hello. you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. today at 2pm: marks and spencer's profits plummet, down more than 60%, as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. the fact is that customers‘ shopping habits are changing. we've said that we believe we'll have a third of our business online within the next five years and that trend isn't going away. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i'll give you the tools, the powers and the back—up that you need to get the job done. running out of water — a warning england faces shortages by 2050, with enough waterfor 20 million people lost through leaks every day. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with katherine downes. it is the news and we already knew,

unai emery is the new manager at arsenal, the club finally confirming his appointment this morning. i will have all the details in half an hour. thanks, katherine. and helen willets has all the weather. we are heading for another warm bank holiday weekend but i can't promise it will be completely dry. also coming up, give us five: the super cute rare snow tiger cubs making their public debut at a zoo in eastern china. hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. marks and sparks is a little less sparkly today, announcing a big fall in profits as it battles to modernise its business and to adapt to the changing way we shop.

marks & spencer's strategy of closing stores accelerating an overhaul it says is "vital" for its future. this report from our business correspondent, emma simpson. first, the store closures. this one in northampton, one of 100 which will go. but it is an overhaul which is costing m&s dear. the expense of closing these stores made a huge dent in its annual pre—tax profits today, down by 62%, tojust under £67 million. sales are also down in home and food. i spoke to the boss about the challenges and the changes

taking place. steve, your statement isa taking place. steve, your statement is a pretty sobering read to date. it says the culture is to corporate, you are too inward looking, you have lost your appeal to family age customers. you seem to be saying that if you don't make urgent changes now, m&s is in danger of slowly fading away. a sobering reading it is and the statement today demonstrates why it is urgent that we transform this business and modernise it and make it special again. that includes closing lots of stores. in northampton yesterday, people were telling me it would be a big blow to lose m&s. how where are you about the impact of these closures on our high streets?” you about the impact of these closures on our high streets? i am very aware of it and every decision to close a store is very difficult, not just for the town to close a store is very difficult, notjust for the town but my colleagues, and we think very carefully about it. we have looked at this over a long period of time.

but shopping habits are changing. we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online over the next five years and that trend is not going away, and that means high street stores are less economic, we are unable to modernise them and the customers are shopping elsewhere, online and out of time. the pace of change is ramping up, thatis the pace of change is ramping up, that is clearly the stark message that is clearly the stark message that comes through. it is vital to mmp that comes through. it is vital to ramp up the changes now. why is that? what has changed and what is the acceleration taking place? the first thing is, and you can see from the results today, i want to create a marks & spencer is that grows in sustainable way and the retail market is changing probably more quickly than i have ever seen and we need to react to that. we have been slow to react in the past. we need to transform the business urgently. if we don't, we will continue to see

disappointing results. two years into itsjob, he has still got a huge task to revitalise m&s‘ fortunes, but the changes are now being ramped up. a woman who poured acid over her former boyfriend, causing him catastrophic injuries, has been sentenced to life in prison. the judge at bristol crown court said berlinah wallace's attack on mark van dongen in 2015 was an act of ‘pure evil‘. mr van dongen ended his life through euthanasia 16 months later, saying he could no longer stand the pain of his injuries. jon kay reports. six days after she was found guilty, berlinah wallace and to be sentenced. inside court, their actions were described by the judge as pure evil, sadistic, malicious and callous. she had thrown sulphuric acid over her boyfriend as he lay in her bed, wearing just a pairof he lay in her bed, wearing just a pair of shorts. these pictures show how it burned the seat —— sheets.

the acid left mark van dongen with catastrophic life—threatening injuries. after more than a year of pain, he was granted euthanasia in belgium. sentencing her to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years, thejudge said the prison with a minimum of 12 years, the judge said the south african born fashion student had told lie upon lie and had intended to disfigure the 29—year—old so he wouldn't be attractive to other women. mark van dongen's father attended every day of this trial. today he wept as the woman he treated like a daughter was sentenced. 0utside court, he said he was glad she would be locked up for a minimum of 12 years but he said that would be too little. he added, we asa that would be too little. he added, we as a family have been sentenced to life. thejudge we as a family have been sentenced to life. the judge said that before the attack three years ago, berlinah wallace the attack three years ago, berlinah walla ce ha d the attack three years ago, berlinah wallace had researched on the internet the damage acid could do. and then had done nothing to help her boyfriend as he screamed in agony. standing with his arms spread

out... a neighbour ran onto the street to assist mark van dongen that night. the acid on his fingertips even burned her metal door bell. he was in agony. he literally was shivering, shaking. he looked like he had had grey paint poured all over him from his head down to the knees. his skin was melting. berlinah wallace was acquitted of murder last week. even and somerset police say they believe this is the first life sentence handed to someone for throwing acid. the new home secretary, sajid javid, has told police officers that he is standing with them on the front line. in a speech to the police federation of england and wales, which aimed to win over his audience, mrjavid assured them he would provide the resources they needed to get the job done. a warning, daniel sandford's report contains a racially—offensive term. just over three weeks into the job,

with murder and violent crime rising and the threat from terrorism still severe, sajid javid came to birmingham knowing he needed the police on his side. to win them over he reminded them that his brother is a police officer and recalled the extremely racially offensive language he heard when his brother took him for a ride in a patrol car. teenagers giving them the middle finger, swearing and spitting. and worst of all, at one point, when his car approached lights and slowdown, one teenager leaned over and yelled at my brother, you lackey bustard. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i will give you the tools, powers and back—up you need to get the job done, for those of you who stand on

the front line, be in no doubt that i will be standing with you. thank you. nonetheless, the chair of the police federation still made this plea. home secretary, learn the lessons your predecessors failed to. three years ago, theresa may accused us three years ago, theresa may accused us of crying wolf. we were accused of scaremongering over the effects of scaremongering over the effects of budget cuts to policing. 0ur warnings that cutting police officer numbers would see an increase in the numbers would see an increase in the numberof numbers would see an increase in the number of victims of crime were dismissed. we arejust going dismissed. we are just going to pull out of that report. we are going to take you to arsenal's headwaters because unai emery is being unveiled to the press. progressive, entertaining football. a personality that fit with arsenal's values. and also a record of developing players, in particular young players, through detailed tactical and instructions and also

through cultural demands, pushing players, demanding more from them. we look through and analyse, obviously, all good football clubs have an ongoing review process but we looked through and analysed on the basis that every coach in the world would be interested in this position. we don't believe that there is a position in world foot ball there is a position in world football that is more attractive than that at arsenal football club. and having gone through that process and a series of references and a good degree of analysis, we created a long list, an eight person list. all of those eight people that we approached, that we targeted, were interested in the position, all of those eight people took part in extensive in— person those eight people took part in extensive in—person interviews with the three of us and none of them at

any stage withdrew their interests. they were interested right until the moment that we informed them of our decision. so we were in the fortunate position in this process to be able to make our first choice and that is what we did. 0ur to be able to make our first choice and that is what we did. our first interview was conducted on the 25th of april and our last interview was conducted on the 15th of may and we interviewed with an eye on the 10th of may as a part of that process. we made our recommendation to the board oi'i made our recommendation to the board on the 18th of may, that was a unanimous recommendation by the three of us, and the formal recommendation was supported by a 100 page dossier with references, analysis, videos showing their coaching in action and a great degree of background information. we then met with london members of our board on monday of this week. we

flew to atalanta on monday evening, we met in atalanta with stan and josh cromarty... we flew back on the redeye last night so we are a little bit worse for wear, but all of the board members were energised and enthusiastic about the recommendation and enthusiastically endorsed the recommendation. so why unai emery? i have followed his career unai emery? i have followed his career at very closely since his days at valencia and he has always been on my radar screen. he has a fantastic record of success wherever he has gone and, interestingly, one of the noteworthy things about the team is that they improve over time. we also felt, and i felt for some time, that he is a superb fit with

the criteria that i laid out. but i think it is very important to move this beyond the paper exercise and thatis this beyond the paper exercise and that is why, having taken third person references from some of the most respected people in the game and people that we trust, it was very important for us to move to personal meetings. and it was in the personal meetings. and it was in the personal meetings. and it was in the personal meeting that he was incredibly impressive. he came in extraordinarily well prepared, with a detailed knowledge of arsenal foot ball a detailed knowledge of arsenal football club. he had an analysis to share with us notjust football club. he had an analysis to share with us not just of football club. he had an analysis to share with us notjust of his football club. he had an analysis to share with us not just of his ways of working, his ways of coaching, the team of people that he works with, but he had an analysis of all of our individual players, their qualities and how he believes he can help them to develop individually and collectively in detail. and

also, an in—depth knowledge of our off the field team and how they can contribute and how his team would mesh with them productively. but this wasn't a purely technical exercise. i think the thing that distinguished him above all of the process, above all of the things that you can read about him, was the chemistry between us and the feeling for football in the room. he has an energy and passion for competitive energy and passion for competitive energy and passion for competitive energy and it is this combination of detail, hard work, passion and a love for football and the will to win that made us feel that this fit was exactly right. exactly right for arsenal and exactly right for the people we have working at the club. and it is for all those reasons and following that extensive process that i am proud and delighted to introduce you today to unai emery. good afternoon, everybody. to be

here with me, with us, also thank you the family. we travelled to atala nta you the family. we travelled to atalanta for a meeting with the family and for me, it is a very good meeting, a very good conversation with him, with his son, and all the connection together for this project. thank you also the board. we had a meeting monday morning with them and also i feel they feel with

their heart arsenal and the conversation with the chairman and the board is very important for me for no better arsenal club. and also, thank you ivan, thank you raul. the first meeting with arsenal personnel was with the three people who, after three hours, personnel was with the three people who, afterthree hours, ithink personnel was with the three people who, after three hours, ithink a very good feeling and we will work

together and we will create a new future for arsenal. thank you, arsene wenger for your legacy. for all the coach in all the world, i learned with him all the things in football. my english is not very best now and i want to make an effort to speak with you, to the

supporters, to explain my idea, to explain my ambition, to explain how lam very explain my ambition, to explain how i am very excited for this explain my ambition, to explain how i am very ex a ad for this explain my ambition, to explain how i am very ex a big or this explain my ambition, to explain how i am very ex a big club, ; explain my ambition, to explain how i am very ex a big club, a great opportunity. a big club, a great city, a great stadium and also great players for this work. thank you. if you can't just players for this work. thank you. if you can'tjust put players for this work. thank you. if you can't just put your players for this work. thank you. if you can'tjust put your hand up, i will come to you in the normal way. my name is ian bolton. i work for sky sports. how big a challenge is this for you? it is a great challenge. but in my career every

yearl challenge. but in my career every year i grow up with new challenges. and for me, the challenge is a dream. it came true. what are your immediate priorities and what are your targets? 0rthe or the conversations, all the meetings with ivan, with people who work here, is a very important to give me all the information for the

club. and after, i want to know how we will grow this team, this squad. i know all the players. ithink we will grow this team, this squad. i know all the players. i think all the players is very important. all the players is very important. all the players, for me, ithink the players is very important. all the players, for me, i think i want. it will be for them this way. but i wa nt it will be for them this way. but i want to speak individually with all the players and speak with them face—to—face. we will pull away from there but

thatis we will pull away from there but that is the new arsenal head coach, unai emery. he is said to have a wea k unai emery. he is said to have a weak command of the english language but he did fine in that news conference and said his firstjob was to get to know the club. we also heard from the chief executive of arsenal, saying unai emery was the unanimous choice to replace arsene wenger at the club after 22 years in charge. a difficult and hard act to follow and that is the man to do it. ministers say they will set a target for the amount of water each of us should consume. a new report warns parts of the uk could face serious water shortages within decades, unless rapid action is taken. the environment agency says enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost through leaks every day. roger harrabin reports. we all use water, but the way we use it has changed. a bath typically users around 80 litres of water. a short shower of say less than four minutes would use

about a third as much. but a power shower could use much more than a bath. should we be turning off the tap when we clean teeth? the environment agency says we can all do our bit. if we don't start planning soon, actually in the next 30 years or so by the 2050s we could be facing quite serious deficits in reduction to the amount of water we've got, particularly in the south and south—east of england. technology will help. this shower head mixes air with water to create the sensation of a vigorous flow. perhaps these should be mandatory. people using tap water for their gardens could face more pressure if water problems don't ease. their bills could possibly rise. water butts provide h20 for free. people might want plants that don't gobble water too, like palms or mediterranean herbs.

pressure will also grow on water firms to prevent leaks. 150 billion has been invested in improving the infrastructure in the last 30 years. much more needs to be done and actually at the moment the industry is in the process of putting together plans for the next five years which will be pretty ambitious. the regulator has asked the industry to come back with plans to reduce leakage by 15% over the forthcoming five years and the companies are all rising to that challenge. industry will have to play its part too. the power sector uses 27% of water consumed in england. it will need to be more frugal. but intriguingly, renewable energy will help, the agency says. it doesn'tjust cut carbon emissions and local pollution, it saves on water too. roger harribin, bbc news. inflation dropped to 2.4% in april, its lowest level for over a year. the fall, from 2.5% in march, will ease

the pressure on households. but analysts say it could prove short—lived, with petrol prices climbing to their highest level for more than three years. andy verity reports. fuel seems to go up so steeply and when it does come down, it comes down so slowly so... up like a rocket, down like a feather? you've got it. you only have to ask what's been fuelling inflation and already you know the answer. given the rising cost in petrol, driven by a recent surge in the price of oil, the surprise this time was that inflation was a higher. inflation wasn't a higher. i never know when that thing is going to stop turning over. it wasn't that long ago you could fill your car up for maybe £40, £50. but now you are at £60, £70. it's like a fruit machine that never pays out. the average petrol price is lower than the peak five years ago, but higher than it's been for three years.

