fills my heart with pain applause great sadness, but there is a real this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 7pm. aretha franklin, the "queen of soul" known for hits like respect and ‘say a little prayer‘ dies at the age of 76. 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 great about her, such a confidence, such a strength. she was a queen, literally. she was a queen, literally. in other news — a rise in the number of a level students getting top grades — the most for six years. allegations that a call to armed jihad was heard at the didsbury mosque linked to the manchester arena bomber salman abedi. in italy, officials say operations to find survivors of the genoa bridge collapse will continue for another 48 hours. up to 20 people are still unaccounted for.

england rugby star, danny sipriani, apologises after pleading guilty to assault at a hotel in jersey. he was fined £2,000 pounds. and the pilot whales who keep getting stuck in an icelandic fjord. she was known as the queen of soul — one of the greatest stars of the 20th century. this morning aretha franklin died at the age of 76 at her home in detroit in michigan, surrounded by her family. she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago but only retired from performing last year.

aretha franklin began singing as a child — with a gospel choir at the church where herfather was minister. she went on to become a global star selling more than 75 million records. aleem maqbool is in detroit for us tonight. iam i am outside the baptist church where people were drawn to it because they heard of this incredible young singer, this little girl with this powerful once in a lifetime voice. gary confronting was a starand she lifetime voice. gary confronting was a star and she would come and sing here free. she would give everyone food as well but people have been drawn to this church because they heard she was in a serious condition. now they come too late tributes. people driving past, playing aretha and talking about how much she means to them. 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. i was raised on her music. it was a sad day. i remember seeing her in concerts. as long as i can here. she had the best voice and when she sang you could feel it in your soul. she always sang something positive

and nice. i read them as a kid back in the 50s and 60s, she was like family. her final concert was last year. her health was failing but her voice was still there. the song? the anthem respect. miss aretha franklin did not ask for respect, she commanded it. and for the generation she commanded it, she was the benchmark for sole. she is the queen. i love her spirit, the songs, i love the fact she could tell you off ina i love the fact she could tell you off in a minute in a song. she was great! amongst the tributes today, ca role great! amongst the tributes today,

carole king... annie lennox, sir eltonjohn carole king... annie lennox, sir elton john and sir carole king... annie lennox, sir eltonjohn and sir paul mccartney. her legacy at 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 aduu this is music that helped define the adult moment in history and the emotional charge came from her childhood in gospel and the church and 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. but there was also another side to

her. one of her producers describe it as her. one of her producers describe itasa her. one of her producers describe it as a mysterious sorrow. she lost her mother at aged ten. she had two children by the age of 16. her private life was turbulence, but in public she always projected strength and after a career death in the 70s, she bounced back in the 80s. but it would be wrong to measure her by awards or sales. that tear perhaps ca ptu res awards or sales. that tear perhaps captures it. this was soul music, hardship and sorrow turned into beauty and hope. aretha franklin,

the queen of soul. we had it confirmed in the statement that she died of advanced pancreatic cancer. she was ill for many years but it was not something that she wa nted but it was not something that she wanted to talk about. she cancelled many concerts, she lost so much weight that people knew something was wrong. she did perform right until the end. she gave her all. we had from eltonjohn and he profound with her in her last concert, and he said that he was moved to tears. and thatis said that he was moved to tears. and that is what she did. the power in her voice and the way she conveyed emotion, but it was more than just

about the music industry that aretha franklin had an impact. we talk a lot about how she sang one beat back and which changed the way people sang, the diversity, the songs she sang. she had a bigger impact than that. barack sang. she had a bigger impact than that. ba rack 0bama sang. she had a bigger impact than that. barack 0bama talked about making you forget about everything and just dancing. people in these very straight said that in the civil rights movement, she had the kind of voice that could make you do that. she was heavily linked with the civil rights movement. herfather was a good friend of martin luther king. it is clear that she changed, not only the music industry, but in doing what she did and becoming a successful black woman in the 1960s, she also changed the face of this country as a whole.

