hello, i'm vishala sri—pathma. south korea's president, yoon suk yeoul has said he will expand his country's military and humanitarian aid support to ukraine. he was speaking during a surprise visit in kyiv. he confirmed seoul would continue to supply much needed military equipment, including bullet—proof vests and helmets. south korea has one of the largest stockpiles of ammunition in the world — and a thriving defence industry. but government policy prohibits arms deliveries to countries at war. ukraine and its allies have been urging seoul to make an exception. joining me live our reporters in seoul and kyiv — yuna ku and abdujalil abdurasulo. thank you forjoining us. firstly, with yuna in korea. it is interesting that we are seeing this

visit happen. how people feeling in seoul? figs visit happen. how people feeling in seoul? �* , visit happen. how people feeling in seoul? ~ , seoul? as you said, it was unprecedented _ seoul? as you said, it was unprecedented and - seoul? as you said, it was unprecedented and very i seoul? as you said, it was - unprecedented and very significant trip for south korea because he is the first president to make official visits to ukraine and also, the first one to visit a wartime country. first one to visit a wartime country-— first one to visit a wartime count . �* ., ., ,., country. and we heard from both leaders earlier _ country. and we heard from both leaders earlier on. _ country. and we heard from both leaders earlier on. what - country. and we heard from both leaders earlier on. what was - leaders earlier on. what was announced at that press conference do you think? all significant in what they had been discussing of the last few hours?— last few hours? according to the ress last few hours? according to the press conference, _ last few hours? according to the press conference, the _ last few hours? according to the press conference, the two - last few hours? according to the i press conference, the two leaders decided to work on three areas which

is security assistance, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction assistance. as of security assistance, they agreed to push for assistance, they agreed to push for a successful peace formula summit and more importantly, president yoon mentioned that south korea would continue to support ukraine's military needs but before going into details, he simplified by mentioning body armour and helmets that career has sent to kyiv last year. this is possibly to help the ongoing suspicion that south korea might be sending artillery to kyiv.— sending artillery to kyiv. thank you very much. — sending artillery to kyiv. thank you very much. yuna — sending artillery to kyiv. thank you very much, yuna for— sending artillery to kyiv. thank you very much, yuna for that _ sending artillery to kyiv. thank you very much, yuna for that analysis. | very much, yuna for that analysis. let's head over to abdujalil. it's interesting, we don't see many asian leaders in ukraine and of this nature. those pledges made in the conference, do you think that is going to have a significant effect on the ground?—

going to have a significant effect on the ground? symbolically it is uuite on the ground? symbolically it is quite important _ on the ground? symbolically it is quite important to _ on the ground? symbolically it is quite important to have - on the ground? symbolically it is quite important to have leaders l on the ground? symbolically it is i quite important to have leaders like the president of south korea in ukraine — the president of south korea in ukraine. it shows that notjust western— ukraine. it shows that notjust western countries or the united states_ western countries or the united states are behind ukraine in supporting the war against russia and russian invasion here. in this sense, _ and russian invasion here. in this sense, the — and russian invasion here. in this sense, the visit is symbolic. it's interesting _ sense, the visit is symbolic. it's interesting going back to the press conference because president zelensky didn't say anything about military— zelensky didn't say anything about military support at all and that's interesting because usually ukraine is quite _ interesting because usually ukraine is quite vocal and when they try to -et is quite vocal and when they try to get some — is quite vocal and when they try to get some military equipment from their partners where it's air defence _ their partners where it's air defence or fighterjets and in this case he _ defence or fighterjets and in this case he didn't speak much about military— case he didn't speak much about military aid at all. there was no discussion— military aid at all. there was no discussion about ammunition or weapons — discussion about ammunition or weapons that ukraine wants to have from south — weapons that ukraine wants to have from south korea. that on its own is quite _ from south korea. that on its own is quite interesting. of course there is speculation that ukraine might be getting _ is speculation that ukraine might be getting some weapons from south