one of the reasons inflation hasn't been higher is competition. a cab firm like this takes a big risk when it passes on higher petrol costs in the form of higher cab fares. if it raises them too far, its customers might call another firm and it will lose business and make less money. but businesses can only absorb higher costs for a limited time. we are in a situation now where we are looking at putting our fares up. the pressure of fuel, the demands of ever newer cars, the demands of new technology in the cars and outside of that, all those costs, those ever increasing costs are going to have an effect on what we charge. if you strip out fuel and food, the cost of living rose in the year to april by a mere 2.1%. to the government, it's good news. we are beginning to see is perhaps a turning point where we go from the year where we saw real

wages diminishing to seeing real wages improving and people's living standards beginning to come up again. yet some economists think the bank of england needs to raise interest rates soon to stop inflation going back up. they may wait until november until rates start to go up again. but given where we are in terms of inflationary pressures, it would be good for them to resume the gradual increase in rates earlier, rather than later. with inflation this low, it might seem odd to talk about higher interest rates now, but in the economy, the route we've recently taken is no guide to the road ahead. andy verity, bbc news. let's get more now on that speech by the new home secretary sajid javid, who has told police officers that he is standing with them on the front line. the chair of the police federation, callum macleod,

joins me from birmingham. was that music to your ears? to be fair, the home secretary came with a very positive message today. he kept relating to the fact that he gets it, but getting it and translating it, but getting it and translating it into the positive for the public needs to be achieved soon. when he says he gets it, how important is it that his brother is a chief superintendent in the west midlands? he knows more than predecessors have. i think that is important. it is not as good as first—hand experience of policing, however, what it does show is that policing has an impact on families and if he has an impact on families and if he has recounted —— recounted his experiences to his brother, that is important. is the bottom line money?

there has to be reinvestment in policing. they're definitely has to be for public and police officers as a whole. there are safety and security issues in this country that need to be addressed. we have lost over 21,000 officers since 2009. there needs to be a conversation with the public as to what the public expect from policing at this moment in time. 17% of what we do is dealing with crime, the rest of it is other public services that should be resourced appropriately themselves, adding pressure to the policing system, but we have to have that conversation with the public. the relationship between any home secretary and the police federation is an important one. it has been rocky of late and one thinks of the current prime minister as perhaps being responsible for the rockiest pa rt being responsible for the rockiest part of that. when he says he wants to reset the relationship, does he mean that? i sense that the home secretary has come with a really

positive message today. he wants to be constructive. we will work with him for the benefit of the public and the benefit of policing. we will be constructive but we will challenge, that is what we are here for. we are here to represent our members, who are there to protect the public. we hope a positive relationship builds and today was a good start. we all remember the crying wolf accusations from theresa may. how would you rate the relationship between the police and the government? weirdos sajid javid —— weirdos sajid javid start? —— where does sajid javid start? issues need to be addressed in the short term and in the longer term. these issues are not going away. i appreciate we may want to talk about reforming over the next four or five yea rs. reforming over the next four or five years. but that will not stop

homicide is happening tomorrow or the day after. we need appropriate resources to deal with communities, deal with crime, and to help support police officers to do that. that is only right and fair as we run into danger as others run away. the level of knife crime in the capital and other cities is something that is causing concern. sajid javid saying he would back the further use of stop and search. is that something you please to you? i am certainly pleased to hear that there is clarity around stop and search. it isa clarity around stop and search. it is a tool to protect the public and to negate the fact there are some elements of society that walk around thinking they are not going to be stopped and searched if they are in possession of a weapon. that needs to change but we also need to have policing based in communities to address the intelligence they bring to us in order to target that. but thatis to us in order to target that. but that is not just to us in order to target that. but that is notjust our issue, our issueis that is notjust our issue, our issue is that, however, aside from

that education, youth service provision needs to play its part. stop and search needs to continue. we have body worn videos now which seeks to provide transparency to the public and we encourage its use. thank you forjoining us. time for a look at the weather. i have catastrophic weather forecasting here. it is a striking mass of cloud but it is a cyclonic storm. you don't get them very often in the arabian sea. they don't happen every season and they sometimes make their way to the west coast of india and pakistan. this one has its eyes set on omen and yemen and there is a major cholera outbreak in yemen at the moment so this court cause issues. what

timeline are you looking at? by the weekend. up to 100 miles an hour which could put it into the category ofa which could put it into the category of a category one hurricane. the average rainfall is about 100 millimetres a year. this could give 400 millimetres of rain in the space ofa 400 millimetres of rain in the space of a day or two in an area of the world not accustomed to that amount of rainfall. and the wind which causes a storm surge on the south coast and the wind picking up the sand causing real significance of problems. closer to home, the talk of the bank holiday weekend brings suggestions of storms and rain but we are seeing a bit back? yes, we're not having the beautiful weather we had for the first bank holiday weekend, this time the warmth will come with the increasing risk of thunderstorms. but we will see

plenty of scenes like this. i am not jumping. beautiful in cornwall. the contrast is, when the north sea is still pretty cold, that will be an issue for the next couple of days. we move into the bank holiday weekend and some are already on half term and others are heading into half—time. temperatures into the low 20s now be rising further. however, for the short term this mist and low cloud will be a problem overnight and increasingly so as the humidity bills in the south and the risk of showers. it isn't so cut and dry tomorrow morning, we have increasing humidity and that is what we will see happening over the next few days. low pressure over iberia will be throwing areas of showers northwards across france and towards the uk. as the head through tomorrow, the first day when we see more cloud across the southern half

of the country, a risk of showery rain and some of it on the re—so we will be as warm. but it will be increasingly humid. it will feel quite close. if you are caught under one of those showers, it could be heavy. it looks by the northern ireland, scotland but we have this cloud may be north sea coast. in london the sunshine, high teens and low 20s. tomorrow evening and overnight the weather system just hangs around. further pulses of rain run along it and it meanders further north. that will be the difficulty, pinpointing exactly where we will see the thundery rain. is that mears north on friday, dry weather materialising in the south as a cut of the easterly breeze. some lovely weather towards the north, the south but in between, the zone of showery weather. heading into the weekend

and the humidity is building further. you can see that for the deepening tones. temperatures go up but also the low pressure gets closer. with more energy in the atmosphere and low pressure close by, the chances are thunderstorms will get bigger. the north looks quite fine and dry and those storms initially in southern areas and moving knowingly and northwards. the bank holiday weekend looks warm and it could be almost record—breaking. however, it comes with the increasing risk of thundery downpours. if you have got plans, stay tuned and we will keep you updated. i will see you later. this is bbc news — our latest headlines: marks and spencer has suffered a fall in annual pre—tax profits of nearly two—thirds. sales of food, clothing and homeware are all down, with the retailer announcing yesterday it's to close a hundred stores by 2022. the fact is that customers' shopping habits are changing.

we've said that we believe we'll have a third of our business online within the next five years and that trend isn't going away. a woman who threw acid at her former partner has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. mark van dongen ended his life after berlinah wallace hurled the substance over him. in his first major speech since becoming home secretary, sajid javid has promised to ensure police officers have resources they need. mrjavid, whose brother is a chief superintendent, told the police federation he had seen the impact the job has on family life. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i'll give you the tools, the powers and the back—up that you need to get the job done. and england could face serious water shortages by 2050, a new report by the environment agency has warned. it has urged people to use their water more wisely at home. sport now on afternoon live with katherine downes.

a new manager at arsenal and his english isn't so bad. he did say it is an area he wants to work on so he can communicate with the press, the players and the fans so he can explain what his vision will be when he takes over at arsenal. the press conference started with the chief executive of arsenal talking about how he was always on their radar and he was a perfect fit. then he got to ta ke he was a perfect fit. then he got to take the spotlight, thanking arsene wengerfor the take the spotlight, thanking arsene wenger for the legacy he left. take the spotlight, thanking arsene wenger for the legacy he leftm take the spotlight, thanking arsene wenger for the legacy he left. it is a challenge. but in my career, every

yeari a challenge. but in my career, every year i grew up with a new challenge. and for me, the challenge is this dream came true. good luck to him. let's talk about cricket, ab de villiers retiring at the age of 34! yes coming he says he has run out of gas. 0ne yes coming he says he has run out of gas. one of south africa's best batsmen retires from international cricket. he has been a huge figure for his country, 114 test matches and he broke the news with the video on social media. i want to let you know that i have decided to retire from international cricket with immediate effect. of the 114th test matches, one—day internationals, it

is time for others to take over. i have had my turn and to be honest, i am tired. it is a tough decision and i have thought long and hard about it andl i have thought long and hard about it and i would like to retire well playing decent cricket. after the series wins against india and australia, now is the right time to step aside. one of the cricket line, don best will make his test debut at pakistan tomorrow. he has taken 63 wicket this season in domestic cricket. wayne rooney will have talks with dc united in washington in the next 24 hours. the mls club have reached a deal in principle with rooney — he's broken away from a family holiday in the caribbean to find out more about the club. everton have given him permission to hold talks even though he has a year left on his contract at goodison park. it's just over three week to the world cup and ruben loftus—cheek believes

gareth southgate's young squad bodes very well for the future. the cheslea midfielder, who's made a big imapct on loan at crystal palace this season, has just two caps to his name, the whole squad is the third youngest england group to head to a world cup and the most inexperienced in over 65 years. the squad is still so young. but so good at the same time. if we can deliver when it matters, then i think the boys can do that. we could have a really good tournament. 0bviously looking into the future, as we are still so young, we can develop into a top team. the future of british cycling is looking good on the road and the track. simon yates is leading the giro. the cyclist who rose to prominence after setting up his own amateur team, has been added

to the great britain squad. charlie tanfield may have had a humble start but he's become a major success, most recently winning individual pursuit gold at the world championships and commonwealth games. he'lljoin the men's endurance programme, along with ethan hayter, who's also a world champion. that's all the sport for now. marks and spencer has suffered a big fall in annual profits following a costly store closure plan. the last financial year saw pre—tax profits for the retailer slump by 62% to £68 million. the figures include the cost of closing more than 100 stores by 2022. we can now speak tojudi bevan, the author of ‘the rise and fall of marks & spencer and how it rose again'. where are we now on that? it did

rise again under stuart rose and it was a pun on his name as well. but thenit was a pun on his name as well. but then it sank again. so it has been a roller—coaster over the last ten yea rs. roller—coaster over the last ten years. what we seem to be saying is, the reason their profits have fallen in sucha the reason their profits have fallen in such a big figure is because of the shutting all the stores, so i shut the stores? trading profits are only down by 5% and they have included the cost, i will call them exceptional items, but that is just an accounting thing. closing the stores is a good thing because far too many of them don't make money particularly in the provinces. they have had them for ages and i remember somebody telling me 25 yea rs remember somebody telling me 25 years ago if only we can close some of our provincial stores because

there is always an up or whenever we do, because m&s is an icon and regarded as a public service. archie norman has come in and said we have to cut this off. it is down to one man? the chief executive steve wrote, agrees with him. archie is an a ccou nta nt wrote, agrees with him. archie is an accountant and adviser and he was the man that turn as the round 30 yea rs the man that turn as the round 30 years ago so he is the man to do it. the stores, the one thing that hits you, they are big and there will be a big hole in the high street when they are gone, physically if anything else? and a further hammer blow to high streets because they are suffering. high streets are becoming places where you either have coffey and then go to at second—hand charity shop. the landlords have got to behave better and not expect their rents to go up

every year. we keep hearing that and they said the reason that online sales are so big is because they haven't got the online costs and landlords are taking advantage of that? they are keeping the price is highjust be that? they are keeping the price is high just be having the that? they are keeping the price is highjust be having the physical shop, it is a huge expense that online traders don't have? exactly, and people will not have so many shops. the landlords will find they will have to reduce their rents otherwise they will not have any te na nts otherwise they will not have any tenants at all. where did it all go wrong because we have done stories all over the years where clothing is wrong and then the groceries, they got that wrong. what has happened to marks and spencer because at one point it was unassailable?” marks and spencer because at one point it was unassailable? i started writing the book when profits suddenly halved in 1998. it was as if they lost the plot. 0ne suddenly halved in 1998. it was as if they lost the plot. one of the things that has gone wrong is the

competition. 0ver things that has gone wrong is the competition. over the last 20 years we have seen next, which is bigger than marks & spencer is, it sells more clothes, we have seen the rise and rise of other competitors, zara, prime art, next. they have eaten their lunch. is this the final drop their lunch. is this the final drop the dice for marks & spencer?” think it is, they have put all their money on red. i went to the press conference this morning and they we re conference this morning and they were talking about a radical restructuring. if you could hearing what i could hear in my ear, eve ryo ne what i could hear in my ear, everyone is going, oh no. it is a feeling that it is an institution for so many people? they need to do this to survive. just because marks & spencer is a national icon, but it can't go bust. they need to act now, and they realise that. it is good of

