hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. this is outside source. extreme temperatures across europe — causing drought and wildfires. france's prime minister has this response. translation: we must continue more than ever to fight _ translation: we must continue more than ever to fight against _ translation: we must continue more than ever to fight against climate - than ever to fight against climate change and we must also continue to adapt to it. we will begin debate on adapt to it. we will begin debate on a new climate change than this autumn. at the temperatures are forecast to stay, we'll take a look at what's causing the heat. also in the programme. surveying the damage from the sky , satellite images capture the impact of explosions at a russian base in crimea. and the race for downing street intesifies ——

as the candidates to be the uk's next prime minister prepare to go head to head. welcome to the programme. we start with the extreme heat across europe. it's facing its worst drought in a long time. we'll look at that in a moment. but first the high temperatures are also causing big wildfires. let's go to france. there's a huge wildfire near bordeaux, in the south—western region of gironde. this is what it looks like at night. thousands of hectares have been burnt. 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area, and several homes are destroyed. it's spreading so fast because it's so dry. this is the scene in the day. you can see a plane dropping chemicals used to slow the fire down. more than a thousand fire—fighters are there trying to control it. let's hear from one of them. translation: for l the moment, the fire is progressing in every direction. if i may say, the wind is not

steady for the moment. it will rise in the course of the day. we are told that the wind will normally push the fire in a south westerly direction, but we have learnt to be cautious in regards to the behaviour of this fire. another french firefighter, described the fire as �*an ogre... a monster�* on local radio. and authorities are responding. president emmanual macron says five countries are sending fire fighting teams to help out. and the european commissioner for crisis management says four more firefighting planes are also being sent to france. the bbc�*s europe correspondent mark lowen is in paris.(sot the government says that this specific fire could have actually been ignited by arson. but the officials are saying that this year alone, the area of france burned by forest fires is almost six times larger than average. so more fires are burning in france than you would usually expect. officials say climate change is to blame. translation: we must continue more than ever to fight against climate change,

and we must also continue to adapt to it. we will begin debates on a new national climate change plan this autumn. let's go to greece now. there are wildfires there too. this is the greek island of thassos. emergency services are trying to control this huge fire in the mountains, that's caused the evacuation of a nearby village. and the other problem across europe is drought. it's affecting livestock. this is switzerland — an army helicopter is bringing water to farm animals in distress because of the heat. and there are worries in germany too. this is the river rhine — you can see how low the water level is. experts are warning boats carrying supplies won't be able to move in the coming days. barges are already carrying a fraction of their normal loads to avoid problems. the rhine is important for carrying materials needed for germany's energy production. business correspondent victoria craig explains. the transport ministry warned today that they expect that water levels will fall further, that it will worsen.

and there is no forecast, they said, as to when it will see any kind of relief. and we talked to one woman today who runs a consultancy and she has clients who are sending things down the rhine. and she said basically everybody�*s just praying for rain because that's what they need. water levels usually are at about a0... sorry, at two metres, they're now at a0 centimetres. so they're expected to fall even further than that. so let's focus in on what's causing this heat. as you can see from this map, the hot air that has been around for weeks is still hanging over europe. here's the world meteorological organisation to explain. the cause of this is a high pressure system thatjust will not move. it's more or less centred across the english channel, northern france. and so typically you have this air flow, the jet stream going across southern england and northern france and europe. it's now going above into scotland and from the iberian peninsula through france, switzerland, germany, we have this dry pocket and hot pockets.

and this has been this pattern has been around more or less since the winter. and it does continue to to continue. so there's that, and then let me show you this map from the european drought 0bservatory. the red shows the i7% of europe at a severe level of �*alert�* — and the impact that's having on vegetation. now let's take a closer look at the uk. you can see from this satellite picture how dry the country is — particularly at the east. this bbc reporter sent this update from a farm in norfolk. this reservoir is normally ten metres deep, but at the moment it's just a series of puddles and holkham estate relies on reservoirs like this to feed crops such as potatoes. now, it's been an extremely dry year so far here in norfolk, bar february, they've had below average rainfall each month. here in the uk — an official drought is expected to be declared in parts of the country as soon as friday. that would mean the country's

environmental agency would have more control over water supply. and there are extreme weather warnings in place today and over the next few days. it's expected to hit 37 degrees in some parts. so the uk is again on high alert for fires. remember — there were fires during last month's heatwave here — when record temperatures were broken. it hit a0 degrees for the first time. here'sjonathan smith from the london fire brigade. last august, in the first week, we attended a2 grassland fires in london. this year, for the first week in august, we've attended 3a0, so an eight fold increase in the numbers that we've attended. so that gives you a bit of a flavour in terms of the pressure that is being put on fire services up and down the uk actually. and we've never seen this. i've never seen this in my 23 year career in the fire service. so that's the picture in europe — it's a similar one in parts of north america. let me show you this video from the us state of california — this is called a �*firenado'. wildfires have become

increasingly common increasingly common in california. and that's happening across the world — extreme weather events are happening more — we've been told they may soon be a new normal. and scientists are clear — it's linked to climate change. i'm joined now by sarah mukherjee who is the ceo of the institute of environmental management and assessment. thanks for coming the programme. let's take a look then, we have heard from various people who are involved in trying to tackle these wildfires, let's start there. one firefighter in the uk saying he's never seen anything like it in 23 years. if this is the new normal, what can be done, what should governments be doing right now to try to stop it was lemon as you said it's an arguable now that climate change is driving more frequent and weather events. you mentioned that the intergovernmental panel on climate change, they are the un's scientific advisers who have recently published a report saying

