our medical editor, fergus walsh. - they are approved. our medical editor, fergus walsh. our medical i editor, fergus walsh. thank you. lots more online including a piece featuring interviews with some of those with dementia and their families. they share their tips for living with the condition, how to talk to people with dementia and how they have learned to adjust to their changing brains. that is at... this was greece today as firefighters battled wildfires that forced residents and holiday—makers to flee coastal towns south of athens. more than 1,000 children had to be moved out of holiday camps there. it comes a blistering heatwave is intensifying in various parts of the world including large swathes of europe, where the highest temperatures recorded today were in sicily and southern spain. across the atlantic — in death valley — already one of the hottest places on earth — it reached more than 50 degrees. in china, the country's hottest ever temperature was recorded in shing jiang — 52.2 degrees. in a moment we'll hear from our climate editor justin rowlatt, but fi

fergus walsh, drugs in years to come. fergus walsh. thank— drugs in years to come.n 1,000 children have been moved out of holiday camps in greece which are being threatend by wildfires near athens. a blistering heatwave is intensifying across much of southern europe, with warnings that records could be broken in many places. temperatures in sicily and sardinia are predicted to reach 49 degrees celsius. very high temperatures are also being felt elsewhere around the world. in the us, in death valley — already one of the hottest places on earth — temperatures reached 53.9 celsius on sunday. our climate editor, justin rowlatt, reports from southern spain. gale—force winds fanned the flames of wildfires just south of athens today. several seaside villages were cleared, as more than 100 firefighters — supported by 11 planes — battled to contain the blaze. and more than 1,000 children were evacuated, as a second wildfire threatened to engulf the holiday camp in southern greece they were staying in. it comes as a second blistering heatwave sweeps into europe. temperatures

we will hear more from our medical editor fergus walsh.et's turn to one of those headline stories. on thursday, voters go to the polls in three constituencies across england in a series of by—elections which will provide a major test of rishi sunak�*s authority. the conservatives currently hold all three seats, but the prime minister faces the possibility of losing them all after their previous mps resigned from parliament. and over the next few days, we'll be in all three seats. today, it's the turn of selby and ainsty in north yorkshire. the seat was held by the former minister and conservative mp nigel adams, who quit in the wake of his ally borisjohnson�*s resignation as an mp last month. labour believe they can prize the seat away from the conservative party despite a 20,000 majority for the tories at the last election. let's go live now to selby to my colleague luxmy gopal. yes, matthew, here against the backdrop of selby abbey, in a constituency of around 100,000 people, the two main political parties have been bringing out their bi

fergus walsh, bbc news let�*s take a look at some other stories in the headlines....seven people were also injured in the crash. a fire brigade spokeswoman said the weather was a "probable cause" for the crash. tunisia and the eu have signed a deal to tackle "irregular" migration — meaning those moving in breach of rules. tunisia has become the main departure point for migrants trying to cross the mediterranean to europe. the deal includes $118 million to stop smuggling, strengthen borders and return migrants. supporters of the prominent afghan education activist, mat00la wesa, have called for his release more than 100 days after he was detained without charge. mr wesa, a well—known campaigner for girls�* education in afghanistan, was arrested by the taliban government in march. colleagues at mr wesa�*s campaign group he founded say he hasn�*t been allowed to defend himself and there�*s been no contact with his family. the fifa women�*s world cup is nearly here — it kicks off on thursday. and members of australia�*s national team — the matildas — are calling calling f

fergus walsh, bbc news.e london — and franceso branca, a food safety expert at the world health organisation. i)(guest 2) thank you coming on the programme. let's start with you, just in your words, give us an idea how worried you are about this aspartame and the risks? we you are about this aspartame and the risks? ~ . , . you are about this aspartame and the risks? ~ ., , ., ., , ., risks? we have started to be worried when we saw — risks? we have started to be worried when we saw that _ risks? we have started to be worried when we saw that some _ risks? we have started to be worried when we saw that some of _ risks? we have started to be worried when we saw that some of the - risks? we have started to be worried. when we saw that some of the studies particularly in france were showing some signs of prevalence increases of type two diabetes but also some cancers in high—level consumers. these are studies that have limited value because of the risk of confounding. therefore we have reassessed the risk of ex

