this is bbc news. the headlines at 7.00m: commonwealth leaders agree that prince charles will, one day, succeed the queen as head of the organisation. his royal highness has been a proud supporter of the commonwealth for more than four decades and has spoken passionately about the organisation's unique diversity and it is fitting that one day he will continue the work of his mother, her majesty the queen. after nearly 22 years in charge, arsene wenger will step down as arsenal manager at the end of the season. as the clear—up in salisbury continues, government scientists warn the decontamination of nine hot spots could take months. also in the news today: the national trust gets radical. the new head of the charity says it needs to come up with innovative ways of reaching out to people living in towns and cities. and as runners are warned sunday's london marathon is likely to be the warmest ever,

meet the man planning to run it in a full suit of armour. good evening and welcome to bbc news. commonwealth leaders have agreed that prince charles will, in due course, succeed his mother, queen elizabeth, as the head of the organisation. the decision was confirmed in a statement by the british prime minister, theresa may, at the end of the summit. the announcement from the prime minister was part of a number of policies agreed by the 53 countries, as well as a new head of the commonwealth. the countries agreed on a commonwealth blue charter, affecting one third of the world's

waters, protecting the oceans from the effects of climate change, pollution and over—fishing. countries also agreed to tackle the deadly disease malaria — aiming to reduce the number of people who contract the disease by 2023. and a boost for trade and investment too, with a commitment to increase intercommonwealth trade by two trillion pounds by 2030, and a further promise to tackle cyber security. let's cross to ben brown now, who's at buckingham palace. bring us up with the latest from that all—importa nt summit. bring us up with the latest from that all-important summit. we have had is the final communique, the final press conference wrapping up this to date commonwealth summit in london. it has been dominated really by this question of who will eventually succeed the queen as head of the commonwealth. she began a deal at buckingham palace when

children the summit formally yesterday by saying it was her sincere wish that her son and heir prince charles should one day take over from prince charles should one day take overfrom her as head of the commonwealth. it is not a hereditary position. there have been some talk that might be rotated among the 53 member nations. the 53 have decided and agreed unanimously, apparently, that it should indeed be prince charles, the prince of wales, who will succeed the queen as head of the commonwealth. theresa may said that prince charles had for decades been a proud supporter of the commonwealth and it was fitting that one day he would continue the work of his mother. let's get this report from james landale. let's get this report from james landale. changing the guard at windsor castle. 0nly today, it wasn't just the soldiers. world leaders gathered beneath the battlements to decide who should replace their host as head of the commonwealth when her reign ends — a role that's never been hereditary. last night, the queen

treated her guests and herself to a much—needed drink, and gently reminded them she had a son who could take on the job when the time came. and today, she gave them the run of her castle for their private deliberations about her and their future. i'd like to thank her majesty the queen for her generous invitation into her home. and the first time, i think, a heads of government meeting has been held here. they expressed their gratitude by agreeing formally that the prince of wales would indeed one day become their symbolic leader. but this time it wasn't just about agreeing the future leadership of the commonwealth. it was also about agreeing its future role. so amid all the grandeur, the leaders also made plans to boost trade and cyber security, protect the world's oceans and support the international rules—based order. and zimbabwe's foreign minister was told by borisjohnson that britain would support his country

rejoining the commonwealth if it embraced free and fair elections. so a picture of the commonwealth's future is emerging. the task will be to keep it in focus. james landale, bbc news, at the commonwealth summit. ina in a sense this question of the succession of the queen as head of the commonwealth has dominated this summit. it began here at buckingham palace when she said was hers sincere wish that it should be prince charles. it is inconceivable that she would have said that had it not been carefully choreographed, have proved or even pushed for by downing street and the foreign 0ffice. there is a view that in the post—brexit world the british government see it as important that britain does remain at the helm of this 53 nation family of nations that represents 2.4 billion people. when her matches the queen assumed

the assumed the throne, the commonwealth had just eight members. today, it has 53. we meet here today in the stall measure because of the vision, duty and steadfast service of her majesty in nurturing the growth of this remarkable family of nations and on the half of all of oui’ nations and on the half of all of our citizens, i want to express the depth of our gratitude for everything that her majesty's has done and will continue to do. today, we have agreed that the next head of the commonwealth shall be his royal highness prince charles, the prince of wales. his royal highness has been a proud supporter of the commonwealth for more than four decades and has spoken passionately about the organisation's unique diversity and it is fitting that one day he will continue the work of his

