private is the cure? the private sector is going to be used more to tackle the backlog. a good or bad thing? more broadly, we want to do all of that side of things, does it fill you with alarm or you just think this is logical? if we want to try to cut the waiting lists we are seeing at the moment? it is certainly something that labour have supported, they said that the government or should have been doing some time ago. more broadly, what is your experience of nhs waiting lists at the moment? tackling the backlog is one of the prime minister's famous five priorities in his pledges, saying they are going to decrease, shorten, lessen the waiting lists. are you or a family member waiting for treatment or diagnosis question on how long have you been in the queue, how long have you been in the queue, how long have you waited and how is it impacting on your lines? are you 0k you waited and how is it impacting on your lines? are you ok with seeing a private provider if it comes to that, in the context of the health service? do you care who is giving you the treatment if it means you get seen, or do you worry about the principles of the nhs, the

increased use of private providers? is it the thin end of the wedge as far as you see it, the start of the slippery slope towards full privatisation that some people really worry about? let us know. there is the phone number, nhs weights, that is what we are doing. is private cure? let's get the news headlines. the world's oceans have had their hottest ever recorded temperature as they soak up warmth from climate change. scientists say the average surface temperature reached 20.96 celsius this week, surpassing the

previous high set in 2016. the government are set out plans to expand the use of the private sector to tackle the nhs backlog in england. 30 new community diagnostic centres are being set up, eight of which will be run privately. the sector already carries out hundreds of thousands of treatments for the health service each year, but it says it has the capacity to do around 30% more. five people who were arrested after an anti—fossil fuels protest at the home of the prime minister have been released on bail, pending further inquiries. greenpeace activists climbed onto the roof of rishi sunak�*s north yorkshire house and covered it in black fabric. donald trump has described his latest court appearance as a persecution of a political opponent. he said it was a very sad day for america. the former us president pleaded not guilty to conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat. it’s conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat.— election defeat. it's a vital regulator _ election defeat. it's a vital regulator and _ election defeat. it's a vital regulator and the - election defeat. it's a vital regulator and the earth i election defeat. it's a vital. regulator and the earth was microclimate and it's disturbing when we see in balance enough. they

have taken up almost all of the heat we produced when burning fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases. they also produce around half of the earth was like oxygen and dry weather patterns, and there is a very delicate balancing system. warmer waters can't take up as much c02 from the atmosphere so it reduces their role in mitigating climate change. it also leads to sea—level rises. scientists are also worried about the timing of the record. i've been following this for awhile. when i was speaking to scientists, they say that in 2016, the last time the record was broken, it was in march, and that is when the oceans are at their hottest. we are now in august, when they should not be so hot, there's a few more months to go until next march. scientists say it is making really nervous. the impact on humans and marine life, what could that be?— life, what could that be? marine secies life, what could that be? marine species will _ life, what could that be? marine species will move _ life, what could that be? marine species will move in _ life, what could that be? marine species will move in search - life, what could that be? marine species will move in search of i species will move in search of cooler waters, they have a range in which they are comfortable. fish are

already moving north towards the poles. some species are fixed and can't move, and is likely some of them will die. there's also the impact of marine heatwaves, spikes and temperature. last week we saw 38 celsius in the gulf of mexico, and scientists there are out on boats and they are seeing widespread coral bleaching, and coral dies when it can't survive high temperatures. it impacts fishing, many communities around the world live on that and survive on that income. it could also affect fish stocks in the uk. cod is one of them at the limit of the range. it is wide—ranging for marine life and for us in the planet. donald trump has described his latest court appearance as a "very sad day for america", after pleading not guilty to conspiring to overturn his defeat in the 2020 us election. mr trump denied four charges, at the same washington court where hundreds of his supporters

were convicted for their roles in the attack on the us capitol. from there, our correspondent nomia iqbal sent this report. it was the same atmosphere but a different venue. those who love and hate donald trump turned up outside the courthouse, ready for his arrival. 0nce donald trump lived as president in this city. but he returned as a criminal defendant. he faces four charges and is accused of orchestrating an astonishingly broad campaign to overturn the election results of 2020. it's alleged he used unlawful methods to try and get joe biden�*s victory blocked. inside court, mr trump's lawyer pleaded not guilty on his behalf. but the former president did speak as he left the city. this is a persecution of a political opponent. this was never supposed to happen in america. this is the persecution of the person that's leading by very, very substantial numbers in the republican primary and leading biden by a lot.

