the queen tells commonwealth leaders she hopes prince charles will succeed her as head of the organisation one day. the heads of 53 commonwealth countries have gathered at buckingham palace for the opening of a major summit. it is my sincere wish that the commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity forfuture generations, and will decide that one day the prince of wales should carry on the important work started by my father. we'll be live from buckingham palace. also this lunchtime... plans to ban billions of plastic straws, cotton buds and drinks stirrers as the government tries to clean up plastic pollution. the windrush controversy — calls for an investigation into who authorised thousands of landing cards to be destroyed. the beast from the east takes its toll on the high street — debenhams reports an 85% slump in profits. welcome to supermarket sweep...

tributes to the tv presenter dale winton who has died at the age of 62. and coming up on bbc news, england netball‘s gold—medal winner jade clarke says the national team's funding future is uncertain despite their huge win at the commonwealth games. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the queen has welcomed commonwealth leaders to buckingham palace for the formal opening of what's expected to be her last meeting of the commonwealth heads of government. she told representatives from the 53 countries that she would like prince charles to take over as head of the organisation one day. the queen, who will be 92 on saturday, said she took great pride and satisfaction in seeing the flourishing network the commonwealth had become. earlier theresa may praised the queen's

"service, dedication and constancy". our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is outside buckingham palace. one subject, understandably enough, on which it is always difficult to draw the palace is what happens when the queen ‘s reign ends. this morning the queen herself made it absolutely clear what she wants to see happening, she wants to see her son charles follow her in the nonhereditary role as head of the commonwealth. it has its origins in the days of the empire and there was an echo of imperial grandeur in the welcome london laid on for the leaders of today's commonwealth of nations. the prime minister of the united kingdom. in the ballroom of buckingham palace where empire transitioned to commonwealth nearly 70 years ago with the signing of the london declaration, the leaders of 53 nations gathered to witness another future transition.

from elizabeth, head of the commonwealth throughout her long reign, to charles who's been hoping to be endorsed in the role for some time. commonwealth leaders are keenly aware of the queen's commitment. the commonwealth has been her passion. they are aware that this will almost certainly be the last conference over which she will preside. change is coming. and charles reminded the commonwealth of his long—standing involvement in their affairs. for my part, the commonwealth has been a fundamental feature of my life for as long as i can remember. i pray that this commonwealth heads of government meeting will not only revitalise the bonds between our countries, but will also give the commonwealth a renewed relevance to all its citizens. from britain ‘s prime minister

theresa may, a reminder of the incredible opportunities offered by the commonwealth, important of course in the post—brexit world, but then to the topic that bound them all emotionally today, a tribute to the queen. you have seen us through some of our most serious challenges and we commit to sustaining this commonwealth which you have so carefully nurtured. and then it was the turn of the queen to speak. she had committed to her life to the commonwealth at the age of 21, now two days from her 92nd birthday, she was keen to prepare the ground for the leadership of the commonwealth after her death. it is my sincere wish that the commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations. i will decide that one day the prince

of wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949. important work started by my father in 19119. by continuing to treasure and invigorate our associations and activities, i believe we will secure activities, i believe we will secure a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world for those who follow us. commonwealth leaders have big issues for discussion, preserving boeotians, security, democracy and trade, but the significance of today was that for the first time publicly, through the medium of the commonwealth, elizabeth ii referred to the time after her reign ends. so there is serious work to be done on the oceans, on gay rights which are not recognised in many commonwealth countries, but on this question of the succession, the queen having said, my sincere wish is that one day charles should follow me, which head of government is likely to demur?

one of the big issues being discussed by the commonwealth heads of government this week is plastic pollution. here the government has announced plans to ban the sale of billions of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in england to try to cut global marine pollution. the environment secretary michael gove said the ban would come in by the end of the year. here's our science correspondent victoria gill. this cheap ubiquitous throwaway material has become visible scourge on our marine environment the bbc series blue planet shocked viewers with scenes showing how ocean wildlife has to share its world with this debris. and among the marine litter, single use straws and sticks, but the government says it now wa nts sticks, but the government says it now wants to ban them. there are environmentally friendly alternatives that we can all use and of course there is more we need to do. getting rid of straws and cotton budsis do. getting rid of straws and cotton buds is one aspect of making sure we all use less plastic. before any

