peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.people have marched through the streets of budapest to mark what organisers say is the largest gay pride gathering in the country's history. it comes after viktor orban�*s right—wing government pushed through a law banning the portrayal or promotion of homosexual or transgender content to people under 18. courtney bembridge reports. thousands gathered in budapest to send a message of acceptance, unity and defiance. i think it's more important than ever to out onto the streets and show that we are together, we are joined in this fate date and fight for the rights and the freedom for lgbtq people. the annual parade on took on special significance this year after a controversial law was passed, making it illegal to depict homosexuality and gender reassignment to children. so that means, you know, books with gay characters and, it with gay characters in, it means advertising it means television programmes with any kind of portrayal or discussion of lgbt themes is technically against the la

peter bowes, bbc news.nisation, tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, says the tokyo 0lympics should go ahead to prove what can be done if the correct covid safeguards are in place. he was speaking to the international olympic committee. beyond competition, beyond metals and records, the games bring nations together in celebration, a celebration of sport, a celebration of health, a celebration of excellence, a celebration of friendship and respect. but, ultimately, they are a celebration of something even more important, of something that our world needs right now more than ever... a celebration of hope. find right now more than ever... a celebration of hope. and there are only two — celebration of hope. and there are only two days _ celebration of hope. and there are only two days to _ celebration of hope. and there are only two days to go - celebration of hope. and there are only two days to go until. are only two days to go until the olympics open. 0ur correspondent is there for us. we are two days away from the op

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. wildfires across the united states as you can see. the dry weather is making matters worse. the west side of the country is particularly affected. in the state of oregon, the so—called bootleg fire is the country's largest. stefan myers is with the bootleg fire information team for the oregon state fire marshal. he is at the incident command post in lakeview oregon. thank you for coming onto the programme. can you bring us up—to—date with the latest on the ground? we up-to-date with the latest on the ground?— the ground? we now stand at 4001. .. 4100 _ the ground? we now stand at 4001... 4100 acres. - the ground? we now stand at 4001... 4100 acres. weather| the ground? we now stand at - 4001. .. 4100 acres. weather has 4001... 4100 acres. weather has been somewhat favourable the last couple of days to make great progress but it is heating up this weekend and we have concern for nearby communities. it have concern for nearby communities.— have concern for nearby communities. , ., , com

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.a region of ethiopia has appealed to all residents with weapons to mobilise against rebels from neighbouring tigray. this follows a similar call by the head of the afar region, leading to fears that the conflict in tigray could spread. hundreds of tunisians have taken to the streets of the capital, tunis, to demand the resignation of the government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. cases have been rising sharply, putting further pressure on the faltering economy. heavy rainfall has again caused severe flooding in parts of belgium ten days after flash floods killed at least 36 people. some of the worst affected areas were the city of namur and the historic town of dinant. more rain is forecast. the authorities in the western indian state of maharashtra say they will be implementing a flood management system after torrential monsoon downpour caused widespread devastation. more than 130 people have died in monsoon—related incidents and many are still missing. mayooresh konnoo

peter bowes, bbc news, washington.takeoff from new mexico was slightly delayed by bad weather but the flight is being seen as a milestone for the commercial space industry. from spaceport america in new mexico, here's sophie long. preparations were made before take—off... about 10 years and 1.5 hours behind schedule, in one of the most desolate areas of north america, a lifelong dream became reality. sir richard branson, along with two pilots and three other virgin galactic employees, were transported to the spaceship unity tethered to the mothership eve. then, take—off. this is the moment he's been waiting for. after more than 16 years and hundreds of millions of pounds, sir richard branson is now on his way to space. that's so cool. so, you can see the moment when they release right there. kelly, are you so excited to experience that? forjust under four minutes, they experienced weightlessness and enjoyed a view of planet earth that only astronauts can dream of. well, i've done some ridiculous things in my lifetime.