korea _ getting some weapons from south korea via — getting some weapons from south korea via third countries. therefore they are _ korea via third countries. therefore they are not — korea via third countries. therefore they are not mentioning this issue during _ they are not mentioning this issue during the — they are not mentioning this issue during the bilateral meetings like it happened today. and during the bilateral meetings like it happened today.— during the bilateral meetings like it happened today. and we 'ust had the nato conference h it happened today. and we 'ust had the nato conference over _ it happened today. and we just had the nato conference over in - it happened today. and we just had the nato conference over in vilnius| the nato conference over in vilnius in lithuania. mr zelensky was rather vocal about the kind of aid he required from nato and other western powers. do you think that mission to get more help is going well? what is the feeling in kyiv right now? essen the feeling in kyiv right now? even before president _ the feeling in kyiv right now? even before president zelensky went to the nato _ before president zelensky went to the nato summit in lithuania, many observers— the nato summit in lithuania, many observers and politicians were quite clear that _ observers and politicians were quite clear that it — observers and politicians were quite clear that it was very unlikely that ukraine _ clear that it was very unlikely that ukraine would get an offer tojoin nato, _ ukraine would get an offer tojoin nato, that— ukraine would get an offer tojoin nato, that there would be a certain time frame — nato, that there would be a certain time frame even though this was

something ukraine is pushing for to have and _ something ukraine is pushing for to have and be announced during the summit _ have and be announced during the summit. therefore, in terms of expectations that ukrainian politicians had, nothing major happened, it in fact, what they are saying _ happened, it in fact, what they are saying is— happened, it in fact, what they are saying is all— happened, it in fact, what they are saying is all the rhetoric coming from _ saying is all the rhetoric coming from nato — saying is all the rhetoric coming from nato members is corroborating and supporting their willingness to become _ and supporting their willingness to become a — and supporting their willingness to become a nato member in the future stop ho— become a nato member in the future stop no country are saying ukraine wouldn't _ stop no country are saying ukraine wouldn't become a member. wouldn't become a there stop no country are saying ukraine wouldn't become a there is a general agreement— wouldn't become a there is a general agreement that sometime over the war is over. _ agreement that sometime over the war is over, ukraine would become a member— is over, ukraine would become a member nato state. this is a big step as _ member nato state. this is a big step as well. member nato state. this is a big step as well-— member nato state. this is a big ste as well. . ~ ., ., step as well. and you know, one last cuestion. step as well. and you know, one last question. what's _ step as well. and you know, one last question. what's the _ step as well. and you know, one last question. what's the feeling - step as well. and you know, one last question. what's the feeling about i question. what's the feeling about this for in south korea because mac doesn't get much attention in the press and on tv?— doesn't get much attention in the press and on tv? everyone knows about the situation _ press and on tv? everyone knows about the situation going - press and on tv? everyone knows about the situation going on - press and on tv? everyone knows about the situation going on in - about the situation going on in ukraine and most seem to agree on

providing humanitarian aid to ukraine because they have this empathy because koreans have experienced the war with north korea in 19 50s. so that is part of what you president yoon mentioned during the conference. but many people seem behind when it comes to providing utility ukraine. it a complex relationship between russia and north korea. relationship between russia and north korea-— north korea. thank you for that u date. much of southern europe is dealing with a blistering heatwave. red alerts — which indicate risks even for healthy people — have been issued for 16 cities across italy for the coming days. they include tourist attractions rome and florence.

meanwhile extreme heat is also affecting the south—west of the us — and is set to intensify there over the weekend. leigh milner has the story. it's hot, very hot. and it's only going to get hotter as temperatures rise across the world, so do concerns for people's health. in italy, red alerts have been issued for 16 cities, with temperatures expected to reach 47 degrees celsius on tuesday. translation: you physically suffer from this heat, which also lasts for a long time. it doesn't stop after a few days like it did a few years ago. now, this heat lasts for more than a month. we really feel the effects. in athens, greece's most popular attraction, the acropolis, is being closed during the hottest hours of the day to protect visitors. but for some, the heat won't stop them. the heat? it's hard, but we're going to push through it. and, you know, i don't know if i will ever be back, so i have to take advantage of the day.