band can happen, a consultation to explore alternatives and exceptions has to be carried out which will begin later this year, and any new measures would only apply in england. the government says it is pa rt england. the government says it is part of the mission to protect our ocea ns part of the mission to protect our oceans from plastic. it's already banned plastic micro beads in personal care products and recently announced a scheme to encourage recycling of plastic wattles. in samples of mud from a uk riverbed, i myself how plastic, even when it brea ks myself how plastic, even when it breaks down, can remain in the environment as microscopic pieces small enough to enter the food chain and environmentalists say the government is lagging behind. the deposit return scheme just announced it has been in many other countries for a number of years. the uk government acting for england was well behind the curve on introducing charges for plastic bags for example. what's happening now is not ground—breaking, in fact they are playing catch up. evidence of the harm caused by plastic is still

emerging but this proposal will aim to stop it being thrown away in such high volumes, to prevent it floating into our rivers and oceans. a former head of the civil service, lord kerslake, has called for an investigation into the destruction of thousands of documents, which may have helped commonwealth citizens prove their right to remain in the uk. it's thought dozens of people from the caribbean, who've lived here for decades, have been threatened with deportation. our home affairs correspondent leila nathoo reports. unlike his favourite reggae singer, jamaica was never home for winston. he came to the uk as a baby more than 50 years ago, but like many others who also arrived from commonwealth countries, he is now struggling to prove he's in the country legally. it was frightening, very frightening, because i have been schooled here and educated, i have worked here, i have had the same national insurance number and i

was 16. then to suddenly find that you don't exist, it is completely overwhelming. some of those from the so—called windrush generation have been caught out by changes to immigration rules in recent years, with a cracked down on illegal immigration many couldn't produce the paperwork that showed how long they had been here and some were told they would be deported. the government has apologised but critics say the policies put in place were too blunt. you created an environment in which action was going to be taken and there was a risk, it was obvious to everyone, that you would take the rough with the smooth and i think it would be quite wrong to land this on the civil service basically. this was a conscious policy in order to hold onto a strong policy position that was proving very difficult. it's also emerged the landing cards which

registered the arrival of thousands of windrush migrants were destroyed in 2010 id uk border agency. there are now calls for an investigation into who authorised the decision but some say the documents are not that crucial for people trying to prove their status. there may be no more than a note on a back of a bit of paper with a name which might not be right, the date of birth. all of this blame culture about whether these landing cards would have made a difference is a complete red herring to me. it's about being able to talk to people sensibly with a degree of expertise and come to a sensible conclusion. the home office says 113 people have called a helpline set up for those in difficulty, people like winston who remain in limbo in the country they settled in long ago. the retailer debenhams has reported a big slide in its half year pre—tax profits — they're down by 84%. sales were hit across the retail sector by freezing weather keeping shoppers away.

the beast from the east forced debenhams to close temporarily 100 stores in the uk. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. who'd moan about the weather on a day like today? retailers would — that's who. the thermometer may have been rising recently, but last month the beast from the east took a bite out of their sales as both shoppers and staff stayed away. debenhams shut 100 stores as its customers' children made their snow angels. there's no doubt the cold weather hit debenhams' sales hard, just like it hit other retailers, but debenhams' problems run deeper and go back further than a few snowy days in march. while retail sales overall were down by 1.2% in march, debenhams' were down over six months by 2.2% and its profits dropped over the same time by 84%. the department store warned injanuary it wouldn't make as much money as had been expected after poor christmas sales. in february it announced job cuts, and today, it warned again of weak

profits in the coming months. i'm afraid that retail is an incredibly tough environment to trade in at the moment and debenhams are particularly suffering. they sit in the middle market, where we've seen a lot of brands reporting on really challenging times, and that's born out of the fact that people are either buying discount or at the niche and more luxury side of the equation. unfortunately that middle market tends to be where the prices aren't as good, there's no excitement around the retail, the pace of it isn't as fast, and consumers just want so much more these days. debenhams says it's investing heavily to turn itself around, revamping its stores to try and draw the shoppers inside, but analysts say it's been trying to compete too hard on price without keeping a healthy profit margin. they remain to be convinced that the turnaround plan isn't too little, too late. andy verity, bbc news. a woman in her nineties has died after a van crashed into the side of a house in clevedon near bristol.

