this is bbc news. the headlines at midday: boots has said it is "truly sorry" for its response to calls to cut the cost of one of its morning—after pills. boots spectacularly misjudged where public opinion was on this issue and that's why they responded initially in the way they did. the number of homeless children being housed in temporary accommodation in england rose by more than a third in the last three years. former white house press secretary sean spicer has moved to minimise talk of divisions within the trump administration after announcing his resignation. ijust thought it was in the best interests of our communications department, of our press organisation, not to have too many cooks in the kitchen. also in the next hour: the government plans to bring in closer monitoring of drones. owners of the small unmanned aircraft will have to register and take safety awareness courses. an official portrait of prince george has been released to mark his fourth birthday. in golf the third round of

the open is underway. world number three jordan spieth begins with a two shot lead. and at 12:30pm click will be looking at virtual reality technology, and asking if it's the next big thing or the next big flop. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. boots the chemist has apologised for its response to a row about the cost it charges for the morning—after—pill. the chain initially rejected calls to reduce the price, saying it didn't want to encourage the misuse of emergency contraception. but after criticism from a string of labour mps and with health campaigners talking of a "sexist surcharge", it now says it's looking at lower priced alternatives.

earlier claire murphy from the british pregnancy advisory service said boots had made a mistake. i think boots spectacularly misjudged where public opinion was on this issue and that is why they responded the way they did and were very forthright in their position. i had correspondences with them trying to persuade them to change their mind but they were intransigent whereas tesco and superdrug saw this was an issue they wanted to be involved in. earlier i spoke to our reporter andy moore, who's at a branch of boots in central london. i asked him how boots has managed to find itself at the centre of this controversy. they said they did not want to incentivise inappropriate behaviour whereas other companies halved their prices.

the campaign was taken up by 30 female labour mps and it appeared on some of the front pages this morning and late last night we had this change of heart. i have someone with me from the royal pharmaceutical society. what is your reaction? i am pleased to see the change of heart but it is good this has opened up a debate about access to the morning after pill and access for women to have control over their fertility and sexual and reproductive health. they seemed to be saying that women would be irresponsible. that cannot be the case because pharmacists have to ask a set number of questions so if women are trying to regularly use the morning after pill they are not allowed to have it. what is the position across the country on access to the pill and to the consultation? you can get it for free? you can in some places. it is a postcode lottery. some pharmacies will be able to provide under certain restrictions the morning after pill

and in other areas there will be a set number of pharmacies, so that is difficult because it means access is not easy. if you are a relatively young girl you may not be able to travel to a further away pharmacy so wouldn't it be sensible to use the community pharmacy network to provide the morning after pill free, to provide sexual health counselling as well? that is what they do in wales and scotland and it works well. use the network you have. clarify the situation about guidance from a pharmacy. some people say it is a very simple pill and anyone can buy it like an aspirin and other people say you must get a consultation, it can have serious side effects. there should always be a consultation. even aspirin there should be a consultation. in a pharmacy you are

often asked questions. when women go to get the morning after pill they are usually always in a consultation room and they will go through a set number of questions to make sure it is appropriate for the woman to take it, that it is going to work within the required timescale and that it will not interact with any other medicines they may be taking. a sensible precaution you get with other drugs as well every time you go into a pharmacy. boots say they are committed to sourcing lower—priced medicines and say the kinds of services sandra was talking about are available from the nhs free of charge at 1700 of its stores. almost 1,000 children are being forced into temporary accommodation every month in england because more families are becoming homeless,

according to councils. the local government association says the number has increased by a third in three years. it wants more powers to build what are described as "genuinely affordable homes". 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. councils say more than 900 children, what they describe as the equivalent of a secondary school, are becoming homeless each month. in total, they say more than 120,000 children and their families are being supported in temporary accommodation, an increase of more than a third since 2014. councils in the south—east and major cities are dealing with the largest numbers. though cornwall and the isle of wight, for instance, also have significant problems. the councils say they need to build more affordable homes. they want rules on borrowing relaxed so they can invest in housing development. councils need the power to intervene more in the homes market. we need more affordable housing built in the right place to provide people with decent affordable housing. we also need to be able to intervene earlier as well. rather than waiting for people to become homeless, we need to stop them becoming homeless

in the first place. ministers say they are spending £550 million to tackle homelessness, and that a new bill passed earlier this year will prevent families from losing homes in the first place. michael buchanan, bbc news. with me isjohn, a policy officer at the housing charity shelter. the figures and what you think lies behind the increase, let me ask you. there are two things going on, a long—term and short—term problem. 0ver long—term and short—term problem. over the long term we have not been building enough genuinely affordable homes like socially rented homes for people on low incomes and in the short term is we had kipling benefit cuts, particularly a freeze on the amount of housing benefit people can claim. the longer term one is a

