this is bbc news, i'm clive myrie. the headlines at 7pm: at least 35 people are dead after a major motorway bridge collapses in northern italy. emergency workers are trying to free people caught in crushed vehicles and under rubble near the town of genoa. anti—terror police are questioning a 29—year—old man who was arrested after a car was driven into barriers outside parliament this morning. the ford fiesta ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians, injuring three people. one woman was seriously injured. given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. the england cricketer ben stokes has been cleared of a charge of affray at bristol crown court. unemployment fell by 65,000 to 1.3 million in the three months tojune. that's the lowest level in more than a0 years. but it's not all good economic news. the diy chain homebase plans to shut 42 stores, putting up to 1500 jobs at risk. and should straight actors

play gay characters? jack whitehall‘s casting in a new disney film has angered some. good evening. at least 30 people are now known to have died after a large section of a motorway bridge collapsed in the italian city of genoa. many more are thought to be seriously injured. a number of cars and lorries on the bridge crashed to the ground after a tower holding up part of the high suspension bridge gave way during heavy rain. emergency workers are trying to free people caught in crushed vehicles or who've been buried by rubble. james robbins reports. a man cries out to god.

it's the stuff of nightmares as a vast motorway bridge collapses in a storm. watch again, and you can see one of its towers simply disintegrate and plunge down into the valley below. another eyewitness reported lightning striking the bridge. a rescue helicopter flying through the storm relayed the first horrifying pictures. 0ne tower of the suspension bridge has simply disappeared, with it the long, central section of motorway which relied on it. on one side, a truck is perilously close to the edge, but it's clear many other vehicles have plunged up to 90 metres, or 300 feet, down to the valley floor, narrowly missing these apartment buildings. emergency teams used helicopters, cranes and hoists to recover the dead and injured, as others started the search of rubble to look for more of the victims.

translation: from the information we have in our possession, 30 cars and some heavy vehicles were driving on the span of the bridge at the moment it collapsed. already, urgent questions are being asked. how could this motorway bridge, built in the 1960s, fail with such terrible consequences? the toll road operator said work to shore up its foundation was being carried out at the time of the collapse, adding that the bridge was constantly monitored. but italy's deputy prime minister has demanded that motorway operators must be held accountable. translation: i have crossed that bridge hundreds of times. now, as an italian citizen, i will do everything to get the names and surnames of past and present managers, because it is unacceptable to die like that in italy. this was the bridge in happier times.

part of a vital motorway system linking genoa and the italian riviera to the south of france. the engineering of italian motorways used to be a subject of immense national pride, but this disaster, after other incidents, is already being blamed by some on spending cuts and possible neglect of basic safety in the name of reducing italy's huge public debt. james robbins, bbc news. as james was saying in his report, some people have questioned to what degree cuts to government spending will have influenced today's events in genoa. when it took power, italy's new ruling administration pledged to increase investment. the bbc‘s reality check team have sourced this graph of spending on spending committments by italy on its roads budget and that of the eu's biggest economies. a decade ago, italy was spending more than ia and a half billion euros on its roads,

but that committment dropped sharply following the global financial crisis. by 2015, spending was down to about a third of its previous level, and much less than germany, france and the uk. with me is katherine smale, technical journalist at new civil engineer magazine. good to see you. this bridge is a quite unusual design, is it not? and some architects have suggested quite, keita? so the magnitude of the class, we cannot underestimate how serious this is. we did not know the cause of it yet, but it is possibly too early to speculate but we can talk about a few things. it was a poor span, prestressed concrete cable stayed bridge. slightly unusual in this design because the prestressed cables were encased in concrete. we think that was done for weatherproofing issues,

to stop the cables corroding. whether or not that played a part in the class, we do not know yet. and it was refurbished two years ago? we have heard that there were reports of it being restructured in 2016. what that means, we do not know again. it is a very vague term and not one i have come across before but i think this is vague. we know it has been maintained in the last 20 years or so. what they were doing, again, we do not know. right. we are seeing pictures on its grain, terrible weather. lightning and powerful thunderstorms. surely that is of the kind of thing that will make bridges collapse, is a? no, it is really unusual. whether in his or her stance or not, we do not know, but wind and rain should not collapsed bridge. i'm sure this bridge has seen far worse storms in the course of its life span so far. lightning, interesting. ispoke

the course of its life span so far. lightning, interesting. i spoke to one person today who was potentially saveit one person today who was potentially save it sounds very cartoonish, that petitioner league in there could've been a failure of the anchor blog because of the lightning hitting it. it is all out their stuff and a moment but no one is discounting anything. the failure type of the bridge was quite unusual in terms of it being unusual for a full tower to collapse. normally it mightjust be a section of the day. for a full tower to collapse, that raises more questions about why that might happen in the first place. how often does a structure like this have to be looked at and maintained to make sure that it is —— its integrity is there for more than 100,000 vehicles per day? it is interesting. because the maintenance regime depends com pletely the maintenance regime depends completely on what kind of structure it is, where it is, what use it has got, the weather conditions, the materials of the bridge, how old it

