an overnight russian rocket attack to an apartment building in lviv, western ukraine has killed three people. we have a new app for our phones! meta has officially launched threads, a potential rival to elon musk�*s twitter. the uk financial watchdog meets with bank bosses today after raising concerns over interest rates on savings accounts not increasing fast enough. and a special report on gannets, a wonderful species which has seen its colonies decimated by bird flu. hello. a very warm welcome to the programme. i'm sally bundock. we begin with a developing story in ukraine where

a russian rocket hit an apartment building overnight in the western ukrainian city of lviv, causing casualties a local official said. in a post on telegram, the mayor of lviv has said the attack has left at least three people dead, another eight people were injured, including one seriously. there are fears that more people may be trapped under rubble. he added that about 60 apartments and 50 cars have been damaged. this is the aftermath of the attack. the lviv region is hundreds of kilometres from the front lines and has been largely peaceful. staying with ukraine, the united nations�* nuclear watchdog is calling for greater access to the russian—occupied zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country. iaea inspectors want to make sure explosives have not been planted there. ukraine said devices resembling explosives had been placed on the roof.

our analysis editor ros atkins explains why this plant is so significant. this week, ukraine had a warning. translation: now we have information from our- intelligence that the russian military has placed objects similar to explosives on the roof of several power units of the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. president zelensky didn't provide proof of this, but america says russia is playing a dangerous game and should think long and hard about whether they want to risk causing a nuclear catastrophe. russia denies it's taking that risk. but because of russia's invasion, europe's largest nuclear power plant is in a war zone. the plant is in south—eastern ukraine. before the war, it supplied one—fifth of the country's electricity, but after the invasion, russia took control of it. and in september, un inspectors paid a visit. it is obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times.

as well as that, the plant has become militarised. russia is in control. russia has stationed military equipment in the plant, actually within the reactor halls itself. on occasions, it is mining the area around the plant it claims for defence. russia claims ukraine has shelled the plant, something ukraine denies. and a few days ago, un inspectors were back saying they found no visible indications of mines or other explosives, but that they still need additional access to carry out further such checks. in other words, they couldn't inspect all of the plant. and ukraine insists that russia is placing explosives and that if detonated, they would not damage the reactors, but would create an image of shelling from the ukrainian side. russia dismisses this and has turned the accusation around.

russia also claims zelensky is going to conduct a terror attack on the plant, but it's provided no evidence for this. and as ukraine and russia trade accusations, bbc verify has been looking at satellite images of the reactors. this is from july 5. no objects resembling explosives can be seen, but the fear of sabotage or military damage is real, not least because of the nova kakhovka dam. in earlyjune, it was destroyed. ukraine and its military allies say it was russian sabotage. russia blamed ukrainian shelling, whatever the cause, thousands of people's lives were affected. with zaporizhzhia, there is some reassurance. dr mark webman from imperial college tells us the reactor buildings are able to withstand earthquakes and aircraft impact strikes, and that it would take a very concerted effort to damage the containment building and cause any form of radioactive release.

the risk to the reactors may be low, but zaporizhzhia is getting so much attention because the stakes are high. live now to steven fish, a professor of political science from university of california, berkeley. a warm welcome to the programme. what is your thoughts on the threat as far as the zaporizhzhia plant is concerned?— as the zaporizhzhia plant is concerned? ., ., concerned? from time to time, putin rattles — concerned? from time to time, putin rattles the _ concerned? from time to time, putin rattles the nuclear - putin rattles the nuclear saver, sometimes he threatens to use nuclear weapons directly. if this plant were blown up and could affect directors, it would release an enormous amount of radiation. that doesn't seem to be a problem but i think putin knows that this would be regarded as a nuclear attack in ukraine and would probably provoke a massive nato response, a military response is any use of nuclear weapons would. in ukraine itself, an aerial

bombardment would destroy the assets on the ground and marine take out his air force. he knows that is a risk so it is bubbling up when he will take right now. bubbling up when he will take riaht now. . ., , bubbling up when he will take right nova— right now. that was going to be m next right now. that was going to be my next question _ right now. that was going to be my next question as _ right now. that was going to be my next question as far - right now. that was going to be my next question as far as - my next question as far as russia is concerned. there was damage at this nuclear plant, and regardless of who caused the damage, what risk is there to russia in terms of radiation, that kind of risk? well, this risk is to all of europe, and that is precisely why i think you would be a very vigorous nato response. after russia blew up the dam recently, nato did not respond militarily. it really wasn't in a position to do so and it hadn't drawn the line there. but i think they have made perfectly clear that any use of nuclear weapons and blowing up a reactor would certainly counter that, and ukraine would elicit a massive military response, and again, think putin is well aware of that being a danger. this would be a danger to all of europe and there is no way that nato will

