tonight at ten — the armed forces are called in to help tackle the major fire around saddleworth moor in greater manchester. the blaze — which covers almost four miles of land — has been burning for three days. more than 100 homes have been evacuated. this is not something that's going to end today. not by any sort of stretch of the imagination. this could go on for days, even weeks. air quality levels are being closely monitored. there are high levels of pollutants generated by the fire and several local schools have closed for the safety of pupils and staff. we've never been a position where we've had to close the school premises because of fire and there are certainly not been any evacuations in the past. so this is unprecedented. we'll have the latest from the scene and the updated advice from public health england to local people. also tonight: a couple from london win a major legal battle, insisting that the law on civil partnerships discriminates against heterosexual couples. drjane barton, the gp who oversaw the practice of prescribing powerful painkillers at a hospital

in hampshire where hundreds of patients died, says she had always done her best for her patients. a rescue boat stranded for nearly a week in the mediterranean with over 200 migrants on board has finally been allowed to dock in malta. commentator: to wrap it up, not all alone! and the biggest shock of the world cup so far, the reigning champions germany have been knocked out at the group stage — beaten by south korea. as the england squad finalises plans for tomorrow's match against belgium, we report from the venue. and i'm in russia... and coming up in sportsday live from moscow later in the hour on bbc news, we'll show you how brazil reached the last 16. and they've got mexico next. good evening.

the armed forces have been asked to help firefighters who are battling to contain an extensive blaze sweeping across moors near saddleworth in greater manchester. more than 100 homes have been evacuated. the blaze has been burning since sunday night and the authorities have declared it a major incident. the smoke can be seen from space in the latest images released by nasa, and the area affected is nearly four miles across. 0ur correspondentjudith moritz reports from the edge of the moor. this is the fire front line. flames and smoke snaking across miles of moor land. as it races across the ground, the fire claims this land,

leaving burned heather and twisted wood in its wake. the blaze plays cat and mouse with the firefighters toiling to put it out. each time the wind changes, the fire moves. each time one hotspot goes out, another pops up. the problem with peat is that it burns like tobacco, so it smoulders slowly, so that is why we need the water to get in there. it's fine knocking the fire on the surface, but then it burns underneath, so we need the water to soak into the ground and completely saturate the area. this is not something that is going to end today, by any sort of stretch of the imagination. this could go on for days, even weeks. last night, it looked like a wildfire in the californian bush or australian outback, but this is six miles from 0ldham. and as the moon shone over the moors, fire raged below. and metres away, homes bought for their tranquil views were suddenly threatened, residents told to spend the night elsewhere. kept looking out the window and went about our usual business,

having something to eat etc. then there was a knock at the door just after eight o'clock from one of the special police officers who said, you're going to have to get out and evacuate. as they were telling you to get out, did you think, my house is at risk? absolutely. the last thing i said to him was, don't let my house burn down! some local schools closed today, unable to keep their classrooms ventilated. i have been here about 20 years and we have never been in a position where we have had to close the school premises because of fire. and there have certainly not been any evacuations in the past, so this is unprecedented, without a doubt. with smoke hanging heavy in the air, face masks were handed out to residents who were also told to keep their doors and windows shut. the fire service declared a major incident, crews coming from several areas, and now the army called in too. up here on the top of the moor, it's an apocalyptic landscape. all of the heather has been killed off, but the fire continues

to burn under the surface, pockets of smoke and steam coming up overground. and this devastation goes on for miles. the blaze is so significant it can even be seen from space. in this image, captured by a nasa satellite. it's unforgiving, inaccessible terrain. the hoses can't be everywhere and firefighters have to stamp out some elevated hotspots and then keep coming back to re—extinguish fires. the heat was that intense, it was turning the spray to steam, if you like. it did stop it. it stopped it right on the peak. but as you can see this morning, it's flaming up again. but it wasn't that, it'sjust the smoke, the stinging smoke in your eyes. as the country basks in a heatwave, imagine the temperatures the firefighters are coping with. it's exhausting, and it's frustrating. but they won't stop until the fire does. this is one of the closest fire

