gatwick cancels hundreds of flights in the summer because it hasn't got enough staff. it's after thousands of passengers were hit by cancellations at uk airports in recent weeks. i'll airports in recent weeks. he explaining why bosses at i'll be explaining why bosses here at gatwick think it's better to oblige eye lines to cut services now rather than wait and see last—minute cancellations and potential chaos over the summer. —— airlines. we'll tell you what it means for you. also this lunchtime: the home secretary says julian assange, the man behind the wikileaks website, which published thousands of classified documents, can be sent to america for trial. after the bank of england warns inflation could rise to 11% later this year, you tell us you're cutting back on buying food and using your car because of the soaring cost of living.

it's the hottest day of the year so far in the uk, with 30 degrees recorded in southern england, and heat health alerts for some areas in the south and east. djokovic, martina, all of us. do you eat the grass? just put it in our pockets, it's for good luck, it's great! tennis legend billiejean king, now also famous for her social campaigning, talks to the bbc about issues she believes are important today. every generation has to fight, because things are fragile constantly. i think it is really important to think about things being in a tenuous position always. and coming up on the bbc news channel, salt peppers the netherlands with runs as he claims his first century in an england odi match in the first of the three—match series.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. britain's second busiest airport says it will limit the number of flights across the peak summer period because it hasn't got enough staff. gatwick airport said it was aimed at creating a more reliable service for passengers. usually, 900 flights run a day but it'll be 825 injuly and 850 in august. it comes after the government and regulators wrote to airlines telling them to make sure their summer timetables were deliverable. the decision means thousands of people will have their holiday plans disrupted, as theo leggett reports. this is what airlines and airports want to avoid. over easter and around thejubilee holiday, hundreds

of flights were cancelled. some while passengers were preparing to board. people want to travel, but staff shortages have become a serious problem. gatwick says it will restrict the number of flights allowed to operate from the airport in july and allowed to operate from the airport injuly and august, removing up to 75 per day. industry experts say more than 1000 services will be cut through the summer, potentially affecting 250,000 passengers. the terminals here at gatwick are already pretty busy, but in the summer months, they're going to be a whole lot more people coming through these doors, and bosses are worried that if systems break down, there could be queues, congestion and more last—minute cancellations. the decision means airlines will have to cancel some services in advance. that will inevitably affect some travel is�* summer plans, but the gamble is by accepting a limited amount of pay now, the airlines will

be able to avoid more serious disruption later. easyjet is gatwick�*s biggest customer and will be affected the most, but today the airline said... days travel agent believes gatwick made the correct decision. == days travel agent believes gatwick made the correct decision.- made the correct decision. -- this travel agent- _ made the correct decision. -- this travel agent. obviously, - made the correct decision. -- this travel agent. obviously, there - made the correct decision. -- this travel agent. obviously, there is. travel agent. obviously, there is huge criticism coming off the back of the may half term travel chaos, and by making this decision now, it gives travellers many weeks' notice if there plans are going to be changed, it gives them time to make decisions in a calm and sensible manner, ratherthan decisions in a calm and sensible manner, rather than at the very last minute. . ., ., , , , minute. the aviation industry is still recovering _ minute. the aviation industry is still recovering from _ minute. the aviation industry is still recovering from the - minute. the aviation industry is still recovering from the impacti minute. the aviation industry is i still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and insiders say it will take time for stuffing levels to get back to normal. in the meantime, the gamble is that action

now will prevent chaos later. now, obviously, this is going to inconvenience a lot of people. even a 95% of people booked on flights over the summer will still get their flight running on schedule, some will not, and that will be upsetting for them. at the point is that if the airport doesn't do this, and if the airport doesn't do this, and if the airlines, which have been working with gatwick on this, do not accept they need to cut schedules, the chaos could be worse. so what is happening now is people are being given a couple of weeks notice, and you have airlines like easyjet are saying they will try to put people on alternative services, so there will be disruption, but the plan is for services to run much more smoothly over the summer as a result. thank you, theo. a passenger with restricted mobility has died at gatwick airport after leaving a plane. gatwick said staff were helping three other passengers with restricted mobility to disembark at the time. the man decided to leave

