the latest headlines — british and dutch youngsters are among four small children injured along with an adult by a knife attacker in france. in the last few minutes, the mayor has confirmed the children are stable and out of surgery. they are shocked, they are devastated, they are really sad, they feel also some anger. and here in the uk, senior doctors say that the nhs is struggling to provide safe and effective care for all cancer patients. wildfires in canada are affecting millions of americans. they're experiencing very poor air quality and have been advised to wear masks outdoors. scientists in the us confirm that el nino weather event, which sees warmer water coming to the surface on the pacific ocean, has begun.

let's stay with the subject of whether it's breaking news coming to us today from the uk health security agency. it has issued a weekend heat health alert. the heat health alert has been erased from yellow to a more severe amber, with warnings in three different regions of england, the midlands, eastern and southern england. the amber alert which is more severe than what we had before comes into effect from 9am on friday and indicates that high temperatures could affect the whole population and perhaps more importantly could also affect the health service. now this is what the weather watchers have been calling an iberian plume, a plume of very warm weather that has come in from the spanish peninsula. we will not last especially long and probably will be over by sunday but it comes and cuts

across spain and portugal, bringing across spain and portugal, bringing a lot of high pressure and with it temperatures that could at some point touch 30 degrees, which may be normal for point touch 30 degrees, which may be normalfor some point touch 30 degrees, which may be normal for some countries buffer here in england is very unusual to get those kinds of temperatures this early injune. so this warm plume is going to bring temperatures of up to 30 degrees in some parts of the uk. thunder then will be expected towards the end of next week. we are also expecting temperatures to impact people's help, so there is of course a warning for people to make sure they stay as cool as they possibly can, stay in shaded areas if they can and of course to drink as much water as possible. sojust to reiterate, this weather alert is a weather alert that has been brought to us by the uk health security agency. that's the agency which deals with the weather and how it impacts on health, and it said

the temperature this weekend is going to hit 30 celsius. normally they have different colours to indicate how severe the weather warning is. previously we had a weekend health alert of yellow. that now has been raised to a more severe amber warning, now has been raised to a more severe amberwarning, and now has been raised to a more severe amber warning, and that warning affects three specific parts of england, and they are the midlands, eastern and southern england. so this basically means that high temperatures could affect the whole population and impact the health service. let's bring you a bit more on that story as emily get it but for now let's move on and talk about another health issue facing the uk. cancer patients are especially

facing longer weights because there is a shortage of properly trained doctors on staff. cancer patients are already reporting frequent delays for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the agency reports that unless urgent action is taken to plug staffing gaps the situation could get much worse. cancer patients across the uk are facing longer waits and more gruelling treatment because there is a "chronic shortage" of doctors and trained staff. that's the warning today from the body representing many cancer specialists. the royal college of radiologists says that half of all cancer units are already reporting frequent delays for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. and it's warning that unless urgent action is taken to plug staffing gaps the situation is likely to get worse. 0ur health reporterjim reed has been speaking to some of the patients affected. come on, derek. come on. carol fletcher from south wales has just finished chemo. there we go. there's a tummy rub. she was diagnosed with cancer last year after routine screening. i could see that there was something very wrong with that mammogram. i didn't have to be an expert to see that. it looked like two fireworks had gone off in my breast, basically. but it took two months from her screening appointments for carol to be called

back for tests. she didn't have surgery until november or chemo untiljanuary. every time i have a consultation or have an operation or have a biopsy, it's at least a two—week delay. so it adds up. and that's the main thing, isn't it? catch it early, treat it early, better outcome for everybody. i don't want to be... i don't want to leave my family, and that has frightened me. i do not want to be that sort of burden that i'm not here for my family. there is no evidence of recurrent disease below the diaphragm, full stop. cancer targets are being missed across the uk as hospitals struggle to shift a backlog caused in part by covid. doctors say one key reason is a lack of specialists. staff shortages are really the major contributor, and staff shortages are getting worse. we're really concerned for patients. we're really concerned that if we don't do something about this, that the delays are going to get longer. in all four nations of the uk, ministers say investment is being made in staff and equipment. in england, a long—awaited plan to grow the nhs workforce is expected in weeks.

