this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm sally bundock. china prepares to begin a series of military exercise in the seas around taiwan after a visit by nancy pelosi increases tensions over the island. this is the scene live in seoul, where nancy pelosi is expected to speak shortly. fears of an extreme drought across europe driven by climate change grow as the severe heatwave tightens. the un secretary—general calls for the record profits of oil and gas companies to be taxed more — claiming their grotesque greed is destroying the planet. a star—studded cast and tens of millions spent. yet the movie batgirl is scrapped by its creators

before its release. hello and welcome. china is preparing to begin a series of large—scale military exercises in the air and sea around taiwan. it's a response to a visit to the island by the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi. the exercises will include live—fire drills. mrs pelosi vowed the us would never abandon taiwan. taiwan is self governing, and lies about 160 kilometres across the taiwan strait. it sees itself as independent, but china views it as its own.

this is solely nancy pelosi is due to hold a joint press conference the next few minute with the south korean national assembly speaker. as soon as she does take to the stage we will bring that to you, for now let's talk about the latest developments. with me is our news reporter azadeh moshiri. we are waiting to see her appear in south korea but the most controversial visit was this time yesterday when she was in taiwan.— was in taiwan. she is on this next leg _ was in taiwan. she is on this next leg of _ was in taiwan. she is on this next leg of her _ was in taiwan. she is on this next leg of her age - was in taiwan. she is on this next leg of her age and - was in taiwan. she is on this next leg of her age and tour| next leg of her age and tour her visit and fallout from that visit to taiwan is still continuing in any moment now, we would expect these chinese drills to begin, that's when they said they would begin, and as far as china has said, they said their response will involve live long—range ammunition shooting, that it will be around ten miles away from taiwan, that's about 16

kilometres away, in the seas surrounding the island, so much so, that taiwan has warned, given its expensive military drills, given the fact that these are in the six positions around the island it effectively amounts to a blockade of the island. china for its part is insisting this is wholly justified for its part is insisting this is whollyjustified in the us violated its sovereignty in making this visit to taiwan. in making this visit to taiwan. in the taiwanese reaction to this? they had to put in place contingency plans, they scrambled 22 chinese jets, jets that entered their defence own before the drills even began, they have also had to instruct their ships to find different routes, they have also been in negotiation with japan and the philippines, neighbouring countries to find different aviation routes that can avoid these drills.— these drills. quite a fallout from all of _ these drills. quite a fallout from all of this _ these drills. quite a fallout from all of this and - these drills. quite a fallout from all of this and quite . these drills. quite a fallout from all of this and quite a| from all of this and quite a lot of discussion and debate about whether she should have made this trip at all, we

expect her to speak in south korea now, in terms of what's happening next, talk us through that, she is going on to japan, isn't she, anthony blinking at the este summit?— isn't she, anthony blinking at the este summit? there is a lot auoin on the este summit? there is a lot going on in _ the este summit? there is a lot going on in this _ the este summit? there is a lot going on in this trip _ the este summit? there is a lot going on in this trip to - the este summit? there is a lot going on in this trip to south - going on in this trip to south korea, is also going to involve a trip to a demilitarised zone, the last time a senior us official went there was 2019, the visit of donald trump during the summer, that will be a big moment as well but as you say the essien summit is going on, us secretary of state is also there, and a few months ago they did release a joint statement and they condemned these chinese military exercises, saying they could destabilise the region and eventually lead to miscalculations, serious confrontation open click —— conflict and unpredictable consequences among major

powers. the g7 has announced similar statements, these statements it is hoped might convince china to de—escalate the situation. convince china to de-escalate the situation.— convince china to de-escalate the situation. there is so much as state. _ the situation. there is so much as state. we — the situation. there is so much as state, we will _ the situation. there is so much as state, we will show - the situation. there is so much as state, we will show you - the situation. there is so much as state, we will show you this| as state, we will show you this eventin as state, we will show you this event in south korea, the family —— the famous empty podium shot, we will wait for nancy pelosi shot to appear at any moment and listen to what she has to say. much of europe is in the grip of another heatwave, and this time there are worries over a potential drought. france has seen record low rainfall and parts of england are now facing a hosepipe ban. the european commission has warned member states to re—use treated urban waste water to irrigate farmland. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. in the city of toulouse you can almost walk on water. the river is at such a low level fisherman can wade out, the

