today at 5pm. the queen of soul aretha franklin has died at the age of 76. the legendary american singer singer sold more than 75 million records with hits like ‘respect‘ and ‘say a little prayer‘ some of the biggest names in the world of music and politics have been paying tribute to the singer who want 18 grammy awards. the heart and the soul and the spirit of god that she poured out over audiences was. . . that she poured out over audiences was... infectious. we'll look back at aretha franklin's incredible life and career. the other main stories on bbc news at 5pm. a rise in the number of a level students getting top grades —

the most for six years. allegations that a call to jihad was heard at the didsbury mosque linked to the manchester arena bomber — salman abedi. in italy, it's confirmed that up to 20 people are still missing after the collapse of a motorway bridge in genoa. england rugby star, danny sipriani, apologises after pleading guilty to assault at a hotel in jersey. he was fined £2,000. and the pilot whales who keep getting stuck in an icelandic fjord. it's 5pm. our main story. the queen of soul, aretha franklin, has died at the age of 76. with a career spanning seven decades, she sold more than 75 million record and won a stash of awards, including 18 grammys. she was the first woman to make the rock and roll hall of fame.

the daughter of a travelling baptist preacher, aretha franklin ended up performing publicly for world leaders like barack 0bama. hers was a powerhouse voice, and her songs like ‘respect‘ and ‘i say a little prayer‘ are all—time classics. david sillito looks back at her extraordinary life. here is the queen of the rhythm and blues, aretha franklin! here she is. # looking out on the morning rain # i used to feel so uninspired...# aretha franklin. back in the ‘60s, a chicago dj declared her the queen of soul. a title which stuck for good reason. # and when i had to face another day # whenever i wake up

# before i put on my make up # i say a little prayer for you # oh yes i do...# # r—e—s—p—e—c—t # find out what it means to me # r-e-s-p-e-c-t. ..# there were many hits, but this was the song that that defined her place in history. aretha franklin didn't ask for respect — she commanded it. are many men intimidated by you? it depends on the man, i think. i have always maintained that a real man is not going to be intimidated by me. some men can rise to the occasion and others cannot. her legacy — moments such

as these at the funeral of martin luther king. and here, the inauguration of the first black american president. this is music that helped define the pivotal moments in history, and the emotional charge came from her childhood within the church, listening to herfather‘s preaching. it certainly served as a testing ground for me as a singer as well as many other good things came from the church. # you're no good # heartbreaker # you're a liar # and you're a cheat...# but there was also another side to her. one of her producers described it as a mysterious sorrow. she had at the age of ten lost her mother.

she herself had two children by the age of 16. her private life was turbulent. # hey baby...# she always projected strength, and after a career dip the 70s, she bounced back in the 805. # when the river was strong # i didn't falter...# but it would be wrong to measure her by awards. that tear perhaps captures it. this was soul music — hardship and sorrow turned into beauty and hope. this was soul music — hardship and sorrow aretha franklin, the queen of soul. aretha franklin began her career as a child singing

gospel at the new bethel baptist church in detroit where her father was a minister. 0ur correspondent aleem maqbool is there. herfamily have her family have talked about how this is one of the darkest moments of their lives. they have lost eight matriarch and the rock of their family. we have had tribute from so many others around the country about what they feel they have lost. bill clinton and hillary clinton have released a statement, saying she had stirred their souls. there was something about her, notjust in the power of her voice,... i did manage to see her live. there was something about the power of her voice which brought out the emotions and why

people were in tears left, right and centre. it was also about her range. she went from gospel... a gospel album was her best selling album. she sang blues, jazz, pop, with george michael. it was her range, the strength of her vocals but also the strength of her vocals but also the emotion that she brought with it. something from deep within that clearly affected so many around the world. so many will be filling her loss down. 0ur entertainment correspondencejoins me. it involved into soul, r&b, rock, pop. crossing the borders. gospel in a sense run