so if you can't beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him. it's easy to almost become immune to donald trump's legal problems. but this case is bigger than all the other indictments, and that is because ultimately it's about america's democracy and how the former president stands accused of trying to overthrow it. january 6th left a painful and indelible mark on the us�*s image here and worldwide. five people died and more than 1,000 were arrested. donald trump isn't charged with inciting the violence, but accused of exploiting it. for his supporters and many republican voters, every indictment turns him into a bigger hero. it's not going to change my vote, and i think it's actually going to make a lot of the american people understand exactly what we've been saying with regard to the witch hunt,

with regard to the political division in this country. i think it's going to earn him votes more than anything. that's how much i like donald trump. he's a man's man. and the problem is today, men in america don't know what a man's man is any more. donald trump could be facing a fourth indictment over election tampering and it's likely to propel him closer to clinching the republican party's nomination, allowing him to run again for the presidency. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. live now to peter trubowitz who is director of the phelan united states centre at the london school of economics — how high are the stakes here for donald trump? the stakes are huge. i mean, there's a big risk year that the indictment, there was a reporterjust before this, it indicated that the indictment will only fuel charges by

trump's aligns that the justice department is engaged in a witchhunt, and polarise an already deeply divided electorate. but the alternative, which was to effectively turn a blind eye to a mountain of evidence that trump sought to circumvent the will of the voters, it would have set a dangerous precedent, giving future presidents a pretty wide berth to question and challenge electoral results they didn't like. so, i don't think the special counsel, frankly, jack smith, had much choice in bringing this forward, but we shouldn't ignore the potential downside risks, especially if the us loses the case against trump. lets look at the — loses the case against trump. lets look at the political _ loses the case against trump. lets look at the political implications here. we are seeing cumulative indictments were donald trump. he is saying that he is a victim here. at the most important thing for him is

that he wants to become president again, he needs to get the swing voters, the independent voters. how do you think that is going to go down with those?— do you think that is going to go down with those? well, i think the first thing to _ down with those? well, i think the first thing to say _ down with those? well, i think the first thing to say that _ down with those? well, i think the first thing to say that it _ down with those? well, i think the first thing to say that it is - down with those? well, i think the first thing to say that it is going . first thing to say that it is going to boost his numbers, it will intensify support amongst his hard—core intensify support amongst his ha rd—core followers, intensify support amongst his hard—core followers, but with respect to independent voters, i think most of them had soured on trump, or many of them have, and a strong argument to be made that those floating voters cost him the election in 2020. while the indictment might excite his base, i think if the special counsel's case is airtight, and thejudge presiding over the trial is perceived as fair

minded, ithink over the trial is perceived as fair minded, i think the trial will only enforce independents misgivings about trump. i should say that none of this would mean that trump will lose the nomination all that biden is a sure win in 2024, given how divided the american left is, under the best of circumstances, this is going to be a close election, and you can concoct scenarios where biden loses in a head—to—head against trump, but i don't think trump is the biggest threat. the biggest threat to biden is a third—party candidate that cuts into his margin, should one appear. that is a possibility. where this ends up is a possibility. where this ends up is anybody�*s guests, but i think independent tos, as this unfolds, there misgivings about trump are only going to be reinforced. trier? only going to be reinforced. very interesting- _ only going to be reinforced. very interesting. let's _ only going to be reinforced. very interesting. let's finally - only going to be reinforced. very interesting. let's finally look at the legal challenge that donald