river barely covering their ankles. weeks of hot weather and no rain has had a dramatic impact. and no rain has had a dramatic imact. ~ . . and no rain has had a dramatic imact. ~ ., , impact. we are seeing record levels of drought, _ impact. we are seeing record levels of drought, that - impact. we are seeing record levels of drought, that is - impact. we are seeing record levels of drought, that is to l levels of drought, that is to say we have never seen the ground as dry as it is at the moment. overthe ground as dry as it is at the moment. over the coming days there was not a lot of rain expected so there is no end in sight to the stroud. so expected so there is no end in sight to the stroud.— expected so there is no end in sight to the stroud. so how bad has it got? _ sight to the stroud. so how bad has it got? according _ sight to the stroud. so how bad has it got? according to - has it got? according to meteorologist in the month of july france only sought 9.7 millimetres of rain. that's 84% down on average levels for that month, making it the driest on record and more than 60 years. the country's environment minister says only 12% of the rain required valve forjuly. in this part of northern france not for far from dunkirk water shortages aren't usually a problem but even here this river is well below its usual

level. the local authorities have placed the area under a drought crisis alert, the first time, pointing the finger of blame in one direction. the effects of — blame in one direction. the effects of drought - blame in one direction. tie: effects of drought are blame in one direction. tue: effects of drought are a blame in one direction. tt2 effects of drought are a direct consequence of global warming, which is only intensifying, we hear about it, we see the physical effects on the ground, it's undoubtedly one of the effects of global warming which is accelerating and intensifying. its, is accelerating and intensifying. is accelerating and intensi inc. ~ ., ., intensifying. a lack of water has all sorts _ intensifying. a lack of water has all sorts of— intensifying. a lack of water i has all sorts of consequences. this is dennis a localfarmer whose potato crop is in serious danger. tt whose potato crop is in serious dancer. ., , �* ., danger. if it doesn't rain between _ danger. if it doesn't rain between now _ danger. if it doesn't rain between now and - danger. if it doesn't rain between now and 15 - danger. if it doesn't rain i between now and 15 august danger. if it doesn't rain - between now and 15 august and ten or 12 days we can easily lose 50% of our crop. t5 ten or 12 days we can easily lose 50% of our crop. is not 'ust lose 50% of our crop. is not just france _ lose 50% of our crop. is not just france facing _ lose 50% of our crop. is not just france facing a - lose 50% of our crop. is notl just france facing a potential drought, this was a river in southern england which has now run completely dry. water companies have already imposed

hosepipe bans on customers and said —— in several counties in london could be next. unless rain arrived sued the impact of potential drought will only become more severe. tim allman, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. at least three people have been killed in renewed fighting between armenia and azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of nagorno— karabakh. this footage was released by azerbaijan's military claiming the strikes were in response to armenia breaking a russian—brokered truce that ended fighting there two years ago. yemen's warring parties in the ongoing civil war have agreed to renew an existing truce for another two months. the u.n special envoy for yemen has credited the truce with calming the conflict and decreasing the number of civilian casualties. however, the un is seeking to establish a more comprehensive agreement to provide a platform for further trust—building, and to ultimately establish a permanent ceasefire.

ajury in texas has begun weighing how much in damages a prominent far—right us conspiracy theorist should pay for claiming that the massacre of 20 children and six teachers at sandy hook elementary school was a "hoax." alexjones, founder of the website infowars, has been found liable in multiple defamation lawsuits brought by parents of the victims of the 2012 shooting. the parents are seeking compensation of a $150 million from jones. let's ta ke let's take you to south korea where we can see the arrival of the us house of representatives speaker, nancy pelosi as she takes her position on the podium where she is about to address press and those who are gathered there, let's have a listen to this press conference as it begins.

listen to this press conference as it begins-— listen to this press conference as it begins. speaks korean. this is the _ as it begins. speaks korean. this is the speaker _ as it begins. speaks korean. this is the speaker of - as it begins. speaks korean. this is the speaker of the - this is the speaker of the national assembly who is sharing the stage with, they are reported to have discussed regional security, they talked about economic cooperation, she will be talking to the president of south korea later today by telephone conversation, the president is actually on holiday currently, so she will not meet her in person. howeverthe so she will not meet her in person. however the two are scheduled to have a conversation on the phone later today. the final stop on her regional tour will be on to japan, so we nancy pelosi begins to speak, we will come

