george alagiah — one of the bbc�*s most respected and loved journalists — has died of bowel cancer — at the age of 67. we came to think that in george's reporting, there was a kind of outstretched hand of a shared humanity. a kind of shared and human solidarity. he stretched that hand out to almost everybody he reported on. israel's parliament approves a key clause of a controversialjudicial reform plan that's been the focus of protests. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. let's start in greece where wildfires are causing havoc on the islands of rhodes,

corfu and evia and on the greek mainland. more than 80 wildfires are now burning and tens of thousands of residents and tourists have been forced to flee. this footage was filmed in island of corfu on sunday evening. over 2,000 people have been evacuated from the island. and this video was filmed in a corfu hotel, as guests were dining. the government says, it has sent boats to evacuate residents by sea, if required. the greek emergency services have been dealing with several fires — including two in areas east and south west of the capital, athens. firefighters on rhodes say around one in ten of the hotels in the central and south eastern parts of the island have been affected. british travel companies are putting on more repatriation flights for people trying to leave the area. a short while ago the travel operator tui announced it was cancelling all outbound flights to rhodes up to and including friday.

0ur reporter, azadeh moshiri, is on rhodes and sent this update. well, i spoke to the fire service earlier and he let me know that a112 and he let me know that a 112 number had been dialled and that now there have been two more villages evacuated in rhodes. that's maloney and mazari. and he said it's not thousands. we're talking about hundreds more people evacuated. these are small villages, but it does show you the scale of the problem, that these fires are not over, they are spreading. and of course, while the fires in corfu are under control and the fires that happen on evia as well, the mainland is reigniting as well. that's something the fire service had been concerned about because these fires, given the temperature, given the strong winds and the humidity, are very hard to control. we were on the mainland, our team was on the mainland throughout the week. and we saw the fires move from south athens to north athens to the west. and now the islands are facing this as well.

you're there at the airport, give us a sense of of numbers of stories of the organisation for these various evacuations that are taking place. matthew, there's so much anger at the airport. as soon as we arrived and we started speaking to people, they started telling us of stories of the trauma that they'd been through because of the fires. having one family escaped, the hotel was sent to the beach to join thousands of people fighting to get on evacuation boats, only to end up at another hotel to sleep on sunbeds. they get to the airport and they feel like there's no one there to support them. that's a story that i've heard from other people as well. and that anger is really directed at the airlines. they feel like the airlines didn't have enough staff from the beginning of the day, that as repatriation flights have been arriving, they haven't been given the support they need. now, of course, there is the foreign office's rapid deployment team

here to help connect airlines and passengers together to make this process a little easier. but when you've been through a trauma like that, you're going to feel like you need a little bit more. that's how people generally feel here. we can talk now to sarah george, a scottish expat and a bar owner, joining us from lindos. thank you for being here, just describe your experiences in the last 2a hours. thank you for having me. a couple of days ago we woke up to no power and at that point we obviously weren't able to open the bar and people were helping any way they could. my pattern is from lend us so we went together to deliver water and ice to try to assist those that were fighting the fires and we ended up involved ourselves. we ended up involved ourselves. we ended up involved ourselves. we ended up at the front assisting the locals to do everything that we could. it was unexpected but we

worked with the village of argos where things were getting closer to the back of the village. the fire surfaces were occupied elsewhere and it was really up to the locals to do whatever they could so we became involved in the effort there to try to help. i involved in the effort there to try to hel. . involved in the effort there to try to hel-. . ., involved in the effort there to try to hel. . ., ., involved in the effort there to try to hel. . . ., ., to help. i gather that that went on for about five _ to help. i gather that that went on for about five hours _ to help. i gather that that went on for about five hours before - to help. i gather that that went on for about five hours before the - for about five hours before the firefighters actually got to where you were. how close did the flames get to the village and how quickly were they moving? the? get to the village and how quickly were they moving?— get to the village and how quickly were they moving? they were within metres of one _ were they moving? they were within metres of one particular _ were they moving? they were within metres of one particular property. i metres of one particular property. they were coming up the back of the hill towards this property and the local guys that had water tanks and were ready to keep the flames are bay for long enough to save those houses while the rest of us were working to try to cut down trees and move buckets of water. to do what we could to stamp out some of the fires from reuniting. haw could to stamp out some of the fires from reuniting-— from reuniting. how frightening was it? at the time, — from reuniting. how frightening was it? at the time, not _ from reuniting. how frightening was it? at the time, not so _ from reuniting. how frightening was it? at the time, not so much - it? at the time, not so much frightening. _ it? at the time, not so much frightening. it _ it? at the time, not so much frightening, it was _ it? at the time, not so much frightening, it was more - it? at the time, not so much frightening, it was more the | frightening, it was more the adrenaline that takes over. the