through so much of what she did. it is where she learned her craft as a singer. what she did better than anybody else was take that style of gospel anybody else was take that style of gospel, music that brings people and communities together in a way that few others do, and apply it to all different jongleurs few others do, and apply it to all differentjongleurs of music. whatever the faith, belief system, when she was singing they felt that she was including them. that came from her experiences. wejust heard in that report that she didn't have the easiest of upbringings, the easiest of lives. what she did and what so many great artists do is ta ke what so many great artists do is take the positive and negative things in her life and translate them into the way she performed, the way she sang. when she did sing we knew that it was applying to us. we

felt that she understood us. we were pa rt felt that she understood us. we were part of what she was singing about and that is one of the great marks ofa and that is one of the great marks of a great artist. making all kinds of a great artist. making all kinds of music relevant to whoever is listening to whatever they are singing. that was probably her great gift. the way she meant so much to so gift. the way she meant so much to so many people. a string of great apes and songs, often written by other people. it wasn'tjust her voice but maybe the way she interpreted the lyrics. absolutely. technically, she was a fabulous singer and she could put that emotion and sense of feeling in. we saw boro have emotion and sense of feeling in. we saw boi’o have armour emotion and sense of feeling in. we saw boro have armour wiping away a two year as he listened to her sing and that is by no means a typical reaction to the kind of power that she had in her performance. she was somebody who could take so many different kinds of music which

sounded so amazing, so perfect and wonderful and she could take it to another level just by an wonderful and she could take it to another leveljust by an infection, just buy a pause for breath, just by the way she held a note. she intends 20 understood how to make music feel so 20 understood how to make music feel so personal. that was something she did so beautifully, so well. you can just see that reflected in the influence she had. social media is so influence she had. social media is so full of tributes, people just reminiscing about what made her music great for them. there was so few people who have been like her. sorely missed already. indeed. the tributes have been coming in from right around the world falling following the announcement of aretha franklin 's death. former president bill clinton

called her a national treasure, while sir paul mccartney said she will live with us forever. sir eltonjohn said the whole world will miss her. keith doyle reports on reaction to the death of a musical legend. gospel singers from her church had been praying for her as news came through that aretha franklin had died in her detroit home. herfamily said we had lost the matriarch and rock of our family. we love she had for her children and family knew no bounds. there have been many tributes. president trump... bill clinton called her a national treasure. hillary clinton tweeted... paul mccartney said...

the group sister sledge gave their tribute. she had a power to her voice and it was the power of not only that talent and physical power, but it was also a supernatural power. that power that goes beyond. it is something that god added to her. diana ross said... aretha franklin's family said they

have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love from fa ns incredible outpouring of love from fans all around the world. they said, we have felt your love for aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. stay with us we'll be discussing aretha franklin's huge influence at just after 5.30pm with singer karen mav — who plays the lead in the west end hit show dreamgirls and soul expert dj tony blackburn. teenagers in england, wales and northern ireland have been getting their a level results today. the proportion of pupils getting the top grades is the highest for six years. more than one in four students got either an a or an a star. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley reports two years of hard work for a life changing moment. for many, the wait was over. for some, the waiting

had just begun. i got b,b,c and unfortunately i needed to get three as but at the end of the day it is what it is, and hopefully i can try to get into my insurance which is manchester met. there have been major changes in a—levels in england with a move away from coursework and as—levels no longer contributing to final marks. we are basically on a new specification so there was that possibility examiners can be particularly harsh or lenient. abdu came to england from syria at the age of 12, today his future will be studying medicine. he was given an unconditional offer and other incentives to study at the university of central lancashire. the university offered me £1,000 if i do get the grades, and i got them so that's an extra thing to be happy about. universities are keen to attract

students but there has been criticism of the record number of unconditional offers that have been made. i think unconditional offers are a bit of a national shame. halfway through because you get a letter on your doormat on the university saying it doesn't matter how hard you work any more, you can still come this to university. what signal is it sending out? it has been the highest proportion of people awarded an a or a star this year in six years. meanwhile, one in 12 entries scored an a star grade this year. and boys lead girls for the top grades for the second year running, the proportion of boys who got a or higher was 0.4 percentage