back to this press conference. the united nations secretary general says it is immoralfor oil and gas companies to be making record profits on the backs of the world's poorest people, and at massive cost to the climate. presenting a report on the energy crisis, antonio guterres urged all governments to tax excessive profits and use the money to help the most vulnerable. it is immoral for oil and gas companies to be making record profits from this energy crisis on the backs of the poorest people in the communities and at a massive cost of the climate. the combined profits of the largest— the combined profits of the largest energy companies in the first quarter of this year are close — first quarter of this year are close to _ first quarter of this year are close to 100 billion us dollars. i urge all governments to tax— dollars. i urge all governments to tax these excessive profits, and use — to tax these excessive profits, and use the funding to support the most — and use the funding to support the most vulnerable people through these difficult times.

i urge people everywhere to send — i urge people everywhere to send a — i urge people everywhere to send a clear message to the fossii— send a clear message to the fossil fuel industry and their financiers that this grotesque greed — financiers that this grotesque greed is _ financiers that this grotesque greed is punishing the poorest and most _ greed is punishing the poorest and most vulnerable people while — and most vulnerable people while destroying our only common home, the planet. the latest oil giant _ common home, the planet. the latest oil giant to _ common home, the planet. tt2 latest oil giant to reveal its profits was bp, here in the uk we do have a tax on energy company profit something they are doing in italy, other countries are following suit, more in our business coverage in 20 minutes. meanwhile, the russian energy giant, gazprom, says the delivery to russia of a turbine crucial to its gas supplies to europe has been made "impossible" by the current sanctions. but the german chancellor has blamed moscow for not honouring its gas supply contracts and accused president putin of blocking delivery of the turbine. this comes as fears of gas shortages, and even blackouts are growing in germany. jenny hill has this report.

he's holding europe's feet to the fire. vladimir putin knows germany relies on his energy, that its industry needs his gas. the aluminium they produce here flows down vital supply chains — cars, medical equipment, wind turbines. but no—one can rule out shortages this winter. we are interrupting that rapport to listen to nancy pelosi. �* ., , , ., , pelosi. an opportunity for us to engage — pelosi. an opportunity for us to engage in _ pelosi. an opportunity for us to engage in into _ pelosi. an opportunity for us i to engage in into parliamentary discussions about some of the issues — discussions about some of the issues of— discussions about some of the issues of concern. my friends when — issues of concern. my friends when we _ issues of concern. my friends when we come and travel is a delegation, there are other three — delegation, there are other three pillars of security, economics and governance. in all three — economics and governance. in all three of those areas, the us. — all three of those areas, the us, south korea relationship is very— us, south korea relationship is very strong and we learn from each — very strong and we learn from each other. on the trips we

talk— each other. on the trips we talk about security and we thank— talk about security and we thank our men and women in uniform — thank our men and women in uniform for the contribution they— uniform for the contribution they make to security. but we also _ they make to security. but we also come _ they make to security. but we also come to say to you, that the friendship, the relationship that began from urgency— relationship that began from urgency and security many years a-o urgency and security many years ago has — urgency and security many years ago has become the warmest friendships. and we want to advance _ friendships. and we want to advance security and economy and governance into parliamentary way, our president as you acknowledged was here — president as you acknowledged was here in spring and may and he has — was here in spring and may and he has made ongoing announcements about asia—pacific initiatives, and the — asia—pacific initiatives, and the indo—pacific economic framework, we want to be able to work— framework, we want to be able to work together for all of the purposes— to work together for all of the purposes i mentioned, but to do so, listening to our friends in south — so, listening to our friends in south korea as to how we can do it best _

south korea as to how we can do it best the — south korea as to how we can do it best. the speaker gave a very— it best. the speaker gave a very clear _ it best. the speaker gave a very clear presentation of what our into — very clear presentation of what our into parliamentary discussion was about, and i want — discussion was about, and i want to— discussion was about, and i want to introduce my colleague 'ust want to introduce my colleague just to — want to introduce my colleague just to say how they will honour _ just to say how they will honour the suggestions, shall we say. — honour the suggestions, shall we say, the priorities that the speaker— we say, the priorities that the speaker gave. the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, mr greg — the foreign affairs committee, mr greg meeks of new york, he made _ mr greg meeks of new york, he made a — mr greg meeks of new york, he made a commitment to pass the resolution— made a commitment to pass the resolution of the 75th anniversary of our 1953 packed. he talked — anniversary of our 1953 packed. he talked about the balor act and our— he talked about the balor act and our chairman of the foreign beers _ and our chairman of the foreign beers sorry veteran affairs committee has made a commitment in that— committee has made a commitment in that regard as well. and we talked — in that regard as well. and we talked about economics we were blessed — talked about economics we were blessed to have the private sector— blessed to have the private sector experience as well as the leadership as vice—chair of the leadership as vice—chair of the ways— the leadership as vice—chair of the ways and means committee of washington state. also the