is, all of those different factors will come into the maintenance regime that people carry out. i know in the uk, we have very strict maintenance regimes on key parts of infrastructure, so hopefully in the uk this would not happen. but in italy, i do not know. i have heard reports of people saying it was supposed to be inspected for times you, but again also gelation, i do not know. 100,000 vehicles plus, some heavy lorries coming across. does that feel about average, a bit more 01’ does that feel about average, a bit more or less for that kind of structure ? more or less for that kind of structure? substructures like this are probably designed for fewer cars oi’ are probably designed for fewer cars or fewer lorries to are probably designed for fewer cars orfewer lorries to go are probably designed for fewer cars or fewer lorries to go across it because it was the 1960s when they built it. but again, maintenance might have happened to increase the structural load of the bridge, the capacity of the bridge. again, we just do not know whether or not the load it was designed for is the loaded now carries. so all of this i think will be teased out in the structural investigation is going

forward. and they sort of bridges in this part of italy, they are going through fairly hilly mountainous areas, as well. they are bridges that have to take a certain amount of strain. but they also go through the land as well. yes, lots of tunnels and bridges in that part of italy, i think. tunnels and bridges in that part of italy, ithink. i tunnels and bridges in that part of italy, i think. i am tunnels and bridges in that part of italy, ithink. iam not tunnels and bridges in that part of italy, i think. i am not fully familiar with that kind of area but there are quite a few of that ilk all around italy. very briefly the, the investigators will look at this, which includes structural engineers. what will they be looking for to you think? they were looking for the structural condition before the bridge has collapsed, what happened ata bridge has collapsed, what happened at a point of collapse, which area was triggered first, so potentially was triggered first, so potentially was an anchor failure of the cable, unlucky to be having the cable player is up because they are made up player is up because they are made up of lots of cables. was it a tower fell of some description? there were

reports that they were apparently carrying out foundation strengthening at the time of the classroom is whether or not that destabilise the tower. whether or not any kind of works were carried out at the time, they will attend all those different factors, into the weather factors, whether or not a vehicle has struck one of the anchors. they'll be looking into everything that is going on. of course. a number of people day, 35 is the latest figure we have on the death toll. good to see you, thank you for coming in. and this story is bound to figure on tomorrow morning's front pages. we'll give you a heads up on what the papers are reporting tonight at at 10:a0pm and 11:30pm. my guests on the papers will be asa bennett, the brexit editor of the daily telegraph, and laura hughes, political correspondent at the financial times. a man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences

after a car crashed outside the houses of parliament, leaving several people injured. eyewitnesses described the vehicle as deliberately hitting members of the public. the driver, a 29—year—old british citizen, originally from abroad, was alone in the car. officers are searching three addresses in the midlands at around 7:30am this morning, the silver ford fiesta swerved into cyclists and pedestrians outside the houses of parliament, injuring three people. the car then continued down the road, careering off into a side—road with security barriers. it then crashed, and armed police surrounded the vehicle and arrested the suspect. our home editor mark easton arrived at the scene within minutes, and sent us this report. filmed on a cyclist‘s helmet cam, was this silver car weapon being readied for the second terror attack on our parliament in under 18 months? a bbc rooftop camera records what happened atjust after 7:35am. a ford fiesta pulled sharply off parliament square

on the wrong side of the road, through a group of cyclists waiting at the lights, accelerates down millbank towards two police officers protecting the palace of westminster. they leap out of the way before the car smashes into a security bollard. barry williams, a bbc picture editor, was walking to work when he saw the car suddenly career out of the morning traffic. he hit the cyclist and then swerved over towards where the safety barrier is. he accelerated and hit it at quite a high speed. what was your impression? was it deliberate? i was not sure whether he meant to hit the cyclist since he accelerated hard towards the barrier. the car hit the security bollards which were briefly

lifted off the ground. i have seen him crash into the bollard at high speed. he is driving at least 50 miles an hour. the guy seemed very focused. he was not panicked or anything. he crashed into the security barriers. and yelled to police officers, stop, he hit two cyclist. i realised it was something else. armed police were just behind and cleared the area. within minutes, armed response teams had arrived and some ran towards the incident. this morning i saw about half a dozen police range rovers and motorcycles driving at speed up this road, away from the incident. it appears that is part of a planned response to exactly this kind of emergency. this was the scene a few minutes after the car crashed. the cyclists are scattered at the side of the road. an ambulance was in attendance almost immediately. we now know three were injured, two men and a woman, but no injuries

