hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. we start in the united states, where tens of thousands of hollywood actors have gone on strike. film and tv productions in the us — and around the world — have ground to a halt as a result. it's the industry's biggest shutdown for more than 60 years and it could affect all productions which involve members of the screen actors guild — wherever they are in the world. the actors�* union wants streaming giants like netflix and disney to agree to what they say is a fairer split of profits and better working conditions. and it wants assurances about the use of artificial intelligence. while the strike is going on, actors can't appear in films or even promote the movies they've already made. as a result, stars cillian murphy, matt damon and emily blunt left the premiere of

christopher nolan's oppenheimer in london last night as the strike was declared. the studios say they have made meaningful offers but that's been rejected by those on strike. the guild's president, fran drescher, said the decision by actors to walk out was a �*moment of truth'. we are being victimised by a very greedy entity. i am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. i cannot believe it, quite frankly. how far apart we are on so many things. how they plead poverty, that they are losing money left and right while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their ceos. it is disgusting. shame on them. they stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.

the issues in the strike go much deeper thanjust the film industry itself. the screen actors guild wants streaming giants to agree a fairer split of profits and better working conditions. but other demands — like protecting actors from being replaced by digital replicas — reflect wider challenges. the union wants guarantees that artificial intelligence and computer generated faces will not be used to replace actors. not since 1960 has a there been a strike on this scale. that dispute was led by the future us president ronald reagan — seen here with his wife nancy and fellow actorjames cagney. live now to ben field, a producer and director of documentaries who has implemented ai into some of his productions. thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for coming on the programme-—

thank you for coming on the programme._ ai i thank you for coming on the programme._ ai in| thank you for coming on the - programme._ ai in film and programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv. programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is going _ programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is going to _ programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is going to be _ programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is going to be a _ programme. pleasure. ai in film and tv, this is going to be a huge - tv, this is going to be a huge issue, isn't it? do you share some of the concerns banter is they don't want ai effectively taking their roles? , , , ., , want ai effectively taking their roles? , , , ., i, roles? yes, completely. i really see that point- — roles? yes, completely. i really see that point. because _ roles? yes, completely. i really see that point. because artificial- that point. because artificial intelligence and deep fake, synthetic media within the creative industries, is a concern, because realistically, there is a value in performance rather than just a digital likeness. find performance rather than 'ust a digital likeness.�* performance rather than 'ust a digital likeness. and so, if you are an actor, digital likeness. and so, if you are an actor. and _ digital likeness. and so, if you are an actor, and obviously _ digital likeness. and so, if you are an actor, and obviously some - digital likeness. and so, if you are an actor, and obviously some of. digital likeness. and so, if you are | an actor, and obviously some of the main actors that we know burn lots of money but if you are one of the many actors not on that kind of money, and you go in for a day's work and they scan your face and they take it and they can manipulate that at any later date and make it to other things and look like other things, we could see a vast reduction in the need for a large

number of actors?— reduction in the need for a large number of actors? yes, absolutely. it commoditise _ number of actors? yes, absolutely. it commoditise is, _ number of actors? yes, absolutely. it commoditise is, it _ number of actors? yes, absolutely. it commoditise is, it cheapens - number of actors? yes, absolutely. j it commoditise is, it cheapens what people have spent a lifetime perfecting. and this is very issue. we are talking about something that has really only been possible probably within the last six months, six to eight months. and it's a real concern. you are looking at the ability of losing your ability to earn money, they think yes, it's a concern and i think really what it does is it highlights a real commercialisation of the film industry, perhaps more so than it has over the last decade. it is industry, perhaps more so than it has over the last decade.- has over the last decade. it is a business. _ has over the last decade. it is a business. it _ has over the last decade. it is a business, it is _ has over the last decade. it is a business, it is there _ has over the last decade. it is a business, it is there to - has over the last decade. it is a business, it is there to make i has over the last decade. it is a - business, it is there to make money and if there are cheaper ways to do things, technology advances, then that's always going to be attractive, isn't it, and you can't blame them for that. what about the challenge of ai being used in the

