hello, welcome to bbc news now, 3 hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. unprecedented high temperatures are being reported across the world — breaking records on multiple continents. a heatwave is continuing across southern europe, with temperatures in the central mediterranean expected to peak today. each torrential rains have inundated parts of japan, china and south korea. and in the united states, the temperature in death valley, california — was still at 49 degrees celsius at midnight on monday. in europe it's so hot in italy that 20 cities are on the red list — which means people are facing a very high health risk due to the intense heat. and on the island of sardinia it is expected to reach a record 46 degrees celsius later today. these pictures are from panakto in greece — which is close to athens — and you can see the wildfires fires still burning there. there have also been wildfires on the spanish island of la palma.

and here — in the swiss alps — it's been burning in the oht—valay area — near the italian border — since monday evening. azadeh moshiri is in kouvaras — south east of athens — where wildfires broke out monday night. watch the situation there are now? here in greece several fires have been ripping through the mainland because of the impact of the heatwave and some of the wind is making it difficult for firefighters to get close to those fires. here, where i am in kouvaras, we saw very strong fires and this is the aftermath. you can smelt the burnt ash and the trees that were lit on fire. this one was suspected of being lit by a man who has now been arrested and the firefighters are still trying to deal with the

consequences but have said, when we spoke to them earlier, people who have evacuated can now return and their work is to essentially monitor their work is to essentially monitor the fires across the country and make sure they can outpace them. yesterday 1200 children were evacuated from a camp on the other side of athens because that is what it has come down to. when the flames approach you, it is about outrunning them. 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 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. earlier i spoke to claudio cassardo, he's a professor of meteorology at the university of torino in italy

and i asked him how best we can prepare for these events in the future in italy we are experiencing temperatures which are already exceeding the a0 degrees record in the southern part of italy, and also in sicily. in sicily we actually have a maximum of 44 degrees. in sardinia, a0 degrees has been exceeded. even if it is not very unusual, anyway they can be recorded every summer and we are in an extreme situation. at the moment in north italy, temperatures are lower, so they exceeded 30 degrees, and in some cities they are approaching 35 degrees.

we are seeing extreme weather conditions here. what sort of effect, long—term and short—term, are we likely to see as a result of this extreme weather? actually, i think that heat will accumulate day by day because the length of the night is still very short, so there is no time to release the heat accumulated during the daytime. that means that also within the house, if you have no air conditioning, the temperature will continue to rise and will remain high, even the next day and even when the heatwave will have finished. so, what does the weather that we are seeing now tell us or teach us about what we need to do when it comes to tackling climate change? actually, we need to try to avoid being outside during the hottest

hours of the day and if possible, avoid doing physical activity during the hottest hours. we need to take some precautions. but anyway in italy, now even the hospitals have activated in order that if people have problems, the hospitals can recognise it and help immediately. there is a special number for this situation to call. a us national is thought to be in north korean custody after crossing the inter—korean border during a tour without approval. that's according to the un command — who say the person was taking part in a tour to thejoint security area — the border village in the demilitarised zone separating the two koreas where soldiers

from both sides stand guard. jean mackenzie has more from seoul. we know this us national was on one of these orientations of this joint security area which is this area in the demilitarised zone which is a strip of land that separates north and south korea. this is one of the most heavily fortified border is in the world and this joint security area is part of that where both sides have soldiers that patrol along this demarcation line, which is the line that officially separates the two countries. this us national was on one of these tours, which you can book to look at these areas. it has quite iconic blue huts which have been used for diplomatic negotiations in the past. what we know happened is this us national on this tour decided to cross the demarcation line which separates north and south korea, three cons

cut across this concrete line into north korea. since the beginning of the pandemic, the north korean guards had not been standing along their part of the line, only the south korean guards have been manning their site, so the north koreans have been in the state building behind the line and we are hearing that perhaps this us national decided to try and get up to this north korean building on that site and that is when he was taken by the north koreans and taken into custody in this building. one of ukraine's most senior military commanders has admitted its offensive is not going as fast as he'd like. general 0leksandr syrskyi who's in charge of military operations in eastern ukraine, told the bbc that quick results were proving to be "practically impossible" because of well—prepared russian defences. but the general said he hopes ukraine will be able to recapture the city of bakhmut — which russian forces led by the wagner seized control of earlier this year. 0ur defence correspondentjonathan