mother, her much as to the queen. the commonwealth leaders have agreed to plenty of other commitments, as well. one key one was on global security, especially in the wake of chemical weapons, with a suspected use of chemical weapons, by the president assad regime in syria recently. as the prime minister was saying, the use of the nerve agent in salisbury. theresa may saying that the commonwealth have reviewed their commitment to uphold global security norms in the wake of both of those attacks. earlier this month the assad regime violated international rules on the most egregious way by using chemical weapons in an indiscriminate and barbaric attack on its own people and while of a much lower order of magnitude, the use of the nerve agent on the streets of salisbury here in the united kingdom last month is part of a pattern of

disregard for those same global norms that prohibit the use of chemical weapons. at this summit, the commonwealth has shown that it will play its part in a renewed international effort to uphold the global norms that save is at and weapons should never, ever be used. the communique we have agreed today express so unanimous the communique we have agreed today express so unanimous opposition to the use of these weapons and our commitment to strengthen the effective implementation of the chemical weapons convention. it must also update our shared international norms so they can protect us from new and emerging threats online. so we have secured the world's la justin rose grade graphically diverse intergovernmental commitment on the cyber security cooperation. that was the prime minister talking about commitments on security, but the environment has been to the fore of this summit and they have come up with what they call a blue charter to protect the oceans and the

british government certainly believe they are at the forefront of the push particularly to remove plastic from the oceans. this blue charter they say will protect about a third of the world's national coastal waters. at this summer we have taken specific action to protect our ocea ns specific action to protect our oceans with the first—ever commonwealth blue charter. the uk and vanuatu are working together to launch the commonwealth clean oceans alliance to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution and we are already seeing a series of commitments that can marka seeing a series of commitments that can mark a breakthrough in the battle to save our oceans. for instance, papua new guinea has banned plastic bags, believes will banned plastic bags, believes will ban plastic bags, forks and other single use items by 2019. new zealand has announced a ban on micro beads which will come into effect in june. the hammers is planning to ban plastic bags this year and the uk

has pledged to ban plastic straws, stirrers and vast extent cotton buds. that was theresa may talking about the environment and she also talked about trade, the need not to have protectionism in the world. this particularly important for britain in the post—brexiteer. 0ur declaration on the connectivity agenda for trade and investment will help to expand investment and burst into commonwealth trade to the value of $2 trillion by 2030. it will play a leading role in shaping the future of global trade policy using our unique perspective to help ensure that free and fair trade truly works for everyone. this includes stepping up for everyone. this includes stepping up efforts to share the technical expertise to enable small and developing states to benefit from the growth of free and fair trade. it means addressing systemic

barriers to woman's full and equal participation in the growth of more prominent businesses. it means investing in supporting our young people to gain new skills. at this summer, we have pledged to ensure that all girls and boys across the commonwealth will be able to access at least 12 years of quality education and learning by 2030. that was the prime minister at the closing news conference. let's try and summarise what has been happening here is diplomatic correspondence, james robbins. it was interesting she was asked on this question of succession and prince charles taking over, was there anybody who oppose that and she said was unanimous. is was very portable because there was speculation that the someone might

have dissented. normally this organisation reaches its decisions by unanimity. there were some lingering doubt had everyone a nswered lingering doubt had everyone answered that very direct rather extraordinary appeal from the queen that they shoot me her son as her successor as head of the commonwealth and they all stepped up to the plate. it was really important for both the crown the prime minister, theresa may, that this issue was put to bed, there was no lingering doubt. that is because, for instance, if they said we will not make a decision or we want to consider other options or we will wait until the moment arises after the queen's eventual death to establish what should happen next, that would have damaged written's global standing. it would have raised doubts, particularly for those who are certain that britain will suffer damage after it leaves the european union. brexit keepers