that in their opinion it is unequivocal that human influence is responsible for these extreme weather events. as well as the ones you mentioned in europe and the uk, we have seen record temperatures in iran and pakistan, floods in south korea and in australia and in death valley in the usa. scientists at the met office in the uk have concluded that climate change has made the odds of a record—breaking heatwave hitting north—western india and pakistan 100 times more likely. i started as a environment correspondent at the bbc, started my career and i was talking at scientists 20 years ago who were talking about these events but they are no longerjust words in a report on a dusty shelf somewhere, they are happening and as you say we need to act accordingly. so what we need to do? welcome if we look at the oriainal do? welcome if we look at the original earth _ do? welcome if we look at it�*ie: original earth summit do? welcome if we look at time: original earth summit at the 1992 which started the convention of the

parties, the cop process. there were three parts to the discussion then. mitigation, adaptation and finance. mitigation, adaptation and finance. mitigation which is driving out and driving down the materials that produce greenhouse gases and we need to make sure businesses and governments are supporting that. adaptation, to help at become more resilient with better insulation, better flood resilience, resilient with better insulation, betterflood resilience, catching water when it rains and high spending it well and making sure we keep it to protect ourselves and when the weather gets drier. but also, finance, and that is a very important third part of that will stop making sure the investment is available, notjust to help those countries who are really on the front line of climate but also to make sure we are all investing in a more resilient future. wright let's take a look at some of those issues. let's look at take a look at some of those issues. let's look a— take a look at some of those issues. let's look a— let's look at europe. europe gets uuite a let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot _ let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot of— let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot of rain. _ let's look at europe. europe gets

quite a lot of rain. and _ let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot of rain. and it - let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot of rain. and it is - let's look at europe. europe gets quite a lot of rain. and it is now. quite a lot of rain. and it is now seeing these extraordinary droughts. what could be done because mike is there a better water management system? is this about repairing more leaks? is this about repairing more in the winter trying to store water? what are the kind of things people ought to be putting pressure on their governments to do? figs ought to be putting pressure on their governments to do? as always, with these really _ their governments to do? as always, with these really big _ their governments to do? as always, with these really big and _ their governments to do? as always, with these really big and sometimes| with these really big and sometimes quite intractable problem, it's all of the above. we have to do everything you have just mentioned, we need to make sure we are far more efficient in the water we use, we need to make sure culturally as well there are many countries in western europe that think of themselves as wet countries, has drizzly countries when the sun comes out we are delighted, everybody goads to the local park or the beach. but also there are now a cost in some cases to that sun. warmer and wetter winters, and hotter drier summers are what being predicted for many parts of the world and so we need to

make sure that when the rain does come, we catch it appropriately, we have appropriate storage methods and then we use it carefully when we know there is going to be drier periods. and also, water efficiency measures in homes and in businesses as well. 21% of your energy bill in the uk will go on hot water. and so if we reduce water use we can reduce energy bills as well.— energy bills as well. great to have ou on. energy bills as well. great to have you on- thank _ energy bills as well. great to have you on. thank you. _ to ukraine now. yesterday, we told you about a string of explosions at a russian airbase in crimea. now — we can show you satellite images of the damage there, which is extensive. here, you can see what the airbase looked like before the blast. and this is after. several craters are visible, and a large area has been scorched by fire. remember, russia invaded crimea in 201a and took control. and the ukrainian president says

he plans to recapture it. translation: we expelled the russian army _ from the northern regions. we expelled the invaders from snake island. they already feel that the time has come to flee from kherson and the south of our country. the time will come when they will flee from the kharkiv region, from the donbas and from crimea. and everyone who can help in this should do so. ukraine hasn't officially taken responsibility for the explosions. but there is growing speculation over its involvement. these are pictures of the explosions. the attack was carried out more than 150 kilometres behind the front line. russia has blamed an accident at an ammunition store, and denied that any planes were destroyed. let's hear from christo grozev — he's chief russia investigator of bellingcat, an investigative journalism group. we'll be following some of the pro war channels and telegram chatrooms,

and we see that they don't trust their own government any more. the worst thing is that even if russia were correct in claiming that this was a sort of an accident, even that alone is a very damning statement because, to quote one of the pro—war opinion leaders in russia, i hope it's the ukrainians that destroyed these planes because the idea of us doing it ourselves is even worse. it shows total incompetence. so let's get into why crimea is so important. russia took control of — or annexed — crimea from ukraine in march 201a. ukraine and the majority of the international community continue to regard crimea as occupied ukrainian territory. ukraine has made no secret of wanting to take it back. just last month, russia sounded a warning. ex—president dmitry medvedev threatened that "judgment day will instantly await" if ukraine targeted crimea. this is the take of a former deputy defence minister for ukraine.

we have a substantial progress on the continental part of ukraine and i'm absolutely sure that the crimea can be released also with the condition that the navy and russian navy will be substantially harmed. we will continue to harm it substantially, which we see the results for now. and i think that the ukrainian army is going within this plan. meanwhile, there's been an important meeting in the danish capital copenhagen. this is british, danish and ukrainina defence ministers arriving. they've been talking about long—term support for ukraine. help could include more funding of course, but also military training, mine clearance and weapon supplies. first, let's hearfrom the ukrainian defence minister. 0ur resistance has already changed the situation in the north and the baltic region. russia now has a smaller capabilities for pressure. these things are directly interconnected. 0ur coordinated efforts

can make entire europe, including the baltic nations, safe. ukraine is eager to export, but we need instruments. the sooner we get them and the larger capacities we get, the sooner we reach our shared goal of a peaceful europe. several developments to come out of that conference. the uk is stepping up its military support for ukraine. it plans to provide three more launchers — as well as significant amounts of ammunition. we're told that the new missiles can hit targets up to 80 kilometres away. here's the uk defence minister. president putin would have gambled that come august, come a few months in, we would have all got bored of the conflict and the international community would have gone off in different directions. well, today is proof of the opposite. we have come out of this meeting with more pledges of finance, more pledges of training, and more pledges of military aid, all designed to help ukraine win, to help ukraine stand up