all this comes as demand for cancer checks has been soaring. don't carry the worry of cancer with you. l in part because of campaigns like this. in blackpool in lancashire, for example, the number coming forward for cancer checks is up 60% in the last five years, and that rising trend is only expected to continue as the population gets older, putting even more pressure on nhs services. so we're just going to take a locating photograph. at this clinic, they've had to change the way they work. last year, richard was one of the first to have images of his suspected skin cancer taken by a medical photographer. so this is a very suspicious—looking lesion. instead of seeing one doctor face to face, these detailed images can be shared and checked far more quickly. a technique known as teledermatology. it's quick and efficient,

and it's good use of our time. and without it? without it, oh, i dread to think what we'd be like without teledermatology in all honesty. i think we'd really be struggling, and we wouldn't be meeting any of our cancer targets and meeting the needs of our patients in our area. come in, take a seat. thank you. how are you? one in three of us will get cancer in our lifetime. doctors say new ways of working, new technologies and more staff will all be needed. so more patients like richard, now back for his final checkup, can hear news like this. and that's fantastic, there's nothing concerning about today, so that's really good. 50 no concerns there. fantastic, it's good to be signed off. i jim reed, bbc news, blackpool. hundreds of millions of people in north america are experiencing very poor air quality and have been advised to wear high grade masks outdoors. this is due to air pollution created by intense wildfires in canada.

much of the smoke is coming from quebec, where150 fires are burning. hundreds of miles south of quebec, an orange haze covering new york's times square. the city will begin distributing i million free masks on thursday. new yorkers say the scene is like something out of a movie. in the latest developments, the white house has set its postponing an evening pride event on saturday due to the poor air quality in the capital. 0ur north america business correspondent michelle fleury is in new york for us. i mean, you do get a sort of slight, very mild stinging sensation in the eye, and you can smell it. but nowhere near the levels that we were seeing yesterday early afternoon. that was, i think, when we saw the peak of that orange haze. and in fact, i can tell you right now, in the distance you should be able to see the statue of liberty over my shoulder. it's still hazy enough i think that it's probably hard to make out,

but trust me it is there. and i think that's kind of where we're at right now. it has improved, but it still remains hazardous. people are talking about the air quality index. it is above 150, and that's considered hazardous. yesterday, though, we saw the mayor of new york saying it had reached a level of 484, the highest in the history of or at least since the �*60s. and so there was these warnings that people should stay indoors, avoid being outside and wear masks when possible. it is very blade runner, isn't it? let me ask you this. i read somewhere thatjodie comer, the famous british actress who's currently on broadway, had to stop her performance within about ten minutes saying she couldn't breathe. what happened there? yes, so she's starring on broadway at the moment in a play, and it was like around that time of 2pm was really the peak of that orange haze and where things really reached kind of very elevated levels. and so she would've been

in the early stages of that matinee performance, but things were so bad that she had to call it off. i'm told that she did go back on stage that evening for that evening's show, but during the daytime, things were so bad, it was very hard even when you were indoors to try and sort of avoid what everyone was seeing and it was quite spooky. and so that's why you saw the mayor coming out trying to reassure new yorkers, saying that they were across it, but of course it sort of felt a bit late in the day. now they're offering masks, but the air quality is better than it was yesterday. still hazardous, though. city workers, for example, haven't been ordered to stay home. some of them are going about theirjobs, so the sanitation truck drivers were out collecting rubbish this morning. i didn't see them wearing any masks. we're still seeing many office workers in place. i know that google issued a sort of note to staff on the east coast saying that they did have the option to work remotely. local coffee shops, restaurants are open. perhaps you won't see as much outdoor dining as you normally would, but again it raises some of the issues we saw during the pandemic, which is certainly for example

in the case of food delivery, which is a huge business here and all those kind of low—paid workers who rely on it for their income. they were still going about their business yesterday even in the thick haze. the haze in north america comes as scientists officially confirm that an el nino weather event has begun. the naturally—occurring phenomenon sees warmer water come to the surface of the pacific ocean. it pushes heat into the atmosphere, affecting weather all over the world. the researchers say the latest event is gaining stength and could lead to record—breaking temperatures next year. 0ur environment correspondent matt mcgrath has more. for several months now, scientists have been concerned about the emergence of el nino, and in fact, they've been growing increasingly confident that an el nino event was on the horizon. this happens every 2—7 years, and it releases large amounts of hot water, hot air near the coast of south america, which essentially alters global weather patterns and global temperatures.

