this is bbc news. i'm samantha simmonds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. at least 42 people are killed as wildfires erupt across algeria, including 25 soldiers fighting the blazes. a court in china sentences a canadian man to 11 years in prison on spying charges. andrew cuomo resigns as governor of new york state after an inquiry found he sexually harassed 11 women. thousands continue to flee major afghan cities in search of safety as the taliban capture their eighth provincial capital in a matter of days. and the next olympian task — beijing is building up to become the first city to host both a summer and then a winter games just

six months from now. wildfires in algeria have killed at least 42 people, including 25 of the military who were fighting the blazes in forests to the east of the capital, algiers. algeria is the latest country on the mediterranean to be hit by wildfires. dozens killed and land scorched, algeria is the latest company to be faced with disastrous wildfires. more than 100 fires rage and several providences in the east of the capital, claiming the lives of both civilians and soldiers who were deployed to rescue algerians from the flames. while some villages were evacuated, others stayed back, using tree branches to calm the flames.

translation: there are fires| everywhere, we have not seen the government here. we do not have estate. the people are the government, long live the members from the civil protection teams. the flames have burnt the country's famed olive trees. and clouded the streets with smoke. these are becoming worryingly familiar scenes, as wildfires continue to burn across several countries. greece's prime minister apologised to the nation for the fires that have been tearing through since late july, and said climate change has fuelled the fires, increasing the risk of hot, dry weather. his minister in charge of civil protection broke down when asked about the country's failings. translation: iwant to say something. - every house that is lost is a tragedy for all of us and it is a strike to our hearts, but what i know as a massive battle was raged

during recent days. we have all remained without sleep throughout all these days. more high temperatures are expected in the coming weeks, meaning more land and lives could be vulnerable. meanwhile president putin has ordered m,ore firefighters to be sent to siberia to tackle catastrophic forest fires there. more than 80,000 square kilometres of forest have burnt in russia so far this year. earlier nasa said smoke from the russian fires reached the north pole, 3,000km away, apparently for the first time. firefighters are continuing to tackle a wildfire in northern california which has become the second largest in state history. the dixie fire has already destroyed nearly all of the historic gold rush town of greenville and authorities warn it could take weeks to contain. barbara plett usher reports.

in the remote eastern mountains of california, the dixie fire devours a car after echo of wild land. exhausted firefighters are battling ablaze unlike anything seen before. a perfect storm of severe head, drought and wind, plus the slope of the tender dry terrain is driving the rapid spread. this week, scientists directly linked the conditions to climate change. climate change doesn't cause wildfires or heatwaves or drought. what it does is make them a lot worse. that is what is happening in california, and the forecast does not look good. so people are learning the hard way how to live with the hard way how to live with the new normal. the fire has left a ghostly landscape in its wake. days ago, it dixie tour through greenville, and historic gold rush down, forcing residents to flee for safety. no—one died but homes and businesses were reduced to ash and rubble. evacuation warnings for other communities under threat have been issued

in four account counties or stop some greenbelt residents took shelter in a nearby town, traumatised by loss and days by displacement. there's been several times in last week i have just wished i could go home, and then i remember we can't go home, there is nothing to go back to full so even of the house survived, pretty much the rest of the town is gone. there is no power, there is no water, you know, everything is gone, and i don't even know... i don't know what to do, i don't know where to go. i'm kind of lost, and my personal situation on top of it, i am just overwhelmed, i am completely overwhelmed. leaning on the help of neighbours isn't as rare as it once may have been. fires have become so frequent and so intense, the traditional fire season no longer seems to exist. normally, it reaches its worst later in the air. some of the folks that have been evacuated have been evacuated many times over the last couple of years. we have

seen some folks who have come to a shelterjust for a few days to come home, to come back again because of those evacuation warnings, so there is a lot of uncertainty for some folks who may not know what the status is of their home or what they are going back to. it home or what they are going back to. ., , ., ~ home or what they are going back to. , . ~ , ., back to. it may take several weeks to — back to. it may take several weeks to contain _ back to. it may take several weeks to contain dixie. - back to. it may take several. weeks to contain dixie. right now, the priority of firefighters is to defend lives and homes to prevent another greenville from happening. finally, andrew cuomo has left office after being found guilty office after being found guilty of harassing ii office after being found guilty of harassing 11 women. he is one of the highest figures in the democratic party. as he announced his departure, he also denied any unintentional

misconduct and was gearing up to fight the allegations. once a new york hero, now a target of ridicule. his fall from grace has been dramatic. for months, he sought to stay in office following allegations of sexual harassment, but with the threat of impeachment looming he announced he would step aside. i think, given the circumstances, the best way i can help now is if i step aside and let government get back to government. there for, that is what i will do. his fate was sealed by an independent investigation by the state attorney—general �*s office last week. it found he engaged in unwanted touching and inappropriate comments to 11 women. one of them broke her silence afterfiling a 11 women. one of them broke her silence after filing a criminal complaint accusing him of kissing her and groping her.

