welcome to bbc news — i'm david eades. our top stories... the us climate envoy john kerry issues a passionate plea to step up efforts to tackle climate change, with a stark warning about any failure to act now. this test is now as acute and as existential as any previous one. torrential rain in central china causes widespread disruption and huge anxiety for passengers caught in one flooded subway system. i'm sarah mulkerrins live in tokyo where although the opening ceremony is still two days away, the action has got underway with hosts japan kicking things off in softball. and the billionaires space race heats up as amazon founderjeff bezos launches to the edge

of the cosmos — taking him on an emotional high. oh my god! my expectations were high and they were dramatically exceeded. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe his words could hardly be more timely. the us climate envoy, john kerry, has delivered an impassioned warning about the risks of climate change — and the urgency of acting now. speaking in london as floods devastate parts of europe and china, and heatwaves and wildfires sweep across north america, mr kerry warned that the world cannot wait for the pandemic to end to tackle climate change.

the climate crisis, my friends, is the test of our times. and while some may still believe it is unfolding in slow motion, no. this test is now as acute and as existential as any previous one. the irony should not be lost on us that it is young people around the world who are calling on adults to behave like adults, and exercise their basic responsibilities. young people who feel forced to put down their school books, march out of the classroom to strike for climate. they know the world is not responding fast enough to an existential threat that they didn't create but for which they risk bearing the ultimate burden. powerful rhetoric there from john kerry, so is this an indicator that not only is the us back, but that they want to lead? here's our north america

correspondent peter bowes. it certainly wants to lead and of course he is speaking at a time when people around the world are acutely aware, perhaps more acutely aware than ever before, of the effects of climate change. we are seeing the devastating floods in europe, feeling and experiencing it on the west coast of america and in canada as well, the effects of the heatwaves which have been going on for weeks now and of course fires burning like never before right across the western united states. and of course john kerry is trying to drum up support for the cop26 meeting in glasgow later on this year. and talking about that event being about 100 days away, he is talking in terms of 100 days to save the world from climate change, for the next 100 years. so i think utilising all the rhetoric that he can muster to put pressure on those countries especially china, and this message is really the same to cut carbon emissions, to

countries, to stop deforestation and those other big issues that all go together to hopefully halt the increase in temperatures that we are continuing to see across the world. i've noted the international energy agency saying now that 2023 is on track for having the highest levels of c02 output in human history. and a lot of the talk can feel very abstract, it's difficult to grasp, how important do you think things like we focus on the bootleg wildfires for example, but the increasing smog that's pushing across much of other parts of the country, how significant do you think that is in american�*s appreciation of what they are facing? well i think what we are seeing and especially the last few weeks, is anecdotal evidence that everyone can experience, they can experience the heat, they know what it

feels like, they know what it is like to have a wildfire at the edge of their street or perhaps threatening their home, people are experiencing these effects and these devastating situations along with hearing what the scientists have got to say and perhaps that's been difficult for some people over the years to grasp exactly the complex nature of the science. but now i think it's becoming more and more obvious to people across the world, experiencing in different ways whether it's floods or extreme heat, things that they have never seen in their lifetime and of course, scientists will tell you an experience within a lifetime, one weather event, it's a speck of time but we are seeing these things over and over again and i think the net result of that is to get really people thinking about climate change and asjohn kerry talked about, just now, getting younger people to appreciate the impact of climate change. torrential rain has

caused severe flooding in parts of central china. more than 10,000 people in henan province have been evacuated to shelters where it's reported a dam may collapse at any time. at least 12 people have died in the city of zhengzhou after its subway system was inundated with rushing water. mark lobel reports. shouting. floodwater spreading fear. the partly submerged city of zhengzhou, its subway system now an underground river. commuters are standing for air. rescuers bravely reacting to unprecedented scenes. though not everyone made it. large parts of the train system shutdown. rip currents seemingly running along roads. the amount of rain over the last three days in this

provincial capital usually falls in an entire year. bringing traffic to a standstill. many homes were no place for refuge. 0ver10,000 residents in the region relocated. more than a dozen cities in this central part of china affected with the population of henan close to 100 million. with10,000 lost hectares of crops, the flooding causing an estimated $11 million worth of damage and counting. rescuers worked all hours to clear up the flooding, a result of many factors, including that a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall like this more likely. with downpours here forecast to continue for many hours yet. mark lobel, bbc news.

