this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the uk government will host an emergency cobra meeting later today, after the first national heatwave emergency was declared in the uk. fires continue to burn out of control, as parts of france, portugal and spain endure record—breaking temperatures. thousands of people are evacuated from their homes. the race for conservative party leader and next prime minister continues, as the five remaining candidates battle it out in the first tv debate. i was really pleased to be able to make a positive case for why i can be the best leader for our party and our country, and that's because i want to restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite our country. i was pleased to make the positive case for that. heathrow is pushing ahead with plans to forced airlines to reduce passenger numbers to help

the airport cope with staff shortages. a meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee is to take place this afternoon to discuss how to respond to the record temperatures that are expected to hit parts of the uk next week. a national emergency has been declared, after a red extreme heat warning was issued for the first time, meaning there's a risk to life. jon donnison has more. at the bristol harbour festival this weekend, a cold shower more than welcome. and with potentially record temperatures forecast for early next week, this summer's heatwave is entering uncharted waters.

well, i don't like the heat. it's all right at the moment, it's all right in the shade, but i do burn too quickly. for those climate sceptics, i think this is evidence that something's definitely happening, so, you know, people need to take a bit of responsibility, definitely. he can't be in nursery for the full day, cos it's going to be - far too hot for him, _ so he'll be home for the afternoon in a paddling pool with us. probably, yeah! and the extreme heat is expected to put the health service under pressure. the uk health security agency says a far more moderate heatwave last summer led to over 1,600 excess deaths, and it comes with hospitals already under strain because of the recent rise in covid cases. i am worried that we're going to have a surge in attendances over this weekend and into next week. it's going to put an enormous pressure on notjust on the emergency department, but the system as a whole. both gps, communities and well into the hospital as well. the whole system's going to come under pressure. at this primary school in weymouth this week, caps and suncream have been the order of the day, and that was with temperatures

around just 30 degrees. but with the possibility of a0 degrees by monday and tuesday, some schools have decided to close. and forecasters say this is all something we're going to have to get used to. scientists believe now that we are going to see more extreme heat, and potentially for a longer period of time. we're10% more likely now to see extreme heat as a result of climate change and man—made influence. and the impact is global. extreme temperatures have led to wildfires in portugal and spain this week. scientists say such weather is no longer exceptional. it's the new normal. i'm joined by alison roberts, who is in the portugese capital, lisbon. allison, just what is portugal having to cope with? we allison, just what is portugal having to cope with? we have seen

all-time record _ having to cope with? we have seen all-time record high _ having to cope with? we have seen all-time record high temperaturesl all—time record high temperatures locally in many places across portugal in the last few days. indeed, record temperature forjuly for the whole of the country. that was on thursday. temperatures have come down a little bit since then, but the conditions basically remain the same. extremely hot, extremely dry, the ideal conditions forforest fires to start and keep burning for several days in some cases. what fires to start and keep burning for several days in some cases. what is the advice to _ several days in some cases. what is the advice to people? _ several days in some cases. what is the advice to people? the _ several days in some cases. what is i the advice to people? the government has been saying _ the advice to people? the government has been saying consistently _ the advice to people? the government has been saying consistently that - has been saying consistently that people should stay indoors if they can, close their windows, people should stay indoors if they can, close theirwindows, blinds, which are fairly common on houses here. at night, when hopefully it is a little cooler, to open their homes up a little cooler, to open their homes up again. this is something that will also be applicable in the uk, if it is cooler at night, take advantage of that. but we have had several tropical nights with the temperature has fallen very little. as far as the fires are concerned, restrictions have been imposed on

people entering rural forested areas and there is a complete ban of the use of machinery in those areas for example. nevertheless, there have been many, many fires started, possibly some involving arson, these accusations are often made, many are often negligence, there is no doubt about that. ., ., , often negligence, there is no doubt aboutthat. ., ., , , ., about that. portugal is used to exneriencing — about that. portugal is used to experiencing warmer - about that. portugal is used to - experiencing warmer temperatures than we are in the uk, but these are off the chart, aren't they? yes. off the chart, aren't they? yes, these local— off the chart, aren't they? yes, these local records, _ off the chart, aren't they? yes, these local records, all-time i off the chart, aren't they? ye: these local records, all—time high temperatures in many localities in the country, itjust shows you that these places have never experienced anything like it before and also we are seeing more of these heatwaves more frequently. this winter and spring has also been unusually dry and that is part of the problem now, in terms of water shortages as well as the conditions for forest fires. so this is a really big concern, we're being told that for the whole of the iberian peninsula, this is the hottest, driest climate for more a millennium. irate