let's get a flavour of some of the tributes. she sang songs with meaning. she was such a great writer and she sang songs which were releva nt and she sang songs which were relevant and and she sang songs which were releva nt a nd releva nt to and she sang songs which were relevant and relevant to her, to her life and they spoke to our lives. why don't you try a little tenderness, wearing that same old shabby dress. try a little tenderness. when she sang that, she sang that song. she you could see the whole picture and that transport women who were in that particular state. it makes me emotional right now because there won't be another artist that has impacted soul music like she has. all my favourite songs that i can think of, even artist

like whitney houston, it all leads back to aretha franklin. she is the queen of soul. i have been playing their music since the early 1960s. a wonderful singer. from her gospel background. she just had that unique voice. she has got to be pretty good and 18 grammy awards and part of the civil rights movement as well. in the early days there was quite a lot ofanger in the early days there was quite a lot of anger in her voice which actually made it even more remarkable because she was on tour. sometimes she couldn't stay in the hotels with the she was touring with. her background, her career is quite remarkable. some of the tributes coming into day. we keep hearing that expression, the queen of soul. it is trite to distil the essence of

what gave her that title, that real presence which set her apart. it is difficult to adequately define. you just knew. even though she branched out into so many other areas of singing, she had that feeling of togetherness that gospel always had. that feeling of community, people sharing experiences. she had that wonderful way of taking any particular song, and the way that she infected, took a pause for breath, she gave it an extra added layer of specialness. she made you understand what she was singing in a way that so many other people couldn't couldn't adequately as she could. she had so many ups and downs

during her life but we never put her ona during her life but we never put her on a pedestal. what she did with many times, she took the positives and negatives and translated it into the way she song and that achieved for the people listening that we thought she was singing to view, reflecting your own personal experiences, something very intimate ina experiences, something very intimate in a way. that was something that she could do in a way that few other musicians or singers could ever do. that is what made her the queen of soulfor so many that is what made her the queen of soul for so many people that is what made her the queen of soulfor so many people because everybody felt the same way, perhaps for slightly different reasons in the way that she performed, but she had a way of reaching out to so many people in so many different branches of music. you mentioned that perhaps her own private life was not always so her own private life was not always so smooth. it is interesting, that

contrast between that confident figure and some of her struggles in her life. she had a very troubled upbringing and later on in life she had her struggles with everything from depression to anxiety over how her career was going but she managed to ta ke her career was going but she managed to take all those experiences and it spurred her to make music that is even better and even stronger. the other thing that has made her so special is that she was a symbol. her music reached people, but she became a symbol of female empowerment, the civil rights movement. it was something that really transcended art and music and moved into the fear... she has been

lauded by bill clinton, barack 0bama, president trump. when was the last time those three people agreed on anything apart from the fact that aretha franklin was an absolute legend who will be truly missed. that is what made her a notch up on so that is what made her a notch up on so many other people in all areas of life. people had such utter respect for her, notjust as a musician, but asa for her, notjust as a musician, but as a singer and as a person. she had been very well but she kept performing untilfairly been very well but she kept performing until fairly recently despite some cancellations. she clearly wa nted despite some cancellations. she clearly wanted to keep singing and keep getting out there. last november was her last performance andi november was her last performance and i am sure that she felt alive when she was on stage. she felt that special bond with the audience and even though she may not physically have been absolutely there, the voice was still... that was aretha and you could say, and barrett, was

wiping away a tear, that was a typical experience of people listening to her music, particularly in person. she could reach out to an audience and make them feel they we re audience and make them feel they were experiencing something special. you look at social media, i was never lucky enough to, but i'll be people who manage to see her live at some point, notjust on television are on a dvd or video, when she performed live it is a cliche but there was ship is up your spine in there was ship is up your spine in the way that she could take that music and make it such a part of you and part of her that it was a special experience in a way that you didn't really get with other singers. that is something that was felt by so many people and tributes are being paid in america, all over the world. millions of people. very

sad day for fans of her music and an even sadder one for her family. a devastating day for them but i am sure that something that might slightly make them feel a little bit more positive and happy is the way that she has been celebrated by millions of people who never really knew her as a person, never met her, but she made their lives better to her music. a terrible day for her family but that might do them a little bit of chink of light. it is amazing how special she was to so many other people as well. thank you very much. we will of course find out how this story is covered on tomorrow's front pages at 1040 and at 1130 this evening. aretha franklin dies at the age of

76. a—level students... in other news — a rise in the number of a level students getting top grades — the most for six years. allegations that a call to armed jihad was heard at the didsbury mosque linked to the manchester arena bomber salman abedi. a level students across england, wales and northern ireland have been getting their results today. they've received the highest proportion of as and a stars since 2012 — despite major changes to the system. this year students in england were assessed mainly on their final exams rather than coursework.