stations to the blaze, to nightly firefighters have come down off the mirrors they will have some rest and be back out at first light. this is what is going to keep them going in part, the pile of water, donations from members of the public, local shots and businesses. this they say will help them get through the many hours, maybe days, of hot work still to come. a heterosexual couple, who fought a long legal battle for the right to enter into a civil partnership rather than marriage have won their case at the supreme court. the court agreed with rebecca steinfeld and charles keidan that the law restricting civil partnerships to same—sex couples was discriminatory, and breached the couple's right to a family life. as our legal affairs correspondent clive colman reports — the ruling could lead to a change in the law in england and wales, and allow millions of heterosexual couples to choose a civil

partnership over marriage. rebecca steinfeld and charles keidan, a devoted couple since 2010 — now with two young children — who want their relationship recognised in law, but don't want to get married. their fight for a civil partnership has taken them all the way to the highest court in the land. we saw ourselves as partners in life and we wanted to be partners in law. we felt a civil partnership best reflected the nature of our relationship. why wouldn't the government extend civil partnerships to opposite—sex couples when the institution already exists? but civil partnerships are only available to same—sex couples. rebecca and charles claimed that breaches their human rights. today, the supreme court agreed. it was therefore concluded that the appeal must be allowed... finding that excluding different sex couples from civil partnerships discriminates against them and is incompatible with their right to a family life.

after a four year legal battle, victory. today, we are a step closer to opening civil partnerships to all — a measure that would be fair, popular and good for families and children across the country. civil partnerships give couples the same legal and financial rights as married couples. today's ruling can't force parliament to change the law, but it does put real pressure on government to open up civil partnerships to those three million cohabiting heterosexual couples who may not want to get married, but who may well want stronger legal rights. charles and rebecca aren't getting the invitations to their civil partnership printed just yet, but they are now confident that it will happen for them — and many like them. clive coleman, bbc news. the former gp who was named in an investigation into the early deaths of hundreds of patients at a hospital in hampshire has said

she was a "hard—working doctor" who was "doing her best" for patients. drjane barton — who oversaw the practice of prescribing powerful painkillers without medical justification, claimed she was working in a "very inadequately—resourced part of the health service." dr barton's statement has been dismissed by the bereaved families, as our correspondent duncan kennedy reports. these are some of those whose lives were cut short during their stay at the gosport hospital, the result of drugs given without medicaljustification. todayjane barton, the doctor who oversaw the prescription system, appeared for the first time since last week's scathing report. but instead of speaking herself, she left it to her husband. she has always maintained that she was a hard—working, dedicated doctor, doing the best for her patients in a very inadequately resourced part of the health service. we ask that our privacy is respected at this difficult time,

and she will be making no further comments. but i did ask one question. jane, do you have any message for the families? robert wilson was one of those who died in the gosport war memorial hospital. his daughter tracey said dr barton's statement today was empty. she had an opportunity today to come out and take responsibility for her actions, but she has chosen once again not to do that. she's portrayed herself as a victim, which i find quite distasteful. she's not a victim. that sense of disappointment was shared by the family of elsie devine, another victim identified by the report. there she is getting on with her life, and here we are, fighting all these government bodies, and... i just can't understand, you know, britishjustice. when relatives gathered for the report's publication,

few had any idea of the full scale of what had happened. in fact, last week's inquiry found that a total of 656 patients may have been victims of unnecessary drugs here. but we have now learned that three more families have come forward to the police since the report was published to say their loved ones too may have met an early death at this hospital. drjane barton wasn't the only one criticised by the inquiry. others are likely to be the subject of interest for any future police investigation. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in gosport. the fire brigades union has criticised the grenfell tower inquiry for putting what it described as "absurd" questions, to the fire—fighter who led the early response to the disaster. at one point michael dowden broke down in tears as images of the blaze were shown to the hearing. the union's general secretary matt wrack said mr dowden happened to be on duty on the night

of the fire, and the questions should have been directed instead at his superiors. some of britain's biggest pub chains say bars are running out of some brands of beer and cider, as a shortage of carbon dioxide continues to affect the food and drink industry. the gas is used in the production of many drinks, and also in pubs to pump beer. thejohn lewis partnership has said profits in the first half of the year will be "close to zero." the chain said the annual figure would be substantially lower than last year, and that it will be closing five of its waitrose stores in manchester, london and birmingham. one of britain's biggest car manufacturers, nissan, says it's deferring major, long—term business decisions while it waits for clarification about the outcome of the brexit negotiations. the firm's chairman said he was in the dark about how brexit would work, and the stakes were very high. nissan made half a million cars in the uk last year, and exported four—fifths of them.

