We speak to the BBC’s climate editor Justin Rowlatt about the wildfires raging across Europe, and ask him how to prevent these blazes from becoming the new normal.

More than 300,000 people in France and Spain have fled their homes as the fires continue. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said the climate emergency is to blame for the fires, and warned that “difficult hours lie ahead” as his country braces for another heatwave. One official said Spain is facing a “national wildfire crisis”.

French President Emmanuel Macron has held a crisis meeting in Paris to discuss the government’s response as wildfires burn near the city of Bordeaux. The flames there are so intense that they have created their own thunderstorms in the form of pyrocumulonimbus clouds.

New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day. You can listen here: https://link.mgln.ai/GNP-YT

And you can find more of our YouTube episodes here: https://bbc.in/GlobalNewsPodcast

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#bbcnews

00:00 Introduction
00:18 How big are the wildfires?
01:05 Climate emergency
03:48 How to stop wildfires becoming an annual event
06:42 Political will to fight climate change
07:53 What you can do to counter the climate crisis

source

Firefighters are tackling major wildfires in France and Spain, with one blaze around nine miles (15 km) from the south of Bordeaux.
 
Lightning storms have also been triggered by the heat from the fire in Bordeaux, adding to rising concerns situations could become worse with more high temperatures to hit the area again as early as Tuesday.
 
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is visiting the areas affected by Castellón forest fires including Vall d’Uixó, a town near Valencia where as many as 6,500 hectares have been scorched.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#France #Spain #Wildfires #BBCNews

source

The US Justice Department is facing backlash from press freedom groups, after it was revealed the government secretly asked for the phone records of several journalists from the New York Times.

A newly unsealed legal filing shows that federal prosecutors targeted the communication logs of multiple investigative reporters, as well as members of their immediate families.

The move was reportedly apart of an aggressive attempt to hunt down anonymous sources behind high level national security leaks.

This comes after the DOJ sparked pushback earlier this month, when it issued subpoenas against Times journalists who reported on the new luxury Air Force One jet donated by Qatar.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews

source

Pressure has been growing on India’s government with thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters continuing to protest in the capital Delhi despite heavy rains overnight.

The youth-led movement, seeking education reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, got a boost on Tuesday when India’s main opposition Congress party leaders protested outside the prime minister’s house.

They were protesting against the brutal police crackdown on Monday’s CJP protest in which dozens of protesters and policemen were injured.
Congress shared videos of their MP Rahul Gandhi and others being dragged into buses and taken to detention centres. They were later released.

On Monday, tens of thousands of protesters flooded central Delhi after the CJP called for a march to parliament as the monsoon session began. At least 60 people were injured after police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#India #BBCNews

source

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has officially opened up the doors to Number 10 North which he has described as the “best day of my life”.

Adam is joined by Lucy Fisher – Whitehall editor at the Financial Times and Patrick Maguire Chief Political Commentator at the Times, and they discuss how No 10 North is shaping up and whether it will be more than just a gimmick.

Plus, they look back at Andy Burnham’s announcements in his first week in office and whether it sets a precedent for how he will run Government.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews

source