trump is facing, the prosecution, they really have to focus on intent here, did donald trump intend to do what they are accusing him of. could you talk us through what the prosecution angle will be, and the legal challenges ahead? weill. prosecution angle will be, and the legal challenges ahead?— legal challenges ahead? well, i actually think _ legal challenges ahead? well, i actually think the _ legal challenges ahead? well, i actually think the central - legal challenges ahead? well, i. actually think the central challenge facing the special counsel is to get this done quickly, but to ensure that the trial is perceived by the american public as fair, in the case against trump was overwhelming and airtight. the thing is, trump's legal team is going to do everything they can, they already indicated this yesterday, to delay proceedings, hoping to run out the clock. which for trump means getting two novemberfour, 2024, election day in the united states, without a verdict being rendered. were trump to win the election, as president,

he would almost certainly attempt to pardon himself, where he found guilty in this case or in any other likely court cases against him. peter trubowitz, as ever, thank you for your thoughts on bbc news. niger's ousted leader has urged the us and "entire international community" to help restore constitutional order after last week's coup. writing in the washington post, president mohamed bazoum said he was writing "as a hostage". unrest has erupted in the west african state since he was overthrown. 0ur africa correspondent catherine byaru hanga is following events for us in nairobi. we don't know how he managed to get this message to the washington post. he's been under military detention for a week now. the military who took power from him were actually his presidential guards that were meant to be guarding him in the presidential palace. but despite his circumstances, he was really critical of the army in niger.

he said they had no vision, and he defended his record, because he's been accused of not taking the country's security seriously, of being too allied to western powers, and he said, "well, look at my record." he says that islamist attacks, militant attacks in the country had actually fallen under his government. and then he made a call to the international community saying they should step in and try and stop this coup, because he says that niger is what he calls, "the last bastion," one of the few countries that was still democratic and was an ally to russia as well, which is a big concern in the sahel region where moscow is gaining influence. we've had this call from the ousted leader, but is there any sign that the international community is listening? i mean, so far this week,

we've just seen the evacuation of western citizens and embassy staff. i think the international community is listening because there have been several calls for the democratically elected government to be reinstated. so from the united states, from britain, from european countries, even russia, where there is concern that maybe russia might try to use this instability to gain influence, the government in russia says they want to see a return to the constitutional order. but what can they do if the military in niger has dug in as it has? because the military says it's not giving up power despite calls for it to step down, despite sanctions being imposed on the military leaders in the country, they say they're not leaving. so that means even though there have been aid cuts, sanctions, there's little else that the international community can do at the moment to help the besieged leader. and you mentioned russia a little earlier on. what is the extent of russia's involvement in the region? this week we've seen people waving russian flags. yes.

so we have to look at several countries in the region that in the sahel, in west africa. and so you have countries like burkina faso and mali, which also experience recent coups in mali, in particular, their the military government has allied itself very closely to moscow. it's invited fighters from the wagner paramilitary group there to help fight islamist insurgents in the country. in burkina faso, the government there is forging closer allies with moscow. but there is also a cultural aspect to this as well, a social political aspect, which is there is a lot of resentment against western countries, as well as the french former colonial power in this part of the world. and people really think that should

military governments take over, they'll be able to kick out french forces, french influence in the region. and they're looking perhaps to russia as maybe another ally, a fresh ally for them as they try to rebuild their countries security or rebuild their economies. so when we've seen these protests in niger, we've seen people carrying some people carrying russian flags and saying, long live putin, hoping that these that moscow might come in and try and, you know, better their situation. but it's important to say that even where moscow has taken a lead role, for example, in mali, we're still seeing islamist attacks. we're still seeing a strained economic situation. so it might appear as a quick fix for frustrated people in the sahel region, but maybe long term, it doesn't offer the opportunities that they might hope for. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let's look at some other stories making news. at least 18 people have been killed and more than 20 injured when a bus plunged into a ravine in northwestern mexico. three children were among the dead. officials said the bus was travelling from mexico city to the border with the united states. the driver has been arrested. representatives of hollywood's studios and producers are set to meet delegates from the writers guild of america. writers have been on strike since may — demanding more money and better protection from the impact of artificial intelligence. the producers say the guild's rhetoric has been unfortunate nicolas petro, the son of colombia's president, gustavo petro, has confessed to taking large sums of money from a drug cartel. he told prosecutors during a hearing that he put some of the money into his father's election campaign last year. president petro said he was hurt,