meanwhile, greek medics have been busy working alongside the red cross. we're here again to give people water, and also to give leaflets concerning the high temperature period here in greece. in croatia, this man lost his home to wildfires which have swept along the west coast. how big is that? you can see it over the fence. over in spain, this family were lucky. the field next to us is just completely burnt. there's a few bits of grass just here and there towards the edges that have been able to survive. but the vast majority of it isjust black and ashes. luckily, both ourselves and the neighbour that we were helping were able to, sort of, save our gardens, just working as a collective. but it's notjust europe feeling the heat. across the united states, temperatures are breaking record highs that have stood for decades. in el paso, texas, temperatures

soared to above 37 degrees for 27 consecutive days, overtaking a record set in 1994. experts sayjune was the hottest month on record globally. we can only expect more hot weather to come over the next coming days. leigh milner, bbc news. here in the uk, there's a call for disposable vapes to be banned by next year. local councils in england and wales want the devices to be outlawed saying they cause litter problems, are a fire hazard and appeal too strongly to children. but the uk vaping industry association says disposable vapes help smokers quit, and can be recycled. live now to councillor david fothergill who is the chair of the lga's community wellbeing board. thank you forjoining us. what are you trying to achieve with this battle? ~ , . .,

you trying to achieve with this battle? ~ , . , battle? with become increasingly concerned about _ battle? with become increasingly concerned about the _ battle? with become increasingly concerned about the sale - battle? with become increasingly concerned about the sale of- concerned about the sale of disposable vapes and from the outset i want to stress that vaping for rechargeable and refillable vapes is a really good way to stop smoking so if you are a smoker and want to get off the nicotine habit, vaping is a really good option and i would encourage a refillable and rechargeable one. the problem is with the single use throwaway vapes. one problem is it's attracting particularly youngsters into the market and developing a nicotine habit and secondly a big environmental concern about throwing away millions of disposable vapes every week. 1.3 million every week. it's clear that you want to get the disposable element band. it's going to be quite hard to implement, presumably if this goes ahead. irate presumably if this goes ahead. we have to presumably if this goes ahead. - have to come back to what the effect

of these disposable single use vapes are. as i say, 1.3 which are being thrown away each week now, many of them are thrown responsibly into rubbish bins and refuse sacks but many end up on the floors, communities are finding. if they are all thrown on the floor, it would cover 22 football pitches a week. fortunately that's not the case but any communities are fine vapes thrown on the floor as litter and that impacts local wildlife and all sorts because they contain lithium batteries and that is a problem when they go into our refuse trucks. lithium batteries are crystallised in plastic and that plastic is crushed and the lithium batteries pose a real fire crushed and the lithium batteries pose a realfire hazards crushed and the lithium batteries pose a real fire hazards and crushed and the lithium batteries pose a realfire hazards and risks. so you would ban the sale of disposable vapes altogether? if rare

disposable vapes altogether? if we don't do this. _ disposable vapes altogether? if we don't do this, if— disposable vapes altogether? if we don't do this, if we _ disposable vapes altogether? if we don't do this, if we don't _ disposable vapes altogether? if we: don't do this, if we don't do it quickly, we will see an influx of disposable vapes. 1.3 million quickly, we will see an influx of disposable vapes.1.3 million a week, that will begin to look like a very small figure if that happens. and it's important for people who want to give up smoking and can be a useful device to wean people off that. disposable vapes can be cheaper and given the cost of living crisis at the moment and inflation being high, it would be removing the more affordable option away from people. more affordable option away from --eole. .,, ., more affordable option away from --eole. ., ., ., more affordable option away from --eole. ., . ., , people. those who want to give up smokin: people. those who want to give up smoking and _ people. those who want to give up smoking and vaping _ people. those who want to give up smoking and vaping is _ people. those who want to give up smoking and vaping is an - people. those who want to give up smoking and vaping is an excellent way of doing that, they can receive support through the nhs and by a refillable, rechargeable vapour which is an original high cost but then saves money over time. the prom with disposable vapes as they are one off and easily accessible and then thrown away. what we're seeing is a dramatic increase in the sale

