hello i'm carl nasman, thanks forjoining us. the nation of niger is grappling with the ramifications of a military coup. niger's democratically elected president mohamed bazoum was overthrown as part of the coup and detained. bazoum was first elected to office in april 2021 in niger's first peaceful democratic transfer of power. on friday, general abdourahamane tchiani, who also goes by omar tchiani appeared on state television, announcing himself as the country's new ruler. he was dressed in full military gear as he read a statement on behalf of niger's national council for the safeguarding of the homeland. he urged the population to remain calm. have a listen. translation: the action of the (nsf is motivated l

by the sole desire to preserve our beloved homeland in the face of the continuous deterioration of the security situation of our country. the fallen authorities have failed to give a real solution to the crisis and have provided poor economic and social governance. our bbc correspondent chris ewokor has been following the developments from niger's neighboring country of nigeria. the coup has been condemned by both the regional and international community, although it's gotten the support and backing of the wider military hierarchy in niger, as well as some of the citizens who had come out to demonstrate and show their support for the action of the soldiers. niger, a landlocked country rich in uranium but one of the poorest in the world, has joined three other countries that have been under military rule to become the fourth country in the west african subregion under military rule.

the regional bloc will now be working to see how it can negotiate a quick transition to military rule. at the moment we are about of president bazoum is not known. he is believed to be detained by the military in the presidential palace and there are indications he would be forced to sign a resignation that we effectively hand over the government of niger to the hands of the military. niger is used as a hub in the fight againstjihadist extremism, but there are now indications that the coup risk affecting the fight againstjihadist extremism and collaboration of western allies, especially france and us, which have their bases in the country. chris ewokor, bbc news, abuja, nigeria. wildfires have left a trail of destruction across parts risk affecting the fight againstjihadist extremism and collaboration of western allies, especially france and us, which have their bases in the country. chris ewokor, bbc news, abuja, nigeria.

wildfires have left a trail of destruction across parts of southern europe — and the mediterranean region. in greece, emergency services have tried to prevent new wildfires in the central area. fires there triggered explosions at an air force ammunition depot in the town of nea akealos on thursday. authorities say the outlook is improving for firefighters on the islands of rhodes, corfu and evia. greece's climate crisis and civil protection minister told a news conference earlier there were more than 600 fires over a 10 day period. for more, foreign correspondent bethany bell sends this report from greece. temperatures have dropped somewhat and many of the fires that have been reaching over the country of the last two weeks or so have abated. as you can see there are still quite strong winds and that is a

matter because much of the ground with these fires were still smoldering and it is very easy for a spark to fly up and create new flare—ups. we have heard from the authorities that there is still trying to make sure that they can prevent future fires from flaring up, but it is a very difficult task. we have heard from greece's prime minister saying that the country must do more to shore up its firefighting and fire protection measures and fire protection measures and also crucially, fight against climate change. there have been events today, a funeral for one of the two pilots who was killed earlier this week when his firefighting plane crashed in the funeral for his colleague was held yesterday. very senior greek politicians were at those

funerals. we have heard from any of the politician saying that their thoughts have been with the people who have been fighting these fires that have tried to dig to ditched greece. —— ravaged. civil defence forces in tunisia have said that wildfires affecting five provinces of the country — have now been brought under control. firefighters remain on alert. the province ofjendouba — where more than one thousand hectares of forest have been destroyed — is among the worst—affected areas. from tunisia — bassam bounenni sent this report. adel selmi observes the damage as wildfires rage near tabarka. translation: the fire . was a little far, but quickly we felt that the flames were getting closer. selmi owned an eco—friendly restaurant. he could barely recognise it when he returned the following morning. translation: this kitchen l was used for breakfast and all the equipment was burned.