but would make sure the prosecution goes ahead in accordance with the law. you're live with bbc news. now, in the early days of russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine, many observers were surprised at how poorly the russian army's electronic warfare units performed. but nearly 18 months later, they're causing significant problems for ukraine's counter—offensive — disrupting even the most sophisticated weapons ukraine has received from nato countries. abduljalil abdul rasool has more details. this is a ukrainian electronic intelligence unit. theirjob is not to fight with guns, but to monitor emissions — signals used by drones, air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers and other weapons.

we can't show their faces for security reasons. the team leader, with the call—sign alain, says that russian forces constantly hunt down units like his. their mission is part of a hidden confrontation called electronic warfare. but how does it work? almost every modern weapon uses radio waves, microwaves, infrared or other signals to send or receive data. and electronic warfare uses this vulnerability in order to disrupt enemy's communications, gather intelligence and identify targets. and for the first time since world war two, we're witnessing a conflict where both sides are heavily relying on the electronic warfare systems as part of their military strategy. drones have become a key feature in this war, but this is what happens when they are jammed by electronic warfare systems. it's notjust drones that can be affected. most sophisticated arms ukraine has received from nato countries use a gps link for navigation.

so when russia jams this signal, even high precision weapons, including himars rocket artillery, can miss their target. that is why both russia and ukraine keep their electronic warfare — or ew — capabilities in secret. this war represents new and very effective abilities of drones, radars, communications. and all of these system could be affected with ew means. if we destroy russian jammers, we improve capabilities of our troops in detection and the ability to have precise strikes. here, ukrainian special forces have spotted pole—21, a russian system that jams gps signals. ukrainian artillery put it out of action. but russia is on the hunt for ukrainian electronic warfare units too.

alain's group comes under fire. he thinks that russian troops may have discovered their antenna and now are looking for their base. alain tells everyone to use single rounds in order to last till the morning. he decides to change their location because their position is compromised. the key in electronic warfare is being invisible to your enemy. abduljalil abdul rasool, bbc news, kyiv. pope francis is in portugal to mark world youth day, a week—long festival of religious and cultural events staged by the catholic church. we are going to take you to some live pictures of the pope. he has been meeting aid and charity representatives. he has also been celebrating the sacrament of

reconciliation with young people. he is therefore a five—day trip and is expected to see more than 1 million people in the country. live pictures of the pope as he meets lots more people in lisbon. 0ur correspondent alison roberts is following the visit and send this update. well, he's just about to start hearing the confession of three young people in an area in lisbon called the city ofjoy, where the organisers have set up 150 confessionals, where priests who can hear confessions in the five official languages of world youth day and with other priests with other languages standing by, can hear youngsters right until the evening hours. so he's doing that first. of course, young people are very, very delighted to see him. we saw yesterday the pictures of him driving around the venue in central lisbon in his popemobile, open aired, no glass

separating him from the crowds. hundreds and thousands of youngsters from all over the world — 184 countries according to the organisers. and we will see more of that this evening because there is going to be a re—enactment of the way of the cross, jesus christ's 14 stations on his way to being crucified. and again at the weekend, the pope will also be presiding over even larger ceremonies at a large event venue on the edge of lisbon on saturday evening and then again on sunday morning. and, alison, you mentioned there are some people who were very, very excited to see him, as you can imagine. but what's the general response from people in the country? of course, this comes after this damning report into child sexual abuse. yes, organisers say that about 350,000 people were registered to attend world youth day but that to a million could be there on saturday and sunday. of course, many of those will be portuguese from lisbon and from across the country. many of the youngsters that we have seen in town have come