26.4% of a level entries got an a or a star. but with thousands of university places still available through clearing, many institutions are competing to attract students with offers. 0ur education editor branwen jeffreys reports from nottingham. exhausting, exciting and a relief. excited, nervous, relieved. excited, proud and a little bit nervous. i passed! relief after months of anxiety. for some, even with the highest grades the current four they the place of their dreams in clearing is beginning. 0tis hopes to study medicine. with four a grades he isjust one start short of his offer. knowing my grades and then not knowing whether i have

got in yet or not is something that is kind of at the back of my mind and is stressing me but mostly i am glad to know my results and i am really hopeful. kyra is the first in her family to go to university. she got an unconditional offer from nottingham trent. it has took a lot of the pressure off. but it still made me work hard because i wanted to prove that i could still do it regardless. kyra got her grades. three bs. she chose her university to stay local but there is a worry that offers without grades could tempt others to ease off. 22% of our students received at least one unconditional offer and, for some, that may be an enabling thing terms of taking the pressure off. for others, it will certainly erode the motivation to study. by 8am this morning 350,000 students had accepted places. this year there are 3.5% fewer 18—year—olds. to compete for the best students universities have already made almost 68,000 unconditional offers. there is so much emotion

for students picking up their results today. many weren't sure how they would do in these new a levels but even for those who have dropped a grade of two, it is a good year. because universities are competing fiercely to offer them a place. you are through to the nottingham trent university. here they promise a place in student housing with clearing places. other universities have been more shameless, one offering £1,500 cash every year. some universities may slash the grades needed but not here. the students here need a good standard of qualifications when they come here so it is not in our interest and it is certainly not the students' interest to get the student into university and then to drop out. now they have to work out how to pay the rent. drew will get one of

the new welsh grants for living costs. when you weigh everything up and you consider that you are there for four years and you are thinking of the pros and cons it it had a mad effect, yeah. for others, the hunt for a place continues. well, the grime star stormzy has announced that he will fund two black british students to go to the university of cambridge. he'll pay for tuition fees and provide a maintenance grant for up to four years of an undergraduate course. he's been speaking to our reporter ricky boleto. when we first launched the scholarship i always said i wanted it to serve as a reminder that the opportunity is there. in the most simple form that the opportunity is there. if you are academically brilliant and don't think that you come from a certain community and

studying in one of the highest education institutions in the world isn't possible. he hasjust graduated himself from... joining us now is peter fashola—in. he's just graduated from cambridge university having studied theology, religion and philosophy. what do you make of storms the's announcement? he is an absolute legend. i have a lot of respect and love for him and his team. what they have realised is the fact that we live in a society that is still firmly reliant on the academic institutions when it comes to positions of power especially when it comes to politics. you just off to look back to see where... with

people who looked like myself, decreasing destroying the arias to university means that the probability of people like myself... i could be prime minister one day. stormzy has understood this. i may not have taken my place at university without that scholarship so university without that scholarship so it just university without that scholarship so itjust shows the potential loss in talent that a lot of these institutions face a lot of the time. this is great as well, but there are so this is great as well, but there are so many other things that we need to do as so many other things that we need to doasa so many other things that we need to do as a society to increase diversity in universities. it is a very complex socio economic situation and problem solve the solution also needs to be as complex. we need to look at representation and other things as well. it is a clearly very generous

proposition by stormzy. the financial body is just one part of it. there is a mental attitude on the part of society and for young people and black and ethnic committees to make them think that i can do that, just as much as anyone else. absolutely. that is where media representation comes into play. 0ften media representation comes into play. often you don't seek people who look like me on the news with their story that they have graduated. a lot of us have graduated. a lot of us have graduated with first class degree from the best institutions in the world. a lot of times, about little music and whether that is a reason why we see an increase in knife crime, we need to show people like ourselves because you cannot aspire to people you cannot see. so representation prompts use broadcast stations like bbc one is very important. we need to reform our education system. there are so many things we need to do. we need to