points higher than girls. we make sure the system is fair to students to reflect what is the appropriate level of skill and knowledge students are demonstrating, but they also make sure that is in line with other years. there has been a further improvement in welsh students' performance in the top grades at a—level. a—levels have gone old school in england, with more emphasis on final exams. despite the changes, there has been little movement in overall results. you can find all the background to the new style exams and advice on how to go through clearing on the bbc news website — the address is on your screen. and for more on the new a levels and what to do if you are going into clearing we'll have a discussion after half past 5. the headlines on bbc news... aretha franklin, the "queen

of soul" known for hits like respect and think, has died in detroit at the age of 76. more than one in four a—level entries has been awarded top grades this year — the highest proportion since 2012. allegations that a call to jihad was heard at the didsbury mosque linked to the manchester arena bomber — salman abedi. in sport, ben stokes joins in sport, ben stokesjoins up in sport, ben stokes joins up with the england squad at trent bridge ahead of the third test against india with the head coach claiming his decision was - for his own his decision was taken for his own well—being. disappointed at the delay at moving the club to a new stadium. there are major changes to the davis cup which will become an

end of season event after plans were agreed this afternoon. officials in the italian city of genoa say up to 20 people are still missing following the collapse of a motorway bridge on tuesday. rescue teams now fear they won't find any more survivors. 38 people are confirmed to have died. a state funeral for the victims of the disaster will be held on saturday. caroline davies reports. piece by piece, the parts of this disaster are being pulled apart. rescuers continue to hunt through the rubble, but two days on, the hope that they will find any life under the blocks of concrete is fading. we did not recover any person this night. we are recovering parts of vehicles. we are trying to understand how many vehicles are still under the rubble, and we are working on rough estimates of the vehicles and the number of vehicles which were on the bridge.

with every day, new stories of those who escaped. the driver of this truck stopped metres from the collapse. he told an italian newspaper that moments before, he had slowed down when a car overtook him. seconds later, the bridge shook and the car disappeared over the edge in front of him. underneath the bridge, the fallen concrete turned this truck into mangled metal. the driver, luciano goccia, was inside. he passed out but was rescued, escaping with a broken arm. today he returned to collect his belongings, saying it was a miracle he had survived. the authorities are trying to reassure the people of genoa. more than 400 were evacuated from the area. there are concerns that the bridge could be a risk to their homes. translation: we have had an update on those who were displaced by the disaster, and we have made plans so that they have somewhere

safe and peaceful to stay and are able to cope with this tragedy. the government have blamed the motorway operator autostrada. shares in the company dropped sharply. autostrada has said it checked the bridge every three months. but today the deputy prime minister attacked the company for caring more about losing revenue than the victims. this is so shameful. could they spare a word on the victims? on a day like today, of all days, they are still thinking of their profits and numbers on the stock market. there are still many questions about how this could have happened. work here to clear the site continues while others search for answers. 0ur correspondent dan johnson is in genoa. what's the latest on the attempt to find survivors? are we any closer at all to understanding what caused this horrific disaster? no, not

officially because the investigation work hasn't properly begun and that is why the motorway company which is in the firing line is saying it is too early to reach those convolutions. some politicians have done that and made statements against the company saying that its maintenance record was not good enough, charging some of the highest tolls in europe whilst at the same time paying its taxes in luxembourg. there have been calls from some of the most senior politicians. he said the most senior politicians. he said the company needs to live up to it's responsible it is and help to account for the failure. he thinks it is squarely on them that this bridge collapsed in devastating style on tuesday and that people should lose theirjobs and the company should be held to account.

