after the australian state of victoria cancels due to spiralling costs. and trying to douse raging forest fires as parts of southern europe and the us are hit by intense heat. and coming up on bbc news: the women's world cup is just a couple of days away. can the holders — the usa — make it an unprecedented hat—trick of wins? good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. more than 100 current and recent mcdonald's workers have told the bbc about a horrifying culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying at the company's uk outlets. the uk equality watchdog, the ehrc, said it was "concerned" by the allegations, and that it's set up

a new email hotline in response to the findings for those affected. mcdonald's admitted that it had "fallen short" and said it "deeply apologises." this report is from our employment correspondent zoe conway, and a warning — you may find some of the content distressing. shelby was 16 when she started working at mcdonald's last year in berkshire. she says the workplace felt toxic. one senior manager was openly racist and mocked disabled employees. managers warned her to stay away from certain older men, including one man in his fifties. i was just speaking to one of my friends and he just sort of grabbed me by my hips and then pulled me onto his groin area. and then hejust, like, held me there. i felt disgusted. iwas like... because he was so much older, as well. shelby says she complained to the store's management, but nothing was done. she quit in may. mcdonald's said it was investigating why any issues she raised were not

formally escalated at the time. mcdonald's uses a franchise system that means individual businesses are licensed to run the stores and directly employ the staff. chinyere, not her real name, is employed by a franchise in cheshire. she is 17. last year, she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a much older male colleague. the man was also racially abusive. he offered to show me his penis in the freezer. he started saying the n—word to two boys in the kitchen and then started referring to me as a monkey n—word to other people in the kitchen and would not stop repeating it, even though they seemed completely uncomfortable with the situation. i couldn't handle it at this point — like, i generallyjust broke. why didn't you go to the store manager? to the man in charge? i didn't think i'd be believed. i feel like they would have seen my story as an exaggeration. chinyere�*s stepfather complained to mcdonald's corporate headquarters,

the franchise and the police. after this intervention, the man was fired. mcdonald's said chinyere�*s experiences were abhorrent and unacceptable. it apologised unreservedly. it said swift action was taken. the man was dismissed within three days. in february, mcdonald's signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog, the ehrc, committing to do more to prevent sexual harassment, including providing online training. mcdonald's workers have told the bbc that the training isn't being taken seriously. one employee described balancing an ipad next to a mcflurry machine and flicking through the online course while he did the drinks. other workers have told us that they haven't been offered any training at all. in a statement, alistair macrow, the ceo of mcdonald's uk and ireland, said they deeply apologise for the instances where they have fallen short. "there is simply no place for harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind

at mcdonald's and we will investigate all allegations brought to us", and he said proven breaches of the code of conduct could end in dismissal. "already, over2,000 of our managers have completed full awareness training, and nearly all of our restaurant teams are now working within these new protections aimed at creating a safe and respectful workplace." but some employees have told us that they have lost faith in the ability of the company to turn around its workplace culture. i think that they don't really think about their staff at all. they have little to no regard for our feelings and how we might feel in the workplace and how we're being treated. yeah. because if they did? because if they did, they'd do something about it. that was shelby, speaking to our employment correspondent, zoe conway. joining me now is our business correspondent, noor nanji.

the bbc has had a huge response to this investigation.— this investigation. that's right, we have had a — this investigation. that's right, we have had a huge _ this investigation. that's right, we have had a huge response - this investigation. that's right, we have had a huge response from i have had a huge response from workers. since publishing a report this morning, hundreds of workers from mcdonald's but also other organisations have been getting in touch to share their stories of workplace abuse and sexual harassment. it is important to say that we still need to verify all of those stories, but it does give an indication of how widespread some of theseissues indication of how widespread some of these issues might be. there has also been a large political reaction. downing street has described claims of sexual assault, bullying and harassment is deeply concerning. the prime minister's spokesperson said that they had not yet seen the details of the bbc report, but that it is important that a company facing accusations like this should treat them seriously. darrenjones, the chairman of the business and trade committee, also said the allegations in the bbc report were appalling and he said mcdonald's should terminate its franchise deals if branches are not following labour law. mcdonald's has said it will investigate all of