contributions of litigious discussion of roger krishnamurti from chicago, illinois. _ krishnamurti from chicago, illinois, rogeras krishnamurti from chicago, illinois, roger as we called them — illinois, roger as we called them he _ illinois, roger as we called them he said his name puts everybody on a first name basis with them, he is closing our basis — with them, he is closing our basis by— with them, he is closing our basis by courier for the actions _ basis by courier for the actions it has taken, condemning russia for their brutal— condemning russia for their brutal invasion of ukraine. then— brutal invasion of ukraine. then with great pride korean american member of congress andy— american member of congress andy kim _ american member of congress andy kim is a member of the foreign— andy kim is a member of the foreign affairs committee and the armed services team and other— the armed services team and other leadership roles he plays. _ other leadership roles he plays, and we are very informed by his— plays, and we are very informed by his participation and his commitment to work together. services — commitment to work together. services special for us, because _ services special for us, because the us republic of

korea — because the us republic of korea relationship is special to us. — korea relationship is special to us, and we want to... over time, _ to us, and we want to... over time. i_ to us, and we want to... over time. i have— to us, and we want to... over time, i have been here before, met— time, i have been here before, met with — time, i have been here before, met with members of parliament in the _ met with members of parliament in the past, and we want to strengthen that into parliamentary role as we work together— parliamentary role as we work together as countries. i do want — together as countries. i do want to— together as countries. i do want to say that as a matter of special— want to say that as a matter of special pride to us in the congress, on a previous visit, well, — congress, on a previous visit, well. it— congress, on a previous visit, well. it was— congress, on a previous visit, well, it was pre—covid, 2015, well, it was pre—covid, 2015, we were _ well, it was pre—covid, 2015, we were able to take pride to pass— we were able to take pride to pass the _ we were able to take pride to pass the comfort women legislation. it had its sort of shall— legislation. it had its sort of shall we _ legislation. it had its sort of shall we say friends, and its doubters, but we were not in doubt — doubters, but we were not in doubt about that. ijust mention that, because when we talk about— mention that, because when we talk about security, we know what — talk about security, we know what that is, when we talk about _ what that is, when we talk about economics, that's clear. when — about economics, that's clear. when we — about economics, that's clear. when we talk about governance, it is many— when we talk about governance, it is many things. it is shared values. — it is many things. it is shared values. it— it is many things. it is shared values. it is— it is many things. it is shared values, it is about fighting the pandemic, it is about fighting _ the pandemic, it is about fighting to save the planet. so

many — fighting to save the planet. so many things to discuss, so much opportunity better served by our discussion in the into parliamentary way, in addition to heads— parliamentary way, in addition to heads of state to heads of state — to heads of state to heads of state. but it is, i told my colleagues when we ended the meeting, we are now going to one of— meeting, we are now going to one of my— meeting, we are now going to one of my favourite places in the world, where you are generously hosting us, mr speaker. so nancy pelosi there, just talking about the special relationship to the united states has had for many, many years, stressing again the importance of democracy, the importance of democracy, the importance of democracy, the importance of independence, no mention at all about type or where she was this time yesterday, and of course the consequences of that, what we have seen that has followed that. our news reporter is back in the studio with us. a very

sort of nice, bland statement there really. she doesn't want to fuel the fire anymore, does she? . �* . to fuel the fire anymore, does she? ., �* , ,, ._ to fuel the fire anymore, does she? ., �*, ,, ., she? that's right. she may not be talking _ she? that's right. she may not be talking about _ she? that's right. she may not be talking about it _ she? that's right. she may not be talking about it right - she? that's right. she may not be talking about it right now. be talking about it right now but it is certainly that foreign ministers talk about at the essien meeting. something that white house officials have been commenting on in the past few hours because the fallout is significant. and you are right, she has been careful about what she is saying. her visit to taiwan was not sanctioned by the us president, byjoe biden, he had warned that the military had said tensions were particularly high between china and taiwan, and they have always had to walk this very difficult diplomatic tightrope. on the one hand they have their one china policy, which means that the us only has formal ties with beijing, they only recognise one chinese government. but on the other

