this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. cuba sees the biggest demonstrations against the communist government in decades. president biden says the protests are a �*clarion call for freedom'. in south africa, shops have been looted and buildings set on fire in the fourth day of unrest. the violence comes after former presidentjacob zuma turned himself in, accused of contempt of court. wildfires are raging across the western us, as the latest heatwave dries out forests, and millions struggle with soaring temperatures. the best way to describe it, which is actually the way my friend described it, is that moment when you open the oven and that gust of heat hits you in the face. and to the victors go the spoils.

italy's football team returns home to a hero's welcome after a dramatic win over england in the european championship. hello and welcome. i'm shaun ley. the cuban opposition says that dozens of activists have been arrested since sunday, when thousands of people joined the biggest protests in decades against the island's communist government. many were detained at the demonstrations, which called for democracy and criticised the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. cuba's president has blamed the united states for the unrest and said its embargo of cuba was aimed at encouraging dissent and social unrest. our north america editor jon sopel has more. libertad!

"libertad", the crowd in havana shouts, orfreedom. but while many cubans feel this in their hearts, it's extremely rare for protesters to take to the streets to give vent to their anger in this one—party communist state. translation: we are here because of i the repression against the people. . they are starving us to death. havana is collapsing. we have no house, nothing, but they have the money to build hotels and they have us starving. and shouting "down with the dictatorship," as many of the protesters did, can come with a heavy price. but a toxic cocktail of economic collapse, a faltering response to the pandemic and lack of civil liberties has emboldened these people. and the response of the president? "blame your over—mighty neighbourjust 90 miles "to the north, the united states." translation: there will be - a revolutionary response, so we call upon all the revolutionaries in the country, all the communists,

to take to the streets of any of the places where these provocations are going to take place. for decades, cuba was a flashpoint in the cold war between the us and the soviet union. archive report: the familiar - communist brainwashing technique is displayed in propaganda books constantly spewed out _ as required reading. nearly sparking a nuclear confrontation between the superpowers. in this period, hundreds of thousands of cubans fled to the us and to miami. and it was no surprise that last night the exiled community was out in force to support their countrymen, support that's come from the american president, too. i don't think we've seen anything like this protest in a long, long time, if, quite frankly, ever. the united states stands firmly with the people of cuba as they assert their universal rights, and we call on the government of cuba to refrain from violence, and their attempts to silence the voice of the people of cuba.

this is being watched incredibly closely by the white house. sanctions that were intensified in the trump era have not been relaxed byjoe biden. what needs to be weighed is whether this is just a spasmodic outburst or the start of a cuban spring and something much more fundamental. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. south africa has deployed its military to two of the country's provinces, following deadly riots that erupted after former president jacob zuma handed himself in to begin a is—month jail sentence. mr zuma was convicted of contempt of court, afterfailing to attend an inquiry into corruption during his presidency. the bbc�*s southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko has the latest. south african police were clearly overwhelmed. they had their hands full, trying to stop mobs who

started looting shopping centres. nothing was spared. every shop was looted here. the military was then deployed. with more on the ground, the government hopes the protests and looting will come to an end. the jailing of south africa's former president, jacob zuma, resulted in violent protest action, followed by looting incidents in two provinces — mr zuma's home province of kwazulu—natal and gauteng, the country's economic hub. more than 200 people have been arrested. police are investigating the deaths of six others. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, addressed the nation. he said criminal activity would not be tolerated. i have today authorised the deployment of the defence force

personnel in support of the operations of the south african police service. the nationaljoint operation and intelligence structure known as natjoints has intensified deployments in all the affected areas in kwazulu—natal and in gauteng. beyond the looting of businesses, which has a negative impact on the economy, the violent protests have now caused a delay in the vaccination roll—out for covid—i9. centres are closed, citing security concerns. it remains unclear when they'll open, as protesters vow to continue their protest action untiljacob zuma is released from prison. nomsa maseko, bbc news, pietermaritzburg.