you to come and talk to us. we hope it is back again, but good to talk to you. it's been 19 days since the kilauea volcano on hawaii's big island started erupting. geologists say it's one of the biggest volcanic events in a century, thousands of homes have been evacuated and overnight a thermal power plant was shut down chris buckler sent this report. the flow of lava keeps moving faster and the fountains get higher. kilauea shows no signs of settling as the volcano continues to rip through this land. you can see how deepin through this land. you can see how deep in the ground the cracks go, close to where the fissures have opened up. take a look here, all of this road completely split apart as a result of the power of the lava. have actually come down. behind me,

there is just all of this toxic smoke going into the air. at the moment the wind direction is going in sucha moment the wind direction is going in such a way that we will not be affected, but we have to have gas masks. through the smoke and steam you can see why so many people have had to abandon their homes. that is if they are still standing. personally, my property is ok. i have friends who have lost everything. to see their pain is... it is devastating. there have been further eruptions at the summit of kilauea, but the real danger is from the lava still rising from the ground. maltz and rock has reached this power plants. staff had to rush to close it down because of fears its deep underground wells could explode releasing more toxic gases into the air. the message getting

out is the whole island is inundated with lava. it is not, in reality it is just this neighbourhood. with lava. it is not, in reality it isjust this neighbourhood. but in this neighbourhood they are living in the shadow of lava and having to ta ke in the shadow of lava and having to take risks on the cracked ground thatis take risks on the cracked ground that is for now, a perilous place to call home. chris buckler, bbc news, on the big island of hawaii. in a moment, the business news. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. marks and spencer's profits plummet down more than 60% as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. here's your business headlines on afternoon live. consumer price inflation

fell to 2.4% in april. that's the lowest its been since since last march. this will ease pressure on the bank of england to raise interest rates. as we've been hearing, marks and spencer has suffered a big fall in profits. they fell by almost two—thirds to around £67 million. more on this in a moment. and if you're going abroad soon, make sure you do your sums before you change your money. three tech firms reckon we're paying thousands in hidden fees because there's not enough transparency. marks & spencer, it is an icon and a lot of people tweeting saying how sad they are that the high street will not have won in future. not all closing, but quite a lot are? the

company is trying to revitalise itself, trying to change its image but it is closing about 100 stores over the next four years. it doesn't come without a cost. it reckons over the course of the last financial year, the closure plan has cost around £321 million. the boss of the company around £321 million. the boss of the com pa ny steve around £321 million. the boss of the company steve rhodes has been talking to emma simpson about this. this demonstrates why it is urgent we transformed this business and modernise it and make it special again. we have been losing customers over a longer period of time and we need to make sure we attract new customers, young families into the business, by changing what we do. that transformation programme i have been outlining since last november is part of the process. that includes closing lots of stores and in northampton yesterday people were

telling me it would be a big blow to lose m&s. how and where are you about the impact of these closures on our high streets? i am very aware of it and every decision to close a store is difficult. notjust for the towns, but also for my colleagues. we think very carefully about it and we have looked into this over a long period of time. the shopping habits are changing and we have said we believe we'll have a third of our business online in the next five years and the trend isn't going away. it means high street stores are less economic and we are unable to invest and modernise them and customers are shopping elsewhere. they are shopping online and shopping out of time. part of the legacy problems with marks & spencer is we haven't tackled this soon enough. i need to make sure we are growing sustainably and profitably in the future. will 100 stores be enough? we think so with the shape

of the future and how we can grow the business in different categories. we will keep an eye on that and we will work to the market but we think this stage 100 will keep us in the right shape for the future. even after these changes you have do compelling offer to pull customers into the stores you have left and critics are saying you haven't got the right products at the right price? without a product, every retailer is finished. i think we have made tremendous strides in our clothing products. also we are working on contemporary wearable styles. we have been focusing carefully on the pillars of our business and we are market leaders in schoolwork, children's where, bras and suits and shirts. in all those categories we are seeing growth. in women's work, for the first time in seven years we have

grown our customer base. banks in the united states could face fewer regulations, not often we hear about that? now we have donald trump in the white house he is cutting regulations as a whole. the house of representatives have agreed to cut regulations on the small and medium—sized banks, the idea trying to free them up. let's get more on this from joe in new york. what will this from joe in new york. what will this mean for customers of banks in the us? one of the key things that has been left intact with the original legislation is consumer protection. you will remember that legislation came in in around 2010 and was designed to prevent another sudden collapse of something like lemon brothers, another big bank going underand

lemon brothers, another big bank going under and sinking the economy. -- liman going under and sinking the economy. —— liman brothers. but there were other regulations, including small banks and consumer regulation. the regulation on big banks remains intact and consumer protection remains in tact, what this changing is regulation for the small and medium—sized banks. they are not household names but they are very important to local communities. they have long argued they were mired in paperwork and they had annual stress tests and it made impossible for them to give the best rates to their customers. and now there is bipartisan support to rollback regulations for those small banks. does this make the banking system as a whole in the us safer? it is hard to say. it certainly makes no difference as to how save wall street banks are. the biggest banks, the banks that could bring down the us economy, the regulation they are subject to remain in place. wall street is celebrating, it isn't a

relaxing of regulations for the big beasts. but it does relax some regulations that the small lenders, so regulations that the small lenders, so you could see less people defaulting on their mortgages and less irresponsible spending. while it may affect small areas and individual consumers, it is not something that could shock the us economy and that is something even barney frank, one of the two people who wrote the original legislation agrees. he said it doesn't really harm the us economy rollback the crucial protections that were put in place eight years ago. thank you very much indeed. the ftse100 is cooling off a bit. that's because of increased fears about a trade war between the us and china. m&s shares are on the way up even though its profits are on the way down.

investors are hopeful about the company's plans to revitalise its future. standard chartered is also among the biggest gainers, following a report in the financial times that its explored a possible merger with barclays. the pound is falling against the euro and other currencies because of the news that we've got lower inflation in the uk which means interest rates were probably be where they are for a while. ok, thank you. see you in an hour. i want to bring you some pictures of some really rare tigers. these are five snow tigers. quintuplets and they have been introduced to the public for the first time at a chinese zoo. they are incredibly

rare, one in100,000 chinese zoo. they are incredibly rare, one in 100,000 tigers are born as these snow tigers. it is a variant of the bengal tiger. they have pearl white fur and little pink noses. there is the proof. had to do it. let's have a look at the weather. it is looking warm for this bank holiday but there are thundery showers around. what a beautiful shot of cornwall. we did have low cloud this morning sitting near the east coast. the sunshine are strong enough and you can see the cloud has been burnt back to the coast. the

other issue later down is a sharp shower in the south and east and as humidity increases here overnight there is an increasing risk we will pull ina there is an increasing risk we will pull in a few more showery bursts of rain. a closer night in southern areas and cool in the north and especially where we have the mist and low cloud rolling back in of the north sea. that is because of the easterly breeze but high pressure is keeping things settled by further south we are getting pulses abolished and thundery rain. it does look cloudy across the southern half of the uk for the course of thursday. that means there could be thundery rain around if you are out and about. not fall but with more cloud around, the keen breeze commie won't be as warm but it will feel quite close. as we head north, fewer showers than northern ireland, sunshine here the northern england and scotland but it will take time for the low cloud to burn back to the coast. inland away from the low cloud to burn back to the coast. inland away from below cloud, 22 is on the cards, even further south where we have the cloud, it will be cool where we have the cloud, it will be cool, barely double figures for the north sea coast. thursday evening and overnight into friday, the band

of moisture, the weather system is sitting across the country gradually moving north. again it looks set to bring some wet weather as we go through friday. central areas, perhaps northern england, wales and the midlands we should see dry and sunny weather and of course in the north across scotland and northern ireland, fine weather. away from the north sea coast where it will feel cool north sea coast where it will feel cool. as well as the heat we will pick up even higher humidity. that will culminate in some big showers and thunderstorms with this low pressure sitting quite close by. although we are promising warm weather this weekend, it does look quite unsettled at times. you can stay across the forecast online. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy.

today at 3... marks & spencer's profits plummet — down more than 60% — as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing, we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five yea rs business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. i have confidence in your professionaljudgment. so i have confidence in your professional judgment. so let i have confidence in your professionaljudgment. so let me be clear, i support the use of stop and search. you have to do yourjob and that means protecting everyone. people in hawaii are given fresh warnings about toxic fumes from the volcano that erupted nearly three weeks ago. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with katherine downes. and the new man is in at arsenal. he

is, unai emery has given his first press co nfe re nce is, unai emery has given his first press conference as arsenal manager during which he thanked arsene wengerfor his legacy. during which he thanked arsene wenger for his legacy. more on that and the rest of the sport in about half an hour. thank you. helen willets has all the weather. thank you, good afternoon, we are heading towards a very warm bank holiday weekend but as the humidity increases this time it looks like it will trigger some big thunderstorms but i will fill you in on that detail in half an hour. thanks helen. also coming up... there's a new famous five. these super—cute rare snow tiger cubs making their public debut at a zoo in eastern china. hello, everyone, this is afternoon live.

i'm simon mccoy. marks & sparks is a little less sparkly today, announcing a big fall in profits, as it battles to modernise its business and to adapt to the changing way we shop. marks & spencer's strategy of closing stores and revamping its online business caused profits to slump by almost two thirds over the last year. sales of food, clothing and homeware all declined. yesterday, m&s said it plans to close 100 shops by 2022, accelerating an overhaul it says is "vital" for its future. this report from our business correspondent, emma simpson. first the store closures. this one in northampton one of a hundred that will go but it is an overhaul which is costing the m&s dear. the expense of closing these stores made a huge dent in its annual pre—tax profits today, down by 62% to just under £67 million. sales are also down in clothing, home and food. i spoke to the boss about the challenges

and changes taking place. steve, your statement is a pretty sobering read today. it says the culture is too corporate, you are too inward looking, you have lost your appeal to family aged customers. you seem to be saying that if you don't make urgent changes now, m&s is in danger ofjust slowly fading away. sobering reading it is. i think the statement today demonstrates why it is urgent we transform this business and modernise it and make m&s special again. that includes closing lots of stores. in northampton yesterday people were telling me it would be a big blow to lose m&s. how aware are you of the impact of these closures on our high streets? i am very aware of it and every decision to close a store is very difficult and not just for the towns but also for my colleagues of course and we think very carefully about it and have looked at it over a long period of time.

but the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing and we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. it means high street stores are less economic and we are unable to invest in them and modernise them and the customers are shopping elsewhere. 0nline and out of town. you have to go further and faster with the pace of change ramping up and that is clearly the stark message that comes through, that it is vital to ramp up the changes now. why is that? what has changed and what is the acceleration taking place? the first thing is, you can see from the results, these are not as good as they should be. i want to create a marks & spencer which grows in a sustainable and profitable way and the retail market is changing probably quicker than i have ever seen and we need to react to it. we have been slow to react in the past and we need to transform the business urgently

and if we don't we will continue to see disappointing results. two years into hisjob, he still has a huge task to revitalise the fortunes of m&s but the changes are now being ramped up. emma simpson, bbc news. a woman who poured acid over her former boyfriend, causing him catastrophic injuries, has been sentenced to life in prison. the judge at bristol crown court said berlinah wallace's attack on mark van dongen in 2015 was an act of "pure evil". mr van dongen ended his life through euthanasia 16 months later, saying he could no longer stand the pain of his injuries. jon kay reports. six days after she was found guilty, berlinah wallace came to be sentenced. inside court, her actions were described by the judge as pure evil, sadistic, malicious and callous. she had thrown sulphuric acid over her boyfriend as he lay in her bed, wearing just a pair of shorts. these pictures show how

it burned the sheets. the acid left mark van dongen with catastrophic, life—threatening injuries. after more than a year of pain he was granted euthanasia in belgium. sentencing her to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years, the judge said the south african born fashion student had told lie upon lie and intended to disfigure the 29—year—old so he would not be attractive to other women. mark van dongen's father attended every day of this trial and today he wept as the woman he treated like a daughter was sentenced. 0utside court, mr van dongen said he was glad she would be locked up for a minimum of 12 years but he said that would be too little. he added, we as a family have been sentenced to life. the judge said that before the attack three years ago berlinah wallace had researched on the internet the damage acid could do and then had done nothing to help her boyfriend

as he screamed in agony. standing with his arms spread out... neighbour nichola white ran onto the street to assist mark van dongen that night. the acid on his fingertips even burned her metal door bell. he was in agony, he literally was shivering and shaking and he looked like he had had grey paint poured all over him from his head down to the knees. his skin was melting. berlinah wallace was acquitted of murder last week. avon and somerset police say they believe this is the first life sentence handed to someone for throwing acid. jon kay, bbc news, bristol. that he is standing with them on the front line. the new home secretary, sajid javid, has told police officers that he is standing with them on the front line. in a speech to the police federation of england and wales, which aimed to win over his audience, mrjavid assured them he would provide the resources they needed to get the job done.