say that is all nonsense and britain could be more stronger and more powerful in the world that there are plenty of people in the world to think britain's prestige is on the line. we heard the other commitments that are gone through at the news conference, host of commitments, cyber security, protecting the ocea ns cyber security, protecting the oceans and so on. if somebody asked the question, you make these commitments, how do you know you will follow through on them less chamakh it is important because there is always a lot of rhetoric, fine words, but there is notjust this international organisation, many others are judged by their actions, notjust their many others are judged by their actions, not just their words. many others are judged by their actions, notjust their words. let's ta ke actions, notjust their words. let's take a look for instance the work on ocea ns take a look for instance the work on oceans and on pollution. absolutely central to this summit. an action area where the commonwealth does believe it could provide global leadership. the commonwealth contains both major industrialised

companies contributing a great deal to pollution, not least britain, and also it includes most of the most vulnerable island states who are the ultimate victims are particularly plastic pollution. what commitments we re plastic pollution. what commitments were made? for instance, britain teams up with vanuatu, one of those vulnerable states that suffer so much. they have committed to working together to drive the other members of this club into better practice. several countries have made britain commitments to phase i plastic bags that they haven't already done so, to bear down and other abuses of single use plastic. there will be some peer group review, but be sure that people willjudge particularly on this blue oceans initiative by results, not just words. on this blue oceans initiative by results, notjust words. thank on this blue oceans initiative by results, not just words. thank you so much. critics of the commonwealth a lwa ys so much. critics of the commonwealth always dismissed it as something of always dismissed it as something of a relic of the british empire and

the commonwealth summit here in the 53 leaders who have been gathered in london really trying to assert the releva nce london really trying to assert the relevance of the commonwealth in the modern world, especially when 60% in the commonwealth are young people under the age of 30. after 22 years in charge, arsene wenger is to leave arsenal at the end of the season. under his leadership the club won numerous trophies, including the league and fa cup double twice in 1998 and 2002. the 68—year—old frenchman also helped transform the english game as the premier league became a global success story. but in recent years arsenal have struggled to match former glories, failing to finish in the top four last season — a situation likely to be repeated again this year. 0ur sports editor, dan roan, assesses wenger‘s impact both on arsenal and football in this country. he was the game changer, revolutionising english football

both on and off the field. but today, amid growing fan frustration, the game was finally up for arsene wenger. arsenal's players arrived for training this morning unaware they were about to be told his reign of 22 years would soon come to an end. i was shocked. i did not see it coming. he had another year left on his contract and i thought he would do it. unfortunately, he is not. iam sad. in a statement, arsene said: this evening, arsenal's chief executive spoke about the departure of a man synonymous with the club. arsene often said his aim was to leave the club in a better position than when he found it. well, we are in a better place today than we could ever have

imagined 22 years ago. many asked, arsene who? when he arrived. he set about transforming arsenal with new training methods, savvy signings and a thrilling style of play. a remarkable period of success followed. three premier league titles in six years, including two league and cup doubles, and an entire season unbeaten, with a team known as the invincibles. without equal, without doubt, the best team in the land is arsenal. you learn so much from him. he has an incredible intellect and he is truly an amazing individual who has somehow managed to remain very humble. but after such success came a long struggle, many fans turning against him after no league title for 14 long years. with arsenal overtaken by their biggest rivals,

this season the club lies sixth, at risk of missing out on the champions league yet again. today, outside the stadium he helped to build, the fans were undecided. i think it's the right time. i am very sad he is going. i wonder who we will get next. a sign of how far arsenal have fallen is the 33 points separating them from newly—crowned champions manchester city. but their manager recognised arsene wenger‘s contribution. the premier league is what it is thanks to the things he has done. his vision, his respect for the football. i wish him all the best. it has been a long and painful goodbye for wenger, and even his departure from the training ground this afternoon was not without incident. who done that? the challenge for arsenal to get used

to life without the man who defined the club for more than two decades. people in salisbury have been warned there could still be dangerous levels of the nerve agent in the city, following the poisoning of a former russian spy and his daughter last month. residents have been told that nine locations need to be decontaminated. there's been frustration that parts of the city have still not been re—opened — and specialists say work to clean up the sites may take months. almost seven weeks on from the salisbury poisoning, the city is still sprinkled with no—go areas, cordoned—off zones where scientists fear there could still be hotspots of the deadly novichok nerve agent. that's an assumption. it's also one that we've tested in some cases, and we do know that there are hotspots like that around. so we have to make those assumptions that some of the hotspots we've still got to find. the nine no—go areas include

