welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: a clear and present danger — president biden pledges to make the biggest ever investment to combat climate change, but stops short of declaring an emergency. i will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people's health, to win the clean energy future. his warning comes as wildfires continue to rage across europe. firefighters struggle in the heatwave to tackle flames in greece, spain and italy. the former chancellor, rishi sunak, and foreign secretary, liz truss, will go head to head in the race to become the next british prime minister.

and feeling their way through shanghai's lockdown — we talk to the blind masseurs struggling to cope in a post—pandemic world. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. it's 8:00 in the morning in singapore and 8:00 in the evening on the us east coast, wherejoe biden used a visit to massachusetts to issue the latest stark warning on the threat posed by climate change. the us president is using executive powers to usher in measures, including offshore wind farms and expanded flood control. with a heat dome now affecting 28 states, the us is the latest country to swelter with high temperatures. wildfires are still raging in europe, in countries like spain,

italy and greece. in france's south—west, president macron has been to see the devastation caused by a wildfire that forced almost 40,000 people from their homes. 0ur correspondent lucy williamson was there and starts our coverage with this report. fire chiefs are too cautious to talk about a turning point, but the fire here has stabilised enough for president macron to visit teste—de—buch today to congratulate the crews. translation: we know the weaknesses - in the management of this forest. we have to make it grow again, but with different rules and precautions. you can see how unstable the situation is even from the forest road. the soil still smouldering, the clearance crews still at work. this is what it takes to stop the fires — a corridor 300 metres wide, cleared of all trees, all fuel for the flames.

but firefighters say the fires could still leap across this corridor if the winds in the wrong direction. and for those now waiting out the fire in shelters, fears will linger long after the flames are out. i think it's a global problem for everybody and in the future, yes, it could be the case for other regions or other countries, like in the uk. what we are living now, they can live it tomorrow or in the future years. what fires like this can do is becoming hard to ignore. in greece last night, firefighters watched as gale force winds swept flames through districts around athens. residents said the fire was moving faster than a car. is this, many ask, the future of summer in europe when pressure on firefighters

has eased again, will the pressure on politicians keep growing? lucy williamson, bbc news, teste—de—buch. elsewhere in the world, heavy rain has caused severe flooding in senegal�*s capital, dakar. the main roads through the city were inundated, forcing people to wade through knee—deep waters. residents say rainy season downpours cause problems every year and that the government needs to install adequate drainage systems. to the uk now, where london's fire service says that tuesday was its busiest day since world war ii, dealing with multiple blazes in record—breaking temperatures. the city was one of 15 areas around the uk to declare a major incident. one of the most serious fires was in wennington, in east london, where houses were destroyed. it came as temperatures hit a record forty point three degrees celcius. -- 40.3

well as we mentioned earlier, presidentjoe biden has unveiled new executive steps he will make to address climate change which he has described as an "existential threat" to the united states and the world. $2.3 billion will be spent on a range of new measures. among them, expanding flood control, shoring up utilities, and helping low—income families pay for heating and cooling costs. there's also support for the domestic offshore wind industry — 700,000 acres have been identified in the gulf of mexico, for that purpose. president biden had been under pressure to declare a climate emergency, which would release funds to ramp up production of a wide range of renewable energy products and systems. as president i have a responsibility to act with resolve when our nation is faced with clear and present

danger. that is what, change is about. the health of our citizens and communities is at stake. international climate scientists: the latest climate report nothing less than code red for humanity and that is why today i am making the largest investment ever, 2.3 billion dollars to help infrastructure designed to withstand the full range of disasters we have seen up to today. extreme heat, flooding, hurricane, terminators. right now millions of people suffering from extreme heat at home. professor leah stokes is a political scientist from the university of california, santa barbara. she specialises in climate and energy policy. i spoke to her earlier and asked if president biden�*s measures go far enough? congress, over the last 18 months has been working around the clock to try to pass a

landmark suite of climate investment, somewhere between 350 and 550 billion dollars, thatis 350 and 550 billion dollars, that is a lot of money and it will bring jobs to the united states in clean energy manufacturing. just last week, the senator from west virginia walked away from the negotiating table, despite the fact there was a lot in the package that would have helped the people of west virginia transition towards clean energy jobs. today than biden has tried to move forward with that. i tried to move forward with that. ~ ., , . that. i know there is so much olitics that. i know there is so much politics involved _ that. i know there is so much politics involved in _ that. i know there is so much politics involved in this, - politics involved in this, particularly as we headed to the midterm elections but i want to focus on today's announcement from president biden. is this new money that we are getting and doesn't go far enough towards achieving the us climate ambitions? you cannot really — the us climate ambitions? 7m, cannot really understand what president biden is doing outside of the context in