a warning, daniel sandford's report contains a racially—offensive term. just over three weeks into the job, with murder and violent crime rising and the threat from terrorism still severe, sajid javid came to birmingham knowing he needed the police on his side. to win them over he reminded them that his brother is a police officer and recalled the extremely racially offensive language he heard when his brother took him for a ride in a patrol car. teenagers giving them the middle finger, swearing and spitting. and, worst of all, at one point when his car approached lights and slowed down, one teenager leaned over and yelled at my brother, you lackey bustard. his message, after a difficult eight years between the home office and rank and file, was simple. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i will give you the tools, the powers and the back—up that

you need to get the job done. for those of you who stand on the front line, be in no doubt that i will be standing with you. thank you. nonetheless, the chair of the police federation still made this plea. home secretary, learn the lessons your predecessors failed to. three years ago theresa may accused us of crying wolf. we were accused of scaremongering over the effects of budget cuts to policing. 0ur warnings that cutting police officer numbers would see an increase in the numbers of victims of crime were dismissed. sajid javid's first set piece speech as home secretary seems to signal a significant change in tone from the time when theresa may was here at the home office and fought her infamous battles with the police federation, but there was no sign of an increase in money and the labour party said sajid javid is in denial about the impact cuts have had on policing and the levels of crime. 2018 has been a bad year for violence, particularly gun

and knife crime in the bigger cities and a reminder of the wider problem was this seizure of 250 kilos of cocaine announced today by the national crime agency. it was smuggled in from mexico in a fruit processor. 0fficers also seized a handgun. daniuel sandford, bbc news, at the home office. i spoke earlier to the chair of the police federation, callum macleod, who was at sajid javid's speech earlier today. he gave us his reaction. the home secretary came with a very positive message today. he kept relating to the fact that he gets it but getting it and translating it into a positive for the public and for policing needs to be achieved and soon. when he said he gets it, how important is it that his brother isa how important is it that his brother is a chief superintendent in the west midlands? he perhaps knows more than other predecessors have?” think that is important, obviously

not as good as first and policing experience but it shows that policing at an impact on families and if he has recounted half of the issues he has encountered to his brother, that is a positive because it is the reality and what we are dealing with. if the bottom-line money? there has to be reinvestment in policing, there definitely has to be, for the public and four police officers as a whole. there are safety a nd officers as a whole. there are safety and security issues that have to be addressed in this country, we have lost over 21,000 visitors since 2009 and 20% of our policing budget. there has to be a conversation with the public as to what they expect from policing. 17% of what we do it dealing with crime, the rest is a lot of other public services that should be resourced appropriately themselves, adding pressure to be policing system but we have to the conversation and ensure we are fit for purpose and keeping people safe. the relationship between any home

secretary and the police federation is an important one. it has been rocky of late and one thinks of the current prime minister is bats being responsible for the rockiest part of that but i wonder you sense when he says he wants to reset the relationship, if he means it?” sense that the home secretary has come with a positive message today. he wants to be constructive and we wa nt to he wants to be constructive and we want to work with him and we will do for the benefit of the public and of policing. we will be constructive but we will challenge, that is what we're here for, to represent our members who are there to protect the public. we want that positive relationship and we hope it will build and today was a good start. we all remember the crying wolf accusations from theresa may as home secretary. how you rate the relationship between police and government at the moment? where does sajid javid start from? policing is in crisis at this moment. we're been quite clearfor a

in crisis at this moment. we're been quite clear for a considerable period that there are stresses and strains on the policing and safety and security of the public that have to be addressed. there are issues that have to be addressed in the short and longer term. these will not go away. i appreciate we might wa nt to not go away. i appreciate we might want to talk about reforming over the next four to five years but that is not stopping victims coming home tomorrow, the day after or indeed homicide happening tomorrow and the day after. we need appropriate resources to engage with communities and deal with crime and also to support police officer to do that. that is only right and fair because we run into danger when others run away. let me pick you up on that because obviously the level of knife crime in the capital and other cities is causing concern and sajid javid said he would back the verdict use of stop and search. are

you pleased to hear that? and definitely pleased there is clarity around stop and search, it is an appropriate tool to protect the public and also negate the fact that there are some elements of society who walk around thinking they will not be stopped and searched if they are in possession of a weapon and that has to change but we need to have policing based in communities to address their needs and address the intelligence they bring to us in order to target that. but that is not just our order to target that. but that is notjust our issue, our issue is that but aside from that, education, youth service provision also needs to play its part. stop and search is important and has to continue, we have body worn videos which create transparency for the public and that is right and fair and we encourage its use. ministers say they will set a target for the amount of water each of us should use. a new report warns parts of the uk could face serious water shortages within decades, unless rapid action is taken. the environment agency says enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost through leaks every day. roger harrabin reports. we all use water, but the way we use it has changed. a bath typically uses around 80 litres of water.

a short shower, say, less than four minutes, would use about a third as much, but a power shower could use much more than a bath. should we be turning off the tap when clean our teeth? the environment agency says we can all do our bit. if we don't start planning soon, actually in the next 30 years or so by the 2050s, we could be facing quite serious deficits, reductions of the amount of water we've got. particularly in the south and south—east of england. technology will help — this shower head mixes air with water to create the sensation of a vigorous flow. perhaps these should be mandatory. people using tap water for their gardens could face more pressure if water problems don't ease. their bills could possibly rise. water butts provide h20 for free. people might want plants that don't gobble water, too, like palms or mediterranean herbs. pressure will also grow on water

firms to prevent leaks. 150 billion has been invested in improving the infrastructure over the last 30 years. much more needs to be done and actually at the moment, the industry is in the process of putting together plans for the next five years which will be pretty ambitious. the regulator has asked the industry to come up with plans to reduce leakage leakage by 15% over the forthcoming five years, and the companies are rising to that challenge. industry will have to play its part, too. the power sector uses 27% of water consumed in england. it will need to be more frugal. but intriguingly, renewable energy will help, the agency says. it doesn'tjust cut carbon emissions and local pollution, it saves on water, too. roger harrabin, bbc news. you're watching afternoon live, these are our headlines. marks and spencer's profits plummet

— down more than 60% — as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. a woman who threw acid at her former partner which led ending his life has beenjailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. and in sport, arsenal have confirmed that unai emery will be their new manager and he says he wants the clu b to manager and he says he wants the club to be among the european elite sides again. 20—year—old spinner dom bess will make his england test match debut against pakistan at lord's tomorrow. and still sitting pretty in pink, simon yates is leading the giro d'italia having studied the 17th stage today almost one minute ahead of its nearest rival. i will have more on all of those stories just after half past. more now on marks and spencer, which, as you've been hearing, has suffered a big fall in annual profits following a costly store closure plan. a little earlier, i spoke

tojudi bevan, the author of ‘the rise and fall of marks & spencer and how it rose again'. she told me that she thinks the store closures are the right decision. closing the stores is a good thing. because there are far too many of them not making money and particularly the ones in the provinces. they have had them for ages and i remember someone telling the 25 years ago if only we could close some of the provincial stores but there is always an uproar when we do because m&s is an icon and regarded as a public service. this is the first time really where archie norman has come in and bitten the bullet and said we had to do this. it is down to one man? 0bviously steve roper is the chief executive and he agrees with him, —— steve rowe. archie is the man who turned as the round 30 years ago.

he's the man do it. the stores, as you walk past them, one thing that hits you is that they are big, there's a big hole in the high—street physically as much as. and it will be a further hammer blow to high—street generally because they are suffering in this country and becoming places where you have coffee or go to a second—hand charity shop. they have to become smaller, the landlords have to start behaving better and not expect rent to go up every year. we keep hearing that because they say the reason the online sales are so big is good they don't have the costs we have and the landlords are taking advantage. they keeping the price is high and just having the physical shop is a huge expense that online traders don't have. exactly. people are not going to have so many shops. the landlords are going to have to find that they have to reduce their rents because

otherwise they will not have any te na nts otherwise they will not have any tenants at all. so where did it all go wrong? we have done the stories over the years about clothing being wrong, groceries, they said they have got that wrong on what has happened to marks & spencer? at one point it was unassailable?” happened to marks & spencer? at one point it was unassailable? i started writing the book in 1998 when profits suddenly halved. they had hit over a billion and they suddenly halved in 1998 and it was as if they just lost the plot. 0ne halved in 1998 and it was as if they just lost the plot. one of the things that has gone wrong is the competition. 0ver things that has gone wrong is the competition. over the last 20 years we have seen next which is now bigger than an angus and sells more close, we have seen the rise of other competitors, of zara, primark, and they have eaten their lunch —— bigger than m&s. is this the final throw of the dice for marks & spencer? i think it is, they put all their money on red, and i went to their money on red, and i went to

their press conference this morning and they were talking about a com plete and they were talking about a complete radical restructuring. and they were talking about a complete radical restructuringm you could hear what i am hearing in my day, people are going, oh no, there is a feeling it is an institution for so many people. yes, but they need to do this to survive. don't think that just because marks & spencer is a national icon and it cannot go bust. will was —— woolworths did and bhs did and they need to react and they have realised that. a woman who has been found guilty of forcing her daughter to marry a man 16 years older than her in pakistan has been sentenced to four and a half years injail. the mother told the teenager she was taking her on a family holiday but while there, she forced her into marrying a relative. the mother and daughter can't be named for legal reasons. she was dressed for her wedding and told she had no choice. a 17—year—old tricked into going to pakistan and then forced into

marrying a relative 16 years older than her. today the teenager's mother was sentenced to four and a half years injailfor mother was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for pressurising her into marriage. you have tried to live the steer different worlds. one woman who understands what it is like to be forced into marrying someone is ruby who was taken to bangladesh by her father.” someone is ruby who was taken to bangladesh by her father. i could not understand what was happening as well, how could my family do this to me. i was 15, well, how could my family do this to me. iwas15, i well, how could my family do this to me. i was 15, i was a baby myself, and try to understand why people would do this was just beyond me. and i knew the worst was yet to come. today the judge told the mother she had cruelly deceived her daughter and pushed her into a marriage she dreaded. the home office's forced marriage unit says it has given advice and help to around 1200 people over the last year. campaigners say it is a growing problem and that they hope

this case will encourage more victims to seek help. you trusted your parents to take you to a space, pakistan, india, wherever, for a potential holiday. you get there and you're getting married. can you imagine the sheer trauma that causes that individual? and then they have to actualise the fact that it was the people they trusted that did it to them. here at birmingham crown court the mother showed no emotion as she was sentenced. forced marriages were made illegal in 2014. thejudge hoped that marriages were made illegal in 2014. the judge hoped that this case will send a strong message to potential perpetrators that if they break the law, they also could face time in jail. the families of the people who died in the grenfell tower fire have been remembering their loved ones on the third day of the public inquiry into the disaster. 72 people died after flames engulfed the tower in west london lastjune.

angus crawford reports. child speaks in her native language a voice from the past, and message home to the family she loves from a child on holiday. fathia hassan, just four, hugging her three—year—old sister hania. 0n the left, their mother rania. all of them died in their flat on the 23rd floor of grenfell tower. thank you, bye—bye. in the enquiry room, total silence. the chairman visibly moved. it's difficult for me to explain how i feel now she's gone... rania's niece gave a video tribute on behalf of her mother who is too ill to speak herself. i watched her grow into a young woman. i prepared herfor her wedding and helped her put on her wedding dress. i was there when she gave birth and i watched her children grow with mine.

never in my life have i thought that i would be at her funeral. tony disson, father, great—grandfather. at 65, he still cleaned the boxing gym at the bottom of the tower. the sport, a passion he passed on to his whole family. my dad was a big influence when it came to boxing. without my dad i doubt i would have gone anywhere near the boxing gym. he was a big influence on me, he used to take me boxing every night. he was a good dad, he was a brilliant husband. he was a wonderful grandad. he was a big part, a big part of our life and always will be. yes, he's missed. rarely a day goes by when i don't think about him. also remembered today, zainab deen and the two—year—old son she loved, treasured and adored, jeremiah. more lives cut short, more families in morning.

paying tribute, but demanding answers. angus crawford, bbc news. it's been 19 days since the kilauea volcano on hawaii's big island started erupting. geologists say it's one of the biggest volcanic events in a century. thousands of homes have been evacuated and overnight a thermal power plant was shut down. chris buckler sent this report. the flow of lava keeps moving faster, and the fountains keep getting higher. kilauea shows no sign of settling as it continues to rip through this land. you can see how deep in the ground the cracks go, close to where the fissures have opened up. take a look here, all of this road completely split apart as a result of the power of the lava. and power lines themselves

have actually come down. behind me there is all of this toxic smoke going into the air. at the moment the wind direction is going in such a way we will not be affected, but we have to have gas masks. through the smoke and steam, you can see why so many people have had to abandon their homes. that's if they are still standing. fortunately, my property is ok. i have friends who have lost everything. to see their pain, it is devastating. there have been further eruptions at the summit of kilauea. but the real danger is from the lava still rising from the ground. molten rock has now reached this geothermal power plant. staff had to rush to close it down because of fears its deep underground wells could explode, releasing more toxic gases into the air. the message that is getting out

there nationally and worldwide is that the whole island is inundated with lava. and it's not — in reality, it's just the rift zone. but in this neighbourhood, they are living in the shadow of lava. and having to take risks on the cracked ground that is for now a perilous place to call home. chris buckler, bbc news, on the big island of hawaii. time for the weather with helen willetts. it has been a fine start to the day in many western parts of the country but we had a difference with the low cloud coming off the north sea through the night and you can see how the sunshine is getting to work. although it is quite cool and cloudy and will remain that way for some eastern parts, it is largely fine and dry with just a few showers potentially in southern counties developing through the evening and

overnight. the first sign of a change triggered by the heat we are experiencing. still love the cool overnight in the northern part of the uk but growing humidity further south and quite warm. there is a growing chance of some showers or even thunderstorms through thursday, not for everybody. they are moving across the southern half of the uk and further north, 22 in the sunshine, very pleasant indeed, 19 in belfast with a lot of fine and dry weather. the unsettled theme in the south continues despite the warmth into the weekend. this is bbc news — our latest headlines: marks and spencer has suffered a fall in its annual pre—tax profits of nearly two—thirds. revamping the business and closing stores cost the retail giant £321 million in the 12 months to march. the fact is that customers' shopping habits are changing. we've said that we believe we'll have a third of our business online within the next five years and that trend isn't going away. a judge told a women who threw acid at herformer partner that it was "an act of pure evil".