let's bring you some breaking news. at least 35 people have been killed in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the iraqi city of nassiriya. a spokesman from the health ministry said the victims died of burns at the al—hussain hospital. health officials say the fire has now been brought under control and a search operation is being carried out. many of the patients are said to be missing and the number of dead could rise. british prime minister boris johnson has confirmed a reopening plan for england, even as he warns of further covid deaths to come. starting next monday, legal restrictions on mask wearing and social distancing will be lifted. but people will still be encouraged to use masks in crowded places. mrjohnson is still urging caution, as the government's science advisers have warned that covid infections could peak again next month. it is absolutely vital that we proceed now with caution, and i cannot say this powerfully or emphatically enough — this pandemic is not over. this disease, coronavirus,

continues to carry risks for you and your family. we cannot simply revert instantly from monday, the 19th ofjuly, to life as it was before covid. borisjohnson there. let's get some of the day's other news. france is to make it compulsory for all health staff to be vaccinated against covid—i9. announcing the new rules, president emmanuel macron said workers in retirement homes and other healthcare settings would have until september to get themselves vaccinated. just over half of france's population, 35 and a half million people, have had at least one jab so far. london's heathrow airport says a number of staff working at terminal five have been told to isolate by the nhs covid app, causing major delays earlier today. the bbc understands that more than a hundred security guards were affected. the airport is gearing up for a surge in customers as travel restrictions end and brought in extra staff to clear the queues.

30 million people across the western united states and canada have been enduring another blistering heatwave. las vegas has matched its record ofjust over 47 degrees, or around 116 degrees fahrenheit. in death valley in california, the temperature was expected to reach a mind—boggling 52 degrees celsius, or 125 degrees fahrenheit, and the extreme heat is having some devastating consequences. wildfires have been burning six western us states. our correspondent sophie long reports from los angeles. wildfires in northern california grow in size and intensity, destroying homes in multiple communities as increasing winds complicate already dangerous firefighting conditions. this fire is raging out of control in southern oregon, as millions of people across the western united states are hit by another round of

scorching temperatures. i'm on the west side... more than 60,000 acres are currently burning. california is no stranger to wildfires, but scientists say they're becoming more frequent and more intense as global temperatures rise. the national weather service recorded temperatures of 130 degrees in california's death valley, some of the highest ever recorded on the planet. people in desert communities are being warned how quickly they can dehydrate or overheat. not realising how quickly you can run into trouble with dehydration and heat exhaustion or the body overheating. but even those following the advice in palm springs are struggling. it's too hot. i'm drinking as much water as i can. i'm drinking my weight in water every day. | i think the best way to describe it, j which is actually the way my friend described it, is that moment -

when you open the oven and that gust of heat hits you in the face. the extreme heat has led to the deaths of dozens of people across the western united states in recent weeks. it's also putting a massive strain on the region's power grid. californians are now being told to reduce their water usage by 15%. it's not a compulsory, but it underscores the harsh reality that millions of people living in cities like los angeles are now facing. as the record—breaking temperatures continue, people can only do their best to stay cool. sophie long, bbc news, los angeles. we are joined now by cynthia de la torre from the american red cross, based in las vegas, nevada, one of the regions affected. just how intolerable have conditions become where you are? at just how intolerable have conditions become where you are?— just how intolerable have conditions become where you are? at the moment, we're experience — become where you are? at the moment, we're experience a _ become where you are? at the moment, we're experience a heat _ become where you are? at the moment, we're experience a heat wave. _ we're experience a heat wave. temperatures from 116 to even 130 degrees right now, so it's pretty intense. ~ . .

degrees right now, so it's pretty intense. ., ., , . , degrees right now, so it's pretty intense. ., ., , . intense. what are the effects on the human body? _ intense. what are the effects on the human body? well, _ intense. what are the effects on the human body? well, it's _ intense. what are the effects on the human body? well, it's definitely i human body? well, it's definitely heat related _ human body? well, it's definitely heat related illness. _ human body? well, it's definitely heat related illness. we're - heat related illness. we're concerned about our population getting any type of heat related illness. that's why we urge people to keep an eye on those vulnerable populations, the elderly, kids and those with chronic conditions as well. ~ ., , , those with chronic conditions as well. ., well. what practical help are you able to provide _ well. what practical help are you able to provide in _ well. what practical help are you able to provide in the _ well. what practical help are you able to provide in the red - well. what practical help are you | able to provide in the red cross? what are your volunteers trying to do? , ., ., do? right, so right now, preparedness. _ do? right, so right now, preparedness. definitelyj do? right, so right now, - preparedness. definitely having do? right, so right now, _ preparedness. definitely having that urgency get ready to go so when local officials have those evacuation orders in place, you are ready to go, you have that evacuation kick in your trunk. also, you keep an eye on heat related illness, those vulnerable populations. if they're flushed, if