the easyjet plane himself rather than wait for staff to return and fell on an escalator. an investigation is under way. the founder of the wikileaks website, julian assange, can be sent to the us for trial, after his extradition was approved by the home secretary. the us accuses mr assange of leaking thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. in the last few minutes, his wife has been speaking, saying they would use every appeal avenue. legal correspondent dominic casciani is here, they are obviously going to appeal, i mean, it has been going on for years now, hasn't it? 12 years since the first major leaks, 2019 when the us said it wanted to put assange on trial, and he has been in prison in belmarsh, because the last time someone tried to extradite him to sweden, he tried to extradite him to sweden, he tried to go on the run. this will go to an

appeal. whether or not the high court will hear it is another matter. one of his big appeal grounds as he says he is a journalist, this is an attack on freedom of speech. otherjournalists say he has not, because he put information into the public domain which disclosed the names of informants, so that is a different case, and that is why the us wants him, because that is classified information. we are going to have a very difficult few weeks waiting to find out what he will put before the high court, but even if he loses an appeal in the uk, he could still go to the european court of human rights, although its view on these kind of extradition is long settled, and it says that people like him can be sent to america, so his options are really narrowing. polite thank you very much. yesterday the bank of england warned inflation could rise to 11% this year. today you've been telling us about the impact the cost of living and rising prices are having on you. we asked 11,011 adults

across the uk how they're feeling. of those, more than 80% said they were worried about their finances, 66% said their mental health had been affected, 56% said they were cutting back on food, and 70% said they were switching off appliances. here's our business correspondent emma simpson. look at hers, mummy! summertime's here — but for many, the living is far from easy. there's plenty to spend cash on at this birmingham park, a family favourite. no, i don't want one, thank you, i'm all right. but many are cutting back. going to the pub less, just saving where i can, just have a few cans at home instead. when you put the oven on, rather thanjust put one thing in, you know, you do several things at the same time. we have to, if we have to survive in this kind of, you know, situation. i at least the park is free — you've just got to get there. the diesel is absolutely crippling me, butjust coming here, i paid £1.93 per litre, and compared to what it used to be, i can't go out as much as i used to.

using the car a bit less, maintaining it a bit less as well. and, yeah, looking for the yellow stickers at the supermarket! everywhere you go, there are folks wondering how to make the sums add up. but we never had to watch what we spend in terms of on a weekly basis, now we're doing it on a daily basis. a few miles down the road, this school has decided to make school uniform and pe kit free for all new children moving up from primary in the autumn. the basics of clothing and feeding your child, families are finding that challenging. i think, you know, it canjust be a throwaway comment, where just last week a parent said to me, you know, "at least i don't have to have the heating on any more." so the pressure has definitely gone up. absolutely, yeah. her pupils know about the pressures too.

we're not spending as much money as we need to, like going out, but my pocket money hasn't, so i'm happy for that. making sure the lights off, turning the plugs off at the switches. - having to say no to some stuff, they can't afford the things i want. try to have good times, days out, try and keep the cost of those a bit smaller. rebecca's daughterjess will get the free uniform for september, and it all helps. itjust means that in the summer we're going to be able to do a few extra little trips out, so yeah, things that we probably couldn't have done if we had to fork out for the uniform. a glimpse of the cutback economy — for many, it's now about staying afloat and preparing for more turbulent times ahead. emma simpson, bbc news, birmingham. let's get more on this from our business correspondent noor nanji. we already knew that people were struggling, but this is more

confirmation.— struggling, but this is more confirmation. ., �*, ., ~ confirmation. that's right, we talk a lot about — confirmation. that's right, we talk a lot about the _ confirmation. that's right, we talk a lot about the cost _ confirmation. that's right, we talk a lot about the cost of _ confirmation. that's right, we talk a lot about the cost of living - a lot about the cost of living crisis, but the survey indicates how it is affecting people on a day—to—day basis. it was a survey of more than 4000 people carried out in earlyjune, and it suggested people are cutting back on lots of different ways to deal with rising costs, so that includes cutting back on food and carjourneys, and the survey also suggest that people are spending less on socialising and on clothing. and it also suggested that people's concerns are rising. so where do we go from here? for now, inflation continues to surge, so thatis inflation continues to surge, so that is the rate at which prices are rising, it is currently at 9%, a 40 year high, and yesterday the bank of england warned it could surpass 11% later this year. energy bills are a big part of that, and that is partly driven by global factors, big part of that, and that is partly driven by globalfactors, including the war in ukraine. so what is being done? well, the government recently rolled out a package of financial support, and this has been widely,