berlinah wallace was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years for hurling the substance at mark van dongen. in his first major speech since becoming home secretary, sajid javid has promised to ensure police officers have resources they need. mrjavid said he wanted to reset the relationship between the government and the police. i have confidence in your professionaljudgment. so let me be clear, i support the use of stop and search. you have to do yourjob and that means protecting everyone. people in hawaii have been given fresh warnings about a volcano that started erupting nearly three weeks ago. thousands of homes have been evacuated, in what geologists are calling one of the biggest volcanic events in a century. sport now on afternoon live with katherine.

a new manager at arsenal. he said he wants arsenal to be elite again. they haven't been in the champions league for the first couple of seasons. this is what the new manager had to say. it isa it is a challenge. in my career, every year, i grew up with a new

challenge and for me, the challenge isa dream... challenge and for me, the challenge is a dream... came true. i know you are not bothered, so ask me what i am doing tomorrow. what are you doing? i am going to the cricket. yes england spinner dom bess will make his test debut against pakistan at lord's tomorrow, he's just twenty years old — and was a last—minute call up to the squad afterjack leach broke his thumb. captainjoe root says bess is full of confidence, has lots of energy and is very switched on. ab de villiers is retiring from international cricket. he has played 114 test matches and he broke the news with video and social media.” wa nt to

news with video and social media.” want to let you know i have decided to retire from international cricket with immediate effect. after 114 test matches, 220 81—day internationals, it is time for others to take over. i have had my turn andi others to take over. i have had my turn and i am tired. it is a tough decision, i have thought long and ha rd decision, i have thought long and hard andi decision, i have thought long and hard and i want to retire while playing decent cricket. after the fantastic series over india and australia, now seems the right time to aside. wayne rooney will have talks with dc united in washington in the next 24 hours. the mls club have reached a deal in principle with rooney — he's broken away from a family holiday in the caribbean to find out more about the club. everton have given him permission to hold talks even though he has a year left on his contract at goodison park. it's just over three week to the world cup and ruben loftus—cheek believes gareth southgate's young squad bodes very

well for the future. the cheslea midfielder, who's made a big imapct on loan at crystal palace this season, has just two caps to his name, the whole squad is the third youngest england group to head to a world cup and the most inexperienced in over 65 years. the squad is still so young. so if they can deliver when it matters and i think the boys can do that, we could have a really good tournament. looking into the future, as we are still so young, we can really develop into a top team. heather watson's run at the nuremberg cup has come to an end with a defeat in round two. she lost in straight sets to hungary's family stollar, a qualifier ranked 117 places below her in the world rankings. the future of british cycling is looking good on the road and the track. simon yates is leading the giro d'italia for the eleventh day as he seeks to become the first briton to win the race.

he started stage 17 almost a minute clear of his nearest rival. the race finishes in rome on sunday. meanwhile a cyclist who rose to prominence after setting up his own amateur team, has been added to the great britain track squad. charlie tanfield may have had a humble start but he's become a major success, most recently winning individual pursuit gold at the world championships and commonwealth games. he'lljoin the men's endurance programme, along with ethan hayter, who's also a world champion. that's all the sport for now. a few weeks ago on afternoon live, we spoke to abbie breakwell, the winner of the rotary young citizen wheelpower sport award 2018 and now she's been selected to represent great britain at the 2018 world team cup in the junior event. and we can speak to abbie now, whojoins us from our nottingham studio.

how are you? i am fine thank you. you only started playing tennis two yea rs you only started playing tennis two years ago and now you are representing your country, how are you feeling? i am absolutely ecstatic, i cannot wait to get onto the plane and go. this is a sport you have only recently adopted. you have overcome so much, and i know you are good, but why do you think they have picked you?” you are good, but why do you think they have picked you? i trained really ha rd they have picked you? i trained really hard and i don'tjust do the stuff on the court i have to do, the exercises to help with my shoulder health as well off the court. you know what's involved because you have been a ball girl, you have done other work during tennis matches, but not yes, this weekend, i was a ball carrier for the atp championships at loughborough.”

find it is quite fun. there are four of you in the junior event and four of you in the junior event and four of you in the junior event and four of you are novices? yes, we are all going there and three others have played in the novice section, and for those who don't know what it is, it is where the adults play, it is when the adults play when going up in the levels to help people. when the adults play when going up in the levels to help peoplem when the adults play when going up in the levels to help people. it is the netherlands, it starts on the 28th, this competition. when i spoke to you it was about the work for young citizens and your motivation and getting other people interested. did you have any idea this would end with you actually going out there for great britain? i didn't think i would, representing great britain. i was hoping since the start of the

sport, at some point, i would be representing great britain. but i never thought i would be representing great britain at this age. it is also remarkable because he played wheelchair basketball and wheelchair racing. you are now trying to learn a martial art? yes, idoa trying to learn a martial art? yes, i do a form of martial art, i do like to do other sports because it is good to cross over with sports to help with fitness, but i mostly enjoy it. at the moment the focus has to be tennis, how focused are you? i am very hopeful. i have total faith. two years in any sport, however fit you are, that's quite a remarkable achievement. i wonder what your friends say to you? my friends are very supportive and i

walked into a class yesterday and they stood up and they were cheering because they were so happy and proud of me. they were saying, come on, abbey, you can do it. what motivates you, what is it that makes you have that drive? it is seeing people saying, she can actually do that. i am surprised and trying to get more people involved in sport. that is the motivation, to make people want to do sport more. i know the enthusiasm is genuine but there must be moments where you just think, this is quite daunting and what am i taking on? yes, there is a few times i feel like it is quite daunting, but then i remember it is such a great honour and i am so proud to be representing my country. so when you

go out on the court, how nervous will you be? i am going to be so nervous i think because i have never done anything like it before internationally. there is a good back—up because you are going out with an experienced team and you are in the young section, there is a men's section and a woman's section, what advice have they been giving you? they have been saying, it will be fine, enjoy it and it will be fantastic. because everybody will be there all the way through and they said they will come and watch you play and we will support each other. they have been absolutely amazing. have you got a weak shot? not really, i like to play all the different shots. that is the right a nswer different shots. that is the right answer because we all support great britain and we all hope you do the best you can and we wish you all the luck in the world. it is great to talk to you again. thank you. abbie

brea kwell, talk to you again. thank you. abbie breakwell, who will allow them in the netherlands. the taxi app firm uber says it is going to give all of its drivers across europe including 70,000 in the uk — free insurance for sickness and injury. the company — which has faced criticism for the way it treats drivers — says the move should give them security and peace of mind. its chief executive said that they had focused too much on growth and not enough on the people who made that growth possible. a teenager accused of plotting a terror attack on the british museum has told the old bailey that her fiance, a member of the islamic state group, had suggested the idea. safaa boular has denied two counts of preparing acts of terrorism. our home affairs correspondent dominic casciani gave us update from the court. (sot next) safaa boular is accused of two offences. the first is she tried to leave the uk to join islamic state and marry a man called naweed hussain, a fighter from coventry who has

since been killed. and secondly, when she was effectively stopped from doing so, that she started to plan an attack in the uk in the early part of last year, effectively as revenge, and that her mother and sister were dragged into that plot as well. today we have heard from safaa boular herself, now 18, in the witness box, explaining in detail this relationship she had with naweed hussain. he is in syria. she revealed that they secretly married, for want of a better expression, in an online ceremony. and after that, that he tried to encourage her to join him in syria but when that became ready impossible for her to do so, the police had her passport because she was already being monitored, he then encouraged her three times to try and attack the uk. each of those she said she rejected and today she said she was not guilty of preparing acts of terrorism. in a moment the business news with egon cossou. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. and as you've been hearing, marks and spencer's profits plummet, down more than 60% as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship

between the government and police. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. here's your business headlines on afternoon live, consumer price inflation fell to 2.4% in april. that's the lowest its been since since last march. this will ease pressure on the bank of england to raise interest rates. marks and spencer has suffered a big fall in profits. they fell by almost two—thirds to around £67 million. more on this in a moment. the growth of house prices is slowing down with property prices in london growing at their slowest rate since 2009, according to officialfigures. brexit is thought to have deterred many overseas investors

from buying in the capital. we stick with that main story, marks & spencer, profits down? sales of food, clothes and home were all going down. what the company wants to do is cut the number of its stores. it thinks it can cut costs. it is closing about 100 stores over the course of the next four years. it is not an inexpensive process, in fa ct it is not an inexpensive process, in fact it is really costly to the company. 0ver fact it is really costly to the company. over the course over the last financial year it reckons the programme of closures cost at. the boss of the company has been talking about this to emma simpson. this

demonstrates why it is urgently transformed this business and modernise it and make m&s special again. we have, overa long modernise it and make m&s special again. we have, over a long period of time been losing customers and we need to make sure we start to attract new customers and young families into the business by changing what we do. but transformation programme i have been outlining since last november, is pa rt of outlining since last november, is part of that process. that includes closing lots of stores. in northampton yesterday people were telling me it would be a big blow to lose m&s. how where are you of the impact of these closures on our high streets? i am very aware of it and every decision to close a store is very difficult. notjust every decision to close a store is very difficult. not just for the towns, but for my colleagues. we have thought very carefully about it. but shopping habits are changing and we have said we believe will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. high street

stores are less economic and we cannot invest in them and modernise them. shoppers are shopping elsewhere, online and out of time. 0ne elsewhere, online and out of time. one of the legacies of m85 is we have tackled this soon enough. my job is to make sure we grow in the future. will 100 stores be enough? we think so, we can shape the business in the future and we think we can grow the business and different categories. we will keep an eye on that and we will work to the market. but at this stage we think 100 will keep us in the right shape for the future. even after these changes you have do have a compelling enough offer to get shoppers into the stores you've got left and critics constantly say you still haven't got the right products at the right price. without products, every retailer is finished. i think we have

products, every retailer is finished. ithink we have made tremendous strides in clothing and we have talked before about the work we have talked before about the work we are doing on contemporary style and we have seen the results of that. we have been the market leaders in schoolwork, children's where, bras, suits and shirts. in those categories we are seeing growth. in women's were for the first time in seven years we have grown our customer base. you have news for me on scotch whisky. the scotch whisky association releases its in—depth analysis of its 2017 export figures. 2017 was a record breaking year for scotch whisky exports, with over £4.36bn. those exports went to over 180 countries across the globe. scotch whisky now accounts for 20% of all uk

food and drink exports, as well as remaining a significant contributor to overall uk exports. lets talk to the woman who is the boss of the scottish whisky association. what are you doing right? 27 team bazza great export year for scotch whiskey. the value of exports went up. there is real scale in that. as a result of scotch whiskey exports last year, the uk trade deficit is 3% less than it would have been. for every £100 of uk goods exported, £130 of that is scotch whiskey. where are you seeing

the most growth and demand for scotch whiskey? in 2017 we saw growth in some of our berries stable and establish markets like the us, germany. but also in a number of emerging markets, particularly like asia. i, china, taiwan and singapore we re asia. i, china, taiwan and singapore were stronger. surely one of the drawbacks to scotch whiskey is its image. surely the fact it's got an older image is going to hold back growth in the future?” older image is going to hold back growth in the future? i don't think it has gotten older image. we export to 180 markets round the world. scotch is popular all over the world and it is popular for different reasons in different markets. in japan for instance, scotch whiskey is drunk with soda as a high ball and it is a very young, vibrant drink. i don't even think there is a

very old—fashioned image of scotch whiskey in the uk, which is what i think you are referring to, be round the world it is a dynamic drink in many of our markets and that is shown by the dynamic growth of the category. we wouldn't be growing up the rates we are growing at it we didn't have a very wide consumer base. one of the big factors in the drink sector over the past few years has been the growth of craft beers. have we seen a similar phenomenon with the scotch whiskey market? scotch whiskey is growing everywhere across the market. large companies are growing and also small companies. we have big listed plcs at one entry to small businesses at the other. yes, we have seen a numberof the other. yes, we have seen a number of distilleries expand in the la st number of distilleries expand in the last five years and another mothballed distilleries reopen. we

have seen a number of small distilleries open as well. there is real dynamism in the industry. exports are up but investment into the industry is at record levels. there has been about half £1 billion investment gone into the industry in the last five years. it is significant. it is a real vote of confidence in scotch whiskey's future. all our companies expect scotch whiskey to remain in growth. we have to get through brexit as well and that will pose challenges but it will certainly create some disruption to export markets. but with the time frames we take, we look ten, 20 years out, we expect scotch whiskey to continue to grow. karen, thank you very much indeed. remarkable figures. let's look at the markets. the ftse100 is cooling off a bit.