are not life—threatening. the driver of the fiesta, alone in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene by armed officers who were already nearby. the scotland yard assistant commissioner says the driver, a 29—year—old uk national, is refusing to cooperate with the police. given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method, and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident, and the investigation is being led by officers from counterterrorism command. parliament is currently in recess. westminster occupied by more foreign tourists than domestic politicians. the prime minister, on holiday in switzerland, said her thoughts were with the injured and thanked the emergency services for their courageous response. we have seen across the world major cities facing acts of terrorism from terrorists who want to divide communities, cause injury and cause death. as a city, we continue to evolve our response to terror attacks to keep us safe and to deter

and prevent attacks taking place in the first place. i'm reassured that our police services and our security services, all of them are doing what they can to keep people safe. the response from police and emergency services to the incident was well rehearsed and well executed. if this was an attack on democracy, it was very quickly neutralised. less than a year and a half since the westminster bridge attack, once again the area around parliament was in lockdown today. the message to the public, stay calm but remain vigilant. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has been giving us more details about the suspect and his final movements before the incident. well, he is a 29—year—old man. you can see clearly in the pictures that he is a black man and we believe he is from

the birmingham area. certainly two addresses in birmingham are being searched along with an address in nottingham. and he was at the wheel of the car, police believe, when it ploughed into that barrier, very, very nearly hitting two police officers. the key thing, of course, is what is his motivation? my understanding is that while he was not known to counterterrorism police or to mi—5, there was some foreknowledge by the police of him and the key thing will be what was that. and also trying to work out whether this deliberate act, as counterterrorism police believe it was, was motivated by some political reasons. of course, then that is what would make it a terrorist act. and it's quite interesting to look at what his vehicle did in those last minutes and hours, in fact, before the attack. he's believed to have driven down from birmingham to london overnight, to london overnight, to have been in the tottenham court road area of london, just to the east here for about six hours or so between midnight and 6am. then being in the whitehall area between 6am and 7:37am,

when he ploughed into that barrier, very, very nearly missing two police officers who are very lucky to have escaped without serious injury. let's return to our top story now, the partial collapse of a major bridge in genoa in northern italy. 35 and we understand have died as a result of that. let's speak now to maria chiara grandis is a journalist for italian tv station rai. she went to the site earlier and joins us on the line from genoa. hello, thank you for being with us. give us the latest on what you saw and the situation there. the situation is their are a lot of people in and around the bridge trying to understand. many of them had to leave their houses because they cannot answer. it is too dangerous. so they are here to

understand where they can go. somebody had been transferred to school, there is another problem. now it is becoming dark, and so the area is more and more dangerous. the police are saying nobody has to come here to the side. people in genoa will be praying for victims of this tragedy. churches will be open to pray, to say prayers for those who died. many, many of them are from genoa, but also there are people from other parts of italy and strangers to italy. so the whole community has been affected by this, obviously. a lot of talk about not enough maintenance of this bridge, perhaps cuts in public spending,

perhaps cuts in public spending, perhaps leaving structures across italy crumbling and without the kind of work done to them to make sure that they are safe. yes, here in the afternoon, the prime minister of italy and the authorities of genoa said that they are really sorry for those who were injured and those who died, they have been engaging the staff and the police and everybody wa nts to staff and the police and everybody wants to understand how this tragedy could have been avoided. now the magistrates are opening, i do not know how to say in english, they are trying to understand through the legal acts have this happen.

somebody who does the works says the people had been working all year long and a lot of people are saying this tragedy, that somebody showed them a photo of the bridge before them a photo of the bridge before the collapse and we could see that the collapse and we could see that the bridge was damaged. and now somebody... all right, and i think we have lost maria. apologies to our viewers. a journalist we have lost maria. apologies to our viewers. ajournalist from italy giving us the latest on that bridge collapse. as i say, at this moment in time, 35 people are now known to have died. the england cricketer ben stokes has been found not guilty of affray after a fight near

a bristol nightclub. another defendent, ryan ali, who was knocked unconscious in the fight, was also found not guilty of the same charge. our sports editor dan roan has been following the case. finally, ben stokes merge records today having emerged his ordeal. many eggs as a media and in parts of the press per determine his guilt before the trial began. the past several months have highlighted to him how much he values his position as an england representative, both in terms of the privilege that role entails and the responsibilities that accompany it. also acquitted, the co—defendant, one of two men not to accomplish —— unconscious in a late—night brawl last year. to accomplish —— unconscious in a late-night brawl last year. i'm very

relieved, all i want to say at this time. stokes was arrested in bristol in the early hours of november 20 five. police by cam footage showing him being cassang. moments earlier, he had been involved in this putting both his co—defendant and his friend ryan hal, cleared last week. the local residents had said the men behaved like football hooligans. ryan left with a fractured eyes again. stokes insisted he had acted in self—defense, having confronted the pair over homophobic language. cctv footage showed suggs and is he may try to reenter a nightclub while out celebrating an england win. prosecution said stokes can be seen mocking the way men and here throwing a cigarette but at one of them. he claimed it wasjust throwing a cigarette but at one of them. he claimed it was just banter. these of the two way men seem chatting to says earlier in the evening. i did not get involved, i