for its sovereignty, and indeed to ensure that president putin's ambitions fail in ukraine, as they rightly should. let's get more on this now. justin crump is a military analyst, and ceo of risk assessment company sibylline. thank you for coming on the programme. let's start with events in crimea, because of the significance of course to russia and to ukraine over the spit of land. we still don't know, visually, what happened, we know there were explosions at this ammunition base. we don't quite know, for sure, what caused them. what are your theories at the moment?— at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have _ at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have a _ at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have a lot — at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have a lot of _ at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have a lot of hard _ at the moment? yes, as you say, we don't have a lot of hard information | don't have a lot of hard information other than seeing the sign of four explosions and at least nine destroyed fighters. as we showed early on the satellite images. i

think it shows that the story that no planes were lost is not completely accurate. a couple of possibilities to this. ukraine has quietly indicated, again you have to take this with a pinch of salt, that special forces conducted the operation. it's certainly audacious in daylight, certainly very large explosions, so that raises some questions about how that would have been achieved. but a couple of weeks ago, on russian navy day, ukraine did display capabilities of attacking the fleet headquarters in sebastopol in the crimea using forces with explosive laden drones. so it is possible, the most likely scenario, based on the evidence available so far that a similar type of operation has amounted to that detonated explosion. that set off the cascade of explosions. that's

possibly the most likely we can go with with little information. the other possibility is that ukraine has a longer range missile system that evaded russian air defences, and was able to strike the air base despite being out of range of all other known systems ukraine has. that is possible. they were developing, alongside the neptune missile, their own version of longer range ballistic missiles. similar to a russian system earlier in the war. it's possible that has been brought into operation. what we do know, is that the americans are said it was not a us diploid weapon system. i think we can believe that to be true because the fragments will be at the blast site. if it was a us missile, the russians would find that and that would be escalator e which is one of the few fine lines people have observed at the moment. i one of the few fine lines people have observed at the moment. i want to net ou have observed at the moment. i want to get you briefly _ have observed at the moment. i want to get you briefly on _ have observed at the moment. i want to get you briefly on this _ to get you briefly on this conference in combination, a broad

brush, recommitted support from key allies to ukraine. some of the lines coming out there was actually the president putin was banking on enthusiasm and support for ukraine, from western allies, to have diminished by now, doesn't seem to have. what is your assessment at that stage play? i have. what is your assessment at that stage play?— that stage play? i think russia is still banking _ that stage play? i think russia is still banking on _ that stage play? i think russia is still banking on that. _ that stage play? i think russia is still banking on that. i _ that stage play? i think russia is still banking on that. i think - that stage play? i think russia is still banking on that. i think they are looking into the winter, cold winter in germany, high cost of living, leadership changes in countries including the us potentially in the midterms. the uk. they are still banking on that but it's not happening as fast as they wanted. we are certainly seeing a strong military commitment i don't think that will be shaken from western edges toward supporting ukraine and that is evident from the range and support they are getting. it's notjust the equipment, ukraine is getting just a few agreement as a sign because you have to train the people, you have to have the ammunition. you have to bring all of that together, so that other commitments are as important as a

weapon systems themselves. great eve one. weapon systems themselves. great everyone. thank _ weapon systems themselves. great everyone. thank you. _ some news coming in from germany now that two roller coaster trains have reportedly crashed into each other at the legoland amusement park in bavaria. these are pictures of the emergency services arriving at the scene. we know that at least 30 people have been injured. 0ur correspondent tim muffettjoins me now. i know it's pretty early and details are pretty thin but can you just walk us through the what we do know? details are still coming into us but let's go through what we know. more than 30 people are hurt, we believe, some reports are saying that two people have been seriously injured, certainly we believe at least one person seriously injured. the precise cause we don't yet know, but let's go through what we do know according to german media. the accident happened after two roller—coaster trains collided with each other and we believe the

incident took place on the fire dragon ride at the legoland resort in bavaria. this ride is really designed for children, it allows children as young as six to go on that. three helicopters were deployed to the scene according to german media and officials are unclear as to what caused the incident and they believed it happened near the boarding area of that particular ride. the bavarian red cross say 15 people were transferred to hospital following the crash and that the riders who are still trapped on the roller—coaster had to be evacuated with the help of two fire engines and that's pretty much is all the information we have so far. no fatalities thankfully. but more than 30 people hurt, possibly two seriously injured.— 30 people hurt, possibly two seriously injured. seriously in'ured. thank you for that. let's get the latest on the conservative party leadership

race here in the uk. in just over three weeks we'll know who's won and who'll be the new prime minister. both candidates, liz truss and rishi sunak, are in cheltenham — they'll be going head to head and taking questions from conservative party members. remember, it's those party members who get to decide this election. no—one else. liz truss is still leading in the polls — by quite a way. rajdeep sandhu is in westminster. there will be clashing yet again, they haven't been backwards and forwards criticising each other so far in this election campaign, we are expecting more of the same? yes. are expecting more of the same? yes, i think we are expecting more of the same? yes, i think we can — are expecting more of the same? yes, i think we can expect _ are expecting more of the same? yes i think we can expect more of are expecting more of the same? 123 i think we can expect more of the same, the tone of the debate between the two has been as some have commented beam getting more toxic and more vicious between the two campaigns. they are not directly criticising each other, more indirect from the campaign sources and the like. they are in public not