that's because of increased fears about a trade war between the us and china. president trump has been tweeting about that. everything was sweetness and lighta about that. everything was sweetness and light a couple of days ago, what has happened since? president trump is now no longer showed that the talks that have been held between the two countries will produce a wider agreement. he is sounding a more cautious note. that has got the markets looking nervous. thank you very much, see you later. oxford university says it needs to do more to improve its student diversity after releasing figures which showed thatjust two per cent of its new students were black. overall, the number of ethnic minority students being admitted is rising, as ross hawkins reports. oxford university, gateway

to thousands of brilliant careers but who gets to study here? figures from the university today show of its new undergraduates from the uk, almost 18% were from an ethnic minority background, more than in the past. just over 60% of students were from state schools, that is up, but private schools only educate a tiny minority of children. almost half came from london or the southeast compared to just 2% from the north—east of england. the labour mp david lambie has accused 0xford of social apartheid when he revealed some of their colleges took no black students in some years. these figures show 2% of new students last year were black. starting from right across all the colleges, the number of black students we have taken in has improved. 1.9% of our undergraduates are from an african and caribbean heritage. if you look at the pool we are fishing in and we're finding these talented students, only 1.8% come from

that black background. it is a small pool, we have to work hard to encourage them to apply. although there are issues there is an attitude and appetite for change. that is a real effort on the part of the university to engage with student societies like the oxford ac5 to really enhance how they engage with bme commnities from around the uk. the university says it is evolving fast but perhaps too slowly to meet the public‘s expectations. a 30 year old american man, who took his parents to court after being kicked out of their house has lost his legal battle. michael rotondo, from syracuse in new york, looked for help from the courts after his parents served him an eviction notice, calling it "outrageous". but, justice donald greenwood instead described the 30 year old as ‘outrageous' for continuing

to live in his parents' home while they financially supported him. 0utside court, mr rotondo told reporters he would appeal the decision before leaving, presumably heading back to his parents' house look, five kuyt snowed challenge is —— snow tigers in china. the chances of them being born are, and these five quintuplets just going on show. they are all named after mountains. let's look at the weather. it is looking very warm for this bank holiday weekend but there will be thundery showers around. we will

see sunshine as we have seen today. what a beautiful shot of cornwall. in contrast we did have a lot of low cloud this morning sitting near the east coast. the sunshine is strong enough and you can see the cloud has been burned back to the coast. the other issue late on is perhaps a sharp shower in the south and the east and as humidity increases overnight, there is an increasing risk we will pull in a few showery bursts of rain and even the odd thunderstorm. closer in some areas and cool in the north where we have the mist and low cloud rolling back in off the north sea because of the easterly breeze. high pressure is keeping things settled and further south we are pulling in thundery rain and it does look cloudy across the southern half of the uk on thursday. it means there could be thundery rain around if you are out and about. not for all, thundery rain around if you are out and about. not forall, but thundery rain around if you are out and about. not for all, but with more cloud around and keen breeze

coming won't feel as warm. it will feel quite close. sunshine in northern ireland, northern england and scotland as well but it will ta ke and scotland as well but it will take time for the low cloud to burn back to the coast. inland away from the low cloud, 22 is on the cards and even further south where we have the cloud, it will be cool and barely double figures for the north sea coast. through thursday evening and overnight into friday the band of moisture and the weather system is still sitting across the country gradually moving northwards and it is set to bring wet weather as we go through friday. central areas, perhaps northern england and wales as well, and we should see dry and sunny weather materialising further south and across scotland and northern ireland, still some fine weather. as well as the heat we pick up weather. as well as the heat we pick up higher humidities. that will culminate in some big showers and thunderstorms with this low pressure

sitting quite close by. although we are promising warm weather this weekend it does look quite unsettled at times. you can stay across the forecast online. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. today at 4... marks and spencer's profits plummet — down more than 60% — as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing, we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i

will give you the tools, the powers and the back—up you need to get the job done. the level of disruption on northern rail has been unacceptable, admits the transport secretary chris grayling. new timetables have brought major problems for commuters. coming up on afternoon live all the sport. thank you, we have heard from the new arsenal manager and unai emery says he wants the club to compete with the elite clubs of europe once again. more on that in the next half—hour. again. more on that in the next half-hour. thank you. helen has the weather, it does not look so good. not on the east coast but it is burning back, a lot of sunshine to end the day and more coming in the bank over the weekend but although it is getting hotter there is an increasing risk of some thunderstorms. thank you. also coming up... these bears aren't feeling ba—loo anymore. thanks to a charity in sussex. find out why on today's nationwide.

hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. marks and sparks is a little less sparkly today, announcing a big fall in profits, as it battles to modernise its business and to adapt to the changing way we shop. marks & spencer's strategy of closing stores and revamping its online business caused profits to slump by almost two thirds over the last year. sales of food, clothing and homeware all declined. yesterday, m&s said it plans to close 100 shops by 2022, accelerating an overhaul it says is "vital" for its future. this report from our business correspondent, emma simpson. first the store closures. this one in northampton one of a hundred that will go but it is an overhaul which is costing the m&s dear. the expense of closing these stores

made a huge dent in its annual pre—tax profits today, down by 62% to just under £67 million. sales are also down in clothing, home and food. i spoke to the boss about the challenges and changes taking place. steve, your statement is a pretty sobering read today. it says the culture is too corporate, you are too inward looking, you have lost your appeal to family aged customers. you seem to be saying that if you don't make urgent changes now, m&s is in danger ofjust slowly fading away. sobering reading it is. i think the statement today demonstrates why it is urgent we transform this business and modernise it and make m&s special again. that includes closing lots of stores. in northampton yesterday people were telling me it would be a big blow to lose m&s.

how aware are you of the impact of these closures on our high streets? i am very aware of it and every decision to close a store is very difficult and not just for the towns but also for my colleagues of course and we think very carefully about it and have looked at it over a long period of time. but the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing and we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. it means high street stores are less economic and we are unable to invest in them and modernise them and the customers are shopping elsewhere. 0nline and out of town. you have to go further and faster with the pace of change ramping up and that is clearly the stark message that comes through, that it is vital to ramp up the changes now. why is that? what has changed and what is the acceleration taking place? the first thing is, you can see from the results, these are not as good as they should be. i want to create a marks & spencer

which grows in a sustainable and profitable way and the retail market is changing probably quicker than i have ever seen and we need to react to it. we have been slow to react in the past and we need to transform the business urgently and if we don't we will continue to see disappointing results. two years into hisjob, he still has a huge task to revitalise the fortunes of m&s but the changes are now being ramped up. emma simpson, bbc news. a woman who poured acid over her former boyfriend, causing him catastrophic injuries, has been sentenced to life in prison. the judge at bristol crown court said berlinah wallace's attack on mark van dongen in 2015 was an act of "pure evil". mr van dongen ended his life through euthanasia 16 months later, saying he could no longer stand the pain of his injuries. jon kay reports. six days after she was found guilty, berlinah wallace came to be sentenced. inside court, her actions

were described by the judge as pure evil, sadistic, malicious and callous. she had thrown sulphuric acid over her boyfriend as he lay in her bed, wearing just a pair of shorts. these pictures show how it burned the sheets. the acid left mark van dongen with catastrophic, life—threatening injuries. after more than a year of pain he was granted euthanasia in belgium. sentencing her to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years, the judge said the south african born fashion student had told lie upon lie and intended to disfigure the 29—year—old so he would not be attractive to other women. mark van dongen's father attended every day of this trial and today he wept as the woman he treated like a daughter was sentenced. 0utside court, mr van dongen said he was glad she would be locked up for a minimum of 12 years but he said that would be too little.

he added, we as a family have been sentenced to life. the judge said that before the attack three years ago berlinah wallace had researched on the internet the damage acid could do and then had done nothing to help her boyfriend as he screamed in agony. standing with his arms spread out... neighbour nichola white ran onto the street to assist mark van dongen that night. the acid on his fingertips even burned her metal door bell. he was in agony, he literally was shivering and shaking and he looked like he had had grey paint poured all over him from his head down to the knees. his skin was melting. berlinah wallace was acquitted of murder last week. avon and somerset police say they believe this is the first life sentence handed to someone for throwing acid. jon kay, bbc news, bristol. the new home secretary, sajid javid, has told police officers that he is standing with them

on the front line. in a speech to the police federation of england and wales, which aimed to win over his audience, mrjavid assured them he would provide the resources they needed to get the job done. a warning, daniel sandford's report contains a racially—offensive term. just over three weeks into the job, with murder and violent crime rising and the threat from terrorism still severe, sajid javid came to birmingham knowing he needed the police on his side. to win them over he reminded them that his brother is a police officer and recalled the extremely racially offensive language he heard when his brother took him for a ride in a patrol car. teenagers giving them the middle finger, swearing and spitting. and, worst of all, at one point when his car approached lights and slowed down, one teenager leaned over and yelled at my brother, you pakistani bustard.

his message, after a difficult eight years between the home office and rank and file, was simple. let's reset the relationship between the government and the police. i will give you the tools, the powers and the back—up that you need to get the job done. for those of you who stand on the front line, be in no doubt that i will be standing with you. thank you. nonetheless, the chair of the police federation still made this plea. home secretary, learn the lessons your predecessors failed to. three years ago theresa may accused us of crying wolf. we were accused of scaremongering over the effects of budget cuts to policing. 0ur warnings that cutting police officer numbers would see an increase in the numbers of victims of crime were dismissed. sajid javid's first set piece speech as home secretary seems to signal a significant change in tone from the time when theresa may was here at the home office and fought her infamous battles

with the police federation, but there was no sign of an increase in money and the labour party said sajid javid is in denial about the impact cuts have had on policing and the levels of crime. 2018 has been a bad year for violence, particularly gun and knife crime in the bigger cities and a reminder of the wider problem was this seizure of 250 kilos of cocaine announced today by the national crime agency. it was smuggled in from mexico in a fruit processor. 0fficers also seized a handgun. daniel sandford, bbc news, at the home office. train services continue to be disrupted following the introduction of a new timetable a few days ago, with hundreds of services cancelled by northern, govia and thameslink. one in ten trains due to run by northern have been cancelled since sunday, with many more delayed. the mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, has asked for an "urgent meeting" with transport secretary chris grayling. 0ur north of england correspondent, fiona trott, joins me now

from manchester piccadilly railway station. what is the latest? a meeting is due to ta ke what is the latest? a meeting is due to take place between the department for trust board and politicians here in the north of england who put pressure on them. —— for transport. passengers say they are delighted to hear that and they say that since the new timetable came in there have been cancellations and delays between blackpool, preston, bolton angry messages on social media with the hashtag northern instead of northern rail. we have they will be discussing a with politicians here including improving driver rosters to get more trains running increasing driver training on new routes to get more services online as quickly as possible and putting on extra peak—time services from this station, manchester victoria,

mac —— manchester oxford road and also preston so some good news but passengers say they have been complaining about poor service in the north of england for months. structural work started in november last year and there have been delays and cancellations because of that. trained skipping stations because of overcrowded carriages and it prompted mp tim farron to ask a question in the commons about whether the operator, northern, was breaching the terms of its contract. the department for transport has said that is being assessed. the rail operator northern has apologised and said it needs to improve and its work has been severely delayed by circumstances beyond its control. but in the long—term passengers here are pleased to hear that might be some improvements later but in the short term they are bracing themselves for

that rmt strike tomorrow. thank you very much. and a line of breaking news from police in scotland who are increasingly worried about the safety of two children who have gone missing in escher. they are working on the possible delay might have travelled by train to manchester —— in ayrshire. they were last seen just after nine o'clock yesterday morning and both live in a children's home. 0livia has family in manchester and it is thought she might have contributed them but police in scotland say they are increasingly concerned for their safety. more on that as we get it. the taxi app firm uber says it is going to give all of its drivers across europe, including 70,000 in the uk, free insurance for sickness and injury. the company, which has faced criticism for the way it treats drivers, says the move should give them security and peace of mind. its chief executive said that they had focused too much on growth and not enough

on the people who made that growth possible. oxford university says it needs to do more to improve its student diversity after figures showed around a third of its colleges accepted three or fewer black applicants during the past three years. but the data for last year reveals the situation is improving, with 18% of its students from ethnic minorities, compared with 14% in 2013. ministers say they will set a target for the amount of water each of us should use. a new report warns parts of the uk could face serious water shortages within decades, unless rapid action is taken. the environment agency says enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost through leaks every day. roger harrabin reports. we all use water, but the way we use it has changed. a bath typically uses around 80 litres of water. a short shower, say, less than four minutes, would use about a third as much, but a power shower could use much more than a bath.

should we be turning off the tap when clean our teeth? the environment agency says we can all do our bit. if we don't start planning soon, actually in the next 30 years or so by the 2050s, we could be facing quite serious deficits, reductions of the amount of water we've got. particularly in the south and south—east of england. technology will help — this shower head mixes air with water to create the sensation of a vigorous flow. perhaps these should be mandatory. people using tap water for their gardens could face more pressure if water problems don't ease. their bills could possibly rise. water butts provide h20 for free. people might want plants that don't gobble water, too, like palms or mediterranean herbs. pressure will also grow on water firms to prevent leaks.