the sort of impacts we could expect to see over the next several months to a year will include drier weather in australia and parts of asia, wetter weather in southern us parts, perhaps colder weather in europe and the uk. but i suppose the bigger impact of all this is the question about what is el nino going to do to the global temperature? because when you have an el nino, it tends to push up global temperatures to record levels. this happened in 2015—2016, 1997—1998, so the expectation from scientists is that this event will push more heat, more energy into the atmosphere and that will drive up temperatures to record levels possibly by the end of next year. let's get some of the day's other news here in the uk now. former green party leader caroline lucas is to stand down as an mp at the next general election after ten years in the job. she says the pressures of constituency work and being the party's only mp have left her unable to focus as much as she wanted on what she called the existential challenges

of the nature and climate emergencies. while giving evidence in prince harry's hacking case against mirror group newspapers, a former daily mirror royal editor said herformer boss, piers morgan, would "inject" information into her stories without explaining where it was from. prince harry claims the papers unlawfully obtained private information about him. piers morgan has consistently said no illegal newsgathering happened on his watch. rising interest rates are putting pressure on landlords with some considering to sell up. but that in turn could further squeeze the availability on the rental market and potential increase the costs costs for tenants. some landlords are also considering their future due to proposals for a ban on no—fault evictions in england. a week aweek in a week in hot weather alert has escalated to amber and it will get hot this week and in some areas of

the country and let's cross lot to our newsroom. what does this mean? this is a new type of warning. actually since 2004 we have had heat health alerts which are typically for the health responders and ahead of time the plan when hot weather is expected, they increase capacity to take in people, vulnerable people who are affected by hot weather. this is a new warning that alerts the public. it's a heads up that warmer than normal weather is expected over the next few days. in the grand scheme of things, to most people is actually nothing out of the ordinary. we are expecting temperatures in the high 20s and possibly pushing 30 celsius, which is not uncommon at all injune, but it is warmer than average and also the main message here is that it is our first warm spell, really warm speu our first warm spell, really warm spell of the season. of course many

of us will look back to spring and it was pretty chilly, so now we are going to see those temperatures possibly break 30 celsius. but it's a definition by amber but i think for most of us this a case of enjoying the warm sunny weather and those that are vulnerable should take precaution. it’s those that are vulnerable should take precaution.— those that are vulnerable should take precaution. it's not going to last anyway- _ take precaution. it's not going to last anyway- you _ take precaution. it's not going to last anyway. you will _ take precaution. it's not going to last anyway. you will be - take precaution. it's not going to last anyway. you will be over- take precaution. it's not going to last anyway. you will be over by| last anyway. you will be over by monday? last anyway. you will be over by monda ? �* . . , last anyway. you will be over by monda? .,y , last anyway. you will be over by monda? a ._ ,.,~ ., last anyway. you will be over by monda? a ._ , .,~ ., monday? actually this workflow can last a little bit — monday? actually this workflow can last a little bit longer. _ monday? actually this workflow can last a little bit longer. it _ monday? actually this workflow can last a little bit longer. it depends i last a little bit longer. it depends on how warm you would like it to stay. on how warm you would like it to sta . ~ , on how warm you would like it to sta . ~' , ., on how warm you would like it to sta . ~ , ., i on how warm you would like it to stay-_ i like i stay. oh, i like it very hot! i like it warm. — stay. oh, i like it very hot! i like it warm. tom — stay. oh, i like it very hot! i like it warm, too. we _ stay. oh, i like it very hot! i like it warm, too. we are _ stay. oh, i like it very hot! i like it warm, too. we are expecting | it warm, too. we are expecting thunderstorms possibly thursday night into friday and they will rebel on into the weekend as well. there could be some pretty big downpours and places of some might have hot and blazing sunshine at 30 degrees and some might wonder what this is about with an amber warning when it is only 24 degrees and pouring with rain and there are thunderstorms. so they could be a bit hit and miss but i think to