the hottest, driest climate for more a millennium-— the hottest, driest climate for more a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather — a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather is _ a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather is tracking _ a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather is tracking up _ a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather is tracking up from - a millennium. we are seeing the way the weather is tracking up from the l the weather is tracking up from the iberian peninsula and affecting us here in the uk. how much longer are we expecting it to last? we here in the uk. how much longer are we expecting it to last?— we expecting it to last? we think that the temperatures _ we expecting it to last? we think that the temperatures peaked i we expecting it to last? we think l that the temperatures peaked here we expecting it to last? we think - that the temperatures peaked here on thursday. they are a little lower today, the danger is still there in terms of the fires clearly and we see hundreds, literally, of excess deaths in portugal and spain in recent days so we expect high temperatures for the next few days, not as high as a couple of days ago, but this does seem set to continue into next week. for but this does seem set to continue into next week.— into next week. for the moment, thank you — into next week. for the moment, thank you very — into next week. for the moment, thank you very much. _ the five conservative mps hoping to become the next party leader and prime minister are gearing up for a decisive week, after having clashed over a number of issues, including tax, inflation and trust, in the contest�*s first televised debate. the five will be whittled down to the two final candidates in voting by tory mps next week. here's our political correspondent tony bonsignore.

the fewer the remaining candidates, the greater the public scrutiny. the first televised debate suggested that the cost of living crisis will be a key battleground in this contest. it's an area where the more experienced candidates believe they have the edge, although they're still split on what to do. we need to help people now, and that's why, if i was elected as prime minister, i would immediately reverse the national insurance increases, which i called out in cabinet, i was opposed to them in cabinet. i would also remove the green energy levy. i don't think the responsible thing to do right now is launch into some unfunded spree of borrowing and more debt. that willjust make inflation worse. it will make the problem longer. another key issue is the lack of trust in politicians. a question for the candidates, then — is borisjohnson honest? there have been some

really severe issues, l and i think that he's| paid a price for that. is borisjohnson an honest man? no. all the candidates remain hopeful. i think it went very well. i've never done a televised debate before, and i more than held my own. do you think it's helped your chances of winning? yes, absolutely. i think people have learned about me and i look forward to tomorrow's debates. i was pleased to make a positive case for why i can be the best. leader for our party- and our country, and that is because i want to restore trust, rebuild our economy— and unite the country. i was pleased to make. a positive case for that. with the next round of mps voting on monday, it still feels like all to play for. tony bonsignore, bbc news. joining me now is tim bale who is a professor of politics at queen mary university. welcome. how gripped where you buy this debate? ~ ., ,

this debate? well, it was interesting _ this debate? well, it was interesting to _ this debate? well, it was interesting to see - this debate? well, it was interesting to see the - this debate? well, it was - interesting to see the candidates put through their paces, because to be honest, many are but had not releasing a great deal of them before now on live television. there was something there, i think. particularly for party members watching out there in the country, that may have swayed some of them and of course mps will have been doing so as well. i think maybe there might be some change after last night. there might be some change after last niuht. ~ . , there might be some change after last niuht.~ . ,,, there might be some change after lastniuht.~ ., , ,, last night. what is your assessment of who was the _ last night. what is your assessment of who was the weakest _ last night. what is your assessment of who was the weakest and - last night. what is your assessment of who was the weakest and who i last night. what is your assessment l of who was the weakest and who was the strongest? i of who was the weakest and who was the strongest?— the strongest? i think rishi sunak robabl the strongest? i think rishi sunak probably has _ the strongest? i think rishi sunak probably has done _ the strongest? i think rishi sunak probably has done himself - the strongest? i think rishi sunak probably has done himself a - the strongest? i think rishi sunakl probably has done himself a favour there. he played it as the grown up in the room, somebody who had a real grip on the country's economic situation and he emphasised time and time again to act responsibly and created a bit of a problem for those candidates who are ruling out the idea of tax cuts and cuts to public services which is always far harder than many think. i think he did