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.ed states, as you can see. as we've been hearing, the west side of the country is particularly affected. in the state of oregon, the so—called bootleg fire is the country's largest. stefan myers with the bootleg fire information team for the oregon state fire marshal gave us an update from the incident command post in lakeview, oregon. yeah, so we now stand at 4001 acres, or 4100 acres. we're at 42% containment. weather has been somewhat favourable the last couple of days to make great progress, but it is heating up this weekend and we do have concern for nearby communities. so you said there heating up this weekend, so is there — this is no time to relax or for complacency — things could get more intense? absolutely. we have inaudible 200 firefighters that are assigned to this, and all of them are staying vigilant as this has still been a very dry summer. we had drought conditions in this part of the state, so we still have a lot of dry fuels out there and we still remain concerned. a

peter bows they are in the united states.our website, including this special section looking at the latest developments in the war in afghanistan, and putting them into context of two decades of conflict. just log on to bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some of the stories making the headlines in the uk. britain's health secretary sajid javid has apologised for saying that people should not "cower" from covid—19. mrjavid, who's recently recovered from coronavirus, was accused of being insensitive and causing hurt. meanwhile, ministers are considering whether to insist on football fans being fully vaccinated in order to attend premier league matches. the uk's home secretary priti patel has said she remains "determined" to stop migrants crossing the english channel in small boats after 378 migrants arrived in england today. the french authorities said they'd intercepted a further five boats. so far this year, a record 8,500 migrants have made the sea crossing to the uk. thunderstorms moving across the south east of england hav

peter bowes, bbc news, washington. very challenging conditions.ce and sustainability at ucla. i asked him to explain the challenges faced by california in tackling the wildfires. we've really kicked off the fire season with the beckwourth fire, which is a fire complex which started 50 miles north of lake tahoe. 0urfield area, where we are studying long—range climate change and fires, is located less than 30 miles away to the south—west. the fire, however, is burning towards the north—east, so it's away from our field area. however, this has been a really unpredictable fire. they've only got it about 8% contained. a bit earlier in the week, it was over 20% contained. winds have picked up, temperatures are so high that water drops are evaporating before they have a chance to get to the fire, and people are losing their homes. it's a terrible situation. and it's really the start of the season for us. it makes it that much more worrying i suppose. can you learn anything year by year on these sorts of fires about managing them better or perhaps how muc

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.n update on the california fires. the extreme wildfire behaviour, we are calling at our new brand of severe weather, these are known as pyro cumulonimbus type structures, they are wildfire generated thunderstorms, if you want to think of it that way. the intensity of the fire because of the updraughts filled with hot ash and then much like a thunderstorm on that downdraught side with them and have rain or lightning, this involves wind speeds leaving the fire front anywhere from 60— 100 kilometres per hour, so what that does in that environment is take something like the dixie fire and allows it to spread so rapidly to the point where you have to do the large—scale evacuation, the fire burning so intensely that on radar we are actually detect ash as opposed to heavy rain like we might do during our winter season. so when we saw that type of activity on the dixie fire, it wasn't a surprise then that we saw this fire in just a surprise then that we saw this fire injust a span of surprise

peter bowes, bbc news, washington.d who's a professor of geography, environmental science and sustainability at ucla. thank you very much forjoining us. i understand that you had a wildfire very close to your own research facility. you can hardly get a clearer indicator of the challenges in front of you. of the challenges in front of ou. �* , ., of the challenges in front of ou. �* , . ~ you. right, it's unreal. we really kicked _ you. right, it's unreal. we really kicked off _ you. right, it's unreal. we really kicked off the - you. right, it's unreal. we really kicked off the fire i really kicked off the fire season with the beckwourth fire, fire complex which started 50 miles north of lake tahoe. ourfield area started 50 miles north of lake tahoe. our field area where we are studying long—range climate change advises located less than 30 miles away to the south—west. the fire, however, is burning towards the north—east, so it's away from our field area. north—east, so it's away from ourfield area. however, this has