put up with that.— put up with that. also 'ust to note that i put up with that. also 'ust to note that russia h put up with that. also 'ust to note that russia tookh put up with that. also just to note that russia took no - note that russia took no responsibility for the destruction of the dam, blaming ukraine for that, that is a situation, because the zaporizhzhia plant as well, both sides pointing the finger at one another as to who is putting explosive devices on the roof. ., ., , ., the roof. no, that is not the situation- — the roof. no, that is not the situation. the _ the roof. no, that is not the situation. the situation - the roof. no, that is not the situation. the situation is i situation. the situation is what we know it to be, which is that russia blew up the dam, and if explosives are put on the roof, it is the russians doing that. i think accuracy is more important than balance here. in more important than balance here. , ., . here. in terms of the conflict else, here. in terms of the conflict else. give — here. in terms of the conflict else. give us _ here. in terms of the conflict else, give us your _ here. in terms of the conflict else, give us your take - here. in terms of the conflict else, give us your take on i else, give us your take on where we are at. we are hearing about military action going on in lviv overnight, the mare there saying there has been attacks on apartment blocks on the western side of ukraine merit has been relatively peaceful for some time. your thoughts on the strategy on the part of russia the moment? yes. part of russia the moment? yes, sall , part of russia the moment? yes, sally. you — part of russia the moment? yes, sally. you know. _ part of russia the moment? yes, sally, you know, from _ part of russia the moment? yes, sally, you know, from the - sally, you know, from the beginning of the conflict, putin has tried to bombard

civilians abilities —— facilities and infrastructure. he made it clear he wants to wipe out the cranial nation. blowing up civilian apartment blocks and restaurants is something he has done ever since the beginning of this invasion. his aim in part is he seems to think he can demoralise the ukrainians by doing this. of course it has had exactly the opposite effect. as well as the ukrainians, rallies their support of them even more strongly. this isjust going support of them even more strongly. this is just going to backfire on putin. i think one of the reasons he does it is this is all he has got. his military stalemate, now the ukrainians are making slow, but steady gains against russian lines in the east and south of mrs all the putin left with. just before we let you go, what is the appetite like what is conflict in the united states? we know president biden is very much behind president zelensky in terms of financial aid, support, etc. there is an

election coming up in the us next year. to what extent is the american public behind this? ., the american public behind this? . , ., the american public behind this? . ~ , , ., this? that is a key question. the answer _ this? that is a key question. the answer is _ this? that is a key question. the answer is recent - this? that is a key question. the answer is recent opinion polls show that americans are behind this. the problem of course is donald trump because he is not. he has made clear in recent interviews that he would terminate support for ukraine in this conflict if he is re—elected as president. what is more, he is on putin's side. he has been since when he was running for president in 2016. he has made it clear that he sees putin's way, he sees that way and will support him in this conflict. this would this unite the western alliance. there is no way they could maintain the integrity. we are talking about a man who talked about pulling america out of nato. that would be the big event that would change the game. it is the only way putin can win this war. you can

imagine that putin is really hoping he can wait for trumpet�*s re— election. of course one can hope that will not happen, but that is a matter for domestic politics. —— donald trump. the public this effort. the problem would be a donald trump re—election. well, we should certainly be across every twist and turn. thank you very much. the social media giant, meta — which owns facebook and instagram — has officially launched its new app, threads. the app will be linked to instagram and is widely seen as a potential rival to twitter. meta describes it as a "text—based conversation app." users will be able to post up to 500 characters of text and five minutes of video and pictures. it will not be available in the european union yet because of their regulatory concerns. the launch is the latest in a rivalry between the meta boss mark zuckerberg,

who says 5 million users signed up for this new platform within the first four hours, and twitter owner elon musk. 0ur north america technology correspondent james clayton has been looking into threads' offering. ican i can tell you it looks an awful lot like twitter and that is because mark zuckerberg absolutely wants this to compete directly with twitter. this is mark zuckerberg against elon musk. what does it look and feel like? there is a maximum character limit of 500, you can share post with your friends, in a very similar way to twitter, all accounts will start off private and you can make them public. in theory, isn't available now, but the hope is from matter that this will be interoperable with other platforms like blue sky and mustered on. i think the crucial thing here, though, and this is why i am excited about this, and otherjournalists, is that this is notjust a random player, it is matter doing this. they have a lot of experience of copying other