summarise it's a warm spell of weather and will last for a few days and we might hit 30 degrees but nothing unusual this time of year but the sum of weather and humidity, the humid nights, they affect the vulnerable. don't forget because you and i like the hot weather that there will be some members of the population that will really struggle and do not look forward to this kind of weather. and this is really directed at them and this type of warning is adapted to make us more aware. . ~' warning is adapted to make us more aware. ., ~ , ., warning is adapted to make us more aware. ., ~ i. . ., aware. 0k, thank you so much for brinuain aware. 0k, thank you so much for bringing context _ aware. 0k, thank you so much for bringing context of _ aware. 0k, thank you so much for bringing context of that _ aware. 0k, thank you so much for bringing context of that story - bringing context of that story there. i have to say i don't really like hot weather as i quite like it, 20-21 , a bit like hot weather as i quite like it, 20—2i , a bit sunny and i don't like getting too hot so let's make sure that everyone knows that if someone e—mailed me you said you like hot weather, no, idon�*t, ilike e—mailed me you said you like hot weather, no, i don't, i like medium temperature. i did get myself a whole year as it's very cold down there. an undercover bbc investigation�*s unmasked the man behind a number of websites selling videos of women being sexually assaulted on public transport across east asia. visitors to one of the sites

could even order their own tailor—made videos. bbc eye'sjow yin fung reports from tokyo. this is nagoya injapan. translation: there's a guy looking for a target. - the railway police are running a covert operation, on the hunt to catch sexual assaulters. translation: | would - like to follow him to check his behaviourfor a bit. sexual violence against women in public is a global phenomenon, but injapan, the problem is so endemic that it has its own name, chikan. translation: you're riding back and forth on a single ticket. - it looks like the kind of behaviour a chikan perpetrator would make. the suspect is taken to the police station for further questioning. chikan has been normalised over the years by its prominence in the adult entertainment industry, but the reality is

much more sinister. translation: in the trick of the trade, it felt - like a hand hitting me. takako, not her real name, was only a teenager when she was sexually assaulted on the train for the first time. translation: it started to feel like it was touching and grabbing me. i that's when i finally realised that this was chikan. i was sexually assaulted almost every day. bbc eye has been investigating a network of websites selling thousands of videos of women being sexually abused on public transport across east asia. this is a horrific business of sexual assault. the websites are run by a shadowy figure known as uncle oi, but who is he? our investigation has led us to tokyo, where we tracked down uncle qi and his close associates.

translation: hi. hi, noctis? posing as a potential investor, our undercoverjournalist met with them multiple times, until uncle qi himself agreed to meet us. in this meeting, tang zhuoran, a 27—year—old from china, admits to being uncle oi. the man behind all the websites we have been investigating. translation: how many people do you have in your current team? - translation: i have a team of 15 people. | he also admits to making huge profits. cashing in on sexual violence against women. translation: our daily turnover is 550-1100. l we located an address for tang in tokyo and went to put our allegations to him. translation: my name's zhaoyin feng. i'm a reporterfrom the bbc.

we know that you are the online persona uncle oi. do you do this for the money or do you enjoy abusing these women? stop, stop, stop! hey! we put our allegations to him. his only response is silence. and then violence. tang has since left japan. his associates say they are no longer working with him. the country is set to reform its sexual assault laws. however, campaigners say these changes don't go far enough. zhaoyin feng, bbc news. back to our top story today with a 22—year—old child among the victims of a knife attack, a number of children and a man among the victims of a knife attack in the playground

in the town of annecy. the playground is very close to the lake and that we have had news in the last few minutes from the mayor of annecy in the main news is that children who were taken in the hospital to be operated on who were thought to be in serious condition have now left the operating room and are in a stable condition. but also the playground has actually incredibly reopen. we had some pictures from the reuters news agency a little earlier showing the playground has reopened and parents have already taken their children there to play. as always more on that story on our website. an enduring myth has occupied a unique place in scottish folklore and is now 90 years since the first recorded sighting of the so—called loch ness monster. while the existence has not been verified, nessie has also become a symbol of the highlands as lorna gordon explains.

the tranquil water of loch ness, home to a mythical monster said to be hiding in its depths. when things are flat calm on loch ness, you know, we can see for miles around. those who go out on boats here always on the lookout for anything unusual. the echo sounder on our right—hand side here, we're really looking for a sonar contact on that. so that would be nice. we can see there's a big contact on the screen just now. that's just a fish. there are plenty of hiding places here for the fabled beast. reaching depths of over 200 metres, loch ness is vast and contains, it's said, as much water as the lakes of england and wales combined. steve feltham has dedicated his life to solving the mystery of the loch ness monster. believes he saw it once, too. it was like waves going that way across my vision, and the waves were maybe a foot and a half high. something shot through like a torpedo, and as it hit each oncoming wave, a splash of water. when i arrived here full—time in 1991, i was looking for long—necked dinosaurs, convinced that was what i was here to find.