0ur economics editor, kamal ahmed has the story. the largest car factory in the uk, 7000 workers producing half a million cars a year — 80% for export. britain's relationship with the european union is vital to this japanese—owned business. we're talking about tens of thousands of jobs, we're talking about hundreds of millions of pounds of investment. that's what i'm talking about. so there's nothing really very blurry about it. we're talking about things that matter for people, that ensure the livelihood of people. that's why we take it very seriously, and we don't want to take any decision in the dark, and we don't want to make any decision that we may regret in the future. nissan is not alone. bmw, airbus and the car parts maker unipart, they've all come out in the last week demanding clarity about those post—brexit plans. and today they were joined byjohn lewis, which said, "we were simply not prepared for no deal." it's actually very difficult

for a business like ours to prepare the something when you don't know what that something will be. you could spend a lot of money and find that that was all wasted because it was never... it never materialised. what i am clear about is what we need, and we need frictionless borders, we really do need frictionless borders, and the cost that will come in from not having that is very significant. in parliament, the prime ministerfaced questions. mr speaker, i'm asking the prime minister how many more firms are telling the prime minister in private what airbus and bmw are now saying very, very publicly? prime minister! we have... we have been meeting with business, we are listening to business. that's why we're very clear on our customs arrangement that we want to ensure not just that we deliver on our commitment in northern ireland but also as frictionless as possible, but also that we can trade around the rest of the world. here at the bank of england, a couple of miles away from the heat

and noise of westminster, an upbeat message. yes, the european union needs to do more to prepare for brexit, but when it comes to the uk and financial services, good progress. mark carney said the risk of disruption to the key financial services sector had receded. first we are ensuring that the uk banking system could continue to lend to uk households and businesses even in the event of a disorderly cliff edge brexit, however unlikely that maybe. large employers are flexing their muscles. car—makers are leading the charge. with nine months until brexit day, the calls for clarity are becoming louder. kamal ahmed, bbc news. 0ur deputy political editor john pienaar is at westminster. not long to go before that big cabinet summit on the way ahead on brexit, and kamal mentioned calls for clarity.

what do you read the current cabinet position? preserving even a veneer of unity has gone from a near impossible mission to a lost cause for theresa may. today in the commons she insisted again that we leave the eu, the single market, the customs union. but her business secretary has told company bosses that britain should stay some sort of customs relationship, trading relationship, single market relationship, single market relationship with business after brexit and keep open special access for eu migrants in some form. her brexiteer foreign secretary has been famously quoted saying eff business, when asked about their concerns. at this stage we could still walk away with no eu deal. there is no majority in parliament for that, but it could happen. it looks nigh on impossible for theresa may to restore order. there is no clear idea of the past that she would like to charge for britain after a brexit

and a transition period. —— of the path that she would like to charge. some conservative mps believe the hardline brexiteers have called the shots for too long. but if and when theresa may decides to confront the hardliners and stays too close to europe, as they would see it, there would be a row and perhaps ministerial resignations. this row on brexit is as loud as ever, except for the bit about it being easy and quick to accomplish. many thanks, john pienaar. this evening the lifeline — a humanitarian ship with 230 migrants on board for the past week — has entered a port in malta, ending a standoff with italy which had refused to let the ship dock. the lifeline is the second charity ship that italy has shut out of its ports this month after the new anti—immigrant interior minister matteo salvini said private rescue vessels would no longer be welcome. the leaders of the 28 eu member states are meeting in brussels tomorrow with migration at the top of the agenda. chancellor merkel of germany will take a central role

