this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 2pm: the cladding fitted to grenfell tower during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version than had originally been proposed. meanwhile, downing street criticises kensington & chelsea council, after it cut short a meeting to discuss the tragedy, because journalists were present. an absolute fiasco, this is why i'm calling for your resignation, not because of what happened with the fire but the sheer and ongoing incompetence that this council has shown ever since it happened. a coroner will record conclusions into the deaths of seven men, including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands last summer. the parents of charlie gard, who lost their fight to take him to america for experimental treatment, say his life support will be switched off today. it's going to be the worst day of our lives... we know what day our son dies, but we don't even get a say over what happens to him. parts of president trump's controversial travel ban come into force,

affecting people from six mainly muslim countries. funerals take place for 29—year—old martyn hett and 15—year—old megan hurley, who died in the manchester bomb attack. also... washed up in wales. now having fun in the sun... a rare sea turtle found on a beach in anglesey, is taken to gran canaria, to be set free. british world no.1 tennis player andy murray will begin the defence of his wimbledon title against a qualifier or a lucky loser on monday. and live cricket returns to bbc television for the first time in 21 years. good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. the chairman of the local government association has criticised fire safety tests being carried out

on cladding from high—rise buildings, claiming the examinations are flawed. it's emerged that the cladding used to renovate grenfell tower, which was consumed by fire two weeks ago, was changed to a type which cost nearly £300,000 less than alternatives. there is no suggestion a deliberate decision was made to cut fire safety, and kensington & chelsea council says safety would not have been compromised in order to manage budgets. since the fire, all 145 buildings tested in 45 english council areas have failed fire safety tests. nick beake reports. the families of grenfell tower have long believed they were not valued. poor people living in a rich borough. now they say their suspicions have been confirmed, with the revelation the cladding used for the refurbishment of the block was changed to a cheaper version. this is like a coffin in the sky, and these children are deeply traumatised. the news has enraged those fighting

for justice for grenfell. it is just further evidence of the, of how little value they attach to people's lives, people who live in social housing and the community, those affected and the wider community, are utterly sick of this lack of value ascribed to human beings who pay their council tax, who pay these people's wages. i mean, it's unacceptable. planning documents from 2014 uncovered by bbc news, show that the council saved £293,000 by switching to a cheaper, less fire resistant option. so instead of the zinc panels with the fire retardant core that residents were first promised, aluminium panels with a plastic core were fitted instead. there's no suggestion a deliberate decision was made to cut fire safety. chaos at kensington & chelsea council last night. the authority had tried to ban journalists from a meeting,

but the high court ordered they could come along. just minutes in, though, the council leader wound up proceedings, saying what they were discussing could prejudice the upcoming public inquiry, a move criticised today by downing street and others. the residents have a right to meet with the leaders of the council. the leaders of the council have been hiding from the residents for the last week. they should have had the courage to meet with people and answer questions. the least that we can do is to face the residents face—to—face and they're not prepared to do it. testing of cladding on other tower blocks across the country goes on. every one of the 149 high rise buildings examined so far has failed a safety test. but some believe the process isn't working because the tests focus on the core of the panel, rather than the panel as a whole. they should have been fire tested. the information that we've

got now is that they haven't been fire tested. they've just tested the core of the panel. they haven't tested the whole panel. they haven't tested the insulation that sits in the cavity fill behind the panel. tests are too late for the victims of grenfell tower. for survivors, news that they were given a cheaper level of protection only compounds their sadness and anger. that was nick beake reporting. there is still anger in the community, with residents of grenfell tower living in temporary accommodation across london. frankie mccamley has met one man who escaped with his family from the 9th floor of the block, but is now struggling with the aftermath and trauma. salaheddine lived on the ninth floor of g re nfell tower with his wife and two children. now, all four of them live a few miles away in a hotel. what is it like living in this room? it is small. you have a double bed and two single beds for your children. yeah, it is crowded.

it is a nightmare, i tell you. it is a nightmare. i cannot sleep. i sleep and i wake up. i sleep maybe four hours a day, a night, and in one room with two children who just want to get out, they want to get out. salaheddine‘s family escaped from grenfell tower with seconds to spare. safe on the ground, his wife called her brother, who lived on the 21st floor. abdul aziz el—wahabi, his wife fouzia, and their three children, nurhuda, who was 15, 21—year—old yasin and mehdi, just eight years old are all missing, presumed dead. a devastating reality that salaheddine‘s children are struggling to cope with. my son become angry, yeah? very nervous. he's changed. my daughter's situation, it's like a bit, as well. if she ask her to paint something,

she will paint the tower on fire and people jumping. what's it like being a father, seeing your daughter to draw something like that? it's not easy. it's not yet clear when the family will be able to leave this room and move into their new home. they hope to stay in the area and at some point go on a family holiday. frankie mccamley, bbc news. with me isjeremy leaf, former chair of the royal institute of chartered engineers. it does seem to an outsider certainly, utterly confusing. these reports that the cladding was reduced in price at grenfell tower, we have to be slightly careful, it did not compromise safety rules in any way, shape orform. how did not compromise safety rules in any way, shape or form. how does that work? what is that process,