himself a big favour. penny mordaunt had a lot of momentum going into the debate. i wonder if some of that momentum is beginning to slip away because her performance perhaps did not match some of the expectations which were admittedly quite high. liz truss did not really perform very well. i think that is the consensus. it's important to realise that she does have a lot of backers in the conservative parliamentary party because she does stand for the low tax conservatism and carries the good wishes of everybody who wants to prevent rishi sunak becoming prime minister because they feel he betrayed boris johnson. prime minister because they feel he betrayed borisjohnson. i think tom tugendhat did well. in some senses, he had the easiestjob because he is the clean skin, the fresh start candidate and his sense of humour really helped him as well. kemi badenoch... she seems to think she has done really well and perhaps others will agree. you has done really well and perhaps others will agree.— has done really well and perhaps others will agree. you always have to talk yourself _ others will agree. you always have to talk yourself up _ others will agree. you always have to talk yourself up in _ others will agree. you always have to talk yourself up in these - others will agree. you always have to talk yourself up in these things. j

to talk yourself up in these things. you have written extensively about the conservative party, particularly in the modern youth. which direction do you see it going in, or in, or is that utterly dependent on who wins this context? i that utterly dependent on who wins this context?— this context? i don't think it's totally dependent _ this context? i don't think it's totally dependent on - this context? i don't think it's totally dependent on the - this context? i don't think it's i totally dependent on the leader, although clearly the leader of the conservative party and particularly the prime minister has a great deal in the side of the direction of the party. it is also the centre of gravity in parliament that make the difference will someone we're looking at candidates, some talk about right, centre or even left of centre but most of candidates are really in some senses thatcherite. it's just different strains of thatcherism. i don't think we will see any massive change on the part of the conservative party. 0ne see any massive change on the part of the conservative party. one thing that might change possibly if rishi sunakfor example were that might change possibly if rishi sunak for example were to become pn sunak for example were to become pm or penny mordaunt, would be anything to make the slightly less emphasis on this sort of cultural war on walk stuff. we ask kemi badenoch for prime minister, or liz truss, i

think we will still see quite a lot of that. ~ ., ., ., ,., think we will still see quite a lot of that. ~ ., ., ., ., , of that. who would the labour party for our of that. who would the labour party for your most? _ of that. who would the labour party for your most? interesting. - of that. who would the labour party for your most? interesting. i- of that. who would the labour party for your most? interesting. i think l for your most? interesting. i think after last night. — for your most? interesting. i think after last night, they _ for your most? interesting. i think after last night, they would - for your most? interesting. i think after last night, they would not. for your most? interesting. i think after last night, they would not be as scared as perhaps the thought they might be. nobody really stood out as somebody who would give keir starmer a real problem but of course people can grow into the job so i don't think labour will be complacent.— don't think labour will be complacent. don't think labour will be comlacent. ., ., complacent. good to have your persoeetive- — complacent. good to have your perspective. thank _ complacent. good to have your perspective. thank you - complacent. good to have your perspective. thank you for - complacent. good to have your i perspective. thank you forjoining us. three people have been killed and 15 others injured in the ukrainian city of dnipro, following a russian missile attack on the country's leading space rocket and satellite factory. ukraine says it needs urgent shipments of long—range artillery and other weapons to slow the advance of russian forces in the east of the country as our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, reports. 0n ukraine's eastern front, they're about to target russian positions. this time, using american—supplied

howitzers and ammunition. explosion. ukraine's still vastly outgunned. these help, but they can't hang around. western weapons like this have given ukraine an advantage in terms of accuracy and range, but they've also become high—value targets, with russia trying to hunt them down. they prepare to move out quickly, before they become the target. explosions. go, go, go! well, that's a russian reply coming in just now. they fired their shots and, within minutes, russian artillery were responding, shells landing close to us where we are now. explosion. there's another one.