educate parents of the diaster i would say because many people from my type of background, i read theology, religion and philosophy and my sky is my limit. we need to understand that yacht degree and profession don't necessarily need to match. what about the universities themselves? i know you have concerns that when people like yourself arrived, the experience is not necessarily one that is made easy. they may be eddie and issues, cultural issues that make people think, i have got here, that is fantastic but i do know if i want to stay. i will be honest, fantastic but i do know if i want to stay. iwill be honest, it is fantastic but i do know if i want to stay. i will be honest, it is not all roses. i can speak on the heart of all black people so there aren't many people who look like myself at

the institution, but everyone knows that and that is the whole point of these sort of schemes. it is just ha rd these sort of schemes. it is just hard work from the likes of stormzy, charities, people who are troubled and come to this country. my mother was one of the only ones to come here. when it comes to these institutions, we just need to have more people, face a lot of of the challenges that are presented and make it easier for ourselves. challenges that are presented and make it easierfor ourselves. i haven't experienced racism at cambridge myself, but it does not mean that no one else has. even the a lot of negative stories entering colleges if you are a person of colour. thank you very much. great to see photographs of getting your degrees. congratulations. the sky is the limit, as you say. thank you. postjeremy corbyn has told bbc news

that he didn't know anything about the background of a seniorfigure in a palestinian figure that he appeared alongside in 2014. he attended an event with maher al—taher, who is in a group linked toa al—taher, who is in a group linked to a terror attack on a jewish synagogue in 2014. let's get more on this. what have we been hearing from mr corbyn? jeremy corbyn has come under a lot of criticism about this trip to chew on match easier. it was a trip as part of a palestinian rights conference. there had been a wreath laying where it was near memorials with people accused of a terrorist attack. mr corbyn has maintained that he was there to honour the victims of a 1985 israeli

air strike but now what has emerged isa air strike but now what has emerged is a photograph with a man called maher al—taher. he is a senior figure ina maher al—taher. he is a senior figure in a group called the popular front for the liberation of palestine. in palestinian militant organisation. it was linked to a attack on a synagogue in west jerusalem where a british rabbi was among those killed so we have been asking jeremy corbyn about that today. whether or not he knew who this person was and mr corbyn made clear that he didn't know who it was. i double-check platforms with terrorists, i don't believe in killing people. i have attended memorial events for those that have died in the sadness of all these conflicts. did you knowingly... i was unaware of conflicts. did you knowingly... i was unaware of any conflicts. did you knowingly... i was unaware of any of this. robust words there from the labour leader.

this whole issue of anti—semitism and allegations about the attitude of the labour partyjust not really going away. no. in terms of the trip to tunisia, the labour party had made a complaint to the press watchdog about newspaper coverage. they are quite unhappy about that. in terms of the issue of anti—semitism, that is something that has been hogging labourfor the last few weeks and months and it is around the issue of the new code of conduct that they are brought in, which didn't take in all of the exa m ples which didn't take in all of the examples on the internationally divine definition of anti—semitism. we have had gordon brown, the former labour leader, saying thatjeremy corbyn needs to change and take on that full definition. we also had union leadersjoining that full definition. we also had union leaders joining those calls for labour to take on all of the exa m ples for labour to take on all of the examples and today we have had led mccluskey, the most influential of

the union leaders, the general secretary of unite, and corbyn supporter who is now saying that labour needs to get on with it and ta ke labour needs to get on with it and take on this full definition and he says that there could be issues around issues of freedom of speech. he thinks that labourjust need to do this now but he has criticism as well. he has accused them of transient hostility. he has criticism for labour blairites who have been speaking out on anti—semitism and criticising the party's direction on it. we have had a response from ummuna that he thinks it is shameful there have been personal attacks on

him. mr corbyn has said there is this consultation that is ongoing at the moment, that labour's national executive is looking into it and they will take on whatever it is they will take on whatever it is they come up with in terms of the consultation and act upon it. a lot of people within the labour party within jewish groups of people within the labour party withinjewish groups hope that means they will take on all the examples in the internationally defined definition of anti—semitism. in the internationally defined definition of anti-semitism. thank you. most of us have seen a bit of rain over the last day or so and that has ushered in some much cooler, fresh air. pretty cool this evening and tonight. the showers are most plentiful across parts of western scotla nd plentiful across parts of western scotland and northern ireland and a few in the north west of england. in