why did you file that complaint? it was the right thing to do. the — it was the right thing to do. the government needs to be held accountable. just - accountable. just so i am clear, being held accountable, to you, means seeing the govenor charged with a crime? what he did to me was a crime. he broke — what he did to me was a crime. he broke the law.— he broke the law. prominent democrats — he broke the law. prominent democrats including - he broke the law. prominent. democrats including president joe biden said his resignation was a good outcome for the state. many new yorkers agreed. i feel like there's a long time coming. ifeel good that like there's a long time coming. i feel good that he finally resigned. i didn't think it was going to happen. i didn't think it was going to ha en. . , ._ i didn't think it was going to ha..en_ . , happen. the evidence is way too much, it happen. the evidence is way too much. it is _ happen. the evidence is way too much, it is much _ happen. the evidence is way too much, it is much to _ happen. the evidence is way too much, it is much to do - happen. the evidence is way too much, it is much to do this, - happen. the evidence is way too much, it is much to do this, it i much, it is much to do this, it has the wisest thing he has done a long time. i am happy, done a long time. iam happy, happy done a long time. i am happy, happy it is dragged out and — i am happy, happy it is dragged out and he is hanging and it became _ out and he is hanging and it became even uglier than it could — became even uglier than it could have been. it is _ could have been. it is ugly enough. he was seen as one of the nation's popular governors for handling the covid pandemic, and praise for his public support of the me

too movement, all the while, investigators say that he created a toxic workplace in the state's highest office. now, he leaves new york. his deputy will become the first female govenor in the state's history. the downfall of another powerful man in america shows that the me too movement as enduring impact, but it also calls into question, how much has really changed? has really changed ? according has really changed? according china has found a canadian man guilty and charged him with prison terms. canada says these are trumped up charges in relation to a i—way executive arrested in canada. the ambassador to china gave reaction. we condemn this decision after

process that lacked fairness and transparency. our thoughts are with michael and his family during this difficult time. we have maintained from the beginning that michael —— michael spavor and michael kovrig are being held arbitrarily and we are calling for the immediate release. we will continue to work tirelessly to secure their freedom. let's speak to our correspondent in shanghai. what did the court say? it was brief but it said it believes that michael spavor is guilty of espionage, guilty of spying on china and passing secret information about the chinese state to a foreign power. he has been sentenced to 11 years and jail. confiscation of some of his property as well by way of punishment, and also deportation. it is not clear at

this stage when the latter, the deportation will happen, although it appears when you look at the criminal justice system, usually have to face your time first and then you get deported. this time yesterday we were talking about another case of a canadian whose death penalty was held up by the chinese courts after he was convicted of drug smuggling. relations clearly strand between china and canada. we have from the canadian ambassador saying they will do everything they can to try and come to some resolution, but really what can they do and what impact does this have on the relationship between the countries? the truth is they are canadian ambassador to china will be outside the courts a lot this week. we spoke about the canadian who had the death sentence passed on him upheld in court. it is a slightly different case, involving a

conviction for attempting to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine out of china. the case of michael spavor and michael kovrig, known here as the two michael's, they were arrested separately and at the days after that executive was detained and canada. the case of the two michaels is different, because it is believe they are victims of hostage diplomacy. canada believes the charges are trumped up, and china essentially is holding them as pawns in a domestic stand—off with canada, and at the heart of that is the senior executive at huawei. she is fighting an extradition battle and canada. the us on flawed accusations. china wants her back. china believes that canadians and americans can take a political decision on this. of course, in washington, dc and ottawa, they see this very differently. it is no mistake, canadians

believe, and just as that extradition battle is coming to a head, these canadian men will be facing court and hearing their fate. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: building a new olympic spectacle beijing prepares to become the first city in history to host both a summer and winter games just six months after tokyo. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a huge job of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former dictator has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979.