industry without people knowing? how do you get that transparency? weill. do you get that transparency? well, i think ou do you get that transparency? well, i think you can't _ do you get that transparency? well, i think you can't use _ do you get that transparency? well, i think you can't use people's - i think you can't use people's identities without them knowing. but if you are referring to whether or not audiences... i don't think... i think you're breaking a barrier of trust. film—makers start using artificial intelligence and claiming that these are performances, that are not honest, so for instance, laurence olivier, if you are claiming you are using artificial intelligence to bring laurence olivier to the screen again, you are really not because the performance is in the soul of the individual, notjust in the digital likeness. tom hanks recently discussed the idea that he could be performing well after the point that he

retired, and i would argue that not really the case, because you can't have a deep fake performing... a deep fake isjust have a deep fake performing... a deep fake is just a series of still images essentially and you don't get performances out of still images, you get them out of people, and people can't be replaced. fascinating. great to have you on the programme, thanks for coming on. thank you very much. the ex—manchester city footballer benjamin mendy has been found not guilty at chester crown court of one count of rape and one of attempted rape. in january, mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. just repeat this news, just in in the last hour or so, this is the ex manchester city footballer benjamin mendy who has been cleared of raping a young woman and trying to rape

another. benjamin laura has just benjamin laura hasjust issued benjamin laura has just issued this statement. —— by his lawyer. now to the heatwave that is gripping much of southern europe with temperatures over a0 degrees and climbing. countries including greece, italy, spain and croatia and turkey have seen some of the highest temperatures, with the heat expected to break records next week. this is athens — where the acropolis has been closed during the hottest hours of the day to protect visitors from the high temperatures.

tourists have been barred from entering the famous attraction between noon and 5pm. beyond europe — heatwaves have also affected parts of north africa and the middle east this week — with southern parts of morocco under an extreme heat red alert. and it's notjust heat — extreme weather events are becoming more common around the world, according to the un. leading to scenes like this in india — where record monsoon rainfall this week has caused destructive flooding. extreme weather patterns and increased temperatures have a range of consequences — not least food production. the new un human rights chief volker turk warned on monday that the impact of the climate crisis is threatening the right to food. he said 80 million more people will be at risk of hunger by the middle of this century. a new study in the journal nature has highlighted the possibility of major harvest failures caused by climate change in multiple global breadbaskets. scientists are working on the gene sequencing of foods like tomatoes to make them heat resistant

and maintain crop yields. but the un has also warned of a "dystopian future" without immediate action with possible civil unrest. dr zitouni ould—dada is an expert in climate and other environmental issues at the food and agriculture organisation of the un. i asked him to explain the relationship between extremely high temperatures and food production. well, there is a big relationship obviously, because climate change affects food production, agriculture in general, and agriculture also affects climate change, because agriculture is an important emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, it uses around 70% of withdrawn water and around 70% of withdrawn water and around 30% of global energy, so it is a very tight relationship between what's happening to the climate and agriculture. this is particularly important for the global food security because what we have seen

now with this succession of extreme weather events, drought and floods, they all affect global food security, just yesterday, we launched the state of food security and nutrition in the world in new york and we found that in 2022, we had around 783 people who were going hungry every day and since 2019, 122 million people were pushed into hunger. the causes of this are the pandemic, the climate change and also conflicts including the war in ukraine. but climate change is making the situation really worse. we are seeing this succession of extreme weather events, this is the new reality unfortunately that that we have to adapt to. that new reality unfortunately that that we have to adapt to.— new reality unfortunately that that we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt — we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt to _ we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt to it. _ we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt to it. what _ we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt to it. what can - we have to adapt to. that talk about how to adapt to it. what can be - how to adapt to it. what can be done, temperatures are going to carry on going up? at least the