apps successfully and stories, which is a copy of snapchat, and this app will have access to hundreds and millions of instagram accounts. that is not starting from zero. so this has a very, very good chance of succeeding. some people are calling it a twitter killer. it will also hoover up lots of data though it is worth just saying that in a way that some other apps don't. this is a really, really significant moment in terms of twitter, a very, very perilous moment i would say for elon musk�*s new twitter. just one more thing to say about this, it won't be available in the eu because of the digital market actor that has really come into force of the matter is worried about getting sued because it will be transferring data from threads to instagram and vice—versa. still a lot to unpick, very difficult to know how successful this will be, but a real moment here in san francisco. live now to caitlin chin.

she's a fellow at the center for strategic and international studies where she researches technology regulation in the united states and abroad. welcome to the programme. what do you make of threads? have you signed up? i do you make of threads? have you signed up?— do you make of threads? have you signed up? i have signed up 'ust a you signed up? i have signed up just a couple _ you signed up? i have signed up just a couple of— you signed up? i have signed up just a couple of hours _ you signed up? i have signed up just a couple of hours ago. - just a couple of hours ago. have you played? i just a couple of hours ago. have you played?- just a couple of hours ago. have you played? i have played. i have have you played? i have played. i have been _ have you played? i have played. i have been able _ have you played? i have played. i have been able to _ have you played? i have played. i have been able to migrate - i have been able to migrate some of my followers from instagram to threads, and from what i have seen so far, it seems like a pretty straightforward attempt from matter to create some sort of alternate version of twitter. in other words, a town hall where people can share and respond to news and thoughts. i think we will find out very quickly whether or not threads will be a success. the real testis will be a success. the real test is whether there will use threads, i think there is a real public interest, being a real public interest, being a real demand in some sort of text based app to replace twitter. i think that threads

actually seems like a pretty logical move for matter for a couple of reasons, first of all, just like james said, matter has a long history of borrowing features from its competitors, for example, instagram stories is modelled after snapchat, and instagram reels is modelled after tiktok. that said, i do think that threads can potentially offer some selling points that it's some selling points that its competitors don't. for example, like ijust mentioned, how instagram users can automatically follow their friend list when migrating threads, threads is built on a decentralised infrastructure, meaning it might potentially offer interoperability with non— meta apps like mastodon. this is something we haven't seen from major social media apps in the past.— apps in the past. sorry to interrupt _ apps in the past. sorry to interrupt you, _ apps in the past. sorry to interrupt you, just - apps in the past. sorry to interrupt you, just to - apps in the past. sorry to interrupt you, just to say | interrupt you, just to say in terms of the european union take on this at the moment, ie, it is not available here right now, we are still checking up regulatory issues we are concerned about, is that a big dealfor concerned about, is that a big deal for the launch of this, or is thatjust an obstacle they

will overcome in time? what are your thoughts on that? i will overcome in time? what are your thoughts on that?— your thoughts on that? i think in the long-term, _ your thoughts on that? i think in the long-term, if— your thoughts on that? i think in the long-term, if threads l your thoughts on that? i think| in the long-term, if threads is in the long—term, if threads is really going to become a legitimate twitter competitor, it will of course need to launch in the european union. that is a huge market for matter. but this is day one for threads. i think that at the moment a potential twitter competitor, what a textbased standalone app might look like, and perhaps it may make sense to test it out with a market that does not include the eu at the moment, just to see if threads can even get started and get off the ground and the user base that matter is perhaps hoping for. thank you very much- — perhaps hoping for. thank you very much. good _ perhaps hoping for. thank you very much. good to _ perhaps hoping for. thank you very much. good to get - perhaps hoping for. thank you very much. good to get your l very much. good to get your take on all of this. just to say, elon musk has written about this in the last two hours, saying it is infinitely referable to be attacked by strangers on twitter than indulge in the false happiness of high pain instagram in —— elon musk, latest tweet on the

