this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. three years after he was sent to prison for sexual assault, the american entertainer bill cosby has his conviction overturned. the former us defence secretary donald rumsfeld has died at the age 88. he was the architect of the us invasions of iraq and afghanistan. dozens of people die in canada in a heatwave seeing temperatures hit nearly 50 degrees celsius. get this on camera. you forgot your boots! in happier times, they played together, grew up together — can the royal brothers heal the rift between them?

hello and welcome. the american entertainer bill cosby has had his conviction for sexual assault overturned by the supreme court of pennsylvania. mr cosby, who's 83, has served more than two years of his sentence at a state prison near philadelphia. he had originally been found guilty of drugging and molesting a woman in 200a. but dozens of other women had also publicly accused him of sexual assault, but no further action was taken against him. michelle fleury reports. this is the moment bill cosby left prison a free man. he had served two years of a three to ten—year sentence. his fall from grace was sealed in 2018, after he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault for drugging and molesting

andrea constand in 200a. but in a stunning reversal, pennsylvania's highest court said the entertainer should never have been charged. in the split ruling, the judges wrote the trial shouldn't have gone ahead because of an immunity deal mr cosby had struck with a previous prosecutor. he can't be retried. hejust said his heart was racing, he couldn't believe it. he said they was ringing his cell. they was just knocking on the wall. and they said, "you're free, get up, get up!" and he was like, "what are these guys talking about?" gloria allred, who represented 30 of bill cosby�*s accusers, said... bill cosby became known as "america's dad" for his role as cliff huxtable in the 1980s hit sitcom the cosby show. his conviction was seen as proof that even when the accused is one of the most famous people in the world, the voices of the victims of sexual assault can be heard in the usjustice system.

now, he has a chance to restore his reputation. michelle joins michellejoins us michelle joins us now. michellejoins us now. he said he has a chance to restore his reputation. how might he do that? look, i think that will be huge challenge for him. as we were just saying, he was such a darling at one point in american popular culture, and he fell so far from grace, point in american popular culture, and he fell so farfrom grace, you have to assume the man who said he would rather serve ten years in prison then show remorse will try to rehabilitate and restore some of his reputation. on the flip side, of course, this was seen as one of the early and prominent cases for the #metoo movement. it will be interesting to see how, if at all, this has any ripple effect on that. and talking about that #metoo movement, where does that movement stand right now? i

movement, where does that movement stand right now?— stand right now? i think this was a case at a time _ stand right now? i think this was a case at a time which _ stand right now? i think this was a case at a time which was - stand right now? i think this was a case at a time which was one - stand right now? i think this was a case at a time which was one of. stand right now? i think this was a l case at a time which was one of the first where you saw a man in the position of power being held to account for accusations of sexual assault. others followed. there was, of course, the famous case of rv weinstein, the hollywood producer posted his conviction is also being challenged by his lawyers, who no doubt will be looking at this to see, "are there any lessons for them to learn that they can apply to mr weinstein's case?" it is not clear. there seems to be very specific things that relate to this and this immunity deal that mr cosby had, and i think some people are already saying this was a one—off, a specific, is procedural issue, if you like, and nothing more can be drawn from this. find you like, and nothing more can be drawn from this.— drawn from this. and will there be auestions drawn from this. and will there be questions in _ drawn from this. and will there be questions in pennsylvania - drawn from this. and will there be questions in pennsylvania about . drawn from this. and will there be i questions in pennsylvania about that state decision to carry on that

prosecution, which has now been overturned?— prosecution, which has now been overturned? overturned, and also there can be _ overturned? overturned, and also there can be no _ overturned? overturned, and also there can be no retrial. _ overturned? overturned, and also there can be no retrial. that - overturned? overturned, and also there can be no retrial. that is - there can be no retrial. that is banned. this ends the case against mr cosby for sub whether there are any future accusations that fall within the sort of statute of limitations remains another matter altogether, but this particular case is done. he cannot be tried again for this. is done. he cannot be tried again forthis. forthe is done. he cannot be tried again for this. for the prosecutors, this is a huge embarrassment. they invested so much in this, and i think lots of questions will be asked, how did this happen? how did things get this far before pennsylvania's highest court threw it out? ~ . , ., pennsylvania's highest court threw itout? m , ., it out? michelle fleury, thanks so much forjoining _ it out? michelle fleury, thanks so much forjoining us. _ and i'll be speaking to a defence lawyer later in the programme for his analysis of why the conviction has been overturned. on two other onto other news now. donald rumsfeld, one of the principal architects of the invasion of iraq in 2003,