well—established problem and an offence that is rarely what is in the council's mind it seems with this particular survey they have done, they have put it out of part of this demand for powers to be able to build homes, but in terms of housing benefit, are you saying because of the phrase rents continue to rise, people do not get the housing benefit cover that and consequently they are being forced out? that is right. we have had a freeze on the amount of housing benefit you can claim for the last year or benefit you can claim for the last year 01’ so benefit you can claim for the last yearorso and it benefit you can claim for the last year or so and it has not been going up year or so and it has not been going up before that as much as rent has been rising. more and more people having their landlord turning round and saying they want to increase the rent and they are not able to keep up rent and they are not able to keep up with that. they try to accommodate that both are not able to. you would like that policy ended. you have no indication yet of weather in all of this debate about

austerity the treasury might be sympathetic? nobody knows what is going to come out of the treasury in the budget in the autumn. it is essential that something is done about this because we cannot see a situation air this problem increases in the future. the government says it finds the increase troubling but it finds the increase troubling but it says it is worth pointing out that this is not as high as it has beenin that this is not as high as it has been in the past, the peak was 2006, so been in the past, the peak was 2006, so there is a long—term trend of bringing homelessness down. we saw a lot of action to try to make sure the number of homeless children we have in the country was reduced but over the last five or six years it has been increasing every year. we do not want to risk complacency by pointing to the past highs because that does not do anything to help those children who are growing up in

unsuitable cramped accommodation to date and having that blight upon their childhood. thank you. drone owners will have to complete a safety awareness course under plans announced by the government. the unmanned aircraft will also have to be registered, amid growing concern about the dangers they potentially pose to aircraft. earlier this month, five flights were diverted from gatwick airport because a drone was flown too close to the runway. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones reports. they've quickly become a very popular gadget, mostly used to take great aerial pictures. but as the use of drones has grown, so have concerns about the dangers they could pose. professional users already have to pass proficiency tests. now, the government wants to bring in wider regulation. the new rules mean any drone weighing more than 250 grams will have to be registered and the owner needs to complete a safety awareness test. and the use of geofencing, preventing drones flying near prisons and airports, will be expanded. drone misuse is unacceptable and we are actually doing something to counter that.

people flying safely have nothing to worry about. research by the airline pilots' union found a drone weighing 400 grams could damage a helicopter windscreen. although it would take a 2 kg drone to harm an airliner flying at high speeds. if there is a collision between a drone and a manned aircraft, be that an airliner or a helicopter, it could be catastrophic. we have to do something now to make sure that does not happen. there are plenty of commercial uses for drones. amazon is testing them for parcel delivery. the government says it's keen to promote an exciting technology while ensuring it's used responsibly. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. joining me now from our sheffield studio is 0wen mcaree, drone and robot safety professor at the university of sheffield. this is an area you have looked at

already. what is the potential problem in terms of them not being registered? the problem with lack of registration as you cannot guarantee that people know what the rules are. we have rules in place for how you can use drones safely, where you can fly them, what you can do with them, and at the moment when we see people flying near airports on these sorts of things it is mostly because people do not understand how the rules apply and how they have to be interpreted because if you do not have a background in aviation you might not know what it means to be near an airport. you can be a number of miles away and be considered to be nearby and if you do not understand that, if you do not interpret the rules correctly, that can bea interpret the rules correctly, that can be a problem. the government hopes this is a way of ensuring that

everybody reads the rules and understands them. yes. they have gone beyond registration and what they are proposing. you have to register but you also have to pass an online exam that shows you have read and correctly understood the rules about how you can use your drone. the question is whether this isa drone. the question is whether this is a proportionate response. how many people using these drones are people doing it as a hobby, who might have model aircraft? yes. it is interesting these rules coming in are only really going to impact the amateurs because professional users already have to register with the civil aviation authority and passed a theory and practical exam to show they are competent to do this. this is only really going to impact people who fly model aircraft and things like that and that is my

concern. the model layer craft community have been operating very safely for 50 plus years and they know the rules and they respect them and no where they can and cannot fly. there is going to be a just associated, an admin fee, with doing the registration, and if that applies for every drone, i have ten drones and i know people with many more, so that could be a real problem. but we do need to do something to make sure that anyone who goes down to the high street and does not have a background in aviation safety or model aircraft safety, we have to capture them and make sure they know the rules before they go out and fly these things. as they go out and fly these things. as the owner of a drone squadron what are the technical options that perhaps government could get programmed into drones that would help with some of this that might