this time, they miss. the howitzers get away. the artillery commander tells me the russians are regularly targeting them because of their western weapons. "because they're precise and effective," he says. ukraine's also having to learn a western way of war, the emphasis on precision. and this one's making a difference — the us himars rocket launcher. ukraine doesn't have many, but it can now strike targets from distance. but it's creating a massive logistical challenge. ukraine's now having to maintain dozens of weapons from dozens of countries, like these british—supplied armoured vehicles. each one requires separate training and spare parts. and weapons supplied by the west also use a different calibre of ammunition, like these german self—propelled guns.

the west still claims it's not directly involved in this conflict, but in truth, it's now an essential part of ukraine's war machine. jonathan beale, bbc news, eastern ukraine. the headlines on bbc news... the uk government will host an emergency cobra meeting later today, after the first national heatwave emergency was declared in the uk. fires continue to burn out of control, as parts of france, portugal and spain endure record breaking temperatures. thousands of people are evacuated from their homes. the race for conservative party leader and next prime minister continues, as the five remaining candidates battle it out in the first tv debate. the us president, joe biden, is meeting gulf leaders on the final day of his tour of the middle east. it's the first time he's visited the region since he became president. he's been trying to persuade gulf leaders to boost oil production during a high—level meeting in saudi arabia. mr biden is due to

leave this afternoon, but the summit will continue. this is president biden speaking earlier. the united states is going to remain an active and engaged partner in the middle east. as the world grows more competitive, and the challenges we face, more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me how closely interwoven american's interests are with the successes of the middle east. 0ur middle east correspondent, anna foster, has been speaking to the saudi minister of state for foreign affairs. she began by asking him about critical comments president biden had made about the saudi regime in the past. what happens in a political campaign generally doesn't survive the reality of being in office, because in office, you have access to information, you have access to advisers, you have access to intelligence, and you are governing and conducting the affairs of government. president trump said

things about saudi arabia during the campaign, but then, when he was in office, we had a great relationship with him. so what happens in campaigns is what i call happens during the silly season. two dissent is still punished. we can have an argument about this because what you may call a dissident we call a terrorist. you see someone expressing their opinion, it is incitement. when somebody gives money to a group that murders people, is that expressing their opinion? 0r murders people, is that expressing their opinion? or is this funding murder? but they are presented outside saudi arabia as if they are activists. 0r outside saudi arabia as if they are activists. or as if they are moderates, wanting to express their opinion. when, from our opinion, they are either inciting people to commit murder, or they are funding

murder, orthey commit murder, or they are funding murder, or they are actively working to destabilise the kingdom of saudi arabia. for to destabilise the kingdom of saudi arabia. ., ., , , , arabia. for many people, when they think of saudi _ arabia. for many people, when they think of saudi arabia, _ arabia. for many people, when they think of saudi arabia, they - arabia. for many people, when they think of saudi arabia, they think - arabia. for many people, when they think of saudi arabia, they think of i think of saudi arabia, they think of jamal khashoggi and they think of the way that he was lowered into the saudi consulate in istanbul, suffocated, his body was dismembered with a bone sore, his body has never been found. which of those cranes that you listed here did he commit to be murdered in such a way which the cia concluded had been approved by the crown? the the cia concluded had been approved by the crown?— the cia concluded had been approved by the crown? the argument that his ro al by the crown? the argument that his royal highness _ by the crown? the argument that his royal highness the _ by the crown? the argument that his royal highness the crown _ by the crown? the argument that his royal highness the crown organised l royal highness the crown organised this is ridiculous or that he knew about this. did george bush organise or know about what happened in abu grade? of course not. it was a mistake by few who exceeded their authority. the us government investigated, punished and put in place mechanisms to ensure this does

not happen again. so the argument that we did this, that saudi arabia is guilty as a country or government or leadership, to me is ridiculous. can you hold other governments responsible or presents or heads of state for actions that were committed outside of the scope of their authority? of course not. the sri lankan parliament has begun the formal process of choosing a new president, after mass protests drove gotabaya rajapaksa from power. the prime minister, ranil wickremesinghe, has been sworn in as temporary leader, and has the backing of the ruling party. protesters have called for his resignation because of his close ties to the rajapaksa family. mps are expected to vote for mr rakapaksa's replacement on wednesday. airlines are being forced to either cancel or run less flights because of staff shortages at heathrow airport. emirates airlines have agreed to cap

