hello, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we start with two new warnings about global climate change. a report by the un's children's agency, unicef says half of all young people in europe and central asia are now regularly exposed to severe heatwaves. it says their health is increasingly at risk from climate change—related extreme weather. meanwhile in the uk, the met office says that the record—breaking heat the country experienced last year — will be the norm by 2060. the state of the uk climate report says extreme temperatures will become more common unless global carbon emissions are reduced. our environment correspondent matt mcgrath reports. last summer's searing heatwaves

sparked wildfires across the uk, with more than 800 on the hottest day injuly, when temperatures broke through a0 celsius for the first time. these blistering conditions also had significant impacts on human health, with thousands more deaths in the over—65s than usual in england and wales acrossjuly and august. but this new met office report shows that the persistent heat wasn't confined to summer, with every month apart from december warmer than the long—term average. this saw 2022 become the uk's warmest year in records dating back to 1884. driving all this, according to the researchers, are ongoing emissions of carbon dioxide from human activities. if these stay constant, an exceptional year like 2022 will become the norm for the uk. if you look at the summer of 2022, this really gives us a feel for a sign of things to come. the summer was very hot. it was very dry. we saw wildfires.

we had drought conditions across most of england and wales. and that really is a sign of things to come. probably the first summer we have seen that has that trend of hotter, drier summers. researchers say that in the uk, temperature extremes are increasing much faster than the average. this will likely see far more high temperature records broken in the years to come, potentially by quite wide margins. but even though these higher temperatures will become increasingly likely in a warmer world, the uk still has much further to go to properly prepare for this new normal. government advisers say that the uk is still not treating adapting to climate change as a national priority. matt mcgrath, bbc news. there are wildfires across the mediterranean region. emergency services in italy are still battling wildfires. our reporter sofia bettiza is in reggio calabria in the south of the country. it has been tough. emergency services here in italy

are used to tackling wildfires in the summer, but the heatwave this year has been so long and so intense that firefighters are stretched. they have had to battle nearly 2,000 fires in the last few days. behind me you can see the aftermath of one of those fires. that all over there used to be greenery. calabria is famous for its nature. now it is completely burnt to the ground. if you look over there you will be able to see a lorry, a car and a small boat, all damaged by the fire. if we frame up, you will be able to see that the flames reached that village, causing hundreds of people to have to evacuate their homes. if you look at that house over there, we spoke to a woman who lives there. she said that within seconds, her home caught fire and it was terrifying. herfamily managed to get to safety but several people

in southern italy have died, trapped in their homes because of the fires. the fear here in southern italy is that the scorching temperatures and the strong wind could cause more wildfires and that could lead to more loss of life. extreme heat has caused havoc in parts of greece in recent days. 0ur reporter azadeh moshiri sent this update from rhodes. the wind is exactly what firefighters are so worried about now. i'm in one of the worst hit areas. and if you look behind me, it's hard to imagine that that's exactly the kind of holiday villa that someone would have rented to lay by the pool, to lay on those sunbeds that now are completely scorched. and if i move you to the hills in front of it, you'll see that this villa was completely surrounded by flames. the stories we've heard from tourists and holidaymakers, you canjust imagine what happened here. and if i take you a little further in front of me there, you'll see

that it was truly surrounded. 0n the other side of this road is more scorched earth that is completely barren land. now, the process of rebuilding areas like this has already begun. there's a month's long state of emergency that has been declared because tourism, these areas are so important to the economy of rhodes, even though this is localised in the south. but the risks are even greater than this. two people now we know have died on the mainland, in the fires, a man and a woman. and it'sjust a reminder that after the deaths earlier this week of the pilots, that it's really lives are at stake here, as well as the livelihoods of the people of greece. and when you talk to locals, what do they tell you about their worries and their fears for the future? that this could be the state of things every year now? i'm really glad you asked that, because when i got to greece with our team, i wondered whether we thought that this weather was all unusual.

but to the locals, they didn't really notice it, because extreme heat and fires, those aren't unusual in greece during the summers. but the locals i've spoken to have said this isn't normal. one of them said, it's so hot, it lasts so long that it's unbearable. i've heard it from several people that this isn't normal, and that does make sense, given scientists are telling us that climate change and our warming planet is making extreme weather events more frequent and more severe. and that's why we have wildfires like this that are just so much more likely and threatening lives, as well as the economy and the way of life here in greece. and we're expecting to hear from the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, in the next 20 minutes or so — who we are told has an important announcement regarding temperatures injuly. the un secretary—general in about 20 minutes�* time, we will bring that to