of disposable vapes by youngsters who are coming into the nicotine market rather than people trying to the smoking market. youngsters developmental age, that's posing a problem. we don't know the impact of a nicotine addiction on their own development. a nicotine addiction on their own development-— a nicotine addiction on their own develoment. . ~ , ., , . ., development. thank you very much for “oininu us. development. thank you very much for joining us- you — development. thank you very much for joining us. you can _ development. thank you very much for joining us. you can read _ development. thank you very much for joining us. you can read more - development. thank you very much for joining us. you can read more about i joining us. you can read more about that story on our website and also on the bbc news app. time for a look at today's sport with scott. hello from the bbc sport centre. let's start at wimbledon then — the women's singles final between ons jabeur and marketa vondrousova is under way. lets get the very latest with chetan pathak who's there for us. he seems unavailable right now. the

finalists ons jabeur looking for the first grand slam title of her career. arsenal have confirmed the signing of england midfielder declan rice from west ham for £100 million, plus £5 million in add—ons. rice scored 15 goals in 245 games for west ham, having joined the club as a 1li—year—old. he captained west ham to the europa conference league title last season. in a letter to fans the 24—year—old thanked west ham supporters and the club for so �*many great memories and highlights�*. but says his decision is ultimately about his "ambition to play at the very highest level of the game." rory mcilroy�*s pulled further clear of the pack on day three of the scottish open at the rennaissance club — rory mcilroy�*s pulled further clear of the pack on day three of the scottish open at the rennaissance club — the start brought forward because of impending bad weather. the northern irishman, hoping the win a 5th major next week at royal liverpool for the open, led at the halfway point. he's now 1a underfor the tournament, through 10. south korea's tom kim is hot on his heels though and tommy fleetwood's flown

up the leaderboard — he finished seven underfor the round. let's start at wimbledon then — the women's singles final between ons jabeur and marketa vondrousova is under way. lets get the very latest with chetan pathak who's there for us. ons jabeur, how's it going? sorry for the technical _ ons jabeur, how's it going? sorry for the technical problems, - onsjabeur, how's it going? cr for the technical problems, there are severe winds. only those with tickets could come into wimbledon because of the weather. the wensum in the roof has been is to shut for the last few hours ahead of the final and sees ons jabeur taking on marketa vondrousova, i can tell you that ons jabeur is up an marketa vondrousova, i can tell you that onsjabeur is up an early break in the first set so she is hoping it is third time lucky as she makes history for tunisia, is third time lucky as she makes history fortunisia, north is third time lucky as she makes history for tunisia, north africa and the arab world. she lost last

year's wimbledon final to iga swiatek but has her nose in front as she aims to go three up against marketa vondrousova who is playing her first wimbledon final. she's a former finalist that no one was expecting to this far and has won four matches on grass going into the championships. ons jabeur is their favourite and would be a popular winner if she makes it. we favourite and would be a popular winner if she makes it.— favourite and would be a popular winner if she makes it. we also know the line-up — winner if she makes it. we also know the line-up for _ winner if she makes it. we also know the line-up for the _ winner if she makes it. we also know the line-up for the men's _ winner if she makes it. we also know the line-up for the men's wheelchair| the line—up for the men's wheelchair singles final. irate the line-up for the men's wheelchair singles final-— singles final. we will see alfie hewett, singles final. we will see alfie hewett. the — singles final. we will see alfie hewett, the only _ singles final. we will see alfie hewett, the only trophy - singles final. we will see alfie l hewett, the only trophy missing singles final. we will see alfie - hewett, the only trophy missing from his cabinet is the wimbledon men's singles trophy and he is into the final having won his semi earlier today. he is playing the japanese 17—year—old who is the world number