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.e declared an end to their search for bodies at the site of a collapsed apartment block last month. the collapse at the the 12—story champlain towers south in surfside killed 97 people, with at least one person still missing. charles burkett is the mayor of surfside where the building collapsed. thank you very much for coming on the programme. the firefighters declaring an end to that search of the area. what happens next? right now we're moving _ what happens next? right now we're moving into _ what happens next? right now we're moving into a _ what happens next? right now we're moving into a different . we're moving into a different phase of the operation which is basically to continue to support the families who are just at the very, very edge are beginning to regain their footing as is the town of surfside but we have other pressing issues which is to find out how the building fell down. this is a third world phenomena and it is an emergency for us to get to the bottom of why that

peter bowes, bbc news. i spoke to amy wilentz — a journalist who focusses on haiti. she told me that much of the international community has grown fatigued of assisting haiti. i think we've just heard so far basically law enforcement, intelligence, fbi personnel. i don't think the united states has yet committed any troops to haiti — i don't see why it would at this point. i haven't seen — in listening to people and looking at videos on the ground, i have not seen a kind of chaotic unrest that even compares to what there was before jovenel mois was assassinated on the ground so i'm unimpressed by people gathering outside the police station and shouting and yelling about the guys who were arrested in the investigation into the assassination. there is a fractious history between haiti and the united states. president trump supported jovenel moise. president biden allowed him to continue his presidency, if you like. does this change the situation and the relationship between the us? well, i think it has — it h

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. more than half of an indonesian island. environmentalists say the gold mine threatens sangihe island's ancient forests which are home to endemic birds. and locals fear it will affect their water supply. the bbc went to visit the remote island to see what s at stake. 0ur asia editor rebecca henschke reports. this ranger was on patrol back in 1998 on the slopes of an extinct volcano when he heard bird sounds. translation: then i looked up the trees and i saw them. - perched on a branch. there were five of them. i was very surprised. i saw a bird that was meant to be extinct. he'd seen the cerulean paradise flycatcher, a bird only found here in sangihe and considered extinct for decades. its island home is rich in gold and now a canadian company has a permit to mine for it. their concession covers more than half the island. they insist the mine doesn't threaten the unique environment. we basically are under very strict environmental guidelines. it took a long time to get an environmental

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.s first medal of the tokyo olympics, winning a bronze medal. with me now is andy anson, he is the ceo of the british olympic association — which is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes. quite a few hours! quite an interesting _ quite a few hours! quite an interesting day. _ quite a few hours! quite an interesting day. our- quite a few hours! quite an interesting day. ourjob i quite a few hours! quite an interesting day. ourjob is i quite a few hours! quite anl interesting day. ourjob is to quite a few hours! quite an i interesting day. ourjob is to stay calm and keep focusing on everything is going smoothly and the athletes are in the right state of mind when they compete but it's nice to have they compete but it's nice to have the judo they compete but it's nice to have thejudo result they compete but it's nice to have the judo result and then they compete but it's nice to have thejudo result and then brad be reaching the final in tae kwon do as well

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. team for the oregon state fire marshal, gave us an update from the incident command post in lakeview oregon. yeah, so we now stand at 4,001 acres or 401,000 acres. we're at 42% containment. weather has been somewhat favourable, the last couple of days to make great progress, but it is heating up this weekend and we do have concern for nearby communities. we have 1,200 firefighters that are assigned to this and all of them are staying vigilant, as this has still been a really dry summer. we had drought conditions in this part of the state. we still have a lot of dry fuels out there and we still remain concerned. yeah, so we did have nine firefighters that tested positive. they are exhibiting mild symptoms and they were isolated from camp. others that came in contact were tested and luckily came out negative. so, this time, we're feeling confident that we have a handle on this. and it hasn't hampered firefighting efforts. in hungary thousands of people have marched through the streets o

our north america correspondent, peter bowes, reports.he north of the state, is growing rapidly. firefighters are battling day and night to try to bring it under control, but it's spreading with such ferocity that it's making its own weather, creating huge clouds that are generating lightning strikes across the region. about a fifth of the fire's perimeter has been contained, but officials say the extreme nature of the fire, along with low humidity, is hampering efforts to quell the flames. people have been evacuated from their homes in several nearby counties. smoke from the fire is travelling far and wide and is even reaching the neighbouring state of oregon, where it's helping firefighters put out the country's largest blaze, known as the bootleg fire, south of portland. a layer of smoke is blocking sunlight and creating cooler conditions, making it easier for firefighters to gain ground on the blaze. but the phenomenon, known as smoke shading, is unpredictable and there are fears that high temperatures and wind gusts later in the week