detective sergeant nick bailey's house, the central police station, sergei skripal‘s house, as well as the pub, restaurant and park where the skripals went after becoming contaminated. alistair cunningham from the council, who's in charge of the city's recovery, told me why the clean—up is taking so long. every site will be sampled, cleaned, tested. if there's any trace remaining, it will be cleaned again, even to the point of removing soil and brickwork if necessary. so when these sites are given back from defra to the council to return to the community, we have to be sure that they‘ re clean, because the people of salisbury need to be sure they're clean. when the prime minister came to salisbury five weeks ago, promising to get the city back on its feet, the first place she visited was dinghams cookshop, but today, becca hardingham, who runs the shop, says takings are still down. we were hoping it would just be a few weeks and we would be able

to go past it and get on with life, but, yeah, it's been a struggle, it's frustrating, because we just want to move on and carry on, but we can't, business is struggling and we're a bit worried that salisbury is going to die from it. yulia skripal, who was recorded by cctv cameras at moscow airport on the day before the attack, is still recovering well. herfather remains in hospital, but is also much better. and the city where they were attacked still faces months of disruption while any nerve agent hotspots are deep cleaned. i'm joined now by dr michelle carlin, senior lecturer of forensic chemistry and analytical toxicology at northumbria university. thank you forjoining us. first of all, as you heard there are of

course some residents will be concerned that the seven weeks after this poisoning we are not hearing about these hotspots. two residents have justification for being worried about that? the decontamination... the hotspots have been left aside so that people can clean it up and decontaminate it, so the public won't be in contact with those areas, so really it is a low risk for them. it does seem extraordinary that this work to try to decontaminate those sites has not even been announced until now, though. obviously, they have had the areas cordoned off and they have been carrying out testing to identify what it is and whether it is still there. but decontamination, because of the novichok, we don't

know as much about it as we do about the other nerve agents, obviously the other nerve agents, obviously the clean—up is taking longer and the clean—up is taking longer and the novichok agents are to be more persistent. how is this decontamination going to work now? bobbled the dude to make sure they have got rid of all the traces of this dangerous poison? they will be using some chemicals that are readily available in chemistry labs, things like bleach, is one example. they will be using them to clean that up to form compounds that are less harmful in order to be removed. they will also remove soil and is obviously they have removed the bench were they were found in salisbury. some people locally are frustrated that it was all taken so long. why does this process need to ta ke long. why does this process need to take months? they will have to to,

as you have heard, analyse the compound, then carry out decontamination, then there will have to remove what has been formed, then they will have to go back and make sure they have removed all of it and there are no residues left. given how toxic substances, will they be able at the end of this process to be able to declare with some certainty that the whole of salisbury is now safe again?|j believe salisbury is now safe again?” believe so. they are going in there, carrying out decontamination, and checking that there is nothing going to be left behind before it is deemed safe for the public to engage with the areas. it does seem, though, as if there has been a certain amount of confusion and hesitancy in the way this has been dealt with. it was quite some time

after the incident that people were then told they should have washed or clea n then told they should have washed or clean clothes. we are only now hearing that these sites have got to be decontaminated. do you think it is surprising that there isn't a clearer process for dealing with the substance —— a substance like this? it isn't something that we encounter often. nerve agents aren't something we commonly encounter, therefore they are probably identifying things more slowly than they would if it was another compound. i'm sure they are taking every care to make sure that this is cleaned up properly and that this is cleaned up properly and that it really is of limited harm to members of the public. thank you for joining us. the chancellor of the exchequer is in washington talking to financial institutions about the uk's departure from the european union and what that will mean for their businesses. speaking after the imf meeting,

philip hammond said that uncertainty during brexit negotiations has had a significant effect on the economy. the decision to leave the eu and then the process of negotiating how our future relationship will work is a source of uncertainty. business responds to uncertainty by slowing down investment and households responds to uncertainty by postponing big purchases and that has a dampening effect on the economy. yes, it has an impact, as we go through the issue i would hope and expect that as we deliver more and more clarity about what the future of our relationship with the eu will be, we will start to see that effect unwinding and businesses starting to deal with the backlog of investment. and households feeling a bit more confident about making big purchases and all of those things will have a positive effect on the economy. let's speak to our economics editor, kamal ahmed. thanks forjoining us. the