in those discussions, while her approach to immigration has caused deep political divisions across germany, and destabilised her coalition government. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in berlin. what is your assessment of chancellor merkel‘s position and stands ahead of the summit? tonight the mood in german government circles is grimly determined but gloomy and it is notjust about circles is grimly determined but gloomy and it is not just about the football. it has been very easy over the last couple of weeks to be distracted by the migrant rejecting, headline grabbing antics of the new italian government. migration looms large in the national politics of many countries, few more so than germany. for angela merkel it is an existential crisis, politically speaking. 0ver existential crisis, politically speaking. over the last four years she has taken in 1.4 million asylum seekers and in open defiance her own

interior minister says he will slam the doors of germany shirt if she is unable after the eu summit tomorrow to come home with pan—european solution is to stop more migrant arrivals. if after the summit he unilaterally closes germany's borders, the austrian government has told me it will do the same, as will others. german government sources told me this afternoon they believe there is a 70% chance that you are's pride and joy, it's open border schengen area which allows passport free travel, is finished. it sits angela merkel to sound the alarm because she wants to shock eu leaders into deal—making rather than bickering, but the bottom line is that migrant arrivals to europe are down this year but political conflict is raging. many thanks, katya adler in berlin. in zimbabwe, seven months after he succeeded robert mugabe, president emmerson mnangagwa has blamed an attempt to kill him on supporters of mr mugabe's wife. on saturday mr mnangagwa narrowly avoided an explosion at a political rally which he was attending ahead of elections next month.

the attack took place in the city of bulawayo in which two people were killed. the president has been speaking to our africa editor fergal keane. he looms over the capital and the country. but emmerson mnangagwa is lucky to be alive. how are you, sir? good to see you. we met in his harare officejust four days after this. an explosion a few feet from him that killed two and injured dozens. were you frightened ? no, not my character. no, i didn't get frightened by these things. you know? i am a soldier by background. i've heard those sounds for over 50 years in the struggle. emmerson mnangagwa came to power after a bitter struggle with grace mugabe and her supporters in the so—called g40 faction. he believes it's people from that group who tried to kill him.

my hunch, without evidence, is that the people who were aggrieved by the new dispensation of the g40. that is a logical and reasonable conclusion one may make. he didn't accuse mrs mugabe of being involved, but bristled when i asked him about her. do you trust grace mugabe and the people around her, the people who supported her? i'm not so sure what you mean by trusting a person who has insulted me left, right and centre. on what basis would i trust somebody who was used by a cabal to say things which she had no business at all? emmerson mnangagwa was a close comrade of robert mugabe through the war against white rule, the invasions of white farms and the brutal crackdown on the opposition. but since the military paved his way to power, he is opening up zimbabwe, are appealing for international investment, pledging free elections.

you were in cabinet when opposition leaders were being beaten and being tortured. you were part of all that. why should people believe that you've changed ? what they should believe, really, is what i am doing. the actions what i am doing, not the perceptions which they have. to supporters and enemies he is known as the crocodile, a nickname rooted in the long ago war against white rule. gets his prey! the crocodile is also a very patient and ruthless animal. do those characteristics describe you, do you think? i am as soft as wool. i am a very soft person in life, my brother. you should understand that i am a family person, i am a christian and so on. i would suspect you're as hard as nails. because you've read so much bad publicity by my enemies,

which has sunk into you. i don't blame you. but as you go on and you relate, you'll discover that were wrong. then if you are man enough you'll come and say, "comrade mnangagwa, i was wrong about you. you're such a nice man." fergal keane, bbc news, harare. a united states supreme courtjudge has announced his retirement, paving the way for president trump to change the political balance at the top of the country's legal system. judge anthony kennedy has been a key swing vote on the court for nearly three decades — backing issues such as gay rights and abortion. 0ur north america editorjon sopel is at the white house. jon, just underlying for us how potentially significant this move could be? on the face of it, it does

not sound that interesting, but this isa not sound that interesting, but this is a huge day for us politics with the decision by justice is a huge day for us politics with the decision byjustice kennedy to stand down. roughly speaking, the supreme court for the last decade has been split four liberals, four conservatives coming he has been the swing vote that allowed gay marriage to become law, that stopped a tightening of the abortion laws. donald trump has vowed that with his departure, he will appoint a conservative to the bench. he says he will get on with it quickly ahead of any mid—term elections, so i expect this to move very quickly. a president is for 80 years, a supreme court justice is president is for 80 years, a supreme courtjustice is for life. republicans are eyeing the opportunity to shift the social policy of america in a more conservative direction for the next generation. —— a president is for eight years. many thanks, jon sopel. the duke of cambridge has spoken of his hopes for lasting peace in the middle east, after meeting the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas,