the allegations. it also added that there was no place for harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind at the company, and it said the company does have stringent rules to ensure its workplaces around the world are safe and respectful. moor world are safe and respectful. noor nan'i, world are safe and respectful. noor nanji. thank _ world are safe and respectful. noor nanji, thank you. _ if you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, information and support is available via the bbc action line, you'll find that online or via the bbc news app. the 2026 commonwealth games are in doubt after the australian state of victoria cancelled its plans to host them because of soaring costs. the commonwealth games federation struggled to find a host before victoria volunteered in april last year. the state's premier said the projected cost had now tripled, and had become "well and truly too much" for victoria to bear. our sydney correspondent shaima khalil reports. this is a country that has a long legacy of holding major sporting

events, especially here in victoria, australia's sports hub. until today, the country? second state was going to play host for the 2026 commonwealth games. not any more. i have made a lot of difficult decisions in thisjob. this is not one of them. frankly, $6 billion for a sporting event, we are not doing that. that does not represent value for money, it is all cost and no benefit. , u, for money, it is all cost and no benefit. , h, , ., benefit. the news caught everyone off uuard. benefit. the news caught everyone off guard- the _ benefit. the news caught everyone off guard. the commonwealth - benefit. the news caught everyone i off guard. the commonwealth games federation that this was hugely disappointing. i federation that this was hugely disappointing-— disappointing. i was surprised, actuall . disappointing. i was surprised, actually. australia _ disappointing. i was surprised, actually. australia and - disappointing. i was surprised, actually. australia and victoria| actually. australia and victoria have a huge focus on sports, so i was shocked this morning. i’m have a huge focus on sports, so i was shocked this morning. i'm quite relieved. ifeel— was shocked this morning. i'm quite relieved. i feel that _ was shocked this morning. i'm quite relieved. i feel that these _ was shocked this morning. i'm quite relieved. i feel that these events . relieved. i feel that these events tend to _ relieved. i feel that these events tend to cost a lot of money. they require _ tend to cost a lot of money. they require infrastructure that then doesn't — require infrastructure that then doesn't get used.— require infrastructure that then doesn't get used. other states and cities in australia _ doesn't get used. other states and cities in australia are _ doesn't get used. other states and cities in australia are now - doesn't get used. other states and cities in australia are now touted l cities in australia are now touted as possible hosts, as the commonwealth games federation deals with the logistical and reputational

fallouts. victoria state government may have legitimate reasons for their decision, but it's the way that they cancelled the games that is the issue. the commonwealth games federation said were given eight hours' notice. remember, all of this is happening as australia gets ready to co—host the women's world cup in a couple of days. this could not have come at a worse moment for the country's image. it have come at a worse moment for the country's image-— country's image. it now gives me the createst country's image. it now gives me the greatest pleasure _ country's image. it now gives me the greatest pleasure to _ country's image. it now gives me the greatest pleasure to declare - country's image. it now gives me the greatest pleasure to declare the - greatest pleasure to declare the 22nd commonwealth games open. it’s 22nd commonwealth games open. it's not the first time this has happened. the 2022 games moved to the uk from south africa when birmingham replace durban. the countdown has begun as all eyes turned down under what is promising to be the biggest women's world cup yet. today, though, australia is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, melbourne. a key plank of rishi sunak�*s pledge to stop small boats crossing