reason i got in touch was just to show the bravery and determination of the local people who were fighting for their villages and a neighbouring villages in any way that they could. that was the impressive thing here. so that they could. that was the impressive thing here. so many of those tourists _ impressive thing here. so many of those tourists have _ impressive thing here. so many of those tourists have been - impressive thing here. so many of those tourists have been saying i those tourists have been saying exactly the same thing and recounting exactly the same stories in terms of the help they received on the ground. in terms of seeing and witnessing anything like this, you've been there for a number of years, have you seen anything like this in terms of the scale and the intensity of the heat? i’zte this in terms of the scale and the intensity of the heat? i've actually onl been intensity of the heat? i've actually only been here — intensity of the heat? i've actually only been here for _ intensity of the heat? i've actually only been here for five _ intensity of the heat? i've actually only been here for five months - intensity of the heat? i've actuallyj only been here for five months my only been here forfive months my selves, i pretty new to the islands. but i know that this has happened in the past, i think it's the first time since 87 that it has been on this scale. it's the first time i've witnessed anything like this and it is a real experience to be involved in to be honest.— is a real experience to be involved in to be honest. thank you so much for takin: in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time _ in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time to _ in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time to speak— in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time to speak to - in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time to speak to see - in to be honest. thank you so much for taking time to speak to see on l for taking time to speak to see on bbc thanks a lot.

george alagiah, one of the bbc�*s most highly—respected and much—loved presenters, has died. he was 67 — and he'd been living with bowel cancer since 2014. george won many awards in a hugely successful career which took him from southern africa to many other parts of the world. the bbc today, spoke of his �*special connection' with audiences. many who worked with him here — will remember him most — as an unfailingly kind—hearted and generous colleague. alan little looks back at his life. three, two, one... go tape. at six o'clock — the ground war on iraq has begun. millions knew him as the face of the six 0'clock news... good evening and welcome to the six o'clock news. ..and for his calm, unflappable authority. good evening and welcome to the bbc�*s news at six. he was born in sri lanka in 1955 to christian tamil parents. as a child the family moved to ghana. this is the road... and he was swept up in the early optimism of a young nation

newly independent of british colonial rule. we knew that africa was going to be united and that ghana, this country, was going to be at the centre of it, and i think that was a kind of dream. at 11 he was a migrant again, this time to england, where his parents enrolled him in a portsmouth boarding school. here, though there was some racism, he learned to adapt to a new culture and to thrive. at durham university he met his wife frances. i think when we got married, we were aware of a sort of meeting of cultures. you can see that in the wedding photos. we've got two sons, adam and matthew. in a turbulent and often dangerous working life, she and their two boys were the still and unwavering centre of his existence — his solid ground. and welcome to the rainbow nation. forjust over a year now, south africa has been my base as the bbc�*s africa correspondent.