has died at the age of 88. he served as secretary of defence under president george w bush, and his leading role in promoting the bush administration's so—called "war on terror" has been heavily criticised by many. our north america editor jon sopel has more. military band plays donald rumsfeld served four presidents over five decades. hawkish in outlook, and a waspish personality, he was a key architect of america's response to 9/11 — the invasion of afghanistan, and, most controversially, the invasion of iraq. a navy pilot in the 1950s, rumsfeld later became an illinois congressman. richard nixon and henry kissinger saw in him a cold ruthlessness and gave him a job in cabinet. a strong defence posture gives weight to our values and our views and international negotiations. in 1975 under gerald ford, he became the youngest ever defence secretary. ronald reagan sent him to the middle east, where he met saddam hussein, the leader he would one day help to overthrow.

i'm submitting the name of donald rumsfeld to be secretary of defence. nearly 20 years later, george w bush reappointed him defence secretary. within months, america came under attack. rumsfeld was in his pentagon office on september 11, 2001 when an airliner hit the building. he helped move the injured and then planned a way to strike back. rumsfeld believed the iraq war would be over quickly, but there was no plan for building a peace. a fierce insurrection followed that claimed thousands of lives. and the pretext for the invasion — saddam's weapons of mass destruction. but none were ever found. and rumsfeld struggled to explain why. there are no knowns. there are things we know that we know. there are no unknowns.

that is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know. but there are also unknown unknowns. there are things we do not know we don't know. in this so—called war on terror, he was prepared to push boundaries, including the treatment of suspected militants. but when these photographs of the brutalisation of iraqi prisoners appeared, there was a backlash. these events occurred on my watch. i am accountable for them and i take full responsibility. the scandal damaged him, and with his iraq strategy increasingly questioned, he resigned in 2006. donald rumsfeld was a neo—con, a man who believed american power could be used to spread democracy. he was never short of critics, but until the end he remained steadfast in his belief that he'd acted in america's best interests. donald rumsfeld, the former us

secretary of defence, who has died at the age of 88. let's take a look at the age of 88. let's take a look at some of the day's other news now. the uk's national health service has been told to prepare offering a boosterjab programme for the covid—19 vaccine — to provide protection this winter. government experts have advised that over 30 million of the country's most vulnerable people should receive a third boosterjab, including all adults aged 50 and over. president putin has said he's against compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus, but he urged people to get their jabs. russia has again recorded its worst daily figure for coronavirus—related deaths. 669 people died from the disease yesterday. the country is experiencing a surge in the number of infections, with the delta variant spreading fast. rebel forces in tigray in northern ethiopia are continuing to gain ground after seizing the regional capital mekelle from government troops. the ethiopian prime minister downplayed the city's capture, saying that government forces withdrew because it was no longer the conflict's centre of gravity

and there was nothing special about it. the clothing retailer gap has announced that it's closing all 81 of its stores in the uk and ireland by the end of september and will only trade online. the company has not said how many employees will be affected by the plans. the company said it is in talks to sell its stores in italy and france. president biden has warned that the western part of the united states is facing more danger from wildfires this year than ever before. the area is experiencing an extreme heatwave, which has led to record temperatures along the coast. yesterday, temperatures hit a new record, reaching 49.5 degrees in british columbia in canada. dozens have people have died as a result of the conditions. our science editor david shukman reports. a sign of trouble in a world that's getting hotter — an emergency cooling centre in a region that normally never needs one. the western united states and canada are experiencing heat they're just not used to.

i think it's incredibly important that we set up these spaces so people can come in, feel taken care of, feel safe, get cool and get some water and a bite to eat if they need it. you know, the hotels seem to be sold out as well because people are running away. they need to go somewhere cool with ac. it's just unbearable. it's impossible to be out. it's most dangerous for the homeless. helping them with shade and water is essential. in canada, which is famous for its cold, the heatwave has been blamed for more than 100 deaths. it's the elderly, who are less able to regulate their body temperature, who are most vulnerable. whether you have heart or breathing problems, | or even if you're an elderly person, sometimes you just don't cope - quite as well in the heat and sun. and the hotter it gets, the more wildfires are likely to start. this one was filmed in california a few days ago. president biden has warned that the rising temperatures bring all kinds of dangers.