was more on evening. i did not get involved, i was more on the sideline. it turned into a massive brawl and i got quite scared so i carried on walking off. did not watch the of tyre fight to the end. i would miss most of it. had he been found guilty, stokes would have faced a suspended prison says, but instead the jury cleared him, a decision that allows a controversial career to resign. this is been a coffee episode for a player who only ten days ago started as england beat india in the first test. in the wake of the incident, he was less out of the squad for last winter's ashes series, but tonight he was reinstated for the third test which starts on saturday. the you have any messes for england fans? this could be the biggest victory of his career, but with a commission said decide on a cricketing punishment for him in the coming weeks, today is not the end ofa coming weeks, today is not the end of a saga that has demonstrated tatian about the player and the sport. as the verdict was read out

in court today, ben stokes closed his eyes with relief while his wife cried. this is a case that has raised a number of important questions, not least what should have been out to him and his team—mate alex hales, given this is a time when industry is trying to appeal to a newer younger family audience and show that it is serious about upholding the values of the game. how have the ecb handle this crisis? should have been better? and do have a problem with the drinking culture in the england team? and finally, even though ben stokes could take the field in just four days' time again, how long will the shadow cast over him and england tea m shadow cast over him and england team now last? the struggling diy retailer homebase is set to close a further 42 stores, putting about 1500 jobs at risk. the parent company hilco bought the chain for £1 in may and says that the current number of outlets is no longer viable. our business correspondent emma simpson reports.

homebase has already been shutting stores. this one in west london is about to go and 42 more are set to follow. it's a shame, it really is. i mean, because there's nothing. where can we go here in walking distance to get some plants and things like this? there's nowhere. i'm sort of ambivalent about it in a way but, obviously, there's a loss ofjobs that kind of thing, then it's very tricky for people. there's no doubt retailers are having a tough time but, here's the thing. homebase was a profitable business until it was bought two years ago by one of australia's biggest companies. they thought they could teach the brits a thing or two about diy but they made a real hash of it. we've got carpet and we've even got rugs. in australia, the bunnings diy chain is a big success but, in the uk, its product mix didn't work and the losses quickly mounted. lowest prices are just the beginning.

homebase was then sold for £1 in may to the turnaround company, hilco. it said many of the 42 stores were losing money and decisive action was needed. it's going to be really tough homebase to win customers back. the housing market is stagnant and consumers are prioritising essential spend. they're are also facing rising competition at the value end of the market, players like b&m and home bargains who are doing a great deal more in bargains and homewares. we already lost some of the biggest names on the high street this year — others are slimming down. homebase is just the latest. its plans need approval from its landlords. the chain says its long—term future depends on it. emma simpson, bbc news. well, in contrast, the rate of unemployment

in the three months tojune of this year fell to its lowest level since februrary 1975. today's figures also show that pay rose on average by 2.7%, that's higher than the official rate of inflation. there was also a record fall in the number of eu nationals working in the uk. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. many of the uk's workers weren't yet born when unemployment was last this low. at this leeds factory, workers have to be skilled to make its products for use in everything from water treatment tanks to showers. theory says when there are not as many workers, you have to pay more. this firm fits that mould. pay rises have been between 3—4% for the last four years. it gets more expensive living. i remember my dad saying about seven years ago the national minimum wage was in his words "ok". if you're clever with your money, it will be all right.

to me, i didn't really think so. because everything just seems to be going up and up and up. and i just think that we as a company have to work on ensuring that it was a fair reward for what people did. paying inflation—beating pay rises is working at this firm. staff who feel value are prepared to stay, even if they could get more elsewhere. i got offered double and i didn't ask what he wanted doing, i said i wasn't interested. it is not the money here, it's the people. that is what makes it good to work here. workers are now being dealt a stronger hand. the average pay rise was 2.7%, more than inflation and the number of unemployed is just 4.0% of the available workforce. separately, today's figures show the number of eu workers is down by 86,000. the biggest fall in 21 years. employers can afford to pay rises

if the amount each worker produces is going up. give than today's figures also show that that is improving, the puzzle for some is why pay isn't rising faster. unions don't have the same influence they did and in the private sector in particular there is only about 15% of people have anyone to speak up for them. that drives the sentiment. unless people can change employment, they're stuck with the wages they have. many employers are worried they won't get the skilled workers they need. which may get worse when we leave the eu, holding back economic growth. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. it has been a day of mixed fortunes across the uk. sunshine for some, but for many

more, generally quite cloudy conditions, particularly across scotland and northern ireland, where the cloud has brought some outbreaks of rain. through this evening and tonight, we will continue to see a fair amount of cloud feeding in from the west. some more rain pushing into northern ireland and the western side of scotland. eastern areas seeing some clear spells at times and temperatures not falling too far, 12—17d. pretty warm night and quite muggy, especially in the south. so, we go into tomorrow with quite a cloudy start but that cloud should break up to give us spells of sunshine toward central and eastern parts of england. should be largely dry for the southwest. for wales and northwest england, a of bit patchy rain. certainly cloud for northern ireland and scotland. 19 degrees in glasgow, and still up into the mid—20s across parts of the southeast. however, as some rain sweeps southeastwards on thursday, it will leave cooler conditions behind and remains pretty changeable as we head towards the end of the week. hello, this is bbc news, with clive myrie.