they want to publish the contract so everybody can see what the arrangements work. there are questions how they are organised, what interest may have been at play. there was a suggestion that the company was held to the proper standards by the press because of mixed interest in italian business. there is still a lot of work to do here at the site to recover everyone from the wreckage. the prosecutor this morning said that there are ten 01’ this morning said that there are ten or 20 people still missing. that is a priority by the rescuers here. there are families still waiting for news. many thanks indeed. last year's manchester arena bombing was the most deadly terror attack in the uk for over a decade. more than 130 people were injured and 23 killed — including the suicide bomber, salman abedi. questions still remain over how he came to be radicalised. the mosque in didsbury which he attended was quick —

in the wake of the attack — to condemn his actions. but the bbc has obtained a recording of a sermon delivered there six months before the bombing which two islamic scholars have described as a call "for armed jihad". the imam who gave the sermon denies that and denies ever preaching radical islam. our special correspondent ed thomas has this report. is this a call forjihad? heard not in syria or iraq but in a mosque in manchester. it is wrong, it is evil. it shouldn't be happening in manchester. these are your words. "you must dojihad in allah's path." tonight we confront the iman in charge charge and reveal his connections to the manchester bomber salman abedi. the horrific suicide bombing

was partly inspired by the sermon. this audio was obtained by the bbc. a recording of friday prayers in didsbury mosque in december 2016. the same mosque where salman abedi and his family would pray. we played the sermon in full to two islamic scholars. the jihad he is referring to here is actually being on the battlefield. there are no ifs and buts in this. from the context and the way these texts are used it is very clearly referring to militaryjihad, to armed jihad. the sermon focused on people's suffering

in syria. it included an appeal for donations. oh dear. dear, oh dear. he reiterated the call, not only to stop living a normal life, do something drastic, but to be with the small group of true muslims. he is giving the narrative of them against us. he is psychologically

and practically brainwashing young people into either travelling or to do something to take action. we can't be sure where salman abedi was on the day of the sermon but we have been told that ten days after he bought a ticket for the ariana grande concert. if he was in his congregation i fear that this sermon may have contributed to his resolve to punish britain for somehow being complicit in the murderof britain for somehow being complicit in the murder of muslims in syria. mustafa graf in the murder of muslims in syria. mustafa g raf refused in the murder of muslims in syria. mustafa graf refused to be interviewed. we wanted to know why he gave the sermon inside the mosque. were you trying to incite violence? do you want to take a look at these words? these are your words. mustafa graf, can we talk? after the manchester bomb he

condemned the attack. off—camera, he denied breaching islamist extremism. these are your words. you must do jihad in allah's path. in 2011 he travelled from didsbury mosque to the libyan revolution. in this interview he talks about waiting for orders to attack. and here he is back home in manchester in 2015. he is the leader of this group, demonstrating about the conflict in libya. months later he is the same group in london. mustafa graf is not there but what is the camera moves right. wearing a red t—shirt, smiling. the manchester bomb, salman abedi. newly two years before would

murder 22 people. we shared our investigation with martin hibbert. he and his daughter were closest to salman abedi when his bomb exploded. he wanted to listen to mustafa g raf‘s he wanted to listen to mustafa graf‘s sermon. he wanted to listen to mustafa graf's sermon. i am speechless. that it is going on 30 minutes away from here. this was, if he was in that room at that date one week before christmas, one week later i was... my christmas, one week later i was... my daughter was unwrapping a surprise concert ticket. this was martin and his daughter eve hours before the concert. she has been left brain damage. she cannot eat, she can't speak, she can't move the left side. if you could go and see

this imam, what would you say to him? i would probably take him round to ceo. i don't —— eve. i don't think i need to say anything. our investigation says that five men have travelled to syria or have been jailed for supporting the sonic state. trustees of the moscow denied this. they said mustafa graf's sermon was this. they said mustafa graf's sermon was highlighting the plight of syrians. they said that they don't tolerate extremist preaching. some more now on the death of aretha franklin. we have tributes coming in all the time. one from the former

president barack obama and his wife michelle. they say that fought more than six decades, every time she sang we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine. through her opposition is an unmatched musicianship, she helped define the american experience. in her voice we can feel her history, all of it and in every shade. our power and pain, our darkness and light and our quest for redemption. she may have passed on to for redemption. she may have passed ontoa for redemption. she may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remained still inspire us of her music remained still inspire us all. maybe queen of soul rest in eternal peace. a statementjust in. performed live in front of them. much more on aretha franklin, her life and her legacy. now it is the weather. it will be quite a chilly one. low