in the israeli—occupied west bank. prince william also met refugees at a camp near ramallah. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell is travelling with him. the transition from israel into the occupied palestinian territories, marked by high concrete walls and, for william, a switch into a palestinian vehicle. in the main city of ramallah, he was welcomed by the president of the palestinian authority, mahmoud abbas at a ceremony akin to a full state welcome. except, of course, this isn't a state. it's palestinian territory, still occupied by israel. william went on to a refugee camp, not tents but permanent buildings including a small health centre. it was established in 1949 for palestinians who'd fled or been expelled from their land when israel was created. nearly 70 years later the two communities are still trying to coexist in close proximity. and here is that a problem in microcosm. i'm in the palestinian camp.

the houses over there are inhabited by israelis. some of them are flying israeli flags. in the middle distance is an israeli watchtower, and in between is this narrow buffer zone where there are frequent clashes. in the centre of ramallah, there was a cultural festival. as he's done throughout this visit, william focused particularly on young people. and tonight in eastjerusalem, he spoke about their hopes to put the past behind them, and he had this to say to the palestinians. my message tonight is that you have not been forgotten. it has been a very powerful experience to meet you and other palestinians living in the west bank, and to hear your stories. i hope that through my being here, and understanding the challenges you face, the links of friendship and mutual respect between the palestinian and british people will grow stronger. for a senior royal, the language was unusually direct.

this visit appears to have made a deep impression. nicholas witchell, bbc news, jerusalem. in the biggest upset of the world cup so far, south korea have knocked out germany — one of the pre—tournament favourites and the reigning champions. it's the first time the germans have failed to make it through the group stage since 1938. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks is in kaliningrad, where england — who are already through — play tomorrow. well, this has already been an extraordinary world cup. today was no exception. there was huge shop in kaliningrad as we said goodbye to the four—time world champions. it is the four—time world champions. it is the third world cup in a row that the third world cup in a row that the holders have gone out at the group stages and a feeling the germans were completely unprepared

for, as our sports correspondent richard conway reports. win or go home, a predicament germany rarely finds itself injuring the group stage of a world cup. it is 80 years since they have fallen at the first hurdle, but goals, both scoring and conceding, have been an issue for the defending champions. their first—half performance was listless, much to the frustration of the manager. south korea clinging to their own slim hopes of survival, nearly took advantage. joshua kimmich had a chance to make a 1—0. drawing a great save. meanwhile, in ekaterinburg, sweden faced mexico in group f, both with ambitions to progress. augustinsson‘s strike on 50 minutes pushed his team to the top of the table, potentially dooming germany. the news filtered

to fa ns dooming germany. the news filtered to fans in kazan, and others watching further afield, before sweden added two more. the world champions burned yet more opportunities. —— spurned. then, deep into injury time, came a killer blow. the guard germany are heading out! was it offside? an agonising wait before the video review confirmed germany's fate. their title slipping away, keep the manuel neuerjoined the attack, with disastrous consequences. all alone, son heung—min! disastrous consequences. all alone, son heung-min! back in berlin it was too much for the watching fans. from russia with love go germany. a giant has fallen, and this world cup continues to shock. richard conway, bbc news, moscow.

this result has sent shock waves through football, never in most of our lifetimes has germany fallen at this stage. with the world champion said, focus turned to the five—time champions, brazil duly beat serbia 2-0 champions, brazil duly beat serbia 2—0 tonight. they are potential quarterfinal opponents for england but gareth southgate's sole focus is on beating belgium tomorrow night in kaliningrad. where east meets west. england's last stop before the knockouts is a geographical oddity. sandwiched between poland and lithuania, kaliningrad has a complicated history. formerly konigsberg, it was part of germany and heavily bombed during world war ii, until it was seized by stalin. but while once a symbol of russia's long simmering tension with the west, it's now putting its best face forward for putin's world cup.