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. 0n the town, i have...forbidden for this, because it's not human. 0leksandr 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. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let's take a look at some other stories making headlines across the uk. the united nations has said the uk's illegal migration bill is at odds with the country's obligations under international human rights and refugee law. the bill, which has been passed by parliament, is designed to deter migrants arriving in the country, and includes the government's plan to send some on flights to rwanda. the un's refugee agency and human rights office has said it significantly erodes protections for people fleeing persecution. prosecutors have abandoned their case against the former manchester united footballer, ryan giggs. he was due to face a retrial on domestic violence charges later this month, but the case was withdrawn at a hearing at manchester crown court this morning. the boss of online food retailer 0cado says the uk is "definitely over the worst" of food price inflation. chief executive tim steiner gave his forecast as separate figures revealed that grocery price growth slowed for a fourth month injune.

market researcher kantar said prices rose by 14.9% in the four weeks tojuly 9th compared with a year ago. you're live with bbc news. more than 100 current and recent mcdonald's workers have told the bbc about a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying at the company's uk outlets. the uk equality watchdog, the equality and human rights commission, said it was "concerned" by the allegations and that in response to the bbc�*s findings, it was setting up a new email hotline for those affected. mcdonald's said it had "fallen short" and that 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 that the workplace felt toxic. 0ne senior manager was openly racist

and mocked disabled employees. managers warned her to stay away from certain older men, including one man in his 50s. i was just speaking to one of my friends and he grabbed me by my hips and pulled me onto his groin area and then just held me there. i felt disgusted. 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 that she raised were not formally escalated at the time. mcdonald's uses a franchise system that means individual operators are licensed to run the stores and directly employ the staff. this lady 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 said the n word to two boys in the kitchen. he referred me as a monkey, and would not stop repeating it. even though the others seemed uncomfortable with the situation. i could not handle it at this point and ijust broke. why didn't you go to the store manager? to the man in charge? i didn't think i would be believed. i think they would have seen my story as an exaggeration. her stepfather complained to mcdonald's corporate headquarters, the franchise and the police and after this intervention, the man was fired. mcdonald's said her experiences were abhorrent and unacceptable. it apologised unreservedly and said swift action was taken and the man was dismissed within three days. in february, mcdonald's signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog, the ehrc, in which it committed to doing more to prevent sexual harassment from taking place,

including online training. mcdonald's workers have told the bbc the training is not being taken seriously and one employee described balancing an ipad next to a mcflurry machine and flicking through the online course whilst doing the drinks. other workers have told us that they have not been offered any training at all. in a statement, alistair macrow, the ceo of mcdonald's uk and ireland said... now — on thursday — voters go to the polls in three constituencies across england — in a series of by—elections which will provide a major test of prime minister, rishi suna k�*s authority.

the conservatives won all 3 seats at the last election — but the prime minister faces the possibility of not winning any of them. yesterday we were in selby and ainsty in north yorkshire, in northern england — and tomorrow we're in uxbridge in west london. but today we're in the west country seat of somerton and frome in somerset. the by—election was triggered by the resignation of david warburton who had won the seat three times for the conservatives. he stood down following an investigation by parliamentary authorities into claims of sexual harassment. live now to frome and my colleague lewis vaughanjones. thank you for that, welcome to frome, in bloom here. we come to a very interesting venue here in frame. this is at the cheese and grain, and sir paul mccartney played in here last year on his way to

glastonbury. there are rehearsals going on right now, not paul mccartney. just a little flavour of what is going on, that is frome college music department rehearsals and they are performing here later this evening, tickets are available i am told. we are going to get onto the politics because this is a crucial battle. with me is labour's neil guild. great to see you. the conservatives here, a huge majority, the liberal democrats in second place, labour, it is an uphill struggle. place, labour, it is an uphill struggle-— place, labour, it is an uphill strunle_ . ., ., ~' ., , , struggle. we are talking to members ofthe struggle. we are talking to members of the public — struggle. we are talking to members of the public and _ struggle. we are talking to members of the public and on _ struggle. we are talking to members of the public and on the _ struggle. we are talking to members of the public and on the doorstep - of the public and on the doorstep and i_ of the public and on the doorstep and i am — of the public and on the doorstep and i am getting a good message back from them _ and i am getting a good message back from them about what they want to see from _ from them about what they want to see from the next labour government. they want— see from the next labour government. they want to _ see from the next labour government. they want to see the back of this current_ they want to see the back of this current government. the feast over a decade's _