sales of its flights out of heathrow until mid—august. with me now is our business correspondent vishala sri—pathma. remind us about the background of this because it feels like it has been rumbling on for a while. we have been rumbling on for a while. - have been talking about a surge in demand for holidays at the moment, clearly people who have been at home, stuck because of restrictions on airline travel for the last couple of years, this is the first year the airlines have some sort of chance of recuperating some losses they have endured. lots of people are quite eager to go abroad because restrictions have notjust been here in the uk, some of the key holiday destinations, spain for example, they have had restrictions in place that meant you cannot necessarily travel there. now that has been lifted. unfortunately, airports have not been able to cope with that

demand. heathrow, who we have been hearing from, has said that actually they have not got the workers on the ground to be able to deal with that influx of passengers and they have spoken to airlines to try to come to an agreement about scaling back capacity. an agreement about scaling back caaci . ., ., , an agreement about scaling back caaci . ., ., an agreement about scaling back caaci. ., ., ., ., capacity. that has not gone down well. a capacity. that has not gone down well- a lot _ capacity. that has not gone down well. a lot of _ capacity. that has not gone down well. a lot of staff _ capacity. that has not gone down well. a lot of staff were - capacity. that has not gone down well. a lot of staff were let - capacity. that has not gone down well. a lot of staff were let go, i well. a lot of staff were let go, fired, made redundant during covid and now they need them back again. it varies from brand to brand. emirates have said let's come to an agreement here. we will scale back on some overflights are day to try and meet you in the middle. they said that actually passengers that have booked for travel can go ahead and still travel as per scheduled but they will scale back on what they plan to do over the summer. british airways are very disappointed, they think these demands are not very fair from the airport from heathrow and have said they have had to get in touch with passengers and say, can you

reschedule your flight? we can offer you a voucher if you need to cancel. etihad of the other middle eastern airline that is quite popular have refused so far and have not come to agreement and are still operating as per schedule. aha, agreement and are still operating as per schedule-— per schedule. a lot of discussions to take place _ per schedule. a lot of discussions to take place but _ per schedule. a lot of discussions to take place but there _ per schedule. a lot of discussions to take place but there has - per schedule. a lot of discussions to take place but there has beenl per schedule. a lot of discussions| to take place but there has been a threat hanging over all of this of legal action?— threat hanging over all of this of legal action? that's right. lots of passengers _ legal action? that's right. lots of passengers do — legal action? that's right. lots of passengers do not _ legal action? that's right. lots of passengers do not know- legal action? that's right. lots of passengers do not know where i legal action? that's right. lots of. passengers do not know where they stand, airlines don't know what they are going to come to the conclusion of. the boss of heathrow said this morning just bear with us. let's work together. we will hopefully fix this problem by the end of the summer and so therefore flights can resume schedules as planned, but for now, we have only got 70 or 75% of the baggage handling security stuff that we need, therefore we have seen lots of scenes across short social media, news platforms, of people having to face delays, cancellations, and huge chaos. let's

try and avoid those scenes and make make it as smooth as possible. thank ou ve make it as smooth as possible. thank you very much- _ so, hopefully, the covid booster programme will take some pressure off the health service later this year, but one of the main issues facing the sector right now is a shortage of gps. a backlog of patients from the epidemic, and a struggle to recruit staff, means many surgeries are under pressure. 0ur reporterjamie coulson has more. i absolutely love being a gp. it is a fantasticjob, but it is the most difficult that i have ever known it and the pressure on the job has just been increasing exponentially. come in, have a seat. kate mansfield is a gp in doncaster and a clinical lead for a group of practices in the town. like elsewhere, she says they are seeing an increasing mismatch between the mounting workload and the available work. practices all over are trying to recruit more staff, more gps. they are employing locums whenever they can get them. but the demand has increased