lodge of threads. we will have more in our business coverage later. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. voiceover: bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the uk. despite the challenges across the country, the nhs is still seen as a crucial part of society. nowhere more so than tredegar. i society. nowhere more so than tredetar. ., ., society. nowhere more so than tredetar. . ., , , tredegar. i had a slight stroke two years _ tredegar. i had a slight stroke two years ago- _ tredegar. i had a slight stroke two years ago. the _ tredegar. i had a slight stroke two years ago. the way - tredegar. i had a slight stroke two years ago. the way i've i two years ago. the way i've been — two years ago. the way i've been treated since then by different checkups and what have — different checkups and what have you come excellent. i couldn't _ have you come excellent. i couldn't be cry than one little bit. �* , , ., bit. at the university of south wales and _ bit. at the university of south wales and pontypridd, - bit. at the university of south wales and pontypridd, future | wales and pontypridd, future nurses and midwives are preparing to enter the workforce. to preparing to enter the workforce.— preparing to enter the workforce. ., ., , ., workforce. to me, it means that i can workforce. to me, it means that i can give _ workforce. to me, it means that i can give women _ workforce. to me, it means that i can give women the _ workforce. to me, it means that i can give women the care - workforce. to me, it means that i can give women the care that l i can give women the care that they— i can give women the care that they deserve, because historically women haven't had that care _ historically women haven't had that care. as a woman, it is a very. — that care. as a woman, it is a very. very— that care. as a woman, it is a very, very important thing. i think— very, very important thing. i think that _ very, very important thing. i think that we need to continue to protect it. | think that we need to continue to protect it—

to protect it. i was 19 when i had my first _ to protect it. i was 19 when i had my first wife. _ to protect it. i was 19 when i had my first wife. -- - to protect it. i was 19 when i had my first wife. -- first i had my first wife. —— first child _ had my first wife. —— first child the _ had my first wife. —— first child. the midwife - had my first wife. —— first child. the midwife was i had my first wife. —— first| child. the midwife was so focused _ child. the midwife was so focused on _ child. the midwife was so focused on my— child. the midwife was sol focused on my well—being, vittinghus _ focused on my well—being, vittinghus didn't— focused on my well—being, vittinghus didn't matter. . focused on my well—being, i vittinghus didn't matter. even now— vittinghus didn't matter. even now i— vittinghus didn't matter. even now i remember— vittinghus didn't matter. even now i remember the - vittinghus didn't matter. even now i remember the midwife. vittinghus didn't matter. even. now i remember the midwife and a caring — now i remember the midwife and a caring attitude _ now i remember the midwife and a caring attitude and _ now i remember the midwife and a caring attitude and the - a caring attitude and the difference _ a caring attitude and the difference she _ a caring attitude and the difference she made. i for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. the bosses of the four biggest banking groups are meeting the financial watchdog today to discuss concerns that interest rates on savings accounts aren't increasing as quickly as those on mortgages. the banks have denied accusations from mps that they've been profiteering. 0ur cost of living correspondent, colletta smith, reports. bank customers are feeling the pressure. charged lots to borrow the money, but given very little reward to save it. so today, the financial conduct authority wants to turn up the pressure on those in charge of the banks. the base rate at the bank of england has ticked up 13 times in the last year and a

half. lenders have been quick to follow by upping the interest rates on mortgages, but sluggish to dish out more for savings, especially on easy access accounts. ii for savings, especially on easy access accounts.— access accounts. if you are a borrower, — access accounts. if you are a borrower, you _ access accounts. if you are a borrower, you are _ access accounts. if you are a borrower, you are seeing - access accounts. if you are a i borrower, you are seeing pretty quickly interest rates being passed on, particularly if you are on a variable rate mortgage. if you have a variable savings rate it is not rising as much as you would hope so it is very much a case again of having a look at the wider market, seeking out mutuals and challenger banks and moving your money. loyalty doesn't always pay in this case. labour mps and consumer groups have accused the big four banks of being the worst offenders. between them, they also own halifax, bank of scotland, royal bank of scotland, royal bank of scotland— scotland, royal bank of scotland . , ~ scotland and the ulster bank. so any changes _ scotland and the ulster bank. so any changes agreed - scotland and the ulster bank. so any changes agreed today | so any changes agreed today will affect millions of savers. the financial conduct authority doesn't have the power to force banks to increase rates. but they say they are hoping for a positive outcome today. today we are still— positive outcome today. today we are still seeing _ positive outcome today. today we are still seeing rates - positive outcome today. today we are still seeing rates of- we are still seeing rates of less than 1% on some instant