muna was less lucky. herfarm has been cruelly damaged. "it was a nightmare", she says. translation: could you take a look at this? - we've lost everything. we went bankrupt. the flames were too close. she miraculously escaped the fire. now she fears more blazes to come. do you still feel safe? translation: now, even if the house burns out, i will stay. - i have no option. residents in tabarka and its outskirts are in shock. their losses are incommensurable to any other time. this is a sad landscape. it's just a tiny part of tabarka's forests. it has been razed to the ground. nothing here has

survived the wildfires. i can still see the smoke and smell it. and that's the worst scenario for tunisian firefighters. the tunisian civil defence forces work on opening forest routes since the rough terrain has made access to some fires almost impossible. meanwhile, tunisian helicopters and aircraft dispatched from spain struggle to put out the flames. it is a test for the tunisian authorities to assess their readiness to address such disasters. translation: in the last three years, fires have multiplied, . especially in the summer. we have operational plans and preemptive preparations, and this, of course, requires immense potential. all predictions indicate that north africa is more vulnerable to the devastating repercussions of global warming.

drought has entered its fifth year across the region, and here are those fires showing their ugly face. basam bonini, bbc news, tabarka, tunisia. the extreme heat that has been scorching the us south and south—west is now being felt across the central and eastern regions of the country, putting some 200 million americans under extreme weather warnings. we're seeing record breaking temperatures in several major cities including in phoenix, arizona, which saw its 28th consecutive day with a high temperature exceeding 110 degrees fahrenheit, which is over 43 degrees celsius. extreme heat waves since june could cost the state of texas $10 billion according to one economic analysis. live now to the bbc�*s bernd debusmann in san antonio, texas. as we heard, texas is one of the states that has been seeing

these soaring temperatures recently. describe the situation for us where you are. here in san antonio, one of feels that we are still in the brunt of the heat don't we have been hearing about. now it is about 6pm but still around hundred degrees fahrenheit outside to about 30 degrees —— 40 outside to about 30 degrees —— a0 celsius. difficult to be out there for any sort of extended period of time. so that is something that is causing a lot of concern here because there does not seem to be at an end in sight at least not in the short term. temperatures are expected to rise next week so people here and hopefully officials are bracing for another quite rough week as far as the heat goes. you another quite rough week as far as the heat goes.— as the heat goes. you mention temperatures _ as the heat goes. you mention temperatures around - as the heat goes. you mention temperatures around 100 - temperatures around 100 fahrenheit, how's the state dealing with that kind of heat? different communities and cities are dealing with it in different ways, but one thing that has been very common is opening cooling centres in the afternoon where people can go and take a break from the heat

and take a break from the heat and when it is most hot you can go get water there. different communities have had community outreach efforts to give fans a way to make sure that people are being careful about what they are doing at what times and for how long. there really is a very concerted effort to reach out to the community to make sure people are taking into account the temperatures and taking the precautionary measures necessary to be safe. there has been a lot of focus recently on people who have to work outside. we saw the biden white house announcing new measures, alerts and inspections on places like outdoor construction sites, you have been seeking with a texas democratic congressman who's actually been striking over what he says are a lack of protections for workers in texas. tell us more. greg case are is a democrat _ texas. tell us more. greg case are is a democrat in _ texas. tell us more. greg case are is a democrat in the - texas. tell us more. greg case are is a democrat in the austin | are is a democrat in the austin area has been on a first strike

all week. what he wants is a federal standard governing keith's safety measures. at the moment there is not so it is left up to states in different jurisdictions to figure that out for themselves. more importantly, he is protesting a law signed by the governor abbott going into the effect on the 1st of september which will under turn lot of local protections such as austin have implemented. is a big concern for the congressman and also for the congressman and also for advocates here.— for advocates here. live from san antonio, _ for advocates here. live from san antonio, texas, - for advocates here. live from san antonio, texas, thank i for advocates here. live from | san antonio, texas, thank you so much. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. bbc news bringing you different stories from across the uk. at 13 years old, he escaped horrors in afghanistan, too painful for him to describe. there was just one goal to survive. we needed to make sure you survive before you can think

of anything else. then along myjourney coming over, it was an easy for me. over, it wasn't an easy for me. at 13, on myjourney, i've seen things i shouldn't have as a child. after travelling to the uk, he was given asylum seeker status and began a new life in gloucester. he is a really big part of the community now because of the fight factory and they're all like a big family really. the kids he trains, the people he trains. and he'sjust changed his life. now shabbir wants to give something back to the community, which he says has done so much to welcome him. by coaching young people he hopes they'll be inspired about their own futures. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. the second day of the russia—african summit in saint petersburg saw african leaders pressing russian president vladimir putin to end the war in ukraine and restore the grain deal that ended last week.