the english channel is set to become law after the government won a final series of votes in parliament. the illegal migration bill gives ministers the power to detain and remove anyone entering the uk through routes which are unauthorised. this morning, the first barge secured by the government to reduce the cost of accommodation for asylum seekers docked in dorset. our correspondent duncan kennedy is in portland for us now. the arrival of this barge has further divided opinion on asylum seekers. the government says it is a temporary measure until the asylum seekers can be sent back to third—party countries. but protesters say inhumane and that it too much pressure on local communities. eitherway, this too much pressure on local communities. either way, this barge is now here. a great metallic hulk at the centre of a great political debate. it arrived in portland this morning. after manoeuvring around, it will plug into electrical and sewerage

services, ready to take the first of 500 adult male asylum seekers. at the quayside, two small groups of protesters turned up to oppose the barge, from very different standpoints. in barge, from very different standpoints.— barge, from very different standoints. ., , ., standpoints. in answer to your question. _ standpoints. in answer to your question. i _ standpoints. in answer to your question. i do _ standpoints. in answer to your question, i do not— standpoints. in answer to your question, i do not feel- standpoints. in answer to your question, i do not feel safe. . standpoints. in answer to your. question, i do not feel safe. i'm not frightened of a single man in portland — not frightened of a single man in portland. ,., . not frightened of a single man in portland. . , , , ., portland. the police stepped in and a heightened _ portland. the police stepped in and a heightened moment _ portland. the police stepped in and a heightened moment turned - portland. the police stepped in and a heightened moment turned from | a heightened moment turned from individual shouting to group chanting. ila individual shouting to group chantina. ., ., ., ., oneof chanting. no hate, no fear! one of the grouns — chanting. no hate, no fear! one of the grouns were — chanting. no hate, no fear! one of the groups were antiracist - the groups were antiracist campaigners, who say housing asylum seekers on the barge is inhumane. refugees are ordinary people like ourselves who face circumstances they never chose. we should identify with them and support them to the best of our ability. the with them and support them to the best of our ability.— best of our ability. the other group where local— best of our ability. the other group where local people _ best of our ability. the other group where local people from _ best of our ability. the other group where local people from the - best of our ability. the other group l where local people from the portland area, who say the asylum seekers will put too much pressure on local services. , ., , ., ,

will put too much pressure on local services. , ., , ., services. the people of this town are divided _ services. the people of this town are divided because _ services. the people of this town are divided because of— services. the people of this town are divided because of this. we l services. the people of this town l are divided because of this. we all want _ are divided because of this. we all want the _ are divided because of this. we all want the same thing and that is no to the _ want the same thing and that is no to the barge! the want the same thing and that is no to the barge!— want the same thing and that is no to the barte! ., _ ,, to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre — to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre stage _ to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre stage in _ to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre stage in the _ to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre stage in the house - to the barge! the wider asylum issue were centre stage in the house of. were centre stage in the house of lords last night, where final objections to the government? illegal migration bill came to an end. it will now become law. the government says the barge is a temporary solution until asylum seekers can be detained under the new law and sent back to third—party countries like rwanda, if the supreme court gives that permission. but some of its supporters disagree with the barge. but some of its supporters disagree with the barge-— with the barge. well, there was a feelin: of with the barge. well, there was a feeling of inevitability. _ with the barge. well, there was a feeling of inevitability. it - with the barge. well, there was a feeling of inevitability. it was - feeling of inevitability. it was always going to come. we have done all we can to stop this barge for pragmatic and practical reasons. the home office and dare i say the home secretary have not listened. in a statement. _ secretary have not listened. in a statement, the _ secretary have not listened. in a statement, the home office said using vessels as alternative accommodation, like our european neighbours are already doing, will be better value for british taxpayers and more manageable for

communities than costly hotels. the first asylum seekers will arrive on board later this month. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in portland. the latest figures show 13,201 people have reached the uk in small boats so far this year — around 10% less on this time last year. let's get the latest from westminster, and our political correspondent iain watson. the government has got its bill through. what happens now? it h�*n�*iiiii through. what happens now? it will be relieved to _ through. what happens now? it will be relieved to have _ through. what happens now? it will be relieved to have got _ through. what happens now? it will be relieved to have got this - through. what happens now? it ii. be relieved to have got this bill through, because it sees it as a central plank in its attempts to stop the boats. so now the home secretary will have the power and indeed the obligation to detain and remove anyone who comes here by illegal routes. but there is a snag, because unless a migrant comes from a safe country, there is currently no where to deport them to because the government has proposed to send some migrants to rwanda and those proposals were declared unlawful.