congress. he said he still waiting for to take those important actions because when we compare what president biden announced today, what being discussed in congress, $300 billion or more, it isjust several orders of magnitude less. what president biden is trying to say is that congress must act and if not, he plans to use the full force of his executive authority to act on climate change. but executive authority to act on climate change.— executive authority to act on climate change. but he did not declare a climate _ climate change. but he did not declare a climate emergency i climate change. but he did not l declare a climate emergency and i understand nine democratic senators had urged him to do this and it would have given him more power in the theory to lower america's carbon emissions.— lower america's carbon emissions. , ., . . emissions. why not? i climate emergency — emissions. why not? i climate emergency does _ emissions. why not? i climate emergency does not _ emissions. why not? i climate emergency does not give - emissions. why not? i climate emergency does not give the i emergency does not give the president a lot more power. it gives a limited power to do a few more things. it is actually an important symbolic move where it says we are in a terrible situation and we need

to act. the more important things we need to see biden do substantively are blocking new fossil fuel projects and getting the environmental protection agency to put forward new regulation on cars and power plants and enforce existing regulations on 30 facilities. that is really the tough stuff we are expecting the president to do in the coming weeks.— the president to do in the cominu weeks. ., ,, , coming weeks. professor stokes, i know particularly _ coming weeks. professor stokes, i know particularly at this - i know particularly at this point in the political cycle in the us, everything is in some ways about the midterms. i am intrigued to know your views, what is the mood music about climate change and how that plays to the electorate? the main issue _ plays to the electorate? the main issue right _ plays to the electorate? the main issue right now- plays to the electorate? tue: main issue right now is inflation, costs are rising and the fact is investing in clean energy and climate is a deflationary move, making it cheaperfor deflationary move, making it cheaper for people to drive

their cars to because it is cheaper to have an electric vehicle than a gas powered car. it makes it easier to heat and cool their homes. this package be very good for the democrats in the midterm elections because it would make the energy system much more affordable for everyday americans.— affordable for everyday americans. ., ,, , americans. professor stokes from the _ americans. professor stokes from the university - americans. professor stokes from the university of- from the university of california, santa barbara. let's return to the uk now, where we know the two candidates who'll go head to head, to become the next leader of the uk's ruling conservative party and the country's next prime minister. rishi sunak — the former chancellor — remained ahead of the field but liz truss, the uk's foreign secretary, beat penny mordaunt, to reach the final two. here's our political editor chris mason let me introduce you to some of those who will decide who our next prime minister will be. we are in the queen's head in buckinghamshire with some conservative party members.

this town, and those around it, have been tory for eons but were repelled by borisjohnson at a by—election a year ago. rishi sunak and liz truss will be the candidates going forward to a final ballot of conservative party members. the deal is done. the question now for our members is, "who is the best person to defeat keir starmer and the labour party at the next election?" i believe i am the only candidate who can do that. i am the person who can go into numberio, i can hit the ground running and get things done. i think that is what colleagues have voted for and that is what i now want to take to conservative members around the country. what do you make of it? well, i am quite happy with the process, i think we've got two fantastic final candidates. i think in particular, promises are cheap and i am wanting to hear someone that is honest about the trade—offs that the country is facing. i think liz truss is good forj the right wing of the party, but i also thinkl rishi sunak has done a good job as well,

so you need to go into. hustings with an open mind. you are conservative party members, but you are making a decision on behalf of the whole country? and i think it is important that we recognise as a party, but also as an individual member, having agency to make a vote, that these votes need to connect with absolutely everybody, not just ourselves. what do we know about the two finalists to be our next prime minister? the former chancellor rishi sunak became an mp in 2015. he voted leave in the eu referendum and has said he wants to cut taxes, but only when inflation is under control. the foreign secretary liz truss was first elected in 2010. she became a cabinet minister in 2014 and voted remain in the eu referendum but rapidly became an enthusiast for brexit. she is promising immediate tax cuts. could there be more of this to

come? ., ., ., , ., , ., come? you have raised taxes and that will not _ come? you have raised taxes and that will not drive _ come? you have raised taxes and that will not drive economic - that will not drive economic growth. in that will not drive economic urowth. , ., , growth. in the party have been both a liberal— growth. in the party have been both a liberal democrat - growth. in the party have been both a liberal democrat and i growth. in the party have been both a liberal democrat and a | both a liberal democrat and a remainder, i wasjust wondering which _ remainder, i wasjust wondering which one — remainder, i wasjust wondering which one you regretted most? but borisjohnson is not quite done yet. today was his final prime minister's question time. the labour leader said he wished mrjohnson and his family the best, but his government was a failure. he has decided to come down from his bunker one last time to tell us that everything is fine. i am going to miss the delusion. fine. i am going to miss the delusion-— fine. i am going to miss the delusion. ., , ., ., ., delusion. the scottish national party think _ delusion. the scottish national party think mr _ delusion. the scottish national party think mrjohnson - delusion. the scottish national party think mrjohnson has - delusion. the scottish national party think mrjohnson has had j party think mrjohnson has had they cause no end. t party think mrjohnson has had they cause no end.—