i knew george as a foreign correspondent. we worked together in africa, the continent whose fate ran through his life like a thread through cloth. so, this is where... your house? hey? oh, it's nice, it's nice. i thought of him as a kind of mentor, i was inspired by his example. he was brave, calm and kind. ok, you get the water from here and do that. i admired his gift for reaching into the hearts of those caught up in war or natural disaster. winning their trust, even at the worst moments of their lives. in a refugee camp in eastern zaire, hundreds were dying every day of preventable illness. i asked her what she wanted from life. "a job," she said, "so i can look after little petty." in somalia he met a woman whose ten—year—old daughter had just died. his own children were about the same age. it seemed wrong to be there at what should have been a moment of private grief. she said it was all right

if it might help to save her other daughter. i haven't the heart to count and it doesn't really matter... there were moments when he crossed the line between merely witnessing and actively intervening in the pain of others. we took those we could manage to the french military hospital, at times like this it's impossible not to cross the line that divides us, the observers, and those we observe. the rwandese translator we worked with then, seth ngarambe, told us his tutsi wife had been murdered by hutu extremists. but he was later accused of complicity in her murder and jailed. george wanted to know the truth, however painful, and went to find him in prison. the nature of their reunion, the power of it, says something profound about the george we knew and his extraordinary talent. you're looking well, you're looking better than i thought. yes. hey? seth, can we go and talk somewhere? it's wonderful. he even charmed men at the heart of sierra leone's normally secretive diamond trading business.

this is the biggest you've seen all day and... the world of the so—called blood diamond. this is something to write home about? no, this is about $2,000, $2,500. so you're in the clear? in ghana, he went back to his old school. somewhere in here is me. go on, yes... well done! he would later say that he was destined to spend his adult life in africa dispelling the dream he had nurtured so carefully as a child. he was injohannesburg in the mandela years, a time of bright promise, mandela in his �*70s was about to remarry. and now, sir, the future, you're a man in love? it is a wonderful moment for me, as anybody else, to be in love. when he returned to the uk he brought to the studio a wealth of wisdom and experience gathered over years on the road. though in the seconds

before his first six o'clock news, there was some trepidation. at six o'clock, these are tonight's top stories... he was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. after a gruelling round of treatment and multiple operations, he couldn't wait to be back in the tumult of the newsroom. he was deeply moved by messages of support and affection sent in by countless viewers he would never meet. and on his first day back made this a small concession. and i just want to say it's...good to be back with you. off—screen, george was funny, clever, a generous and confiding friend and full of energetic hope. there was something infectious about his optimism. you always walked away from time with george feeling better about the human race and the world in general. and that's the bbc�*s news at six. the migrant boy whose family left sri lanka with nothing found his home in a changing britain and he took this country to his heart. it's goodbye, the news continues, though, here on bbc one... i watched george for

years up close and thought this of him — that people wanted to tell him their story because, in hisjournalism, they saw the outstretched hand of a shared humanity and of solidarity. well, a wonderful tribute to their from alan little. let's talk to sophie henderson, chief executive of the migration museum, where george was a trustee. thank you so much, sophie, for being here on the programme. why don't you start byjust here on the programme. why don't you start by just telling here on the programme. why don't you start byjust telling us how george got involved with the migration museum? ~ . ., , ., museum? well, i certainly will do that. i museum? well, i certainly will do that- ithink— museum? well, i certainly will do that. l think that _ museum? well, i certainly will do that. i think that the _ museum? well, i certainly will do that. i think that the overriding i that. i think that the overriding feeling that we are all having now is just of incredible loss and a kind of reminder and reflection of the affection that we all had for him. he wasjust the affection that we all had for him. he was just the most extraordinarily warm and positive human being. we are so lucky to have had him involved with our organisation for over ten years now.

i contacted him... we have a organisation building a migration museum for britain and we think this is a missing institution in britain. really, all countries in the world should have a high profile cultural institution that put our migration story right at centrestage. this is something that we should have. we have been building this project since about 2012, and it has come a long way from simply being an idea now to having a temporary home. we had a succession of temporary home and we now have one in a shopping centre in live itching. we are now on the brink of actually realising a permanent home in the city of london in the newly consented building. all of this progress that we have made is in no small measure thanks to support from george. i contacted him right at the beginning of this journey and i thought he would be interested because i read this extraordinary memoir that he wrote. i think it is called a home from