the government is hoping to ever that in the supreme court later this year. the big political prize for the government is to try to get a deportation flight into the air before the next general election. but there are plenty of organisations who want to see that policy grounded. so today, the un refugee agency and the un's human rights office, in a very strongly worded statement, said that the government was now putting refugees in grave danger, that they were breaching international law, and they called for the illegal migration bill to be scrapped. so even though it has passed through parliament, it is still proving highly controversial. iain watson re ”ortin. one of ukraine's top generals has said that his country's counter—offensive against russia is not progressing as quickly as hoped. general oleksandr syrski said that rapid results were "practically impossible" because of well—prepared russian defences. kyiv said yesterday that since it launched its counter—offensive in earlyjune,

it has taken back more than 81 square miles of land, but russia still holds vast swathes of territory following its full—scale invasion last february. our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, reports from eastern ukraine. the bloody battle for bakhmut isn't over. the city is now held by the russians, but we travelled with ukrainian forces who are trying to take it back. their advance is still slow and meeting resistance. again. alex tells me the situation is tense. "as you see", he says, "the enemy's firing at our position". they try to fire back with their finnish—supplied mortar, but even western weapons can occasionally malfunction.

that was a russian shell landing. their positions are just about three kilometres away from here. last time i was near here two months ago, it was the ukrainians losing ground and in danger of being surrounded. now, it's the other way round. this is the bunker from where ukraine's coordinating the offensive on bakhmut, with a constant live feed from dozens of drones. the commander admits they're suffering losses, but not on the same scale as the russians. translation: we've taken the initiative. l the enemy is bringing in troops and wants to escape the trap. but they're in trouble. bakhmut could be encircled. ukraine is using all it can to break the russian defences, from the ground and from the air.

but it's still outgunned and having to spread its limited resources on several fronts. but it will soon have a new weapon — us—supplied cluster bombs fired from these same american howitzers. this gun, will you use cluster munitions in this gun? yes, yes. you will? yes. and will you have any concerns? in the field, no. on the town, i have...forbidden for this, because it's not human. oleksandr syrskyi is the general in charge of all military operations in the east. this is a command vehicle, yes? yeah. the mastermind behind the defence of kyiv and the successful offensive in kharkiv. unlike many russian commanders, he's lionised by his troops.

and now his eyes are firmly set on retaking bakhmut. and you will take it back, bakhmut? yes, of course. i try to do it. the offensive has been going on for more than a month now. even president zelensky has said it is slower than ukraine had hoped for. is that true? translation: we would like to get i very fast results, but in reality, . it's practically impossible. this entire area is well prepared with defences, so all advances are not going as fast as we would like. so far, the advances have only been modest. most of the front remains relatively static. these ukrainian trench lines in the east haven't budged since 2014. ukraine has still to commit all its forces, but it's yet to break through russia's heavily mined main lines of defence. jonathan beale, bbc

news, eastern ukraine. the time is almost 13:20. our top story this afternoon... workers at the mcdonald's chain tell the bbc of a toxic culture — including sexual assault and racist abuse. and still to come, find out why a community cycling event has hit a bumpy patch. coming up on bbc news: is it the end of the road for the commonwealth games? the australian state of victoria has pulled out of hosting it in 2026, citing the spiralling costs of staging it. temperatures in the central mediterranean are expected to peak today as a heatwave intensifies. wildfires are raging in parts of southern europe, including mainland greece, the spanish island of la palma and overnight in the swiss alps.

