start the new working week, holding on to high pressure. the heat and the sunshine across much of england and wales. further north and west that front really starting to make inroads, increasing the cloud and bringing further rain through monday morning across northern ireland and into scotland. behind that, you can see there is some fresher air trying to sink its way south—eastwards. but it is going to take its time to get across to much of england and wales, probably not until wednesday or thursday that we start to see a noticeable dip in temperature. for monday morning in a little bit more detail — further cloud and rain for northern ireland and scotland. some of that rain just perhaps getting into the far north of england through monday morning. but elsewhere, further south, it's going to stay dry and again, there will be plenty of sunshine.

in fact, temperatures even higher again on monday, parts of east anglia and south—east england exceeding 30 celsius. notice the contrast as you head further north and west, the high teens to early 20 celsius so quite some contrast. that theme continues really for scotla nd, northern ireland, and the far north of england. it will be cooler here. there will be some showery rain at times through tuesday and wednesday but many places largely dry, particularly across northern england. head further south and east and, yes, they are hanging on to the sunshine but slowly you will start to see these temperatures starting to drop away. it stays dry but it will be turning cooler. bye— bye. this is bbc news. these are the headlines: the venezuelan govenment says explosive drones were flown towards a military event attended by president maduro. shortly afterwards, the president broadcast to the nation that he was well, and that neighbouring colombia's president was behind the attack. there has been no reponse so far from bogota. the former brazilian president, luiz lula da silva, has been

nominated by his party to run in 0ctober‘s presidential elections, despite serving a jail sentence for corruption. he's currently leading most opinion polls in brazil, but it's uncertain whether the electoral court will allow him to stand. and the us first lady, melania trump, has come out in support of basketball star lebronjames — a day after the president questioned the nba player's intelligence on twitter. james had criticised mr trump, calling him "divisive". melania trump issued a statement saying he is doing good things for our next generation.