the vehicle caused significant damage when it struck the propertyjust before half past eight yesterday evening. neighbours were evacuated from their homes by police over fears a gas pipe was damaged. a man and woman who were inside the van were arrested. the pilot of a vintage jet, which killed 11 people after it crashed on to a dual carriageway during the shoreham airshow, has appeared at court. 54—year—old andrew hill has been charged with manslaughter and endangering an aircraft. tom symonds is at westminster magistrates' court. andrew hill was flying a popular and regular at their shows, with a top speed of more than 600 mph, he was attempting to finish a loop but the plane was too low and too slow to pull out of the loop. it crashed in a fireball on the a27, the shoreham

bypass, which was busy at the time. a lot of people had gathered on the verges of the road to watch the airshow from outside the airport and most of the victims were either in ca rs most of the victims were either in cars or they were those onlookers. as you say andrew hill, 5a, faces 11 charges of manslaughter through gross negligence and a charge of recklessly endangering an aircraft under the recklessly endangering an aircraft underthe air recklessly endangering an aircraft under the air navigation order 2009. he denies all of the charges. the hearing this morning was his first appearance in this criminal process. he will next appear at the old bailey on the 17th of may and until then, sophie, he has been given bail. thank you. our top story this lunchtime. the queen tells commonwealth leaders she hopes prince charles will succeed her as head of the organisation one day. and coming up — hunting for planets — a new telescope searches for worlds beyond our solar system. coming up on bbc news — arsenal boss arsene wenger gives his backing to safe standing

at football stadium. the premier league has said more evidence is needed before safe standing can be allowed at top—flight stadiums. tributes have been paid to the television and radio presenter dale winton, who's died at the age of 62. he found fame in the ‘90s as the host of the daytime game show supermarket sweep, before going on to present the national lottery show, in it to win it. the comedian david walliams said he was heartbroken to hear of the death of his friend. the tv presenter davina mccall described him as a "kind and generous soul". police say his death is unexplained, but they're not treating it as suspicious. here's our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba. and here's the start of the show... dale winton! thank you, thank you

so... dale winton! thank you, thank you so... the shows weren't highbrow but for millions of viewers... so... the shows weren't highbrow but for millions of viewers. .. hello, gorgeous shoppers. the entertainment factor was huge. dale winton was one of the reasons for that popularity. the aim of the game... supermarket sweep burst onto our screens 25 yea rs sweep burst onto our screens 25 years ago and gave us a sweep burst onto our screens 25 years ago and gave us a new sweep burst onto our screens 25 years ago and gave us a new tv star. its pets win prizes and here's everyone's cuddly companion, dale winton. .. dale everyone's cuddly companion, dale winton... dale winton have everyone's cuddly companion, dale winton. .. dale winton have the gift of making the unlikeliest concepts unmissable viewing. soap paul is a flying beetle because it has wings. pets win prizes, which he presented for two series, saw owners competing in games involving their pets. release your beatles. and he was rarely off our screens for the next two decades. i can't believe, they

are so two decades. i can't believe, they are so easily pleased. he was such a lovely man, using joy devries, he adored life. he likes whizzing round london and in an open topped sports car, sitting and holding court in the west end cost epiphany fans came up the west end cost epiphany fans came up to him he could not have been more thrill. hits close friend david walliams said he devoted his life to making everyone else happy, his friends, the public, his godson is, even though he found it hard to be happy himself. i pray he has found peace. he has spoken about the lows of his life. i should have taken myself off the tv, but i didn't and actually i was going to the studio, coming home... listen, there are worse things in the world but i had health issues and have depression. he was last seen on tv in familiar territory. eyes i used to say, let's check them out. i've got tea bag, marmalade... in a channel fives show

that saw him leaving the uk to explore america. his easy—going charm still as evident as ever. the presenter who will be remembered for the funny —— for being funny, friendly and fabulous. dale winton, who died yesterday, at the age of 62. a woman has gone on trial charged with the murder of herformer partner. mark van dongen was paralysed from the neck down and left almost blind after sulphuric acid was thrown at him in 2015. he died 15 months later. 48—year—old berlinah wallace is accused of carrying out the alleged attack. she denies all the charges. jon kay is at bristol crown court this lunchtime. thejudge has warned the judge has warned the jury hear that this is a case that will evoke strong emotions, but she told them to put emotions aside and the deal instead simply with the facts. the jury instead simply with the facts. the jury have been told they'll be played a video of an interview mark