saying anything personally damaging but will openly attack each other�*s tax policies in particular and their view on the economy because that is theissue view on the economy because that is the issue that has completely dominated this race. especially in the current climate of energy bills increasing and the soaring cost. which would be a major issue for the new prime minister to provide solutions with when they come in in the next three weeks and we have today the prime minister, the current pro—minister borisjohnson, current pro—minister boris johnson, the current pro—minister borisjohnson, the chancellor nadhim zahawi and the business secretary because kwarteng meeting today with the bosses of energy companies, around 15 of them around a table today. there wasn't much solid that came out of that meeting, not a lot of action. if people were waiting for cold and hard cash hand—outs or direct solution to the rising energy costs that we are seeing at the moment, there was more warm words. the pro—minister talked about urging the

company is to think about the national interest, there was chat about providing more uk domestic supply, so perhaps more drilling in the north sea and also providing more renewables within the uk to sort out the uk energy supply, making better domestic supplies. there was also jog from the chancellor saying he was keeping an eye on those energy profits but he didn't say exactly what he was going to do with them or wanted to do with them. we do know the government has said it won't be making big decisions when it comes to tax and spending, the pro—minister again today said significant fiscal decisions will be left to his successor so we are in a wait and see at the moment, despite calls from charities, from consumer groups, from opposition politicians calling on something to be done now because of the predictions of energy crisis and the rises we will see. he said that will be left to his successor. that will either be rishi sunak or liz truss. who, as you say,

will be discussing their policies in front of a group of conservative party members in cheltenham today, they have been doing these events up and down the country this is another in a long list. and i would expect their tax policies to come up yet again. liz truss has been very adamant that it is tax cuts that she thinks will solve this problem, she has come underfire thinks will solve this problem, she has come under fire to say that actually that will not help those on the very lowest incomes, pensioners who don't pay any taxes who will also be struggling with these energy bills and she said she hasn't ruled out any kind of direct support to those people. the former chancellor, rishi sunak, has said quite clearly he would be giving direct support to people who are on the lowest incomes who would be wanting to target. he would be willing to spend a few billion pounds he told the bbc last night, so we are expecting to hear more details on that tonight. lode more details on that tonight. we will wait to hear the details on that. thank you very much for that. thank you very much for that.

stay with us on 0utside source — in the next few minutes we're expecting to hear from the us attorney general merrick garland — he's making a statement to the media. hello there. the heatwave is just set to continue for the vast majority of us across the uk as we head through the rest of this week. here are some of the temperatures that we've been seeing so far. they will continue to climb, peaking at 37 celsius for some by the time we get to saturday. this is prolonged, sustained heat, hot days and warm nights in between, rather than a short, sharp spike in record—breaking temperatures as we saw back injuly. it's uncomfortable for many, it's dangerous for some, and there is a met office weather warning in place. it's an amber warning, the second highest level of alert for extreme heat, and it's valid until the end of the day on sunday, for most of england, as far north as manchester, leeds and sheffield and also into eastern wales as well. so this is overnight tonight. now, it's not hot everywhere.

we've still got weather fronts out towards the northwest of scotland — cooler and cloudier here. some low cloud, too, for eastern coastal areas, perhaps, at times, but for many, clear skies and it's going to feel warmer too. temperatures may not drop below 18 or 19 celsius, particular towards the south coast of wales and towards the south of england as well, so an uncomfortable night for sleeping. and this is where the hot air is all coming from, the near continent on an easterly breeze, and that will continue to strengthen throughout the day on friday, perhaps driving some of this cloud out into the north sea onshore towards coastal areas, perhaps limiting the temperatures here somewhat. so, lower temperatures for eastern scotland tomorrow. elsewhere, blue sky and lots of strong sunshine. highs of 3a, 35 celsius for parts of the west midlands, through the cotswolds, hampshire, surrey and west london, perhaps, and it's in the same sort of areas that we'll see the highest temperatures again on saturday, possibly peaking at 36 or even 37 celsius. but low pressure

is towards the south. our high pressure is gradually going to move its way eastwards, so let's take a look at the outlook for our capital cities over the next few days. we start to introduce a bit more cloud on sunday. it's still very hot towards the south, temperatures in the low 30s, but it will turn cooler, fresher—feeling as we head into the start of next week. and there's the chance of seeing some heavy, thundery downpours, too, with that very unstable air. some of those showers could be heavy and slow—moving. welcome rain for areas that have been very dry for a while.

hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. this is 0utside source. extreme temperatures across europe are causing drought and wildfires. france's prime minister has this response. translation: we must continue more than ever to fight against _ climate change and we must also continue to adapt to it. we will begin debates on a new national climate change plan this autumn. satellite images capture the impact of explosions at a russian base in crimea. and in the us, we're expecting the attorney general merrick garland to make a statement shortly. we'll bring you that live.

welcome to the programme. in the next few minutes, we're expecting to hear from the us attorney general merrick garland — he's making a statement to the media. we haven't got any more details as of yet, but we'll bring you that live from washington. that is the lectern getting ready. we will stay just for a few seconds here, just to take a look, but basically we are expecting him to come out and make a statement. he is significant because he leaves the united states department ofjustice, he is the chief law enforcement officer there, and when he comes out and walks onto stage, to that lectern, we will come to that. we don't have any details as to what he is going to say yet. returning to our top story, and experts say that heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human—induced climate change.