you life. in ukraine, the general in charge of the country's counter—offensive against russia in the south — has told the bbc that his forces are struggling to overcome russian defences and move forward quickly. general 0leksandr tarnavskyi said russia's multi—layered minefields and fortified defensive lines were making it difficult for military equipment, including western—supplied tanks and armoured vehicles, to advance. ukraine's counter—offensive is now in its second month. but progress has been slow. areas shown here in red are those currently under russian military control. they include the cities of donetsk and mariupol. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale has more details from dnipro. this offensive has been going on now for nearly two months and the main focus of that offensive has been in the south where ukraine and ukrainian troops are trying to divide, splits russian forces, break through their lines trying to reach

crimea. we spoke to the general in charge of that offensive, the south, and he said it is hard going. we found when we went to the front lines, it is hard going with ukrainian forces trying to break through. breakthrough well prepared russian defences and minefields. hidden in a forest, evidence of ukraine's stuttering offensive in the south. a makeshift repair yard trying to salvage not old soviet equipment, but recently donated western armour. these us—made bradleys may have saved lives, but they have also been damaged by what is slowing them down. russian minefields. sergei says some can't be repaired so they will scavenge the parts. this was the same brigade in the first days of the offensive, especially trained and equipped by the west to break through defences. instead they became an easy target

and fodder for russian propaganda. there are too many minds, the minefields can be six rows deep. it is very difficult and our rollers can't stand more than so many explosions. you need to save the equipment as well as do yourjob. it's ukraine's infantry who are having to make the hard yards on foot, all the more difficult to hold ground without armour. these had to pull back when a com was injured. it has been painful to watch for this drone pilot.

he has seen brutal new tactics. this is what he recently filmed when ukrainian troops, advancing from the bottom right, tried to capture a russian trench. it was empty but rigged with explosives. 0n the russian front trenches they leave remote—controlled mines and when the soldiers get to the trenches the mines explode and kill ourfriends, it's a new weapon. ukraine is now using a new weapon too, one that is banned by more than 100 countries. this us—supplied howitzer is firing on russian infantry positions and for the first time we are seeing them using cluster munitions. cluster shells scatter scores of small bombs over a wide area. fired to try and dislodge troughton or russian infantry and artillery. the ukrainian general overseeing the sudden

offensive defended the use. he says he is facing a more difficult enemy. translation: idon't- underestimate the enemy, they have created all the conditions that prevent us from moving forward quickly, but their weakness is they don't care about their people. how can i decide if your offensive is a success or a failure? i wouldn't be talking to you now if the counteroffensive wasn't successful. he said he has still to commit his main strike force. there are reports that may now be happening. the bodies of dead russian soldiers and destroyed tanks show ukraine is advancing, but on this battlefield there is also wrecked western armour, including these british supplied vehicles. ukraine says it needs patience and time.

jonathan, the ukrainians say we need patience and time. given the weather is good right now, it is the middle of summer, what is the timeline? what are they looking at here? i don't think it's a set timeline, remember most leaders in the west say they will support ukraine for as long as it takes. but clearly, when it gets cold, when it's winter, it is much more difficult to fight so they are hoping, the ukrainians, to make significant advances this summer and they have gained ground, but not as they say, the commander to be spoken to, both the east and the south, going as fast as they would like. that said, what we have heard from the general is he is still not committed his full strike force. in other words, still not committed his full strike force. in otherwords, lots still not committed his full strike force. in other words, lots of those western trained troops and the equipment they will be using provided by the west have still not

been committed to battle. we have heard also from unnamed us pentagon officials saying they are now, in the last 2a hours, seeing ukraine committing more of those troops and equipment, particularly around a town we visited which is one of the main two accesses in the south, and i think they want to see results soon. they want to see results not just for their own morale but to show the west that they can take back territory from the russians. the clock is ticking, certainly. they do have months at the moment before the weather gets cold but it will become more difficult. jonathan beale in ukraine. _ will become more difficult. jonathan beale in ukraine. some _ will become more difficult. jonathan beale in ukraine. some breaking - beale in ukraine. some breaking news. british bank natwest said that the chief executive of its private bank coutts peter flavel will step down with immediate effect, after days ofpolitical and media pressure over the unit's handling of theclosure of nigel farage's bank accounts.

the x thex ukip the x ukip leader had called for the entire board of natwest to resign over information that was leaked about him and it's related to his status as a customer of coutts which is a private bank for wealthy people but it is owned by natwest. nigel farage has said he was effectively debunked for his political views and that he was far from alone. we have already had dame alison rose resigning in the early hours of the morning after admitting she was the source of an inaccurate bbc news story which happened two days ago. the bbc did apologise for its initial report which said nigel farage had fallen below the financial threshold needed for an account. but now we have this new development coming to us in the last few minutes that the chief executive

of coutts, the private bank owned by natwest, will step down with immediate effect. just to remind you, natwest is part owned by the taxpayer after being bailed out by the government as a result of the financial crisis back in 2008. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. tram operators have been fined a total of £14 million over the croydon derailment which claimed the lives of seven passengers. many more people were injured when a tram carrying 69 people derailed near the sandilands stop on the morning of november 9th in 2016. transport for london and tram 0perations limited have accepted failing in their health and safety duties. the tram driver was found not guilty earlier this year of failing to take reasonable care of his passengers. jean smith's son mark died in the crash — she says financial penalties achieve nothing. no amount of money and i suppose...