thousands of people have been evacuated. forecasters say the italian islands of sicily and sardinia could reach 46 celsius this afternoon. our rome correspondent, sofia bettiza, is in palermo. the sun in sicily is scorching hot, the air is stifling and oppressive. like many other cities across italy, palermo, the capital, has been placed under a red alert warning. that means the heat poses a threat to everybody. but it is the elderly who are most at risk. translation: we went. to the beach the other day, and my husband got sunstroke. he was unwell. he became very cold. we burnt under our feet because the sand was too hot. the ministry of health has asked hospitals to activate a heat code. it's something similar to what italy did during covid, designating a separate branch of medical staff and a specific procedure to deal with patients who come in with symptoms

caused by the heat. translation: we are seeing an i increase in the admission of elderly patients for medical problems related to the heatwave, such as headache, tachycardia, dehydration and confusional state. the priority is to rehydrate them quickly. i am worried because the people that will pay the price are the most vulnerable and frail. italians are used to hot summers, but not this hot. the authorities here are warning people to prepare for one of the most intense heat waves of all time, and it's not just italy. most of southern europe is experiencing scorching temperatures. spain is facing consecutive heatwaves, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees yesterday. in greece, several wild fires broke out in the outskirts of athens. and this is switzerland. the authorities here are still trying to put out this blaze in the alps. these extreme temperatures are sweeping across the globe.

it is often the most vulnerable who struggle when it is this hottie. —— when it is this hot. here in las vegas, thousands of people don't have permanent shelter. we are surviving, but we are sweating a lot. yeah. we are lucky that we have access to shelter. they have fans in there and i get a mat, so that helps a lot. sleeping on the street is really bad for homeless people. periods of intense heat are becoming more frequent and more severe, and with this heatwave expected to continue for the next few days, there is no respite in sight. that report from sofia bettiza. the former manchester united footballer and ex—wales manager ryan giggs has been cleared of allegations he assaulted his ex—girlfriend and her sister. it comes after charges were withdrawn by the crown

prosecution service. our correspondent matthew richards is outside manchester crown court. matthew, tell us what happened in court. , . matthew, tell us what happened in court. , , ., , court. ryan giggs had been accused of head-butting _ court. ryan giggs had been accused of head-butting his _ court. ryan giggs had been accused of head-butting his then _ court. ryan giggs had been accused of head-butting his then partner - of head—butting his then partner kate greville at his home in greater manchester in november 2020 and also attacking her sister in the same alleged incident, and other pattern of alleged coercive and controlling behaviour. at a trialjury of alleged coercive and controlling behaviour. at a trial jury failed of alleged coercive and controlling behaviour. at a trialjury failed to reach a verdict and they were discharged. a retrial was due to start at the end of this month but today we heard kate greville wasn't willing to provide evidence again, based on the trauma she had gone through since the last trial, so the prosecution has decided not to proceed with any charges against mr giggs and a not guilty verdict was urge. his defence said he was

relieved and he will be looking to rebuild his life and career as an innocent man. matthew richards, thank you. a mother who was jailed for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy during lockdown is to be released from prison. 45—year—old carla foster admitted illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 3a weeks pregnant. a judge told her last month she would serve half her 28 month—term in custody and the remainder on licence. but the court of appeal reduced her sentence to 1a months suspended. on thursday, voters in the constituency of uxbridge and south ruislip will choose their next mp. the by—election is one of three happening on the same day. it was triggered when former prime minister borisjohnson stepped down last month after the privileges committee said he misled parliament over lockdown parties at downing street. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been to the constituency. cookie, dougie, let's do it, babies! an afternoon walk for laura

