practice or even at home. these early detection approaches, whether it is a breath test like we're trying to develop or a blood test, yes, if they work and we can roll them out into everyday immunity —— clinical practice, it will save lives, absolutely. we want to push up lung cancer survival. it is welcome news for wendy who is having surgery tomorrow to remove her tumours. she hopes this research may give others in the future that same chance. kate bradbrook reporting. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah. hello. it's another hot sunny day for many of us today, but we have got some thunderstorms developing in the north and the west. still an amber extreme heat warning in force across much of england and wales. there could be problems with heat—related illnesses and travel disruption as well. so, still a little bit of low cloud lingering for eastern scotland

that should clear away. heavy showers and thunderstorms for northern ireland and for the west of scotland creeping eastwards. temperatures in the north in the mid 20s, but further south in the mid 30s, once again, 3a or 35 degrees through this evening and tonight. heavy downpours in the north and the west start to creep a little bit further east for northern england into wales as well. still hot, though, especially for southern and eastern areas. temperatures in one of two spots in the south not falling below 20 degrees. so, another warm day tomorrow. but the heavy showers and thunderstorms could be more widespread, if you do catch one of these large hail and localised flooding possible, but still hot in the southeast. the author sir salman rushdie has reportedly been taken off a ventilator and is able to talk, after being stabbed at an event in new york state. labour is to call for the energy price cap in england,

scotland and wales to be frozen in october, to help with the cost of living. the energy minister says their plan won't work. i think we have to be a little bit careful of some of these labour seemingly magical solutions to just wish it all away. that will have consequences. in ukraine, president zelensky warns russians shooting at the zaporyzhzhia nuclear plant will immediately be targeted by ukrainian forces. prosecutions for breaching covid restrictions have been dropped against six people who attended a vigil in london for sarah everard in march, 2021. firefighters in france say a huge forest fire in the gironde region is now being contained, after overnight rain. and warnings in the uk over the use of disposable barbecues after a weekend of wildfires in parts of england. now on bbc news, the travel show. former paralympian steve brown explores

japan to find out how accessibility has improved in the wake of this year's paralympics in tokyo. on hisjourney, he meets japanese paralympians who took part in the games, navigates the tokyo subway, travels to the holy island of okinoshima and tries out disabled surfing in okinawa. oh, wow! look at the size of this place! this is tokyo stadium, and it was home to the football, the rugby and the pentathlon during the olympics, and i'm glad to finally be here. japan's delayed summer of sport finally got under way in 2021. my name's steve brown, and i was supposed to come over for the paralympic coverage. not being able to make it out was a huge blow. the whole thing about sport, it's notjust about watching it, it's about feeling it, that immersive experience. before i was a presenter,

i was captain of the london 2012 wheelchair rugby team. when i was in hospital, sport was what got me out. it was definitely the building blocks to the person that i have become. tokyo holds a special place in paralympic history. it was all the way back at the 1964 games that the term paralympic was first used. but being disabled injapan hasn't always been easy. it's often seen as a country that values conformity and fitting in. so, at the end of this paralympic year, i'm finally getting the chance to explore japan and find out what life's like for those who stand out from the crowd. along the way, i'll meet some old opponents, discover a hidden tropical culture, and ride the waves with some adaptive surfing.

my journey across japan begins in the capital, tokyo, the world's busiest city, where i'm on my way to meet some former rivals. it's excellent to be sitting here watching the japanese paralympic team doing their training. so wheelchair rugby has got this nickname, murderball. and you can see why. it's the only full contact wheelchair sport there is. your opponent is going to be working very hard to knock you out of your chair. so you've got to work hard to knock them out of theirs. the team won bronze

at the 2021 home games. and i rememberfacing them all the way back at london 2012. so, very nice to see you again. of course, it was a very different games because of coronavirus. how did that affect you, not having the crowds here? how do you feel people's acceptance and understanding of disability is? do you feel like it's something that's maybe been hidden away a little bit?