deal with operator error or prevent operator error causing a more serious incident? yes. this technology is talked about called geo— fencing which is putting up the geographic senses. if they clarify what it means to fly near an airport, it might be within five miles, you could make sure that all drones that are allowed to be sold have reprogrammed exclusion zones to stop them being operated near airports so if you tried to fly a couple of miles from gatwick for example you would not cause a hazard because you're drone would not allow you to do that. it is all well and good registering your aircraft but if you're flying it somewhere you should not be, if we do not have the geo— fencing technology for some reason, how to be born now that it is you flying it because you could be flying it many hundreds of metres

away from yourself? i have reported at before and the police have said they do not know where might be is. methods talked about including electronic identification so as a drone is flying the law—enforcement agencies could identify there is a drone being operated in this location and it is registered to this user, so they do not have to ca ptu re this user, so they do not have to capture them in the act. thank you. the outgoing white house press secretary sean spicer has told a us television network that he resigned, six months into thejob, because he feared there would be "too many cooks in the kitchen" if he remained. his time at the podium was marked by a number of clashes with reporters, the first of which was the row over just how many people attended donald trump's inauguration. 0ur washington correspondent

laura bicker reports. it's all change at the white house. sean spicer is saying farewell. for six months and one day, he's been defender in chief for the often tumultuous west wing. i think it was in the best interest of our communications department to our press organisation, to not have too many cooks in the kitchen. sean spicer courted controversy from his first briefing, just after the inauguration of donald trump. he berated reporters who said the crowd size was smaller than president 0bama's. this is the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration period both in person and around the globe. he earned the nickname "spicey" when mocked on tv. if i say something wrong, you guys should know what it is i'm meaning, right or wrong! he said some of it hit too hard. some of the memes are funny and you have to laugh at yourself sometimes. but sometimes it goes

from funny to mean. there is a difference when that happens. he left to give this man a clean slate to work with. wall street financier anthony scaramucci has a very different style with the press. 0utspoken and slick, he's fiercely loyal to the president. this young administration is desperate to break free from the swell of controversy over whether russia helped donald trump win the white house. a new face may help, but the old problems will still need to be dealt with. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. the bbc‘s north america correspondent peter bowes has given us his assessment of sean spicer‘s departure. sean spicer leaves the white house as he said to spend more time with his family. it seems, on the surface, to be amicable. with all the key characters in the events of the last 2a hours speaking with the same voice, with sean spicer saying it was an honour and a privilege to serve with president trump and he is

leaving the job in capable hands. but clearly, the new communications chief has a huge hot on his hands. the story was that sean spicer had problems with his appointment, he certainly didn't express any dissent in his television interview, but as far as thatjob moving forward is concerned, the new chief has to deal with the russia investigation, which will absorb a lot of his time in the coming weeks and months. but also, perhaps more significantly, he will have to try to heal relations between the press corps in the white house and the officials in his department. it will be sarah sanders, who is the new press secretary, who will take questions on a daily basis. we have gotten to know her over the last few weeks, deputising for sean spicer.

she will have to take these questions, perhaps the decision will be made as to whether they will have more on camera briefings, because there have been relatively few over recent weeks, another controversial decision. she will have to be part of that. all those key figures remaining in the white house, moving forward, have a tough job. it is clear, from what sean spicer was saying, they will still have his support. he is wanting to give them and give the president a clean slate, and it seems as if that is what he has done. the headlines on bbc news: boots has said it is "truly sorry" for its response to calls to cut the cost of one of its morning—after pills. the number of homeless children being housed in temporary accommodation rose by more than a third in the last three years. former white house press secretary sean spicer has moved to minimise talk of divisions within the trump administration after

announcing his resignation. and we'll hear about the british grandfather who's won £2 million by finishing fourth in the world's most prestigious poker tournament. some residents on the greek island of kos have spent the night in tents after a big earthquake. two people were killed and hundreds were injured during the shake which left buildings damaged. british visitors were caught up in it. police say the two who died were tourists, a 22—year—old from sweden and a 39—year—old from turkey. a police chief in the us state of minnesota has resigned after one of her officers fatally shot an unarmed australian woman. the mayor of minneapolis said she had lost confidence in police chiefjanee harteau and had accepted her resignation. the death ofjustine damond has provoked outrage, as we report.

it was a news conference that they hoped would calm the city. the mayor began by announcing the resignation of the city's chief of police but was left defending her position. police are demanding and sewers. they want to know why the australian was shot dead in her pyjamas and a quiet suburb of the city. she made a call to police to report screens outside her home and as she approached the police car one of them drew her weapon and shot her dead. family and friends have come together to share their grief and outrage at her death. less supplies in downtown minneapolis, more than 500 people have been killed by police on american streets this year that the less anger. for a second

day protesters demanded greater accountability. it could be months before findings from an official investigation are released but it is clear this tragedy has amplified mistrust of the police and of this city's leaders. for many they are handling and response has been too little too late. nearly one in five eight—year—olds has their own smartphone according to new research. the halifax, which has looked into children's pocket money, says 19% of eight—year—olds and 95% of children aged 15 have a smartphone. the research also showed if children really want something, 45% said they would ask for it as a birthday or christmas present, while19% would use pester power until their parents gave in. a british man has won more than $2.5 million after making it to the final table of poker‘s most prestigious tournament. john hesp has come fourth in the world series of poker‘s main event in las vegas. the grandfather of seven has little experience and usually plays a £10 tournament at his local casino in hull.