current government. the feast over a decade's worth of plateauing liberal standards, realwages decade's worth of plateauing liberal standards, real wages are worth less now than_ standards, real wages are worth less now than it _ standards, real wages are worth less now than it was in 2010 on the left office _ now than it was in 2010 on the left office. there is enthusiasm for what labour_ office. there is enthusiasm for what labour has — office. there is enthusiasm for what labour has to offer and they want to see the _ labour has to offer and they want to see the back of the government. when ou have see the back of the government. when you have such — see the back of the government. when you have such numbers _ see the back of the government. that you have such numbers against see the back of the government. tenet you have such numbers against you, a 19,000 majority for conservatives, liberal democrats putting a lot of resources in here, their party leader is down here campaigning, do you feel a bit lonely here trying to get those numbers up? i am never lonel in get those numbers up? i am never lonely in the _ get those numbers up? i am never lonely in the labour _ get those numbers up? i am never lonely in the labour party, - get those numbers up? i am never lonely in the labour party, i - get those numbers up? i am never| lonely in the labour party, i always have friends, and there is a strong history— have friends, and there is a strong history of— have friends, and there is a strong history of support for labour party in somerset. we have campaigned across_ in somerset. we have campaigned across the — in somerset. we have campaigned across the region might entire political— across the region might entire political life, it is a part of the world — political life, it is a part of the world i— political life, it is a part of the world i know really well and when you touch — world i know really well and when you touch people on the doorstep, you touch people on the doorstep, you get— you touch people on the doorstep, you get that back from them, the enthusiasm for it labour as their first preference. i get the arguments you are putting forward, but in _ arguments you are putting forward, but in reality, i think they want the labour— but in reality, i think they want the labour government and to see the back of— the labour government and to see the back of the _ the labour government and to see the back of the tories. in

the labour government and to see the back of the tories.— back of the tories. in this constituency _ back of the tories. in this constituency specifically, | back of the tories. in this - constituency specifically, what are the kind of things people are talking to you about? absolutely about cost of _ talking to you about? absolutely about cost of living, _ talking to you about? absolutely about cost of living, that - talking to you about? absolutely about cost of living, that has - talking to you about? absolutely l about cost of living, that has come up about cost of living, that has come up so _ about cost of living, that has come up so strongly, i've already talked about— up so strongly, i've already talked about the — up so strongly, i've already talked about the real living standards. the quality— about the real living standards. the quality of— about the real living standards. the quality of public services, 13 years worth _ quality of public services, 13 years worth of _ quality of public services, 13 years worth of a — quality of public services, 13 years worth of a reduction in standard services — worth of a reduction in standard services. housing is a huge issue, the cost _ services. housing is a huge issue, the cost of— services. housing is a huge issue, the cost of living, people cannot -et the cost of living, people cannot get on _ the cost of living, people cannot get on the — the cost of living, people cannot get on the housing ladder, the impact — get on the housing ladder, the impact on _ get on the housing ladder, the impact on the current rates of interest— impact on the current rates of interest that are going up. transport is a big issue, but also the nhs — transport is a big issue, but also the nhs and people's inability to -et the nhs and people's inability to get hospital appointments, and some of the _ get hospital appointments, and some of the lowest targets in the country in this— of the lowest targets in the country in this constituency. this of the lowest targets in the country in this constituency.— in this constituency. this is one of the by-election — in this constituency. this is one of the by-election taking _ in this constituency. this is one of the by-election taking place, - in this constituency. this is one of the by-election taking place, thel in this constituency. this is one of| the by-election taking place, the r the by—election taking place, the r coming up. on the same day. how big a test is that for sir keir starmer and the labour party more broadly? i don't recall there ever been three by—elections at the same time,