the towns and cities, temperatures around eight, nine and 10 degrees. in the countryside some sports are well down. it will stay bright through the day with spells of sunshine. more clouds spilling into the west. most places on the cool side that temperatures in the south—east are two to creep upwards. for many it will be a humid weekend, particularly in the south, and there will be rain at times. hello. 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. such grace about her, such confidence, such as strength. she was a queen, literally, she was the queen. more than one in four a—level entries has been awarded top grades this year — the highest proportion since 2012. allegations that a call tojihad was heard at the didsbury mosque linked to the manchester arena bomber — salman abedi. engineers in ginola say they will keep looking for survivors under the collapsed motorway bridge for another 48 hours. —— genoa. england rugby star danny cipriani apologises

after pleading guilty to assault at a hotel in jersey. he was fined £2,000. the pilot whales who keep getting stuck in an icelandic fjord. more now on our top story. many singers, celebrities and public figures have been paying tribute to aretha franklin on social media. barbara streisand posted a picture of the pair of them together and said not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer, but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world. diana ross tweeted... sir mickjagger said... paloma faith wrote on instagram... and the former president of the united states, barack 0bama,

tweeted. .. may the queen of soul rest in eternal peace. let's talk to sandra godley, gospel singer and songwriter who grew up listening to the likes of aretha franklin. a really sad day. they must‘ve hit you hard when someone who has been such a big part of york musical heritage. i grew up singing in the bathroom with my hair brush, listening to songs like respect and carving out my career the king at someone carving out my career the king at someone like her, he was so inspirational. what about her got

you going and made you think you could learn from her? she was a woman who was disciplined. what was unique about her voice was the tone of it. there was an intelligence in her gospel singing that far outstripped others. she was able to paint her story in words and song that made her really unique and special. what way did she kind of shape the way that your career went, certainly in the sense of gospel music and what you went on to do? singing gospel everywhere. what she did was taught us how to bring gospel to the masses, to the secular market. she is comfortable singing a great big hallelujah songs in church. that is something i was able to copy. the choir i put together, which featured so heavily here on the news programme, was part of my dna and the reason i wanted to push

gospel forward. it is for everybody. she was able to take gospel music and blend it into other forms. yes. it is absolutely about the message. the real message of hope and he is. when you can translate that into multi—formations, you are very special. she could still paint a picture in words which put her about everybody else. i am sure you would have loved to have met her. you got close in the sense she met people who knew her. people who knew her and worked with her, people who have been to her concerts, comeback transformed unchanged with her message and her amazing charisma and style. great to have your thoughts and tribute. thank you. last year's suicide bombing at manchester arena was the most

deadly terror attack in the uk for over a decade. 23 people were killed and more than 130 people were injured. among the dead was the suicide bomber salman abedi. the mosque in didsbury in the south of the city which he attended was quick — in the wake of the attack — to condemn his actions. but questions still remain over how he came to be radicalised. the bbc has obtained a recording of a sermon delivered at the mosque six months before the bombing. we've played it to 2 islamic scholars who described it as a call "for armed jihad". the imam denies ever preaching radical islam or calling for armed jihad. our special correspondent ed thomas has this exclusive report is this a call for armed jihad? heard not in syria or iraq but in a mosque in manchester. it's wrong, it's evil, it shouldn't be happening in manchester. mustafa graf, these are your words. "you must dojihad in allah's path."

tonight, we confront the imam in charge and reveal his connections to the manchester bomber salman abedi. sadly i wouldn't be surprised if salman abedi's horrific suicide bombing was partly inspired by this sermon. this audio was obtained by the bbc, a recording of friday prayers inside 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's no ifs and buts in this. from the context of the way these texts are used, it's very clearly referring to militaryjihad, to armed jihad. the sermon focused on people suffering in syria. it included an appeal for donations, and also this... oh, dear. so... dear, oh, dear. so he's reiterated a call not only to stop living a normal life, do something drastic,

but to be with the small group of true muslims. he's giving them 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've been told that, ten days after, he bought a ticket for the ariana grande concert. if abedi was in this congregation, i fear that this sermon may have contributed to his resolve to punish civilians in britain for somehow being complicit in the murder of muslims in syria. mustafa g raf refused to be interviewed. mustafa, ed from bbc news... but we wanted to know why he gave the sermon inside the mosque. were you trying to incite violence? were you calling for armed jihad?