to single figures. it is going to be a chilly one. there will be sunshine across the south and east. it'll be quite chilly. another weather system is moving in to bring breezy conditions and outbreaks of rain in scotland and outbreaks of rain in scotland and wales. temperatures are little bit warmer, 21—23. the high teens further east and west. a bit of a mixed bag with uncertainty at the weekend. it would be quite warm and humid in the south and south—east

was like i mentioned that could be some rain in places on sunday. this is bbc news. the headlines... aretha franklin, the queen of soul known for hits like respect and say a little prayer has died in detroit at the age of 76. some of the biggest names in the world of music and politics have been paying tribute to the singer who won 18 grammy awards in a career spanning seven decades. the heart and the soul of the spirit of god that poured out over audiences was infectious. more than one in four a—level entries has been awarded top grades this year — the highest proportion since 2012. england rugby star danny cipriani apologises after pleading guilty to assault at a hotel in jersey. he was fined £2,000.

now for the latest from the world of sport. head coach trevor bayliss says the decision to include ben stokes in the england squad for the third test against india on saturday was taken for the all—rounder‘s well—being. here he isjoining up with tea makes at trent bridge earlier. —— team—mates. stokes was involved in krak w in bristol last september but was found not guilty of affray this week. i have not spoken to him since. i'm sure he has had plenty of phone calls. we have the next few days to assess where he is out. whether he plays or not, we have some guys inform in the team and it will be a difficult decision to make, whoever misses out. it is a

position we have been trying to get to in the test for a while. the one—day team is difficult to select. the test team has been different for other reasons. —— difficult. thejob of the selectors is difficult. danny cipriani has apologised after charges of common assault at a nightclub in jersey. he charges of common assault at a nightclub injersey. he was fined £2000 and ordered to pay £250 in compensation to a police officer following the incident in the early hours of wednesday. he was on a pre—season trip with gloucester when the incident happened. cipriani's defence afterwards said he was truly sorry for the situation and said he

was mortified if he harmed the police officer in any way. pochettino says he is disappointed that the delay in moving into the club's new stadium. spurs had hoped to play against liverpool next month in that stadium now it will not be until october at the earliest will stop it has angered some fans. the match will now be played at wimbley instead. as i understand, the problem is about the ticket, the money and everything. ifeel sorry for them and i want to say thank you and apologise we are going to try and apologise we are going to try and reward them by winning games in the way that only we can do. major changes have been announced to the format of the davis cup. the competition where andy murray led great britain to victory traditionally spans most of the calendar year with the final in november. today it has been turned

into an18 team november. today it has been turned into an 18 team season ending event. the lawn tennis association was among those opposing the proposal. sainz will become the replacement for fernando alonso. he is currently on loan at renault from red bull. it isa on loan at renault from red bull. it is a multi—year deal. sainz is currently 11th in the f1 championship and said it was a childhood dream to join championship and said it was a childhood dream tojoin mclaren. alonso said he was stepping down from the team at the end of the season. from the team at the end of the season. that is all the sport for now. more on the bbc sport website. do not forget, all the big stories coming up at 6:30pm. many thanks indeed. we will see you later on. more now on the death of the singer aretha franklin — known as the queen of soul — who has died at her home in detroit at the age of 76 — after being ill with cancerfor sometime.