home, from immigrant boy to english man. in which she recounts his family's journey man. in which she recounts his family'sjourney from man. in which she recounts his family's journey from sri man. in which she recounts his family'sjourney from sri lanka feeling that life is getting increasingly uncomfortable there they moved to ghana and then he moved to school in britain. he recounts this incredible journey with his characteristic warmth and ability to tell stories and claw you in. in that book, he almost in terms says, where is our migration museum? why don't we have an institution that puts this story right at centrestage? that is our mission. i knew he would be interested sir i think i probablyjust thought of what his e—mail address might be and called him and i got this incredibly fantastic and a warm response, enthusiastic response, absolutely got our mission straightaway and he wanted to be involved. and from that

moment on, he really was involved. he chaired one of our very first events which was all about dna. and what that can in turn tell you about the immigration into the science museum. he engaged the whole audience with his warmth and humour. it was an electric event. that was one of the things that really got this project off the ground. we thought this really can go somewhere.— thought this really can go somewhere. ., ., ., , , somewhere. you are absolutely right because, migration, _ somewhere. you are absolutely right because, migration, his— somewhere. you are absolutely right because, migration, his own - somewhere. you are absolutely right because, migration, his own story, l because, migration, his own story, he other people's story, that was always hugely important to him. i am just reading what you set our producers where you about personal interactions and you talked about his warmth, his commitment, but had a line which is so striking because we have heard it so many times through the course of today, that he had so much time for us. that is what you said.— had so much time for us. that is what ou said. ~ , , ~ ., .,, what you said. absolutely. what was incredibly moving _ what you said. absolutely. what was incredibly moving for _ what you said. absolutely. what was incredibly moving for us _ what you said. absolutely. what was incredibly moving for us because - what you said. absolutely. what was incredibly moving for us because i i incredibly moving for us because i think it was not so long after we

encountered george that he was diagnosed and he had endless operations and cycles of treatment, but through thick and thin, he stood steadfastly with us and he didn't just turn up to the big events wasn'tjust in the meetings and the starry people. would she really did make the effort to introduce us to the stars. but he became a trustee laterally and my goodness he made time. he was the one... he was the trustee that reads all of the papers, he turns up to all of the meetings, he really gets involved in the details. he really challenged us on the difficult thing sometimes. he never kind of let things just be brushed under the carpet or, if there were grey areas, he would absolutely want to bottomed them out. he was the best possible sort of critical friend. out. he was the best possible sort of criticalfriend. he out. he was the best possible sort of critical friend. he was instrumental in the growing and building of our board. we engaged six new trustees a few years ago and again, he wasn'tjust a sort of

person taking a back—seat, he was there sifting applicants on the interview panel. he was really involved. my goodness, he gave us his time. he gave us his energy as well as a sort of passion and humour. he gave us his humanity as well. he would be incredibly and incredibly missed. that well. he would be incredibly and incredibly missed.— incredibly missed. that is a wonderful— incredibly missed. that is a wonderful tribute. - incredibly missed. that is a wonderful tribute. thank i incredibly missed. that is a l wonderful tribute. thank you incredibly missed. that is a - wonderful tribute. thank you so incredibly missed. that is a _ wonderful tribute. thank you so much for taking time and forjust describing his involvement over the years in your contact with him. thank you so much. more tributes throughout the course of today's programme. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some stories making news across the uk. the housing secretary, michael gove, has announced his intention to relax planning rules in england to build more homes in towns and cities. the plans aim to address the country's housing crisis by allowing more home extensions and conversions of shops into houses. the government has insisted it will meet its manifesto

commitment to build a million new homes by 202a. the radical islamist preacher anjem choudary has appeared in court charged with directing, and being a member of, the banned group al muhajiroun, which the prosecution said is known in north america as the islamic thinkers society. choudary has also been charged with addressing meetings to encourage support for the banned organisation. police have charged a man with the murder of a woman found dead in a churchyard in lincolnshire. colette law, 26, was found in a tent in the grounds of st mary and st nicholas church in spalding on last week. paul neilson, who's 30 and of no fixed address, is due before magistrates. you're live with bbc news. the israeli parliament has voted for one of the judicial reforms in a highly controversial bill that has caused months of mass protests. the reform will remove the supreme court's power to overrule government actions it considers unreasonable. the law was voted