the headlines... at least 35 people have died, after a major motorway bridge collapsed in the italian city of genoa. rescuers are searching the rubble and wrecked vehicles for survivors. anti—terror police are questioning a 29—year—old man arrested after a car ploughed into cyclists and pedestrians at the houses of parliament. three addresses in the midlands are being searched as part of the investigation. the england cricket all—rounder ben stokes has been cleared of a charge of affray at bristol crown court. his lawyer says he's looking forward to getting back to playing the game. the diy chain homebase plans to close 42 stores putting up to 1500 jobs at risk. and where's this? we'll be going to this european capital which hasjust been named the world's most liveable city. let's get more now

on the suspected terror attack at parliament which has seen man arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. eyewitnesses described the vehicle as deliberately hitting members of the public. the driver, a 29—year—old british citizen originally from overseas, was alone in the car. officers say they are currently searching three addresses in the midlands in connection with the attack. theresa may has issued a statement in response to today's events. she said that... "for the second time in as many years she went on to praise the emergency services saying that... she concluded by saying... our political correspondent leila nathoo has been getting more

on the government's response. there has been a cobra meeting this afternoon, an emergency meeting of the cobra committee, that was at official level only so no ministers we re official level only so no ministers were involved in that. a decision over weather to hold another cobra meeting is being kept under review. the prime minister has made a further statement this afternoon calling it a shocking and appalling incident here in westminster. i'm joined by the security minister ben wallace. thank you very much for joining us. how concerning is it to you that this is the second terrorist incident it appears, the second time there is a terrorist incident on the doorsteps of westminster? i'm afraid westminster and what it stands for, our liberal and what it stands for, our liberal and tolerant society, is always going to be a target for those people whose beliefs directly we challenge. i'm afraid that's why we

see attacks here either previous plots or indeed certainly actual attacks carried out. but that's why it is well protected and as you saw today, not only did the protection measures work in the car went into a barrier, but also the police were there in force very, very quickly. and the incident was dealt with. and i think that is something we should a lwa ys i think that is something we should always realise, iconic symbols are often what terrorists go for and if they can't go for the police or the armed force directly, they will choose to go where our values are symbolised and that great building that i work in is what it's all about. so your satisfied with the security measures around westminster, where hundreds of people visit every day and work in and around the area? well, i think we always review measures and even this event today, we will review and see what could have been done. the security we have in place now is built up over experience over years, going back even to the ira back in the early seventies. all of that is why we as a country strive to have

the best counter—terrorism based on our experience, and make sure that it's not about saying i can give you a guarantee because i can't give you a guarantee because i can't give you a 100% guarantee. i know that terrorists are very good at exploiting our weaknesses and what we put on the front door they will look to exploit around the back. what they find difficult to attack here they will go further up whitehall, that is the nature of what a terrorist does. but what i can say is that the investment we have put in over the euros has started to make it harder for have put in over the euros has started to make it harderfor them. parliament has asked, the deputy speaker, if the home office will contribute to another exercise to protect the front of parliament and we will contribute to to make sure that all of the expertise is brought to bear. but importantly we don't wa nt to to bear. but importantly we don't want to ruin our life, we go about our business in london and in the rest of the united kingdom we are a free and open society and we don't wa nt to free and open society and we don't want to live in a bunker. want to live in a place that reflects our

values. and so we have to find the balance. we want people to go to football matches and concerts and enjoy themselves even though there has been a threat and attacks there in the past. that's why our strategy is all about the lessons from manchester last year and from westminster bridge last year, making sure that we are as good as we can be at seeing of this threat. what are you able to tell us about the man, the driver of the car who was arrested? this individual is in his late 20s, he is a british citizen, he came from another country originally but at the moment that is all. hopefully he is helping the police with the investigation and i think what you will see is, i have to be careful not to impinge on that investigation. we have to let the police do what they need to do to make sure that hopefully we can be sure as possible that this is a one—off individual and not part of a broader attack. there is no indication to say there is and in fa ct indication to say there is and in fact at the moment it is only being

treated as a terrorist incident and we have not yet fully confirms that, either. thank you very much for joining us. the prime minister's spokesman earlier confirmed that there were now 13 islamist plots, four far there were now 13 islamist plots, fourfar right there were now 13 islamist plots, four far right plots that had been foiled in recent months. there are 600 and live investigations by counterterror police and the security services into potential terror threats so it gives you an idea of the scale of the threat that police and security services are dealing with. these are live pictures of that crime scene and you can see the forensics experts tense and going over the vehicle, a p pa re ntly and going over the vehicle, apparently registered in nottingham. and it arrived in london overnight,‘ in overnight from birmingham, which is where they suspect the 29—year—old man who has been arrested in connection with this is from. that vehicle, of course,