you know, covered in lots of media, but at the same time two thirds of the people who we surveyed thought it was actually insufficient. the chief secretary to the treasury, simon clarke, said that these payments, £1200 going to vulnerable families, he said that when these payments start to filter through, it will be clear that the package being offered is a comprehensive one, in his words. . ~ offered is a comprehensive one, in his words. ., ~ , ., offered is a comprehensive one, in his words. . ~' , ., , offered is a comprehensive one, in his words. ., ~ , ., , . his words. thank you very much, noor, his words. thank you very much, noon thank— his words. thank you very much, noor, thank you. _ it's officially the hottest day of the year for england and wales — the temperature hit 30.3 degrees at heathrow in the last hour. that's around ten degrees higher than the average for this time of year, and its expected to continue to rise this afternoon. a level three heat—health alert for london, the east of england and the south east is in place to prepare emergency services. matt graveling reports. whether you are slapping on sunscreen, slipping down some cold water, orsimply swimming in

sunscreen, slipping down some cold water, or simply swimming in the june sunshine, the message for many of us is do everything you can to stay cool. i of us is do everything you can to sta cool. . of us is do everything you can to stay cool-— of us is do everything you can to sta cool. . , .. , ., ~ stay cool. i am here because i work in a greenhouse, _ stay cool. i am here because i work in a greenhouse, and _ stay cool. i am here because i work in a greenhouse, and it's _ stay cool. i am here because i work in a greenhouse, and it's going - stay cool. i am here because i work in a greenhouse, and it's going to l in a greenhouse, and it's going to be 30 odd degrees in there all day today, so this is going to be the best bit of my day.— best bit of my day. today is officially — best bit of my day. today is officially the _ best bit of my day. today is officially the hottest - best bit of my day. today is officially the hottest day - best bit of my day. today is officially the hottest day of| best bit of my day. today is i officially the hottest day of the year, and as the third extremely hot day in a row is now classed as a heatwave. after two summers living with covid restrictions, many people will be out enjoying themselves, but helping to keep others safe remains as crucial as ever. we helping to keep others safe remains as crucial as ever.— as crucial as ever. we health professionals _ as crucial as ever. we health professionals advise - as crucial as ever. we health professionals advise the - as crucial as ever. we health - professionals advise the general population to don't forget about the most vulnerable, don't forget about your grandparents, your parents, young children, and even your colleagues orfriends young children, and even your colleagues or friends that have some chronic diseases, such as heart disease, lung disease or kidney disease, lung disease or kidney disease, because those are the most

vulnerable in this kind of hot weather. ,., ., , , , ., weather. the government has issued a level three heat _ weather. the government has issued a level three heat health _ weather. the government has issued a level three heat health alert _ weather. the government has issued a level three heat health alert for - level three heat health alert for london, the east and south—east, a measure taken to help support the nhs and local services. further north, and temperatures are almost half. peaks of 17 expected in glasgow, and belfast is expected to experience an equally cool day with temperatures rising to 18 degrees. wherever you are today, if you are a pet owner, vets are asking you to ensure your animal doesn't suffer in the sun. , ., ., ensure your animal doesn't suffer in the sun. ., ., ., , the sun. dogs and other animals can aet the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely — the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely unwell _ the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely unwell as _ the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely unwell as a _ the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely unwell as a result - the sun. dogs and other animals can get severely unwell as a result of. get severely unwell as a result of hot weather, and they can get heat stroke. _ hot weather, and they can get heat stroke. and — hot weather, and they can get heat stroke, and this can present as panting. — stroke, and this can present as panting, feeling very unwell in themselves, very disoriented and wobbly. _ themselves, very disoriented and wobbly, and it can progress to where they collapse and have seizures as well _ they collapse and have seizures as well. , . , they collapse and have seizures as well. , ., , ., ., well. owners are being urged not to walk their dogs _ well. owners are being urged not to walk their dogs in _ well. owners are being urged not to walk their dogs in the _ well. owners are being urged not to walk their dogs in the heat, - well. owners are being urged not to walk their dogs in the heat, give - walk their dogs in the heat, give them place to rest, and keep their water bowl topped up. as