our medical editor fergus walsh has more details.s found in thousands of products, most commonly in sugar—free drinks, but also some toothpastes, yogurts and cough sweets. it is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so you get the sweet taste for a fraction of the calories. a who committee has listed aspartame as possibly carcinogenic on the basis of limited evidence that it may increase the risk of liver cancer. and it wants more research. this shouldn't really be taken as a direct statement that indicates that there is a known cancer hazard from consuming aspartame. this is really more a call to the research community to try to better clarify and understand the carcinogenic hazard that may or may not be posed by aspartame consumption. aspartame has been placed in a group of products deemed possibly carcinogenic to humans, along with things like aloe vera and asian pickled vegetables. this is below things deemed probably carcinogenic, like nightshift work and eating red meat. the highest group, where there is clear evidence they can cause c

the bbc�*s medical editor fergus walsh spoke exclusively with one of the patients from the trial.'m sure this is going to be successful. it'll get all the rubbish off the top of my brain and i'll be back to normality. i'm very confident about that. dr emer macsweeney with recognition health, a uk—based research institute that studies alzheimer's treatments, discussed the gravity of the findings. this is really significant. this is one of the biggest breakthroughs in so much as this disease is a pandemic, it's getting more and more common. but there are risks to this drug. three people died after receiving the treatment due to brain swelling. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh puts it all into perspective. patients on the drug were more likely to be able to continue with independent lives — to be able to drive, to do their shopping, handle theirfinances, than those who were on a dummy drug. now, these benefits are modest, but they are a start. i think it possibly is akin to where we were with cancer treatments coming in the 1970s. it heralded in an era of better treatments and now we

fergus walsh, bbc news.ion public sector workers in the uk, such as teachers and doctors, are being offered pay rises of between 5% and 7%, as the government attempts to end strikes over pay and conditions. junior doctors are currently on a five—day stoppage, in a dispute which began over last year's settlement. the prime minister rishi sunak said the pay rises were the final offer, and that they would be funded by departmental savings, not extra borrowing or new taxes. teaching unions have urged their members to accept and to end strike action. the taliban has ordered teacher training centres to be closed in afghanistan. the islamists called them unnecessary and ineffective. the nearly 4,000 staff are to be moved to a new department, or employed as teachers in schools. japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the fukushima nuclear plant into the pacific ocean could begin any day now. it was backed by the un's nuclear watchdog last week, but it's sparked concern and anger in both the country an

fergus walsh, bbc news. cases in london because of low levels of vaccination — that's according to the uk health security agency. it says there's an "urgent" need to vaccinate children, teenagers and young adults because levels of measles, mumps and rubella immunisations in the uk are at their lowest level in a decade. 0ur health correspondent james gallagher is here. how concerned should we be? if you have been vaccinated then not very but as you point out vaccination rates are at the heart of this. at the lowest rates for a decade but go back to the train at the millennium when newspapers were full of scare stories around autism and the mmr jab, that led to a dip in vaccination rates so you have the current children and the turn of the millennium children with low rates of vaccination on the number crunchers have gone we have this incredibly infectious virus, one of the most contagious window and door vaccinations. run the numbers but do we get? production is a 40,000-160,000 we get? production is a 40,000

fergus walsh, bbc news.what you're seeing here is a florida duo — known locally as the "glades boys," capturing the longest—ever recorded burmese python in the us state. weighing an impressive 125 pounds and measuring a staggering 19 feet in length, the record—breaking catch was officially verified by the conservancy of southwest florida. hello. a heat wave in the mediterranean dominating the european weather headlines at the moment. but because at home, it is all about low pressure and unseasonably wet and windy weather for this time of year. the low pressure will gradually drift north and east and dominate the story throughout the weekend. gusty winds across parts of west wales and south west england this morning, 45 to 50 mph, on top of that we will also see some pretty persistent rain, values —— that is gradually drifting north and east as we go through the rest of the day. showers for scotland on the whole but not that much in the way of sunshine generally across the country. the heaviest of the rain in

fergus walsh, bbc news.cal school we can speak to dr duane mellor who is the lead for nutrition and evidence based medicine. welcome to the programme. the kerns about aspartame are nothing new, are they? why is it always surrounded by controversy? i they? why is it always surrounded by controversy?— controversy? i think it's about the evidence continues _ controversy? i think it's about the evidence continues to _ controversy? i think it's about the evidence continues to pop - controversy? i think it's about the evidence continues to pop out - controversy? i think it's about the evidence continues to pop out in i evidence continues to pop out in groups of people are concerned about it. when i was working on my phd, there were studies being done on people who are sensitive to it as and had headaches and there is a placebo with those wet up her cereal bar and they didn't have the side effects and symptoms that were recorded, and we did a little blood markers and other tests, and there was no difference between

