they're probably the fourth most popular national team here in any of the sports, including there. there was a study a few months ago. they were more popular than australia's rugby union national team and they've got a world cup coming up themselves in a couple of months. and there's a real connection between the matildas and their fans. the players spend a lot of time firming up that connection with photos and autographs and visiting children, schools and so on. you know, the fans feel like they know these australian players and one of the aims of this world cup is to build a legacy afterwards of women and especially

girls being inspired, preferably to to play football if they're not already doing it. but if not, then to be inspired by seeing women achieving on the global stage in front of the eyes of the world. that time, there will be mainly girls, ithink, young, young females who will pack out most of these games. a lot of questions about money and fifa and the money going into the sport in general. what about women's football? well, for the first time and other first players, well, for the first time anotherfirst, players, each player will receive money directly from fifa. they will each get at least $30,000, and that will go up according to how their team progresses in the competition. a lot of these players are amateurs. some of them have second jobs just to pay the bills. so even being here and receiving that money, even if their team doesn't win a game, doesn't score a goal, they'll get the money.

and for some of them, that will be life—changin. for those who just missed out on selection, they've missed out on this honest money, which again for them could have really catapulted their lives onto another level. and it remains then to ask who are the favourites? i keep reading about the united states, but plenty of interest in other teams, too. well, i think this is possibly the most competitive world cup. usa have won the last two. they're aiming to become the first team, men's or women's, to win three consecutive world cups. they've turned up with a raft of absentees through injury. players who'd be first choice if they were fit. england are the reigning european champions. i think a few months ago people would have would have put them ahead of the usa.

but they've had some iffy results and they had a bit.. playing today against canada, which finished 0—0. can't read too much into it. i think all but two of the 23 players in their squad featured at some point. australia really fancy themselves. brazil have had a coach who's swedish, who's won the world cup as a coach in the last four years. and there's a new generation. they're feeling pretty bullish. the canadians, the french, they're... the french have already stated they're aiming for at least the semi—finals. so there's a lot of confidence flowing around this. competition from the top nations. and i think the world cup needs that unpredictability, that debating point. who's going to win it? five players, five people in a room,

and each of them says a different nation. and that's what's making it so intriguing. this is bbc news, will have the headline and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hours straight after this programme. hey, i'm dylan with the catchup. tonight, hollywood actors on strike, dentist woes, and a florida man wrestles a snake. but first, there's big news out of hollywood today, but it's not a new release. over 100,000 actors have gone on strike, bringing movie production to a stop for the first time in over 60 years. in london last night, the stars of the new movie 0ppenheimer even left their own premiere after the strike was announced. a speech by actress and union president fran drescher has been going viral online. here's a little bit of it. they plead poverty, that they're losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their ceos.

it is disgusting. shame on them. well, the actors joined tv and film writers who have been on strike in the us since may. both sides are concerned about pay, as well as the increasing use of artificial intelligence, which they say could be used to write scripts or create digital replicas of actors. some other stories now, and hundreds have gathered to pay tribute to barnaby webber, one of three people killed in stabbings in nottingham injune. the 19—year—old was a first year history student at nottingham uni. a new report by parliament has found some people are being forced to pull out their own teeth because they can't get an appointment with an nhs dentist. the reports urge the government to do more to help patients quickly. and india has launched a rocket to the moon. if successful, they'll be the fourth country to land on the lunar surface, where they hope to explore the moon's south pole. and finally, i'm leaving you with 10 seconds of this brave hunter in florida who managed to catch the longest ever burmese python to be found in the us state.

it measured in at 19 feet and weighed over 55 kilograms. that's all from me. you're all caught up. hello there. many of you have been asking the question where has summer are gone this past week, particularly friday, it was quite cloudy and quite wet for many of us. unseasonably windy as well for this time of year. now, that's the trend as we head into the weekend, as low pressure is going to anchor itself to the northwest on saturday. plenty of weather fronts associated with that low and plenty of ice of are squeezing together. plenty of weather fronts associated with that low and plenty of isobars squeezing together. so the winds will remain a feature. and with those fronts moving through, there'll be plenty of sharp showers, some of them heavy, some of them quite thundery as well. so temperatures a little bit subdued, really, for the middle ofjuly.

this is where we're likely to see the strongest of the winds on saturday across central and southern wales, along with central and southern england, gusts up to 50—55 miles an hour. not unusual in the autumn winter. but at this time of year, if you're camping, if you've got marquees up in the garden, you'll certainly need to bear that in mind. spiralling around that low then a frequent rash of showers, as i say, some of them heavy, possibly thundery. there will be some brighter, drier interludes from time to time, but those temperatures really struggling 16—20 degrees at the very best. now that low pressure will gradually start to pull away. and as we move into sunday, still the risk of some more persistent rain into the far north west of scotland, but hopefully fewer showers, particularly through the second half of sunday afternoon. top temperatures by then at around 14—21 degrees with some sunny spells. there's our low moving off into scandinavia. the wind direction still, though, coming from a northwesterly, even though the winds will die down and become much lighter. so the temperature is always going to be a little bit disappointing for the middle ofjuly. a dry, sunny start to monday. few showers developing as we go through the day, but not too bad a day on the whole

and with some sunshine coming through. temperatures will respond, up to highs of 22 degrees. now as we move out of monday into tuesday. there's another area of low pressure expected to move in. the position of this low is still subject to question. it may be a little bit further north or south, but at the moment it looks likely to bring its heaviest of the rain across northern ireland into northwest england and wales and in fact, maybe southeast england staying dry and relatively sunny on tuesday afternoon. so temperatures will be a degree or so up. but again, they could still be a little better for this time of year. we're looking at 14—23 degrees overall. moving out of tuesday into wednesday. that rain will ease its way eastwards. so some early rain perhaps clearing eastern england first thing and then behind it. still the ice of bars tracing up to the northwest, still the isobars tracing up to the northwest, still a light wind, but coming from that north westerly direction, a cooler source. so a few scattered showers

on wednesday, a few sunny spells. nothing particularly exciting with the weather story, really, 14—23 degrees, the overall high on wednesday afternoon. and it looks likely there's not going to be that much in the way of significant change. high pressure builds, but once again it's moving towards europe. heat wave conditions still likely to continue here. low pressure topples across the high, still the wind direction coming from a northwest. so still those temperatures about where they should be orjust below average for the time of year. so it looks highly likely that our week ahead will be a case of sunny spells, scattered showers. there will be some lengthy spells of sunshine from time to time, but those temperatures really disappointing. that's it. take care.

live from washington. live from washington. this is bbc news this is bbc news the largest strike in nearly the largest strike in nearly six decades is under six decades is under way in hollywood — way in hollywood — as actors join as actors join the picket lines. the picket lines. us secretary of state blinken us secretary of state blinken warns asean nations warns asean nations about the influence of china about the influence of china in the region — in the region — but is his message working? but is his message working? record high temperatures record high temperatures are impacting communities are impacting communities across the globe — across the globe — and it shows now sign and it shows now sign of slowing down. of slowing down.

hello. we start tonight here in the us — where tens of thousands of hollywood actors have gone on strike, with picket lines formed in new york and los angeles. as a result, film and tv productions in the us — and around the world — have come to a halt.