they're vomiting, heat cramps and things like that sort, you're ready to submerge them in water if that happens and or call 911. it’s happens and or call 911. it's critical that _ happens and or call 911. it's critical that people do what they can for themselves. some things are out of their control. the whole nature of wildfires is it can erupt almost from nowhere. it feels almost spontaneously erupting around you. that's a scary thing for people to kind of deal with and deal with calmly. kind of deal with and deal with calml . ~ , ,., , , calmly. absolutely. these extreme conditions lead _ calmly. absolutely. these extreme conditions lead to _ calmly. absolutely. these extreme conditions lead to wildfires, - calmly. absolutely. these extreme conditions lead to wildfires, and i calmly. absolutely. these extreme| conditions lead to wildfires, and we are definitely seeing them more frequently than in years past. so, right now, immediate assistance is what we're providing. assistance like shelter, food, water, those essentials that are needed at a moment's notice when somebody is left without anything. 0nce

moment's notice when somebody is left without anything. once this wildfire spreads to sometimes residences. wildfire spreads to sometimes residences-— wildfire spreads to sometimes residences. ., , ., residences. one last thought. there must be some _ residences. one last thought. there must be some concern _ residences. one last thought. there must be some concern about - residences. one last thought. there must be some concern about the . must be some concern about the security of power lines, specifically overhead power lines, in an environment like this when people are dependent on electricity for refrigeration and for air. right. sometimes power lines do go down. the electricity goes out. that's why we urge people to have that emergency kit, i have the essentials like a flattened light, extra batteries —— a flashlight. so you can seek shelter. we have shelters available if you just go to red cross .org, you can find a shelter there, red cross .org, you can find a shelterthere, or red cross .org, you can find a shelter there, or download the emergency app. it's ready there for you to book for a shelter to go to. cynthia, thank you very much for speaking to us and thank you so much for the work you and your colleagues do in keeping people safe. thank you

very much- — italian team arrived back to a hero's welcome. showing off their new trophy to the large crowds of supporters. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the euro zone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust in the worst crisis to hit the euro zone has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worst floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the great white way by americans, but tonight, it's completely blacked out. it's a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris- fora summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoinedl the revolution celebrations for a show of military- might on the champs—elysees. wildlife officials in australia have

been coping with a penguin problem. fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much, they could barely stand. welcome back to bbc news. the latest headlines... opponents of cuba's communist authorities say dozens of activists have been arrested since sunday's anti—government demonstrations on the island. let's stay with our main story, the continuing protests in cuba. i'm joined now by professor william leogrande from the american university in washington. he's a specialist in latin american politics and us foreign policy and has written several books on us cuba relations. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. good to have your expertise on this. so far, has the

denunciation of the regime in cuba by president biden and of washington gone to the script? is there hope of anything different emerging over the coming weeks?— anything different emerging over the coming weeks? well, i think the bite and administration's _ coming weeks? well, i think the bite and administration's response - coming weeks? well, i think the bite and administration's response is - and administration's response is quite predictable —— biden administration. they have called for the government to use restraint and basically sided with the demonstrators against the cuban government. this reinforces the cuban government's message that all these are nothing more than provocations from the united states. i think the position of the two governments blaming one or another doesn't help the situation. cubans are demonstrating because economic desperation. the economy is in terrible shape. there's no food, no

medicine, no fuel at the gas stations and electricity is blacking out periodically. people are frustrated and they blame the government. frustrated and they blame the government-— frustrated and they blame the covernment. �* , ., , frustrated and they blame the covernment. �* , . , , government. there's hardly ever been a time aplenty — government. there's hardly ever been a time aplenty in _ government. there's hardly ever been a time aplenty in cuba _ government. there's hardly ever been a time aplenty in cuba because - government. there's hardly ever been a time aplenty in cuba because of- a time aplenty in cuba because of limits on what is possible to grow their and the long—standing economic embargo. do you think that there is anything the government has done on the island in recent months that has exacerbated these problems? yes. in janua of exacerbated these problems? yes. in january of this — exacerbated these problems? yes. in january of this year, _ exacerbated these problems? yes. in january of this year, the _ exacerbated these problems? yes. in january of this year, the governmentl january of this year, the government undertook the unification of its dual currency system. it had two currencies, one of which was equal to the us dollar, and it converted them. it was the evaluation that was absolutely necessary according to all economists, but it resulted in running away affiliation. the government tried to keep pace, but prices are outstripping wages. the