we are going to discuss her life and legacy. karen mav is currently playing the lead role of effie white in the west end hit musical dreamgirls, which takes its inspiration from the history of the motown record label. karen is here with me now. you personally have been inspired as the singer by aretha franklin. her career is indescribable in the things she achieved. i remember growing up and hearing her voice. i never heard a voice like it. with what i do right now she is definitely up there as the biggest legend in my life. what was it about her life? people talk about how powerful it was. she was incredibly technically gifted as a singer and pianist by the way. was it the way she interpreted songs and words and lyrics and meaning? her sound is

undescribable and unmatchable. no one in the industry sounded like her. to me, she had a gospel soul to it. her voice was smooth but powerful. i looked up to her. she crossed over really from gospel and spiritual, she was the son of god activist preacher but ended up with rock and duets with george michael and elton john and rock and duets with george michael and eltonjohn and so wonderful that she managed to encompass all over seven decades. that is why i felt such an attachment to her. my father was ina such an attachment to her. my father was in a gospel quartet and i was wa nted was in a gospel quartet and i was wanted to sing outside the church. she did it with such success it inspired me to chase my dreams. she did it with such success it inspired me to chase my dreamsm she did it with such success it inspired me to chase my dreams. in a way, gospel for both of you has been the background. it has. you told me your audition song for dream girls was an aretha franklin song?|j remember preparing for it and

thought, what song can i sing showing i can connect with the character? respect was the only one i could think of. going in and look on theirfaces i could think of. going in and look on their faces and i am i could think of. going in and look on theirfaces and i am here now will stop that is a really powerful song, a feminist anthem in some ways. you are a fantastic singer and able to sing a little bit for us right now. one of the songs i could remember of the top of my head is natural woman. you make me feel, you make me feel. you make me feel like a natural woman. wow! make me feel. you make me feel like a naturalwoman. wow! that make me feel. you make me feel like a natural woman. wow! that brings really be emotion of aretha franklin. barack obama in his tribute to her has talked about how he said america world up when she sang because it was this blend of

america's user called traditions over decades, blues and so one and gospel and spiritual. —— blues and traditions. no artist has impacted soul music like she has. all the songs i can think of even artists like whitney houston, it all leads back to aretha franklin. you think she had a huge impact and will leave a huge legacy? definitely. thank you for being with us. good luck with the show, dream girls. and people coming in discussing the life of aretha franklin. —— thank you for coming in. we can also talk to dj tony blackburn who has been paying tribute to aretha franklin — he presents a weekly soul music show. i know you are a huge fan of her. explain why she has meant so much to you over the years. she is the queen

of soul. just a wonderful singer will stop as has been said, from a gospel background as so many soul singers are. she had unique voice. family who has sold 76 million records around the world has to be pretty good. 18 grammy awards and pa rt pretty good. 18 grammy awards and part of the civil rights movement as well. in the early days was that —— there was a certain amount of anger about her voice will stop she was on tour. sometimes she could not stay in the hotel people she was touring with. her background and career is remarkable. she has been responsible for so many great artists like beyonce. she was a great piano player as well. when you are playing her music back in the 60s, did you have any idea then what i legend she was going to become and how long she would be singing for, a career

spanning so many decades? —— a legend. seven decades. from the word go when i heard her music i thought it was something special. i absolutely adore soul music. the great thing about soul music is it comes from the heart. these singers do notjust sing the words, it comes from the heart. aretha franklin is so special in that. she had a voice that was 100% unique. when i played her music in the 60s and bought it eventually to the bbc when i opened at radio one... the bbc in the 60s was not playing very much black soul music. when i started doing the brea kfast music. when i started doing the breakfast show on radio one i made certain was a lot of soul music in there with motown, philadelphia music and aretha franklin. she was given a chance to go to the motown label in the early days but she went to atla ntic label in the early days but she went to atlantic can —— and had much more ofa to atlantic can —— and had much more of a rocky sound to her voice. she

was quite remarkable with some of the song she turned out. she had 117 singles in america in the top 100, which is absolutely amazing. how do you sum up the legacy of a singer like that who has been around for so long, had so many hits, and such an influence on world music really? well, i don't think she will ever be replaced. she has a remarkable voice, a unique voice. there are lots of great soul singers around that they owe a lot to aretha franklin. that voice is very special, something that cannot be taught, from a gospel background and a unique performer. great to talk to you. thank you for being with us. tony blackburn with his thoughts and memories of aretha franklin. more on one of our top stories, that today teenagers in england, wales and northern ireland have been getting their a—level results.