van dongen gave to police after he was so badly injured, but first, it has been up to the prosecution to outline the case. mark van dongen and berlinah wallace. he was an engineer from holland. she was a fashion student from south africa. they were together for five years, living in this bristol flat. the prosecution claims that in september 2015, she bought sulphuric acid on the internet and threw it over him while he was sleeping in just a pair of shorts. the jury was told that she laughed and said, "if i can't have you, no one else will." she was said to be unhappy that their relationship had broken down and that mark van dongen had a new partner. berlinah wallace wiped her eyes as the case against her was outlined. the jury was told that she denies murder and throwing a corrosive fluid, and claims she thought the liquid was a glass of water. the court heard that mark van dongen was taken to southmead hospital in bristol, where his injuries were described as horrific and catastrophic. he was said to have been grotesquely

scarred by the acid. he lost an eye, was paralysed from the neck down, and for a long time the only thing he could move was his tongue. the prosecution said that 15 months after the incident, mark van dongen decided he could take it no longer, and after being repatriated to be near his family in belgium, he asked a euthanasia clinic there to help end his life. three doctors assessed him and judged his physical and psychological suffering to be unbearable. he died on the 2nd of january last year. well, after the prosecution case had been outlined, the defence barrister representing berlin wallace made a statement. richard smith said there are two sides to every story and he urged thejury to are two sides to every story and he urged the jury to keep an open are two sides to every story and he urged thejury to keep an open mind. he will argue, he said, that mark van dongen was the author of his own

misfortune, because he will claim that mark van dongen himself put the acid into the glass that night. berlinger wallace denies all charges that she faces and the trial here continues. jon kay, thank you. president trump says he's prepared to walk out of planned talks with the north korean leader, kim jong—un, if they don't go well. he said maximum pressure must be maintained on pyongyang over the issue of nuclear disarmament. donald trump was speaking after talks with the japanese prime minister at his presidential retreat. barbara plett usher reports from florida. the president of the united states and the prime minister ofjapan. president trump emerged from his two—day retreat with japan's prime minister optimistic about prospects for a north korea summit. we've never been in a position like this with that regime, whether it's father, grandfather or son. he seemed confident the north koreans are serious, confirming that his cia director mike pompeo has secretly sounded out kim jong—un's willingness to negotiate away his nuclear

weapons, but the president made clear he is still ready to walk away from the plan. if i think that it's a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we're not going to go. if the meeting when i'm there is not fruitful, i will respectfully leave the meeting. shinzo abe has invested a lot in what he thought was a fruitful relationship. after staking out a hawkish position on north korea, he wanted to make sure japan would not lose out if the americans sit down with pyongyang. and trump delivered — he promised to raise the issue of kidnapped japanese citizens and to hold a tough line throughout any negotiations. translation: just because north korea is responding to dialogue, there should be no reward. maximum pressure should be maintained and actual implementation of concrete actions will be demanded. this firm policy has been completely shared between us.

president trump went to some lengths to reassure shinzo abe that japan would not be sidelined by this burst of diplomacy over north korea, to convey that the us would look out for its interests and remains committed to its security. but when it came to disagreements over trade, mr trump didn't give any ground. despite a charming round of golf, trump didn't give the japanese prime minister the tariff exemptions he was looking for, bargaining instead for reductions in the trade deficit. but abe is well aware that trump's big diplomatic adventure with north korea would also reshape regional relations and for that, he needs to secure a place at the table. barbara plett usher, bbc news, west palm beach, florida. the bbc reporter who broke a story about sir cliff richard's home being searched by police, following a child sex assault allegation, has told a judge that editors considered privacy issues when making decisions

about coverage. danjohnson said he was aware of privacy issues, but added that people higher up dealt with those matters. sir cliff was not arrested or charged following the investigation. helena lee is at the high court in central london. danjohnson dan johnson in court danjohnson in court defended the media's right to report in the early stages of a police investigation, and he said business issues were considered by senior editors at bbc news. now the barrister representing sir cliff richard in this case but it to him as to whether he considered the damage that would be caused by the broadcast, and justin rush book qc told him, there is no suggestion that you gave any consideration whatsoever first of all to the possibility that complaint was unfounded, and secondly, and more importantly, but if it was unfounded, what you were proposing to broadcast was dynamite

