should get the death penalty. and after being closed by the kremlin in the early days of war, russia s last remaining independent tv channel makes a defiant return to the airwaves. hello and welcome. yes, it is warm, isn t it? especially if you are tuning in across europe. europe is waking up to another day of brutal temperatures and the reality of a fast changing climate. in france, several towns and cities recorded their highest ever temperatures on monday. the uk is expected to follow suit today. and it s notjust the heat. wildfires and now drought are having a devastating impact across the continent. with the latest, here s the bbc s tim allman. in much of europe, the heat is just relentless. here, in western france, columns of smoke make this look more like a war zone than a tourist destination. firefighters do what they can, spraying the trees with water. at this nearby hotel, they put gas canisters in the swimming pool to try and stop them exploding. the flames are now
have gone over it. the overnight temperatures did not drop below 25 degrees for some, emily more in yorkshire was one of the hottest spots. the daytime has certainly gone, as ipm spots. the daytime has certainly gone, as 1pm the first a0 celsius day in the uk at heathrow. wales saw their hottest day yesterday, not quite so hot today, potentially getting hotter in scotland to break the national record under northern ireland things have already started to cool down. and in northern ireland. in western areas we have the first signs of some fresh air pushing on, across central and eastern parts of the heat continues to build. temperatures will drop a little across the southernmost counties, they be dropping a little london areas but from london northwards towards parts of the east midlands, lincolnshire and yorkshire we could she democracy temperatures topped ai we could she democracy temperatures topped a1 or a2. temperatures will drop further across northern ireland in weste
the meeting is taking place in the great hall of the people and will last for 10 days. the congress is the body which debates and approves government policy. these are live pictures. high on the agenda is the state of the chinese economy, and concerns about economic growth. they are also expected to discuss ways to reform finances, the future of international trade policies and how to tackle pollution. chinese premier li keqiang will deliver the country s economic report card to the npc. our bbc china editor, carrie gracie, is in beijing. lots to talk about in the next few hours and days? that s right. the government work report this is the state of the union address, effectively, from the prime minister and it sets out the growth rate, the rate of defence spending, other key targets, it looks at achievements and looks to challenge is up ahead. as expected, a key figure in this report is that the growth rate around 6.5%, possibly higher is why they are aiming at for 2017.
surprise and set her on course for a major battle with the uk government. westminster says not now to a vote, but do ministers mean, not ever? and at westminster tonight, the house of lords is set to approve the bill allowing the brexit process to begin. also on the programme we report from somalia and uganda on the famine threatening more than 20 million people in africa and the middle east. many thousands of rail passengers are affected by strike action across england, affecting three train companies. and at buckingham palace, the queen starts the baton relay for the commonwealth games of 2018. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news. birmingham and liverpool host an interest in hosting the 2022 commonwealth games, after it is announced that it won t be taking place in durban any longer. good evening. the first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, is to seek permission to hold a second referendum on independence between the autumn of next year and the spring of 2019. she
instead of playing politics with the future of our country, the scottish government should focus on delivering good government and public services for the people of scotland. politics is not a game. the other main headlines this hour: as famine looms for 20 million people across africa and the middle east, we report from somalia. rail services on some of the busiest lines in england have been disrupted because of a 24 hour strike. and the queen launches the baton relay for next commonwealth games, which are being held on australia s gold coast next spring. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the legislation to begin the process of the uk leaving the european union, the so called brexit bill, has been approved by both houses of parliament. amendments earlier proposed by the house of lords, which would have protected the rights of eu citizens living here and given parliament a final say on the outcome of the exit talks, were dismissed. the way is now clear for theresa may to