the proportion of pupils getting the top grades is the highest for six years, with more than one in four students receiving either an a or an a—star. there has also been a rise in unconditional offers from universities this year. cathy gilbert is director of external relations at the university of birmingham. she's in our birmingham studio. thank you so much for being with us. what do you make of the results? more top grades. some people, cynics perhaps, would say that a—levels are getting easier. so, ithink, today has been a great day for everybody who has received their a—level results. over 400,000 people have secured a university place and that isa secured a university place and that is a really good news story. it has been really active. lots of universities have been in clearing for people who have not got their grades and some have got better grades and some have got better grades than expected and want to

trade up to university like birmingham. overall the message is really positive. congratulations to eve ryo ne really positive. congratulations to everyone who has secured a place. they start their adventure in september. do you think a-levels are as tough as they do is work, or tougher, or easier? this conversation happens every year. it is really difficult to judge. we see high—calibre students coming through to birmingham, who have worked really ha rd to to birmingham, who have worked really hard to get their a—level or btec results and they are performing very strongly academically when they get to university. ourjob is to teach them the skills and stretch them academically and they are able to do that, irrespective of where the a—level grade boundaries are occurring. we're not seeing a deterioration in quality of students we are teaching. there are more unconditional offer is being made than ever before. why is that? there are more unconditional offers. at birmingham we have been doing that

for over five years, so we are very experienced in what we are looking for. it is partly linked to the fact that predicted grades are becoming less accurate every year. less than a quarter of pupils receive the grades they are predicted to get. one reason we look at unconditional offers as it allows us to look at things like personal statements, references and exams as well. a look at the rounded potential of an individual student in making an offer. it is still a very small percentage of offers, less than 4% at the university of birmingham. it is part of a range of things we do at admissions to make sure we match the right students with the right universities. thank you very much. thanks for your time. dramatic footage has emerged of about a hundred pilot whales who got stuck in a fjord in iceland. the whales were guided out by experts, but they then seemed to lose their way again and were found back in the same spot a day later.

lebbbo diseko has the story. this is a rescue operation in action — the second in as many days for this pod of around 100 whales. they got stuck after swimming into a fjord that's opening is both narrow and shallow, making it hard to get out. police helped guide them into more open waters, and it was hoped they'd go back to sea. but, the next day, they were back once again — cue rescue effort number two. translation: 13 of them went all the way to the shore, and we had to deal with them, push them out by hand, and that went very well. one of the whales even got stuck up on the shore, and needed a kayaker to help get free. it's not clear why the group keep going back but locals say they may be using the incoming tide to help them, and they've certainly attracted quite an audience. translation: naturally, this is interesting to see,

for both foreigners and icelanders, to view and experience this in nature. you can't see this in an aquarium. this is pure nature, which makes it more interesting. the group was eventually guided even further out, in the hope that they'd find their way to the ocean. that seems to have done the trick but, if they do return, rescue teams will be on hand once again to help them find their way. lebo diseko, bbc news. tributes are continuing to pour in for the aretha franklin — let's ta ke let's take you back to the death of aretha franklin, the queen of soul. tributes have been coming in for her all day. nasa have tweeted they have renamed an asteroid in her name. they say they are saddened by the loss of aretha franklin and they

have renamed an asteroid 249516 aretha. one of the many groups influenced by aretha franklin are sister sledge. and earlier debbie and kim sledge came into the studio to tell simon mccoy how inspiring she was. she had a power to her voice and it was the power of not only the talent and the physical, you know, power. but, it was also like, i put it, a supernatural power — that power that goes beyond, you know. it's something that god added to her. i think the song, try a little tenderness, even that song, though it may have been a sad song, it was from in here and you could feel it, even the words, the way she expressed them, was all of aretha. and what was the influence on disco, on the ‘70s and ‘805? she also managed in some way is to reinvent herself, too, at various times, didn't she? yes. i think it's because she had been gifted with something so special it