hand, they say they have a robust unofficial relationship with taiwan, as big as —— as vague as that may seem, they insist that this last visit did not tip the scales in either way, and therefore the drills that we are expecting that could be happening right now and we are expecting at any moment are unwarranted. she is then going _ moment are unwarranted. she is then going to _ moment are unwarranted. she is then going to be _ moment are unwarranted. she is then going to be moving - moment are unwarranted. she is then going to be moving on - moment are unwarranted. she is then going to be moving on from this press conference now to the secure zone, all the zone where north korea, south korea share an area that is extremely important, and quite sensitive as well, she will be the first senior politician to go there for some time. then she is on to japan, so for some time. then she is on tojapan, so an for some time. then she is on to japan, so an interesting visit. . to japan, so an interesting visit. , ., , , ,, to japan, so an interesting visit. , , ,, , visit. yes, absolutely. she is certainly _ visit. yes, absolutely. she is certainly making _ visit. yes, absolutely. she is certainly making very - certainly making very significant asian trips, just as us secretary of state anthony blinken is in cambodia, and one of the main reason she may not have mentioned taiwan at this point is because each of these visits are so important, each of them involve so many other security

concerns, she wants to make sure, most likely, that neither is taking precedence over the other. . .. is taking precedence over the other. . ~' , ., is taking precedence over the other. ., ,, , ., ., ., ., other. thank you for now. that is the latest — other. thank you for now. that is the latest on _ other. thank you for now. that is the latest on nancy - other. thank you for now. that is the latest on nancy pelosi'sl is the latest on nancy pelosi's tour of asia, as you were just being there, she hasjust wrapped up in statement, in south korea. so we shall keep a close eye on where she had to do next. but now let's pause for a moment on that story and bring you the latest on the commonwealth games. jane dougall rounds up the main news from day 6 in birmingham. it was an exciting night on the track, with the finals of both the men's and the woman's100 metres. that was the headline name, double olympic 100—metre champion elaine thompson hero who took commonwealth gold in birmingham, winning in 10.9 five seconds. st lucia'sjulian alfred took the silver, with england's daryll neita in the transposition. in the men's, it was the favourite who took gold

with a time of 10.02 seconds and he beat the reigning champion carne sin bin a enter second. another of the favourites, nethaneel mitchell—blake favourites, nethaneel mitchell—bla ke finished favourites, nethaneel mitchell—blake finished last mitchell—bla ke finished last for mitchell—blake finished last for england. he had a terrible start and only managed a time of 11.20 seconds. after a year plagued with injury, heptathlete katarina johnson—thompson is now back in form. she had laid on points from the start of the competition, and with a convincing win in the final event, the 800 metres, secured the gold medalfor event, the 800 metres, secured the gold medal for england. meanwhile, scotland's eilish mccolgan also took gold on the track in the 10,000 metres. that the end, she was embraced by her mother, liz mccolgan, herself a two—time commonwealth gold—medallist back in the 80s in the same discipline. swimming came to an end today and australia's emma mckeon tops the individual medal count with a total of six golds, a

silver and a bronze in birmingham. herteam—mate silver and a bronze in birmingham. her team—mate molly o'callaghan goes home with five golds and two silver. ben glynn's tom dean won seven medals in birmingham, a gold and six authors, while canada's summer mackintosh has six medals, at the tender age of just 15. the light from the home crowd as in 's emily campbell broke two commonwealth gold records, winning the 87 kilograms category first up amy richards gave spectators a bit of a scare, almost sliding off the track of a cross—country mountain biking but recovered to take gold for england. which was fantastic news. i was watching her and at one point thought she wouldn't get gold but she did, so that was brilliant. why would you spend $70 million on making a film, and then decide not to release it? that's what the movie world is wondering, after warner brothers scrapped their new batgirl release.