from different parts of portugal. as you say, there is this issue of child sex abuse, historic cases, hanging over the church. in february a devastating report was produced by an independent commission saying that more than 4800 children had been abused, based on the testimony that they receive going back seven decades. but of course pope francis has made this an issue that he hasn't been afraid to comment on and on his first day here, he immediately began commenting on it in a sermon to portuguese clerics, who have been criticised for not acting more firmly and showing their determination to stamp out abuse, and to receive and listen to abuses. breaking news, andrew tate has had

his house arrest lifted by a court in bucharest. we understand he and his brother are expected to speak to the press shortly. stay with us on bbc news. for many of us it started on a dry note with some sunshine. we will see showers during the course of the day before most of us it is dry and i have been some spells already. that was the scene in falkirk first thing this morning. the showers most focused around eastern areas of england. look at the brighter colours here. some of the greens, indicative of some heavy, perhaps even thundery showers as we go through the afternoon. further north and west it is drier, lengthy spells of sunshine and maximum temperatures getting up into the high teens, may be the low 20s across southern areas of england. but as we go through tonight and into the start of the weekend, we have got another area of

low pressure that is moving its way in from the atlantic. the isobars here, the white lines, getting closer together, some strong wind devolving into saturday morning. throughout saturday, heavy rain and coastal gales. some improvements by sunday, a view showers and the wind will ease. a wet start to the day on saturday, particularly for northern ireland and into wales. heavy rain is running its way further eastwards as the morning goes on. gale is developing on the coast of wales and south—west england. that rain will gradually ease away from the southern and western areas, into the afternoon. a view showers following behind that, and for northern england, scotland and northern ireland, escaping the worst of the rain on saturday. some sunny spells but also some heavy showers through the course of the afternoon. it is going to be disappointingly cool for the time of year. look at the temperatures. 14 degrees in newcastle and birmingham, 17 or 18 degrees further south. this is sunday. as i said, some improvements. a drier day for most

of us. still some showers coming in on the north—westerly wind into parts of scotland and northern england, northern ireland also seem showers. there should be some dry spells and sunshine from time to time. temperatures up a little bit on saturday's values, 17 or 19 degrees. into next week, we have an area of low pressure moving to the east on monday and tuesday. then higher pressure starts to move in from the south. high pressure is what you want to see if you want drier, brighterand, forsome what you want to see if you want drier, brighter and, for some of us, warmer weather. temperatures as we go through wednesday and into the end of the week, getting up to the low or mid 20s. a sign of summer to come.

this is bbc news — the headlines... some afghan refugees face homelessness after being ordered by the government to leave hotels where they've been staying since fleeing the taliban. the mayor of london announces extra financial help ahead of the expansion of the capital's ultra low emission zone. and the biggest celebration of arts in the world begins this weekend — the edinburgh festival gets underway. afghan families given refuge by the uk are facing homelessness after being told by the government to move out of hotels.

the families, many of whom worked for the british government, came to the uk after the taliban takeover in 2021. the organisation representing councils in england and wales, said: one in five afghans being evicted from hotels have nowhere else to live and families were given three months notice in april to leave hotels. the home office has proposed £285m of new funding to ressettle refugees to resettle refugees into long term accomodation. let's now go live to our political correspondent jonathan blake for the latest update. talk the latest update. us through what is happening here. talk us through what is happening here. ~ ., talk us through what is happening here. ~ . ., here. when the taliban returned to ower in here. when the taliban returned to power in 2021. _ here. when the taliban returned to power in 2021, many _ here. when the taliban returned to power in 2021, many thousands - here. when the taliban returned to power in 2021, many thousands of| power in 2021, many thousands of afghans came to the uk, many of whom had worked to the british government they are. it was under a specific

resettlement scheme, where they have