0ur climate editorjustin rowlatt is here with more. it's easy to see why the government is considering declaring a drought. here is how the uk looked back at the beginning ofjuly — nice and green. now look at this. this is how the uk looked yesterday. you can see how dry the ground is, particularly in the south and east of the country. and dry ground makes hot days even hotter because there's less moisture to absorb the warmth of the sun. the met office says this is part of a global pattern. it says there have been five centres dominating the northern hemisphere's weather over the past couple of months. this image shows them at the end of last month. the red colour shows how much hotter it is than normal. the high pressure over the us is why some 100 million americans have been enduring temperatures over 38 celsius. the weather has been even more extreme in iran and iraq.

numberfour there. it's been up to 50 celsius on an almost daily basis in baghdad in the last two weeks. and high pressure overjapan, number 5, explains why it has also been enduring some record temperatures. now, the weather has been particularly brutal because the high pressure systems are locked in place by waves in the jet stream. you can see them there. the jet stream is the fast—flowing air current high in the atmosphere. when it is really dry, as it is now, these waves can sit in place for days or even weeks, meaning itjust gets hotter and hotter. and there is some tentative evidence that suggests this pattern of blocked weather is becoming more common because of climate change. now look at this. the high pressure systems are matched by areas of low pressure. this is what the low—pressure system brought to korea —

cooler stormy weather and even some floods. so what does this mean for the uk? the met office is predicting the high pressure system will move away early next week, to be replaced with low pressure. that'll bring some heavy localised downpours. and when the ground is as dry as it is now, we should expect some flooding next. the good news is, they are not expecting it to be as bad as in korea and the us. let's go to lebanon now and the capital beirut. an armed man has walked into a bank and taken people hostage. he demanded access to his money, which was being held by the bank. it's reported he said he had relatives in hospital who needed cash for treatment. this was the man being escorted outside the bank earlier. aid groups say no—one was harmed. and this was the scene a few hours earlier, when the hostage situation was happening.

remember, lebanon is in a severe political and economic crisis. it has triple—digit inflation rates. there's limited food, clean water, medicine and fuel. it isa it is a desperate situation. well, for more on this, i'm nowjoined by the washington post's correspondent sarah dadouch in beirut. thanks very much for coming onto the programme. it is a desperate situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is, thank situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is. thank you _ situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is, thank you for _ situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is, thank you for having _ situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is, thank you for having me. - situation there in lebanon. yeah, it is, thank you for having me. and i is, thank you for having me. and 'ust talk is, thank you for having me. and just talk us _ is, thank you for having me. and just talk us through about what we know what happened the. what just talk us through about what we know what happened the. what we know so far, the investigation _ know what happened the. what we know so far, the investigation is _ know what happened the. what we know so far, the investigation is still— so far, the investigation is still going on, is that a man walked into a bank branch today. we note he had some gasoline with him. we don't know whether he was armed oi’ or if you got the gun from the bank manager's office, but he went in with gasoline, preparing to set himself in fire, he is said to have $210,000, that is his savings in the

bank. he, like the rest of lebanon, has not been access his dollars in the bank since the capital controls were put in put in place in 2019, after protests corrupted across the country. so he has been unable to access his money. he is able to take $400 access his money. he is able to take $a00 from the bank according to the latest circular has come out of the banks, and his father needs $5,000 in order to do treatments, medical treatments, and his son is also ill and he needs to pay for treatments, so the man walked in today with the aim of getting as much of his money as possible, and very quickly became as possible, and very quickly became a folk hero of sorts to a lot of people in lebanon.— a folk hero of sorts to a lot of people in lebanon. let's 'ust pick u . people in lebanon. let's 'ust pick u- on people in lebanon. let's 'ust pick up on exactly * people in lebanon. let's 'ust pick up on exactly that h people in lebanon. let's 'ust pick up on exactly that point, _ people in lebanon. let'sjust pick up on exactly that point, because people in lebanon. let'sjust pick. up on exactly that point, because it is extraordinary. normally people taking anyone hostage will not be the good guy, but for many people in lebanon, he represents something they are all feeling?— they are all feeling? yeah, it is very dense _

they are all feeling? yeah, it is very dense at _ they are all feeling? yeah, it is very dense at washington - they are all feeling? yeah, it is very dense at washington of i they are all feeling? yeah, it is i very dense at washington of him. they are all feeling? yeah, it is - very dense at washington of him. i think there is a movie about this, it is very surreal. there are people chanting in the streets, saying, give him his money, people gathered outside for six, seven hours, saying, we want to be here because we need to show he's not alone. some people even 999 egg him on for having a gun. people are very, very angry. he did become are very, very angry. he did become a gunman with hostages who was seen as a hero of the people, because, as as a hero of the people, because, as a lot of people on the scene said, this was seen as self—defense and the banks are seen as the evil guys, not the gunman.— not the gunman. what some people may remember about — not the gunman. what some people may remember about lebanon _ not the gunman. what some people may remember about lebanon and _ not the gunman. what some people may remember about lebanon and beirut - remember about lebanon and beirut was that huge explosion, clearly not directly related to that event today, but lots of allegations of alleged corruption tying into that frustration. 50 alleged corruption tying into that frustration.

country lacks a lot of government institutions which prop people up, which is why people feel they need to take action like this man today. thejudicial to take action like this man today. the judicial institutions are always taking a break, so there is right now a disruption, almost a complete stop in the investigation into what happened at the last two years ago in 2020, when explosion ripped through the city and killed over 200 people, displaced hundreds of thousands, wrecked much of the city. two years later, the anniversary was a few days ago, and there so no clarity on what has happened. the political institutions, the banking institutions, are not seen any more by the people as institutions that are there to protect their interests. they are seen as rife with corruption and they always have been, but it's become a bit more clear in the last few years. they are seen with rife with corruption, ruled by the same men who have been

ruling the country decades. and before that.— ruling the country decades. and before that. sarah, thank you so much. before that. sarah, thank you so much- that _ before that. sarah, thank you so much. that was _ before that. sarah, thank you so much. that was really _ before that. sarah, thank you so much. that was really good - before that. sarah, thank you so much. that was really good to i before that. sarah, thank you so i much. that was really good to have you on. stay with us on 0utside source. still to come: there's a new winner in the battle of the streaming services — as disney overtakes netflix in subscribers. accident and emergency departments in england had one of their worst months ever injuly, according to latest figures. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more. james is in training for the great north run. he's had his heart valve operation but only after going private. he felt he had to do that after repeated delays in the nhs system, including last—minute postponements. get yourself prepped, you're starving yourself,