foreseeable future, that threatens things like crop production, once the kind of answer, said things like gene editing to make a crops heat resistant? it gene editing to make a crops heat resistant? , . , , resistant? it is many things. there are many things — resistant? it is many things. there are many things we _ resistant? it is many things. there are many things we should - resistant? it is many things. there are many things we should have i resistant? it is many things. there i are many things we should have done years ago to avoid being in the crisis situation we are in now must we need to reduce emissions, we need to reduce emissions drastically. our lifestyles, where we move and travel, the way we eat in the case of food, processes and how we eat food has to change as well, we have to change the way we produce and eat food. we need to first of all have a really strong political will at an international and national level, to have clear strategies with clear action plans on where we need to act to really avoid the dangers of climate change and an increase in hunger. we also need to invest more in innovation and in protecting

nature, our natural resources, and use them more efficiently, including the use of water, fertiliser, energy, and we also need... just on those things — energy, and we also need... just on those things because _ energy, and we also need... just on those things because there - energy, and we also need... just on those things because there was - energy, and we also need... just on those things because there was a i energy, and we also need... just on | those things because there was a big long list of all the things that do need to be tackled. in the short term, what are the short—term consequences, is it inevitable that the price of food is going to go up? whenever there is drought, extreme weather events that affect food production, that leads to the volatility in food prices, because when you have crop failure, you obviously have an impact on food availability and food security. that leads to the volatility in food prices. so that's the immediate impact. what we need to do is realise that this is going to happen again, it doesn'tjust happen now and that's it salinity need to be prepared in future to have realistic policies and ice —— my as a sitcom

invest in awareness raising as well because society as a whole, we need to think about the impacts we are having on the environment because of our lifestyle, that has to change. we go live now to france, paris, emmanuel macron isjust we go live now to france, paris, emmanuel macron is just speaking, the reason he is speaking is firstly it is bastille day in france, but the guest of honour is from india, narendra modi is there on a two—day state visit. obviously we have no transition at the moment, that's why we're not going straight to the full screen. but a big day for narendra modi, he has already been the recipient of the cross of the legion of honour, which is france a's highest honour, given to him by

emmanuel macron. he has also met members of the indian diaspora in france. there has also been talk of an entrepreneurial link between the two countries. we can't see narendra modi right now but i'm sure he is there alongside emmanuel macron. if any english—language translations come along, we will take you back to that one. the oscar—winning actor kevin spacey has told a jury he could have had sex — in his words — "all the time", but, he said, he found it hard to trust people because of his fame. continuing to give evidence at southwark crown court, he said he objected to the term "crotch grab" — used by alleged victims in accusations against him. the actor denies 12 sexual offences relating to four men. our correspondent

frankie mccamley?gave us this update. history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat — history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat on _ history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat on the _ history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat on the dog _ history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat on the dog listening i history would have an. kevin spacey has been sat on the dog listening to | has been sat on the dog listening to witnesses for the defence and he looked relaxed, he was smiling and nodding, he actually looked like he was enjoying some of the stories his former colleagues were saying. the two witnesses both specifically focused on a theatre production where they worked alongside kevin spacey, and this is at a time when one of the claimants say mr spacey looked drunk and dishevelled and later assaulted him. both witnesses say they spoke to kevin spacey on this day and said he acted normal, he seemed fine. one of them when questioned about how mr spacey smelt, whether he smelled of alcohol, she said absolutely not, and if he had i would have noted and they both made the point to say there was no privacy in that territory at all. when

cross—examined by the prosecution, one of the witnesses, the prosecution put it to them that both witnesses wouldn't have known exactly what was happening all the time, this is a very busy theatre, there was lots going on. earlier in there was lots going on. earlier in the day we heard from kevin spacey himself who was cross examined by christine agnew kc and there seemed to be a lot of tension between the two. at times the judge had to interrupt and tell kevin spacey to answer some of the questions. beginning her cross—examination, the prosecution questioned mr spacey on what she called a macro to grab. she asked him if it was his trademark move. —— crotch grab. he said he may have touched one of the accusers but it was gentle and would not have been a grab. the prosecutor also turned to allegations from another man questioning why he would live