party think mrjohnson has had they cause no end. i would like to thinking _ they cause no end. i would like to thinking for— they cause no end. i would like to thinking for driver— they cause no end. i would like to thinking for driver support . to thinking for driver support for independence to new heights. for independence to new heiahts. �* for independence to new heighte— for independence to new heiahts. �* , , heights. and these were boris johnson's _ heights. and these were boris johnson's final _ heights. and these were boris johnson's final words - heights. and these were boris johnson's final words and - johnson's final words and perhaps the last we will hear. the last few years have been the greatest privilege of my life and it is through our help to get the bigger story majority for 40 years and a huge realignment in uk politics. we have transformed our democracy and restored our national independence as my honourable friend says, mission largely accomplished, for now. i want to thank everybody here and, asked —— hasta la vista, baby. and, asked -- hasta la vista, bab . and, asked -- hasta la vista, bab. ,, ., baby. theresa may was less than a ounu baby. theresa may was less than a young spring — baby. theresa may was less than a young spring to _ baby. theresa may was less than a young spring to getting - baby. theresa may was less than a young spring to getting to - a young spring to getting to her feet. a young spring to getting to

herfeet. the ship now a young spring to getting to her feet. the ship now to conservative members in the country tasked with choosing who comes next. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: inside parliament, sri lanka's lawmakers choose their new president. 0utside parliament, the protests continue as controversial prime minister ranil wickremesinghe is selected. radio: i see you coming down the ladder now. i 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's 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 properly. seven, six, five... 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 newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines: a clear and present danger. president biden pledges to make the biggest ever investment to combat climate change, but stops short of declaring an emergency. his warning comes as wildfires

continue to rage across europe. firefighters struggle in the heatwave to tackle flames in greece, spain and italy. let's move away from the heatwave and wildfires now and take you to sri lanka, where lawmakers have voted for prime minister ranil wickremesinghe to become the country's new president, despite his unpopularity with the public. he faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse and restoring order after months of mass protests. secunder kermani reports from colombo. sri lanka's new president is not a popular man. there was heavy security outside parliament as politicians assembled to select a new leader. ranil wickremesinghe is a veteran political figure. now he'll be leading a country struggling with its worst ever economic crisis.

earlier this month, his offices were temporarily taken over by angry protesters who forced the previous president to flee. demonstrations have continued, but now, they're far smaller. protesters have said they would never accept ranil as president. there is clearly still a lot of anger, but so far, no sign of the kind of mass protests we've seen in recent weeks. 0bviously, people are burnt out after four months of continuous protests, and election should happen as soon as possible once the reliefs are given to the people. the new president faces major challenges. petrol queues stretch for miles. sri lanka is basically bankrupt, unable to afford enough fuel whilst food prices are soaring. translation: my children ask for milk in the morning, -

but i can't afford it. 0ur electricity has been cut off because we can't pay the bill. with cooking gas too hard to find or too expensive, it's become common to see bundles of firewood for sale. this dressmaker now has to cook for her two grandchildren on a makeshift stove outside. translation: i'm not a person who has spent her life - like this, but now i have to. for the sake of these children, i have to find a way. protesters see the new president as too close to the old guard. they want change, but for now seem resigned to accept him. the anger that saw his home burnt down earlier this month could rekindle at any time. secunder kermani, bbc news, colombo.

let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. italy is facing political uncertainty, with the prime minister mario draghi expected to offer his resignation on thursday. it comes after three of the parties in his coalition government refused to back him in a parliamentary vote of confidence. mr draghi had called on them to support him, following a wave of support in his leadership from mayors, industry and unions. the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov has said moscow's military focus in ukraine has shifted. in an interview with russian state media, mr lavrov said that russia is broadening its operation to include more than just the east of the country. the us had earlier accused russia of preparing to annex parts of ukraine. ukraine's first lady 0lena zelenska has appealed to us lawmakers to provide more help to her country as it struggles against a five—month—long russian invasion, saying weapons

could help assure victory. she spoke to congress in person four months after her husband made a virtual speech there. the us has already approved nearly $40 billion in aid to ukraine by the end of september, including eight more advanced rocket systems. appeal to all of you half of those who were killed, those who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well and those who wait for their families to come back from the front. i'm asking for something i would never want to ask, i am asking for weapons. weapons that would not be asked to wage a war on somebody else's land, but to protect 1's home and the right to wake up alive in that home. donald trump has led the mourners at the funeral for his first wife, ivana. the couple had three childrenduring their fifteen year marriage.