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.ick brown assistant professor of meteorology and climate science at sanjose state university in california. thank you very much. wildfires, first off. it is of the season, or rather it isn't, because it has started fairly early. the conditions have been primed for the dixie fire in particular. take us through those. . �* , in particular. take us through those. .,�*, , in particular. take us through those. ., �*, , ., ., those. that's right, they are a part of our ecosystem _ those. that's right, they are a part of our ecosystem in _ those. that's right, they are a part of our ecosystem in the _ those. that's right, they are a part of our ecosystem in the us - those. that's right, they are a part of our ecosystem in the us west i those. that's right, they are a part l of our ecosystem in the us west and california, but we have seen a long—term trend of increases in wildfire activities since the 1970s. part of that is our wildfire season is getting longer. we definitely say that this yea

peter bowes, bbc news.w from the us is amy wilentz, a journalist who focusses on haiti. thank you very much for being with us. do we know more about what the us will be sending to haiti? i what the us will be sending to haiti? 4' �* , ., haiti? i think we've just heard haiti? i think we've 'ust heard so far basically _ so far basically law enforcement, intelligence, fbi personnel. i think the united states has yet committed any trips to haiti and i don't see why it would at this point— i have not seen, listening to people and looking at videos on the ground, i have not seen a kind of chaotic unrest that even compares to what there was before jovenel moise was assassinated on the ground so i am unimpressed by people gathering outside the police station and yelling about the guys who were arrested in the investigation into the assassination.- investigation into the assassination. there is a fractious _ assassination. there is a fractious history - assassination. there is a| fractious history between assassina

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.te summit has said there's mounting evidence of the dangers we all face if climate change is allowed to get out of control. ashok sharma was addressing a meeting of environment ministers from more than fifty countries. dr sarah ivory is the director of centre for business, climate change and sustainability at the university of edinburgh business school. cani can i ask you first of all, can't ever say that an individual weather event is the consequence of change. what then is the former business secretary trying to communicate with this message?— secretary trying to communicate with this message? thanks for having me. we know there _ this message? thanks for having me. we know there will _ this message? thanks for having me. we know there will be _ this message? thanks for having me. we know there will be an _ this message? thanks for having me. we know there will be an increase - this message? thanks for having me. we know there will be an increase in l we know there will be an increas

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.mple, haven�*t even had theirfirstjab — among younger adults, it�*s almost half. in the whole of england, nearly 70% of the adult population has had both jabs, which is why auhorities say they�*re taking action. the bbc�*s martin forster reports. injanuary, worried people queued up to be vaccinated and the limiting factor was how quickly the nhs could get hold of vaccines. six months later, and it�*s a very different story. the vaccines are there, the vaccinators are there, but the nhs is dealing with a far more sceptical audience. while the north—east is seeing the highest rates of infection in the country, in newcastle, nearly three in ten adults remain completely unvaccinated. i guess there�*s a sense that perhaps we�*re getting towards the end of the pandemic and i think that�*s probably playing into people�*s minds as to, "actually, do i still need the vaccine, then?" of course, no—one told the virus that we�*re coming to the end of the pandemic and that�*s why we�*re seeing the n