for the mr spacey reply, money, money and then money. there are some other tense times in the court this afternoon. mr spacey called some of the allegations that he had grabbed a man's crotch, and excuse my language, absolute bollocks. the prosecution replied, that's exactly where you did grab him, isn't it? spacey laugh, but thejudge where you did grab him, isn't it? spacey laugh, but the judge said, please answer the question thought he replied, i did not. mr spacey faces 12 sexual offence allegations. he denies all of them and the case will continue on monday.— will continue on monday. frankie, thanks for that. _ thanks for that. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. three beepers have been reintroduced

into the lush krunic valley and are just a few years later transformed. it helps reduce flood risk, it is important because it helps to clean the water. it is important because it provides a reserve of water here in times of drought.— in times of drought. introducing extinct species _ in times of drought. introducing extinct species is _ in times of drought. introducing extinct species is welcomed i in times of drought. introducing extinct species is welcomed by l extinct species is welcomed by conservationists back to the environment committee want to look again at the negative impacts. if we can rotect again at the negative impacts. if we can protect the _ again at the negative impacts. if we can protect the species _ again at the negative impacts. if we can protect the species naturally, you cant— can protect the species naturally, you can't call them, you have to perhaps — you can't call them, you have to perhaps try _ you can't call them, you have to perhaps try and move them so it may be possible _ perhaps try and move them so it may be possible but then you have to get a licence _ be possible but then you have to get a licence to — be possible but then you have to get a licence to do it and i think it just— a licence to do it and i think it just needs _ a licence to do it and i think it just needs to be looked at again, i think— just needs to be looked at again, i think some — just needs to be looked at again, i think some areas are very successful, otherareas think some areas are very successful, other areas have been an absolute _ successful, other areas have been an absolute menace west of the government hoped to set up a compensation scheme to any impact large-scale — compensation scheme to any impact large—scale reintroduction might have _ you're live with bbc news.

an indian rocket has blasted off for the moon on a mission to land a rover on the lunar surface. the chandrayaan—3 lifted off from southern andhra pradesh state. if successful, the craft, which went into earth orbit 16 minutes after the launch, will deploy a lander near the south pole of the moon next month. it's a big step for india — aiming to become a major space power. our reporter arunoday mukherjee has this report from just outside the space centre where the launch happened. there are still a lot of excitement and energy over here. there are a handful of people right now among the thousands who have gathered here to witness the launch of the third mission to the moon. this isjust outside the space centre. people are here trying to take selfies and photographs outside these three rocket models. but this excitement

is what it's all about because this time india is hoping there will be able to successfully make a soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, landing on the south pole of the lunarsurface, it landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, it is important because four years ago the same mission resulted in failure. if they manage it this time india will become country in the world to have achieved this feat. it will be up there with the likes of the us, russia and china. that's why it's important. it is also attempting to land on the southern side of the moon released a roverforfurther exploration because this area is the same place where the first moon mission 15 years ago from india discover the possible presence of water so they are likely to build on that research. india currently commands only 2% of the global space economy but they want to make themselves a bigger player, repel themselves a bigger player, repel themselves into a larger obit, that's another reason why a few years ago india opened up the space sector to private players for the first time in decades to try and make itself more competitive and open itself up to more commercial possibilities. so india is hoping

that with these launches it also makes itself a larger player in the world in terms of the global space economy. and a big day for ndr, narendra modi is there in paris, as you can see, there he is. last time we were seeing the french president emmanuel macron speaking. now you can see narendra modi with your own eyes to prove what we were talking about. he is on a two—day official visit to france and it's very significant for both countries, he has been meeting members of the indian diaspora, announcing business ties and there are specifics, indian students pursuing a masters degree will have a five year post study work visa, that announced by france, so some tangible significant benefits out of this visit. narendra modi also

received the grand cross of the legion of honour, france's highest honour, from emmanuel macron. the state rooms of buckingham palace have opened again to the public today, with the coronation robes worn by the king and queen forming part of this year's display. our royal correspondant sarah campbell has more. the first coronation for 70 years. most of us either watched it on television or from a distance, and much of the detail was difficult to pick out among the pomp and ceremony. two months on, a chance for visitors to see in close—up what was worn and the history behind the outfits. take the queen's coronation dress. painstakingly embroidered, look closely and you'll see the names of her children and grandchildren and pictures of her two jack russell terriers, bluebell and beth. queens throughout the 20th and now in the 21st century have had a degree of choice about the embroidery