that work? what is that process, that the council says, we want to bring the prices down, what can we cut? that'sjust one of a number of issues they would have looked at, it's not just issues they would have looked at, it's notjust the cost, its timing and insulation and aluminium is much lighter than sink so it might have had a bearing on footings or other materials placed next to it. we need to see the whole decision rather than the decision in isolation. the attention is on the cladding. the question has to be asked, what was wrong with the building in the first place? presumably a concrete building, as we see now under the charred remains, wouldn't have had the issue? certainly. these things, when you examine them it's never one point, one silver bullet, it's lots of issues that contributed to it. it might be something with the way the

materials were kept, notjust the fire itself but how rapidly it spread, whether it could have been contained. it's all very well to test materials in certain circumstances but every environment and situation is different. and it depends how it was installed? that isa depends how it was installed? that is a big factor as well, how long it took, if it were supervised, the thickness, the connections, all of those factors need to look at. when a council decides we need to improve the insulation of a building and make it look a bit prettier, what decisions that need to be made as pa rt decisions that need to be made as part of that process? there is a lwa ys part of that process? there is always the issue, costs athletics. we like to see nice buildings but we like to save money where we can, but the most important thing should a lwa ys the most important thing should always be safety. safety is paramount. those are the issues that need to be taken into account, otherwise we have very great, sad looking buildings everywhere. we don't, but safety should never be compromised. it's quite clear, many of the councils, possibly all of them, believe they were working certainly within the law and weren't breaching any regulations. certainly within the law and weren't breaching any regulationslj certainly within the law and weren't breaching any regulations. i don't think anyone is likely to say that

and it hasn't come out so far. what i noticed is last week it was something, the week before it was something, the week before it was something slightly different. i think we are all fishing for answers and it's very difficult to say it's actually one particular issue that was particularly relevant. i think what is becoming apparent as time goes on, there are lots of issues working together in that situation which cause the problem. learning the lessons from this is going to be crucial. from your point of view as an engineer, what is the perfect tower block, if you like? what is the design, the structure, the build thatis the design, the structure, the build that is safest from all aspects? 0ften that is safest from all aspects? often the one the safest is not the prettiest. it's a question of finding something that is attractive and people want, but most important that it passes the safety test. what is what is changing is the building regulations. people have said, look at the building regs, doesn't comply? building regulations are

evolving and as circumstances change is, we learn all the time they need to be changed as well. on a personal line, you are at grenfell with your professional eye looking at the building, what struck you?” professional eye looking at the building, what struck you? i think like most people, most people were lost for words when they were there. it was the smell and the ash that was around, and the people were running around there was a lot of anger at the time. it was very, very difficult and sad. what struck me was the speed of how it got hold of the building. you see people's reaction as they walk past it. it really took a while to sink in. that was the point, it will take time until we get to the bottom of this. there is an inquiry obviously but the results of that may change the face. it's already changing. in buildings i'm involved with, people are being extra careful, going the extra mile, even quite modest buildings, they are all saying, what's the fire safety issues? were

they never had number. why are they saying money no object? virtually. what's come out of this as well is a law of the regulations were volu nta ry. law of the regulations were voluntary. people didn't have to, but a lot of landlords and the developers, contractors we've been speaking to, are going the extra bits. they don't want to see anything like this even happen. thank you, jeremy leaf from the royal institute of chartered engineers.. a coroner will record conclusions this afternoon about the death of seven men, including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands in east sussex last summer. the five died in august, just a month after two other men drowned in the same area. duncan kennedy reports. the fact seven men could die in two separate incidents on one beach in the space of one month is believed to be unprecedented in britain. and finally today we got an understanding, for the first time, of how five of those men, those five

friends who went down, came to their deaths. that was the result of some expert witness we will see in a moment. and how they died and why they died was exactly why the men's' families have come to this inquest. kobi saththiya nathan, his brother ken, nitharsan ravi, inthushan sriska ntharasa and gurushanth srithavarajah — the five friends who died on a summer's day out. their families came for the final time, to hear what happened to them and why they drowned. it was last august, they'd all gone for a day trip to camber to play volleyball in the water, when this emergency took hold. today, a key expert on beaches and currents gave the fullest account yet of what probably happened; of how the five were playing far out to sea on these sand bars and were trapped when the tide turned. dr simon boxall said powering currents and water temperatures, 12 degrees cooler than a swimming pool, meant the men

probably went into shock. the water was cold. they panic, if one of them got into difficulty, for example, the others would try and rush to help. you can see how what started off as a very enjoyable day on the beach could turn into the tragedy that it did turn into. rother council, which runs the beach, has put in life guards now, but said lack of money was partly the reason why there weren't any last summer, despite two recommendations from the rnli. the council said it had put in other measures to enhance safety, like beach patrols and signs. just a month earlier, on the same stretch of coast, mohit dupar had tried to save gustavo silva da cruz, but both men had also drowned. the inquest heard that between 1974 and 2012, 50 million people had visited camber sands without any sea—based fatalities. yet in the space of one month last year, seven men died here. the coroner will begin his