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.o are sexually assaulted or harassed at work. the defence select committee found that 60% of female personnel had faced bullying, harassment and discrimination during their careers. the ministry of defence says many improvements have been made but admits women's experience isn't yet equal to men's. jonathan beale reports. what's it like being a female soldier, i'm often asked. this is the army's latest recruitment campaign, aimed at women. i'm the one stitching them up! i'm not a miss or a mrs, i'm a sergeant. it suggests gender is not an issue in today's armed forces. but this report by mps paints a very different picture. with women suffering disproportionately from bullying, harassment, discrimination and even sexual assault and rape. six out of ten women in our evidence said that they don't make complaints because of fear of reprisals and repercussions. and what we are finding is that women are subsequently leaving the military before their time. put some pressure on this for me. w

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. after severe flooding killed at least 58 people in central china. air, sea and rail transport has been halted in preparation for the heavy rains and high winds across large parts of china's east coast, including the financial hub of shanghai. more than1 million people have been forced to relocate due to record flooding in central china caused by heavy rain. business leaders across england are calling for an end to self—isolation rules for people who are fully vaccinated. it comes as the so—called "pingdemic" continues to cause staff shortages for thousands of firms. people in england with the nhs app on their smartphone are forced to self—isolate — if the app pings with a notification to say they've come into contact with someone who's tested positive for coroanvirus. but calls are growing for a re—think, as robert coxwell reports. this coffee shop in west hampstead in north london is thriving, while another round the corner is struggling, because some of their staff are self—isolatin

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.covid vaccination programme to be speeded up, and demanding the impeachment of presidentjair bolsonaro. gail maclellan reports. "out, bolsonaro". the message in 20 states across brazil. as the coronavirus death toll in the country passes half a million, protesters demand the resignation of the man they say is to blame — presidentjair bolsonaro. translation: we allowed this person to become the president _ of the republic and we are seeing the consequences of that today — in the absurd number of deaths due to the pandemic, due to the irresponsible way in which he handled the pandemic in brazil. the president has been famously dismissive of the health crisis — opposing masks and social distancing measures — and he's been criticised for the slow roll—out of vaccines. only i7% of the population is fully vaccinated. with a presidential election looming next year, mr bolsonaro's approval rating is at a record low and he faces investigation in the senate on charges of corruption. as night fel

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.239 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily rise since the start of the pandemic. people living in eight hotspots in sydney are being ordered to wear masks and they must stay within five kilometres of their homes. portsmouth football club have released three academy players following an investigation into the alleged use of racially abusive language in a social media chat group. the club began an inquiry after images allegedly showed some players posting offensive images and words in a private under—18 team chat group after england's defeat by italy in the euro 2020 final earlier this month. all three players have the right to appeal against the league one club's disciplinary process. yesterday, helen glover returned to the olympics to defend her coxless pairs title 18 months after giving birth to twins — the first mother to qualify for the british olympic rowing team. bbc sport africa's michelle katami has been speaking to other medal winning mothers from kenya about the challen

peter bowes, bbc news, washington.d the model is often taken for granted. he was speaking to our media editor amol rajan, whojoins me now. where does he think this thread comes from?— comes from? chief executive is nothin: comes from? chief executive is nothing but _ comes from? chief executive is nothing but diplomatic, - comes from? chief executive is nothing but diplomatic, i- comes from? chief executive is nothing but diplomatic, i asked comes from? chief executive is - nothing but diplomatic, i asked him if he thought the chinese model of the internet was in the ascendance, in the internet is much more authoritarian, used as a tool of surveillance, they crack down on companies that get to be, like a ride hailing app which they cracked down on last week, the chinese approach has inspired authoritarians all over the weekend. the chief executive did not refer to china by name when i asked him but as we see in this clip, i think his message was pretty emphatic. the free and open internet has been a tremendous force fo

here is peter bowes on the reaction. r as employees of these major copies are concerned, i think it still comes down largely to personal opinion as far as the reaction. i think people will have to make difficult decisions. phillipa: but while these larger companies get aot of public attention for their mandates, a survey from a found 72% of companies in u.s. were not at that stage, planning or requiring vaccine before going into the workplace. public opinion is evenly split on whether vaccine mandates should be introduced by private companies. robert blendon is a professor of health politics at harvard university. here he is on whether the mandate will be welcomed across the country. >> the country is divided. in democratic areas, and many of the countries you cite are very democratic areas, people, the democrats, have a different view than the more republican, conservative areas. and they are willing to have mandates of a type. we are talking about 40-point differences. so when somebody cites a company in san francisco,