didn't matter where she sang. it was all about the spirit on the music. more so than the kind of music. she could have sang mary had a little lamb and it would have been all of aretha but it is also all of the wonderful songs she has given us. she was a great writer of songs. she gave us so many beautiful songs that helped, you know, bring us through the things we were going through. there was encouragement there. describe that. when you were at home, and when you were growing up listening to her, what was it that you went, just let me listen? one of the things that touched me, maybe you, too, kim, she had a relationship with sisters that the special. and it really spoke to us as sisters. you know, we used to seeing her songs. the sisters used to sing the songs with her and so we sang many of the songs that she recorded. there was just something so special about the tightness, the fabric of the music and

the fabric of the voices as sisters. the challenge of the harmonies, the beautiful harmonies. you remember, daydreaming and am thinking of you? sing it, sing it, sing it. go on. # daydreaming and i'm thinking of you. # look at my mind, floating away.# thinking of you. theroo er, that was sister sledge with their memories and thoughts about the death of aretha franklin. —— there we are. michelle and barack obama have been paying tribute. they say every time she sang we were graced with a glimpse of the divine. she helped us to feel more connected with each other, more hopeful and

more human. sometimes she helped us to forget about everything else and dance. in 2015 she reduced president obama to tears. let's look back now at that performance at the kennedy awards. cheering and applause # looking out on the morning rain # i used to feel so uninspired # and when i knew i had to face another day # lord, it made me feel so tired # before the day i met you

# life was so unkind # but you're the key to my peace of mind # ‘cause you make me feel # you make me feel # like a natural woman # when my soul was in the lost and found # you came along, to claim it # i didn‘t knowjust what was wrong with me # til your kiss helped me name it # now i‘m no longer doubtful # of what i‘m living for

# and if i make you happy i don‘t need to do more # ‘cause you make me feel # you make me feel # like a natural woman # oh, baby, what you done to me? # you make me feel so good inside # and ijust wanna be close to you # you make me feel so alive # you make me feel like a natural woman

# you make me feel # you make... # you make me feel # you make feel like # feel like a natural woman # awoman.# aretha franklin who has died at the

age of 76. a look at the weather forecast now. quite a mixed day across the country. we have had rain in the south east. heavy and blustery showers across much of the north and west. tonight it will become quite cool right across the board will stop the rain band clearing off into the near continent. some late spells of sunshine. in the north west blustery, heavy showers will continue. in the and east it will be

chilly with temperatures in rowell places down to single figures. this is the pressure chart. this is the next feature which comes into the western side of the country. the ridge of high pressure will keep things largely fine and settled for england and wales. a bright start tomorrow. rain from the word go across northern ireland and western scotla nd across northern ireland and western scotland with blustery winds and rain getting into irish sea coastal parts. the majority of england and wales will stay dry. cloud amounts will increase. after a sunny start it would be grey in the afternoon. further north, the east will see the best of any brightness whereas further west they will have outbreaks of rain, some of them heavy over the western hills. lighter winds further south. it will feel warmer tomorrow and it has been this afternoon. still high teens in

the north and west. in the weekend, high—pressure keep things largely settled for saturday. this will make inroads for sunday. saturday will be the better day of the two. it will feel quite warm weather get the sunshine at the weekend we‘re picking up quite warm and humid south—westerly. where you get the sunshine it will feel very pleasant indeed. this is the on saturday. variable amounts of cloud, particularly across the south west. some load cloud hill fog. temperatures warm across the board. —— low cloud. sunday, thicker cloud foremost the area of low pressure which could bring rain to central and western areas. still some uncertainty, so stay tuned to the forecast. with a career that spanned seven decades, her family says she‘d been suffering from pancreatic cancer.

as soon as news of her death broke, tributes began pouring in from around the globe, from eltonjohn to diana ross, sir paul mccartney to sister sledge. such a grace about her, such a confidence, such a strength. she was a queen, literally. she was a queen. we‘ll be live outside the church in detroit where she began singing as a child. also tonight...