deliberations this afternoon, but he's already made clear that whether 01’ he's already made clear that whether or not those five friends who died could swim or not is irrelevant. he said the council which looks after campus and had a duty to look after the safety of everybody that went there, and he also said that no matter what, never wants to see a tragedy like this ever again. duncan kennedy speaking to jane hill a little earlier. the headlines on bbc news: cladding fitted to grenfell tower during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version, documents seen by the bbc suggest. a coroner will record conclusions into the deaths of seven men, including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands last summer. the parents of 10—month old charlie gard, who fought an unsuccessful legal battle to take him to america for experimental treatment, say he will stop receiving life support today. and in sport, british number one

johanna konta withdrew from her semifinal with a back injury, whilst heather watson also missed out on the final after a 3—set defeat to the final after a 3—set defeat to the sixth seed caroline wozniacki in eastbourne. world number one andy murray managed to practice today at the all—england club. he's showed signs of the hip problem that has forced him to pull out of the warm up forced him to pull out of the warm up match out of wimbledon. live cricket matches will return to the bbc on live television for the first time in 21 years after to air tv and radio write still was done with the ecb. more on those stories after 2:30pm. the parents of 10 month old charlie gard, who fought an unsuccessful legal battle to take him to the united states for experimental treatment, have said his life support will be switched off today. charlie gard, who's being cared for at great 0rmond street hospital in london, has irreversible brain damage and cannot see, hear, or move.

his parents say doctors have refused to let them take charlie home to die. kathryn stancheshun reports. we should be over the road, sitting next to our son, charlie gard's bed, spending the last precious few hours with him. but we just thought we would take five minutes out to come and tell you where we are. it's a video no one should ever have to make. in a heartbreaking youtube post, ten—month—old charlie gard's parents say they're being denied their last hope for their baby boy. we've promised our little boy every single day that we would take him home, because that is the promise we thought we could keep. we want to give him a bath at home, we want to sit on the sofa with him, we want to sleep in the bed with him, we want to put him in a cot that he's never slept in, but we are now being denied that. charlie was born with a rare genetic condition and severe brain damage. connie yates and chris gard have

been fighting to keep his life support switched on since march, despite doctors saying there's no hope for improvement. they took their fight all the way to the european court of human rights. but this week, they lost, as judges agreed with the british courts it was most likely charlie was being exposed to continued pain. today, his life support will be switched off. his parents say they're being rushed at the most difficult time of their lives. the 4th of august 2016 was the best day of our life, the day charlie was born. the 30thjune 2017 is going to be the worst day in our lives. great 0rmond street hospital say they won't comment on specific details of patient care, but this is a very distressing situation for charlie's parents and all of the staff involved, and their focus remains with them. a quick line of breaking news on the

g re nfell tower a quick line of breaking news on the grenfell tower fire. roger black who manages grenfell tower is stepping aside so he can, in his words concentrate on assisting with the investigation and inquiry. bad news just coming in from the kensington and chelsea tenant management organisation which manages grenfell tower. —— that news just coming in. germany has joined most other european countries in legalising same—sex marriage. parliament passed the measure by a majority of 393 to 226. it happened after the german chancellor angela merkel changed her position to allow a free vote on the issue, though she herself voted against. let's get more on this from our berlin correspondentjenny hill. why has it taken germany so long to legalise same—sex marriage compared to other parts of the eu?

i think that is largely due to angela merkel‘s long—term opposition to same—sex marriage. for a number of years now the political left have been trying to bring a bill like this before parliament, but angela merkel has always opposed it. earlier this week, in a surprise move during an interview, she signalled she was softening her stance. she said she had met a lesbian couple in her own constituency who fostered eight children and they inspired a bit of a change of heart, if you like. mrs merkel said she was willing to allow her conservative mps to vote with their conscience and not along party lines. her political opposition leopard into action immediately and scheduled this pill for the very last minute. today is the last legislative day before parliament goes off on its summer holidays. the bill went to the floor this morning, and mrs merkel‘s mps voted in favour of it, and the bill was passed. as

you say, mrs merkel herself voted against the law changed. i think that's very interesting. i think what mrs merkel is doing here is keeping an eye out to the general election, which is coming in the autumn. by voting against the proposal, she's really appealing to the more conservative among her electorate, but why in effect allowing this to happen, allowing the vote to take place in the first place, i think she's appeasing potential future coalition partners, who were very clear they would want same—sex marriage legislation as a condition of partnership in the future. she's also cementing that reputation that she's really increasingly being labelled with, as the west's defender of liberal values. there's a lot of celebration going on here, certainly in berlin today. polls suggest the majority of germans were in favour of this legislation. people celebrating what's widely being seen as certainly a victory for equal rights. but also deceived by very

many people here as a bit of a political success story as well. thank you very much, jimmy hill in birmingham for —— in germany. president trump's much delayed ban on people travelling to the us from six mainly muslim countries came into effect at1 o'clock this morning. the trump administration says the ban is temporary and will stop terrorists from entering the country, but many people have argued that it's unconstitutional and racist. 0ur correspondent richard lister has the details. this was the response when president trump first imposed his travel ban. the courts struck it down, but now it's been partially revived and the response looks like this. the travel ban is more limited and the protests are smaller but this is an issue on which america feels deeply. we are in a political climate where muslims are being targeted by bigoted and discriminatory laws. if nothing else, it will make a psychological difference, you know, that we're actually going to do something to prevent terrorists. most muslims feel this isn't