two billion people around the world have seen - the last total- eclipse of the sun to take place - in this millennium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, . ending three hours later when the sun set - over the bay of bengal. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: at least 42 people, including 25 soldiers, are known to have died trying to fight forest fires in algeria. andrew cuomo resigns as governor of new york state michael spavor has been sent to prison under spying charges in

china. taliban militants in afghanistan are said to have raised theirflag on the main square and the governor's the cities, forces have withdrawn and there are reports that many have been injured in the fighting. let's speak to our south asia correspondent anbarasan ethirajan. the situation becoming increasingly dire? it the situation becoming increasingly dire?- the situation becoming increasingly dire? it is fast changing _ increasingly dire? it is fast changing on _ increasingly dire? it is fast changing on the _ increasingly dire? it is fast changing on the ground i increasingly dire? it is fast i changing on the ground with talybont making sweeping territorial gains in the past one week, almost nine provincial capital's are being dominated by the surgeons, very, very remarkable military advance because many people thought it would take months for the taliban to make inroads into the city, they have

captured vast countryside as the foreign forces leave the country which they will end by the end of august and the taliban are now clearly concentrating on provincial capitals and if you look at the city which was just about 200 kilometres north of carpal, and they are also dominating the northern region and as we speak, the president hasjust arrived in the city of mazar—i—sharif, so the afghan government is impacted, what danni wants to do is to make sure there is leadership to galvanise the nation. find sure there is leadership to galvanise the nation. and there are talks going _ galvanise the nation. and there are talks going on _ galvanise the nation. and there are talks going on in _ galvanise the nation. and there are talks going on in qatar - galvanise the nation. and there are talks going on in qatar and | are talks going on in qatar and so hard to reach some political settlement, what is happening there and is there any realistic hope of success?

afghan officials and the taliban representatives are already in the heart where today the american special envoyis today the american special envoy is expected to hold a meeting between these two groups and he came with a very clear remit that to press the taliban for a ceasefire and to accept for a settlement but what it appears now with the talybont having huge military momentum, they are not likely to accept that at the moment. for that to happen the afghan army has to gain some space that they happen they are doing in the southern part of afghanistan, they are pushing the militants out of kandahar and they have already done in herat, but they need more for the talybont to accept any kind of ceasefire. the americans are under pressure for the last weeks because of the telephone advance and that is why this meeting in zohar has been

announced and for the next few days, this meeting will be chaired between the telephone and the afghan forces.- and the afghan forces. thank ou ve and the afghan forces. thank you very much _ and the afghan forces. thank you very much for _ and the afghan forces. thank you very much for your- and the afghan forces. thank l you very much for your update. north korea has warned south korea and the united states that they are risking a huge security crisis by choosing to go ahead with joint military drills. they want that taking part in the military exercise would jeopardise any chance of rekindling their relationship. south korea since the exercises should not be a source of conflict. president biden has called the $1 trillion bill passed by the senate a historic deal that will transform america. it was won bipartisan support with backing from 19 republicans stopping the package is the biggest of its kind in decades and will see massive investment in traffic links, high—speed internet and

other projects to fix the trump infrastructure. time now for the latest sport: it's one of the biggest football transfers in history lionel messi, one of the greatest players of all time, has been announced as a paris—saint germain player. the french club have confirmed that the 6 time ballon d'or winner has signed a 2 year contract with the option of a further year the argentina star said on tuesday that he is impatient to start a new chapter of his career in paris and that the club and its vision are in perfect harmony with his own ambition. the uefa super cup takes place on wednesday, with champions league winners chelsea taking on europa league winners villareal in belfast. the pre—match buildup has centered on chelsea's imminent signing of striker romelu lukaku, with the european champions reportedly paying around $135 million to bring the belgian striker back to the club he left seven years ago, but head coach thomas tuchel refused to be drawn into the speculation on tuesday.

miss a certain profile of attacker, and then we need to wait and see what is possible, it is not possible but we are not hectic, we are not in panic and we are happy to work with the team and to arrive with a team like this tomorrow and today there is nothing to announce. away from football, tennis�*s canada open continues, with the womens event being played in montreal and the men in toronto where the big news is that 2019 champion rafa nadal has pulled out of the tournament, citing that foot injury that kept him out of wimbledon and the tokyo olympics. meanwhile, on the court, number one seed daniil medvedev moves into the third round after coming from a set down and a long weather delay to beat alexander bublik in three sets. in the women's draw, fifth seed garbine muguruza has been knocked out by katerina siniakova in the second round. siniakova, who won gold in the women's doubles at the tokyo olympics, ousted the former wimbledon and french open champion in three sets.

in the nba, luka doncic has signed a new 5 year contract extension with the dallas mavericks on tuesday, worth a whopping $207 million. doncic, who led slovenia to a fourth—place finish at the tokyo olympics, says the deal is a dream come true. after winning the 2019 nba rookie of the yeah, —— nba rookie of the year, he's become a key player for the mavericks. he averaged 27.7 points last season, helping them reach the playoffs. it isa it is a really special moment here, want to say thank you to dallas for offering me this. i still kind of don't know what to say, because i'd never imagined this happening. i was only dreaming of playing in the nba and now i can sign an extension with dallas mavericks for five more years which i've never had a doubt that i've always wanted to sign this.