no amount of money and i suppose... no amount of money and i suppose... no amount of money would have ever been enough for what happened to mark and the other six, or even the other 19 that were seriously injured. money is meaningless, it's replaceable. people's lives aren't. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, who is the chair of tfl, has said he would continue to work with the tram operator to make the transport network as safe as possible. you're live with bbc news. to west africa now where niger's army has given its backing to the troops who announced in a television address that they had toppled the country's elected president, mohamed bazoum. a statement signed by the army chief of staff said it was backing the coup in order to avoid fighting within the armed forces. the leaders of the takeover said they'd dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the country's borders. protests erupted in the streets in response to the attempt to overthrow the government. the president was detained by troops from the presidential guard on wednesday — though the soldiers made no mention

of him in their announcement. 0ur reporter yasmin khatun dewan has more from the newsroom. on wednesday evening, ten military officers — you can see them here — who said they were part of the national council for the safeguard of the homeland, made an announcement on state television saying that they were closing niger's borders, suspending all institutions and dissolving the constitution. the statement was made by army spokesperson colonel major amadou abdul rahman. let's have a listen. translation: we, the defense and security forces meeting - within the national council for the safeguard of the homeland, have decided to put an end to the regime you know. this follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation and poor economic and social governance. now, that video came just hours after reports of president mohamed bazoum being detained by presidential guards. he put out a tweet later that

evening saying "the hard won achievements will be safeguarded. all nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it." calling for his supporters to come out in protest, as they did, to oppose the military rule. niger, this landlocked country in west africa, which has a population ofjust over 25 million, is of great importance to a number of western allies. and we've heard from numerous countries — the united kingdom, the us, france, the united nations. and the us secretary of state had this to say. as the democratically elected president of niger, we call for his immediate release. we condemn any effort to seize power by force. niger plays a critical role for western powers in the sahel region. you can see where it's located in west africa, between chad, nigeria, burkina faso and mali. so to lose mohammed bazoum in niger would be seen as a big blow for western leaders.

we know of a number of armed groups and extremist groups operating regionally. and, of course, concerns over their growing influence. just a few weeks ago, we were speaking about un forces departing from mali and also last year, an unpopular french force departing burkina faso and mali. and we know there is a presence of the wagner mercenary group there. so there will be concerns about russia's growing influence and whether they may continue to expand on that influence in the region. so this will be a big blow for western leaders. you can see the soldiers behind this coup here. they have warned of any foreign intervention, adding that they will respect president bazoum's wellbeing. though should it succeed, this will further complicate western efforts in the sahel.

let's talk a little bit about that final comment that the western influence is waning in the say hello. our security correspondent frank gardner says the influence of western governments in north west africa — is declining: compare it to a shrinking water hole in the dry season, western influence. it's drying up in the south countries, the whole area of north—west africa. it's drying up in the sahel countries, the whole area of north—west africa. one by one, countries are kicking out western forces, severing their ties with the western international community and instead, a number of countries have teamed up with russia's wagner group who has, for them, a very successful business model. if you take a triangle of government, wagner group and a population, two out of three of those do pretty well. the governments get a bespoke security service from this mafia—like organisation, the wagner group. the wagner group enrich themselves with mineral resources like gold mines, diamonds etc. but the people that lose out are the populations because their countries are essentially being plundered of their natural wealth.

but mali, burkina faso, central african republic have all decided they would rather work with wagner than the un and french and american forces. president putin is hosting african leaders at a summit in st petersburg. but far fewer of them are taking part — than have attended previous events — and the invasion of ukraine is believed to be one of the main reasons. when the event was first held in 2019, 43 african leaders took part. but this time only 17 are attending. another update from the summit — our colleagues at bbc verify have confirmed that this image — circulating on social media — is genuine — and shows wagner founder yevgeny prigozhin shaking hands with ambassador freddy mapouka, a senior representative of the central african republic. the image was first posted on 26th july by a russian official. bbc verify has confirmed

that the meeting took place at the trezzini palace hotel in st petersburg. this is the first confirmed sighting of yevgeny prigozhin in russia since the wagner mutiny on 24thjune. the bbc�*s africa correspondent, andrew harding, is injohannesburg. it's interesting that african leaders are staying away in much larger numbers now. i think ukraine and the conflict there have a fair amount to do with that and also presumably american and european pressure on african governments. the grain issue is messy right now. the african continent as a whole, very dependent on ukrainian and to some extent russian grain. there had been a deal, as you know, through the black sea to allow ukrainian exports that have been re—continued after negotiations but now the russians have pulled out and seem to be trying to essentially blockade ukrainian grain exports. that is very bad news for african countries, particularly in places like somalia where they are facing famine conditions.