the best way to promote peace and to stop terrorism, which we all want to do. for the next 90 days, non—us visa holders from six predominantly muslim countries will be denied entry to the us but there are some exceptions. those with close family members already in america may be admitted but not grandparents or more extended family. those with us college places orjobs can be admitted, too, but the administration is struggling to explain how exactly these rules make america safer. this has been one of the president's top issues. he has talked consistently about how he believes the united states needs to do more to enhance our screening procedures and to take a better look at people who will be coming into the united states. lawyers are talking to new arrivals at airports around the country to monitor the new arrangements. the rules include a 120—day ban on most refugees from anywhere. we try to gather the information

so we can know for future travellers what to be on the lookout for. if we do need to file lawsuits or habeas petitions, we are also on hand to do so. the supreme court is due to consider the ban in october, by which time, in theory, some of the restrictions will have already expired. richard lister, bbc news. hundreds of people have been attending the funeral of one of the victims of the manchester bombing attack. the service for 29—year—old martyn hett at stockport town hall has been screened in the street. martyn was a coronation street superfan who was known for his was known for his tattoo of the character deirdre barlow. his family invited anyone who wants to attend to "celebrate martyn's life". nurseries in england say local councils are failing to provide enough money to fund more free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds. from september, children will be eligible for 30 hours of free nursery education if both parents

are in work. but the national day nurseries association say the numbers don't add up. 0ur education correspondent, gillian hargreaves, reports. from september, all three and four—year—olds in england will be eligible for up to 30 hours free childcare to help working parents. it was a flagship conservative policy in the 2015 general election, and will cost the government an extra £1 billion. however, the national day nurseries association asked 128 local authorities how much they will pay nurseries for subsidised hours from september. the average hourly rate will go up from £3.97 this year to £4.37 next year, an increase of 40p. despite a government proposal that no nursery should receive less than £4 per hour, seven authorities are offering less than that. the association says the rise is too low, and won't cover costs like heating, lighting and a rise in the national living wage, meaning some nurseries will opt out of extended free childcare.

the current funding levels are totally inadequate, and if nurseries opt out of delivering the 30 hours' free childcare, that will mean 50,000 children, which is equal to the entire population of manchester, are going to miss out on this 30 hours of free childcare. parents dropping their children off at nursery this morning had strong feelings about the issue. it is disappointing because obviously, you know, other nurseries have got that 30 hours free, potentially, which is a bit of a shame. i can understand from their perspective but it is, actually, from a parent's perspective, it will be a bit of a challenge. they should definitely request a bit more money from the government. i know how difficult that is but it is the next phase. the government has committed an extra £1 billion to fund the extension of hours on top of £6 billion already spent on early years education.

gillian hargreaves, bbc news. a rare sea turtle that was found washed up on a beach in anglesey has been taken to gran canaria, where she's expected to be set free. menai, an olive ridley turtle, would usually be found in warmer waters close to the equator. 0ur wales correspondent, sian lloyd, reports. taking a step closer to home. menai's arrival at this turtle sanctuary in gran canaria marks a new chapter in her remarkable story. she's defied the odds in getting this far, and will spend the next four weeks here. by her side, marine biologist frankie hobro, who has helped nurse menai back to health. here it is sunny and we saw the second day she was here she was basking quite happily, floating on the surface, relishing the sunlight on her shell. it's thought menai was swept off course, away from the south—western

breeding grounds off africa, past the east coast of america and back across the atlantic, all the way to the uk in the gulf stream. when she was found last november, she was just minutes away from the anglesey sea zoo. the team there helped her overcome hypothermia, buoyancy problems and got herfeeding again. really, what we want to do was take her further south—west in the atlantic and release her in slightly warmer waters where she is north of the breeding grounds and let her find her own way there. we need someone with a boat or a ship, some means of transporting her from her. if that happens, menai will be back where she belongs, where experts hope she'll breed and so play a part in helping secure the future of this endangered species. sian lloyd, bbc news. time for a look at the weather.

good afternoon. a big contrast across the uk this afternoon, some good spells of sunshine in parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south—east, some rain in the south—west and dribs and drabs of rain under this cloud further north. another cool day in aberdeenshire, 14 degrees. the low 20s in the south—east, perhaps sparking off a few thunderstorms. this evening and overnight, this patchy rain edging southwards, behind it much drier conditions but still fairly cloudy. not a cold night, light last night, 9-10 in not a cold night, light last night, 9—10 in the north—west, 14 in the south—east. the weekend looks pretty good, pretty good opportunities for getting out and about with a lot of dry and bright weather, vertically across england and wales. we lose any across england and wales. we lose a ny early across england and wales. we lose any early rain quite quickly. a bit ofa any early rain quite quickly. a bit of a different story for scotland and northern ireland, more of a breeze and some patchy rain will work its way west to east. a warm

day in aberdeenshire, about 19 degrees, 23—24 in the south—east. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the cladding fitted to grenfell tower during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version, saving nearly £300,000. documents seen by the bbc show that zinc cladding originally proposed was replaced with an aluminium type. downing street criticises kensington and chelsea council after a meeting to discuss the tower block fire descended into chaos, after a row over the presence ofjournalists. a coroner will record conclusions into the deaths of seven men,

including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands last summer. a lille ba by a lille baby charlie gard says live support is to be turned off today. president trump's travel ban comes into force. all refugees face tougher entry into the those states. and the funeral has taken —— funerals have ta ken and the funeral has taken —— funerals have taken place for martyn hett and megan hurley, who died in the manchester bombings. time for the manchester bombings. time for the sport. good afternoon. british number three heather watson has missed out on a place in the final of the aegon international at eastbourne, after defeat to sixth seed caroline wozniacki.