through after the collapse of compromise talks, brokered by the country's president. 0ppositon parties boycotted the vote. the proposals have triggered some of the largest protests in israeli history. police using water cannon, have been battling protesters on the streets ofjerusalem. one of the leaders of the protest movement, and several other demonstrators, were arrested near the knesset building. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman has more from jerusalem. we are very close to the knesset here and when that vote came from earlier than expected, the response from these protesters was to fan out and spread out to as manyjunctions, road junctions as possible around the parliamentary building. we are having some reports that one of the main north to south highways in jerusalem has been blocked and we have seen some pretty violent scenes throughout the course of today as roads have been blocked, protesters

have chained themselves across the streets and the security forces have been forcibly removing them. so a little earlier today, for example, we saw security forces in vans trying to drive towards the protesters as the police were dragging them from the streets. things are getting very tense and we have seen quite a lot of arrests. several people have been injured, but the message from these protesters over these reforms is that there are going to continue their opposition and are now potentially appeal to israel's high card and are therefore laying the groundwork for a constitutional crisis in this country. that groundwork for a constitutional crisis in this country.— groundwork for a constitutional crisis in this country. that was tom bateman in — crisis in this country. that was tom bateman in jerusalem. _ crisis in this country. that was tom bateman in jerusalem. these - crisis in this country. that was tom bateman in jerusalem. these are l crisis in this country. that was tom l bateman in jerusalem. these are the bateman injerusalem. these are the live pictures from jerusalem, huge crowds still on the streets as they take stock of what has happened in the knesset for the course of the last few hours. of course, we have seen these protests right across israel for months now as we have approached this moment. but a really significant moment is that key clause that has been pushed through

and he are the pictures on the right of your screen showing similar demonstrations and protests also going on in tel aviv. so as tom was suggesting, that is unlikely to stop given what we have seen today. certainly a decisive moment in terms of these plans, these really controversial plans becoming the new law. there's a political deadlock in spain after sunday's snap general election failed to produce a decisive winner. the conservative people's party, led by alberto n ez feij o, won the most seats, but fell short of a majority. if they can't form a government, the incumbent socialist will try to cobble together a new coalition themselves but that will require the support of catalan separatists who want a referendum on independence. that is the backdrop, let's talk to a political analyst at the university of carlos the third. what

is your top nine analysis of where spain now is?— is your top nine analysis of where spain now is? well, spain is now in cuite a spain now is? well, spain is now in quite a likely _ spain now is? well, spain is now in quite a likely deadlock. _ spain now is? well, spain is now in quite a likely deadlock. after- spain now is? well, spain is now in quite a likely deadlock. after the i quite a likely deadlock. after the results, the portability of a right—wing government seems very unlikely. it is very difficult for them to have a majority. so we only have two possibilities, either pedro sanchez makes it again and he is able to form a majority in parliament which is even more complicated than in 2019 when he was able to form a government. 0r, complicated than in 2019 when he was able to form a government. or, if not, then the country will be in a deadlock and a new election will have to happen. it's already happened in 2015 and it happened in 2019, so we have had to repeated elections and the possibility of this happening once again is actually very high.— this happening once again is actually very high. both sides are lookin: to actually very high. both sides are looking to see — actually very high. both sides are looking to see if— actually very high. both sides are looking to see if there _ actually very high. both sides are looking to see if there is - actually very high. both sides are looking to see if there is a - actually very high. both sides are looking to see if there is a route l looking to see if there is a route map to power, which is more likely