temperatures across europe continue to rise, scientists warn these periods of intense heat will become hotter, longerand periods of intense heat will become hotter, longer and more frequent due to global warming. familiarising yourself with the safety measures needed today could become a much—needed routine for many years to come. matt gray bbc news. duncan kennedy is at a lido in guildford. have you been in yet, duncan? it is absolutel have you been in yet, duncan? it 3 absolutely boiling here, victoria, i havejust absolutely boiling here, victoria, i have just checked the bbc weather app, have just checked the bbc weather app, 28 degrees now, they are saying it could rise to 31 degrees, really direct sun, dry heat at this lido, which is crammed, about 2500 people on here today, enjoying the water, which is warmed to about 24 degrees, so very nice here. and of course we are getting this weather pattern right across the south—east and into the midlands, although it has to be

said it is very rare forjune temperatures here in the uk to go into the 30s. you have to go back to 1976 when the record was set in southampton�*s mayflower park, when it hit 35.6 degrees. we are not going to say that today, more like 33 all 34 degrees, but three pieces of advice from the manager here, watch it with the sun cream, going from cooler into warm water, and thirdly, simply enjoy it. definitely! more from our weather forecaster, chris fawkes, duncan touched on it there, tell us how hot it could get. $5 touched on it there, tell us how hot it could get-— touched on it there, tell us how hot it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone _ it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone to — it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone to 30 _ it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone to 30 degrees - it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone to 30 degrees in - it could get. as you were reporting, we have gone to 30 degrees in the | we have gone to 30 degrees in the last hour, and it is worth pointing out that this is not a uk wide feature, and we've looked at the map, southern scotland, northern england, that is a cold front. it is to the south of that front that we have hot air, so most of england and

wales we are talking about. the highest temperatures are in eastern england, south—east england, east anglia, reaching the low 30s, we think hitting 33, possibly 34 this afternoon. to give you some kind of context, if we look at recentjunes, well, four out of five recentjunes have seen similar temperatures, but if you get to 34, that becomes quite rare. there have only been five such occasions in the last 100 years, 1947, 1957, 1976 and occasions in the last 100 years, 1947,1957,1976 and more occasions in the last 100 years, 1947, 1957, 1976 and more recently, it is thought, as climate change happens, these mice become more frequent in the future. and happens, these mice become more frequent in the future.— frequent in the future. and there are higher _ frequent in the future. and there are higher than _ frequent in the future. and there are higher than normal— frequent in the future. and there - are higher than normaltemperatures are higher than normal temperatures across europe as well. in spain we have seen temperatures into the low 405, the earliest heatwave we have seenin 405, the earliest heatwave we have seen in spain for over 40 years and

that heat has started to push further northwards. ye5terday in france, temperatures reached a5 further northwards. ye5terday in france, temperatures reached as high as 40 degrees and that was the a5 40 degrees and that was the earliest in the season, that has happened as well. thank you very much, chris. chris, you will be back in a bit with the weather forecast. the whole details acro55 in a bit with the weather forecast. the whole details across the uk. as i said, chris will be here in about ten minutes or so. the time is 13:18. our top story this lunchtime: gatwick airport say5 gatwick airport says it is reducing the number of flights during the peak summer period due to staff shortages. and welcome to skegvegas — the instagrammbale new sign in the seaside town that it's hoped will pull in more visitors. coming up on the bbc news channel: can peniston power through to the semifinals at queen's? the british wild card stunned francisco cerundolo, but how will he fare

against serbia's filip krajinovic? we'll bring you the latest. in ukraine, fighting is continuing in the east of the country, with russia getting closer to gaining full control of the town of severodonetsk. it's a key battleground, as taking it and the nearby city of lysychansk would see moscow gain control of the entire luhansk region, much of which is already in the hands of russian—backed separatists. our ukraine correspondent joe inwood reports. this is the reality of the battle for severodonetsk. close—quarters combat, said to be as brutal as anything seen in europe since the second world war. these men, including british and american soldiers, are members of ukraine's foreign legion. gunfire wooh!