wozniacki took the first set 6—2, before treatment to an abdominal injury in the second saw watson storm back to take it 6—3. the decider was the tightest set by some way, as both players dug in for victory. the dane eventually took it 7—5 with a break in the final game of the match. she will play carolyn abbott is the next. —— carolyn abbott scoble. johanna konta should have been playing in the second semi final at eastbourne after the watson match, but withdrew this morning after a nasty fall in her quarterfinal tie against angelique kerber yesterday. we were doing the best we could to recover today but it wasn't quick enough. i am still a bit sore through my thoracic spine. it is a big tournament next week for all of us. big tournament next week for all of us. it is something i have to disregard when it comes to my health. my health has to come first. iam health. my health has to come first. i am definitely doing everything i can to be ready for wimbledon by taking a day at a time and whatever

is best for my health. andy murray's preparation has also been hit by injury. he pulled out of his final warm—up match, an exhibition at hurlingham, due to a sore hip. he was unable to practice yesterday, but did manage to get out with his coach ivan lendl earlier — although he was showing some ominous signs, moving gingerly at the all—england club. after his session murray said he's hopeful he'll be fit for monday. so assuming he does play at the all—england club, andy murray begins the defence of his title with a match against lucky loser alexander bublik of kazakhstan. murray is in the same half of the draw as two time champion rafa nadal. second seed novak djokovic and roger federer are in the other half of the draw. britain's cameron norrie has been drawn againstjo wilfried tsonga. while alex ward, the world number 855 and the only briton to make it to the main draw via qualifying, is rewarded with a match against the british number 2 kyle edmund. in the women's draw, number one seed angelique kerber and second seed simona halep both face qualifiers in their opening matches. defending champion serena williams, of course, misses the tournament due to the impending birth of herfirst child.

if she is fit to play, johanna konta will face shay soo way, while heather watson plays maryna zanevska. good news for cricket fans. live matches will be returning to bbc television for the first time in 21 yea rs television for the first time in 21 years after a television for the first time in 21 yea rs after a new television for the first time in 21 years after a new free to air deal was done with the abc between 2020 and 2024. it includes highlights of england's home tests, one day internationals and t20s. and the swiss explains. in a statement, the chief executive of the ecb talked about the bbc‘s commitment to taking the game to even wider audiences. that is key. when the ecb decided to ta ke that is key. when the ecb decided to take cricket away from terrestrial television and sell it exclusively to sky, that was good for the finances but not so good for the game's profile. it has become less

visible. participation breaks among youngsters has fallen. tom harrison said only last year he had no interest in being the richest, most irreleva nt interest in being the richest, most irrelevant sport in this country. the bbc will point to its coverage of the fa cup in football as the way it can generate interest among wider audiences. the ecb hopes it will do the same for cricket, particularly with this t20 tournament designed to appeal specifically to younger audiences. after signing jermain defoe yesterday, bournemouth have added another player today, signing defender nathan ake for a club record fee from premier league champions chelsea. ake had a spell on loan with eddie howe's side last season, and scored three goals in 12 games. the fee is reported to be around £20 million. the former chief executive of mclaren, ron dennis, has formally ended his association with the team he made one of the most successful in formula one. he's sold his shares in the company, bringing to an end 37 years with them. dennis was instrumental in the development of lewis hamilton's career after signing him in 2007.

that is holy sport for now. more in the next hour. the world's chemical weapons watchdog has said that the banned nerve agent sarin was used in an attack in syria which killed dozens of people. the gas was dropped in april, in on a town in the north of the country, and drew condemnation around the world. despite denials of responsibility by syria's assad regime, foreign secretary borisjohnson says there is no doubt that they were behind the attack: well, this is a first step on a process that the uk has obviously been trying to lead, to hold to account the people responsible for dropping chemical weapons on april four. i'm pleased, though i must say not surprised, that the 0pcw, the chemical weapons inspectorate, has

in fact confirmed that this is indeed sarin. the exact responsibility for dropping the sarin were now go to a joint investigative mechanism to be confirmed. but i have got absolutely no doubt that the finger points at the assad regime, and we have got european council coming up where we will drive on with the uk campaign to impose sanctions on those responsible. the us has already brought sanctions against 300 people. people who drop chemical weapons on innocent people should be how to account. borisjohnson. an alliance of us—backed fighters is advancing on what was once islamic state's stronghold city in syria, raqqa. thousands more refugees are streaming out of raqqa as the terror group is reduced to a few hundred fighters. it comes as us and uk backed iraqi forces continue their offensive in the city of mosul, after the iraqi government announced an end to the so—called caliphate is declared three years ago. senior us republicans