the extreme heat we're seeing in the west is not only a risk amplifier for wildfires, it's a threat in and of itself. people are hurting. it's more dangerous for kids to play outside. roads are buckling under the heat, and again, i need not tell all of you. so, what's causing this heat? well, there's a vast dome of high pressure above western canada. it's like a lid in the atmosphere, trapping warm air and pushing it down where it gets even hotter. and the heat is held in place by the path of the jet stream, so temperatures have kept climbing. and this is really unusual. the dark red area is far warmer than average. and scientists say that it's human activity, the burning of fossilfuels, that's made this far more likely. our analysis of the temperatures that we're seeing in the western side of north america just wouldn't have been feasible in the natural course of events. we've analysed the climate that you would expect without emissions of greenhouse gases,

and you just don't see these sorts of extraordinary temperatures that we're seeing at the moment. the next big worry is farmland, and whether crops will survive the punishing temperatures. the heatwave won't last forever, but it is a reminder of what climate change can really mean. david shukman, bbc news. do stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: as the chinese communist party turns 100, we'll be taking a look at its history and how beijing plans to celebrate the milestone. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced

a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. cheering challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 3h years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is bbc news. our main story: three years after he was sent to prison for sexual assault, the american entertainer bill cosby has his conviction overturned.

let's stay with that story. in the last few minutes, we have had updates on this. joining me now from ny is defence attorney and former prosecutor randy zelin, who's a law professor at cornell law school. professor, thank you so much for joining us. why did the pensive ends up joining us. why did the pensive ends up in court overthrew the conviction?— up in court overthrew the conviction? �* , , ., conviction? because the state sureme conviction? because the state supreme court _ conviction? because the state supreme court recognised - conviction? because the state | supreme court recognised that conviction? because the state - supreme court recognised that once upon a time, bill cosby was promised by the district attorney that he would not be prosecuted criminally. that agreement was subsequently torn up, for lack of a better way of putting it, buy a new district attorney, who disregarded that agreement, and the court back and said, no, you cannot do that, that was a contract, like any other contract. that contract should've been enforced. mr cosby was promised he would not be prosecuted. therefore this prosecution is gone.

did this issue come up in the trial? the issue came up prior to the trial, it was determined for whatever the reason, a reason that quite friendly many of us in the defence part disagreed with, that, in fact, it was not enforceable, that it was a promise that would not be recognised and that the new district attorney had the power to say no, that there was never an agreement, it was not in writing, it was not a proper agreement and therefore i do not recognise it. and again the supreme court said, no, i do not think so, that's not the way we do justice. do not think so, that's not the way we dojustice. pare do not think so, that's not the way we do justice-— do not think so, that's not the way we do justice. we do 'ustice. are you surprised by what we do justice. are you surprised by what the sprinkler _ we do justice. are you surprised by what the sprinkler decided? -- - what the sprinkler decided? —— supreme court decided? i am what the sprinkler decided? -- supreme court decided? i am not the least bit surprised. _ supreme court decided? i am not the least bit surprised. from _ supreme court decided? i am not the least bit surprised. from a _ supreme court decided? i am not the least bit surprised. from a defence i least bit surprised. from a defence standpoint, i am least bit surprised. from a defence standpoint, iam heartened, because as a defence attorney, it is so important i be able to relate and that my client be able to rely the word of the prosecutor. if a

prosecutor offers me a plea bargain and we accepted, that is a contract, if a prosecutor tells me that my client will not be prosecuted, that is a contract. i need to be able to rely on it. and the citizens and the world needs to disregard the fact that it was bill cosby, or the believe that mr cosby is a monster oran believe that mr cosby is a monster or an animal cover that is irrelevant. that is... this decision is not only designed to protect bill cosby, it is designed to protect all of us, including the innocent. what of us, including the innocent. what kinds of questions _ of us, including the innocent. what kinds of questions will _ of us, including the innocent. what kinds of questions will be asked, then, of the prosecutors office? certainly, with regard to the prosecutor who made the decision perhaps politically motivated to go after mr cosby, certainly, that will be a dent in the legacy of the armour of that prosecutor, and it is certainly sending a message to all of the other prosecutors that if you