aradox of prices are outstripping wages. the paradox of that for many people is presumably, hang on, this was a controlled economy. yet we're suffering like they suffer in america when of inflation get out of hand in a free market. the programme has been aimed _ hand in a free market. the programme has been aimed at _ hand in a free market. the programme has been aimed at introducing - hand in a free market. the programme has been aimed at introducing more i has been aimed at introducing more market mechanisms in order to spur economic growth. 0ne market mechanisms in order to spur economic growth. one of the consequences of turning things over to the market is that the government has lost control to some extent. professor, thank you so much. fascinating stuff. thanks for your time. ~ , fascinating stuff. thanks for your time. p . the commander of us led forces in afghanistan, general scott miller, stepped down today as the us withdraws troops from the country after almost twenty years. the bbc�*s lyse doucet was at the ceremony — and gave us more from kabul. it was a very short ceremony. it used to be called the resolute

command centre, the man involved in nato armies here in afghanistan. general scott miller is the last commander to serve here. he's actually the longest serving as well. he served three times in afghanistan, and he was here in 2001, coming in with the forces toppled the taliban. he's actually one of the few generals to talk to the taliban in recent years, and today, when he handed over his command, he reiterated again the need for the taliban to stop the violence. ., ,, ., , violence. one of the us military offers had _ violence. one of the us military offers had the _ violence. one of the us military offers had the opportunity i violence. one of the us military offers had the opportunity to i violence. one of the us military i offers had the opportunity to speak with the taliban, and i've told them it's important that the military sides set the conditions for a peaceful and political settlement in afghanistan. we can all see the violence is taking place across the country, but we know that without

violence, that what is very difficult to achieve is a political settlement. difficult to achieve is a political settlement-— difficult to achieve is a political settlement. , ., ~ ., ., , settlement. general miller, who has been keeping _ settlement. general miller, who has been keeping in _ settlement. general miller, who has been keeping in constant _ settlement. general miller, who has been keeping in constant touch i settlement. general miller, who has been keeping in constant touch with | been keeping in constant touch with senior afghan leaders on the most modern of communications. now having to leave them as they take on responsibility for this increasingly difficult to fight against the taliban. but general frank mckenzie, who flew here from florida, wanted to emphasise that today was not the end of their support. we to emphasise that today was not the end of their support.— end of their support. we retain a protective _ end of their support. we retain a protective posture _ end of their support. we retain a protective posture that - end of their support. we retain a protective posture that enabled l end of their support. we retain a i protective posture that enabled us to do _ protective posture that enabled us to do the — protective posture that enabled us to do the following themes — first of all. _ to do the following themes — first of all, maintain a diplomatic presence. second, support the afghan securily— presence. second, support the afghan security forces, people in government. again and finally, prevent— government. again and finally, prevent afghanistan from once again becoming _ prevent afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorism that threatens the us homeland and the homelands of our friends and

neighbours. the the homelands of our friends and neighbours-_ the homelands of our friends and neiuhbours. ,, ., , , neighbours. the united states trying to send a strong _ neighbours. the united states trying to send a strong message _ neighbours. the united states trying to send a strong message that i neighbours. the united states trying to send a strong message that while| to send a strong message that while they are leaving it all, they've all but wrapped up there mission here. their support will continue in some ways, but they also admit that once they have no longer the men and women on the ground, no longer have the intelligence assets, it will be really difficult to know what is happening in areas under afghan government control, even harder to know what is happening in the growing number of districts that are coming under taliban control. we spoke to a number of senior afghans who were at today's ceremony. the national security adviser said that it's impossible there'll be a taliban takeover, but admitted there had been problems in supplying food and ammunition, even water to afghan security forces. has the tele— advance across the districts. it is the beginning of a new chapter with great uncertainties.

lyse doucet reporting. let's remind you of our breaking news this hour. at least 35 people have been killed in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in the iraqi city of nassiriya. a spokesman from the health ministry said the victims died of burns at the al—hussain hospital. health officials say the fire has now been brought under control and a search operation is being carried out. many of the patients are said to be missing and the number of dead could rise. italy's national team has been given a heroes' welcome in rome after their euro 2020 victory on sunday evening. after a night of celebration, they were invited to a a reception by the italian president, followed by a triumphant open top bus tour of the capital. 0ur correspondent mark lowen sent this report from rome.

in the end, it's come to rome. cheering. 53 years, not quite of hurt, but of italy's wait for a european title. and now the mancini magic, with its greatest trick. back on home soil, and crowned champions of europe. who needed sleep after that win? you couldn't have got it, anyway. in every corner of this passionate country, victory tasted sweet. and it was savoured loudly, for hour after hour. morning brought sore heads and calm after the storm. the piazzas returned from football to food. seeking refuge from the heat, jan carla and herfamily. generations witnessing history. i hope you don't mind me asking, but do you remember italy's last european victory in 1968? i remember, just because of my

father, who was so happy. and i was a little kid then. and i thought oh, what a lovely thing it is! so, it was also a revival of that. well, i wasn't watching the match, i was sleeping. but i heard everybody shouting outside at midnight. i woke up and then my mum told me we were champions. your grandma says you go to the british school here. so, what are you saying to your english friends? i don't know, i'm just going to say we won! from italy's captain, a message dedicating the victory to the country's medics. both heroes of our times. the word that italians are using about their team is redemption. both from italy's failure to qualify for the last world cup and its year of agony to this — champions of europe and bringers of unbridled joy. victory parade, honour guard — there's time for it all.

italy's been waiting 53 years. now is the moment to enjoy the glory. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. hello there. we had some pretty impressive downpours across different parts of the country on monday. the radar picture shows one of these bands of heavy rain working into north east england, particularly north yorkshire. and then we have this second band of rain across the west london area. now in kew, in west london, we picked up 46 mm of rain from the shower band. that was pretty much smack bang on a whole month's of rain and the majority of that fell in just the space of two hours. if you were wondering what that looks like, it looks like this. three miles down the road in twickenham the roads flooded. and there were reports of flooding elsewhere as well. now, over the next few hours, those showers that we have seen by date will continue to very gradually fade away. the majority of us will eventually become drier over was just an odd patch of rain still lingering into the east.

temperatures around 12 to m celsius, feeling a little on the muggy side as well, particularly across parts of eastern england. now, for tuesday we have got much more in the way of dry weather and sunshine with fewer showers, and for most of us it's going to be a dry morning. the early morning cloud breaking, sunny spells developing widely and there should be quite a lot of that sunshine. but into the afternoon, we're likely to see some showers develop. look at this line of showers forming across parts of northwest england, the midlands and perhaps another one affecting wales down towards parts of dorset as well. now, those showers could be fairly heavy at times, but away from those shower bands, there should be a lot of dry weather to take us through the rest of the afternoon. temperatures pushing into the low 20s quite widely. it will feel warm in the sunshine. now, wednesday we see a little weather front working into the far northwest of the uk. that's bringing some thicker cloud. might get a few patches of rain just skirting into the north and west of scotland. but otherwise, it's probably a bit

more cloud around, but still some bright or sunny spells developing. the best of those towards the east of high ground and those temperatures still into the low 20s. it's going to be another day that will feel pleasantly warm where the sunshine breaks through the cloud. now, beyond that, it was the end of the week, the weekend and next week. this area of high pressure is going to be dominating our weather picture, and that means we've got a lengthy spell of dry and sunny weather. temperatures on these charts pushing into the high 20s. well, it wouldn't be surprising to see temperatures into the low 30s in some places next week.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the cuban opposition says dozens of activists have been arrested since sunday, when thousands of people joined the biggest protests in decades against the island's communist government. president miguel diaz—canel blamed the united states for the unrest. south africa's governing anc party has warned that continuing violent demonstrations will have a devastating economic impact on the country. troops have been deployed to protect property, as protestors blocked roads, set buildings on fire and looted shops. the us general scott miller has been given a send—off at a ceremony in the afghan capital, kabul. nato's afghanistan operation is officially ending at the end of august, despite a deterioration in the security situation. wildfires are raging across western united states — where millions have been hit by another heatwave. firefighters say conditions are so harsh water is evaporating before it hits the ground.