havejoined condemnation of president donald trump, over an attack he made on twitter against a prominent femalejournalist. yesterday's remarks by the president referred to an appearance by mika brzezinski on the us television programme, good morning joe, where she had made some disparaging remarks. the president began by describing the programme on twitter as "poorly rated", and described ms brzezinski as "low iq mika". he also referred to her "bleeding badly from a face—lift", and assailed her co—presenter, joe scarborough, describing him as "psychojoe". president trump's remarks triggered condemnation from leading republicans, with senator lindsey graham saying mr trump's comments were "beneath the office" of president. republican house speaker paul ryan also criticised the president. 0bviously hi don't see that as an appropriate comment. what we are trying to do around here is a ——

improve the tone and civility of the debate and this doesn't help to do that. this morning, thejournalists at the heart of the dispute, mika brzezinski and joe scarborough, appeared on the us television programme morning joe to discuss the fallout from the incident. you know what? i think it has been fascinating and frightening, and really sad for our country. i have been getting a lot of texts and hearing you all talking. thank you. i'm fine. my family brought me up tough. this is nothing. but i am very concerned as to what this once again reveals about the president of the united states. just strange. we are ok. the country is not. this morning, kellyanne conway, an adviser to president trump, appeared on us television to defend the president. she said the president had the right to respond to attacks against him, and accused the media of bias against him. i endorse the president's right to

fight back when he is being mercilessly attacked and when the airwaves are filled with raw sewage about him and his fitness for office. even when you look at the network coverage, in a five—week period between may and june, 353 minutes spent on covering russia fbi james comey, a hypothetical to read. less tha n james comey, a hypothetical to read. less than a minute spent on tax reform. this is the culture we live in. the president fired james comey when a special counsel was appointed. let me go back to something you said in august. during the primaries you opposed president trump because he had out padoin of personal insults. i asked you about that in august. so what changed for you and do you stand by those, to? i do. i don't like when people horrible personal insults. that is not my style. i am a mother of four children and it would be a terrible example for me to feel otherwise. luck. that is exactly what i am

saying for you. —— two. the toxicity coming both ways is terrible. this is what is going on. the idea that the media are covering, large parts of the media anyway, are covering personal insults about the president, this invective, and denying america's women their rightful knowledge on what he's for them on taxes. we wouldn't be talking about this this morning if the president had not sent those tweets yesterday. there is no way we would be talking about it. respectfully, you would not be talking about tax reform because it was talked about for less than a minute. the president is awake and up and tweeting. he said he watched the programme for the first time in a long time. the row goes on. we will keep an eye and any further tweets that appear from donald trump. more now on our main story, and it has emerged that the cladding

used to renovate grenfell tower, which was consumed by fire two weeks ago, was changed to a type which cost nearly £300,000 less than alternatives. downing street said this morning the high court had ruled the council meeting should be open at it would have expected the council to respect that. let's take a look now at some more footage which has emerged from among the media present, including an exchange between council leader nick paget—brown and labour councillor robert atkinson. we can't have an unprejudiced discussion in this room with the public enquiry that is about to take place, if journalist are public enquiry that is about to take place, ifjournalist are writing our comments. clearly they are. who led them into macro you spent a basic —— talking about the security of this meeting and five minutes before it starts, you are telling us we can't have a proper meeting. we cannot have a proper meeting. we cannot have a proper meeting. we cannot have a discussion that we are intending to have because that would prejudice the public enquiry. that is the legal advice i have received.

we will have to have the meeting clea rness. we will have to have the meeting clearness. you have used this as an opportunity to make a statement and nobody gets to say anything else at all. you should have issued that statement eight days ago. applause. i would like to have had a conversation but i'm advised we can't do that because it would prejudice the investigation. this is why i am calling for your resignation. not because of what happened in the fire but the sheer ongoing incompetence this council has shown ever since it happened. with me is one of the conservative councillors who have called for the resignation of the leader and deputy leader of kensington and chelsea council, daniel moylan. he was deputy leader of the council between 2003 and 2011. why do you want them to step down? is it because of what happened last night? i have been hoping for some days that the leadership of the

council would step aside, because i think they have no more useful contribution to make, to be perfectly honest. the key thing for me is that over the next week or so, the council is going to take that responsibility for the aid and support operation that has been taking place in north kensington. in other words, the gold command structure that has been running it will be withdrawn as a process over the next week. that was announced by the next week. that was announced by the council leader last night. when the council leader last night. when the council leader last night. when the council take that baguette has to bea the council take that baguette has to be a credible, confident and competent organisation that can re—engage with the community and their trust. i'm afraid i have reached the conclusion and i would have hoped that others would have stood before me, that under the current leadership it is not a credible offer to the people of north kensington. it is less the fiasco of last night, it was a fiasco, there is no doubt about that, there is nothing to defend