you'd think the movie would have to be pretty bad, although there could be other factors as involved, as claudia redmond reports. batgirl has had her wings dramatically clipped by warner brothers discovery. the adaptation of the dc comics character starring lesley grace and michael keaton because more than $70 million to make and was due to be released in cinemas and on the streaming platform hbo max later this year. it is reported that following test screenings the studio decided to shelve the production completely. this ear it production completely. this year it is — production completely. this year it is one _ production completely. this year it is one of _ production completely. this year it is one of the - production completely. tt 3 year it is one of the crown jewels —— dc is one of the crown jewels of the warner brothers library and the new management is hoping to release films and series that are really of a high calibre in hopes of matching the economic performance of the walt disney company's marvel films, which compa ny�*s marvel films, which audiences company's marvel films, which audiences will be very familiar with, so this film they fell just did not hit the mark.

glasgow was transformed into gotham for the filming, which took place earlier this year. it was hoped it would attract film buffs to the scottish city. film buffs to the scottish ci . ., ,., ., film buffs to the scottish ci . ., ., ., city. the whole point of having new film in _ city. the whole point of having new film in your _ city. the whole point of having new film in your city _ city. the whole point of having new film in your city is - new film in your city is that if you — new film in your city is that if you want to go and stand in george — if you want to go and stand in george square, in their batgirl costumes. not good news for glasgow. _ costumes. not good news for glasgow, in any way, shape or form — glasgow, in any way, shape or form. ., ., form. so whether or not the bat: irl form. so whether or not the batgirl movie _ form. so whether or not the batgirl movie will _ form. so whether or not the batgirl movie will ever - form. so whether or not the batgirl movie will ever see i form. so whether or not the i batgirl movie will ever see the light of day is left hanging in the balance. claudia redmond, bbc news. let's stay with entertainment news. i want to tell you about the british actor, who starred in the oscar—winning "slumdog millionaire", dev patel, who broke up a knife fight while he was in australia. the actor witnessed the altercation in adelaide on monday. a man and a woman were reportedly fighting in the street and at a convenience store, when the man was stabbed in the chest. dev patel�*s spokesman says

the star, who was with a group of friends, "acted on his natural instinct", and successfully de—escalated the situation. they remained on site to ensure the police and the ambulance arrived. what a hero. back for the business next. hello, there. we've had some exceptional weather through july and statistics came through this week to show that it was the driest on record in some southern and eastern parts of the uk, and there's little sign of any rain here for the rest of the week and into the weekend. but it's notjust been dry across the south and east. across the whole of the uk, through the summer so far — the meteorological summer, june, july — we've had just over 100mm of rain. whilst during the whole of the summer — so another month, august, added on — we'd normally expect to see about 240mm, so we're way off that. it has been dry across many parts, but obviously exceptionally so in the south. and with this high pressure moving in, over the next few days, that's going to keep our weather fronts at bay, and it means the dry weather persists. rain will fall, but mostly in the north.

this shows the accumulations over the next 3—4 days, and we do expect some rain for northern ireland and for scotland, but very little across the south and east where we need it. there's been some heavy rain, actually, overnight across scotland and northern ireland, some heavy, thundery rain just across the east of scotland in particular. it could be some quite nasty conditions for travelling here, localised flooding. further south, we're losing the humidity — finally, we're lowering the humidity — more comfortable for sleeping. so, some rush—hour issues potentially with spray and standing water on the fast routes in the south and east of scotland before that clears away. sunny spells and scattered showers, heavy in the north of scotland, rumbles of thunder potentially, one or two into the midlands, east anglia. but notice the temperatures, 20—25, feeling a lot fresher, i think, compared with recent days, less oppressive. we'll notice that, actually, at the commonwealth games in birmingham — temperatures 3—4 degrees down here. through the evening and overnight, the showers continue, as you can see. perhaps some heavier ones clumping together and a fresh feel again. more noticeable again across the south, and we keep that fresher air, actually, through the weekend. the rain comes in the form of showers, just one or two

getting into northern parts of england, perhaps the midlands, again, and parts of wales, but few and far between for the most part. temperatures on a par with those of thursday, 17—24 celsius. then, into the weekend, there is going to be some rain, particular the across the north of scotland, but elsewhere, there's a lot of dry and settled weather, warming up again into next week.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the biggest rate rise in 27 years. the bank of england's poised to raise the cost of borrowing by half a percentage point to try and rein in soaring inflation. "grotesque greed". the head of the united nations lays into energy companies and urges governments to hit their record profits with windfall taxes plus, uninsurable — and maybe unsellable. one in ten australian homes are now vulnerable to flooding as owners count the cost of climate change.