one and the current french open champion. that will be played on sunday. we're into the last few days of competition at the world para—athletics championships in paris — britain sit fourth in the medal table. one place where they finished at the last championships in 2019. but today's a busy one, and plenty more opportunities for medals come tonight. rachael latham is there for us. great britain has won a gold medal every day since the competition started a week ago and there are five more medal opportunities tonight including champion dan and the newly crowned sammy kinghorn goes again. ill be head—to—head between her and brunner. she has a ready won three golds but it was kinghorn's history last night. that is all from the world of sport for now. back to you. the international criminal court has begun an investigation

into evidence of war crimes in sudan. three months of fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group, called the rapid support forces, has plunged the country into chaos. thousands of people have been killed and about three million driven from their homes. the focus of the war crimes investigation is the western region of darfur, our correspondent barbara plett usher has this report. killed in their own home, 11 members of one family including a child. this video was posted by the health ministry two weeks ago, the an air on a neighbourhood near khartoum. the war has blocked endless misery and death are the people of sudan. as fighting continues, reports of abuses amount. many of the victims are women and girls. more and more are being sexually assaulted. most have said that rapists belong to the paramilitary rsf which is fighting the army.

this woman heads the government unit monitoring violence against women. what is happening is... the rsf denies it sanctions rate. it promotes itself as a protector of women. in slickly produced videos that show it aiding civilians. the prosecutor of the international criminal court told the bbc that he is taking on the case. and i will not hesitate to make applications to the judge of the icc if i am satisfied that we have a strong, reliable case, and that is a realistic prospect of conviction because i am not going to move in line with the chorus of noise

or condemnation, we have to have evidence. he is focusing on the western region of darfur, but many witnesses across the border into chad, fleeing a wave of lootings, burnings and killings, blaming arab militias linked to the rsf. in this town, black african resident said arab fighters attacked in may. the rsf claims it is not involved in tribal conflicts. investigators say otherwise. witnesses describe the rsf in full uniform securing access to neighbourhoods, working in tandem with arab militias in that attack in groups of five, ten, 15 soldiers. the people of darfur are victims of a new conflict that is embedded in old ethnic tension was that unless there is accountability, it will continue. barbara plett usher, bbc news.

stay with us here on bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news from the uk now: a police investigation into the deaths of two people off bournemouth beach in may has concluded there were no criminal offences. 12—year—old sunnah khan and 17—year—old joe abbess both drowned. detectives had investigated whether a sightseeing boat created a riptide. a man who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter will face no action. the bbc says a protest by thejust stop oil group at the first night of the proms did not disrupt either the concert, or the broadcast of the performance. two people briefly climbed onto the stage, and were booed and jeered by some members of the audience, before being led away by security staff. hollywood stars susan sarandon as well as thousands of other actors have joined screenwriters for hollywood's biggest strike in more than six decades. they're walking out over pay, working conditions and the industry's use of artificial intelligence. the studios say the sector is changing and they have

to move with the times. peter bowes reports from los angeles. newsreader: thousands of actors on strike — the major stars speaking out tonight. the strike that's gripped america. actors, some rich and famous, others struggling to make ends meet, all cast together on the picket line. horns blare. this was day one of what could be a very long stand—off between the actors�* union and the studios — a union with 160,000 members determined to show they mean business about a better pay deal and reassurances that artificial intelligence won�*t be used to do actors out of a job. it�*s pretty clear to me, just on a very primitive level, that if you can take my face and my body and my voice and make me say or do something that i have no choice about, it�*s not a good thing! horns blare. from la to new york, as the sets went dark, actors took to the streets