access accounts offered by the big banks. clearly that has to change. it is not right that mortgage holders are being made to feel the pain of interest rate rises while many very loyal savers are not getting the full benefits. so hopefully the full benefits. so hopefully the fca can make a meaningful difference here and nudge the banks even further in the right direction. , ., , direction. new rules to better trotect direction. new rules to better protect customers _ direction. new rules to better protect customers are - direction. new rules to betterj protect customers are coming into force this summer, and the regulator is keen for lenders to get in line now, to strike a quicker balance between what they are taking from customers and what they are giving back. colletta smith, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news now. the findings of an inquiry into groping allegations against the tamworth mp chris pincher are due to be published today. mr pincher quit as deputy chief whip after claims about his behaviour towards other guests at the carlton club injune last year. mr pincher apologised for "drinking far too much" and embarrassing "himself and other people." the standards committee report could lead to a by—election

in his constituency. the cabinet office is to learn whether it has won its legal challenge to the uk covid—19 inquiry chairwoman's request for boris johnson's unredacted whatsapp messages, notebooks and diaries. high courtjudges are expected to hand down their decision over the government's judicial review of baroness heather hallett�*s order this afternoon. proposals to close nearly all the ticket offices at railway stations across england have been strongly criticised by unions and disability groups. 0perators say most tickets are now bought online orfrom machines. a public consultation has begun. the stunning sea birds, gannets, which mate for life, breed in just a few locations worldwide, one of them is bass rock, in the firth of forth. but last year, the colony was decimated by bird flu. 0ur climate editorjustin rowlatt went to look for signs

of recovery among the gannets, who have previously caught bass rock in scotland's firth of forth is the largest gannet colony in the world.— colony in the world. david attenborough's _ colony in the world. david attenborough's team - colony in the world. david i attenborough's team visited bass rock three years ago. that bass rock three years ago. at the height of summer, it is jam—packed with two nests to every square metre. the jam-packed with two nests to every square metre. the island and its huge — every square metre. the island and its huge gannet _ every square metre. the island and its huge gannet populationj and its huge gannet population was featured in the bbc�*s celebrated wild eyes series. but in the spring they returned to their breeding grounds, and each couple re—establish their partnership with the delicate courtship display. but partnership with the delicate courtship display.— courtship display. but this time last— courtship display. but this time last year, _ courtship display. but this time last year, right - courtship display. but this time last year, right in i courtship display. but this| time last year, right in the middle of the breeding season,

bird flu was detected on bass rock. it could not have hit at a worse time. gannets, including chicks, died in their thousands. these images, taken before bird flu hit in 2020, and last year, show a dramatic reduction in the gannet population on bass rock. a year on, and we are headed back to bass rock with a team of scientists from edinburgh university, who are doing the first population survey of the gannets this year. in 2021, it was estimated there were 150,000 birds, 75,000 breeding pairs come here on the rock. experts say they have seen huge changes. experts say they have seen huge chantes. ,. , .,, changes. the scenery was completely _ changes. the scenery was completely covered - changes. the scenery was completely covered with l changes. the scenery was - completely covered with birds, gannets — completely covered with birds, gannets everywhere, not breeding, but it wasjust

gannets everywhere, not breeding, but it was just full with— breeding, but it was just full with light. breeding, but it was 'ust full with with breeding, but it was 'ust full with tightfi breeding, but it was 'ust full with liht. ,, ., ., with light. maggie sharon is a tuide on with light. maggie sharon is a guide on bass _ with light. maggie sharon is a guide on bass rock. - with light. maggie sharon is a guide on bass rock. she - with light. maggie sharon is a guide on bass rock. she hasl guide on bass rock. she has been coming here virtually every week for more than 20 years. every week for more than 20 ears. . ., , every week for more than 20 ears. ,, ., , ., years. slowly, in the space of three weeks _ years. slowly, in the space of three weeks actually, - years. slowly, in the space of three weeks actually, this - three weeks actually, this colony just empty. three weeks actually, this colonyjust empty. it was heartbreaking to watch that this magnificent bird that is so strong just have no power at all. so strong 'ust have no power at all. , r' so strong 'ust have no power at all. , r’ , ., so strong 'ust have no power at all. , , ., ., all. chris erskine start from the far corner. .. _ all. chris erskine start from the far corner. .. so - all. chris erskine start from the far corner. .. so what i all. chris erskine start from the far corner. .. so what is| the far corner. .. so what is the far corner. .. so what is the gannett _ the far corner. .. so what is the gannett population - the far corner. .. so what isj the gannett population like now? the scientists launch a drone to survey the birds. the plan is to use ai drone to survey the birds. the plan is to use alto drone to survey the birds. the plan is to use al to get a very accurate count. irate plan is to use al to get a very accurate count.— accurate count. we are trying to use artificial _ accurate count. we are trying to use artificial intelligence i to use artificial intelligence to use artificial intelligence to automatically detect light birds and dead birds on bass rock, gannets in particular, because i humans are far more prone to error, you can get tired, bored of counting the ballots, which means you get less accurate as time goes on. a computer doesn't get bored or tired so it can perform these calculations in minutes and what we take a person hours or