150 billion has been invested in improving the infrastructure over the last 30 years. much more needs to be done and actually at the moment, the industry is in the process of putting together plans for the next five years which will be pretty ambitious. the regulator has asked the industry to come up with plans to reduce leakage leakage by 15% over the forthcoming five years, and the companies are rising to that challenge. industry will have to play its part, too. the power sector uses 27% of water consumed in england. it will need to be more frugal. but intriguingly, renewable energy will help, the agency says. it doesn'tjust cut carbon emissions and local pollution, it saves on water, too. roger harrabin, bbc news. you're watching afternoon live, these are our headlines. marks and spencer's profits plummet — down more than 60% — as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. three weeks into the job, home secretary sajid javid promises

to reset the relationship between the government and police. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. and in sport, arsenal have confirmed that unai emery will be their new manager and he says he wants the clu b to manager and he says he wants the club to be among the european elite sides again. 20—year—old spinner dom bess will make his england test debut against pakistan at lord's tomorrow. and britain bath simon yates remained in the lead in the giro d'italia, almost one minute ahead of his nearest rival after elia viviani of italy won today's stage. i will have more on those stories just after half past. more now on our top story this afternoon. marks and spencer, which, as you've been hearing, has suffered a big fall in annual profits following a costly store closure plan. a little earlier, i spoke tojudi bevan, the author of ‘the rise and fall of marks & spencer and how it rose again'. she told me that she thinks

the store closures are the right decision. let's look at these figures withjeremy baker, a retail analyst who specialises in marketing. judi suggested that mark and spencers was by no means out of the woods. no andy trouble is the announcement today is it solves a bit of a problem on the cost side, it is like accountants getting together and running a shop. it is necessary but the dream side, the division, why go to marks & spencer in the first place, they have not decided what the reason for that is. you wake up on saturday morning you have to think, i'm going to aldi and lidl, i can buy anything i like because it is surging, or to whole foods because it is so healthy, why would you go to marks & spencer ‘s?

that is quite a gap. it is a fundamental gap! and would suggest that far from solving the problems and it is papering over the cracks which could be in terminal decline. it is. they are the wrong people, far too much on the cost side and not on the vision side. archie norman? i'm not sure what he's doing. you used to be fantastic at asda and save a lot of money but that was a cost reduction programme —— he used to fantastic. but why go and buy clothes? if you take underwear, you can have a minimal style from another shop like a japanese monk! 0r style from another shop like a japanese monk! or you can buy victoria's secret! we are getting the picture. but why go to marks & spencer? it is ok but that is not a

good reason. it used to be a good reason because it was dependable and you knew what you were buying and it was good value. we were in a different country then. moving upper class hierarchy becoming middle—class was a big thing for your grandparents generation. that was important. marks was the end point and the aspiration. they got britain to be middle class. it is that important in our social history. now an awful lot of people in the middle are middle—class and they want to be much more interesting. they want about personality, they want a brand with personality. they want to produce things that people want to buy. but why do they want to buy it? that is the question. because you have an image of yourself, and identity. and that shop will help you. if you want to be quirky, not you personally...

i get myself in enough trouble as it is! that you could go to ted baker. that has eight clear picture. it does not cover everyone but there is a small group of people and they go to ted baker. how much of the problems they are facing is because they are synonymous with the high street? and as we have been reporting for a long time, that seems to be dying. i honestly don't think that is the case. i think the old shops are dying but people still like things, experiences, they like to be with other interesting, well—dressed people, go along and make their life easier. i think the high street is changing but not going downhill. and how long do you give marks & spencer? at the present rate it is going downhill, the next time there will be another cutback and they have defined someone with the drama, tell me why i should go

to marks next saturday. what will it do for me to make me more excited or younger or more responsible or healthier? you have to think of something and at the moment they do not have a reason to go there. fascinating, thank you for coming the families of the people who died in the grenfell tower fire have been remembering their loved ones on the third day of the public inquiry into the disaster. 72 people died after flames engulfed the tower in west london lastjune. angus crawford reports. child speaks in her native language a voice from the past, and message home to the family she loves from a child on holiday. fathia hassan, just four, hugging her three—year—old sister hania. 0n the left, their mother rania. all of them died in their flat on the 23rd floor of grenfell tower. thank you, bye—bye. in the enquiry room, total silence.

the chairman visibly moved. it's difficult for me to explain how i feel now she's gone... rania's niece aishia gave a video tribute on behalf of her mother who is too ill to speak herself. i watched her grow into a young woman. i prepared herfor her wedding and helped her put on her wedding dress. i was there when she gave birth and i watched her children grow with mine. never in my life have i thought that i would be at her funeral. tony disson, father, great—grandfather. at 65, he still cleaned the boxing gym at the bottom of the tower. the sport, a passion he passed on to his whole family. my dad was a big influence when it came to boxing. without my dad i doubt i would have gone anywhere near the boxing gym. he was a big influence on me, he used to take me

boxing every night. he was a good dad, he was a brilliant husband. he was a wonderful grandad. he was a big part, a big part of our life and always will be. yes, he's missed. rarely a day goes by when i don't think about him. also remembered today, zainab deen and the two—year—old son she loved, treasured and adored, jeremiah. more lives cut short, more families in mourning. paying tribute, but demanding answers. angus crawford, bbc news. families are continuing to remember their loved ones at the inquiry this afternoon. 57—year—old gary maunders' body was was found on the top floor of grenfell tower. his nieces, chanel and kenita spence, have been remembering their uncle using words, pictures and music. the love we have for him is

heartbreakingly painful. not only was our uncle robbed of life, but so are those who had the privilege of knowing him. his children, his mum, his sisters, nieces and nephews, friends. how do you fully carry on? how can you function as normal knowing someone you have known, loved and cared for all your life has been ripped away from you in such a tragic way? it is haunting, it is tormenting. we miss him terribly, every day. we hope he is at peace in heaven, getting to reunite with our grandad, his dad, and our nanny, having a real good catch up and being happy and resting well. the is never a day that passes well. the is never a day that passes we don't think of our uncle. he will never be forgotten and we will make

sure he did not die in vain. the memories will live on for ever, his legacy will always remain and the love will never die. we will have more on the grenfell tower inquiry later. hmrc bosses are warning the new post—brexit customs regime could cost business between 17 and 20 billion pounds. they also warned it could take between three to five years to fully implement. this is pretty stark. this was hmrc representatives in front of the treasury select committee. you will know that the inner cabinet is pondering the different customs arrangements we might have with two options on the table. theresa may has divided her cabinet into two working groups and they are going through it and we think at the end they will come forward with their preferred option. today hmrc were

asked about the costs of all of this. the maximum facilitation is one, customs partnership is the other. this is what one of the representatives at the say about the costs a nd representatives at the say about the costs and how long might take to get it up and running. to be crystal clear, it is somewhere in the 17-20,000,000,000, and the clear, it is somewhere in the 17—20,000,000,000, and the costs from the new customs partnership, the estimate to the setup costs are around £700 million and reclaim would pay itself. i amjoined by the conservative mp john would pay itself. i amjoined by the conservative mpjohn redwood. this is pretty shocking figures if it is going to cost up to £20 billion a year under a new arrangement.” don't accept that. we should start from what we currently have, a perfectly good, functioning trade syste m perfectly good, functioning trade system with the rest of the world at the moment. where we do more trade than with the eu. it does not cost anything like these figures and if the worst came to the worst and

there were no agreement with the eu, thatis there were no agreement with the eu, that is how we would trade with them when we have left. we would then trade with germany and france exactly as we do with the us and china. they know how to do it and they have the systems set up and there would not be this huge costs. but there is a cost, you have to do a customs declaration. if are saying that the stuff we export to the eu would come under that system, there will be a cost. there is already cost, we don't have a frictionless border with the eu, cost, we don't have a frictionless borderwith the eu, it cost, we don't have a frictionless border with the eu, it is a vat border with the eu, it is a vat border because we have different rates on each side and it is an excise border because we charge different rights —— rates. it is a currency board because we switch from yours to pounce. none of these things happen actually physically at the border any malt with a man or woman ina the border any malt with a man or woman in a kiosk having to work it out, it is all done electronically away from the border with electronic manifests and computer registration. most of the trade is done by authorised economic operators who

are preregistered and they can clear all this and pay the money electronically. if we had to do customs dues as well, it is not a great increase in the convexity of the vat and excise we are doing. so we have hmrc saying they have 1100 people working on these two options. are you saying they are making these numbers up? i am sure they have some basis for their numbers but what i'm saying is i would advise them to start from what we have got. presumably they are doing that, they are giving this information to cabinet ministers trying to decide what we're doing next. and i'm giving advice to cabinet ministers andl giving advice to cabinet ministers and i would say i would not believe that version of general figures. who are they supposed to believe? listen to me, you start with what we have got. in the past i have been involved with manufacturing industry in britain, complex supply chains, we had no problems importing from non—eu sources. if we're to do the same system as we do at moment for non—eu, for eu, it would work and we

never had to do it but we should be able to improve on it, that is what max—fac is meant to be about and obviously you only take on the items that would make it better that are value for money. if it is going to cost this much, it is the wrong system. thank you very much. visit the kind of information cabinet minister servers are poring over as they decide which of the systems to england —— this is the kind. the other thing that that it might take three to five years from the moment ministers make the decision to get it fully up running. thank you very much. time for a look at the weather. helen is here. that is of the arabian peninsula and a cyclone? ten out of ten! it is quite striking, that mass of cloud. we do get these features that it is storm season, but they are quite unusual. sometimes they head off to pakistan and india and give a lot of rain,

ahead of the indian monsoon. we think this one is heading towards a month and yemen where there is a huge gym and seven crisis with the cholera outbreak —— 0man. bear in mind the average rainfall in that pa rt mind the average rainfall in that part of the year is about 100 for the whole year. they will get three yea rs the whole year. they will get three years worth? two or three years was from this rain as we had the weekend. it looks like it is going to 0man but will affect yemen and strong winds could lead to flooding on the cost. it is bound to have huge consequences. how unusual is it? you don't see it every season. they can head towards somalia and towards india and pakistan or towards the south of the middle east so there is a fast area of directions. —— a huge area. it will cause some big issues and it is already a stink up to 60

mph. you think about one of our storms and it could reach 100 mph, thatis storms and it could reach 100 mph, that is the equivalent of eight category two hurricane. and closer to home, the bank or they weekend approaching. will it be like the last one? it will be warm like the last one? it will be warm like the last one? it will be warm like the last one. it will be dry for a lot of the time in the north but we are expected a greater chance of thunderstorms in the south. it's not a wash—out! you should have seen his face, very glum! we have at the problems on the easterly wind but given the strength of the sun it has burned back to the cost and there has been an abundance of sunshine but there are subtle changes taking place. more cloud coming into tunbridge wells and the south—east, a few sharp showers this evening. but still warm at the moment. it will stay that way this evening in the south because as we increase the chance of showers and we are pulling

in high humidity air so the temperatures will not be dropping as low overnight but another chilly one in the north, added to by the misty low cloud coming off the north sea and it could be grey and damp first thing in the morning. the high—pressure means fine and dry weather in this part of the country but further south in england and wales there will be a notable change with more cloud and the first band of showery rain. not a wash—out, some heavy bursts but as you can see it is showery in nature. for a lot of the time in between there will be drier weather as well. and further north there will not be that much rain. we will have a lot of dry weather in northern ireland, just the odd shower, in northern england and scotland as well but on the east coast it will be rather chilly because of the low cloud. barely double figures but inland, even with more cloud in the south gone into the low 20s celsius. through tomorrow evening and overnight we will see that band of rain

meandering further northwards, giving way to dry whether behind 0lsen dry and clear and cool in the north but friday looks to be quite wet in areas, hopefully turning more showery through the day and the fine detail will come in day to day. in the war north, still warm and sunny but in the south, it will be muggier, 23 with sunshine. that will increase and it will get warmer at the weekend, increasing humidity but pulling in the more energetic air and pushing in the low pressure, it will increase quite dramatically, the amount of showers and thunderstorms we are likely to see in southern areas. they always say a hot spell culminates in some thunderstorms. in more detail on saturday, you can see the showers creeping into southern areas, a lot of dry and fine weather elsewhere, cool near the coast but temperatures on the up. this is bbc news — our latest headlines: marks and spencer has suffered a fall in its annual pre—tax profits

of nearly two—thirds, as the retail giant pays the price for closing stores. sales of food, clothing and homeware are all down. the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing, we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend is not going away. a woman who threw acid at her former partner has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. mark van dongen ended his life after berlinah wallace hurled the substance over him. in a speech to the police federation, new home secretary sajid javid said he wanted to reset the relationship between officers and the home office. mrjavid, whose brother is a chief superintendent, said he had seen the impact the job has on family life. i have confidence in your professionaljudgment. so let me be clear, i support the use of stop and search. you have to do yourjob and that means protecting everyone. chris grayling has apologise

following major disruption on the ra i lwa ys following major disruption on the railways this week when a new timetable was introduced. trains we re timetable was introduced. trains were cancelled on sunday and monday. sport now on afternoon live. good afternoon. we are talking about arsenal's new head coach? yes, he paid tribute to the former arsenal manager and then waved to the press as he walked out onto the pitch for the traditional shirt holding shots and the contract all done and dusted. he has been presented to the press. he says he wa nts presented to the press. he says he wants arsenal to compete once again with the elite clubs in europe. it is a challenge.