are going to make any agreement, you've got to live with it, and if you've got to live with it, and if you think it is going to be a problem, do not enter into the agreement. don't prosecuted case you do not think you can win at trial, do not think you can win at trial, do not think you can win at trial, do not count on the fact that in all likelihood the case whenever be taken to trial. if you make a promise, you've got to keep it. professor, for those in our audience who do not follow the american legal system, they want to know, is that is for bill cosby? he walks out free, completely exonerated, no more legal trouble? the free, completely exonerated, no more legaltrouble?— legal trouble? the answer is yes, unless there _ legal trouble? the answer is yes, unless there is _ legal trouble? the answer is yes, unless there is another _ legal trouble? the answer is yes, | unless there is another prosecutor in anotherjurisdiction who can find a criminal offence conduct or the statute of limitations has not ready expired, but as far as that case in pennsylvania, that case is done, over, period, full stop. professor randy zelin, _ over, period, full stop. professor randy zelin, thank _ over, period, full stop. professor randy zelin, thank you _ over, period, full stop. professor randy zelin, thank you very - over, period, full stop. professor. randy zelin, thank you very much.

let's just bring you some breaking news here in the uk. sussex police have in the past few minutes said that two men have been killed in aircraft crash near goodwood airfield — a few miles north of chichester. the pair, aged 65 and 58, died when their light plane came down near the airfield just after a.30pm this afternoon. sussex police has said that support is being provided to the dead men's families. in the coming hours, china's communist party will be marking its 100th anniversary. events will take place in tiananmen square and president xijinping is expected to give a keynote address. the party was founded in 1921 after radical ideologies like marxism gained traction among chinese intellectuals. it grew quickly, and by 1919, it defeated the kuomintang's nationalist government in a civil war, leading to the establishment of the people's republic of china. led by mao zedong. the ideology of china's communist party has since undergone many enormous, and sometimes drastic, changes. here's our china correspondent

stephen mcdonell in beijing. in the coming hours, the heart of beijing will see a series of events marking 100 years since the founding of the communist party of china. the precise nature of these events has been kept under wraps, but tiananmen square is expected to feature heavily as a location. there's already been a mega event at the olympic stadium, and footage of this nationalist spectacle has already been released in dribs and drabs, featuring a cast of thousands depicting key moments in history seen as victories for the party. it's not, though, for ordinary people to attend the event at the bird's nest stadium or the events of today. that's for loyal party members only. the idea is that, for them, at some point, they'll sit back and watch it all on television. if we look at the communist party's 100 years of history here, there have been achievements and utter disasters. so what won't be mentioned today? well, for example,

chairman mao's great leap forward, in which tens of millions of people are thought to have starved to death, or the chaos and persecution of the cultural revolution. however, after the death of mao, there was a shift in ideology here, and the more recent performance of the government in china can't be ignored. for vast swathes of the population in this country, their living standards have improved. in 2021, the challenge for the party, though, is answering these allegations that there have been significant human rights abuses in xinjiang and in hong kong. today, though, controversies like this won't be mentioned. rather, it's a time to draw attention to what are seen as the major accomplishments of the government here. stephen mcdonell in beijing. and over the next few hours, we'll have in—depth coverage of the various events in china

marking that 100th anniversary of the founding of the chinese communist party. do stay with us on bbc news. police in france say they have arrested a woman suspected of causing a huge crash during the tour de france bicycle race on saturday. this is what happened to the peloton of riders. dozens of them came down after a spectator allegedly stepped into their path, holding a large sign, which struck one of the leading bunch. as a result of the crash, one rider had to pull out of the tour and eight others needed treatment for their injuries. and that's a replay of the moment itself which led to the crash. on thursday, princes william and harry will come together to unveil a statue of their mother, the late diana, princess of wales, on what would have been her 60th birthday. it will be the first time the brothers have seen each other since the funeral of their grandfather, the duke of edinburgh. despite the appearance of unity, questions remain about the state of their relationship, as our royal correspondent

daniela relph reports. oh, my god. get this on camera. you forgot your boots! oh, my god. they'd been so close. it seemed an unbreakable bond. he is the one person on this earth who i can actually, really, you know, we can talk about anything and we both understand each other and we give each other support. we get along, you know, really well, harry and i, we are a very close family. there are disagreements, obviously, as all families do. and when there are, they are big disagreements. you know, we're stuck together for the rest of our lives, so... laughter their easy displays of fun and affection with their mother captivated the public. her love for her sons open and on show. tessy ojo has worked with william and harry on protecting diana's memory and sees a statue as an emotional and significant moment. i think this statue is another form of legacy, it is celebrating - everything that she stood - for for the 36 years that she lived.