the russians are saying, we will give you free grain or at least some free grain and certainly lots of russian grain to make up the shortfall. but the likely impact on global grain prices is going to be to push it up dramatically and that is going to affect a lot of people across africa. so, i think there will be some pretty difficult discussions in saint petersburg between presidents putin between president putin and certainly some of the more outspoken african leaders who decide to show up. the high court has ruled that a home office decision to "routinely" place unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels is unlawful. let's go to westminster. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, is there for us now. jonathan, what did we hearfrom jonathan, what did we hear from the high court, what was the decision? it was, as you say, that the

government's use of hotels to house children who have come to the uk seeking asylum unaccompanied is in fact unlawful. this was legal action brought by two local authorities in the south of england, kent county council and brighton and hove council, along with the child trafficking charity. figures show that this is happening quite a lot, about 3000 under 18 is in the year to october 2022 spent some time in hotel accommodation and the charity and the local authorities have argued that that was not fit for purpose. in issuing a ruling at the high court today, mrjustice chamberlain said that children should only be housed in hotels in emergencies and for short periods of time. but it had become systemic and routine, he said. and overseeing that practice, the home secretary suella braverman, had exceeded the

proper limits of her powers, he ruled. going on to say that ensuring the welfare of children with no aduu the welfare of children with no adult to look after them was among the most fundamental duties of any civilised state. now, the government had argued that this was a matter of necessity, that children are being housed in this way, and it was a safety net that had been provided. but in response to this ruling, the charity have welcomed the decision. described it as a scandal that many hundreds of children have gone missing after being accommodated in this way and they have called on the secretary of state to enforce the legal duty that local authorities have to housed children properly. thank you. hello. it may not be particularly warm at the moment, but it does feel quite humid and muggy out there today. while there is a lot of cloud, all we need is for that cloud to break up to give some sunshine, to allow temperatures to climb to some extent,

and this is the satellite picture from earlier on this morning. you can see a lot of cloud but you can also see some holes in the cloud. some spells of sunshine, and we keep that mishmash of weather through the afternoon. some area of cloud, some bits and pieces of rain, the odd shower. but also some bright or sunny spells. if it stays bright enough for long enough, temperatures could climb to 2a celsius. cooler than that, though, in the far north—east of scotland, because here, we have a band of cloud and patchy rain edging painstakingly slowly northwards and eastwards. shetland holding on to clear skies through the night and elsewhere, yes, some large areas of cloud, bit of mist and fog, but i think the trend will be for clearer skies to try to work in from the west by the end of the night. temperatures 11 to 15 degrees, it will be another warm and quite muggy night, and then into tomorrow, quite a lot of cloud around, but we will tend to see a bit more in the way of sunshine. just the odd shower, shetland tending to cloud over with these outbreaks of rain, and some showers getting into parts of northern ireland during the afternoon. temperatures around

18 to 2a degrees. many spots having a slightly warmer day than today. it should stay dry at the test match at the oval. the same cannot be said as we head into saturday and sunday. that is because it is going to be yet another weekend dominated by low pressure. not a particularly summer—like weather chart, this area of low pressure moving its way through, bringing some showers. on saturday i think we will see quite a few showers across scotland and northern ireland, some of them heavy, possibly thundery. maybe not as many showers further south, but i think there will still be some. sunny spells in between, quite a breezy day, and a relatively cool one for the time of year, 17 to 22 degrees. more of the same for sunday, the showers perhaps focusing on northern ireland, northern england, parts of north wales. in the central swathe it is going to be quite a windy day, breezy elsewhere, still with some spells of sunshine and temperatures, if anything, below par for the time of year. highs of 18 to 21 degrees.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the un warns that half of all young people in europe and central asia are now regularly exposed to severe heatwaves. and also we are expecting secretary—general antonio gueterres

to speak shortly about the recent high temperatures. a top ukrainian general says his forces are struggling to make progress in their counter—offensive against strong russian defences. the army in niger declares its support for troops who have mounted a coup against the country's president. in the next few minutes we're expecting to hear from the un secretary general, antonio guterres, who we are told has an important announcement regarding temperatures injuly. he has been briefed by the un's meteorological organisation about those temperatures and we will bring you a statement shortly. i am just looking to see if he is up. no, he will be coming up soon and we will take you to that when it happens.