welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: a us navy destroyer is seriously damaged in a collision off the coast of japan. at least seven crew members are missing. consternation in cuba — havana says it won't be forced into making political changes despite president trump announcing tougher policies towards it. angry protests in london as residents demand justice for the victims of the grenfell tower fire and support for the survivors left homeless. we are sent from hospital to hospital, to shelters, why is there no community help for family members — why? why do we have to go there and actively look for them? and keith palmer, the policeman who died confronting the westminster

attack in march, has been awarded a posthumous medal for his attack in march, has been awarded a posthumous medalfor his bravery. a us navy destroyer has collided with a philippine container ship off the east coast of japan. the navy says the uss fitzgerald is now heading for the nearby port of yokosuka under its own power. the japanese coast guard is at the scene. there are reports of some injuries. no details have been released about the container ship, the acx crystal. sarah corker reports. the uss fitzgerald sustained significant damage to its starboard side. in the middle of the night it somehow collided with a container ship in the approach to tokyo bay. us navy has confirmed that seven crew members are missing. up to three compartments are flooded but the ship is not in danger of sinking.

the incident happened at 2:30am local time on saturday. 56 nautical miles south—west of yokosuka, a busy commercial waterway. the warship has a crew of over 300 sailors. the number of injured are still unknown but two people including the ship's commanding officer were hurt and airlifted to hospital. there is major damage to the ship and any time you hear a ship is taking on water that means, of course, that the hull has been breached. this was notjust bumping, this was a serious collision we will need to wait to see why it happened, why the ships did not see each other or nor communicate clearly, or if there was something else around. this is the merchant vessel involved, the philippine registered acx crystal with light damage to the port bow. the fitzgerald is a guided missile destroyer. in february a $21 million upgrade and repair was completed. its role is to support security and stability in the asia—pacific region.

with the help of the coast guard, the warship is now slowly and headed back to port under its own power. these kind of incidents are rare butjust how did a warship, with one of the most advanced naval radar systems, hit a huge container ship in open water? cuba says it will not be forced into making political changes despite president trump announcing tougher policies towards it. the cuban government said it's willing to continue cooperating with the united states to improve relations but said any attempts to violate its sovereignty or impose political and economical change would fail. our correspondent will grant is in the cuban capital, havana. he told me the government there was taking a firm line. yes, and i think they felt they needed to give a very robust

response given that mr trump's own words were very, very powerful against the cuban government. he constantly referred to how communism was failing its people, how dissidents were being jailed, he called on them to come up with a better deal. he was vociferous, really, against the leadership, but military and civilian, in cuba. so i think that they really felt that they needed to respond to that in kind. and as you said in your introduction, said any attempt to change the political system in cuba would be destined to fail. what about the reaction from ordinary cubans? i imagine they are starting to feel the affects of this opening up in relations? they are in the sense that if you work in any area that's sort of directed towards tourism or catering for visitors from abroad, then the idea of that being curtailed somewhat by white house policy is obviously cause of some concerns and i think that more than anything most cubans just dared to begin to hope

that the days of firey rhetoric from the white house against the government in cuba might be behind them. it has been a long time, almost 60 years, they've been on a hostile footing with the united states. and a lot of people are very tired and to find that in fact those days are not completely behing them but they might be looking down the barrel of another four more is obviously the cause of some dismay for lots of people. one of the things that seems to have irritated president trump is businesses in cuba that are linked to the military. how does that work? there are two key parts to the cuban military in terms of the commercial and tourism wings but indeed the cuban military have scores of different companies and the suggestion is that us entities will now be banned from working directly with those

commercial and tourism wings. the problem is however that they are just so important to the cuban economy. they're involved in so many sectors of it — whether or not it's transportation, import—export, food production — the military are very, very key to the production and running of the cuban economy. and so to say that if anybody wants a serious commercial presence they'r egoing to somehow be able to do that without working with the cuban military, is to not really understand how cuba works. and that is one of the key criticism levelled at this new policy from the white house. president trump appears to have acknowledged that he's under investigation as part of the inquiry into alleged russian interference in last year's american election. in a tweet, mr trump repeated his accusation that the examination being carried out by a special prosecutor was a witch hunt.

protests have taken place in london to demand justice for the victims of the grenfell tower fire and support for survivors who've been left homeless. the number of people known to have died has risen to at least 30, but the bbc believes the total could be at least 70. anger boiled over at a demonstration at the headquarters of kensington and chelsea council, which owns grenfell tower. protesters tried to force their way in. there were also demonstrations in central london. jeremy cooke has the story. crowd chants: we want justice! a crowd storms kensington town hall, demanding action and justice. and demanding answers. we need to be heard! we all have things to say! we are in pain!