it will capture the thoughts of her sons around her, - and i think that will be hugely... that will be so meaningful. they were brothers who'd shared a grief and a recovery, but the bonds of the past are now broken, with conflicts over meghan, staff, public life and future direction. our british royal family is not supposed to be a perfect family. if, somehow, out of this split comes some sort of reconciliation, that will presumably hold a lesson for all of us. the problem is that reconciliation is proving hard to reach. the unveiling of their mother's statue here tomorrow will publicly see a united front from william and harry, but, privately, sources say there is still deep upset and mistrust and that close connection, for now, has gone. for more than 45 years, arthur edwards has photographed royalty.

from behind the lens, he has seen it all. diana loved the camera, she always knew where i was. for him, there will be genuine sadness tomorrow. well, let's put it this way, daniela. if this unveiling doesn't break the ice between them, nothing will, i don't think. i mean, this is so important. they should perhaps shake hands orjust say something lovely to each other, that would be nice. but, you know, don't hold your breath. this afternoon, harry, back in the uk, was a surprise guest at a charity garden party with seriously ill children, just the type of event his mother would have supported. diana's influence on the modern royal family remains. tomorrow, could the unveiling of her statue help heal the relationship between her sons? daniela relph, bbc news, kensington palace.

and we will of course have full coverage of the unveiling of that statue here on bbc news stop due stay with us. —— here on bbc news. do stay with us. hello there. the first couple of days ofjuly look pretty similar to how we ended the month ofjune on, and that's with quite a lot of dry weather around with some sunshine. but there will be some showers around, too. generally isolated, but they will be quite heavy and slow moving where you catch them, as there will be very little wind to move them on. that's because we're in between weather systems, as you can see here, this weak area of high pressure building in. this is the area of low pressure which has brought a lot of grey, damp weather across eastern parts of the country throughout the week so far. it will still be close enough to bring further grey, damp, drizzly weather from east anglia up towards northumberland, but a much drierand brighter day, ithink, for the southeast of england. elsewhere, early cloud clearing to allow for some sunny spells,

but we could see a few isolated showers here and there. perhaps a bit of low cloud and mist lapping on to western england and west wales' coastline. and it will be warmer where you have the sunshine — low 20s celsius — but cooler along the east coast. so a better looking day for wimbledon for thursday and friday. more sunshine around. it'll feel warmer, but it does turn more unsettled as we head on into the weekend thanks to a new area of low pressure. through thursday night, any showers should tend to fade away. and again, we'll see variable amounts of cloud, a bit of mist and fog here and there and some clear spells. and for most of us, i think those temperatures holding in double figures, the odd single value there under clear skies and some of the glens in the north. so to end the week, again, a similar pressure pattern, but this area of low pressure is heading towards our shores just in time for the weekend. so for friday, then, there will be variable cloud to start with, a bit of mist too, but it looks like that will melt away. we should see some good spells of sunshine. the thinking is now we could see a few more showers around on friday, pretty much anywhere, but especially across central and southern scotland.

it will be heavy, and with light winds, they will be slow—moving as well. but top temperatures, again, 22—23 celsius. then into the weekend, low pressure takes over, it becomes more unsettled for all of us. and you can see it moving here from the southwest. could bring a spell of more prolonged rain across england and wales on saturday. further north could see some heavy, slow moving showers. into sunday, it looks like the whole of the uk will see a mixture of sunny spells and heavy, perhaps thundery showers. so temperature—wise, because there will be more cloud around and showers, not quite as warm as how we've ended the week — temperatures ranging from high teens to the low 20s.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the us celebrity bill cosby has been released from prison, after a court overturned his conviction for sexual assault. judges in pennsylvania's supreme court ruled the jury had heard tainted evidence. the former us secretary of defence, donald rumsfeld, has died at the age of 88. he was one of the architects of america's war on terror — and had a key role in the invasions of iraq and afghanistan in the early 2000s. officials in northwestern canada and the us are warning of the threat of wildfires, following several days of record—breaking high temperatures. the canadian province of british columbia reported 100 excess deaths thought to have been caused by the heat. the uk is planning to offer booster covid jabs ahead of the coming northern hemisphere winter. more than 30 million of the most vulnerable people could be given a third dose.