BBC News Briefing

24 June, 2026

Alex Binley

Hello. There's no let-up in the heatwave that is punishing western Europe - we've got the latest and take a look at how it has reignited a row over air conditioning in France. Stanford graduates are rethinking their futures amid the AI boom. And meet Scottish football's newest fan, and yes, of course it can boogie.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Air conditioning creates political divide after France records hottest day

A man in black clothes with his back to the camera installs an air conditioning unit at a home. He is kneeling on a roof and is surrounded by wires and tools. Two other men also wearing black look out of a window next to him.

Only about 25% of homes in France have an air-con unit. Credit: AFP via Getty Images

France has recorded its hottest day since records began almost 80 years ago, with an average day and night temperature of 30C (86F), breaking the previous record set just the day before. On Wednesday, highs ranged from 39C (102.2F) to 43C (109.4F) across much of the west of the country, while June heat records were also broken in Spain and the UK as western Europe bakes amid a heatwave. As climate change pushes up temperatures across the world, Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service, causing increased summer heatwaves. Soaring temperatures in France have also reignited a political row over air conditioning - Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield has more on why it has become such a divisive topic.

Hugh's analysis

GET UP TO SPEED

The arms of a person wearing a blue medical gown, are seen. The person is also wearing blue medical gloves.

France confirms first Ebola case

The French doctor who tested positive had been working in DR Congo, where more than 260 people are known to have died.

Read more >

A woman with grey hair is seen in a slightly blurred image. Her head is slighjtly cocked to one side and she appears to be speaking. She is wearing a brown headscarf.

French woman 'held captive in Pakistan' rescued

Police said they had arrested a man who allegedly held his wife and children captive at home and abused them for 12 years.

What happened >

A block of flats is seen in darkness at night. Other buildings are seen in the darkness in the distance.

No power in Crimea's biggest city after Ukrainian strikes

Kyiv has been intensifying attacks on power facilities in areas held by Russia to damage oil revenues and try to force negotiations.

More on this >

NEWS FROM THE UK

'Excitement to emptiness': Families affected by the largest NHS maternity scandal - in which mothers and babies were harmed or died - tell their stories.

Andy Burnham: The former mayor of Greater Manchester looks on course to be the next prime minister, but who might be in his top team?

Take a look: For £200,000 ($263,380) this beach hut in Wales could be yours, but the catch is that it has no power or water. Here's what you get instead.

AT THE SCENE

Stanford University, California

Stanford was their golden ticket - could AI help or hinder that?

Ifdita Hasan is dressed in a black graduation gown and wearing a mortar board on her head, with a red drape around her shoulders. There are two more students similarly dressed behind her.

Computer science and AI graduate Ifdita Hasan encourages people to try and get used to AI.

American college graduates have made one thing clear to this year's speakers at their ceremonies - beware of bringing up artificial intelligence. Some of the biggest names in tech have been booed when they mention it. Even at Stanford, one of the US's most prestigious universities, which is regarded as a hotbed of innovation and resides in Silicon Valley, the backlash was inescapable.

Lily Jamali smiles at the camera. She has long dark hair and wears a red shirt with a black blazer. Her photo is against a plain grey background.

Lily Jamali, North America technology correspondent

Nearly all the graduates I speak to agree that AI is already changing the world around them, whether they like it or not. Ifdita Hasan is among the hopeful. "I think AI gives us the opportunity to learn more about the universe," she says. But she's not surprised by the backlash, noting that early pessimism is common with emerging technologies.

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Others are less sanguine about AI's arrival. What frightens Atash Heil is the uncertainty of what an AI-dominated future might look like. He is also one of several graduates who express concern about the approach many AI companies have taken towards developing the technology.

What others said

In video: Dozens of Stanford graduates walk out of Google CEO Sundar Pichai's speech.

Watch: The bosses of Google, Nvidia and Anthropic on what to study in the AI age.

Stocks tumble: A sudden wave of selling in major tech shares has triggered doubts over the sustainability of the AI boom.