about what happened last night except to say that people can be taken by surprise by injunctions and so taken by surprise by injunctions and so on, and not necessarily handled it very well. but it was overall a fiasco. that you can almost pass over. it is how the council goes forward. it has to do so in charge of this operation in a way the people of north kensington can trust. we have heard that robert black, chief executive of the tenant management organisation, is stepping aside so he can concentrate on assisting with the investigation and the enquiry. there are those who will argue that if there was one time when the leader and deputy leader of the council should be at the forefront of the council's work, it would be now, when it is under pressure? yes, you can make that case and you can say they should be there. but i think most people also recognise that it is not sufficient that senior council officers, and this is the second senior officer

who is not quite a council officer, that senior paid staff should step aside without there being some political ownership of the project. if you are going to say, and it is quite legitimate to say that, that the political leaders of the council have a job to do and they should get on with it, if you are going to say that, you have to ask yourself, do they have the credibility to get on with it? can they actually do the job that needs to be done? when was that credibility lost, ? in the hours after the fire? it is hard to say directly but it was a process. they we re directly but it was a process. they were various points at which they could have been an attempt to regain it but that has not happened. and so it but that has not happened. and so it is sort of a process. things did not necessarily... some good things we re not necessarily... some good things were done after the fire, some things were not done as well as they could have been. it is not a black—and—white picture. but there

hasn't been that successful attempt, there hasn't been an attempt at all, as far as there hasn't been an attempt at all, as farasi there hasn't been an attempt at all, as far as i can see, to regain that credibility. we have now reached a point where it is, as far as the individuals are concerned, probably irrecoverable. it is quite something for you, a conservative councillor, to be calling for the resignation, basically, of the leader of a conservative council? it is with a very heavy heart. add after knowing nick paget—brown, a decent man, for 27 years or more, and if the leadership had stood aside of its own volition earlier in the process, then this would not have been necessary. and it is quite a painful thing to do. but i do it because i think we have got to the point where it's no longer possible to delude yourself that you can exercise the leadership of this council in these

circumstances, with this traumatised community. and what robert atkinson, the leader of the labour group, said last night, and he is also one of the councillors who represents the area, he is elected for the area, where grenfell tower stands for stud, and what robert said last night is extremely difficult to argue with. as an expression of what is, so to speak, an objective reality, not a political point. just the objective reality. if a relative of those who died is watching you now, or somebody now in a hotel because they have lost their home, they have lost everything, they could argue that it is absolutely typical, we have to deal with this sort of crisis in our lives and those who were charged with looking after us, put it no stronger than that, when the going gets tough, they just that, when the going gets tough, theyjust quit? yeah. and i have

heard that sentiment expressed on the television last night as well. but i'm afraid when something as dreadful as this happens, somebody normally has to take some sort of political responsibility. and that hasn't happened so far. and i think it does need to happen. and i personally can't carry on being associated with it. ifeel personally can't carry on being associated with it. i feel i personally can't carry on being associated with it. ifeel i had personally can't carry on being associated with it. i feel i had to say something about that. are you quitting as well? no, i'm not proposing to quit. but i have been a backbench councillor with no decision—making power for the last six years. i know i haven't had any direct responsibility in these decisions. but if you asked another question. if you said, are you, after some in the years working for

the council, and 11 years as deputy leader, how do you feel today about your association with the council? is it your association with the council? isita your association with the council? is it a sense of pride and a competent for one of shame? it would be the latter. viewers probably can't see this but you are shaking. this is a difficult decision. it is not easy. i have been on lots of bbc television and radio programmes talking about the transport and airports and god knows what. and i come across brimful of confidence. this is not easy, no. and i do feel a sense of shame. and i do feel that we need to communicate that to people. and the people who have suffered. and the relatives and the other residents of the area. and until we do that, there is no real engagement with the community. and thatis engagement with the community. and that is absolutely vital, especially

if you are now over the next week so, going to take that responsibility for delivering the aid and support that they need. responsibility for delivering the aid and support that they needlj responsibility for delivering the aid and support that they need. i am most grateful for you coming aid and support that they need. i am most gratefulfor you coming in. thank you very much. thank you very much. thank you. in a moment, a summary of the business news this hour. but first, the headlines on bbc news: the chief executive of the organisation managing grenfell tower is stepping aside. a coroner will record conclusions into the deaths of seven men, including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands last summer. the parents of 10—month old charlie gard, who fought an unsuccessful legal battle to take him to america for experimental treatment, say he will stop receiving life support today. hello. now the business news. if you feel as if your money isn't going as far as used to, here's why. official figures show we've suffered the longest period of falling spending power since the 1970s. disposable income has fallen

for the last three quarters. and that means we're only saving about 1.7% of our income — an all time low. germany's passed a law that'll force social media sites to delete illegal content within 24 hours — or face a fine of up to £43 million. the law takes effect in october, and will apply to sites with more than two million users in germany, including facebook and google. ba is asking the civil aviation authority if it can use qatar airline's staff and planes when some of its own staff go on strike tomorrow. they're walking out over a dispute about pay and conditions. ba says it plans to operate close to a full schedule. new rules banning junk food ads aimed at kids, come into effect tomorrow. it applies to all kids' media, including social media. the changes bring print and cinema ads into line with tv, where tight curbs already exist.