fergus walsh, bbc news.er a "dangerous" political situation and the freezing of its bank account. the show was known for being critical of authorities and campaigning for press freedom. before the final broadcast, founder tsang kin—shing said "hong kong's politics faces a cliff—like change. "even if we invite guests to the programme, "they cannot speak freely." that's all from us here in washington. we leave you with these live pictures of london as we hand off to our colleagues there. thanks for watching. hello there. after what we had on friday, it's hard to believe that this june could be the warmest on record. across north yorkshire, temperatures were around 16 degrees in the afternoon. some other parts of the country were colder still. we're going to find more sunshine, though, over the weekend — the start ofjuly — in this clearest slot with the thicker, lower cloud moving away, taking the rain away as well. we're going to be left with more of a north—south split this weekend with the sunnier, warmer we

fergus walsh, bbc news.ing a three—week trial at chester crown court. the former manchester city player had been accused of raping one young woman and the attempted rape of another. he was found not guilty on both counts and broke down in tears as the verdicts were read out. his lawyer thanked the jury but said the case had had a "serious impact" on him. india's space agency has launched a new effort to land a rover on the moon, which, if successful, will be the first to take place at the lunar south pole. the rocket carrying it blasted off from the spaceport in the southern indian state of andhra pradesh. so far only three space agencies — the united states, the former soviet union, and china — have managed a controlled lunarlanding. the time is 6pm. our top story this evening... hollywood films and tv shows to be disrupted, as actorsjoin writers on an indefinite strike. and coming up... we chat with oppenheimer director christopher nolan about those strikes, and his new film. and in london... coming up on

fergus walsh, bbc news.by tim beanland who is the head of knowledge at the alzheimer s society.. so good to talk to you. thanks for taking the time to speak to us. how common is it to have a diagnosis like fiona phillips at that young age? like fiona phillips at that young are? �* , like fiona phillips at that young aye? �* , ., like fiona phillips at that young are? h ., ., . like fiona phillips at that young are? �*, ., ., . 4. age? it's not common. we think there are about 70. — age? it's not common. we think there are about 70. or— age? it's not common. we think there are about 70, or up _ age? it's not common. we think there are about 70, or up to _ age? it's not common. we think there are about 70, or up to 70,000 - age? it's not common. we think there are about 70, or up to 70,000 peoplej are about 70, or up to 70,000 people with so—called young onset dementia, the before the age of 65. 75,000, i'd to a total of 90,000 people in the uk who have dementia. one in 15 or so, the uk who have dementia. one

fergus walsh, bbc news. didn�*t seem to put her off her strike. our sports correspondent andy swiss has been watching the day�*s action. for wimbledon, another day of disruption. firstly, yet more rain. and then, on court 18, with grigor dimitrov about to serve, this. two protesters from the campaign groupjust stop 0il, scattering confetti along with the pieces of a wimbledon jigsaw. one of them briefly sat down on the court before both were arrested by police and removed from the grounds. and in the very next match, it happened again. another protester with confetti, and although he was soon stopped by security staff, another clean—up operation. even the two players, including britain�*s katie boulter, helped out, but there was still a short delay. after yesterday�*s downpour, the championships were already playing catch—up, so many matches to get through, not least for some home hopes. arthur fery is nearly a foot shorter and 400 ranking places lower than daniil medvedev, but at times you would scarcely ha

our medical editor fergus walsh reports. hello. are you all right, mr colley? hi, yes. yes.colley has alzheimer's disease, yet the 80—year—old feels incredibly fortunate. i'm one of the luckiest people you'll ever meet. just for this. that's because he's been on the global trial of donanemab for two years. he's come with his son for his monthly infusion, at this clinic in london. i seem to get more confident every day. and i'm sure this is going to be successful. they'll get all the rubbish off the top of my brain and i'll be back to normality. i'm very confident about that. i never thought that i would see my dad just so full of life again. you know, now we have hope and, two years ago, we didn't. and, you know, that'sjust an incredible difference. i'd like you to subtract seven - from 100, and keep subtracting seven from each answer until i tell you to stop _ so what is 100, take away seven? 93. despite mike's optimism, donanemab is not a cure. his memory and ability to process information are still impaired. 86... but full results of the trial show the drug slowed cogniti