i understand that the response we get from the council is not satisfactory. they want to hear from the local authority officials who they hold responsible. justice! how could this tragedy have happened on this scale in this city in 2017? the whole procedure is chaos. we are sent from hospital to hospital, to shelters. why is there not a community house for family members? why? and then be told misled information? they are making us call, to find out if ourfamily they are making us call, to find out if our family members are alive. we

live in a modern world, why is it carried out like this? it doesn't make sense. but today, again, in the shadow of grenfell tower, a different kind of response. sorry! it is an overwhelming community tragedy with an overwhelming community response. if we get all the missing people on the same window... a continuing grassroots mobilisation, doing all they can. and visited today by royalty. a time to reflect and to thank. you guys did a brilliantjob in unprecedented circumstances. but the queen and prince william left in no doubt of the agony and the grief here. royal protocol meets raw emotion. william, harry, come on here, please! where are the children? family, friends. they are not my

children. when the queen turned up everybody came. here is the media, show the queen you are nice. sorry to be policemen, sorry to be firemen, but you are not doing the rightjob. the rescue crews are still making their way through the building. it's hard to imagine a more challenging task. dangerous and slow work, it is why the official death toll remains so much lower than what the people here expect, and what they fear. the building itself is in a very hazardous state. it is going to take a period of time for our specialists, both from the police and the london fire brigade, to fully search that building to make sure we locate and recover everybody that has sadly perished in that fire. we will be doing that as swiftly as we can.

i completely understand the need for those who have lost loved ones, that as quick as we can we are able to confirm that. tonight the government announced what it calls a comprehensive package of support for the victims. for people here, it cannot come soon enough. anger, frustration, disappointment. there is people out here who are looking for theirfamily is people out here who are looking for their family and their friends. we haven't seen anyone in authority who we can give some responsibility to. there is no one—hit to organise anything. i've got friends who died in there. nobody is telling us. we got friends who died in there. you get what i'm saying? what do you think it is, sir? they are not ringing out the truth, man. they need to talk the truth and get real, innit. when it was the manchester thing theresa may came down, she was all around. no truce. thing theresa may came down, she was allaround. no truce. —— truth. the investigations, the inquest

and enquiries will take months and perhaps years to complete, at the people here believe they already have a fundamental understanding of this tragedy, that the fire swept through the building at breathtaking pace and that so many people from this neighbourhood have lost their lives. the general belief here tonight, the ha rd est of the general belief here tonight, the hardest of truths, is that the dozens hardest of truths, is that the d oze ns of hardest of truths, is that the dozens of missing are among the dead. and so three days later, the fire is out, london rumbles on, and g re nfell tower, fire is out, london rumbles on, and grenfell tower, 127 homes, stands as a monument to the lives, to the families who have been lost. for more information on this story you can head to our website, bb.com/news for all the latest developments. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.

a jury in minnesota has acquitted the police officer who fatally shot an african—american. philando castile's dying moments during a traffic stop were captured on a facebook video in a case which shocked america. jeronimo yanez was found not guilty on three charges, including second—degree manslaughter. ajudge in massachusetts has ruled that a 20—year—old american woman who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself is guilty of causing his death. michelle carter faces up to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. 18—year—old conrad roy was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning injuly 2014. and israeli border policewoman has been killed in a stabbing and gun attack outside the old city of jerusalem. her attacker was shot dead, as were two other assailants who had opened fire at a group of officers nearby. police say all three attackers were palestinians, armed with automatic guns and

knives. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: a big honourfor the big yin. comedian billy connolly is made a knight in the queen's birthdays honours. there was a bomb in the city centre. a code word known to be one used by the ira was given. army bomb experts were examining a suspect van when there was a huge explosion. the south african parliament has destroyed the foundation of apartheid by abolishing the population registration act, which for a0 years forcibly classified each citizen according to race. germany's parliament, the bundestag, has voted by a narrow majority to move the seat of government from bonn to berlin. berliners celebrated into the night but the decision was greeted with shock in bonn. just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home. early this evening, the new prince was taken by his mother and father

to their apartments in kensington palace. the real focus today was valentina tereshkova, the world's first woman cosmonaut. what do you think of the russian woman in space? i think it's a wonderful achievement and i think we might be able to persuade the wife it would be a good idea if i could to get her to go up there for a little while. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a us navy destroyer has collided with a container ship off the east coast of japan. at least seven us sailors are missing. president trump has revoked the 0bama administrations deal with cuba. he called it one sided, terrible and misguided. the jury in the bill cosby sex assault trial is still deadlocked after five days of deliberation. the judge has instructed members to continue to try to reach a verdict. mr cosby is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting andrea constand at his home in 200a.