shahriar coupal is from the committee of advertising practice, and joins me now. thank you very much for coming in. what advertise and sell you particularly taking aim at? what advertise and sell you particularly taking aim aflm what advertise and sell you particularly taking aim at? it is very specifically adds at —— for food and soft drinks high in salt or sugar. the modeljudges things like saturated fats, free sugars etc, against fruit and vegetables and coming up with a score. if that score is four or more, that qualifies as a food high in fat or sugar. if it is one more, likewise. do you think this sort of measure really has an impact on obesity

levels ? really has an impact on obesity levels? well, the evidence suggests that advertising has only a modest impact on children's food preferences, but given the scale of the obesity problem we have in the uk, we think only a small positive effect from this could have a meaningful difference. we know for example that our measures are going to reduce drastically children's exposure to ads for high—fat products. and also create incentives for businesses to create responsible ads. quite often the industry is painted as the ultimate bad guy when it comes to this sort of thing, advertising and nutrition. don't families have some sort of responsibility? absolutely. everybody recognises, everybody in this debate recognises that it is schools and parents that are ultimately most responsible for what children eat. and the energy they expend through exercise. we know

that advertising is just a small pa rt that advertising is just a small part of it but we want to play ours pa rt part of it but we want to play ours part in addressing a national problem. thank you. the street of the future is here down the road in central london. it is a small shopping area where technology under your feed generator power as you walk and the seating purifies the air. jane wakefield has been finding out. asa as a person walks across the tile, it moves up and down. that rotation is creating a current. that electricity can be used instantaneously to power the birdsong or the night —— lighting at night. iam birdsong or the night —— lighting at night. i am taking a break and i am set on 18 year bench. it is the

purest place to sit in london, i'm told. —— at clean air bill ends. you would have to have a lot of these benches around london to make the airclean? benches around london to make the air clean? yes, this is not a technology that you can use to clean the air in the entire city. we focus on exposure to pollution, looking at the places where people breathe in the places where people breathe in the most polluted air. if we can make an impact there, we can make an impact overall and people's health. if we took 0xford if we took oxford street, the most polluted street in the world, and purfiy polluted street in the world, and purify all of the buildings, it would be like planting a forest of 22,000 square metres. how would you a nswer 22,000 square metres. how would you answer critics who say it is not down to paint at people changing their habits? i will agree.

everybody in study their part. the real innovation today is partnership and every body has to take part. the street of the future. that is it from me. thank you. we arejust hearing from the inquest into the deaths of seven men at camber sands. we arejust deaths of seven men at camber sands. we are just hearing that all five men who had gone to play football on the beach and then died when the tide came in, they all died from the misadventure. that is the first snap we're hearing from the court. more on that when we return. now weather. good afternoon. a big contrast across the uk. we have seen some lovely sunshine breaking through the clouds in kent and across the south—east. this is did you not so long ago in the south—west will stop the satellite sequence confirms there is a lot of cloud across much of the uk. you can see the breaks in

the south—east. it is the west and south—west where we are seeing the thickest cloud and outbreaks of rain. rain further north well. the western side of scotland, drier. fairly cloudy. a dry afternoon in northern ireland. northern england will cease outbreaks of rain but it is party. they could be some thunderstorms breaking out in the south—eastern corner. very well scattered. temperatures should reach 21, 20 scattered. temperatures should reach 21,202 scattered. temperatures should reach 21, 20 2 degrees. scattered. temperatures should reach 21,20 2 degrees. quite scattered. temperatures should reach 21, 20 2 degrees. quite windy across western wales and the far south—west of england. this evening we will see the patchy rain slipping south, leaving dry conditions behind. and with a lot of cloud overnight, temperatures not dropping away too far. 910 degrees in the south—west. 15 degrees further south. into the start of the weekend and this area of rain clears from the south—east. rain pushing its way into the far north—west. everything, dry airand bright weather to be had. good

opportunities for getting out and about this weekend. there goes that early rain from the south—east. it is dry and bright across england and wales. not particularly windy. more ofa wales. not particularly windy. more of a breeze. there will be some outbreaks of rain moving east. 15 degrees in glasgow. 19 in aberdeen. 24 in the south—east. 0n degrees in glasgow. 19 in aberdeen. 24 in the south—east. on sunday a similar data saturday. early rain clearing away from the south—east. try and bright, variable sunshine. a breeze in the north—west. cloudy with rain moving through. that is the weekend. next week we will see this week by the front moving north and west with a bit of a breeze. a little bit of rain. the further south and east you go, it should state fine and dry. and relatively warm. temperatures into the low 20s. 1617 in the north—west. this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy.

the headlines at 3pm: the chief executive of the organisation which manages g re nfell tower says he is stepping aside. it comes as the cladding fitted to grenfell tower during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version than what was originally proposed. a coroner has concluded that the deaths of seven men, including five young friends, who drowned off camber sands last summer, were all due to misadventure. the parents of charlie gard, who lost their fight to take him to america for experimental treatment, say his life support will be switched off today. it's going to be the worst day of our lives... we know what day our son dies, and we don't even get a say over what happens to him. parts of president trump's controversial travel ban come into force, affecting people from six mainly muslim countries. funerals take place for 29—year—old martyn hett and 15—year—old megan hurley, who died in the manchester bomb attack. also... washed up in wales — now having fun in the sun...