to explain why they walked out and that their worries are just the same as everyone else. working actors like me and my friends, you know, we're just trying to pay our rents or mortgages and put food on the table, so this will help all of us be able do that. the use of ai and corporate greed, to be quite honest, has put us - all in a situation where it's just not viable for anyone - to have a living — a living at all, especially in a city like los - angeles. the strike was called when union negotiators and the employers failed to reach a deal. the studios said they�*d made an "historic offer" but the union insisted it didn�*t come close to what they wanted. fran drescher, best known for her role in the �*90s sitcom the nanny, is now the union�*s leader. 99.9% of the people that i�*m fighting for right now are working class people. they are the ones that are being squeezed out. for tv viewers and moviegoers, it is going

to mean thin pickings over the coming months and possibly years. majorfilms in production, including the avatar and gladiator sequels, may be put on hold indefinitely. this is the most serious hollywood strike in decades. and with no new talks scheduled, la is raising for a long hot summer of disruption. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. more on that on our website. well worth a read. and finally — hong kong�*s health secretary has come up with a novel solution to stopping people from smoking in areas where it�*s banned — asking anyone nearby to simply stare at them. lo chung—mau said it could be difficult for police officers to catch the outlaw smokers in the act — so instead he wanted the public to shame the rule breakers

into stubbing their butts out. currently, smoking is banned in restaurants, workplaces, indoor public spaces and some shared outdoor areas — and it can lead to a fine of almost 200 us dollars. whether glaring at someone will have a deterrent effect — remains to be seen. stay with us here on bbc news. good afternoon. the weather storyjust past has certainly left us questioning where on earth has our summer gone? it has been pretty wet at times, hasn�*t it? and unseasonably windy. we are midway throughjuly and you are quite right, it has been a wet month. all of us have seen above—average rainfall for the month and there is very little change i�*m afraid on the horizon. in fact, this next chart shows rainfall accumulation for the next few days. the darker the blue, the wettest of the weather, so always wettest out of the north and west but all of us are going to continue to see this unsettled spell of weather. low pressure with us this weekend centred

to the north—west at the moment. circulating around the low is a rash of frequent heavy showers. some of them merging together for longer spells of rain. and there is going to be little change as we go into the afternoon. some of those showers heavy possibly thundery as well. not all of us will see some showers. there will still be some sunny spells and perhaps through east anglia and south—east england by the end of the afternoon, the further risk of those showers starting to ease a little. but it is blustery, especially across the south—east. 45 to 50 mph winds. unseasonably windy for this time of year. top temperatures perhaps peaking between 16 and 22 degrees. still, a little bit disappointing. as we go through the evening, we still run the risk of further showers and overnight tonight, we could still have the odd rumble of thunder mixed in as well. showers merging together for longer spells of rain across the far north—west. overnight lows between

12 and 1a degrees. as we move into sunday, that low pressure finally pulls away over into scandinavia. the winds will gradually start to ease down, coming from a north—westerly direction, never a warm source, that will drive more outbreaks of rain into the far north and west. still the risk of some showers for sunday but not as many as the last couple of days and hopefully, there will be a little more in the way of sunshine around but because of the direction of that wind source, those temperatures a little bit disappointing still, around 1a to 21 celsius, a maximum of 70 fahrenheit. and that unsettled theme is continuing for the foreseeable future, showers or longer spells of rain. there will be some sunny spells. temperatures about where they should be for this time of year.

this is bbc news. the headlines: south korea�*s president has paid as temperatures continue to soar a surprise visit to kyiv. south korea has one of the largest stockpiles of ammunition in the world, and president zelensky has called the visit by yoon suk yeoul �*meaningful�*. the belarusian government has said the russian mercenary group, wagner, is in the country and training its troops, three weeks after an attempted mutiny against moscow. the announcement is the first official confirmation that the group are in belarus. dozens of cities

in southern europe remain on red alert — across the continent. and tennis star, ons jabeur, takes to centre court as she hopes