this gym was specially designed for para—athletes and opened in 2018. in the build up to the paralympics, the government committed to introducing more barrier—free access across the country. we'll see how i get on as i explore more ofjapan. here in tokyo, the subway system

is said to be almost entirely accessible — even if some of the adaptations are a bit bizarre. so this is going to turn into a wheelchair lift, but they've had to shut everything off to make it happen. so i come on? yeah. you won't find many of these adapted escalators around the subway. normal lifts are far more common... brakes are on. 0k. yeah, no problem. ..and that's probably a good thing. 0k. and it's done. thank you, gentlemen. well, that was terrifying. but on the surface, there are old pockets of tokyo that can still be a challenge to get around. we're in golden gai and that

translates as golden city, which is quite a strange name for a place no bigger than a football pitch. the place is just starting to open now. if i'd left it another hour or so, this would be starting to get much busier, and on these narrow streets, i think i'd have trouble getting around. see, look, this is a perfect example. there's no room for me in there. there's a step to get in, and the door�*s too narrow. a few blocks over, there's an area where another group of people are finding their voice. it's called ni—chime, and it's said to have the highest concentration of gay and lesbian bars in the world. i've arranged to meet nunu, who works here. and what's the attitude like to the lgbt community injapan?

nunu works at the onnanoko club, which calls itself a cross—dressing bar. the club welcomes people of all identities. nunu identifies as trans and was originally a customer here.

chatting and laughter. this pocket of tokyo flourished because it gave people a space outside of the mainstream where they could express themselves without facing disapproval. but tradition still has a powerful hold overjapan, as i'll find out in the next stage of myjourney. now it's time for me to leave the capital on board one of their famous bullet trains. announcer: the train | at track number 23 is... what is happening? we are trying to get you wheelchair space. some lines saw the number of wheelchair spaces on board treble in the lead—up to the paralympics, but it takes a while

to find me a space. it's turning out to be quite a faff, i think. they recommend that you book it all up in advance to save all of this, you know? that doesn't work if you don't know you're travelling until an hour before you need to travel. all sorted. well, here we go then! i'm on my way to oshima island, 1,000 kilometres west of tokyo and more than five hours by train, to an area that remains enthralled to centuries—old traditions and customs. that's a big flight of steps. whey!

no. 0k. he groans. 0h! here we are. 0h! wow. getting up here might have been a bit of an effort, but it was certainly worth it. you don't see many places like this, do you? this is the okitsu—miya shrine. it was built in the 18th century to pay homage to a holy island some 50km off the coast. okinoshima has been worshipped for well over 1,000 years, lying betweenjapan and the korean peninsula.

this museum tells the story of okinoshima all the way back to its earliest religious ceremonies in the fourth century. the island is a sacred place with a very strict door policy. have you seen the island?

more than 80,000 artefacts have been found there, which led to unesco naming it a world heritage site in 2017. but the old taboos mean only men can set foot on the island, and miki can'tjoin her male colleagues on archaeological expeditions. watching these videos, it certainly has got this kind of eerie, mystical power to it. i might not be able to go myself,

but one way that tourists can experience okinoshima is by trying a misogi ceremony, a special cleansing ritual performed by all the island's visitors. whoa! yeah, it's cold. face you, yeah? towards you? ooh... ooh! ok, i'm down. it feels, now i'm in, somewhat... ..exhilarating, in a way, relaxing... ..but i still want to get back out now!

is that enough praying? i'm heading now to japan's southernmost spot, okinawa, which is made up of more than 100 subtropical islands. it's a popular holiday destination because of its year—round warm temperatures. and back in 2007, it was the first place injapan to make a barrier—free declaration, a commitment towards making travel more accessible to all. i've heard okinawan culture has some distinct differences from the mainland, so i've come here to find out more.

applause. back in the 15th century, the ryukyu kingdom united the islands that now form okinawa. they were a trading people, and today an international influence can still be felt in their art and design, their architecture and in theirfood. ok, well, this all looks very nice. i think i'm going to start with this. what is it?

it smells strong. has it got strong flavour? yes, ok. wow, that is a strong flavour! he chuckles i need to wash it down. so what is this? that's nice, and it's quite smooth, fragrant. maybe i'm just washing down the... ..the fermented tofu. but ryukyuan culture hasn't always been embraced by the mainland. in the 19th century, after it became part ofjapan, there was a crackdown

on local customs. next on my tour, chiyako takes me 30km down the road to shuri castle. it's on the top of a steep hill, so i've brought along an extra set of wheels. so, here we are, then. that was a big entrance into an open space. what happened here?