which goes on all of their clothing for a coronation. and it's wonderful to see her majesty's interest in the natural world and that acknowledgement of her family upon her dress and her robe. historical threads run through much of what was worn. the coronation glove and girdle were last used by the king's grandfather, george vi, in 1937. and take a look at the paintings of monarchs past in their coronation outfits. this is queen mary, crowned in 1911. her necklace may well look familiar. we see the coronation necklace, which was worn by queen camilla. it was actually made for queen victoria in 1858 and has been worn by queen consorts since then at all coronations. and we can see in the painting as well, alongside the crown that was made for queen mary for her coronation in 1911, this is the same crown that queen camilla used, but four of the detachable arches were removed to give it a little bit of a lighter feel. teams of experts were employed

to craft the outfits and upholstery in time for may 6th, spending hundreds of hours either restoring or creating brand new items, including the screen used to shield the king from view during the most sacred part of the ceremony, the anointing. it was designed by nick gutfreund, a furniture maker and project managed by him, but it involved a huge number of other skills. gilding, bronze foundry, embroidery, both hand embroidery and digital embroidery. and also it was the key moment in the coronation where we were able to acknowledge the commonwealth. so it's in the design of a tree and every leaf on the tree has hand embroidered upon it the name of a commonwealth country. and then there's the carriage which protected the king and queen from the inclement weather on their way to the abbey. now on display in the palace quadrangle. not surprisingly, visitors won't be able to actually sit in the diamond jubilee state coach.

but i can tell you, the windows are electric, it has air conditioning, and i'm reliably informed it is a very comfortable carriage. a gilded mix of history and modernity for a 21st century coronation. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. bance in the garden are starting to look very healthy but unfortunately we can't go out and enjoy them because there has been quite a lot of rain. sites like this throughout friday afternoon with some significant puddles on the roads. this area of low pressure is not only with us for the rest of the day but also into the majority of saturday. it has been pushing heavy rain further north and east, it has

also brought blustery winds. this has been the story so far, the rain is starting to move towards the scottish borders and it will continue to do so through the early evening. once it gets into skirt and it may well linger in the far north, which could have an impact locally with the potential for some flooding. quite a lot of cloud around elsewhere, temperatures were holed up widely to mid—teens first thing on saturday. we start off on a grey node for many on saturday, the low pressure is still there and still squeeze quite tightly packed i suppose, unseasonably windy for this time of year. the strongest of the winds on saturday likely to be across central and southern wales, 50 to 55 miles per our gusts, not out of the question. that is unusual for this time of year. on top of that will be significant amounts of showers, some of them had become a rumbles of thunder mixed in. in between the showers there will be

drier and brighter or maybe even sunnier interludes but the temperatures are subdued, 1a to 22 is the overall height. as we move into sunday, it's likely the low will drift away but was to run the risk of more significant hours or longer spells of rain in the north—west of scotland. sunny spells and scattered showers elsewhere as we go through the day, hopefully the showers should start to ease. eyes just peeking into the low 20s, bit disappointing for this time of year. it stays disappointing across the uk but if you have already heard of the same time across much of the mediterranean we can't heatwave conditions. the hottest weather likely across the southeast mediterranean. if you are heading on your holidays into next week, the heat will continue through spain, italy and also through greece.

that's according to unicef. this is bbc news, the headlines. this is bbc news, the headlines. hollywood actors and screenwriters on strike in the largest us film and tv in the largest us film and tv industry shutdown for industry shutdown for more than 60 years. artificial sweetner — called aspartame — found in many sugar—free drinks could "possibly" cause cancer. but there's no change to advice on consuming it. at least 289 children are thought to have died or disappeared crossing the central mediterranean sea —