here's our north america correspondent peter bowes.rtainly wants to lead and of course he is speaking at a time when people around the world are acutely aware, perhaps more acutely aware than ever before, of the effects of climate change. we are seeing the devastating floods in europe, feeling and experiencing it on the west coast of america and in canada as well, the effects of the heatwaves which have been going on for weeks now and of course fires burning like never before right across the western united states. and of course john kerry is trying to drum up support for the cop26 meeting in glasgow later on this year. and talking about that event being about 100 days away, he is talking in terms of 100 days to save the world from climate change, for the next 100 years. so i think utilising all the rhetoric that he can muster to put pressure on those countries especially china, and this message is really the same to cut carbon emissions, to countries, to stop deforestation and those other big issues that all go together to hopefully h

peter bowes in los angeles. northern california is in that position, spreading out of control. the weather conditions have helped a little bit in the past 24 have helped a little bit in the past 2a hours. it is just marginal because of the really searing heat we have been having over the past few weeks combined with the long—term drought which means all of the undergrowth and foliage that is burning isjust the undergrowth and foliage that is burning is just tender dry. the undergrowth and foliage that is burning isjust tender dry. these are really nightmare conditions for the firefighters and an example of how severe these are the rns some cases creating their own weather systems and that means there is a sequence of events that creates a cloud capable of lightning strikes and this one is generating lightning across northern california and that can start more fires. i across northern california and that can start more fires.— can start more fires. i think the fire they have _ can start more fires. i think the fi

peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.he day's other news. republican and democratic leaders in the us senate have reached agreement on the key elements of a $1.3 trillion infrastructure programme. the package is supported by president biden, who said the breakthrough showed that american democracy could "function, deliver and do big things". the vote takes place on wednesday. the ever given container ship, which blocked the suez canal for nearly a week in march, will finally arrive in the dutch port of rotterdam today. the ship, which grounded at the end of march, sealing shut one of the world's busiest waterways and causing a backlog in global trade, spent more than three months impounded by the suez canal authority during a dispute over compensation with its owners. a woman has beenjailed for five and a half years, for stealing diamonds worth more than £4 million, or 5.5 million us dollars from a jeweller in london. the court heard that lulu lakatos, who is 60 and was born in romania, swapped the gems for pebbles. prose

i'm joined now by our north america correspondent peter bowes.ling on his people to get vaccinated — what is the picture there now with levels of vaccination? phil there is a real there is real sense of urgency, fewer than 50% of people in this country are fully vaccinated but i think the most worrying statistic came from the cdc. today, they said just 24 the cdc. today, they said just 2a hours ago, those parts of the country better described as hot high rates of infection, as in 63% of the country. today, it is 67%. they described as bad in terms of the radio transmissions and these are the areas that people are being advised that whether or not there vaccinated, to wear facemasks and doors in public settings. and i think we heard this in the tone and the words of the president bear. and we're seeing a reflected effort up we're seeing a reflected effort up and down the country with people being put on this to get vaccinated. companies also saying that you need to get vaccinated — with netflix requiring all its actors and other personnel on its u

let's speak now to our north america correspondent peter bowes agreed to have you with us on the programmeightforward this is going to be? it’s programme. how straightforward this is going to be?— is going to be? it's not as straightforward _ is going to be? it's not as straightforward as - is going to be? it's not as straightforward as it - is going to be? it's not as i straightforward as it sounds, is going to be? it's not as - straightforward as it sounds, it is not a withdrawal of those two and a half thousand troops that have been in iraq for quite a number of years, this is more like a rebranding, and changing of the role of the servicemen and women in the country from the united states into more of a training and advisory role with the military. and it's been set for next month for withdrawing and that's been all but complete. the strips will stay in the country but play very different role. it would not be a combat role, but very much an important counterterrorism role. and they have acknowledged is needed. as they've said in the coming weeks, is not necessarily neededin coming wee