you wake up the next morning, they shave your chest, get you all gowned up, get you on the bed, and then the nurse turns up and says, "sorry, it's not happening today." then your emotions just go. and the first time that happened was really tough, the second time, not quite as tough because you have kind of done it, and the third time, you expected it anyway. there are people out there a lot worse than me, but it was emotionally very, very difficult. the longest wait for operations — more than two years — have been almost eliminated in england after a new push by hospitals, but the number waiting over one year has carried on rising. tackling the backlog is getting harder with intense pressure on hospitals. there are delays in crowded a&e units because it's difficult to find beds, but hospital leaders are worried conditions will get worse. we know it's going to be tough this winter and it's tough because we've got covid, we know that staff absences come along with covid, we've got fears of an early flu outbreak, and we also know that other respiratory diseases

are likely to be rife this winter. that's going to put a huge amount of pressure on. nhs england said it was planning to increase capacity for the winter months and reduce response times. july's heatwave might have had an impact — there was a record number of urgent ambulance call—outs — but health leaders know that, whatever the weather, there are huge challenges ahead. hugh pym, bbc news. this is 0utside source live from the bbc newsroom. i'm lewis vaughan jones. 0ur lead story is: wildfires rage in parts of france, spain and portugal, as a heatwave moves across europe. and satellite images appear to show major damage at a crimea airbase, following explosions there this week.

let's go to washington. we flagged this up earlier. the attorney general merrick garland is about to make a statement. we don't have any details on what that statement will be, we do know one extra detail, and that is that the white house has not been given advanced notice of these remarks. bit of mystery about what is going to be said, but we will cross live back to washington as soon as we see any movement, really, behind that lectern. let's look at the covid situation in north korea. it's accused south korea of causing the outbreak of coronavirus and, on top of that, has threatened deadly retaliation. let's go through how we got here. the country's leader kim jong—un has declared victory in the battle against the virus. there was the usual pomp and ceremony as the north korean leader made the announcement, ordering all restrictions

to be lifted. he described government figures ofjust 7a deaths as an unprecedented miracle. translation: on behalf- of the party central committee and the government of the democratic people's republic of korea, i solemnly declare victory in the emergency anti—epidemic campaign for exterminating the coronavirus that has made inroads into our territory and protecting the lives and health of the people. it was his sister, kim yu—jung, a big politicalfigure in north korea, who blamed south korea for the outbreak and called for deadly retaliation. translation: all the circumstances clearly point to one place, _ and it is obvious that different items have carried over the coronavirus. if the enemy persists in such dangerous deeds of carrying over the virus into our republic, we will respond by eradicating not only the virus but also the south korean authorities. this is how she thinks

the virus reached the north. activists in south korea attaching propaganda leaflets to balloons and floated them over the boarder. they've done this for decades, although the practice was banned last year. also in her speech, she also suggested her brother had suffered covid symptoms, saying... kimjong—un has put himself at the centre of north korea's covid response, overseeing near—daily emergency meetings. this was him back in may, when he slammed medical officials for what he called a botched response. he ordered the army to distribute medicine around the capital pyongyang. since then, the north claims there has been a.8 million infections but only 7a deaths. that would be the lowest fatality rate in the world. but many experts find that hard to believe. the country has few intensive care

units and no covid treatment. and the government has not rolled out any vaccination programme, relying on lockdowns and home—grown treatments. soo kim is a former cia analyst now with the rand corporation in washington. thanks very much for coming on the programme. thanks very much for coming on the programme-— thanks very much for coming on the programme._ let's i thanks very much for coming on the programme._ let's go i thanks very much for coming on the l programme._ let's go with programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings _ programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings to _ programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings to the _ programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings to the south. - programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings to the south. on i programme. thank you. let's go with these warnings to the south. on the l these warnings to the south. on the one hand, we have the ending of the covid restrictions, which will come back to in a moment, but what do you make of these warnings to south korea? it make of these warnings to south korea? , :, make of these warnings to south korea? , ., , , , make of these warnings to south korea? , .,, ,, ,, korea? it is not surprising, because south korea — korea? it is not surprising, because south korea is _ korea? it is not surprising, because south korea is one _ korea? it is not surprising, because south korea is one of— korea? it is not surprising, because south korea is one of north - korea? it is not surprising, because south korea is one of north korea's basically main targets when it comes to its blame game. what is interesting about the same today is it is using the covid—19 pitch which in, declaring an end to the pandemic, providing a justification, basically laying the groundwork for future provocations against the region and the international community. the focus i think is less on the actual covid—19 situation and more on what's to come ahead for

north korea. find more on what's to come ahead for north korea-— more on what's to come ahead for north korea. and so let's go back, then, north korea. and so let's go back, then. to the _ north korea. and so let's go back, then, to the ending _ north korea. and so let's go back, then, to the ending of _ north korea. and so let's go back, then, to the ending of the - north korea. and so let's go back, then, to the ending of the covid i then, to the ending of the covid pandemic, what kind of credibility should we be putting on any of these claims? i should we be putting on any of these claims? ., should we be putting on any of these claims? :, ._ should we be putting on any of these claims? ., ., i. ,, claims? i would say that your guess is as aood claims? i would say that your guess is as good as _ claims? i would say that your guess is as good as mine _ claims? i would say that your guess is as good as mine when _ claims? i would say that your guess is as good as mine when it - claims? i would say that your guess is as good as mine when it comes i claims? i would say that your guess| is as good as mine when it comes to the actual situation and the numbers given by the state, there is no way to verify. 7a deaths in a country, one of two countries that have not been vaccinated, it is unprecedented, and the fact they are able to say this is the truth ended only 7a people out of a total of 26 million population has died from the virus, it's... there is no basis of truth, there is no scientific way for the international community to actually verify north korea's claims, so we are going by what the state puts out, so sceptical some point we cannot place any great