ploughed into a number of cyclists and pedestrians who were waiting at red lights there outside the palace of westminster. that vehicle then continued, swerved off the road, careered off the road, down a side road and into a barrier. and many people have spoken of the heroism of the armed response police units that arrived there within seconds of that khrushchevjumping arrived there within seconds of that khrushchev jumping of the arrived there within seconds of that khrushchevjumping of the barrier and getting to this vehicle and arresting this 29—year—old man. so, the forensics continued in, they will be there for some time. the whole area is cordoned off. it is a crime scene. investigators trying to find clues as to exactly what happened. let‘s get more now on the news that the struggling diy retailer homebase is set to close a further 42 stores, putting about 1,500 jobs at risk.

the restructuring company hilco, which bought the chain for £1 in may, says that the current number of outlets is no longer viable. well, we can speak now to maureen hinton, who is research director for globaldata, the business consultancy, which has a specialism in retail. what do you put this down to? there isa what do you put this down to? there is a lot going on in the high street a nyway is a lot going on in the high street anyway but i think that what happened is that the company which bought homebase completely reversed the strategy they had which was to try and differentiate itself from the major players in the market and thought that we would convert from a big diy warehouse which is the kind of format that they have in australia whereas we have got plenty of other very strong competitors already in the market and so they just ploughed on with their strategy, trying to sell us huge

great barbecues, having this huge great barbecues, having this huge great diy warehouse type format and just started losing money hand over fist. but we know that huge supermarket change actually, and tesco and whatever, they are trying to get rid of their huge out—of—town stores and building tesco local and actually, local or whatever. smaller retail facilities in towns and you would have thought that the parent company of homebase might have read the market before it continued on this particular route? yeah, it's a bit of a mystery why they didn‘t do more research into the market and have more understanding and realise that we are a very different markets to australia. so, theyjust kept ploughing on, hoping that by opening their brand bunnings, which does extremely well in australia, that we would convert to it. they offer a very good service. but it is the wrong type of format for us and as you say there‘s no need for masses of big warehouse style shops, there

are some, we are also, we have changed the way we shop for diy and in fact we would rather get other people to do it for us. so we found the likes of screw fix and tall station cell to trade, they‘re doing very well. and we are buying more from the value retailers like the and m, which has bought some of homebase‘ old stores, home bargains and the likes of pounds and. they are shutting a further 42 stores, they have only closed some, how many does that leave? about 200, which is still a considerable amount. which are not going to see them disappearing from the high street? no. well, the thing is, hill coal has been very good at... the company which has bought it now, which is trading it now, has been very good at managing retailers in a difficult situation like hmv for instance it bought a few years ago and has been

doing quite well with that. but send it down and made it more appropriate to the market. so it will be interesting to see what they do with the rest of those stores. this is another tale of woe from the high street, failure to adapt in this case as you‘re suggesting, to the market. we have got retailers not that quickly enough to the internet —at that quickly enough to the internet — at what point do you think the high street might sort of settled down and we see a little bit more of a static picture in terms of retailing? i must say it's quite difficult to predict, because there‘s definitely a restructure dubbing on. we still spend 80% of our spending through stores. i think there is always going to be a need for stores. it‘s just that they‘ve got to adapt to how many we actually need to. i think we still will a lwa ys need to. i think we still will always wa nt need to. i think we still will always want to have that physical interaction with stores. it‘s just going to change the overall market

considerably. and we‘ll need fewer stores, so all retailers have got to decide how many stores they really need to cover the market. and it‘s probably not anywhere near as many as they‘ve got at the moment. the government is considering giving tenants in england more support to hold landlords to account by speeding up the complaints procedure and publishing league tables. the measures are part of what ministers call "a landmark opportunity for major reform" on social housing. but campaign groups say what‘s needed is more homes for people on low incomes. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. the grenfell fire was meant to change the nation‘s attitude to housing the poor. for too long in our country under governments of both colours, we have not given enough attention to social housing. it is a national crisis and one that we are ready to meet. today, ministers revealed what changes this

tragedy would mean for social housing tenants across england. tenants will get more powers to hold landlords to account, government support to ensure their homes are of decent quality. for this housing adviser, the proposals after a year of waiting are pitiful. we expected something impressive, some action that would really benefit people — and this is weak and disappointing. and we have to carry on trying to pressure the government, obviously, into taking the action on housing that we need. for those living in social housing, the proposals should see their complaints handled quicker, their landlords treat them better. this is an important next step and we want to consult on this further but it sets up the significant principles that are about delivering that step change in social housing. ensuring that this is about a new deal. the proposals however fail