let's speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes.al workers and employees of google, facebook, netflix, we understand will have to show they have been vaccinated or face more testing but does this mean they cannot go to the workplace or does it mean they cannot do theirjob at all? at cannot do their “ob at all? at the cannot do theirjob at all? git the moment it is about going to the moment it is about going to the workplace, back to the office and the campus in the case of these huge companies like facebook and google but at the same time, google is actually extending its work at home policy into 0ctober so there is still the option at least in that company for people to choose to work at home but let's assume and hope that the virus eventually goes away or is at least under control, that people can return to the office in large numbers and i think that is the part where it is going to become a huge issue and dilemma for many companies, notjust the large companies, notjust the large companies but small companies, challenge corporate

for more on this, i'm joined now by our north america correspondent peter bowes.l rhetoric there from john kerry which is very much his thing. i suppose it's a pretty clear indication that the us is notjust back, it wants to lead? it the us is notjust back, it wants to lead? it certainly wants to lead? it certainly wants to _ wants to lead? it certainly wants to lead _ wants to lead? it certainly wants to lead and - wants to lead? it certainly wants to lead and of - wants to lead? it certainly l wants to lead and of course wants to lead? it certainly - wants to lead and of course he is speaking at a time when people around the world are acutely aware, perhaps more acutely aware, perhaps more acutely aware, perhaps more acutely aware than ever before, of the effects of climate change. we are seeing the devastating floods in europe, feeling it and experiencing it on the west coast of america and in canada as well, the effects of the heatwaves which have been going on for weeks now and of course fires burning like never before right across the western united states.

our correspondent, peter bowes, is in los angeles and has more.nt years, and many more of these what they are describing as megafires and they determine a fire as a megafire when it has burned more than 100,000 acres, and the one you referred to in northern california is in that position, just spreading out of control. the weather conditions have helped a little bit in the past 2a hours or so. but it is just marginal because of the really searing heat we have been having over the past few weeks combined of course with the long—term drought which means all of the undergrowth and foliage that is burning is just tinder—dry. these are really nightmare conditions for the firefighters and an example of how severe these fires are, they are in some cases, and this is a good example, creating their own weather systems. by that i mean the air is so hot above the fire that it rises, there is a sequence of events that creates a cloud capable of lightning strikes and this one is generating lightning right across northern california and that can start more fire

let's speak now to our north america correspondent peter bowes. in may, they said no masks.this really reflects _ only, why this u-turn? this really reflects a _ only, why this u-turn? this really reflects a concern - only, why this u-turn? this really reflects a concern of| really reflects a concern of the federal government and disease control and prevention about the search and the number of cases of coronavirus especially across certain areas like florida where there has been a real peaking of new infections in recent days and weeks and so the advice now, and it is an advisory body on health and infectious diseases and saying that all americans, whether vaccinated or not, should wear a mask indoors in a public setting and interestingly, that rule was broken here about ten days ago because this is indeed one of the areas where there has been a surge in the number of cases and president biden once again urging all americans if they haven't already, to have the covid—19 vaccine and the president also speaking a short time ago at the white house and saying that he is conside

our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. there is a growing sense of urgency.ut half the population is fully vaccinated, but infection rates are rising, the delta variant is spreading rapidly, and the number ofjabs in arms is much lower thanjoe biden wants to see. the president is about to announce that all government workers and contractors being vaccinated against covid 19 will be required to submit to regular testing. we still have a lot of people not vaccinated. a pandemic we have now is the pandemic of the vaccinated, so please, please, please, please, go get vaccinated. protect yourself and your children out there. it is important. mil and your children out there. it is important. all americans are being _ it is important. all americans are being advised _ it is important. all americans are being advised to - it is important. all americans are being advised to wear- it is important. all americansl are being advised to wear face masks again indoors, in public spaces, in areas where there are substantial or high transmission rates. that applies to 67% of co