they've travelled from around the world to resist russia's invasion. many have paid with their lives. but others have been captured including, reportedly, two us veterans. if we had reason to believe, incredible reason to believe that these individuals were in russian custody, we would pursue that, as appropriate. right across the east, ukrainian forces are digging in, preparing for an expected russian push. in the woods outside slovyansk, they wait. explosions at the start of this war, their light—infantry tactics, mobile units out—thinking their opponents, won famous victories. now, they are on the back foot against their better—armed enemy. translation: the most important thing is that i the guys are not afraid. they rush into battle. they are worried, of course. everyone would be worried. but everyone has something behind

them — conscience, honour. the ukrainians are using every tool at their disposal to fight this war. this is a special forces drone unit, operating right on the front lines. i'm looking for vehicles. but look at what they're up against. as they film, shells land nearby. and then, below their drone, a russian fighter strikes. ukraine desperately needs more equipment. the west says it is coming. the question is, will it be too late? joe inwood, bbc news, kyiv. well, ukraine's bid tojoin the european union has moved a step closer today, with senior officials in brussels recommending the country is made a formal "candidate" for membership. jessica parker is in brussels. why have they taken this decision now? well, ursula von der leyen, the

european commission president, turned up to today's news conference to make this announcement dressed in the colours of the ukrainian flag, i think she is keen the eu is seen to be showing solidarity with ukraine. she said she wanted ukraine to live the european dream. but this decision to recommend ukraine is given candidate status comes with a caveat. first, eu memberstates caveat. first, eu member states need to sign up these plans unanimously, they will discuss it at a summit next week and ukraine needs to meet reforms, conditions before negotiations can even begin, judiciary, legal reforms. including reforms to its political structures as well. so this is a long ahead for ukraine and countries who have been in this candidate status waiting room for years can attest to that. and that is why some member states were a bit nervous of going down this road because they don't want, they say, to offer ukraine false hope. having said that, ukraine's president zelensky today has really welcomed this decision, calling it a

historic one. welcomed this decision, calling it a historic one-— historic one. thank you very much, jessica, historic one. thank you very much, jessica. thank _ historic one. thank you very much, jessica, thank you. _ the number of people with covid has jumped more than 40% this week. 1.4 million people, to percent of the population, were infected in the week ending the 11th ofjune, that is up from 990,000 the previous week. cases have risen in all four nations of the uk. our medical editor fergus walsh is here, what is going on? editor fergus walsh is here, what is auoin on? . ., , ., ., going on? omicron, the showing no sins of going on? omicron, the showing no signs of abating _ going on? omicron, the showing no signs of abating and _ going on? omicron, the showing no signs of abating and is _ going on? omicron, the showing no signs of abating and is rising - signs of abating and is rising again, omicron came to the uk late november. the ons survey is the most reliable indicator we have of covid infection levels and it suggests the week ending the 11th ofjune, covering most of thejubilee period, overall, one in 45 people in the uk were infected. still way down on the one in 13 we had at the end of

march. the breakdown is in england, one in 50. in wales and northern ireland, one in 45. in scotland, one and 30. obviously, a lot more people were mixing during thejubilee celebrations, but it has really been driven by two sub—variants of omicron. ba5 and ba5, they are more able to invade the immune system but no more deadly than omicron. that means if you had omicron around christmas orjust means if you had omicron around christmas or just after, means if you had omicron around christmas orjust after, you have eight times more chance of being reinfected now with another strain of omicron then you would have had last year under delta. but it is not showing any increase in numbers in intensive care units, still around 5,000 covid patients in hospital, but most of those will have been admitted with something else. thank ou ve admitted with something else. thank you very much. _ admitted with something else. thank you very much, fergus, _ admitted with something else. thank you very much, fergus, thank - admitted with something else. thank you very much, fergus, thank you. in a tennis career spanning nearly