the german chancellor angela merkel has pledged funding within days to get essentials to flood victims without bureaucratic delays. speaking in the devastated town of bad muenstereifel, she said a cabinet meeting would free up finances on wednesday. in the nearby town of ahrweiler, anna holligan has been to visit the homes of the victims of the disaster. they re not convinced the money will reach them anytime soon, so are starting to rebuild on their own. you see? the scenes you cherish for a lifetime. it's the first thing you do. save that. marion could not save her photo albums. but her three children survived. they are alive, they are ok and yeah, that makes

me feel really happy. and that's the biggest thing you can get. people who could not get to higher ground did not have a hope. this used to be my kitchen. without sufficient warning, her son was trapped inside. he said "momma, momma, there is a lot of water. "there is a lot of water, there is a man "coming by and he screams, help, help, help and he went "down the water and he comes back up and down again and "then he was gone." here in this village, so many homes that were not washed away by the flood water will remain uninhabitable and unsafe and they have to demolish those first before they can begin the process of rebuilding people's homes and lives again.

toothpaste, a candle, the bare essentials. they are enough for now. despite this support, as night falls, with literally no doors to lock, new threats emerge. i do have an axe beside my bed and i close my door. so if someone comes and wants to rape me, i think there is nothing more to take away. let me sleep and tomorrow is a new day, hopefully with coffee and then we have to work again. anna holligan, bbc news. a long and hard road back to normality in germany.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: chasing tennis gold in tokyo — we bring you the story of one american challenger hoping to serve up success for himself and his family coming down the ladder now. that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now a decade later, it has been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in| sperm quantity, and an increase in malfunctioning sperm unable to swim pmperly. _

thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines... the us climate envoy, john kerry, has warned that the suffering caused by the coronavirus will be magnified many times over if the world fails to tackle climate change. there's been major flooding in the chinese city of zhengzhou, with video footage showing swamped subway trains and cars being swept down city streets. there are just two days to go before the olympics are officially opened in tokyo — let's get the latest

from the games — sarah mulkerrins is there. but before we joined sarah, we've just heard from the head of the world health organization who says the games 0rganization who says the games are a celebration of hope. now, let'sjoin sarah. david, thank you. we are just two days away from the opening ceremony. welcome along to tokyo bay area of the japanese capital — where the likes of the swimming, tennis and gymnastics will all take place. the opening ceremony is on friday at the olympic stadium in the heart of the city, but the action has already got underway in one of the team sports. hosts japan had the honour of starting things off in softball, which is taking

place in fukushima. that's about 200 miles north of the capital here. the sport is back in the games for the first time in 13 years — and japan upset the americans back in beijing to win gold and so are the defending champions here. they're taking on the australia. they are leading 5—1 at the moment. that is in the fourth innings. i mentioned the tennis is taking place close to here — a few hundred metres over to my left. definitely one of the mostly anticipated sports, particularly for the hosts japan with four—time grand slam champion naomi 0saka taking part. now one player you'll also want to keep an eye on is america's frances tiafoe. the 23—year—old defeated the world number—four stefanos tsitsipas at wimbledon. laura trevelyan went to meet him at the courts in maryland where his tennis career started

a triumphant return for america's newest tennis star frances tiafoe to the maryland courts where he grew up playing. he's the conquering hero after his shock win at wimbledon over top player stefanos tsitsipas in the first round, the next challenge comes at the olympic games. he's ready. having a go, having a clear plan of where you want to go and what you're trying to achieve, and having a true passion for something and really chasing after it each and every day, anything is possible. i'm just trying use my story to inspire so many other people that feel like they can't achieve something because of circumstances. and what a story it is. frances showed me the storage room at the elite maryland tennis centre where his father was a maintenance worker. so, you slept here? yeah, in this room while my mum was working double shifts overnight at the apartment that we usually stayed at. my dad would stay here. so, that's kind of what it was for me and my brother. what do you think it did for you coming from these origins? a different level of hunger,

a different level of desire. coach 0liver akli remembers those days and how difficult life could be for his star pupil. sometimes he trains here. sometimes he doesn't have money to eat. i'd say "look, the day you turn pro, i'll get "all my money back." look where he is right now. i am so proud of him. so is everyone here at the maryland academy. 16—year—old robin montgomery is a rising american tennis star, who counts frances as a friend and mentor. his story is so unusual as a tennis player, what do you think the lesson is there? that anything is possible, it- doesn't matter where you come from or how you have | grown up or anything. just as long as you believe in yourself and work hard i for what you want to do. like this moment at the 2020 us open when frances tiafoe stepped on court telling the world that black lives matter.

frances tiafoe�*s tennis journey has taken him a long way and now this child of immigrant parents from sierra leone who came to the us fleeing conflict is heading to the olympic games. as he prepares for the olympics, the new hope for american tennis knows he is carrying the weight of so many expectations. his parents are his inspiration. they overcame so much and it was all about the work and what you can do to better yourself. if you have the opportunity, don't let it fly by, grab it with two hands and see how far you can go with it. maybe you can go all the way. we will see, maybe, maybe. that is the american dream which frances tiafoe embodies. now he is aiming for an olympic medal. laura trevelyan, bbc news, maryland. what a wonderful story. no doubt we will follow his progress when the tennis gets under way. i m joined by erisa yachi who is volunteering at the tennis events.

well come along. you are volunteering at the tennis events so i wonder how did you get involved in volunteering? how did this all happen? i got the opportunity _ how did this all happen? i got the opportunity earlier- how did this all happen? i grrt the opportunity earlier this year from the university tennis team, i am a product, year from the university tennis team, iam a product, and i thought it would be a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. so this is how i got this opportunity. so this is how i got this opportunity-— so this is how i got this opportunity. so this is how i got this o- ortuni . ., . ., opportunity. how excited are ou to opportunity. how excited are you to be _ opportunity. how excited are you to be able _ opportunity. how excited are you to be able to _ opportunity. how excited are you to be able to be - opportunity. how excited are you to be able to be at - opportunity. how excited are you to be able to be at an . you to be able to be at an event, particularly i suppose when you consider all the restrictions around these 0lympic restrictions around these olympic games?- restrictions around these olympic games? restrictions around these ol mic games? �* , , olympic games? i'm very, very excited. especially _ olympic games? i'm very, very excited. especially because - olympic games? i'm very, very excited. especially because i'm| excited. especially because i'm one of the only ones watching the games up close but also i'm very nervous at the same time. this is my first time

volunteering as a ball person. that's a real sense that we are getting from people here, there is excitement that the olympics are happening, pride thatjapan is hosting it but it is within a global pandemic. do you feel when the action starts the mood may shift a little bit? i really hope that it will. i think these 0lympic really hope that it will. i think these olympic games will be like a trial and step towards a world with covid era, so hosting this will be, whichever way and however it turns out, i think it will be a step towards living in a time with covid.— with covid. finally, who are ou with covid. finally, who are you particularly _ with covid. finally, who are you particularly excited - with covid. finally, who are

you particularly excited to l you particularly excited to perhaps be able to see on the course? �* , . ., , course? i'm very excited to see all of the _ course? i'm very excited to see all of the players _ course? i'm very excited to see all of the players but _ course? i'm very excited to see all of the players but i - course? i'm very excited to see all of the players but i am - all of the players but i am hoping i will get to see naomi 0saka hoping i will get to see naomi osaka and other top players as well. ., ., , . osaka and other top players as well. ., .,, ., ' osaka and other top players as well. ., ., , ., well. fantastic stuff, and thank you _ well. fantastic stuff, and thank you so _ well. fantastic stuff, and thank you so much - well. fantastic stuff, and thank you so much for. well. fantastic stuff, and - thank you so much forjoining us. enjoy the experience at the olympic games, one of the few people that will actually get up people that will actually get up close to the action because we know the olympic games are taking place in this global pandemic. so many restrictions, one of those that we know is that there will be no spectators from japan allowed into the events, we had the news a few months ago that there would be no overseas spectators as well. you mentioned the head of the world health organization, the comments from him, i would also like to tell you the head of the international olympic committee also said yesterday probably for the first time

that we have seen a little bit more of the doubts and the real human side of this about organising these games that he said he definitely had a lot of sleepless nights over whether these games take place. a change in tone from the head of the international olympic committee onjust the international olympic committee on just the pressure involved in getting these games to take place here injapan but the action is under way already, the softball, we will have football a little bit later and then things are starting proper after the opening ceremony on friday. david. sarah, thanks so much. a lot of people breathing just a little bit easier now that the games are getting under way. the opening ceremony on friday. sarah will be bringing that to you. jeff bezos, the billionaire founder of amazon — has been to space and back — in the first crewed flight, of his rocket ship — new shepard. 0ur correspondent sophie long reports from texas. boarding his 60 foot sub—orbital rocket. he was not nervous, he said. just excited. this was notjust about

realising a lifelong dream, but expanding his ever—growing empire beyond the grip of gravty. with him on this first fully autonomous passenger flight three other civilians — his brother mark bezos, 82—year—old trail blazing aviator wally funk, and 18—year—old dutch student 0liver daemen. wally was one of the mercury 13, a group of american women training to be astronauts but never made it to space. until now. five, four, command engines start, two, one. as you can hear, blue 0rigin�*s reuseable rocket, carrying its first human passengers and first paying customer, is now on its way to space. blast off for the new shepard, lift off for space tourism.

the capsule separated from the booster a 250,000 feet and continue to the edge of space. they floated, weightless, but critics say this is the wrong time for them to be floating in space. oh, my god! my expectations were high, and they were dramatically exceeded. everybody who has been up into space, they say this, that it changes them and they look at it and they are kind of amazed and awestruck. i want to thank you, sweetheart, because you made it possible for me. i've been waiting a long time. a historic step in the richest man on earth's mission to move industry into orbit. sophie long, bbc news, in the west texas desert.

steven levy is editor at large of wired magazine. i spoke to him about what motivates mr bezos. this is his passion. since he was a teenager, he's been fascinated with space. he wanted to go to space for a long time, but his real goal is to build an infrastructure so one day humanity can move to space, he envisions trillions of human beings living in space colonies and this very small step, this little suborbital flight, he thinks is a significant one to begin the journey of getting us off the earth. which is obviously a very worthy ambition, i guess, for many people, but at the same time, we can't get away from it, here is another billionaire, money to burn and there is this massive, it feels like a rivalry going on as to who'll

be the first to get so far, who will be the first to do this and that. that must be part of what is driving him? well, it's kind of interesting. he has expressed the view and i think it's sincere, what he wants is an entire industry to spring up around space, better to achieve that goal however he is a very competitive person, you look at the way amazon operates. and the fact there's someone else who is competing with him sort of gets up his competitive ire so while he congratulated richard branson, the people in his company are saying well, the virgin galactic people, they did not really go to space, they were only 50 miles up and we were 62 miles up so they are in space with an asterisk, there is some sniping going on which is unseemly, and he says he's not competitive but there is these micro—aggressions going on between the companies, certainly between him and elon musk, there is micro—aggressions

because they are fighting for contracts that spacex is getting that he feels they should get. and that is bbc news. hello. the heat goes on, and it will do for a couple more days and indeed nights. because of the persistence of the heat, the met office have issued an extreme heat warning. two particular areas have been identified, this one to the south west of england covering parts of the midlands and wales, this one across northern ireland which comes into force on wednesday. it doesn't mean that these are the areas exclusively affected by the heat but these are two areas identified as potentially having the biggest impacts. you can see the heat an issue from first thing on wednesday. we start our day with temperatures around 20 celsius in many areas. it will be a little cooler through wednesday perhaps down some of the north sea coast, just because we will pull

a little bit more cloud in here but overall, still a very hot day lies ahead. temperatures across the southern uk widely in the high 20s to low 30s, hotting up significantly will be northern ireland, hence why itjoins that heat warning perhaps 30 degrees towards the south west here. warmer along the north coast than yesterday but still cloudy for northern scotland with some lingering sea fog. here temperatures are peaking in the mid teens. that is the area that stands out as being significantly cooler. later in the day, potentially showers across the north west of england — certainly another hot, humid night to come for many. we move into thursday, i suspect there will barely be a cloud in the sky and the temperatures will rise accordingly. still for northern scotland some cloud around and that does just hold things back in terms of the temperatures but even here things are creeping up — stornaway getting closer to 20

degrees, potentially 31 for south west northern ireland, 31 for the south of england and wales. a change for friday, a subtle one to start off with, an easterly wind and temperatures start to edge back. but through friday evening and overnight into saturday and on into the weekend, low pressure starts to take hold from the south west. it will inject showers into england and wales, some heavy spells of rain to come for some. it will pull cooler air across all parts of the uk. so by saturday some sunshine still for scotland and northern ireland but a fresher feel for all of us.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: the us climate envoy has said the world can't wait for the end of the covid—19 pandemic before facing up to the environmental crisis. john kerry warned that the suffering caused by not tackling climate change would be much worse than coronavirus. there's been severe flooding across central china. it's caused widespread disruption, with video footage showing images of roads turned into rivers, and cars being stranded by fast rising water. scientists say some regions have experienced an entire year's worth of rain in the past three days. the american billionnaire, jeff bezos, has made a 10—minute18—second trip to space. the founder of amazon was accompanied by his brother mark and the youngest ever astronaut, 0liver daemen, and the oldest, the pioneering female aviator wally funk. now on bbc news,

tuesday in parliament.