she died at the age of 73 last week, reportedly suffering fatal injuries after falling on the stairs at her apartment. i want to tell you now about a group of people who may be easily overlooked. injune, shanghai, as you may know, emerged from a strict two—month citywide lockdown. but mass testing and small—scale community lockdowns are still being imposed today, and that's left many businesses struggling. for those who are blind or partially sighted, the massage industry is a vital employment lifeline. but workers say the effects of lockdown and a lack of government support are making life particularly difficult. the bbc spoke to some of them about what they're going through. translation: before lockdown, business was really good. - we had 40—50 customers every day. after the lockdown lifted, the good days were gone. we only have ten, seven

or eight customers each day. translation: the news and said lockdown would be five days. - 0ur boss told us to prepare some food. in about ten days, we ran out of food. for two days, we only had rice. this is the kitchen. i have bad sight. i have to use a torch. 0il, donated by good—hearted people. it's almost finished now. cooking wine, vinegar, soy sauce — all bought after the lockdown. that was a difficult time for us, but at least we didn't die from starvation. when we were hungry, we just drank water. translation: i've had my business since 2003. - trade has gone down by three quarters. i

we had no income from april tojuly.| it's too much pressure. i'm the only provider. i'm supporting three of us in the family. the child's father doesn't provide anything. i've never had such a situation where i've had no income. that's the first time, the worst year for me. we want a subsidy for rent and for our staff and full work resumption as soon as possible. we have a reach0ut group of about 100 blind massage shop owners. the municipal government says they have no such policy to support us. the first three times we visited the government office, they wouldn't even meet us or let us in, and then a confrontation happened. man shouting. if it continues like this

for two more months, none of us can survive. all the blind massage shops in shanghai will close down. the authorities issued a statement after the protests attracted attention online. and before we go, an update on the late dame deborahjames. close friends and family have paid tribute to the cancer campaigner, at a private funeral in south west london. the 40—year—old mother—of—two died last month after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. in herfinal weeks she raised millions for charity, and received a damehood from the duke of cambridge at her parents' home. that's all for now, stay

with bbc world news. hello. after that exceptional heat to start the week, for many of you, it was significantly cooler on wednesday compared with tuesday. tuesday, of course, we saw temperatures approach around 40 celsius in a number of spots. for some, it was actually 10—17 degrees cooler, but to put it into a bit of perspective, those temperatures still well above where we should be for ajuly afternoon. the exceptional heat had pushed a bit further eastwards, record—breaking heat in denmark. all that heat over the next couple of days pushes its way southwards and eastwards, and then into the weekend, we start to see it build once more in across parts of the uk.

not, though, at the levels we've seen this week. as for thursday, as we start the day, it's going to be a largely dry day for many. there will be some rain around, and it's a bit cooler still compared with what we've experienced on wednesday. now, the drier weather comes courtesy of an area of high pressure trying to push in from the west. we've still got the legacy of a front sitting across eastern areas. we saw a lot of humid air, temperatures still sitting in the mid if not high teens for one or two first thing thursday morning. fresher conditions in the west, but this is where we'll start with the best of the sunshine. northern ireland, wales, southwest england having a pretty decent day, just one or two showers around. sunny spells across scotland, a few showers for the mainland, but for the bulk of england, away from the southwest, lots of cloud, some outbreaks of rain and drizzle here and there, many will be dry. around the coast, it may be quite sunny. sunny too towards the channel islands, but a bit of a breeze blowing down through the likes of east anglia, and here, temperatures dropping back to normal. still a little bit above normal across the south, 24—25 celsius. now, into thursday evening and through into friday, we'll start to see that cloud sit in place, but then a few more showers push their way northwards, the winds shifting direction slightly.

it does mean temperatures still won't drop a huge amount, a cooler day — a cooler night — i should say, across eastern parts of the country, but still with temperatures in the mid—teens across the south. so, for friday, showers at a greater chance of seeing, particularly heavy ones across parts of wales, the midlands, maybe rumbling up into northern england, could see some flashes of lightning, rumbles of thunder as well. some through the english channel, which could get close to the south coast and affect the channel islands for a time. only a few showers for scotland and northern ireland. all of us will see temperatures closer to thejuly norm, for one or two, a little bit below. as i said, heat builds back in this weekend, there will be rain at times in the north and west, still very little rain towards the south and east, and temperatures in the high 20s by sunday.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. another beauty trend is taking off on social media. it's all about getting that perfect smile — by shaving down your own natural teeth. people travel all over the world for their cosmetic dental needs, and one destination seems to top the list — turkey. 0n tiktok alone, the hashtag #turkeyteeth has over 100 million views. dental work there is much cheaper than the uk,

there's sometimes a luxury hotel included in the price,