we spoke tojohn as he celebrated in his hotel room in las vegas. we spoke tojohn as he celebrated in his hotel room in las vegaslj wa nted his hotel room in las vegaslj wanted to do this world series poker tournament for a couple of years, it was on my bucket list. my wife kindly agreed to allow me to go if you like, she was happy for me to go this year, and i entered with the expectation and hope that i might be able to manage to get in the top 1000 people. 0ver able to manage to get in the top 1000 people. over 7000 people entered the tournament. i was aiming to get in the top 1000 and if i got in 1000 to get in the top 1000 and if i got in1000| to get in the top 1000 and if i got in 1000 i would pay for my expenses in relation to my holiday, my hotel and flight. then i managed to get in

the top 500, then 100, 50, 30, and so on. the top 500, then 100, 50, 30, and so on. almost the point where sub 100 was indescribable. nobody believed i could do it as an mike amateur adult i dropped below the 100 it seemed to be that quite a number of the world's media got on board and started to want to talk to be. we got down to the final table where nine people were playing and i got busted out in the fourth position with a win of $2.6 million. it has been quite awesome and i have said it many times, i have been living the dream, loving every minute of it. i came here not expecting to win big—money and i wa nted expecting to win big—money and i wanted to play some poker with some professionals and other people i do not normally do. i would like to

spoil my family and take my wife on holiday. she is not bothered about going on holiday, we are happy to go away to our going on holiday, we are happy to go away to oui’ caravan going on holiday, we are happy to go away to our caravan in the yorkshire dales. i cannot see any more. you know about what happens in vegas staying in vegas. let us hope that is not the case with his big win. an official photograph has been unveiled to mark prince george's fourth birthday. it was taken at kensington palace by royal photographer chris jackson, who described the young prince as a "happy little boy". the prince has just returned to the uk from an official visit to poland and germany with the duke and duchess of cambridge and his sister princess charlotte. beaming george at four, a prince poised to start school soon. a happy little boy, according to the photographer who took

this official portrait. once more. this isn't george let loose on a violin. rather, hamburg's young being encouraged to take up music, something kate did in her youth. yeah! one day, william will be centre stage. not this day, which was left to his wife to take up the baton he declined. music: beethoven's fifth symphony for a helicopter—mad young prince, a pre—birthday treat, being shown around one similar to the one his dad uses as an air ambulance pilot. this is the sort of moment when being on public display has its drawbacks. a sit—down protest from princess charlotte who, like any two—year—old, is not overly keen on delayed gratification. homeward bound for a birthday prince with a party to enjoy. this weekend is looking like a

mixture of sunshine and showers but lighter winds. the low pressure responsible for strong winds and heavy rain has started to become weaker. those showers will be quite heavy across southern and western areas. the best of the sunshine for northern ireland and the northern half of scotland. generally into the high teens particularly where the showers come along. those showers continue into this evening but fade away across central and southern areas will stop a few spots of rain for northern england and scotland. cool and fresh across southern areas

with mess than fog. a fresh start sunday with a little of rain across northern areas but also sunshine. through the afternoon showers will develop. feeling warmer across the board. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, 0lly foster is here. play is under way at royal birkdale, the early starters are on the back nine, still a few hours before the leaderjordan spieth goes out. the american leading the way on six under. let's go live to the course and speak to our sports correspondent andy swiss. it's looking a lot drier, at least you are today! and less windswept. the elements really came to the fore yesterday in the latter half of the day, set fairfor the yesterday in the latter half of the day, set fair for the weekend? that's right, after those horrible conditions yesterday afternoon, they we re conditions yesterday afternoon, they were truly horrible, much more placid for the golfers today which

was borne out by the start, many going nicely between them. sean morris of south africa on four under for his round, one over overall. jason day the same, one over overall, lee westwood is three under for his round at two over. the suggestion there that they could be some very low scoring in deed over the course of the day. but, they are a long way behind the leader, jordan spieth, beginning his round at five to four this afternoon. many thought that spieth would become unstuck in those conditions but it was a masterclass from him? it was, and exceptional round of golf, he was out in the very worst of those conditions, to shoot 69 in the wind and rain was something very special, especially after following up