weight without any independent verification, but we do not know what the current _ verification, but we do not know what the current status - verification, but we do not know what the current status of, i verification, but we do not know what the current status of, 19 i verification, but we do not know what the current status of, 19 and north korea is. you froze on there, but can you hear me? i can hear you. great, and there is no way of knowing what the current status is. the fact that they have not had any vaccinations, and there are very few test kits if any inside the country, we can be confident in the fact that the country does not have a good grasp of the virus, so recommending urban tonics and telling people to get... medication... audio loss the country is not adequately equipped to lift restrictions right now, but political implications are for more important to kimjong—un

then the country once... what for more important to kim jong-un then the country once... what about then the country once... what about the outside — then the country once... what about the outside help _ then the country once... what about the outside help getting _ then the country once... what about the outside help getting into - then the country once... what about the outside help getting into north | the outside help getting into north korea? brute the outside help getting into north korea? ~ : the outside help getting into north korea? ~ ., , ~ ,, the outside help getting into north korea? ~ ., , ~ ., korea? we have been knocking on north korea's _ korea? we have been knocking on north korea's to _ korea? we have been knocking on north korea's to repeatedly, i north korea's to repeatedly, offering assistance in the form of ppe, medicaltests, as offering assistance in the form of ppe, medical tests, as well as vaccines, it is up to the regime to open its doors and say, we want the help, and so far it hasn't happened yet. and looking at the north korean decision to call and answer the pandemic, i don't think they're going to take this seriously enough to consider receiving the help, so that the population can better deal with the virus and also improve conditions of the country. 300 with the virus and also improve conditions of the country. soo kim, ureat conditions of the country. soo kim, treat to conditions of the country. soo kim, great to talk— conditions of the country. soo kim, great to talk to _ conditions of the country. soo kim, great to talk to you. _ conditions of the country. soo kim, great to talk to you. thanks. i the entertainment giant disney is celebrating a major milestone for its video streaming services. they've overtaken netflix to become the world's biggest video streaming company.

the firm reported 221.1 million subscribers across its three streaming platforms at the start ofjuly. the company added 1a.a million disney+ subscribers in the latest quarter, many of them outside of the us. by contrast, netflix lost nearly 1 million accounts in the most recent quarter, putting its subscriber total at 220.67 million. we can speak to georg szalai, international business editor with the hollywood reporter. thanks for coming on the programme. no problem. thanks for coming on the programme. no problem-— no problem. what do you make of these numbers, _ no problem. what do you make of these numbers, then, _ no problem. what do you make of these numbers, then, disney+ i no problem. what do you make of| these numbers, then, disney+ and disney streaming services altogether compared with netflix? mail disney streaming services altogether compared with netflix?— compared with netflix? wall street was very impressed _ compared with netflix? wall street was very impressed with _ compared with netflix? wall street was very impressed with the i compared with netflix? wall street was very impressed with the fast i was very impressed with the fast growth for disney. it has been helped by a strength of its brands, a lot of people around the world know the disney movies and characters, whether it is marvel, or star wars, the animated franchises, so it has been fast out of the gate.

the one thing that is interesting, disney struggles a little bit with the profitability still. it is making less money than netflix on a per subscriber basis, and so it is try to catch up there and introduce advertising supported tear to add subscribers who may not be willing to pay as much as they were willing to pay as much as they were willing to charge. to pay as much as they were willing to charae. : , to pay as much as they were willing to charae. ., , , to charge. that is interesting, because netflix _ to charge. that is interesting, because netflix has _ to charge. that is interesting, because netflix has a - to charge. that is interesting, because netflix has a pretty l because netflix has a pretty standard fee, disney different for some of the streaming services. some people pay a lot less, so disney gets a lot less per subscriber. what do you make of disney+? it has a couple of streaming services. it was only launched in 2019, it is been a pretty big success? it only iaunched in 2019, it is been a pretty big success?— only launched in 2019, it is been a pretty big success? it has been very successful- — pretty big success? it has been very successful. it _ pretty big success? it has been very successful. it is _ pretty big success? it has been very successful. it is seen _ pretty big success? it has been very successful. it is seen particular- successful. it is seen particular strong internationally. the one thing we are starting to see is that the us streaming market is getting more mature and it seems like there's not that much upside for all

there's not that much upside for all the entertainment and streaming giants in the us the last couple of quarters, so the big question now is, will they focus on going overseas, for example in asia? the challenge there is, india, which is a very big market for disney, the average revenue per subscriber is much lower, people are not used to paying as much as people to paying here, so they have to come up with the new creative solutions to entice people to sign up and stick with their services.— people to sign up and stick with their services. yeah, and what is your assessment, _ their services. yeah, and what is your assessment, taking - their services. yeah, and what is your assessment, taking us i their services. yeah, and what is i your assessment, taking us towards the bigger picture? i remember when it launched, we covered it back in 2019, and part of it was, oh, not another streaming service! how many do we need? clearly people did pay for that, do we need? clearly people did pay forthat, but do we need? clearly people did pay for that, but where do you think we are now? ~ _,, ., are now? with the cost-of-living crisis, inflation _ are now? with the cost-of-living crisis, inflation being _ are now? with the cost-of-living crisis, inflation being so - are now? with the cost-of-living crisis, inflation being so high, i are now? with the cost-of-living| crisis, inflation being so high, we see a lot of people starting to rethink and say, wait, can i pay for netflix and amazon and disney and maybe something else? i think you will see increasingly in the next year or two, will see increasingly in the next year ortwo, people