and the ten dogs she's looking after today with her colleagues. her dog walking and training business is based in the uxbridge and south ruislip constituency. laura and her staff all live here, and they know the issues they'd like addressed. it's the traffic, the school run, people going to work. traffic starting at six o'clock. all the new builds. there's no parking spaces. i've got all the h52 roadworks right on the end of my road. so getting out of my road, coming to work, i've got to leave half an hour earlier. this is such a built up area now. hillingdon as a borough, - we are so blessed with the green spaces that we have, _ and it's a shame because they seem to be disappearing. our last mp was borisjohnson. we need somebody who's more down to earth. - it would be nice if somebodyjust actually came in to places - ilike this, notjust high streets, i to find out what the communities actually want and what they're looking for. - this suburban seat in west london has been held by the conservatives since it was created. borisjohnson was its last mp. now labour wants to win

here to try and show they're headed for government. at this family—run garage in uxbridge, there is one issue which, perhaps unsurprisingly, crops up — the plan by london's mayor to expand the ultra low emission zone, or ulez, where drivers will be charged if vehicles don't meet certain standards. ulez is a really big issue right now. for some customers, it's affecting them because of the cost of keeping their car. they understand that environment needs to be looked after, but they would have appreciated more time. do you think what's happening with ulez will affect how you're thinking about the by—election? ultimately, you can vote for whoever you want. what they promise and what they can deliver are two different things. with plenty of cars about, the conservatives are going big on ulez. they want it to be front and centre of this campaign. they hope opposition to the plan

might help them cling on here. the labour candidate has said the scheme should be delayed, but they're pointing to other issues they say matter too, like the local hospital, the police station and the cost of living more broadly. at this independent recording studio in ruislip, people can book sessions to make music or podcasts with the help of trained staff. it's been run by chavayne for the past eight years. the economy is just really bad. energy bills high, gas high. as a business we have loads of overheads. it's untold amount of stuff, and there isn't much help. there's this by—election coming up where this area is going to pick a new mp. what do you think of politicians? i don't think they get it. no, i don't think they get it. i think they must listen to people like us, people that run small businesses, because we see thousands of people. you know, we hear their pains. we hear their struggles. so, yeah, i think they need to tap in a little bit more. well, much more. in total, there are 17 candidates standing here,

all trying to tap into the mood of voters who will soon deliver their verdict. alex forsyth, bbc news, in uxbridge and south ruislip. and you can find a list of all the candidates standing in uxbridge and south ruislip on the bbc news website. potholes are the bane of anyone on wheels — and now they have forced the organisers of a popular cycling event in cambridgeshire to call it off. the strawberry community cycle event usually takes place in september and attracts 400 riders, but as jo black reports, the club blamed the cancellation on the "grave state of many roads." holes left. holes middle! beware of the potholes, a thorn in the side of many a road user, and now an annual cycling event in cambridgeshire has been cancelled because the organisers think the state of the roads make the course far too dangerous for the riders. this year, we started to look

at the course a few weeks ago, and we noticed that the potholes had become worse around the local community. so we rode the course and realised the potholes were just too dangerous for us, let alone people who don't cycle regularly. the strawberry community cycle event has been running since 2015 and attracts up to 400 people each year. there are four routes to choose from, ranging from seven miles to 55 miles long. but its cancellation has left many dismayed. had my first puncture in i don't know how long and the roads were really bad. i felt like i was taking my life in my hands cycling in some of the villages. it seems that the villages are much worse. holes right! cambridgeshire county council said it was sorry the organisers had chosen to cancel the event, but added that it was dealing with a large number of potholes across the county.

it said it fixed 45,000 potholes last year alone, but resources are a constant challenge. for now, these cyclists continue to dodge the potholes, but they hope if the roads are repaired, they can bring this much—loved bike ride back next year. jo black, bbc news. time for a look at the weather — here's chris fawkes. i , you have probably noticed july has been a bit disappointing for us, weather—wise. the first couple of weeks of the month, we have already seen more rainfall than we would normally see and we have had 60% more rainfall in scotland and the whole of the month ofjuly than we would usually expect, so it has been very here. there is a link to the extreme heat in europe. —— so it has been a very wet here. to the west of the uk we have a trough pattern, which throws an area of low pressure our way. that is why it has rained

so much.