putin promised to deliver up to 300,000 tonnes of free russian grain. but some leaders said that might not be enough. the african union commission chairman told putin quote, our correspondent jewel kiriungi has more on the summit. russian president vladimir putin has today said that he is carefully studying a peace deal that was shared by african countries in order to end the war in ukraine. just last month, a delegation of african leaders led by president cyril ramaphosa of south africa, offered

to mediate in the conflict between russia and ukraine. in st petersburg today, these leaders called for a renewal of the grain deal that allowed the safe passage of ukrainian grain through its ports in the black sea. now, with this deal not in place, these leaders say that prices of wheat have gone up and this is having an effect on other commodities threatening the food security in the region. putin also today announced that his country will be allocating more than $90 million in funds to ease the debt burden which most countries in africa are currently facing. he says that he wants to grow trade and economic ties, which are currently relatively low between russia and africa. now leaders of countries such as mali and the central african republic today thanked putin for his support in fighting insecurity in the sahel region. to the war in ukraine now, and ukrainian president volodymr zelensky posted this video to social media, saying a multistory residential building and a security service building was struck in the central city of dnipro friday. he blamed russian missiles for the attack. ukraine's interior minister

says at least five people were injured. earlier, moscow released this footage of damaged buildings in southern russia, allegeding it shot down two ukrainian missiles close to its border. the russian defense ministry claims ukraine carried out an attack on the residential area. well, ukraine's counter—offensive does appear to be intensifying, but questions over its success still remain. our correspondent james waterhouse is in kyiv with more. how successful this counteroffensive has been depends on who you ask. now, it is clear on this south—eastern part of the front line that there has been a major push, that ukraine is concentrating a lot of men and machinery. and the claim this morning was that the village of stiamo norsk had been liberated. the advances are relatively small. we're talking about five

kilometres, but there are reports of heavy shelling. analysts are describing a full frontal assault towards the city of bosnia, which is further southeast of zapad. so it is clear ukraine is trying to make moves now. there are unnamed sources, unnamed us officials who see this as the start of a major thrust. but ukraine, kyiv is trying to water that down a bit, saying any talk of the major push through is premature. but a push through is what ukraine needs. it needs to push through. it is hoping to, in this part of the front line to effectively cut russia's occupied land corridor in half. what that would do is isolate tens of thousands of troops and bring crimea comfortably within its sights. and what kyiv hopes is that will bring moscow to the negotiating table and force a sizeable compromise in a way. but i've got to stress — a lot needs to happen. it's too early to say whether this is the start of something much bigger. as russia's ambitions for its place on the world

stage has been on full display this week at the russia—africa summit. in our next hour we will have a special dedicated to russia's influence as a global power. in our next hour we will have a special dedicated to russia's influence as a global power. in other news... typhoon toksuri made landfall in southern china on friday after wreaking havoc on the northern philippines and taiwan earlier this week.as many as 36 people were killed in the philippines due to the typhoon.tok—suri has affected nearly 725 thousand people just in china — evacuating almost a quarter of a million people and causing 7.3 million dollars in economic losses. the ceremony for america's 75th emmy awards has been postponed due to writers and actors' strikes for better pay and working conditions. striking actors are prohibited from participating in publicility until the strike ends. the television awards ceremony had been due to take place september 18th. no new date has not been confirmed. the 202a campaign season is getting fully under way tonight as 13 republican