chancellor sounded cautiously optimistic. he insisted that he was still quite take a rash on the uk economy. the big issue for the chancellor is that incomes squeeze has been reversed to an extent, people's wages are rising faster than prices. he said he was pleased about that. he also said he had better news to impart about financial services. the uk is very important in financial services. they are a big tax revenue for the uk economy. before he came to washington he was in new york and there he met some of the big us banks based in london, goldman sachs, jp morgan, and they told him that they were feeling more relaxed

about the fact that britain was leaving the european union. there we re leaving the european union. there were many apocalyptic suggestions that thousands of jobs were many apocalyptic suggestions that thousands ofjobs could be lost to the city, to financial services in britain, once we left the eu. but he said some of the fears about that had eased. the main reason is the implementation period, this 20 month period after we officially leave the eu until we get to a new free trade deal, that had calmed the big banks about how there were going to retain access into the european union. a bit more positive on the uk economy, and also a little more positive on financial services, an important pa rt financial services, an important part of the uk economy. surely the chancellor must be aware that there are still a huge amount of uncertainty about the whole exit process and that transition period is dependent on a wider deal. do you think there is still some real

concerns within the treasury about, for example, more banks, we have already seen some staff being moved to other european cities, that i could pick up if the negotiations could pick up if the negotiations could badly? he certainly said that this was not a time for complacency, that this was maybe something more ofa that this was maybe something more of a stay of execution than a final good piece of news. is that it was important that the implementation period worked and that he is trying to get this good financial services deal with the rest of the european union. interestingly, here at the imf, they brought out their annual judgment on the economies of the world and how fast they would be growing. they have said that written has gone from the top of the global growth league to somewhere near the bottom in comparison to our main industrial competitors, germany,

france and america. christine lagarde, the managing director of the imf, said that was down to brexit. there is a real notion in my interview with philip hammond, there is uncertainty and it is a worry. i feel that he thinks we are at least ona feel that he thinks we are at least on a much better position than we we re on a much better position than we were a year ago. agreement on that implementation period, agreement on at least the next stage of getting to that final end point, the free trade agreement. lots of complexity in that, of course! but slightly more upbeat mood on the whole breadth of the whole breadth of debate, certainly. the weather has finally looked up! it may not have been quite as hot as yesterday, but for many it has been a lovely day. the sunshine was with us a lovely day. the sunshine was with us for most, but we will have the

clout back for the weekend and the cooling down will continue. the coasts and the irish sea have been plagued by low cloud today. through the night it will develop more widely and we will see patches moving inland, developing. underthe starry skies it will turn quite chilly, down to three or four in the glens of scotland. tomorrow promises to bea glens of scotland. tomorrow promises to be a little bit misty and places, then we will have sea fog around. again, the irish sea coast. not as widespread as today. notice a few showers developing. they will turn thundery late in the day. we still have heat in central and eastern areas. a decent day for scotland and northern ireland, more sunshine for the west coast of wales. come send them through saturday evening, overnight, there could be a few more rumbles of thunder, heavy showers around. the weather front eventually brings cooler weather across the whole country. kane this is bbc news, our latest headlines... commonwealth leaders agree that prince charles will, one day,

succeed the queen as head of the organisation. it follows a meeting of more than 50 leaders — who have been considering the future direction of the group of nations. after nearly 22 years in charge, arsene wenger will step down as arsenal manager at the end of the season. former rival sir alex ferguson says he's one of the greatest premier league managers. the clear up in salisbury continues, as government scientists warn the decontamination of nine hot spots could take months. theresa may has promised to do whatever it takes to resolve the problems caused for people by the windrush scandal, and said compensation would be paid. the home office has said it's looking into more than 280 cases since it set up a dedicated helpline. it was created after migrants wrongly had their legal status