no, never did that. well, 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. mustafa graf, these are your words. "you must dojihad in allah's path." this is what we know about the manchester imam. in 2011, he travelled from didsbury mosque to the front line during the libyan revolution. in this interview, mustafa graf talks about waiting for orders to attack. and here he is back home in manchester in 2015. he's the leader of this group, demonstrating about the conflict in libya. are causing chaos in libya. months later, here's the same group in london. graf is not there, but watch

as the camera moves right. wearing a red t—shirt, smiling. the manchester bomber, salman abedi. nearly two years before he'd 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 graf‘s sermon. yeah, i'm speechless in a way. that it's going on kind of 30 minutes away from here. you know, and that this was... you know, if he was in that room that day, a week before christmas, a week later i was, you know, my daughter was unwrapping a surprise ariana grande ticket. this was martin and his daughter eve hours before the concert.

she's been left severely brain—damaged, she can't eat, she can't speak. she can't move the left side. if you could go and see this imam... yeah. what would you say to him? oh, god. i'd probably take him round to see eve. i don't think i'd need to say anything, really. our investigation heard at least five men who attended didsbury mosque either travelled to syria or have been jailed for supporting so—called islamic state. trustees of the mosque deny this. can we come inside? they said mustafa graf‘s sermon was highlighting the plight of syrians. his use of the words jihad and mujahideen have been misinterpreted, and they don't tolerate extremist preaching. ed thomas, bbc news, manchester.

just very short piece of breaking news coming to us alt of southern italy. news that a magnitude 5.3 earthquake has struck 45 miles north—west of the city of foggia. just one line of information. the blue dot on the map is foggia, around 45 miles north—west of the city there has been a magnitude 5.3 quake. no details yet. seven and a half miles under the earth. we hope to get more information on the impact of that earthquake. up to 20 people are still missing following the collapse of a bridge in northern italy on tuesday. 38 people have been confirmed dead and rescue workers are continuing to search through the rubble of the morandi bridge in genoa.

but hopes of finding anyone else alive are fading fast. senior politicians have accused the company that runs italy's motorways of not properly maintaining the bridge. 0ur correspondentjames reynolds is in genoa. in genoa, a single terrifying moment is now frozen. more than two days on, these vehicles are stuck in the exact positions which they were abandoned when the rest of this bridge collapsed. nearest the edge is the basko food company truck. its driver, luigi, had the narrowest of escapes. the sampierdarena neighbourhood is right underneath the structure. relief workers have cleared the area. the homes may be knocked down. this morning, locals queued up to collect some of their possessions. these residents are prepared to wait patiently, but they also want answers. many say they always believed the breach was unsafe. translation: it's been years

we have been saying this bridge was dangerous. we talked about it almost every day. grazia di benedetto and her husband carlo were desperate to get home. translation: they are not letting us in, i need to pick up my medicines. this is awful. she took a moment to recover. it's too early to say what caused the collapse. among the factors that investigators will consider are... the quality of the concrete in the towers and supports and whether these had weakened. the diagonal cables that carried the road, known as stays. these were encased in concrete, making it hard for accurate checks to be carried out. and the metal connections that anchored the stays to the platform. the private company which operated

the bridge autostrada has insisted it followed all safety procedures, but this doesn't satisfy italy's government. translation: we must ensure that everything is done according to standards, and i declare that in this story autostrada cannot reassure us of anything. here, at the scene of the collapse, rescuers continue to search for bodies. amid all the arguments, italy doesn't yet know exactly how many deaths it will be investigating. james reynolds, bbc news, genoa. more now on the students who picked up their a level results this morning. the vast majority of those students will now be preparing to head off to university. that's a stressful month instore for students and parents alike. with me now is beatrice howard from the student review website,

student hut, to talk about the preparations for students ahead of them starting university in a few weeks' time. thank you for coming in. people will be delighted. they have their place. 0ne be delighted. they have their place. one key thing is, where will i live? what will be my accommodation situation? accommodation is a really big one. until you have the results you can get started on. being in contact with university, especially if you are going through clearing many universities offer places to people in clearing now. you have your login people in clearing now. you have yourlogin and people in clearing now. you have your login and you have not lost it when you applied six months ago. just do all the research you can. i read hundreds of student reviews about accommodation every day and there is so much you can get from them from fellow students who have been doing this when you before, two yea rs before. been doing this when you before, two years before. pitfall is to look out for. we always hear about