presidential candidates will take the stage in the us state of iowa. here is a live look at the event gop kim reynolds of iowa is s they will address a major republican dinner with donors at a critical moment for their presidential campaigns. former president donald trump is expected to speak as he faces new legal charges and a looming third indictment. he'll appearfor the first time alongside his main rival, florida governor ron desantis. cbs news senior white house and political correspondent ed o'keefe told me what he's seeing on the ground in iowa. ed o'keefe, thank you so much forjoining us. i just want to start with these latest charges that were unveiled

against former president donald trump. how has his campaign responded today? they've essentially brushed it off and said that, you know, this continues to be part of what they call a witch hunt, politically motivated work by the biden administration and prosecutors that they question and don't believe that it will have any real detrimental effect on their standing politically. he made clear in a radio interview on friday that despite all of this, he intends to continue running for office, that there's nothing in the constitution that stops him from doing so. and he's right about that. and look, despite the legal issues, he enjoys high double digit leads over the rest of the field. right now here in iowa, it's somewhere between 30 to a0 points. in national surveys it can be as much as 30 or a0 points as well, and nobody yet has been able to really catch him. and 12 of president trump's rivals are there tonight in iowa. what have we heard from them? have they been speaking out about these newest charges? well, not only are they here, but the former

president is scheduled to be here as well. you ask most of these guys, what do they make of what's going on with the president? and they don't directly criticise him. they take on instead the federal prosecutors who are looking into this or they question the motives of the justice department more broadly, say that the weaponisation of government, as they call it, needs to end. we pressed, for example, the florida governor, ron desantis, who right now sits in second place, although, like i said, double digits behind the former president. and he says, look, i'm not a prosecutor. i don't understand the legal manifestations of all of this. i'm just going to continue running my race and expressing the disagreements i have with mr. trump on immigration, border security, government spending, how the pandemic was handled. and i'll leave the other stuff up to voters to decide. and i want to ask you about your recent interview with donald trump's top rival, florida governor ron desantis. does all of this legal stuff he's facing

disqualify him, though, in your view? at the end of the day, voters make that decision. some people ask me like, well, if somebody is indicted, should they be able to run? the problem is we've seen political indictments. i mean, i think brad was political. you have these other these people. so that would just give any prosecutor the ability to to render someone ineligible. so i've not said that. but i also think just at the end of the day, the election's got to be about the future. it's got to be about what people are concerned about. and the more it's about other things, the more biden is able to hang out in the basement again and end up cruising to a victory. and i know republicans don't want that to happen. what did you make of the governor's response? well, it's an example of of how they're trying to work around direct criticism of the former president. he said, look, it's up to the voters to decide whether this is something that disqualifies him. he himself won't go that far. some of his other lesser known opponents have, and they're not doing as well in the polls. but what he also says repeatedly when asked about trump is the country republican voters in this primary want to think about the future,

need to be focused on that. and how can the gop find a way to defeat president biden? because if the party gets mired in the legal troubles of the former president again, then, as desantis says, the current president, joe biden, will be able to run again from his basement in delaware, as he did during the pandemic, and get away with a lot of things he says. let's focus instead on defeating the current president. i'm the better option for that and not necessarily the former president. but at this point, his standing continues to slip. the florida governor this week had to trim his sails, cut. about 38 staffers travel with a far smaller footprint than he had before because of concerns that he's spending too much money too quickly and may not have enough to even survive into the fall. you've been watching him in iowa. he spent a lot of time there, much more time than the former president, donald trump. has he been able to get any traction? you mentioned those poll numbers, but what have you seen in terms ofjust the one on one interactions with florida governor ron desantis and iowa voters?