even days to complete. but even without ai, _ even days to complete. but even without al. you _ even days to complete. but even without ai, you can _ even days to complete. but even without ai, you can see - even days to complete. but even without ai, you can see that - without ai, you can see that quite a lot of birds have come back. on the ground, it's clear many have chicks. great news for the colony. and some birds that have survived the flue show unexpected changes. look at this. the gannat�*s distinctive blue iris sometimes turns black. maggie is delighted by how well the colony is doing.— colony is doing. this is magnificent _ colony is doing. this is magnificent what - colony is doing. this is magnificent what we i colony is doing. this is i magnificent what we are colony is doing. this is - magnificent what we are seeing here. it truly is. when we returned this year, we didn't know quite how it was going to unfold, and what we are seeing now is established breeders that have survived this a lot more than i think we hoped for. but gannets tend to pair for life. lots of the birds haven't built nests. it means they are waiting for their partners to return to breed. but it is very

late in the season, and maggie fears most will have perished in the outbreak. it will be a couple of months before the scientists publish their findings. a team from the rspb has estimated the survival rate of adult birds is down 42%. it is a big hit, but the good news is a big hit, but the good news is the gannet colony here at bass rock will survive. justin rowlatt, bbc news, the firth of forth. that is good news, that's very good news. we have all the top business stories here next. we talk some more about threads. i would like to know, are you on that? are you busy communicating with people via threads, via your instagram account may be? i will see you in a moment.

hello. 0ur fairly unsettled spell ofjuly weather is set to continue through the remainder of the week, really, and we're going to be seeing temperatures gradually on the rise over the next few days. but through thursday, some sunshine in the forecast, particularly so towards the east, but also a bit of rain, mainly across the north—west of the uk, down to the fact that we've got this area of low pressure approaching from the atlantic, whereas high pressure across the continent is dominating things further south and east. so for thursday, fairly fresh start to the day. the best of the sunshine will be for eastern scotland, eastern and southern parts of england and into wales, but cumulus cloud builds through the day and that willjust bring the odd shower, mainly in the north and the west of the british isles. more persistent rain arrives across northern ireland during the afternoon. it'll be windy here, with gusts about a0 mph, and temperatures 15 to 22 degrees. don't think we'll see any interruptions at wimbledon today due to the weather, but just a very small chance of a shower in the afternoon as that cloud builds.

next few days at wimbledon, hot and humid on friday, thunderstorms and showers possible for saturday and for sunday. now back to thursday, in the afternoon and the evening, that area of rain drifts out of northern ireland across parts of scotland, becoming fairly light and patchy overnight, but across england and wales, quite a warm, humid night. temperatures certainly remaining in double figures overnight. so not quite as fresh, compared to wednesday night. but what we're going to see on friday as this area of low pressure, this frontal system drifts its way northwards, it'll open the doors for this warm and moist flow coming in from the south. so a hot, humid—feeling day for some of us on friday, especially so across england and wales. a bit more cloud and showery rain at times for scotland and northern ireland, with a bit of a breeze blowing, too, but for the warmest spots, we're likely to see 28 or 29 degrees on friday, typically the low—20s, further north. now heading on into the weekend, we've got that warm, moist, humid air with us, and then low pressure again moving in from the atlantic, so the combination of those two things means we could see some very lively weather on saturday.

some thunderstorms possible almost anywhere where you see these heavy showers and that hot, humid air. fresher airjust returning from the west, later in the day. a bit of uncertainty about the timing, location of some of those showers, still quite warm ahead of them, with temperatures again in the mid—20s. so a brief spell of heat, i think, friday into saturday, but some thunderstorms through the weekend and they're going to continue the unsettled trend into next week. bye— bye.

meta's twitter killer: launches its conversation app threads.