in my career, every year, i grew up with a new challenge and for me, the challenge is a dream... came true. the cricket gets under way and we are looking at a spinner? well you are looking at a spinner? well you are looking at a spinner because you will be there. yes england spinner dom bess will make his test debut against pakistan at lord's tomorrow. he's just 20 years old and was a last—minute call up to the squad afterjack leach broke his thumb. captainjoe root says bess is ready. he is really clear about what he wants to do in the game and how he

will approach this week. that is all you can ask of someone who is making their debut. it is really exciting for me as captain. i remember mine andl for me as captain. i remember mine and i rememberthe feelings, all you wa nt and i rememberthe feelings, all you want to do is for tomorrow to come round, and get out there. he has approached this week really well and hopefully he can have a good start to what is hopefully a long career. simon yates is another day closer to becoming the first briton to win the the giro d'italia — he keeps his 56—second lead after stage 17. thich was comparatively flat, so the pinkjerseyjust had to stay out of trouble, and finish in the main bunch. torrential rain towards the end of the day, but no crashes. for the fourth stage this year italy's elia viviani was the fastest of all the sprint specialists. yates still pretty in pink — three mountainous stages follow, which will decide the race. one of south africa's greatest batsmen, former captain ab de villiers, is retiring from international cricket.

he's been a huge figure for his country for over a decade — playing 114 test matches. the 34—year—old finishes his career with over 20,000 international runs and has a batting average of over 50 in both test and one day cricket. wayne rooney will have talks with dc united in washington in the next 24 hours. the mls club have reached a deal in principle with rooney — he's broken away from a family holiday in the caribbean to find out more about the club. everton have given him permission to hold talks even though he has a year left on his contract at goodison park. it's just over three week to the world cup and ruben loftus—cheek believes gareth southgate's young squad bodes very well for the future. the cheslea midfielder, who's made a big impact on loan at crystal palace this season, has just two caps to his name, the whole squad is the third youngest england group to head to a world cup and the most inexperienced in over 65 years. the squad is still so young.

but so good at the same time. so if they can deliver when it matters and i think the boys can do that, we could have a really good tournament. looking into the future, as we are still so young, we can really develop into a top team. after winning her first match in four months heather watson's time at the nuremberg cup has come to an end with a defeat in round two. she lost in straight sets to hungary's fanny stollar, a qualifier ranked 117 places below her in the world rankings. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. now on afternoon live, let's go nationwide and see what's happening around the country, in our daily visit to the bbc newsrooms around the uk. in salford, annabel tiffin

is here with news of an apology to passengers from northern rail, after delays and cancellations to services this week — which have been made worst by new timetables being brought in on sunday. and in tunbridge wells, claudia sirbasyzis is here with the story of a sussex charity, which has travelled to armenia to rescue and release bears, saving them from a life of imprisonment in appalling conditions. first to annabel. second time in two days. you cannot get enough of us. what is going on with the rail disruption is? get enough of us. what is going on with the rail disruption i57m get enough of us. what is going on with the rail disruption is? it is largely due to the introduction to the rail timetables. northern bosses have apologised, but there are still plenty of delays we have been reporting on across the network. i think the last time i spoke to

transport correspondent it was 145 trains had been cancelled and delayed by more than half an hour on the network. northern rail blame network railfor not the network. northern rail blame network rail for not finishing electrification schemes and a backlog on training drivers are new technology as well as the new timetables. but this service has been poor even before any of that. northerners have problems with strikes taking industrial action over the plan to introduce driver only trains and there has been an issue with drivers not working overtime so there haven't been enough drivers to actually drive the trains. there is no pressure on the government to step in. the two metro mayors have demanded an explanation and the mp tim farron has called for the network to be taken back into public hands. there is an issue with unions but the company says things will improve. we understand

customers are unhappy and we are sorry for that and we are determined to fix it. we are determined to make this timetable work better for customers and modernise the trains and have better stations, which is coming about is a key part of our plan for the next few months. on social media, they are using the hash tag northern fail. the department for transport is looking into this? yes, the transport secretary chris grayling has apologise for the problems nationally and now northern rail had submitted an urge plan to tackle this poor performance. chris grayling said he will be speaking to the northern leaders, andy burnham and steve rotheram over the phone to discuss the next steps. but the now, the delays and cancellations continue, and they don't care what or who is to blame. 0ne commuter has said he is going to sue northern

because he travels every day from blackpool to salford crescent and three quarters of his journeys since november have been affected and his rail ticket that costs him £3200 annually, isn't worth it.” rail ticket that costs him £3200 annually, isn't worth it. i bet he used other words as well. thank you for that, annabel. claudia, what is happening with these birds? every year 150 birds are captured by poachers. they sweep one they are clu bs poachers. they sweep one they are clubs but they grow and they become more ferocious, so people lock them in cages. some of them are incredibly small, one metre by two meters. the pictures you will see is a bear. she was rescued from this cage. she has been there for 15 yea rs! cage. she has been there for 15

years! the sussex —based charity have teamed up with conservationists in armenia to get her out of this. what is so awful, she could see the horizon and it seems so cruel. armenia has been through a revolution and they have overthrown their government and they have announced a new law which means the authorities can confiscate any wild animal that has been caught by people over the last 20 years. the aim is to, if possible, release them? absolutely, that is what they intend to do. it is if possible, but this happened on saturday for the first time ever in armenia. these pictures are of two brother and sister cubs. they are one—year—old and they have been released back into the wild, high up into the mountains. they couldn't believe their luck. the female has a gps

collar which means the conservationists can track her movements to see if she is ok and as the chief executive of international animal rescue live explain, it was really quite something to watch. after 30 years with animal international rescue, that was one of the most emotional releases i have been on, to see those little bears running out into the buttercups and into the mountains was buttercups and into the mountains was unbelievable. today, they have had the first message back from the gps collar, they are alive and they have gone deep into the forest. can we look at those pictures again. i know annabel feels the same because ican know annabel feels the same because i can see her out of the corner of my eye. this is a magical moment. watching it, most of us were in tea rs watching it, most of us were in tears and it was incredible to be there. the field is on top of a mountain. there are buttercups and there is a lake and we travelled

hours up this mountain to get there and then we were confronted with a scene that looks like beautiful sussex. it was beautiful and just watching them turn around. they behave like birds, which is what is so lovely to see. thank you very much, annabel, i could see a little tear in your eye there as well. much, annabel, i could see a little tear in your eye there as weltm was tear in your eye there as weltm was gorgeous. thank you very much. if you would like to see more on any of those stories you can access them on the bbc iplayer and we go nationwide every weekday afternoon at 4:30pm on afternoon live. a 30 year old american man — who took his parents to court after being kicked out of their house, has lost his legal battle. michael rotondo, from syracuse in new york,

looked for help from the courts after his parents served him an eviction notice, calling it "outrageous". but, justice donald greenwood instead described the 30 year old as "outrageous" for continuing to live in his parents' home while they financially supported him. 0utside court, mr rotondo told reporters he would appeal the decision before leaving, presumably heading back to his parents' house now let's get the business to use in a moment, but first the headlines. and as you've been hearing, marks and spencer's profits plummet, down more than 60%, as the retailer pays the price for closing stores. three weeks into the job — home secretary sajid javid promises to reset the relationship between the government and police. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, which led to him ending his life, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years.

here's your business headlines on afternoon live. consumer price inflation fell to 2.4% in april. that's the lowest its been since since last march. this will ease pressure on the bank of england to raise interest rates. uber is to give its european drivers medical cover and compensation for work—related injuries. the new protections include sick pay, parental leave and bereavement payments. and if you're going abroad soon, make sure you do your sums before you change your money. three tech firms reckon we're paying thousands in hidden fees because there's not enough transparency. rhys day with marks & spencer, it is the only story in town? not great news, this is an understatement. 62% drop. what we have seen, those

profits have come down to about £67 million. the way the company wants to remedy its situation, it really wa nts to to remedy its situation, it really wants to cut costs so it is cutting the number of stores it has. it will close about 100 over the course of the next four years. but that is not really helping in terms of modernising the image. we have been talking to the boss of the company who has been talking to emma simpson. we have been losing customers and we need to make sure we try to attract new customers, young families into the business by changing what we do. but transformation programme i have been outlining since last november is pa rt of outlining since last november is part of the process. that includes closing lots of stores. people in northampton were telling me yesterday it would be a big blow to

lose m&s. how where are you about the impact of these closures on the high street? i am very aware of it and any decision to close the store is very difficult. not just for the town, but for my colleagues. we have looked into this over a long period of time. the shopping habits are changing and we said we will have a third of our business online in the next five years and that trend isn't going away. it means high street stores are less economic and we are unable to invest in them and modernise them and customers are shopping online and out of town. joining us now is a senior analyst. hopefully you heard that, what do you make about response from the chief executive? what we have seen today from management are things are great at a m&s but we knew that already. we have seen profits fall significantly because the clothing

business is struggling and the food business, which has been a bright spark until recently, is struggling. those store closures creating big costs for the business which has sparked a big slowdown in business. this is about the shift to online retail, which we know is taking its toll on the uk high street. back continues apace. if you look back ten years, online retail sales of 4% of the total. they are now around 17% and that only looks like heading in one direction. we have seen the price of the shares rise? there was a rise in the share price that is because expectations were so low. believe it or not, those numbers beat the city expectations for what m&s is about to deliver. that is good news because it is looking like it was going to fall out the ftse 100. that would be a hugely symbolic

moment if it was to fall out in the reshuffle, which happens next week. let's move on to inflation. lowest point since march last year, 2.4% so well that trend continue? it is interesting, this month shows a further drop interesting, this month shows a furtherdrop in interesting, this month shows a further drop in inflation and that is what the bank of england has been telling us is going to happen. the april figures are always slightly muddied by the timing of easter and we have seen it again this year because one of the contributing factors was lower airfares because we had an early easter this year. looking forward, the bank of england is still expecting inflation to drop but the fly in the ointment could be the oil price. we have seen a big jump the oil price. we have seen a big jump in the oil price recently. if we look back to this time last day, oil was trading around 55 dollars a barrel. it is now $80 a barrel. in the uk we have been protected over that period by sterling 's strength

against the dollar. but that is fading now so we could see oil based inflation creeping back into the situation. just really quickly, comcast, could be bidding for 21st century comcast, could be bidding for 21st ce ntu ry fox ? comcast, could be bidding for 21st century fox? it looks like comcast and disney will be slugging it out for the assets because they are under pressure from the likes of facebook, amazon and google. there is still a lot of ground to cover on this one. simon, that is it from me. a few weeks ago on afternoon live we spoke to abbie breakwell the winner of the rotary young citizen wheelpower sport award 2018 and now she's been selected to represent great britain at the 2018 world team cup in the junior event. cannot wait to get on a plane and

go. we need to remind people, this isa go. we need to remind people, this is a sport you have only recently adopted. you have overcome so much, andi adopted. you have overcome so much, and i know you are good, but why do you think they have picked two? i think they have picked me because i trained really hard and i don'tjust do the stuff on the court, i have to do the stuff on the court, i have to do the stuff on the court, i have to do the exercises to help me with my shoulder health as well off the court. you know what is involved because you have been a ball girl, you have done all the work during tennis matches, but not playing? yes, this weekend, i was a ball girl for the atp championships at loughborough. i do those events quite regularly because it is fun. there are four of you playing in the junior event represented great britain and three of you are novices? yes, for others, darren ward, ben bartram, alex chatterton

and me and we are all going there and me and we are all going there and the three of us have played in the novice section of those who don't know what it is, it is where adults play. it is sort of work they play when going higher up in the levels to help people. when you say going there, it is the netherlands and it starts on the 28th, this competition. when i spoke to you it was about your work the young citizens and your motivation, getting other people interested. did you have any idea this would end with you actually going out there for great britain? i didn't really think i would be representing great britain. i have been hoping ever since i started that at some point, maybe when i am 20, i would be representing great britain. but i never thought i would be representing great britain at this age. abbie breakwell. we had a story

about donald trump or pictures of tigers and there was only going to be one winner. that show you the tigers on show for the first time in china. clinton puts, they havejust been named and baker are named after chinese mountains. any excuse to show white tigers with little pink noses. someone just said, show white tigers with little pink noses. someonejust said, they show white tigers with little pink noses. someone just said, they grow up noses. someone just said, they grow up to kill us. that's not the point. time for a look at the weather, here's helen willetts. we had the low cloud coming in off the north sea overnight and although it is cool and cloudy and will remain so for some eastern part of england it is fine and dry with just a few showers potentially in southern counties developing through the evening and overnight. the first sign ofa the evening and overnight. the first sign of a change triggered by the

heat we are experiencing at the moment. still cool overnight across the northern half of the uk but growing humidity further south. there is a growing chance we will see some showers or even some thunderstorms breaking out through the course of thursday. but not for all, they are moving across the southern half of the uk is a further north, 22 in the sunshine in the central lowlands. 19 in belfast. but the unsettled theme into the south continues despite the warmth into the weekend. today at five, there are new claims about michael cohen, president trump's personal lawyer. the bbc has learned he received an alleged secret payment of at least $400,000. the money was to fix talks between the ukrainian president and mr trump. mr cohen denies receiving any payment. we'll have the latest. the other main stories

on bbc news at five. marks and spencer's profits slump by more than 60%, after a costly plan to shut more than a hundred stores. the chief executive defends the strategy. the fact is that customer shopping habits are changing, we have said we believe we will have a third of our business online in the next five years, and that trend is not going away. a woman who threw acid at herformer partner, whose injuries were so horrific he decided to end his life, is jailed for a minimum of 12 years.