i've come through and it's just a construction site. that is the only way i can explain it. that was what i was expecting to see. and it's such a shame. when it was standing, shuri castle drew around two million people a year. then, in october 2019, a fire, blamed on a faulty electrical system, tore through the wooden palace, destroying all the main buildings. the debris has been cleared away and the site is once again open to tourists, where they can find out about an ambitious new reconstruction that's currently under way.

so, this is smoke damage? yes. you can feel the weight of them. they were a real, solid piece. how many are you going to need to make? it's not the first time the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt. it had previously been bombed during the second world war, its reconstruction turning it into a symbol of okinawa's resilience.

it's tragic to see all this devastation, but with the reconstruction set to open in a few years' time, maybe it's a chance for the ryukyu culture to get a bit more attention. here in okinawa, my trip across japan is coming to an end. but there's one more thing for me to try. so... ..this foot. ok, we are one... oh, my goodness! surfing is a year—round activity on these subtropical islands, and taishi is an organiser for access surf, a local charity that helps people with accessibility needs like mine ride the waves. well, i have never been surfing before. please reassure me — how many people have you taken out already?

i've got the wet suit on — let's make the most of it, shall we? all right, let's go! i'm in. well, i've been in for a ritual, now i'm going in for recreational. yeah, i'm ready. let's go! yeah? yeah. this way round. with me safely on the board, the team run through a few basics. yeah, good. yeah. ok, so how do i fall down? i go over? yep. and i push the board away from me? it's better. 0k. so i push away the only thing that i want to grab? they laugh well, i think i've got the paddling. shall we try some surfing? yeah.

in my journey across japan, i've seen that it's a country that's still bound by tradition. but i've also met people who are pushing those boundaries. and here in okinawa, i've seen that there's more than just one traditional culture. for me, coming here in my wheelchair, there have been a few problems here and there. but opening up is a process, whether it's opening up to foreign travel after a pandemic or opening up to new ideas and experiences. and this has been one experience that i'm definitely going to remember.

hello. we have one final day of extreme heat today. things will gradually turn cooler over the next 24—48 hours and there is some rain in the forecast. today we are already seeing some heavy showers and thunderstorms, particularly across northern ireland and scotland. they will become more widespread over the next couple of days. here and now, extreme heat warning, amber warning still in force for much of england, into wales as well. health and transport impacts possible due to the high temperatures we are seeing. for the seventh day in a row now. some heavy showers and thunderstorms are going to be pushing across northern ireland, western scotland, gradually reaching eastern scotland later in the afternoon, and one or two isolated showers across the lake district,

for instance, snowdonia as well. but down in the south, the east, central parts of england, south wales, temperatures 33, 3a degrees, so another hot day ahead. into the evening hours, some of the heavy downpours in the north—west creep a little bit further south and east across northern england, wales and the south—west of england as we start monday morning. but it is going to be another warm and sticky feeling night for sleeping. temperatures in the mid to high teens. could be 20 degrees, another tropical night, across southern england and south wales. monday, low pressure becomes more established across the uk, so more of us are going to see some heavy showers and thunderstorms as well. but if you do catch one or two of these really sharp showers, could be some large hail mixed in, frequent lightning, as well as the potential for localised flooding, with some heavy showers falling on the really dry and hard ground. it is going to be another day with temperatures above 30 degrees, the eighth consecutive day in the south and east. but turning cooler in the north and west. the northerly winds continue on tuesday for northern

ireland and scotland. some more persistent perhaps thundery rain for parts of scotland and northern england. and further south across england and wales, later on tuesday, more of a chance of some fairly heavy showers and thunderstorms. temperatures starting to come down below 30 degrees, mid to high 20s in the south and east. typically high teens across the north west. things feeling cooler and fresher. middle of the week, low pressure not far away, so, hopefully, a bit more rain towards the south. but it could be heavy and potential for localised flooding. then it looks like things turn a little bit drier, particularly in the south, later in the week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines. a group of charities and community organisations has called the rises in energy bills a "national emergency," as labour is to call for the energy price cap to be frozen in october. but the energy minister say their plan won't work. i think we have to be a little bit careful in some of these — labour's seemingly magical solution to just wish it all away, that will have consequences. the author sir salman rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and is able to talk after being stabbed at an event in new york state. prosecutions for breaching covid restrictions have been dropped for six people who attended a vigil in london for sarah everard last year.

warnings in the uk over the use of disposable barbecues