well, it's still very early. so, you know, what's happening injuly isn't necessarily indicative of what will be happening in january. and just like in a long season of football, american or otherwise, you don't want to peak six months before the championship. you want to be doing better when it comes to the playoff season, and we're not there yet by any means. he, though, has seen his support slip since he launched his campaign in may, and others are beginning to rise in the polls amid concerns about whether desantis can connect with voters here, whether his policies are correct. and he's demonstrated no ability to cut into trump's lead. trump doesn't have to campaign anywhere across the country right now that often because he has been able to sustain his support again by double digits, doing very little work. maybe that's just name id. maybe it's that most republicans aren't paying attention to the alternatives right now. but either way, he doesn't have to do much to maintain that lead.

there are some black republicans criticising desantis new education reforms made in florida when it comes to slavery. how is ron desantis handling those critiques from members of his own party? by doubling down on what the florida education commission has approved, and it's a 21 page set of standards for students from kindergarten through the end of high school and how african american history should be taught. it mentions within it that when it comes to slavery, perhaps there has to be a mention of the benefits that enslaved people may have had after they learned certain skills and once they were freed. it's that language there that's been so criticised by members of both parties, but notably now in the last several days by republicans who are black. tim scott, his opponent, who is the only black republican senator from south carolina, and three black republican congressmen from michigan, texas and florida who all support donald trump, saying that desantis needs to retract his defense of this, needs to understand that there

is nothing about slavery that was beneficial. or, as tim scott said, there's no silver lining when it comes to slavery. desantis continued to say, they don't understand what we did. i'm defending what florida has decided to do, and he's standing by that position. whether that's sustainable in the coming days, we'll see. but it is drawn unexpected and some campaign aides would say unwanted attention to something that was done as a result of legislation that's been passed with desantis support in recent years to strip away or neuter lessons about diversity, ethnicity, inclusion and racial history across the state of florida. ed o'keefe, cbs news senior white house and political correspondent there in iowa for us. thank you so much. take care. we wa nt we want to leave you with some live images coming from that link and dinner there in iowa featuring those 13 presidential candidates. this is former un ambassador nikki haley. we

expect former president donald trump to speak as well. thank you for watching bbc news. hello there. so far thisjuly looks like it's going to be a little bit below average for our temperatures, but a long way above average for rainfall. yes, there are some places, for example, blackpool, that have already seen 2.7 times their average july rainfall. so it's been a lot wetter than normal and that pattern really has been repeated across most of the uk. now the satellite picture from friday shows this curl of cloud out towards our north—west. it's an area of low pressure and you can see the weather fronts spiraling into the center of the low. now, over the next few hours, as that low continues to move closer to the north—west of the uk, so increasingly we'll see some heavy downpours working in, especially to northern ireland and western areas of scotland. these are kind of temperatures you'll have as you start off the weekend, 1a or 15 degrees.

so it is going to be quite a mild start to things on saturday. however, we will see plenty of downpours around. and as i say, the closer you are to that area of low pressure, the more likely you are to see some fairly heavy and even some fairly prolonged outbreaks of rain. that's especially the case for northern ireland and west scotland, but to a degree, north—west england and north—west wales will probably have a lot of showers as well. elsewhere, well, probably not that many showers across the midlands and eastern areas of england. so some dry weather and lengthy dry spells for these areas showers few and far between. temperatures still by and large, a little below average. now for the cricket, the ashes. i suspect it will probably stay mostly dry on saturday. if you catch a shower, it will be a fleeting light one. on sunday, rain on the way but late in the day. so again, it should be a largely unaffected day for play. different story, though for monday, we are going to see low pressures working and bringing more rain. sunday's forecast — then we have an area of low pressure that's going to be pushing rain into northern ireland. wales and western areas of england should stay mainly fine to the north and east, although there will be a few showers here. temperatures continue to run

a little bit below average for the time of year. on into monday and tuesday's forecast. well, even as one area of low pressure crosses the uk, there's another one brewing and developing to our west. so it'd be nice to think as we finished the month and started a new month going into august, that we'd see a change in the weather pattern. but no, that's not the case. it stays unsettled with further showers or some lengthier spells of rain.

stay with us on bbc news. we'll have more headlines for you after this programme. india. birthplace of illustrious ancient civilisations and a fast emerging global power. more than 70 years after