but there questions about the cost and safety of the new drug. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh spokel right, mr colley? hi, yes. yes. i've got your donanemab here for you... mike colley has alzheimer's disease, yet the 80—year—old feels incredibly fortunate. i'm one of the luckiest people you'll ever meet. just for this. that's because he's been on the global trial of donanemab for two years. he's come with his son for his monthly infusion at this clinic in london. i seem to get more confident every day. and i'm sure this is going to be successful. they'll get all the rubbish off the top of my brain and i'll be back to normality. i'm very confident about that. i never thought that i would see my dad just so full of life again. you know, now we have hope and, two years ago, we didn't. and, you know, that'sjust an incredible difference. i'd like you to subtract seven from 100, _ and keep subtracting. seven from each answer until i tell you to stop. so what is 100 take away seven? 93. despite mike's optimism, donanemab is not a cure. his memory and ability to process information are sti

here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. hello. are you all right, mr colley? hi, yes. yes. i've got your donanemab here for you... mike colley has alzheimer's disease, yet the 80—year—old feels incredibly fortunate. i'm one of the luckiest people you'll ever meet. just for this. that's because he's been on the global trial of donanemab for two years. he's come with his son for his monthly infusion, at this clinic in london. i seem to get more confident every day. and i'm sure this is going to be successful. they'll get all the rubbish off the top of my brain and i'll be back to normality. i'm very confident about that. i never thought that i would see my dad just so full of life again. you know, now we have hope and, two years ago, we didn't. and, you know, that'sjust an incredible difference. i'd like you to subtract seven - from 100, and keep subtracting seven from each answer until i tell you to stop. - so what is 100, take away seven? 93. despite mike's optimism, donanemab is not a cure. his memory and ability to process information are still impaired. 86... but full re

new drug in the fight against alzheimer s has been hailed a "turning point". 0ur medical editor fergus walsh

our medical editor fergus walsh has spoken exclusively to one of the patients on the trial. hello.olley has alzheimer's disease, yet the 80—year—old feels incredibly fortunate. i'm one of the luckiest people you'll ever meet. just for this. that's because he's been on the global trial of donanemab for two years. he's come with his son for his monthly infusion, at this clinic in london. i seem to get more confident every day. and i'm sure this is going to be successful. they'll get all the rubbish off the top of my brain and i'll be back to normality. i'm very confident about that. i never thought that i would see my dad just so full of life again. you know, now we have hope and, two years ago, we didn't. and, you know, that'sjust an incredible difference. i'd like you to subtract seven - from 100, and keep subtracting seven from each answer until i tell you to stop _ so what is 100, take away seven? 93. despite mike's optimism, donanemab is not a cure. his memory and ability to process information are still impaired. but full results of the trial show the drug slowed cognitive decl

let's get more on this aspect our medical editor fergus walsh, that is a weight has been described, turningell us more about the data they have published. more than 1700 patients _ data they have published. more than 1700 patients globally _ data they have published. more than 1700 patients globally on _ the trial, there was a slowing of cognitive decline, by about a third, that means patients from the drug were more likely to continue with independent lives, drive, do their shopping, handle theirfinances independent lives, drive, do their shopping, handle their finances than those who were on a dummy drug. it came with potentially serious side effects, deborah three treatment—related deaths amongst those taking the drug. because it can cause brain swelling and bleeding, so patients need to know the risks and also to be carefully monitored, which brings us to scans. you need a specialised type of scan to check whether you have this particular protein which the drug clears. it is a dunk that builds up in the brain of alzheimer's patients, the drug is effective at clearing it. but at present

fergus walsh, bbc news.tors are going on strike for the first time in a0 years, which will halt most american film and tv productions. matt damon and emily blunt were among the stars, who left the london movie premiere of oppenheimer, after walking the red carpet. here's our los angeles correspondent, peter bowes. from a red carpet in london... ..to studios in la, actors are walking off the job. even before the strike had officially started, stars at the much—anticipated uk premiere of oppenheimer showed their solidarity with fellow actors here in hollywood. cillian murphy and emily blunt left the screening, along with matt damon, who said it was in support of colleagues who are struggling to make a living. you have to make $26,000 a year to qualify for your health insurance. and there are a lot of people who get across that threshold through their residual payments. and so, you know, we can go long stretches without working, and not by choice, obviously, and we have to find a way to bridge so that so that t