and very damaging to an innocent man. dan johnson replied, and very damaging to an innocent man. danjohnson replied, it's not right, i accepted the possibility that it could be false. i was aware of that. now, that exchange continued between the barrister and danjohnson. continued between the barrister and dan johnson. the barrister said continued between the barrister and danjohnson. the barrister said to him, you don't have to be sherlock holmes to conclude this looks potentially like a pretty flimsy complaint. dan johnson replied, potentially like a pretty flimsy complaint. danjohnson replied, i'm not sherlock holmes, i'm not the police, that's theirjob. now dan johnson is going to be continuing to be cross examined here at court. the bbc is defending its coverage of the case, saying it was fair, it was accurate, and it was in the public interest. helena lee, thank you. the dramatic growth in tourism is putting a strain on some the world's most popular destinations, forcing governments to put in place measures to protect them. like the president of the philippines, who has now ordered the most popular holiday island, boracay, to be closed to tourists for six months.

our south east asia correspondent jonathan head reports. boracay has it all — white sand, warm, clear water and balmy weather. the first tourists 50 years ago described a miraculously untouched beach resort, but they were followed by hundreds, and then thousands more. today, over two million visit this narrow palm—fringed strip of land every year. causing an unplanned building boom and traffic jams, and, most worrying of all, serious pollution from inadequate sewage treatment. so president duterte has come up with a characteristically dramatic response — immediate closure. boracay isn't alone in its environmental difficulties. in fact, right across this region, beaches in particular have been swamped by a growing tidal wave of tourists. but nowhere else has

the government taken such drastic action as shutting down an entire resort island. necessary, says president duterte, but it has stunned the people who live and work here. more than 30,000 people live on boracay — many migrants from other parts of the country, drawn tojobs here. this beach masseur is worrying how she'll pay her son's college fees when the tourists leave. "but if that's the president's choice," she said, "there's nothing we can do." so cana so can a six—month hibernation restore boracay to its former reece dean beauty? the government is promising some basic infrastructure work during the break and tougher planning rules, but there's also talk of building huge new resorts and casinos here. this will not be a return to the quiet tropical idyll

of days gone by. jonathan head, bbc news, boracay, the philippines. a new era of planet—hunting is under way. the us space agency has just launched its tess telescope from cape canaveral in florida. its mission — to find thousands of new worlds beyond our solar system. the telescope will monitor the stars closest to earth. scientists are hoping to catch the dips in brightness that occur when orbiting planets cross their surfaces. our science correspondent pallab ghosh reports from florida. all set and ready to go. nasa's new mission to discover whether the stars we see at night have planets around them. on board this falcon nine rocket is a space telescope that will study the stars closest to the earth and find out whether in orbit around them are planets capable of supporting life. lift off. the spacex falcon nine... once in space the test spacecraft will start scanning nearly the entire sky. as it looks for stars it will also

detect any tiny decrease in the light that comes from them. that small dip is a sign that there is a planet in orbit. the big question is whether there are any like ourown earth and support life. 25 years ago we looked at a star in the sky and wondered if it had planets around it. today, we look at a star in the sky, it would be crazy if it didn't have a planet around it and we're wondering whether life indeed exists on these planets. the space telescope will spend the next two years searching for stars to find thousands of new worlds, and when we look up at the night sky we'll know which ones have planets around them, and those that might be home to life. pallab ghosh, bbc news, at the kennedy space centre in florida. time for a look at the weather. ben rich is here. very, very warm?

yeah, a week ago in sheffield it was 5 degrees, yeah, a week ago in sheffield it was 5degrees, in yeah, a week ago in sheffield it was 5 degrees, in sheffield, it's now 25 degrees in sheffield and some other eastern parts of england have got all the way up to 27 degrees already. that isn't spring weather, that summer weather, basically. already. that isn't spring weather, that summerweather, basically. blue skies and sunshine to match as well in most places, that's how it looks in liverpool a little earlier on but it isn't like that everywhere. when is it? northern and western parts, this is northern and western scotla nd this is northern and western scotland for a weather watcher, there's some extra cloud in the mix. you can see the stripe of cloud working across western areas. there's mist and murk and fog for some coasts of wales and the south—west but even these cloudy areas will see some sunshine, a few showers perhaps across western scotland. where we get the best of the sunshine, down towards the south—east, 28 degrees, way above where we should be at this point