so significantly that even when we can manage to get extra staff or locums, it is still nowhere near enough. analysis by the nuffield trust reveals the disparities in the number of patients per gp in different areas of england. i'lljust check your blood pressure first. mark is a partner at this group in scarborough. the former paramedic has trained as an advanced practitioner, which means he can deal with many of these complicated cases that don't necessarily need a gp. which means he can deal with many of the less complicated cases that don't necessarily need a gp. in a town where doctors can be hard to recruit, he plays a vital role. in a working day, a paramedic can take away between 25 and 30 appointments from a gp's workload and that releases the gp to deal with more complex patients who have more complex needs. in an ideal world, - we would have more gps, in an ideal woru, — we would have more gps, we would have more gps, we are all increasingly

aware this is not an ideal world. broadening the professional team is really important. _ we have to look at the type of work that is being asked to provide - and that definitely needs a review. i also think we need . to review the resources going into general practice. the government says it is working hard support and grow the gp workforce, by boosting recruitment, addressing some of the reasons why doctors leave and encouraging them to return to practice. 0ne scheme sees doctors being offered financial incentives in places like scarborough, where it is hard to recruit. nice to meet you. as the pressures on general practice increase, so do the calls for change. ireland and england's men's rugby union teams have both produced memorable 2—1 series wins, after away victories over new zealand and australia respectively. ireland secured their first ever series win over the all blacks, after beating them 32—22 in the third test in wellington. it's the first time in almost 30 years the all blacks have lost a home series.

now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. how low, extreme and impressive tented heat for the uk to content with —— unprecedented heat. the net office have issued a red highest level warning for the impacts on a wide swathe of the uk. this afternoon, more typical of average values. mid to high 20s, the teams for scotland and ireland. a much milder night than we had last night where rural lows in northern england were down a few degrees. mid—teens. the rain in the not clear to the north sea and then sunshine blazing down, temperatures rising. pulling in airfurther down, temperatures rising. pulling in air further south from the continent and that is what boosts

those temperatures. 32 or 33 across england and wales. mid 20s across scotland and northern ireland but this is where the content comes from as we look at temperatures for monday and tuesday. you might have seen this figure, 41 degrees somewhere in central and eastern england but draw your eye to the potential for 38 more widely across england and wales and at the moment, scotland and northern ireland are not actually covered by a heat warning but we could see close to record temperatures during the course of monday and tuesday. by night, likely to challenge record temperatures as well. temperatures sitting in the mid 20s across parts of england, that's where the effect of england, that's where the effect of heat stress really starts to kick in four people. eastern england possible on tuesday. further west a little cooler but 37 degrees with rising humidity as a weather front starts to come in from the west is going to feel for many pretty on

bearable. wednesday, massive drop in temperatures. very unusual for the uk to see such a significant drop, the figures will fall to the tune of perhaps 16 or 17 but we see the night becoming fresher and generally the weather scenario sketched will be more bearable. temperatures around average values for the time of year. the high teens — low 20s for scotland and northern ireland and we will continue with temperatures in the mid, potentially high 20s across england and wales but a note of those challenging conditions to come through the early parts of the week ahead.

hello this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall. the headlines: the uk government will host an emergency cobra meeting later today, after the first national heatwave emergency was declared in the uk. fires continue to burn out of control — parts of france, portugal and spain endure record breaking temperatures. thousands of people are evacuated from their homes. the race for conservative party leader — and next prime minister continues as the five remaining candidates battle it out in the first tv debate. i was really pleased to be able to make a positive case for why i can be the best leader for our party and our country, and that's because i want to restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite our country. i was pleased to make the positive case for that. heathrow is pushing ahead with plans to forced airlines to reduce passenger numbers to help the airport cope

with staff shortages. more from me at three o'clock. now on bbc new, unspun world withjohn simpson. hello and welcome to unspun world. this is the lobby of new broadcasting house — the bbc�*s headquarters in central london. will the fact that britain will soon have a new prime minister weaken its support for ukraine now that borisjohnson's gone? and we'll be hearing in shocking detail about a series of war crimes committed by russian soldiers. they get him to bend towards the wall and they load