to address the biggest crisis in social housing. the sheer lack of it. there are more than 1 million people in england waiting for a council house. analysts say we need to build up to 90,000 social houses each year to meet demand. the latest figures showjust over 5000 such homes were actually built. this new housing scheme in south london is being built on the site of more than 300 former council homes and it highlights why so few social homes are being built. when this development is completed there will be 5a properties available for social rent so a massive reduction on what used to be here. but housing associations say that if they do not construct a mix of housing on these estates, then even fewer social houses will be built. and social landlords fear today‘s proposals, while a welcome first step, will not create more homes. we‘ve waited a0 years for this conversation and it is right that we should

be exploring it. but if the government does not engage with the really big question about how we build the homes that we so desperately need, then it is at risk of failing the next generation. ministers say they will spend £9 billion in this spend £9 billion in this parliament building all kinds of houses, private and social. but more social homes are currently being demolished than being built. and so we have a growing housing crisis. michael buchanan, bbc news. the labour leader jeremy corbyn has refused to apologise for his presence at the laying of a wreath for some of those accused of carrying out a terror attack at the 1972 his attendance at the event in tunis in 201a has prompted criticism from the israeli prime minister. mr corbyn said he had been taking part in a ceremony honouring victims of another attack, an israeli air strike on palestinian headquarters in 1985. the headlines on bbc news...

at least 35 people are killed as a major motorway bridge collapses near the northern italian city of genoa. anti—terror police are questioning a 29—year—old man who was arrested after a car was driven into barriers, at the houses of parliament this morning, injuring a number of people. officers are also carrying out searches at three addresses in the midlands as part of their investigation. england cricketer ben stokes is found not guilty of affray at bristol crown court. half of premier league clubs could have played in empty stadiums and still have made a profit in the first season of the current broadcast deal. that‘s according to research by the bbc. in the 2016/2017 season, which saw record global tv revenue, match day income contributed less than 20p in every £1 earned by 18 top—flight outfits. natalie pirks takes a look at the changing way clubs are being funded. football but that the fans is no

thing, as the famous quote goes. but figures today show supporters are not quite as important as they used to be. pedro went for that! and pedro has gone in front! thanks to an £8.3 billion tv deal that kicked in in 2016, half of premier league clubs that season could still have a profit without a single fan coming to matches. for some clubs, up to 80% of the revenue comes from television revenue, which means that in terms of reliance on the income the fans are a much smaller proportion. this will put pressure on the fact that they don‘t need to squeeze the fans for all their worth and make sure football is still accessible and as many people as possible can afford to go to a premier league match. that broadcasting deal has since gone down and the premier

league maintains that fans are the lifeblood of football. last season it introduced a £30 cap on away tickets. fan groups maintain it must stay that way. if clubs are focusing entirely on the tv rights deals and not the fans, then they‘re making a silly mistake. if there wasn‘t full grounds with a large away support and a good atmosphere, then it would not be nearly so attractive to the broadcaster. but the landscape of sport broadcasting is also changing. this is the last season uk football fans will be able to watch premier league football solely on tv, with amazonjoining the mix from next season. amazon will also show the us open tennis at the end of this month, with 11 sports having shown last weekend‘s us pga golf. today it was confirmed that facebook has snapped up rights to la liga to show spanish football on the subcontinent. major players seem to be dipping their toe in for now, but watch this space.

increasingly we are going to see a permanent fixture from players like amazon prime facebook and perhaps twitter. and google as well. they are here to stay. as technology giants encroach on traditional turf, there are exciting times ahead, but it could become expensive time for the fans. natalie pirks, bbc news. jack whitehall‘s casting in a new disney film has sparked an outcry, following reports he‘ll play a character who‘s gay. the comedian wrote that he was "honoured" to be part ofjungle cruise, which is due out next year, and it was later reported that he would be playing a gay man. the news has led some to ask why a gay actor wasn‘t cast for the role. lizo mzimba has more. world, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. welcome tojungle cruise! based on a theme park ride, jungle cruise starring dwayne "the rock" johnson and filmed on huge sets in hawaii, is set to be one of 2019‘s biggest movies. it comes from disney.

the studio has been praised for the way it‘s dealt with issues like diversity in films like black panther. hi, everybody, welcome to the set ofjungle cruise. but the movie, which also stars emily blunt, is facing controversy over how her character‘s brother has reportedly been cast. class, i've got good news and bad news, what do you want? the bad news. it‘s not really that jack whitehall, best known for his stand—up act and the tv comedy bad education, has been cast. it is that according to a newspaper report his character is a gay man, with many people saying they are upset that a gay actor wasn‘t picked for the role. it‘s great that disney has got a gay role like this in one of their big films. but there are so many gay actors who could have played the role that it seems a missed opportunity. lgbt people are underrepresented in the media and in films, so disney had an opportunity here to improve that representation by having a talented gay actor that can embrace the role and play something like this in the film. neitherjack whitehall nor disney have confirmed the character‘s sexuality, but unsurprisingly the issue

