in this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm. the investigation intensifies in washington. a grand jury is called to look into claims that russia interfered in the election of president trump. the russia story is a totalfabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. ireland's prime minister says the clock is ticking on brexit and challenges britain to find a solution for the key issue of the irish border i do not underestimate for a second the enormity of the challenges we face. the world's most expensive footballer, neymar, is finally unveiled at paris st—germain. he says it's about more than money. translation: i was never motivated by money. it was never my first motivation. what i think about is my happiness. i want to be happy. also coming up, the world athletics championships

get under way in london tonight. britain's mo farah and the fastest man on earth, usain bolt, will be in action this evening. stay out of the sun. as temperatures soar over southern europe holiday—makers and locals are warned to stay inside. we talk to the national geographic photographer of the year who took this explosive shot of a volcano in mexico. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the man leading the investigation into claims of collusion between president trump's election campaign and russia has convened a grand jury to consider whether there are grounds for criminal charges. the panel of ordinary citizens, which hears evidence in private, is already reported to have demanded more information about a meeting

between mr trump's eldest son and a russian lawyer in june last year. the white house says it is committed to cooperating fully with the inquiry. at a rally in west virginia last night, the president rubbished claims about russian interference. tom burridge reports. in west virginia last night, it felt like the president was still fighting an election. but he and his very loyal supporters are battling allegations that his campaign in last november's election colluded with russia. now, with a grand jury up and running, the investigation is into a new phase, and the president, as always, is in fighting form. the russia story is a totalfabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics, that's all it is. cheering. the grand jury is meeting to consider evidence behind closed

doors in this building. it's a panel of american citizens. theirjob isn't to determine guilt or innocence. they can call witnesses to testify or demand to see documents, and they must decide if the evidence that the trump campaign colluded with russia is strong enough for a criminal trial. the decision to call a grand jury was made by this man, former fbi boss robert mueller. the move is a logical next step in his investigation into the trump campaign, but it shows the evidence gathered so far merits a thorough investigation. but the whole affair is a rallying cry for president trump's core support. his supporters are not put off by all that's happened in washington, rather they've been galvanised by it. the constant drumbeat of opposition from the media and the resistance, as they call it, of the democrats in congress. according to the us media,

the grand jury already wants information about a meeting between donald trumer and a russian lawyer in june of last year. donald trumer has admitted he was promised damaging material about his dad's opponent, hillary clinton, but he says he got none. the white house said it supported any action that would accelerate the conclusion of the investigation fairly. today, the president is off on holiday to play golf. the us media is unlikely to take time off from talking about what went on before he was elected. tom burridge, bbc news. we can speak to our north america correspondent rajini vaidya nathan. a grandjury, a grand jury, this is a significant step. how much concern will there be in the white house? well, the white

house responded late yesterday to these reports, saying, first of all, these reports, saying, first of all, the grand jewellery does its work behind closed doors. they were quite concerned that this information had been leaked. concerns about leaks is something that has been part of the narrative in the last few months. they also say they hope this will move the investigation on. that is what they are saying publicly but of course it will be concerning because it gives them the power to demand documents, to demand that witnesses provide statements and come forward, as they decide whether or not to pursue criminal charges. the other thing that is worth noting that is what we're hearing from reports is that the grand jury has already requested documents relating to a meeting that president come's sun donald trump junior had meeting that president come's sun donald trumpjunior had with a russian lawyer during the election campaign, a meeting in which he was

promised dirt on hillary clinton. in that sense what we're getting a picture of is that the grand jury is closing its net in on president trump's inner circle. it is important to stress the work of a grandjury is to important to stress the work of a grand jury is to determine whether oi’ grand jury is to determine whether or not charges should be brought against anyone. this can go on bickley for 18 months. that is one hell of a shadow over the white house. that's right. if you look at the last week, almost every day we've been reporting on news relating to trump and the brusher investigation. trump and russia in general. that is not an agenda the white house wants to push out. they wa nt white house wants to push out. they want talk about some of the key flagship policies he is trying to promote, for example there was an announcement on immigration. the fa ct announcement on immigration. the fact these stories keep emerging like the disclosure of the grand jury like the disclosure of the grand jury has been in place for several weeks is obviously distracting from the main agenda. this morning in the

us, the latest jobs the main agenda. this morning in the us, the latestjobs figures have come out and they are showing that in the first six months of the presidency about1 in the first six months of the presidency about 1 million jobs were addedin presidency about 1 million jobs were added in the us and the president has tweeted about that this morning so has tweeted about that this morning so he will want to focus on what he sees as key accomplishments in terms of his domestic agenda. thank you very much. stefan halper worked in the white house for the nixon, ford and reagan administrations. hejoins me on webcam from washington. this grand jury, how significant step is that? it is a very significant step. the grand jury is an investigative tool. and people are put under oath, they don't have attorneys when they appear before the grand jury. they either tell the truth or they are charged with obstruction or perjury. it is a strong, investigative instrument and the white house is every reason to be concerned about it. you speak

with knowledge about this, how are the parallels with watergate given what's going on at the moment? quite remarkable, actually. there is a sense in which this is watergate redux. watergate wasn't as serious crime as the possible interference of russia in the election. if it is proven to be true, watergate wasn't a national—security issue. this is more serious. what they are looking at are the relations of trump, his family members, their businesses, they are looking at collusion, they are also looking at his business partners in russia, renters of trump properties, bank loans and so on.

this is a really very exhaustive look at trump's business and personal involvement in russia, to the extent there is some. there's four words, more serious than watergate. i think so. four words, more serious than watergate. ithink so. idon't four words, more serious than watergate. i think so. i don't know how you could say otherwise. this is a matter in which the white house chief of staff has been fired, essentially the first national security adviser is gone, the white house press secretary was relieved. you know, you had a slaughter, essentially, in the front office of the white house over the past two weeks, and all of it relates ultimately to this russia link or the alleged russia link. it is pretty clear that if the president

attem pts pretty clear that if the president atte m pts to pretty clear that if the president attempts to fire robert mueller, the political reaction will be extreme because there is support for robert muellerfrom because there is support for robert mueller from both because there is support for robert muellerfrom both parties and trump's supporters week. when he fired the fbi direct, who was previously heading this investigation, he lost a lot of support. so there was a sense here that something... that the white house is hiding something. and that robert mueller is the way to find out what that is. it's more than 40 yea rs out what that is. it's more than 40 years ago but what does the introduction of a grand jury on this level dude to the atmosphere within the white house? when you have an investigation like this that puts a cloud over almost everything else that happens, the president is necessarily distracted. he is

largely focused on this investigation and some other things but it is hard for him to be very involved with the policy process. i think it compromises the policy process in that respect. it is a distraction and a very strong distraction. forgive me, a distraction. forgive me, a distraction of a president who is easily distracted by whatever it is. sadly, that's true. he doesn't seem to have a very long attention span. and he doesn't have a great fascination with policy details. so, his staff are going uphill, and now they have to deal with this issue. he does now have a new chief of staff, generaljohn kelly who is a 4—star marine general, and who will impose, i believe, a degree of discipline on the white house staff,

which is much needed. whether or not he can discipline the president to focus on policy questions and move away from his tweets, that is an open question. in another rope in question, which is very serious, is whether or not this grand jury is going to look at trump's taxes. every president since richard nixon have released their taxes to the public, except for donald trump. and i think that was one of the first things to generate curiosity, if not suspicion, among the general public regarding donald trump. the claims the president has a short attention span,is the president has a short attention span, is it right names of staff have found a way of making sure he gets interested in particular speeches and other things? they insert his name into various paragraphs within the briefing papers to hold his attention. i

mean, that's what they say. i don't know, i'm not in the white house now. you sound as though you're almost relieved that that. is he equipped to be president? well, you know... he's a businessman, a very successful one, he brings a business culture to the white house. he is not a reader, which i think is necessary to be president, and to be a strong policy advocate. he brings a strong policy advocate. he brings a new york culture to washington and the two don't mix easily. washington isa the two don't mix easily. washington is a very staid, deliberative sort of process oriented city. new york moves much more quickly. i think we're seeing oil and water kind of a situation here. he doesn't really respect the washington establishment

enormously. he doesn't seem to mix easily with the city's elite or the congress. so, in a sense, he's isolated. not completely but somewhat. he still has very strong support amongst his base. in the republican party. he has 70% support amongst republicans. that is important but again that is only a portion of the population. i'm sorry, portion of the population. i'm sorry, we portion of the population. i'm sorry, we must leave it there but thank you very much forjoining us. my thank you very much forjoining us. my pleasure. the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, has called for unique solutions to preserve relations between britain and the european union after brexit. speaking during his first official visit to northern ireland, he raised the possibility of a bilateral customs union between the uk and the eu and an alternative to the european court ofjustice to oversee any deal. our ireland correspondent, chris buckler reports. leo varadker crossed the irish borderfor the first time

as ireland's prime minister to set out his concerns about what could happen to it after brexit. he arrived after upsetting unionists about brexiteers. but in queens university, the new taoiseach was quick to point out how much relationships have changed in a few decades. the border itself was a very different place. a place of bloodshed, of violence, of checkpoints. he is of a new generation. the first time leo varadker voted was in the referendum for the good friday agreement. but there is a new challenge, and the potential of a new border. there are people who do want a border, a trade border, between the united kingdom and the european union, and therefore between ireland and britain, and therefore, across ireland. these are the advocates of the so—called hard brexit. at a time when brexit threatens to drive a wedge between north and south,

between britain and ireland, we need to build more bridges and fewer borders. there are scores of cross—border links. he wants to keep them completely open. today, mr varadker demanded for any reds agreement to protect the free movement of people, goods and services across this island. when people talk about the border of the past, they refer to the troubles, when huge security was needed. that is not the case any more. this is the dividing line between the countries, not that you would notice. the political tensions in northern ireland are obvious. those questions of what will happen to the border after brexit. the irish prime minister will be on the eu's side of the table during negotiations. on a shared island, there is a shared interest in finding solutions. they only have months to discover them. chris buckler, bbc news,

northern ireland. there are already some northern ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your business. ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your businesslj ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your business. i can tell you in the speech that leo varadkar gave he set out a number of what he regards as solutions to try and look at this issue, to try and deliver some of the issues and deal with the solutions to the problems potentially caused by the border. the fact he has committed to deliver this speech in belfast is a sign he has slightly, frustrated at the way westminster is handling this. he doesn't feel solutions are being put forward quickly enough. he's said time and time again the clock is ticking and he's also concerned about the fact there is no power—sharing government in stormont. as a result he asked a couple of times crispies and northern ireland ? couple of times crispies and northern ireland? that of course and him but there are shared interests

across the border and he is concerned about the impact on island's economy as well. when you listen to him, hugh get a sense he feels brussels are talking about the irish border, they feel in a position where they are concerned about it, they've made it one of their priorities. on the other hand, he doesn't feel westminster are talking about it quite enough. owen patersonjoins me now viaweb camp from shropshire. basically, the message from leo varadkar is what on earth is going on? how are the brexit negotiations progressing? do you have an answer? well, good afternoon. i can't here, i'm afraid. can you hear me now? yes, there we are. i was saying the irish taoiseach was saying there is frustration, we don't know what's going on, the clock is ticking. do

you have an answer to those who are asking what is the government doing when it comes to negotiating over particular you this issue, the border? no, you'd have to ask the minister is directly involved in the negotiations but i personally believe these discussions about the border and worries are grit surgery to. this agreement right across the british isles that first of all the common travel area has been of enormous benefit and everybody wants to see that carry on. on the border itself, there is already a tax border, there is a different vap regime, a different corporation tax regime. and that carries on, and i don't know a single company that says it is a problem, working with a different tax regime on different sides of the border. when you look at other borders, such as the canadian and american one, there are 10,000 trucks are they going between canada and the united states and they will hardly change again, they

are alien trucks with alien drivers with alien goods and it is all done electronic it. we have the technology to do this electronically. we have the system going since the 1950s, there is the concept of the authorised economic operatorfor concept of the authorised economic operator for those who regulate crossed the border and the vast majority of trade between the republic of ireland and the uk is across the irish see, not north—south. if you take northern ireland's sales, 5% of its total sales goes south of the border. i really do think these issues are exaggerated. what we want is reciprocal, free trade with our neighbours in the european union but the suggestion by the taoiseach that we stood somehow stay within a customs union, i think it is a nonsta rter customs union, i think it is a nonstarter because the 17.4 million who voted to leave, they voted to leave the internal market of the european union, known as the single market, the customs union and to

leave the agreement of the ec]. you will be under all of those if you follow the suggestions of the taoiseach. i hope we will work out the details of the border, how it will be done electronically. i don't see there are massive practical problems, though. nobody wants to see a hard, difficult, tricky border. we want a seamless border, as happens with lots of different countries, such as canada, united states, switzerland and the eu. increasingly, orders like russia— finland, will turn — iran. they are moving to a electronic systems and we will move with them. why do you think he is exaggerating the difficulties, then? we know perfectly well that nearly all the member states, and the governments and political establishments of the member states, did not want the brexit vote to go the way it did.

and he is no exception. the irish establishment very much would like the uk to stay within the eu. but we voted to leave and we will leave and we wa nt voted to leave and we will leave and we want the very best relations with our neighbours. we don't have any close and neighbours than the republic of ireland. we have better terms with the republic of ireland and we want to keep it going. we wa nt to and we want to keep it going. we want to conclude a free trade deal with the european union. make sure thatis with the european union. make sure that is all done in a tidy manner so that is all done in a tidy manner so that there are no problems, such as he has mentioned. the problems he has mentioned are all super bowl with modern technology. thank you very much for your time and sorry about the communication difficulties. thank you for your time this morning. the royal bank of scotland, which is still predominantly owned by the taxpayer, has reported a substantial profit after a £2 billion loss for the same period last year. the bank made almost £940 million in the six months to the end ofjune.

they also announced they were in talks to move their european headquarters to amsterdam after brexit. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. it's been posting annual losses almost a decade but today at least, it can say that things were looking up in the first half of the year. rbs made what's called an attributable profit of £939 million over the past six months. that reversed losses of more than £2 billion over the same period a year ago. and unlike barclays or lloyds, rbs won't be setting aside any more money for ppi. its boss admitted that taxpayers would not be getting their money back in full if the government sold its shares in rbs immediately. if we sold it, they wouldn't get their money back, but it is... what we're trying to do is create a good bank so they get as much of that money back as possible. and a 70% stake won't be sold overnight. so it will take some time and this bank is getting better every quarter. and the bank's capital buffers have reached a new high. it means it should have more than enough money

set aside in the event of another major downturn. but rbs still expects to post a loss for all of 2017, that's because it is still dealing with past misdeeds. it is expected to pay a further multi—billion pound fine to us regulators for mis—selling specialist investments called mortgage—backed assets before the financial crisis. the estimates for the department ofjustice's fine is anything from $4 billion to $15 billion. we just don't know the final amount. most of us would estimate it is going to be between five and six but if it is more than that, then actually, it is a slap in the face. the difficulty we have is we don't know how big that fine could be. and what we have signalled very clearly, that it could be large and we have a big range on that. what — 5 billion? 10 billion? we don't know. we haven't got into those conversations with the department ofjustice. it's the last big issue this bank has to face. the bank has also had to take steps to minimise any disruption after brexit. it has chosen amsterdam

for its european headquarters, serving its eu customers. up to 150 staff may have to move to the dutch city. joe lynam, bbc news. the unite union are saying that delphi diesel systems are going to close a plant in suffolk, meaning the loss of 500 jobs. this is a motor industry component maker, it axed 176 jobs a year ago and moved them abroad and it is now announcing it is to close the plant altogether. we will bring you more on that later on. the deadline for submissions on what the grenfell tower fire inquiry should cover expires later today. hundreds of suggestions have been received with the total expected to be around 300 by the 5pm cut—off time. earlier our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, explained the issues the inquiry will cover. well, there is a big debate in this community

about the terms of this inquiry. just to give you the context, the judge said when he was appointed that he would look primarily at the causes of the fire. and a lot of people took that to mean that it would be a very narrow focus. now, he later clarified and said that actually he would look at the whole history of grenfell tower and its fire safety record, and therefore it would be a much broader examination of the issues. but that still hasn't been enough. and i've been at public meetings at this church in the last week where he has faced a lot of angry pressure from people in this area for him to expand the scope of the inquiry. and today, one of the residents' groups, justice for grenfell, has published a document setting out in detail the kind of remit they would like to see from the inquiry. for example, they would like him to be looking at the way in which councils, this council in particular — kensington and chelsea — has effectively outsourced the provision of social housing, and the effects notjust on the fire safety issues or the standards of fire safety at grenfell tower,

but also the standards of housing in this area, and potentially much more widely. now, sources at the justice moore—bick inquiry say that he will have to take on board that sort of pressure, that he may have to find another way of delivering that sort ofan inquiry. because he is intent on keeping the inquiry manageable. the timescale is quite punishing for him. he has to deliver his remit to the prime minister next week. she will respond the week after, because it's her decision in the end, as the sponsoring minister, what the inquiry examines. he will then work throughout the rest of the summer until september, when the inquiry is due to start. and then he has to produce some form of an interim report within probably a year. he has said it will take some months to do that. but that could be quite detailed. it could go into some detail

about the causes of the fire. so, there is a lot of pressure on thisjudge. i get the sense that in the area generally people have accepted him as the chair. but there are a lot of people who feel that he's not right for the job and that this inquiry will run into difficulties. british holiday—makers and people across europe are being urged to take great care as the dangerous heatwave continues, in parts of italy, spain and the balkans temperatures have soared into the high 40s. several countries have issued red alert health warnings and some regions are still contending with drought and forest fires. sophie long reports. plane putting out wildfires in corsica. last week, the north of the mediterranean island burned. now it is the south. the extreme heat has sparked wildfires across europe. swathes of the south of france were scorched. now hunagery, too. here, hundreds of hectares

in of grassland burn. firefighters battle to put out flames before they spread to urban areas. italy is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. thousands of tourists travel there every year in search of sunshine. but the intense heat means people are desperately searching for shade. we have had some nice weather this year but it is not as hot as rome. nowhere near. drinking lots of water. it is fantastic having the water fountains around rome. across the country, 26 major towns and cities are on heat alert. hospital admissions have increased by 15%. and the prolonged drought is set to cost agriculture billions, with 11 regions facing critical water shortages. olive crops are already 50% lower than normal. in sicily, beaches are quieter than usual as people follow the lead of the local

and staying indoors. others do what they can to protect themselves and keep cool, as forecasters see no respite. sophie long, bbc news. not the same sort of forecast for us. fewer showers today across england and wales but we've still got quite a few across scotland and northern ireland as you can see. there has been an abundance of sunshine across parts of england and wales which is how it will remain through the afternoon. the winds might as well across the south, still got a breeze which will be north, stronger across the north. a little bit warmer than yesterday across the south—east. the showers die away from most places overnight but then by the end of the night we will see a whole cluster of them

moving across parts of wales and the midlands which means the saturday morning central eastern areas starting fine and dry. the heaviest of the showers will be across wales spreading into the midlands and eastern england and east anglia. there could be some hail and thunder. brightening up later on. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... donald trump is coming under increased pressure over the allegations that russia interfered in the presidential election. the man investigating the claims has convened a grand jury, made up of private citizens, to weigh up the evidence. the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, has suggested that a bilateral

customs agreement could be arranged. police in australia say two men charged with terrorism offences yesterday had obtained military—grade explosives and were being directed by a senior commander from so—called islamic state. a british computer expert who helped stop a worldwide cyber attack which hit the nhs has been arrested by the fbi in the united states. marcus hutchins, who is 23 and from devon, is accused of creating malware, which steals bank details. let's get the sport at the bbc sports centre with leo. neymar didn't do it for the money? neymar says he wasn't motivated by money when signing a £200 million deal for paris st—germain. speaking at a press conference, the world's most expensive player also said he was looking for a bigger challenge with the club. the brazilian, who's 25, even went against the advice of his dad

when signing a five—year deal, but says it all worked out in the end. translation: i was never motivated by money. it was never my first motivation. what i think about is my happiness. i want to be happy. and together with my family, i want them together with my family, i want them to be happy. and i'm very happy. i a lwa ys to be happy. and i'm very happy. i always follow my heart. not considering the money, you know. if i was following the money, i would be maybe somewhere else in some different team in some different country. i'm really sad to hear that people's to think that way. i'd like to thank paris saint—germain, because they believe in my potential, and i want to pay them back. liverpool have been drawn against hoffenheim from germany in the play—off round of the champions league hoffenheim finished fourth in the budnesliga last season — while celtic will face kazakhstan champions astana.

the winners of each tie will qualify for the group stage proper. the england manager mark sampson says the players should feel proud of what they achieved at the women's european championships. they had been among the favourites to win the tournament but were knocked out losing 3—0 to host the netherlands. when you give your all and it's not enough, that's a very hard feeling to a cce pt enough, that's a very hard feeling to accept and take. for sure, these players, this group of staff have given it their all over the next 12 months to try and win this tournament. and it becomes a very difficult emotion to get your head around when all that work is rewarded with what you wanted to achieve. but the players, you know, should feel incredibly bizarre but proud of what they've done. they've given it their all —— should feel incredibly proud. but these margins are so small. england won the toss and decided to bat on the first morning of the fourth and final test at old trafford — but they've lost a couple of wickets

since returning from lunch.... alastair cook out for 46 and tom westley making 29. a short time ago, england were 100-3. he's one of the most famous sporting stars on the planet, and tonight, usain bolt will go for the 100 metres heats at the world athletics championships. this will be the lightening bolt‘s final major competition as he retiring at the end of the season. but what will the fastest man in the world miss the most? just the fans, and the thrill of being on the track. you just can't beat plain da the best, the energy you get when you first walk on that track. people just go crazy. that's what i'm going to miss the most. the london crowd really made me know what it means to be supportive, you know what i mean? they've really supported not just me know what i mean? they've really supported notjust me but the sport itself. they care more everyday and try to support everybody and show a lot of love. for me, that was big.

great britain's main gold medal hope todayis great britain's main gold medal hope today is mo farah who competes in the ten thousand metre finaljust after nine o'clock and after that he's preparing to focus on the marathon. if he wins, it will be six world championship golds for sir mo who says his career on the track has been demanding. georgia hall of england and american world number two lexi thompson share the lead midway through the second round of the women's british open at kingsbarns. that hall shot a second round 67 to end the day on nine under par and that was a score that was equalled by thompson who started the day a shot ahead of hall but ended her round also on nine under par. the pairare two round also on nine under par. the pair are two shots clear of the field. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. investigators believe the bomb on

the australian claim was made by using military explosives and another device was planned using toxic gas in a public place. hywel griffths has more. described as one of the most sophisticated terror plots on australian soil, officers say they have entered a plan which could have caused catastrophic loss of life. they believe that khaled khayat and mahmoud khayat were sent military grade explosives by the so—called islamic state on a cargo flight. so—called islamic state on a cargo flight. they allege that they put together a bomb packed inside a meat grinder. on july the 15th together a bomb packed inside a meat grinder. onjuly the 15th it is alleged the men planned to take improvised explosive device or ied on an etihad airways flight out of sydney. but officers say it was never checked in. we will be alleging in court that a fully functioning ied was to be placed on

that plane on the 15th ofjuly. one thing that is important to state, though, is that he did not get through security. having aborted the first attack, it is alleged the men took parts of the bomb to try and create a chemical device instead which would emit poisonous hydrogen sulphate. officers say the men were arrested before that plot became advanced. detailed forensic searches are continuing. a third man is still being questioned by police. airport security routines have now returned to normal. passengers are being assured the threat has been disrupted. but new questions have been raised over how explosives could be sent into australia by the islamic state and how the terror threat is evolving. hywel griffths, bbc news, sydney. one of the world stores residential buildings, the torch tower in dubai, has caught fire for the second time in two

yea rs. fire for the second time in two years. firefighters say the 75 story building was evacuated without any injuries and the fire is now in control. a previous fire in 2015 was blamed in part on flammable cladding. airlines including british airways, ryanair and easyjet are urging passengers to turn up earlier than normal at airports. there are big delays at passport control due to tighter security threats. year texting passengers to allow three hours before your flight is —— texting passengers to allow three hours before yourflight is —— by a. the results of the 2017 national geographic travel photographer of the year contest are now in. over 15,000 photos were entered this year from more than 30 countries. for photographers, it's a coveted title to take, and one which can catapult them into international photography stardom. this year's grand prize was awarded for an incredible shot of lightning striking the erupting colima volcano on mexico's west coast. here's a look at the winners list.

music i'm joined now by serhio tapiro velasco, the winner of the 2017 national geographic travel photographer of the year contest, from his home in colima in mexico. and regulations, first of all. just looking at all of those other pictures, why do you think you one —— congratulations. pictures, why do you think you one -- congratulations. why i won?! this is the most precious gift that nature it gave to me. i've been photographing for 15 years this volcano. this is the most important pa rt volcano. this is the most important part of this work of 15 years. you had been monitoring the volcano's activity. but when you saw the result in your camera, what did you think? well, i felt that the picture

wasn't ok, because it was a lot of flight wasn't ok, because it was a lot of flight from this lightning. —— a lot of light. i had to download it to the computer to see if it was ok. and, you know, iwas the computer to see if it was ok. and, you know, i was so happy, the image was incredible. i didn't believe it. i wanted to cry, i wa nted believe it. i wanted to cry, i wanted to jump. well, believe it. i wanted to cry, i wanted tojump. well, it has become the biggest photo of my life. and anybody who looks at it now will understand why. it has on the real, in magic to it, doesn't it? -- if there are real. it's magic, because there are real. it's magic, because the light is so strange. most of the people, even the experts, say that at first impression it is a

composition, a photo composition. but i know that it is a real photo. i won 2015 for this photo, a third place in the nature category. they asked of me to review the original image. and this is the case with the national geographic. they ask you to make an addition of the original image, and it's ok. . anybody who loves their photograph you will want to know what sort of camera, what sort of lens, what sort of speed —— anybody who loves their photography. 0k, it anybody who loves their photography. ok, it was taken december 2015 with a canon camera. it is an eight second shoot. i thought 32oo

a canon camera. it is an eight second shoot. i thought 3200 and, well, it was a matter of luck. but a lot of experience about knowing this volcano, yeah. has anybody come up to you and said, gosh, you were lucky to pass just when that happened?! yeah, all the time! people say, you're so lucky... yeah, i'm so lucky but i have been 15 taking these photos. i think i have about 3000, how do you say... 3300 albums, pictures of this volcano. so it's been a lot of work. of course, i'm very happy that a latin american photographer... because, when you ta ke photographer... because, when you take this kind of picture, you only can be grateful with nature. just

looking at some of the other images from other photographers, what is it about a still image that has something that no moving image can really match? it just something that no moving image can really match? itjust transports you there, does it? yes, that's true. and that's the magic of national geographic. i know a lot of... may be thousands of photographers around the world, when you see this kind of image, you want to travel. and you try to take your camera and take good pictures. and when you come home, you realise that you need to learn a lot. so i'm this kind of photographer. i'm passionate about taking pictures. it is the result of a lot of love of photography. we are

just showing viewers one last time that image of yours. many, many congratulations for winning that award and thank you forjoining us. thank you very much. in a moment, a summary of the business news this hour. but first, the headlines on bbc news... the investigation intensifies in washington. a grand jury is called to look into claims that russia interfered in the election of president trump. ireland's prime minister says the clock is ticking on brexit, and challenges britain to find a solution for the key issue of the irish border. the world's most expensive footballer, neymar, is finally unveiled at paris st—germain. in the business news... for the fourth month running this year, new car sales have fallen — a drop of 9% betweenjune and july. and for the first time, the society of motor manufacturers and traders, which collects the figures, has blamed the fall

on a drop in business and consumer confidence. royal bank of scotland, rbs, made over £900 million in profit in the last six months. and it said its moving about 150 staff to amsterdam after brexit. but the bank, still 73% owned by the tax—payer, may not make a full year profit. it all depends on how much it has to pay out in legal costs in court cases in the us that relate to the 2008 financial crisis. one of the uk's biggest business lobby groups has urged the cabinet to stop "dancing around the edges" of brexit. the institute of directors — it has about 30,000 members — has criticised the cabinet for engaging in what it called "a range of speculative arguments over transition". it warned that without agreement, business faces "short—term chaotic cliff edges". good afternoon. more impressivejobs numbers out of the us. the world's biggest economy added 209k new positions injuly. samira hussain is in new york.

so, this is impressive because it's ahead of expectations? yes, absolutely. analysts were only expecting about 180,000 jobs for the month ofjuly. but this really came in much higher than expected at 2009000 jobs. you'll remember when we look at the jobs report from june it was a similar scene. investors weren't expecting that big of a jump in terms of how manyjobs were added to the us economy. but we saw that 222,000 jobs were added to the economy in the month ofjune. we are seeing some pretty robustjobs numbers. the unemployment rate here in the us has fallen to 4.3%. overall, the unemployment picture is looking pretty strong, especially when you consider what happened about a decade ago at the height of the financial crisis when the unemployment rate was up 10%. many a nalysts unemployment rate was up 10%. many analysts believe that here in the us, we are really close to full

employment. those green shoots do look pretty healthy, liked what he was saying. what does that mean for the federal reserve and interest rates ? the federal reserve and interest rates? the federal reserve have already signalled that there will be another rate rise. it had previously signalled that there will probably be three rate rises for this year, now it is just a matter of when we are going to see that next rate rise. if the question is whether we're going to see an additional rate rise, that's really hard to tell. while these jobs rate rise, that's really hard to tell. while thesejobs numbers rate rise, that's really hard to tell. while these jobs numbers are released from, there is some wea kness released from, there is some weakness in the employment seen here in the united states —— are really strong. there are two things to pay attention to. one is wage growth, how much people are getting paid per hour, is it growing fast enough? if you look over the last 12 months, wages have only gone up 2.5%. it's not bad, but it's not very good either. the other thing of concern is the labour participation rate,

how many people are actively participating in the labour market. that still remains a little bit low. those are two things that the federal reserve has mentioned before and is going to be looking at. considering those two things, it is ha rd to considering those two things, it is hard to say whether the fed is going to consider an additional rate rise to consider an additional rate rise to the previous one they have signalled this year. healthy numbers overall then. thanks, samir hussain. some other business stories we've been following: pearson plans to cut 3,000 jobs following a record loss last year for the seller of academic books and online teaching services. bsn sells books and online teaching courses. “— bsn sells books and online teaching courses. —— pearson. the cuts make up 9% of the firm's global workforce. in january, pearson reported a slump in sales at its main business — selling books to us college students. that contributed to a loss of £2.5 billion in 2016 — the biggest loss in the company's history. uk interest rates may have to go up by more than the market expects in the future,

that's according to the the bank of england's deputy governor, ben broadbent. he told the bbc the drop in sterling following the brexit vote had fuelled inflationand that there was a "trade—off between stabilising inflation and keeping the economy going". but he said the uk was "a little bit" better placed to cope with an interest rate rise. uber has said it could have done more to pull unsafe cars off the road in singapore, amid allegations it rented out faulty vehicles to drivers. us media reported on thursday that uber was aware of a honda vezel recall when it purchased more than 1,000 vezels that were then leased to drivers. one of these cars caught fire injanuary, according to the report. uber has faced a string of controversies in recent months. let's have a look at markets before we go. shares in house—builders are not doing well recently. they have fallen at the prospect of the

goverment‘s first—time buyer scheme being wound down. the review could tape of the system ahead of its scheduled closure in april 20 21. a lot of house—builders fell, as in and barratt homes foul. —— persimmon. that's all the business news. the 70th edinburgh international festival gets under way later. created in the aftermath of the second world war to give a "platform for the flowering of the human spirit", the arts and culture extravaganza is now the largest in the world. as thousands of performers prepare to fill hundreds of venues once again, we meet the couple who've been there since the beginning. this is ingrid and henry wuga's story. may, 1939, i came by kindertra nsport, a traumatic journey by train from germany through holland, and eventually we landed in great britain. the child refugees from germany... i'm 90...i think i'm 92. 93.

lam not 93, am i? you are, dear. we were always interested in music. when we heard there was music going on, we said, can we possibly go? can we afford to go? to the first music and drama festival in scotland's capital come 120,000 visitors. we were young, we had very little money. it was pretty well sold out. but we didn't mind standing up the back. orchestras from many countries, from europe, even america came within the first couple of years. all of a sudden there was life, there was a rekindling of life, art and music. but people were determined. people determined to lead a better life, and it did work, it did. because it had been war. i think they were determined that it should change, and should be better. this iconic singer, kathleen ferrier, who became a star in a very short time.

it was fantastic. and once, having tasted that, of course, there was no stopping us. we were hooked from that moment on. i saw dudley moore, and jonathan miller, and michael palin. i mean, it was absolutely outstanding. we only knew these people vaguely now and again on television. here they were there. no, they were there. they were there in life! it really made it. and they are also bringing back this year, they are bringing back la boheme, because they played it in 1947, so they are bringing things back that for 70 years ago. the festival is changing. it has to change, and it has to grow. let's have a look at the weather. hello there. for much of the uk things are looking drier than yesterday with far fewer showers

around, mole in the way of sunshine. the area of low pressure which bought the windy weather is gradually moving away. quite a blustery day across northern areas, but a good deal of sunshine in the south, glorious weather watcher pictures coming through of the sunny skies this morning, like this one in cambridgeshire. lots of scotland across england and wales. more showers though across scotland, and heavy wa nts showers though across scotland, and heavy wants across south wales and south—west england. however, it looks like the showers will remain largely confined to the northern parts of the uk, for northern ireland and much of scotland, some of them producing longer spells of rain. blustery across this north—east corner, even into warts north—east corner, even into warts north—east england as well. the further south you had, the showers few and further between. more in the way of sunshine, a touch warmer here. a bit cooler than yesterday across scotland and northern ireland. for england and wales, we could be looking at 23—24dc across

the south—east. the showers rattle on for a while across the northern half of the country. then things turn much drierfor the half of the country. then things turn much drier for the first part of the night. by the second part of the night, we will see a whole cluster of showers pushing into parts of wales, south—west england, potentially the midlands. for saturday, nice start across central and eastern areas with sunshine. a cluster of showers across wales and the midlands will move eastwards. some of them could turn out to be heavy, hail and thunder into wards is angry. and improving picture later in the day, sunshine making a return. temperature wise, pretty much where it is being in the last few days. those showers fizzle out on saturday evening, a fine end to the day with a glorious sunset. towards sunday, we start of fine thanks to a ridge of high pressure. this area of high pressure means that conditions will go downhill across western areas. a glorious morning for the bulk of the country

on sunday. then we will see wind and rain pushing into northern ireland, western scotland and further eastward as well. into next week it looks like it will be a rather showery start. but it becomes drier as high pressure builds in with more in the way of sunshine. in this is bbc news. i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 3pm. ireland's prime minister says the clock is ticking on brexit and challenges britain to find a solution for the key issue of the irish border i do not underestimate for a second the enormity of the challenges we face. the probe into russian interference in last year's presidential election intensifies as the man investigating appoints a grand jury. the russia story is a totalfabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. the world's most expensive footballer, neymar, is unveiled

at paris st—germain. he says it's about more than money. translation: i was never motivated by money. it was never my first motivation. what i think about is my happiness.