will see increasingly in the next year or two, people eitherjumping year or two, people either jumping from year or two, people eitherjumping from one service to another, signing up from one service to another, signing up per month and catchable some shows and movies and dropping the service and signing up elsewhere, and what it means for the companies is they have to bank on the sure—fire successes, the big franchises, the characters people already love, because if you love frozen, you will keep paying. very similar to hollywood studios in the past. similar to hollywood studios in the ast. , ., , ., ., , past. interesting, and 'ust one last one past. interesting, and 'ust one last briefly. — past. interesting, and 'ust one last briefly. just _ past. interesting, andjust one last one briefly, just quickly, _ past. interesting, andjust one last one briefly, just quickly, adverts, i one briefly, just quickly, adverts, advertising being introduced on streaming services, people will have got used to not having adverts. how do you think that will go? it is do you think that will go? it is interesting. — do you think that will go? it is interesting, some _ do you think that will go? it is interesting, some of- do you think that will go? it 3 interesting, some of my friends say, oh my god! i signed up for streaming and don't want to watch commercials. at the same time, people who are more price—sensitive, people looking to save a little bit of money there,

and so you see a lot of people starting to maybe consider advertising solutions if they cost less per month.— advertising solutions if they cost less per month. yeah, georg great stuff, less per month. yeah, georg great stuff. lovely _ less per month. yeah, georg great stuff. lovely to _ less per month. yeah, georg great stuff, lovely to talk _ less per month. yeah, georg great stuff, lovely to talk you. _ less per month. yeah, georg great stuff, lovely to talk you. thank i stuff, lovely to talk you. thank you. a french freediver has broken the world record for deepest dive with bi—fins, going to a depth of 120 metres. the dive was done during the annual vertical blue competition in the bahamas. it took just over three and a half minutes. have a look at this. three, two, one. then push on top. one, two, three, four.

anraud jerald is his name — he spoke to the bbc from the bahamas. i have a lot of fear in my mind because... you see me on the video, i was relaxed, but here i think a lot, to memories... i just tried to follow the red line and focus on the present moment. the pressure is really high down because i have 11 kilograms per square centimetre on my body, my lungs is the size of an orange, but at the end, i didn't feel anything. when i dive, ijust dive with a nose clip. i can't dive with a mask because the mask pressure becomes too high, and sometimes i open my eyes just to see where

i am, because at 16 metres here, it's completely black. and you dive into darkness. when i cross the surface, i really need to breathe. ijust take easy breaths, two or three big ones, and i really enjoyed this dive. you sometimes watch things that have no idea. how people doing or why do it. anyway, really fascinating from him. just to mark your card, we are still waiting for this press conference from washington, from the united states. we have an ward one is coming. the attorney general merrick garland is due to be walking up merrick garland is due to be walking up onto stage to that lectern to give a statement. what will he say? we don't know, if i am being honest, and we are not alone. the white house apparently have not been given any advance warning of what this statement is as well. if and when it

happens, we will bring it to you. and that's it from me. i'm lewis vaughanjones. this is bbc news. hello there. the heatwave is just set to continue for the vast majority of us across the uk as we head through the rest of this week. here are some of the temperatures that we've been seeing so far. they will continue to climb, peaking at 37 celsius for some by the time we get to saturday. this is prolonged, sustained heat, hot days and warm nights in between, rather than a short, sharp spike in record—breaking temperatures as we saw back injuly. it's uncomfortable for many, it's dangerous for some, and there is a met office weather warning in place. it's an amber warning, the second highest level of alert for extreme heat, and it's valid until the end of the day on sunday, for most of england, as far north as manchester, leeds and sheffield and also into eastern wales as well. so this is overnight tonight. now, it's not hot everywhere.

we've still got weather fronts out towards the northwest of scotland — cooler and cloudier here. some low cloud, too, for eastern coastal areas, perhaps, at times, but for many, clear skies and it's going to feel warmer too. temperatures may not drop below 18 or 19 celsius, particular towards the south coast of wales and towards the south of england as well, so an uncomfortable night for sleeping. and this is where the hot air is all coming from, the near continent on an easterly breeze, and that will continue to strengthen throughout the day on friday, perhaps driving some of this cloud out into the north sea onshore towards coastal areas, perhaps limiting the temperatures here somewhat. so, lower temperatures for eastern scotland tomorrow. elsewhere, blue sky and lots of strong sunshine. highs of 3a, 35 celsius for parts of the west midlands, through the cotswolds, hampshire, surrey and west london, perhaps, and it's in the same sort of areas that we'll see the highest temperatures again on saturday, possibly peaking at 36 or even 37 celsius. but low pressure is towards the south.

our high pressure is gradually going to move its way eastwards, so let's take a look at the outlook for our capital cities over the next few days. we start to introduce a bit more cloud on sunday. it's still very hot towards the south, temperatures in the low 30s, but it will turn cooler, fresher—feeling as we head into the start of next week. and there's the chance of seeing some heavy, thundery downpours, too, with that very unstable air. some of those showers could be heavy and slow—moving. welcome rain for areas that have been very dry for a while.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 8pm... an amber extreme heat warning comes into force across large parts of the country for the the official declaration of a drought appears inevitable. last au . ust in drought appears inevitable. last august in the — drought appears inevitable. last august in the first week, we attended a2 fires in london. this yearfor the attended a2 fires in london. this year for the first week in august, we have attended 3a0, so an eightfold increase. last month was one of the worst for waiting times in a and e in england and response times for ambulances were much longer than the target time. our hospitals are full, as a consequence, our emergency apartments are full and we are

unable to off—load patiently much