called into question. this afternoon a rally was held in support of those affected and their families at windrush square in south london. paul reid, the director of the black cultural archives, told the bbc why people were protesting i think you can see from what is happening here right now, very spontaneously, people have been called together to say something with one voice, around the way people feel they have been treated and have been treated. the very threat, the very idea that we have been asked in some way, that there are people in the community that have been asked, have been here all these years, contributed in a massive way, they have been told in some way that they need to prepare to back their suitcases and get out of this place. to be frank and honest with you, that is very, very disappointing. we should not be talking about this. there are so much more we should be talking about as part of the issues that we all face, as well as the wonderful history and legacy that does exist. why we are in this position, i've no idea, but it's awful. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell has been speaking

to one man who has now been given the paperwork that proves his right to live here — and another who's still trying to get help. without a home and without work. whitfield francis came to the uk from jamaica in the 1950s. but because he doesn't have proof of his legal status, he's been unemployed for the last four years and can't look after his family. i'm walking with a begging bowl. and i'm begging from my mother, because she's a pensioner. i'm begging from my sisters. i'm begging from friends. after a while, as i said, people get bored of it. for the first time, he is now calling a new government helpline for commonwealth citizens worried about their right to remain in the uk. i've lived here since i was seven. the home office says it's changing its process to speed up these cases. last week we spoke to grandfather michael braithwaite, originally from barbados.

but two years ago, he lost his job as a special needs teaching assistant because he didn't have the right paperwork. michael, you've had some really good news in the last couple of days. fantastic news. it's given me a sense of freedom. no more nightmares. so there we go, that's it. it says your whole name. and it's until 2024. he's now got his residence permit. his case is solved. a big sigh of relief for michael, but this issue is farfrom over, with tens of thousands of people thought to be still in limbo. adina campbell, bbc news. nissan has become the latest car manufacturer to be hit by the fall in demand for diesel vehicles. it's to lay off hundreds of workers at its plant in sunderland after its sales fell 35% in britain in the first quarter of this year.

demand has also fallen across europe. tributes have been paid to the renowned swedish dj avicii who has died at the age of 28. according to his agent, avicii, whose real name was tim bergling, was found dead in oman earlier today. the dj and producer, who has collaborated with the likes of madonna and coldplay, had suffered from health problems, which forced him to retire from live performances in 2016. more than 600 mourners have gathered at leicester cathedral to say farewell to a mother and her two sons who died in a shop explosion in the city. mary ragoobeer and her sons sean and shane died in february after a blast on hinckley road. many mourners came in liverpool and manchester united shirts in tribute to the boys' favourite clubs. sima kotecha reports from leicester. they came to say goodbye and through song, tears and spoken words, they did.

46—year—old mary ragoobeer and her two teenage sons, shane and sean, were killed in an explosion. a polish supermarket and a two—storey flat above it were destroyed in the blast. mary devoted her life for her boys, she will make sure they have their sport kits and make sure that we can afford to pay for the school trips. she will do everything, everything for the boys. today, their husband and father said his life would never be the same again. shane, he was always out with his friends, watching football, going out, a die—hard liverpool fan. and sean, sean was very caring. whenever i'm late to come, he will text me, "where are you, dad?" they will be missed.

after the service at the cathedral, a cortege of 12 vehicles drove along this road here. it stopped, family members got out to lay flowers just around this tree, and not far from the site of the explosion. three men have been charged with arson and manslaughter in connection to the fire. they deny the charges — the trial is due to start later in the year. sima kotecha, bbc news, leicester. the national trust needs to be more radical and reach out to people living in cities. that's the view of the charity's new director—general, who says she wants to work with people in urban areas to help it become more relevant. in herfirst interview since getting thejob, hilary mcgrady said the people that need beauty the most, are the ones that have least access to it. she was speaking to our correspondent, claire marshall. 0n the path to scafell pike, england's largest mountain. hilary mcgrady has just taken charge of england's biggest charity.

the figures are as huge as the landscape. the national trust has five million members, assets of over £1 billion, and owns an area of land the size of dorset. people say the trust has become corporate and bloated. what are you going to do about it? it is going to be radical. but rather than change it, i want to add to it. i want to reach more people. and most people live in urban areas. the days of walking into one of our beautiful houses and saying, a family lived here, it is not going to do it. we need to think about what are the stories that are relevant. why is it someone from the middle of birmingham would find that interesting? what is it in birmingham that they would get more value from? this ecologist gives us a glimpse into the past. this is what the lake district looked like 1,000 years ago. the great wood near borrowdale, a fragment of temperate rainforest.