let's speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes.eral workers and employees of google, facebook, netflix — is it a case of they have to be vaccinated to go to the workplace but can work remotely if they aren't vaccinated? or is there entire job under question if they are not vaccinated? it question if they are not vaccinated?— question if they are not vaccinated? . . , , vaccinated? it certainly raises the question. _ vaccinated? it certainly raises the question, at _ vaccinated? it certainly raises the question, at the - vaccinated? it certainly raises the question, at the moment| the question, at the moment what these big companies are saying, facebook, google and others is that if their employees want to come back to the campus, to the office, to the campus, to the office, to the workspace, they have to be vaccinated but it does leave that question hanging as to if they are not vaccinated for whatever personal reasons, what happens to theirjob. we are in that period of time where things are changing very rapidly, in fact we're get

here's peter bowes on what the reaction has been to that.ncerned, | i think it still comes down largely to personal opinions. _ ias far as their reaction will bel i think people will have to make difficult decisions. but whilst these larger companies gain public attention for their mandates, a survey from may found 72% of companies in the us were not planning on requiring vaccination before entering the workplace, and public opinion is evenly split on whether or not vaccine mandates should be introduced by private companie. by private companies. robert blendon is a professor of health politics at harvard. here he is on whether the mandate will be welcomed across the country. so, the country is divided. in democratic areas, and many of the companies you cite are in very democratic areas, people, the democrats have a different view than more republican, conservative areas. and they're willing to have mandates of a type. so, we're talking about 40—point difference is here. so, when somebody cites a company in san francisco, there's no surprise,

our correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles and has more.d they determine when it's burned more than 100,000 acres. the one in northern california is spreading out of control. the weather conditions have helped a little bit in the last 2a hours or so, but it's reallyjust marginal because of the really searing heat and that we've been having over the past few weeks, combined with the long—term drought, which means all of the undergrowth and the foliage thatis of the undergrowth and the foliage that is burning isjust tinder dry. these are nightmare conditions for the firefighters and an example of how severe these fires are. they are in some cases creating their own weather systems. in some cases creating their own weathersystems. by in some cases creating their own weather systems. by that, in some cases creating their own weathersystems. by that, i in some cases creating their own weather systems. by that, i mean the air is so hot above the fire is a sequence of events which prison this massive cloud that is capable of lightning strikes —— p

here's the bbc�*s north america correspondent peter bowes.ncern of the federal government and the centre for disease control and prevention about the surge in the number of cases of coronavirus around the country, especially in certain states like florida where there has been a real peaking of new infections in recent days and weeks. so the advice now and it is an advisory body, a government advisory body on health and infectious diseases and it's saying all americans whether vaccinated or not, should wear a mask indoors in public settings. interestingly, i am in los angeles where that rule was brought in here about ten days ago because this is indeed one of the areas where there has been a surge in the number of cases and as you say, president biden once again urging all americans if they have not already, to have the covid—i9 vaccine and the president speaking a short time ago at the white house said he is considering requiring all federal workers, government workers, to have the vaccination as well. some media outlets are saying he will an

here's the bbc�*s north america correspondent peter bowes.vention about the surge in the number of cases of coronavirus around the country, especially in certain states like florida where there has been a real picking of new infections in recent days and weeks. so the advice now and it is an advisory body, a government advisory body, a government advisory body, a government advisory body on health and infectious diseases and it's saying all americans by their or not, should wear a mask indoors in public settings. interestingly, i am indoors in public settings. interestingly, iam in indoors in public settings. interestingly, i am in los angeles on that rule was brought in here about ten days ago because this is indeed one of the areas where there has been a surge in the number of cases and as you say, president biden once again urging all americans if they have not already, to have the covid—i9 vaccine and the president speaking a short time ago at the white house said he is considering requiring all federal workers, considering requiring all