he has denied all of the claims. he spoke to supporters outside the trial. i just want to wish all of the fathers a happy fathers day and i want to thank the jury for their long days and their honest work, individually. i also want to thank the supporters who have been here and, please, to the supporters, stay calm, do not argue with people, just keep up the great support. thank you all. the united arab emirates has warned qatar to change its behaviour or face isolation from its neighbours. the uae, together with saudi arabia and two other states last week

imposed unprecedented sanctions against qatar over its alleged support for terrorist groups. it's led to the worst crisis in the gulf region for decades. 0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, spoke to the uae‘s minister of state dr anwar gargash and asked him how he thought this crisis could be resolved. the main ask is an acceptance by qatar that it has to change course in its support of what is an extremist jihadist terrorist agenda. it is true that qatar has long been accused of backing groups linked to al-qaeda, in conflicts like syria, but saudi arabia has also been accused of propagating a more extremist form of islam. of course, there is a huge difference. qatar as a state is trying to use this agenda to sort of promote its role in the region and beyond... saudi is not?

the saudis are not. the sponsoring, financing of schools and mosques... the saudis are dealing with a legacy issue. the saudis have suffered a lot from al-qaeda—type terrorism, daesh—type terrorism, radicalization, and they are addressing it. it is really not a fair comparison. you have called for a monitoring mechanism of where the money is going — is this one of the new possible solutions to this crisis? in 2014, the gcc countries raised their concerns about qatar's support for extremist terrorists and this resulted in an agreement that was signed by the emir of qatar. unfortunately, words were not kept, promises were not kept. as a result, it is, i would say, logical that any new solution, as it transpires, has to be monitored. we have to see where the money goes.

is this about regime change? it is about behavioural change. it is about behaviour change, it is about taking out one of the major, major supporters of the extremistjihadist narrative in the region and one with a lot of financial resources to make a difference. these tensions have simmered for years. has the arrival of president trump emboldened you then? with the trump administration we see the prioritisation of the fight against extremism and against terrorism. 0n the macro level this is a big change, i would say. which message from washington do you listen to? president trump's tweets urging you on or more sober statements from mhe secretary of state rex tillerson urging

you to pull back, to ease the tension and, of course, at the same time signing deals with qatar? again, i think the message from washington has been great. we are pro—diplomatic solutions but want not an unconditional diplomatic solution but one where we can see that qatar is going to change its behaviour and its support of extremism and terrorism. president trump is voicing the frustration of many countries and many diplomats and has said in public what has been said for a very long time in private conversations and in closed rooms. do you worry that the gulf could be severed resulting in possibly the expulsion of qatar from the gcc? of course. it is time for wiser counsel to prevail in qatar. to come and say that this sort of approach of denying qatar's fingerprints which is all over the place, does not serve them. what serves them more and serves

the region is to address the issues that are besmirching qatar's reputation and that are effecting qatar's place in its natural habitat, which is the arabian gulf. angela merkel has led tributes to one of her predecessors, helmut kth one of her predecessors, helmut kohl, who's died at the age of 87. he said he brought about national unification and unity. as the cold war ended, helmut kohl seemed to tower, quite literally, over everyone and everything around him. as a child he witnessed the destruction of his country.

the second world war inspiring his lifelong desire to unify germany and europe. he rose through the ranks of the christian democratic union, becoming chancellor in 1982. his provincial manners were frequently mocked but he was tough and he knew how to wield power, and when history came calling, he was ready. the fall of the berlin wall, a moment of euphoria and, for helmut kohl, a chance to put his fractured country back together. but unity did not stop there, with france's president francois mitterrand, he pursued his other big idea — the new european union and its own currency, the euro. he didn't always agree with his political protege and his career ended in scandal, but today she says his legacy is not in doubt. translation: we can all be grateful for what helmut kohl did for us and our country in the long years he was in office, and he will live on in our memory is the great european and chancellor of unity.

i bow down in his remembrance. in brussels tonight, a gesture of respect at the headquarters of the european union. one of its founders and champions is dead. the eu may not be as confident as it once was, but helmut kohl's other cherished union, germany, is stronger than ever. paul adams, bbc news helmut kohl, who has died at the age of 87. the policeman who died confronting the westminster attacker in march, pc keith palmer, has been awarded a posthumous medalfor his bravery. he was one of a handful of officials acknowledged in the queen's civilian gallantry list, released this year alongside her birthday honours. lizo mzimba reports. i am going on record at school saying viginal and algebra? i have no intention of ever going there! billy connolly knows his knighthood is likely to produce a strong response from fans.