just up the road, the much—loved more modern panorama. i see it as desolate, devoid of birdlife, i can't see a single tree. this landscape characterises so much of what we see in the hills of britain, i think it is an environmental crime. we need to look at it as a wounded landscape. it has been changed over the millennia by lots of different forces and we are not getting the landscape bounce back to the exciting wildlife field area it could be. this is beatrix potter's house. she was a fierce campaigner for the national trust and gave it to the charity. historic properties like this helped to bring in £600 million last year. there seems to be a preoccupation with raising money and focusing on those aspects of the charity, rather than actually focusing on what the charity's core business and concern is. the trust attracts negative headlines, like last year's row over

the word easter being left out of the annual egg hunt. it was quickly put back in. the reality is, with five million members, with 200 million people coming to our properties, someone somewhere is likely to be annoyed with us. that is part of it. i quite like that. i like the debate. that is why it is interesting. if people were not passionate about the trust, it would be a very sad day. claire marshall, bbc news, in the lake district. so what do you do if you've been training for months, 0rganisers of the london marathon this weekend are warning anybody who is running in fancy dress to think carefully before they run. record temperatures for the event are expected on sunday. so what do you do if you've been training for months, in a suit of armour? 0ur reporterjonathan park has been to meet a man from cambridgeshire who faces a real challenge this weekend. six centuries ago, this would have been a normal site, a knight

preparing for battle in the woods. but they are not preparing for combat, they are getting ready for a running race, a very long—running race. when i started training, it would take longer to get the suit on thanit would take longer to get the suit on than it would take to go out training in it. but now we are getting it down, we can get it on in about half an hour. is it sort? yes. i've got scrapes and cuts although my legs. probably the worst part is where it digs into my shoulder blades. he will be breaking the pain barrierfor blades. he will be breaking the pain barrier for the blades. he will be breaking the pain barrierfor the armed blades. he will be breaking the pain barrier for the armed services charity. he is a sergeant based in cambridge, so he's used to wearing uniform. they help servicemen and do a lot to support the lads, so i want to give something back to a charity that has done a lot to help my friends and could help me in the future. like most taking part, he has braved the elements in his pursuit of glory. come sunday, it will not take a look to get him warmed up. he is a little worried.

so are the organisers, who have warned runners to think carefully about running in fancy dress. record race temperatures are expected. ice cold towels, lots of energy drinks. if you starts looking like he's showing signs of distress or like he is really struggling, even if he is asking to keep going, we will pull the plug. our knight in shining armour is desperate to finish and ta ke armour is desperate to finish and take his place in the record books. i'm not is dressed for the occasion today, but look at paul and his 15th century suit of armour. he's trying to set a record of six hours and 46, sat nine years ago. good luck! people will say, you forgotten your horse! i bet it was a good idea of the time? it is still a good idea now! chances are you will hear paul before you see him on sunday. if you are in the crowd. he has completed a few ironman races before, but this is his biggest conquest yet. the

very best of luck to him and anybody else running a marathon. goodness me. now the headlines... commonwealth leaders meeting in windsor today agree that prince charles will, one day, succeed the queen as head of the organisation. after nearly 22 years in charge, arsene wenger will step down as arsenal manager at the end of the season. the clear up in salisbury continues, as government scientists warn the decontamination of nine hot spots could take months. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. now it's time for newswatch, with samira ahmed. this week, is the conflict in syria being reported on accurately? hello, welcome to newswatch with me, samira ahmed.

has bbc news been too quick to accept the british government's narrative of what is happening in syria? and how does middle east editor jeremy bowen face the challenge of getting to the truth about that country's civil war? who is doing what to whom in syria, and what the west can or should do about it, has been much argued over in the seven years since pro—democracy protests sparked the civil war there. the debate has been particularly impassioned since saturday's air strikes by the us, the uk and france in retaliation for the suspected chemical weapons attack two weeks ago by president assad's forces. and part of the discussion has focused on how the bbc has reported that alleged attack, and the military response to it. brian tickle describes himself as...