in your view? i map to power, which is more likely in your view?— in your view? i think it is more likely that _ in your view? i think it is more likely that the _ in your view? i think it is more likely that the left _ in your view? i think it is more likely that the left wing - in your view? i think it is more likely that the left wing does l in your view? i think it is more | likely that the left wing does it. so the right wing, the problem that it has is that any combination of the right—wing includes boxed, a far right piety that is basically rejected by all parties, by the people's's party in parliament. if pp and a box don't have a majority which is what they were aiming for, then they could have formed a government, but given that that didn't happen, i think that is basically something that we can run out. so now it is basically left to pedro sanchez, the current prime minister, who has fewer seats, however, he is more able to find agreements with the pro—independence catalan and basque parties. however, these are a very complicated combination. he needs a lemon parties that were represented in parliament, he needs seven of the pro—regional list parties, he will

need their support, a good number of them, and this is a difficult situation. i them, and this is a difficult situation.— them, and this is a difficult situation. ., , ., ., ;;:: situation. i only have about 30 seconds left. _ situation. i only have about 30 seconds left. but _ situation. i only have about 30 seconds left. but spain - situation. i only have about 30 seconds left. but spain is - seconds left. but spain is hopelessly divided and the public must be getting frustrated that it looks like another election is quite possible? it looks like another election is quite ossible? , ., , possible? it is actually quite possible- — possible? it is actually quite possible. it _ possible? it is actually quite possible. it actually - possible? it is actually quite possible. it actually won't i possible? it is actually quite - possible. it actually won't happen until at least six months because of the process of negotiations. but that possibility is clearly on the agenda. that possibility is clearly on the a . enda. ~ that possibility is clearly on the aaenda. ~ . ~ that possibility is clearly on the aaenda. ~ .

after what was a very mixed weekend and for some of us an absolute wash—out on saturday. the weather was more typical of autumn and indeed little change expected for the rest of this week and quite possibly into august as well. i want to show you the weather systems developing across the north atlantic and heading in our direction on this wide picture here, this wide map. let's have a look at this animation and once again you can see the cloud and the outbreaks of rain and this undulating jet stream, and where we see these troughs in the jet stream that is where the low pressure tends to form. crucially over the next few days the jet stream will be generally to the south of us, an autumn—like pattern, hence the colder air comes in from the north and keeps things very fresh for us. today, a lot of cloud across the uk, thicker cloud in the second half of the day in southern areas and this is where the showers will be more frequent. it is not raining all the time today and there will be decent spells, but it is on the cool side with the jet stream to the south of us generally.

temperatures will be around 16 to 18, peaking this afternoon. tonight it is the same pattern, there will be clear spells and showers become more frequent in scotland and there will be a few showers elsewhere. not too cold in the city centres, around 9 to 11, but in rural spots it will be a little bit colder. tomorrow starts off quite bright, even sunny in some areas, but this is what we call unstable air, so the cloud will grow quite quickly and produce sharp showers. some of them will be quite heavy across northern parts of england and southern scotland. but in this situation the best of the weather tends to be up towards the south—west, particularly coastal areas. i showed you the animation with the jet stream and the developing weather systems and this is a different look at it. this is early on wednesday and early in the day there will be decent weather, particularly in northern and eastern parts of the country, but then quickly this next weather front will sweep in and bring outbreaks of rain and at

times it will be heavy. it has already been a very wet month in parts of north—western england. if you look at the outlook through the week into the weekend it is unsettled.

this is bbc news, the headlines... 80 wildfires in greece

prompt tens of thousands of residents and tourists to flee the flames. twitter�*s blue bird is dumped, as elon musk changes the platform's logo to x. we'll be gauging the reaction. and blockbusterfilm barbie becomes north america's biggest film of the year on its opening weekend. time for a look at the business news now with ben. you're looking at two of those headline stories.— you're looking at two of those headline stories. ~ ., , ., , headline stories. when was the last time ou headline stories. when was the last time you went _ headline stories. when was the last time you went to _ headline stories. when was the last time you went to the _ headline stories. when was the last time you went to the cinema, - time you went to the cinema, matthew? let's start with two movies which have got the world's attention at the box office this past weekend. barbie and 0ppenheimer delivered the strongest opening weekend at the box office this year as fans rushed to experience the barbenheimer phenomenon. following a marketing blitz from toymaker mattel and warner bros, the barbie film

was always expected to do well.