england could be without stuart broad for their second test against india, with the bowler picking up a calf injury while warming up at lord's on tuesday. broad was unable to train and will have a scan on wednesday to determine the extent of the injury. england and india drew the series opener at trent bridge last week. the second test starts on thursday at lord's. you can get all the latest sports news at our website, that's bbc.com/sport. but from me mark edwards and the rest of the team, goodbye. the world's attention will soon turn to beijing for the winter olympics, coming up injust six months. before the current delta variant outbreak, chinese officials were confident they could have crowds for all events — now they're not so sure. but there are also political challenges for the chinese government hosting the games as it's accused of serious human rights abuses. our china correspondent stephen mcdonell has more. in the mountains around the chinese capital, thousands of workers are busy. next to the space age skijumping centre, they're making the most of the summer months for construction. justin downes is a canadian

winter sport specialist who's been advising games organisers. well, there's no question beijing will be ready for the competitions. in fact, all of the competition venues are already ready and they've already hosted test events, so what you see going on around us here isjust the supporting infrastructure. before the sliding centre is iced overfor the bobsleigh runs, they're putting on the finishing touches. a high—speed train connection with the city is already operating. around it, hotels, temporary stands for spectators, food and beverage sites are all being built. here at the olympic village, there's still work to be done to have everything ready in time for the games. beijing's been fortunate, though, in that it's been able to study tokyo to work out the logistics in

a time of coronavirus. over three years ago, we filmed some of the test events here. despite the pandemic, china's officials had also been planning to have spectators at the coming olympics. that was before a delta variant outbreak reintroduced the coronavirus to china. yet they say they're still hopeful to bring it under control in time. and most people here seem pretty optimistic about what the beijing games will bring. this area already has the feeling of a full—blown winter sport place. the hope is that after the olympics, there will be an explosion in china of interest in skiing and the like, and that these facilities will get used quite a lot.

one of the things that the beijing olympics is going to find hard to shake is the political element. there are allegations of serious human rights abuses in this country, and some are calling for a boycott of the games. well, here we are at the top of the mountain — not bad, eh? even ruins of the great wall of china overlook the winter olympic sites. but with the coronavirus lingering, how many people will be able to take this all in? stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. well, that's it from me for the moment. do stay with us because we are going to have all the day's top business stories coming up including we're going to be talking about blue because they just lanced dominic launched their first transatlantic route but with brits not able to travel to the

us we are asking about the timing of this and also looking at how the cost compares with other avenues. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @samanthatvnews. hello. tuesday brought us our first 25 celsius day in the uk in over two weeks. and, while some of that warmth will still be felt on wednesday across the south and east of the country with some sunny spells, clouding over into the afternoon, it's the cloudier conditions in the north and west which will bring different conditions compared to what we've seen. much more in the way of rain and breeze, all courtesy of these weather fronts pushing in off the atlantic. heaviest of the rain into the start of the day across parts of northern ireland and the very far west of scotland, but quite a mild and humid start here, 111—15 celsius. fresher in the east, where there will be a few mist and fog patches, but the best of the morning sunshine. now, the sunshine, as i said, will be best in the morning, clouding over from the west, so there's still some sunny spells to the south and the east.

northern ireland should cheer up into the afternoon with some sunshine, and into late afternoon, we'll see that sunshine develop across western scotland, too. but after the morning sunshine across the far north, into orkney and eastern parts of scotland, a rather damp afternoon, rain coming and going. rain at times in northwest england, though areas around the merseyside, cheshire area may just about stay dry. patchy rain across wales and southwest england through the afternoon, but much of the midlands, east anglia and the southeast dry, with temperatures around 211—25 celsius yet again, and a fine day in the channel islands, too. now, that weather front bringing the rain actually just fizzles as it pushes its way eastwards as we go into wednesday night and thursday morning. not much in it as it reaches parts of southern england, the midlands, and east anglia. clearer skies to the north of it means a cooler night to take us into thursday, particularly across scotland and northern ireland. temperatures more widely into single figures. but for thursday, we're between two weather fronts — one which is stalling across the south of the country, and this next one across the deepening area of low pressure out to the west of the uk. does mean most will start off dry with some sunshine, a few showers around. a lot more cloud, though, southern counties of england, east anglia, with some patchy rain and drizzle which will move

its way a bit further northwards through the day. but to the north and west, the breeze will pick up, gales across western parts of scotland, parts of northern ireland, too, and some heavy bursts of rain later. in the sunshine, though, for many, temperatures still where we should be for the time of year, 20—24 celsius. friday sees yet more in the way of heavy, thundery showers across parts of western scotland. winds remain strong. blustery day for all. still some cloud lingering across the south, but sunshine elsewhere. bye for now.

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