30 years, billiejean king became the first female sports superstar, winning 39 grand slam titles and holding the world number one position for six years. off the court, billiejean king worked tirelessly as a social activist, campaigning to get the women's sport recognised and female athletes treated as equal to men. now nearly 80, she's still campaigning and is worried about the upcoming us supreme court decision on legal abortion. she's been speaking to the bbc�*s amol rajan at the place she calls her spiritual home — wimbledon. i always just love to look at a tennis court. it's like our stage. and i love to touch it. do you eat the grass? we just put it in our pocket. it's for luck. billie jean king serving for match point... billiejean king dominated women's tennis in the 19605 and �*705, but also became an icon for social activists along the way. the first openly lgbt player, she set up the women's professional tour and earned equal pay for women.

in 1973, she defeated 55—year—old bobby riggs in a landmark match known as the battle of sexes, watched by 90 million people worldwide. anytime i get come to wimbledon, it's a privilege. today, she no longer plays but, as a campaigner, is as active as ever. what did you make of the decision to not let russian and belarusian players come and compete this year? i think it's really a difficult, difficult, difficult challenge. i respect wimbledon, but for me personally, i would want every player to be able to play. what was your reaction to the news that the supreme court of america may overturn roe v. wade? oh, a huge step back. why? because we don't have control of what we want in our bodies. i mean, for someone else to tell us what to do, you don't ever see people talk about men and whether they can have a vasectomy, what they can do with their bodies. whether we're going to decide

for men about not having control. every woman has to make her own decision on it. it is never an easy decision. nuanced in her thinking, she doesn't shy from topical issues. decisions are being made about whether trans women who have been through male puberty can compete in female categories, whether they have an unfair advantage. what's your view? i mean, you've thought about these issues, as you say, for 50 years. i keep thinking about them because i don't know the answers. i want every person to have a chance to play. that's always what i go back to, so how can we do that? let's say it is unfair, maybe we should have an event just for them. i don't know. but i want everyone to have a chance to play, but i don't want someone to have a huge unfair advantage. i think we have to keep listening to the science. i'm big on science. life is different now. it's not binary, it's not easy—peasy, you're a boy or a girl any more.

we have to really, really appreciate each person to find their truth, whatever that is. in the 19705, her success on court was matched by turmoil off it. she had an affair, abortion and even her sexuality made public against her will. both pragmatic and idealistic, she has simple advice for a new generation of activists. every new generation has to fight because things are fragile constantly. i think it's really important to think about things being in a tenuous position always. even if they're not. that progress is fragile. it is, and you can go backwards so easily. amol rajan, bbc news. and you can see more of billiejean king on amol rajan interviews, wednesday at 7pm, on bbc two. a giant new neon sign — based on the las vegas original — has been put up just outside skegnes.

it says skeg vegas, not in nevada — because that's how some describe the seaside town, with their tongue in their cheek. but it's hoped the bold, instragammable sign will actually pull in more visitors. jayne mccubbin reports. welcome to skegness! it has been the butt ofjokes... welcome to skegness! ..but those who love it really love it. wahid's family. yes. sell skegness to me. the weather's been lovely. the attractions have been amazing. i've been to rhyl. i've been to blackpool. skegness, you can't fault it. have you been to las vegas? no. i wish! well, brace yourself, wahid. thanks to the skegness raceway, there is a new attraction in town, hoping to pull in new visitors. skegness raceway is one of the, or is the first tourist attraction on the road into skegness, so it's the first thing they see. so if we can put a smile on people's faces before they hit the town, we're all happy.

did you see the sign coming in, "skeg vegas"? we did. skeg vegas, are you feeling it? it's better than the actual vegas. is it? definitely feeling it, yeah. somebody turned up from rochdale just to get a picture with the sign. l just to come to skegness for that. the sign is modelled on the real deal 5,000 miles away. it cost £36,000, but the value of what is fast becoming a viral marketing moment — priceless. speaking of which... binley mega chippy! ..let�*s skip skeg vegas and head down to coventry. where are we are going, charlotte? both: binley mega chippy! all: binley mega chippy! this is what a social—media storm looks like. and this is what skegvegas is hoping for this summer. a taste of las vegas but, like the sign says, not in nevada, it's in lincolnshire! jayne mccubbin, bbc news.

time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes.