this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at three. the european union and the uk remain far apart. that's the verdict of the eu's chief negotiator, at the end of a third round of talks over brexit. we are committed to make as much progress on issues related to our withdrawal. but the uk's approach is more flexible and pragmatic than that of the eu. theresa may dismisses criticism, of her plans to lead the conservatives at the next election, saying she's not a quitter. i'm simon mccoy live at kensington palace, on the 20th anniversary of the death of diana, princess of wales. as the tributes are placed outside herformer home, today is not only about remembering

a princess, but also a mother, princes william and harry, will mark the anniversary privately. also in the next hour — there's an anxious wait, as a chemical plant in houston flooded by tropical storm harvey, suffers two explosions. the gambling website, 888.com, is fined nearly eight million pounds over its treatment of vulnerable customers and buying success in the premier league, as the transfer window closes, on more than a billion pounds worth of business. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the european union's chief brexit negotiator, says the eu and uk, have made no substantial breakthroughs, at the end of a third round of talks.

speaking at a joint news conference, michel barnier said both sides remain far apart, and there's little chance of starting negotiations soon, on a possible future trade deal. but the brexit secretary david davis urged the eu to be "more imaginative and flexible," in its approach. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports from brussels. round three, and brexit talks are in trouble. the chief negotiator has emerged to say that on the biggest issues, things have stalled. translation: at the current state of progress, we are quite far from being able to say that sufficient progress has taken place. sufficient for me to be able to recommend to the european council that it engage in discussions on the future relationship between the uk and the eu at the same time. both sides frustrated with each

other, thinking they are inflexible. as i said at the start of the week, it's only through flexibility and imagination that we will achieve a deal that works truly for both sides. in some areas, we have found this from the commission side, which i welcome, but there remains some way to go. so the two big sticking point is are, first, the uk's financial obligations — money. the uk's questioning the legal basis for what the eu says it owes, and although it has obligations, it won't say what those are. and a transitional trade deal — the eu won't even discuss one. it says the uk must settle the separation first. anyway, tell me about the week? david davis himself hasn't been in brussels for most of the week. he returned last night, leaving the negotiations to his officials. he's hoping he can twist the arms

of the eu's 27 member states so they agree to talk trade. they've insisted all along there must be sufficient progress on the separation first. we certainly need progress on the divorce bill before we can say that sufficient progress has been made. so the uk's not going to get to move forward until it satisfies that demand 7 i think so. i think that's what the eu has been very consistent on this point. so, it's the money that's causing the biggest problems. the eu insisting obligations must be honoured, and the uk questioning them. the commission has set out its position. and we have a duty to our taxpayers to interrogate it rigorously. at this round, we presented our legal analysis. after this week, it is clear that the uk does not feel legally obliged to honour its obligations after departure. how can we build trust and start discussing a future relationship? we need to address together these issues seriously and rigorously. for now, the eu says it's not satisfied, decisive progress has not been made, and the brexit countdown is ticking. damian grammaticas,

bbc news, brussels. earlier, i spoke to chris morris from the bbc‘s reality check team and i asked him about the state of the talks between the uk and the eu. there are two keywords we will hear a lot of over the last couple of weeks, and they are sufficient progress, because sufficient progress is what they say must be made on these initial issues before we can move on to talk about trade. the trouble is, what does it mean? it's been left vague, the british

position thinks it is an expression of broad principles and then we can talk about the future relationship but the eu want something more specific. particularly on money, it's proving very difficult. what you have said is that there is a seven—year budget period that the eu and britain has made a series of financial commitments among them stretching into the future which it has to honour. it is not put an exact figure on how much think the uk is when it leaves but you can estimate it at roughly 60 billion euros. the uk says no way they are paying that much and what it is also done is going through, if you like, the eu's paper line by line in challenge the legal assumptions that. michel barnier said that he was prepared to increase the pace of negotiations here, it implied meeting more regularly. at the moment, it was scheduled to be one that the negotiations every month

the next two rounds are on the weeks after that decision has to do be made because towards the end of october there is an eu summit and that is where the other 27 leaders of the eu have got to decide, whether progress if they said no, we are looking at perhaps waiting until another summit in december, which will be talks about future trading relationships, which would not start until the new year. and time is ticking. we keep saying this. is it a moment to start panicking? i don't think so. no one thought it would be easy. we are talking about unravelling a0 yea rs of history are talking about unravelling a0 years of history and partnership, and it is a complicated business. but you could sense in that press conference that the two sides have come at this from very different positions. theresa may has attempted to dismiss criticism of her promise to fight the next general election,

by insisting she's "not a quitter". some former ministers, including lord heseltine, say it would be difficult for her to continue as prime minister until 2022, following the recent disastrous election. speaking during her visit to japan, mrs may also said that the two countries would look to build the "closest, freest trading relationship" after brexit. ben wright is travelling with the prime minister, and sent us this report, which does contain flash photography. steadying the ship. theresa may didn't come to japan to bolster her leadership back home. this visit is formally focused on trade and security. and this morning, the two countries marked their close defence cooperation at a naval base near tokyo. but theresa may, back

from her summer break, has faced speculation about her political sell—by—date since losing the tories‘ majority injune. her plan, revealed here injapan, to lead the tories into the next general election would see her stay in number 10 through brexit and beyond. if, of course, her party and mps agree. so, theresa may ploughs on with brexit, keen to reassure japan's political and business leaders she does have a plan for protecting their interests in britain. the uk, traditionally, has had very good economic relations with japan. but the uk of course has been a very important part of the european union, of the european single market. and for many japanese companies here in europe, the uk was actually almost like a gateway to the european market. the japanese government has been public and frank in the past about its concerns. and, after talks with theresa may, japan's prime minister said he wanted the brexit negotiations to be as open as possible. translation: japan and the uk are mutually important countries. 0n brexit, our country would like to have the impact to companies minimised. we want predictability and transparency ensured during the negotiations.

mrs may says she's listening so that a smooth brexit transition is realised. if mr abe had learned more about the uk's negotiating aims, he wasn't letting on. but japan and the uk have agreed to start working on a new free trade agreement. and theresa may restated her determination to stay put. i said i wasn't a quitter. and there is a long—term job to do. there is an importantjob to be done in the united kingdom. we stand at a really critical time in the uk. it's the long—term issues of trade, the consequences of brexit, defence and security cooperation that have dominated theresa may's talks here. but it's her strikingly blunt, unplanned declaration about her own political future that this trip to japan will be remembered for. ben wright, bbc news, tokyo. 0ur political correspondent eleanor garnier is in westminster for us now. she says there has been a wide range of reaction to theresa may's

insistence that she is not a quitter. i think it is important to know that theresa may did not get back on the aeroplane to japan to set up her ambitions to stay on as leader until 2022. she wanted to slap down a newspaper story and i think over a series of interviews her line on herfuture hardened and hardened. in the short term i think there is absolutely zero desire for another leadership election amongst conservative mps. they worry that that could trigger another general election. in a sense theresa may's comments will not worry the party. the long—term issue is a completely different story because few in the party see her leading the party into the next general election. many say it is not if she goes but when. i would be very surprised if theresa may deep down really believes she would be still leading the party

come the next general election. but, as one of our former advisers said, how could the prime minister have answered the question any differently in the middle of brexit negotiations? we have had the likes of the former education secretary, nicky morgan, sacked by theresa may saying she definitely doesn't want the prime minister leading the party in 2022. lord heseltine scoffed at the idea but borisjohnson of bomber —— former leadership rival, now foreign secretary led the defence of mrs may. he thought she could win the majority at the next election. i think it will depend on how brexit goes as to when theresa may leaves number ten and think that is there is it backbench mps decide her time is up there will be very little she can do about it. thank you eleanor. there have been two explosions at a chemical works in texas, which was badly flooded by tropical storm harvey. the owner of the plant near houston,

had warned that a loss of power, meant volatile chemicals could overheat. the surrounding area has been evacuated. this report from simonjones contains some flashing images. there have already been two at the arkema chemical plant near houston. the site is flooded. it's lost power. the volatile chemicals can't be kept cool. the owner had warned this was inevitable, and the concern is there could be more blasts to come. bus—loads of people have been told not to return to the area. fleeing not just their fleeing notjust their homes but the danger of blasts. hundreds of thousands of people have now been displaced by harvey. some have paid with their lives. the bodies of four children and their great—grandpa rents were discovered in this van, which had been swept away by the floodwaters. the mexican foreign minister, on a visit to washington, has now offered to help with the relief effort. i want to thank the governor of mexico for its offer of assistance to the state of texas. they have offered a wide

range of assistance, coordinating with the governor down in texas. the lieutenant governor of texas has praised the way people have come to the aid of their neighbours. dan patrick said hundreds of ordinary people turning up with their boats to search for survivors reminded him of the rescue operation at dunkirk during world war ii. he said the reconstruction in the city could cost up to $200 billion, and many still need urgent help. this is a nursing home in port arthur. tensions were at a very high level when i came into this facility. from the relatives, and even from some of the volunteers who had come to try and take these people out. and the authorities are warning the worst is not yet over, with flooding expected to continue for many more days. simon jones, bbc news. cbs reported don champion gave his more from the story in houston. some of the floodwaters have begun to recede across this

region but the devastation is still all around the area. some of the hardest hit areas of flooding might not proceed from there while over two months. yesterday we got our first aerial view of the devastation across this region. it was just breathtaking and incredibly sad to see how many large swaps of land literally underwater. yesterday with the first day we saw the return of the sun above houston and more than five days. more than 30,000 people are still seeking safety and shelter. more than 200 are open here in texas at this hour. some families are leaving the shelters and going elsewhere with family members in other cities but certainly the waters are starting to recede but there is a big concern as the waters recede this tragedy will beat them even more as offices and first responders begin to find some bodies in the water. the european union and the uk the

main barapart, but the european union and the uk the main bar apart, but the verdict of the eu's chief negotiator at the end of the third round of talks over brexit. theresa may dismisses criticism of her plans to lead the conservatives at the next election saying she's not a quitter. in texas, explosions at chemical plant from an evacuation. and in sports manchester city have made a second bid for arsenal's alexis sanchez and it is thought to be around the £16 million mark. his contract finishes at the end the season. news of two deals that have gone through today liverpool have completed the signing of alex 0xlade—chamberlain from

arsenalfor an initialfee of alex 0xlade—chamberlain from arsenal for an initial fee of 35 murray and pounds... and spurs have acquired the paris saint—germain defenderfor 20 premium acquired the paris saint—germain defender for 20 premium pounds. acquired the paris saint—germain defenderfor20 premium pounds. it had been held up due to wet hammered, locations. iwill had been held up due to wet hammered, locations. i will be back with more on the stories. —— work of parliament complications. 20 years ago today diana, princess of wales died in a car crash in paris after being pursued by photographers. a range of public events have been organised to remember her death and flowers, cards and other tributes are again being laid outside kensington palace. her sons, princes william and harry, will mark the anniversary privately. simon mccoy is at kensington palace. a steady stream throughout the day have been coming and putting flowers at the gate where, exactly 20 years ago today, they did the same things. those years ago though the flowers

turned to see here at kensington palace. what started the remarkable week in terms of how britain dealt with the death of diana, princess of wales. the shock news came on the sunday morning and turned to anger the paparazzi, at the press who many pointed the finger dunblane. that anger then in turn turn towards the monarchy and towards queen herself. ...a monarchy and towards queen herself. ayoung monarchy and towards queen herself. a young woman described by the prime minister as the people's princess. this report from art will correspond... the news had come in the early hours of the morning. diana, princess of wales had been involved in a serious car accident in paris. as the world waited for news, the then british ambassador to france, lord michaeljay, was at the hospital with france's interior minister, jean—pierre chevenement. as time moved on, it became clear it was more serious than we thought, and then chevenement was taken out by one of the nurses and he came back in tears, really. he came up to me and said,

"i'm afraid she's dead." later in the day, the prince of wales arrived at the hospital to bring diana's body back to britain. it had been charles who'd had to break the news to william and harry that their mother had been killed. 20 years on, lord jay recalls the conversations with charles very clearly. he was clearly deeply moved by what had happened and talked a little bit about what it had been like in balmoral that morning. he said how prince william had wanted to go to church that morning — which was not, he said, something prince william always wanted to do on a sunday morning — so they had been to church. but throughout that day, that morning, he had wanted to do what he thought was in the best interests of two children who had lost their mother rather brutally. it was a week when many people struggled, not least, says lord jay, the monarchy itself.

the nation wanted to share their grief, it seems to me, with someone, and the person they wanted to share their grief with was the queen. lessons were learned at the palaces, but most importantly it's diana's sons, now in adulthood, who appear to embody the style of monarchy people want for the future. yesterday they looked at the tributes to their mother which had been placed outside kensington palace. 20 years on, diana's impact is still very real. nicholas witchell, bbc news. let's go to the scene of the crash, 20 years ago. 0ur correspondent hugh schofield is at the pont de l‘alma road tunnel in paris. capturing ina capturing in a small way what it was like 20 years ago and in the days following the disaster. that is to say that this memorial which was nothing originally to do with diana, it is actually celebrating franco—

american understanding but it has been adopted as a diana memorial. at the beginning hundreds of people came and laid read this and flowers and cards. i have to say to up the last two years it has been deserted. in general, there is no one here. today, it is different as people are coming back and as you concede there isa coming back and as you concede there is a steady stream of folks who i suspect i may be tourists, in fact i know they are as they've come from the river cruise. and come find out what is going on. and they have discovered it is the 20th anniversary. it was here, or right beneath where i'm standing that she died. the car she was in was driving from the ritz hotel up to didio fired's flat by the arc de triomphe. they glanced on the famous white fiat uno and then the car completely lost control and went into the 13th

pillar. afterwards blamed quite clearly attached to the driver, who had drunk alcohol and he was not qualified to drive the car but that did not stop the years of speculation and conspiracy theories about how she died. in the end, of course it was established very early on it was drink in the driver's blood and speed. as i say this memorial has been here ever say. today something of over ten and it strikes me slightly symbolic of the way she has seen in the eyes of the world. we see around the perimeter all these love locks and i've been looking at them they don't have anything to do with diana, they are lovelock ‘s people vowing their love to each other. like you see on the bridge here. not reflect how diana is in the eyes of the world becoming something of a mythical legendary figure. she symbolises love, celebrity, happiness, tragedy. she has become the tragic princess that

we all know about. thank you very much. let's talked to people he knew diana directly and indirectly. peter waddup national director, the leprosy mission and may lloyd, wife of former national director and met diana on several occasions peter, you spent yesterday with william and harry here.|j peter, you spent yesterday with william and harry here. i did. bay have said they will not be speaking any more about their mother. # they have set. yesterday was the last moment to pay tribute to her in a way that was public because you we re a way that was public because you were there. i would you assess how they've been in alaska boldly weeks leading up to this? it has been emotionalfor them but also leading up to this? it has been emotional for them but also a period in which they have been able to set the record straight and give their views on how they felt about what happened 20 years ago and the impact it had on them. i think that is berlin important time for them to do that. what was special about

yesterday's meeting was that yes we we re yesterday's meeting was that yes we were meeting prince william and prince harry but we were meeting to songs that wanted to hear stories about their mother that they have not already had and they knew she was passionate about these charities so was passionate about these charities so it was great to be bristol—based things over with them. talk to me about her legacy about what it meant for their charity, i remember travelling with her doing things that nobody had done before, shaking hands, hugging people with leprosy, change the image. yes it did. the thing about people affected by leprosy is that there is a stigma. people treat them as untouchables and princess diana just decided, quite rightly, but that was unacceptable and that she was doing to cross over the barriers that will put up by people escorting her and she would sit on the bed, hold their hands and show everybody that these are real people and deserve the attention of the world. that is what

happened. the very first pieces of her sitting on a bed with the leprosy patient changed except... a few weeks ago we had a medical collective the temple nepal and they could not believe the effect she was still having, there was beating the patients coming back the maintenance treatment that were changed. —— they we re treatment that were changed. —— they were speaking to patients. suddenly, leprosy was an acceptable disease, they realised it was not contagious just by touch which change attitudes. may, your late husband was peter's predecessor and he was the one who said that he wanted her involved with the mission. how easy was it to get buckingham palace who presumably shared these perceptions about disease is to go with this? presumably shared these perceptions about disease is to go with this7m was prevalent in the uk the people we re was prevalent in the uk the people

were afraid of leprosy so it was about a 12 month process after he wrote. they had to check backgrounds and so on and decide how much she could be involved but she wished just so compassionate and so loving that it was notjust shaking hands she got stuck in, help people and talk to them. and she wept with them as well on occasion. there was a lot of cynicism around but it was meant. yes, you can't make the kind of compassion and involvement but she had. 0n compassion and involvement but she had. on one occasion when she was on a foreign tour she came out of the hotel later night and did a 20 minute interview on leprosy to the local media. the regional manner of the leprosy mission was dancing around injoy the leprosy mission was dancing around in joy because the leprosy mission was dancing around injoy because he had done so much work and there is a financial knock on as well. the money she brought in is done on told god of

thousands of people throughout the world. tell me about the diana effect, the effect in the room when you are standing and you just know when she walks in? her charisma was incredible and on one occasion i was with a small group of ladies that i had been given to look after and diana was going to work the room as a twang, round. she came into the room, straight across to my group and she said to one lady, what is wrong? and the woman said, i've lost my husband. she had spotted that across a crowded room from the doorway and she'd honed in on it. she was able to give conflict about lady. in terms of the legacy coloured the benefit you have gained asa coloured the benefit you have gained as a result of her involvement, kenny put a price on it? we have raised millions, directly from her work when she was a patron, just over £1 million and we benefited

from the memorial concepts. but people admire princess bailiff what she has done so that has continued and to equate that would be difficult. it's not just and to equate that would be difficult. it's notjust the financial effect is the attitudes that changed since and still an hour. may come at your thoughts 20 yea rs hour. may come at your thoughts 20 years on, people are paying tribute. it is as strange mood it is almost celebratory? yes, we are sad that her life was cut short and we feel for the family that they lost in a loving, plays them but when ever i think of head there was a joy there and the celebration that she was able to do so much in such a short amount of time that so many people. iam most amount of time that so many people. i am most grateful to both of you with joining i am most grateful to both of you withjoining me. i am most grateful to both of you with joining me. thank i am most grateful to both of you withjoining me. thank you very much. for more on the life and legacy of diana, princess of wales, head online to bbc.co.uk/news and we'll be live at kensington palace throughout the day on the bbc news channel. articles about our royal

correspondent‘s thoughts, as well. it looks a nice in central london let's check on the prospects. nothing is staying the same belong today. you can have some sunshine but then a shower moves in and there are but then a shower moves in and there a re hefty but then a shower moves in and there are hefty downpours with thunder and hail seen in aberdeenshire. just in the past hour. some of the heaviest ones are in eastern scotland and running through part of north east england. but when we get into tonight and after dark they will fade away and then we have lent the clear spells allowing temperatures to dip away again. away from the city centres you will be in single figures, mid to low in some spots as friday begins. a sunny start to ship temper, but a chilly one. —— to

september. especially the part of the pennines, north—east england, east anglia there will be slow—moving, thundery downpours once again but away from any showers there will be some sunshine and it will be quite president. a pleasant start the weekend as clearly things are changing by sunday. more about that for the top the hour. —— before the top of the hour. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: europe's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier says that "no decisive progress" has been made on key issues in talks with uk team. the prime minister has repeated her statement that she's "not a quitter" after backbench mps and some former senior conservatives questioned her intention to lead them into the next general election.

residents have been evacuated as a precautionary move in the town of crosby in texas following explosions at chemical plant flooded after tropical storm harvey. a doctorfrom romford has appeared in court charged with 118 sexual offences. dr manish shah was granted conditional bail at barkingside magistrates‘ court. and tributes are being paid to princess diana, who died in a car crash in paris 20 years ago today. time for the sport now. we are rapidly approaching the end of this summer's domestic transfer windows. plenty of deals being done today. premier league clubs are adding to the record amount they have already spent this summer. trevor sinclair has joined us to discuss things. we start with your former club, city. they are putting ina former club, city. they are putting in a second bid for alexis sanchez,

the arsenal player, for £60 million. what would he add to the team? he is a world—class player for me. if you look at the premier league players, at their best, he would be at the top for most fans. for pep guardiola, he plays exactly how he likes players to play, full of action. for me, he would definitely add to that city attacking line. they have spent nearly £300 million. kyle walker, bernardo silva, benjamin mendy miles of players. what is the expectation for pep guardiola? he has to compete for players. the pressure was on last season as players. the pressure was on last season as well. everyone was expecting the best when he arrived. with hindsight, he didn't have the squad he needed to have a real effect on the premier league and win it, but now he has the fullbacks in place, i feel he

it, but now he has the fullbacks in place, ifeel he has it, but now he has the fullbacks in place, i feel he has everything going for him. let's talk about arsenal. they could be losing their talisman, alexis sanchez. they have already lost alex 0xlade—chamberlain to liverpool for £35 million. no real replacement being spoken about. are they the biggest losers in this tra nsfer are they the biggest losers in this transfer window? yes. those are two players who can change a match. when 0chs plays, and he is fit, he is a matchwinner, simple as that —— alex 0xlade—chamberlain. for the players at arsenal, i hope they have someone lined up. it looks like piercej will —— lined up. it looks like piercej will -- psg lined up. it looks like piercej will —— psg will mbappe. lined up. it looks like piercej will -- psg will mbappe. how much do

you think the indecision over arsene wenger‘s contract allowing sanchez and mesut 0zil to get in the last year of the deals has affected the way arsenal have progressed? as a business model, it's not great to see a player getting into his last year, especially the way social media is now, where clubs can contact agents illegally. i would like to see a change in the rule where all players have a buyout clause and if you want to buy that player, you have to offer that amount of money. they have to have something in place. if you look at the new managers who have come into the new managers who have come into the premier league, paul clement, kl°pp, the premier league, paul clement, klopp, pep guardiola, players want to play for them. as much as i like arsene wenger, a lot of managers are coming in now and superseding him and players want to play for managers that excite them. thanks for joining managers that excite them. thanks forjoining us. a busy evening ahead

forjoining us. a busy evening ahead for you, i'm sure. forjoining us. a busy evening ahead foryou, i'm sure. before forjoining us. a busy evening ahead for you, i'm sure. before we go, a quick round—up of what has happened so far today. spurs have signed the ivory coast right back serge aurier from paris saint—germain for £23 million. striker nahki wells has moved from huddersfield the burnley foran moved from huddersfield the burnley for an undisclosed fee. 0rjiggle international midfielder renato sanches has signed for swansea on a season's loan from bayern munich. liverpool's divock 0rigi is also going on loan in the opposite direction. he will bejoining wolfsburg. more in the next hour. a doctor has appeared in court, charged with more than 100 sexual offences. manish shah, who's a7, from romford in essex, is accused of sexually assaulting more than 50 people at a medical practice in east london. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has the story. this was the first time that the a7—year—old east london gp has had to attend court and answer the 118 charges of sexual

assault he faces. manish shah has been charged with so many offences against 5a of his patients that it would have taken too long to read them all in court, so the deputy district judge just heard a summary. the doctor said he would plead not guilty to all the charges, one of which involves a child under 13. throughout the time dr shah is accused of committing the offences, he was living here in a detached house not far from the surgery where he worked. the gp practice is in the london borough of havering, but for legal reasons the media have been asked not to name it. the alleged offences took place betweenjune 200a and july 2013, when the police investigation began. manish shah was released on bail and told he would stand trial on the 118 sexual offence charges at snaresbrook crown court. the general medical council

suspended him from working as a doctor three years ago. daniel sandford, bbc news, at barkingside magistrates‘ court. let's return to events being held to remember the 20th anniversary of the death of princess diana. flowers, cards and other tributes are again being laid outside kensington palace. her sons, princes william and harry, will mark the anniversary privately. simon mccoy is at kensington palace for us now. yes, just 20 years ago, people were laying flowers outside the home of diana, princess of wales, killed in that car crash 20 years ago to the day. this is how the news was covered then. music. we're getting reports that diana, princess of wales has been badly injured in a car crash in france. a short while ago, buckingham palace

confirmed the death of diana, princess of wales. the princess died following a car accident in paris. she was 36. they regarded her as one of the people. she was the people's princess. and that's how she will stay, how she will remain, in our hearts and in our memories, for ever. at 2:20 this afternoon, the one basic thing people

in the crowds here had been calling for all week took place. the queen came back to buckingham palace. as the queen and the duke of edinburgh came out to meet the crowds soon afterwards, it must have been one of the most difficult moments of her entire reign. david dimbleby: silence from the mourners watching, the million who have come here to london. tears as it goes past. applause. the union flag raised, and then lowered to half—mast. another example of a breach of protocol in response to the public mood. earl spencer: diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty,

of style, of beauty. she proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic. singing. this is the last everybody will see of diana, princess of wales. well, you saw him in that montage. he broke the news to half a billion people worldwide, nic gowing. give us people worldwide, nic gowing. give us your people worldwide, nic gowing. give us your memories people worldwide, nic gowing. give us your memories of the hours before you knew what had happened. it was the middle of a saturday night. you knew what had happened. it was the middle of a saturday nightlj should tell you the context if i

may. 2a hours earlier, i had been in japan ata may. 2a hours earlier, i had been in japan at a karaoke party with japanese diplomats, and that evening we had had a number of people in. we have had a great selling holiday in greece, as i was karaoke lagged and be allowed and got to bed at 1230 and the phone went at 1.10 and it was my editor, who said dodi is dead and diana may be dead. i used an expletive and said don't mind me up this time in the morning, but i was on air by 2.30. describes the atmosphere. when a huge story breaks ina atmosphere. when a huge story breaks in a newsroom, it is quite a place. but this was 2.30 in the morning, and bbc world was only with a skeleton staff at that point. so it was a small number of people, and those were the days when there was not the news channel. therefore, a rolling channel for the bbc did not really exist. so it was a very small number of people and a self operated studio and a director in my ear, and

that was it, and a printer which didn't work. many things didn't work, including the deputy chief executive of bbc news. i said to him, can you fix my printer, because i need something to read off! my real rocks were our correspondent in paris at the time, stephenjessel. but remember, we had none of this. we didn't have mobile phones which could upload video or do whatsapp or instagrammed all the other stuff we are used to now which gives us the news in a matter of minutes from anywhere in the world. those days, that had not arrived. so we were trying to piece together, based on a system which was not providing this information from the hospital in paris orfrom balmoral or information from the hospital in paris or from balmoral or from clarence house. so we had to fill in the basic information that she was seriously injured, but was likely to recover. what was the gap between you knowing that she had died and telling people that was what had happened? it is one of the things

that one of us —— all of us in our business have to prepare for, the moment when you know something is coming, but you can't reveal it. we knew from robin cook, then the foreign secretary, who was on a trip to the philippines, and he told nicholas witchell, the correspondent, that she was dead. so we knew through what is called the bbc traffic system that she was dead, but it had not been confirmed by buckingham palace or clarence house or the court. so for about 50 minutes, the french correspondent andi minutes, the french correspondent and i were increasingly more sombre as we waited for the instruction that it was okayed to announce her death. that came because the press association decided to leak that she was dead without sourcing it to robin cook, and then we decided to make the announcement, sourcing it to pa, and then we made it officially as the bbc. and in the

following hours, at that time in the morning, everyone was tuning in, they know something has happened. what was going on in your mind and in the newsroom? everyone was trying to work out what was going on. there we re to work out what was going on. there were moments of panic. 0ne to work out what was going on. there were moments of panic. one two phonedin were moments of panic. one two phoned in and said, i have seen the princess walk away from the car crash. at that stage, we had not seen any video and it seemed impossible. but there are people who are in this situation, as we all know, want to manufacture a version of what is happening which has nothing to do with the reality. so these were the times of acute stress. and as you know so well, you have to get it right. so many people around the world are watching and if you get it wrong, particularly for the bbc, that would be something one would not want to countenance on an

evening like that. so we have to wait for good information. but in those days, the information systems we re those days, the information systems were nothing like as sophisticated as they are now. i was on air for were nothing like as sophisticated as they are now. i was on airfor a few hours during 9/11, and it was clear then, just four years later, how much we saw which was visible and was happening in new york, almost like a hollywood movie. with diana, you are talking about the death of a young woman that we had all followed for many years, directly or indirectly. did it affect you personally?” directly or indirectly. did it affect you personally? i didn't find ita affect you personally? i didn't find it a struggle. like the doctors who had to treat her when she was brought into hospital, like anyone in that situation, you have to act ina in that situation, you have to act in a professional way. one of the newspapers described me as stunned. i don't think i was stunned. there was one of those things where you wa nt to was one of those things where you want to be sure you are correct. during the bosnian war, i happened

to be in the intercontinental hotel in geneva, going to see radovan karadzic of the bosnian serbs. i get into the lift and the only other person in the lift is princess diana. what is your elevator pitch to princess diana as you go from the first floor to the seven daughters you see someone who is in charge of a big war operation? good evening, man! gathered here 20 years on, some events you man! gathered here 20 years on, some eve nts you cover man! gathered here 20 years on, some events you cover as a journalist stick with you for ever and this is without doubt one of those. stick with you for ever and this is without doubt one of thosem stick with you for ever and this is without doubt one of those. it is indeed. 20 years on, i am not really on airany more, indeed. 20 years on, i am not really on air any more, but people say, we remember the night. can you tell us about it? it is a point of conversation. it has stuck in people's memories perhaps more than any other story. and when you are on television breaking a story like that, did you have in mind that maybe the televisions were on at balmoral and her family made maybe the televisions were on at balmoral and herfamily made be watching? what was going through

your mind? you have to think of the audience, notjust because of princess diana, but many is the time when you know you are broadcasting to people who are making judgments about what you say because you are the bbc, be it in the uk or around the bbc, be it in the uk or around the world in war zones and so on. you have to get it right. in the movie of the queen in 2006, they have me and maxine mawhinney on air in balmoral with the queen and the queen mother and prince philip watching us telling them what has happened to their daughter—in—law. tony blair was also in sedgefield with his wife, and he is in bed and gets a call from the british ambassador and they turn on and we are giving primary information. i didn't think about that at the time, but it underscores the fact that in that time, we were the primary source of information in a time of crisis. as a presenter, in the back

of your mind is, where are the pictures? what was the time lag between seeing the first devastating pictures of that mercedes and having announced the news? you make an important point. as i say, this did not exist. if you can imagine people using this kind of thing in the underpass, showing the pictures of the mercedes and so on, that would have been out there on youtube and facetime very quickly. we did not have that. we were saved some difficultjudgments that evening, because it would have created massive problems. all the stills from that period have disappeared, but many of the photographers taking pictures in paris that night, there isa pictures in paris that night, there is a bylaw in paris saying you have to get permission to use a camera still, many were arrested and taken away for many hours by the police. so for about 90 minutes, we had no video because in those days, you could not upload camera phone. you had to book a satellite feed, which

was tough. fascinating to talk to you. thank you forjoining us. for more on the life and legacy of diana, princess of wales, head online to bbc.co.uk/news and we'll be live at kensington palace throughout the day on the bbc news channel. let's get more on the situation in texas, where record amounts of rainfall have fallen across the region. large parts of houston — the country's fourth largest city — are still under water. for many of the city's residents, contact with floodwater is unavoidable, putting them at risk of contracting infections, diseases and mosquito—borne viruses. brock long from the federal emergency management agency said that millions of meals and bottles of water would be required. we're looking to burn over 3 million meals a day, over 2 million bottles of water

per day, and that's only going to grow in some cases. in beaumont, we are clear that the water system is down, so we are tracking that. we are working with our partners in the dod as well as the state, looking to open points of distribution to be able to service the citizens in that dire situation. power restoration, right now it is under 300,000. in some cases, you may lose power as private power companies are working to take grids down and fix lines. it could be intermittent in the areas where water is receding and the sun is out. so we need to set expectations. power could be out for multiple days in some areas, due to the damage. security does not seem to be an issue right now. we have an overwhelming presence not only from the federal government, but the first responders down on the ground and the state of texas are doing a phenomenaljob of making sure the area is safe.

but we are continuing to track any security issues that we have. we can speak now tojessica firger, senior health writer at newsweek — she joins us from our new york studio. i wonder what your principal health concerns are in this situation? there are a lot of concerns. if we start with the flood water that is currently all over the city, typically in situations currently all over the city, typ waterisituations iii' ’ ’ ’ ’ currently all over the city, typ wateri situations ii"? it“" ’ ’ ’ ’ currently all over the city, typ wateri situations iii it 533 ’ ’ ’ ’i~ some of - included some of- included e. bacteria. some of them included e. coli and a bunch of others that can cause serious gastrointestinal illness. this morning, the explosion at the plant released organic peroxide and there is not a lot of

research on the long term effects of that. the short—term effects include eye irritation and general respiratory problems. there are some studies that show that the long term effects can be tissue change and some erosion of mucous membrane is. and then of course, there are all kinds of issues with limited access to medical care and food. going back to medical care and food. going back to the chemical plant, even contact with the water there is potentially worrying. it's not as if people have to swallow it to be in danger, it is simply contact with the skin that could cause problems. we don't have confirmation on that right now. reports say the area has been evacuated several days ago, because

officials were anticipating that something like this might happen. but we do know that if the water is consumed, it is carrying bacteria. after katrina, there was a study that looked at the health effects of these types of bacteria and there we re these types of bacteria and there were a couple of deaths that resulted. and given the numbers involved here, how is it realistically possible to get as much help to that region as it needs just now? it is complicated, because you have people overcrowding shelters. the city has set up a number of mobile clinics to address health concerns, but in cases like gi illness some of these illnesses require antibiotics. i can't say how

many deaths there are going to be andi many deaths there are going to be and i don't want to blow it out of proportion, but this will be a long term situation where people are suffering firstly because they have limited access to resources, and then down the line we will almost certainly see longer term health impacts like this chemical spill. and also psychological help for people who have witnessed things which are horrific. that's true. most shelters have psychologists who are coming to address those issues, in particular with children. jessica, thank you. time for a check on the weather. lots of seasons in one day today.

you get sunshine, then a downpour, then some hail and thunder, then back to sunshine. it is hard to keep up. we have a couple of weather watcher pictures. early sunshine in hampshire, but there have been showers since then. some of us are missing them and staying dry. if you are in the sunshine, although temperatures are no better than average for the time of year, it feels pleasant because the winds and liked. but if you are under one of the showers, it is a heavy deluge and quite cool when they move through. this evening, more of northern ireland will be dry, but we keep heavy downpours in eastern parts of scotland and north—east england. if you have escaped so far today, you may not be lucky at the end of the day. in the western coastal areas, more sunshine and fewer showers, but still a few

dotted about. after dark, the showers just about vanish. under clear skies, temperatures go down. we are going from august into september and it will feel like that. a few spots will be flirting with freezing as we get into tomorrow morning. loads of sunshine tomorrow morning. loads of sunshine to get you into the friday mood. there will be a few showers in north—west england, wales and the midlands, but more of us will escape them tomorrow. there are slow—moving downpours, but pleasant in the sunshine. the showers that developed again fade quickly tomorrow night. if anything, tomorrow night is looking even colder, but saturday looks lovely. a finger of high

pressure coming in. but sunday's weather will be quite a contrast. saturday has variable cloud and sunshine and one or two showers, but most of us will be dry. the rain comes into northern ireland on saturday night, spreading east on sunday. it may not reach easternmost parts of the uk, but even here, it will cloud over. so a tick against saturday, something else against sunday. this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at apm. the european union and the uk remain far apart. that's the verdict of the eu's chief negotiator, at the end of a third round of talks over brexit. it's clear that the uk does not feel legally obliged to honour its obligations after departure. we remain committed to making as much progress as possible on these issues

solely related to our withdrawal but discussions this week have exposed yet again the uk approach is substantially more flexible and pragmatic than that of the eu. theresa may dismisses criticism, of her plans to lead the conservatives at the next election, saying she is not a quitter. i'm simon mccoy live at kensington palace on the 20th anniversary of the death of diana princess of wales.