i'm not now. i know we haven't got plesiosaurs in here. i know for sure they're not in here. i wish they were. but the identity of nessie's not up to me. it's...whatever it is, it is. wanda, wanda, something's out there. there's been more than 1000 recorded alleged sightings. can you get it? no, i can't. though the legend can be traced to the sixth century, modern records go back 90 years. the history, sightings and scientists who've investigated the phenomenon... you're a big part of this story, adrian. ..celebrated at the revamped visitors' centre, reopening to the public. what's the appeal to you? i was a schoolboy of the '60s, and the '60s were a time - when anything we wanted could be true. _ so, yes, that's what drew me.

i had my little submersible hide, sat on the bottom. . iwe baited it to attract the fishl and hopefully something bigger. well, we didn't have an encounter, but there we are. _ we've used sonar. so would you say you're a sceptic or a believer, then? i'm sceptical, but i'm not cynical. there's a difference. i would say urquhart castle, there, that's a definite hot spot. those hunting for the monster hoping they will be the one who finally prove it really does exist. if you're in the right place at the right time, anybody could solve this mystery tomorrow. and i'm here all the time, and i'm watching. it could be me. the scenery here is stunning, but it is the legend of the loch ness monster that is equally the draw. lorna gordon, bbc news, at loch ness. one of the world's most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing massive flows of lava around the crater floor in hawaii.

take a look at this. this amazing footage is of the kilauea volcano, which is located in a closed—off area of hawaii volcanoes national park. it erupted on wednesday for the second time this year. kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. from looking at these incredible pictures, look at that llama just spewing out. thank goodness no one lives anywhere near this place. from the look of the pictures, you can tell it is an extremely active volcano. my colleague is here in a few minutes' time for news from international viewers and those in the uk can enjoy the bbc at six o'clock news. as always i direct you to our website we can get all the very latest on what is happening around the world. at the moment we have the breaking news on the weather in the uk and of course more on those children in annecy. that's it for me, bye—bye. hello. some weather changes are now

starting to take place. today really has been more of the same, more of the weather we've become used to. early low cloud burning back towards the east coast, and then some warm sunshine. but down to the south—west of us, you can see this lumpy cloud, some showers and some thunderstorms looming. and just ahead of that, over the next few days, a feed of much warmer and much more humid air. i think you really will notice the difference. now, this weather is not going to be extreme or certainly unprecedented for the time of year, but it will feel very different. much warmer, much more humid by day and by night, with the chance of some thunderstorms. but back to the here and now. apart from the low cloud along the east coast, most of us will continue to see some sunshine, just one or two showers creeping across the isles of scilly. highest temperatures in the west up to around 24—25 degrees. tonight, we will see some showersjust creeping towards the south—west of england. and here, an increasingly warm and humid feel, a sign of things to come.

the overnight low in plymouth, around 13 degrees, still quite a lot cooler further north and east, with some of this low cloud rolling into eastern and central parts of scotland and england, then tending to retreat towards the coast tomorrow to give some spells of sunshine. but there is still the chance of one or two showers down towards the south—west, maybe in northern ireland later as well. and temperatures will be climbing. we could see highs of 22—23 degrees in north—west scotland, but 22—27 for wales and for central and southern parts of england. into the weekend, this area of low pressure churning to the south—west of us will throw this weather front northwards, hit—and—miss thunderstorms. there will be places that stay completely dry. there will be others that get a real deluge with hail and gusty winds likely to develop. and just ahead of that band of showers and thunderstorms, an increasingly warm and humid feel. temperatures could get to 29, possibly 30 degrees. and saturday night will be a very warm and humid one indeed. into sunday, those showers

and thunderstorms perhaps becoming a little more widespread, spreading north and east, but there will still be places that avoid them and stay dry with patchy cloud and spells of sunshine. still pretty warm for many of us, maybe just a little bit cooler out towards the west.

dismissed. at six — four very young children have been

stabbed bya man in a playground in france.