is still being vigorously debated on social media. omar shariffjunior is an actor and campaigner on issues like gay representation, he said... however stephen fry, who has also campaigned on issues affecting gay people, tweeted... disney are no doubt already carefully assessing whetherjungle cruise still looks likely to sail to box office success, or whether they think it‘s already heading for difficult waters. lizo mzimba, bbc news. the austrian capital, vienna, has beaten melbourne to be named the world‘s most liveable city. it‘s the first time a european city has topped the rankings

of the annual survey, by the economist intelligence unit. manchester saw the biggest improvement of any european city, rising by 16 places to rank 35th. manchester‘s rise puts it ahead of london in the rankings by 13 places, the widest gap between the two cities since the survey began two decades ago. the news that melbourne has been knocked off the top spot may not come as a complete surprise to australians. in the index of wellbeing compiled by national australia bank, melbourne has fallen to its lowest level since the list began five years ago. one reason for the gloom is that wages aren‘t getting much higher. phil mercer sent this report from sydney. prosperous, safe and sunny. australia is seen as the place to be for the good life. there‘s not been a recession here since the early nineties. and as for economic growth, at over 3%, it‘s the envy of the world. natural gas exports and massive infrastructure projects

will keep the australian economy marching on. but does gdp accurately reflect how the country feels about wealth and financial security? well, the answer to that is no. according to the national australia bank‘s well—being index. it‘s found that levels of satisfaction and happiness are at their lowest since the survey began in 2013. many australian families say they‘re struggling to get ahead. in football terms, they‘re 2—0 down with five minutes to play thanks to rising debt, soaring utility bills and sluggish wage growth. my plan now is to try and bring some more money in because i work as a nurse, finish off my registration in nursing. and if i can do an extra job, i will. but this is a distraction, playing football, to distract me from reality. well, it's ok for us at the moment,

because both my husband and i are working in fairly stable jobs but i'm a bit worried about my children's future. we're still in a very lucky country at the moment. but no—one is safe, the economy i think it isjust moving sideways at the moment and it's just unpredictable. people are increasingly questioning the relevance of gdp as an indicator. we know that gdp has been strong in the last year but we also know, workers are not seeing wage increases. and there's also a high level of job insecurity. the survey also showed that many australians aren‘t working as much as they‘d like. as income falls, stress invariably rises. those with the lowest level of well—being are labourers, people who don‘t own property and younger women. and young women. but the government knows that the benefits of a strong economy don‘t always trickle down to workers. and within eyes fixed firmly on winning the next federal

election, it‘s promising tax cuts and lower power bills to help ease australia‘s financial stress. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening, it has been a day of mixed fortunes across the uk. mixed fortunes once again across the uk today. there was some sunshine to be found. the south coast of england in pretty decent shape, that‘s how it looked for a weather watcher in eastbourne. but for many more places, there was a lot of cloud, thick enough across parts of scotland to give some outbreaks of rain at times. the satellite picture shows where we had the most extensive cloud across northern areas. some clear spells and generally quite a lot of cloud around, temperatures not cropping very far

at all. quite a muggy feel, particularly in the south. a fairly cloudy start to wednesday. through the day, eastham and southern parts of the country will see some spells of the country will see some spells of sunshine at times. for wales and the south—west of england and north—west england, a little bit of apache. for northern ireland and western scotland bands of rain pushing south—eastwards at times. it will be fairly breezy quite windy up towards the far north—west. temperatures 19 in glasgow. you can see the patchy rain in other areas. through the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england, a little bit of sunshine at times but it will still be breezy. however as we go through wednesday night into thursday we see frontal systems pushing south—eastwards across all parts of the country bringing some outbreaks of rain and beehive that‘s cooler fresher air rushing outbreaks of rain and beehive that‘s coolerfresher air rushing in. no more mid—20s across the south—eastern corner on thursday.

the day will start off with some outbreaks of pretty heavy yam. behind it the skies will brighten. there will be some perhaps thundery showers in the north—west corner. temperatures at best between 16 and 20 degrees, a and suitably fresher feel. thursday into friday, all eyes on the atlantic again, low pressure bringing rain once again, particularly across north—western pa rt particularly across north—western part of the country. also quite windy across these north—western areas further self quite breezy but largely dry. and it stays quite changeable into the weekend. this is bbc news, i‘m clive myrie. the headlines at 8pm. at least 35 people are feared to have died, as a major motorway bridge collapses in northern italy. emergency workers are trying to free people caught in crushed vehicles and under rubble, near the town of genoa. anti—terror police are questioning a 29—year old man, arrested after a car ploughed into pedestrians and cyclists outside parliament.

three people were injured by the ford fiesta. one woman is in a serious condition. given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident. the england cricketer ben stokes, has been cleared of a charge of affray, at bristol crown court. unemployment fell by 65,000 to 1.3 million, in the three months tojune. that‘s the lowest level in more than a0 years.