potential— by—elections at the same time, potential for two more coming shortly — potential for two more coming shortly. it is a big opportunity for lahour— shortly. it is a big opportunity for labour to— shortly. it is a big opportunity for labour to set out our case, which we are doing. _ labour to set out our case, which we are doing. a — labour to set out our case, which we are doing, a positive case for the difference — are doing, a positive case for the difference we will make in terms of the nhs, _ difference we will make in terms of the nhs, the growing economy which we need _ the nhs, the growing economy which we need to— the nhs, the growing economy which we need to fund the public services, to be _ we need to fund the public services, to be a _ we need to fund the public services, to be a green superpower and safe communities, but it is a huge test from _ communities, but it is a huge test from the — communities, but it is a huge test from the government, and from what i can tell— from the government, and from what i can tell on _ from the government, and from what i can tell on doorsteps there is not a lot of— can tell on doorsteps there is not a lot of enthusiasm for this government. they want to send a message — government. they want to send a message to rishi sunak that he needs to call— message to rishi sunak that he needs to call a _ message to rishi sunak that he needs to call a general election now. thank— to call a general election now. thank you _ to call a general election now. thank you very much for coming live on the programme. the sunshine is out, very nice weather for campaigning, for all the candidates, and we will be speaking to a lot more of them in the hours ahead. stay with us here on bbc news. and there are a number of candidates standing in the somerton and frome by—election, the full list of candidates is on your screen now and can also be found on the bbc website along with a video from each candidate outlining their pledges to voters.

the first barge secured by the british government to reduce the cost of accommodation for asylum seekers has docked at portland in dorset on the south coast of england. the �*bibby stockholm' will house 500 people. the house of lords — which is the second chamber of the uk parliament — has approved the government's �*illegal migration bill�* — which is now on course to become law. it will allow for people arriving in small boats to be detained and deported. you can find more on our website of our top story, we are following the heatwave that is sweeping across southern europe. you can find all details of what is happening in different countries as they grapple with the effects of that. now in the next few minutes the bbc�*s director general, tim davie, is appearing before the lords communications committee

on the handling of the allegations against the presenter huw edwards. we will have that live here on bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. there's still no end in sight to our unsettled run of weather and it's all down to the jet stream. he a trough to our west continues to fire low pressures across the uk, whereas this ridge is what's toasting europe because, underneath that, we get air descending down through the atmosphere and that is responsible for some localised incredible heat. 46 degrees celsius is on the cards for wednesday across parts of the south of sardinia and similar localised heat into sicily. remember, the all—time european temperature record stands at a8.8, so this is extreme heat. for us, though, as i say, it's unsettled. a different story, that hot weather not coming our way. we are instead seeing low pressures fired across the uk and today no exception. a band of cloud and rain moving

across from northern ireland, across southern scotland, the heart of england and wales. the far south of england, missing out on the rain, so it should be bright and relatively warm in the sunshine — temperatures into the low 20s. for the north of scotland something a bit drier and brighter, as well, although not that warm — 15 or 16 degrees with a northerly breeze. through the evening and overnight period, that rain will start to pull away as the area of low pressure heads into the north sea, so it's the story of the weather becoming drier with some clear spells developing. relatively cool air being pulled in for scotland and for northern ireland with temperatures down into single figures. a cool start to the day on wednesday for some. still the chance of a few showers popping up across eastern areas of england, particularly as we head into the afternoon, but i think across western areas of the country, particularly wales and south—west england, it should be a drier and a brighter day with a bit more in the way of sunshine. temperatures in the high teens to low 20s, for the most part. those temperatures are below average, but in thejuly sunshine it should feel 0k.

for thursday, still some showers in the forecast. the majority of these will be working into northern areas of scotland. elsewhere, showers very much hit and miss in nature. there will be a lot of you that have a dry thursday with a bit of sunshine coming through. again, temperatures disappointing for this stage of the year. beyond that, as we look at the forecast through friday and the weekend, oh, look! it's under a couple of lows! so no end in sight to the unsettled run of weather. we are going to see showers or even some longer spells of rain. cloud is certainly building through this weekend. temperatures staying below average. more rain to come.

this is bbc news. bbc leaders are about to be grilled about the "adequacy" of the corporation's governance arrangements following the huw edwards furore. the director general, tim davie, is appearing before the lords communications committee on the handling of the allegations against the bbc news presenter. he will also be expecting questions on the recent report on top salaries at the corporation. acting chairwoman dame elan closs stephens and policy director clare sumner are also appearing before the committee in the pre—arranged meeting. live now to stewart purvis — he's a former chief executive of itn