some of them will say high time and some of them will say, what the hell's that all about? i don't know what to prepare for! i'm a little embarrassed, but deep within me i'm very pleased to have it. terry and june and absolutely fabulous'sjune whitfield has been made a dame. i am still in shock, really, but it is wonderful to know that people have been good enough to appreciate what i've done. in the world of music, the 1960s eurovision winner sandy shore becomes an mbe. #...like a puppert on a string...# #...come on set the tone...# charttopping singer ed sheeran is also made an mbe. several people are being recognised for bravery, including pc keith palmer, killed in march's westminster attack.

he receives a posthumous george medal. pcs craig nicholls and jonathan wright, who arrested the man who killed mpjo cox, have been given queen's gallantry medals. bernard kenny, who was with mp when she was attacked, receives the george medal. he just sano and tried to save her and we can't thank him enough. the two boys, similarly, unarmed, just went in, they knew he was armed, but not a thought. just went in. we are absolutely delighted. true heroes. just a few of the more than 1,000 people being honoured. lizo mzimba, bbc news. that's the way it is looking at the moment. stay with us, there's plenty still to come on bbc news. hello there.

we have got some very warm weather indeed coming up over the next few days, with the high—pressure firmly in charge of our weather. that's going to bring very warm, if not hot, weather to most of the british isles. it will turn increasingly humid as we go on through the weekend, but it is going to be mainly sunny for most of us. the reason for this warm or hot weather is a jetstream has built this area of high pressure and the high tends to concentrate hot air near the earth's surface. these are the kinds of temperatures that you might see across western europe as we go on through the next couple of days. perhaps as high as 46 degrees across parts of iberia, unpleasantly hot weather here. well into the 30s for france and even here in the uk we should see temperatures peaking at 30 degrees or so as we head into the weekend. the hottest weather we have seen so far this year. it's going to be a warm start to the day. these are the kinds of temperatures you might see as you are heading outside first thing in the morning. there will be plenty of sunshine, but i think quite a bit of cloud

to start he day across the hills of wales and northern england. it should be quite thin so should clear quite quickly and then the sunshine will come out. weather fronts across far north—west of scotland will continue to bring some thicker cloud here. and it's here where we will have the coolest weather with outbreaks of rain on and off. just 15 degrees in stornoway. a brisk south—westerly wind. not the warmest of weather. away from that north—west corner, the rest of scotland enjoying some sunshine. northern ireland looking fine, with temperatures heading into the mid—20s. but it's across england and wales that we'll see temperatures fairly widely getting up well into the 20s. 28 degrees or so in london and the south—east. pushing into the 80s in terms of fahrenheit. but, as well as those relatively clear skies, a bit of fairweather cloud bubbling up. there will be some very high levels of uv. so it's one of those days you might want to take the sun cream if you're out and about for any length of time. through saturday evening and overnight, after such a hot day, temperatures will be slow to fall. quite an uncomfortable night for sleeping once again. 0vernight lows no lower than 19 degrees in the centre of town. there could be a few fog patches

staring to develop around the irish sea coast. here's a picture then through sunday, a repeat for many of us although perhaps a little bit more in the way of cloud moving into the north—west. the best of the sunshine, again, england and wales, eastern parts of northern ireland and eastern parts of scotland. if anything those temperatures will get a little bit higher with temperatures peaking at 30 degrees celsius, making it the hottest day of the year so far. the heat is still with us on into monday as well. temperatures could reach 32 degrees early in the new week. it starts to get a little bit cooler across north—western areas as we get into tuesday. along with those cooler conditions, it will turn cloudier. this is bbc news. the headlines: seven us navy crew are missing after a us navy destroyer collided with a container ship under philippine flag off the east coast of japan.

the uss fitzgerald has suffered extensive damage but is heading for the nearby port of yokosuka under its own power. cuba has said it's willing to continue cooperating with the united states to improve relations but said any attempts to impose political and economical change would fail. earlier, president trump announced that he was reversing agreements signed by the 0bama administration. there've been angry demonstrations in london calling forjustice for the victims of the grenfell tower fire with some protesters demanding the resignation of the prime minister. the number of people known to have died in the fire has risen to at least 30, but it's expected the final total will be higher. now on bbc news, our world.