disreputable landlords. how do i know i am getting what it looks like on the ten? technological advantages have been so good. —— advances. you can look round where you are applying and you can see your money. lots of student loans do not quite cover accommodation. little things. people who live there last year will post online and set is really cold in the winter and then you can make sure you bring a good duvet. that brings us onto the packing issue of what to take. you could look around your bedroom and think you could ta ke your bedroom and think you could take it all with you. you may have to be paring things down a little bit. my first year so full, i am surprised that could fit in it. most important is to do your research to see what comes with the holes that is so tempting to bring your own kepler microwave and suddenly you

have 11 petals and microwaves in one place. —— kettle and microwave and suddenly you have 11 kettles. everyone forgets coat hangers. i forgot the cheese grater, which was heartbreaking. on the more serious side, people thinking about insurance and the bigger issues to make sure they stay safe and covered in case of the worst happening. number one, if you are buying new tech, which a lot of people are, keep an ir for the deals, looked everywhere online. loads of people are doing special student offers at the moment for your new university student cards which you can use. compare all the different insurance sites and do not leave it out.

break—ins and student houses are so rife. do not put off. ask someone to help if you have never insured something before, which i certainly had not. always get it done because it is always worth the money. the england rugby international, danny cipriani, has been fined £2,000 after pleading guilty to common assault and resisting arrest after an incident in a nightclub onjersey in the early hours of wednesday morning. the 30—year—old fly—half has apologised and say he's "mortified" by his actions. robert hall reports from jersey. reporter: danny, will you apologise for your actions? once again, danny cipriani was running the gauntlet of the cameras for an incident off the pitch. another cloud to hang low over a troubled playing career. this episode opened during a night out during a training trip tojersey. at a seafront bar, cipriani, who admitted having too much

to drink, was involved in a confrontation with door staff during which he tried to grab the doorman's body mounted camera. after leaving the club, mr cipriani encountered a female police officer who was aware of that altercation. when she attempted to arrest him, he resisted. there was a brief scuffle during which she was slightly hurt and eventually, with the help of a second officer and watched by a small crowd, danny cipriani was handcuffed and taken into custody. in court and later on social media, cipriani apologised for behaviour which he said had left him mortified. his return to the england side in june followed a series of misdemeanours — many associated with alcohol — for theft of a bottle of vodka, injuries after being hit by a bus whilst drunk, a drink—drive ban. his club are standing by him but tonight danny cipriani waits to find out whether his international career has faltered yet again. robert hall, bbc news, jersey.

dramatic footage has emerged of a group 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. in a moment, we'll have the weather with ben rich. but first let's look back at the life of aretha franklin. # what you want, baby i got it # what you need, you know i got it

# all i'm asking is for a little respect. ..# there was such a grace about her. such a confidence, such a strength. she was a queen. literally, she was a queen. # all i'm asking is for a little respect. ..# # just a little bit # while combing my hair now # and wondering what dress to wear now...# i was raised on her music. it is a sad day.

lam good. i am good. as long as i can hear it. i am good. it gets in your soul. she a lwa ys i am good. it gets in your soul. she always saying something nice. —— sang. # you make me feel like a natural woman. # you make me feel. # you make me feel. # you make me feel like... # you make me feel like... # you make me feel like... # you make me feel... # you make me feel... # you make me feel like... # you make me feel like... # feel like a natural woman. # feel like a natural woman. #a # feel like a natural woman. # a woman. # a woman. #a # a woman. # a woman. #a

# a woman. # a woman. #a # a woman. # a woman. #a # a woman. # a woman. #a # a woman. # a woman. #a # a woman. # awoman # a woman. # a woman # good evening. most of this is seen at least a bit of rain over the last day or so and that has ushered in some much cooler, fresh air. pretty cool as we go through what is left up cool as we go through what is left up this evening and tonight. the showers most plentiful across parts of western scotland and northern ireland. a few in the north west of england. further south and east it will be dry with long, clear spells. in the towns and cities temperatures

around eight, nine and 10 degrees. temperatures down to single digits in the countryside. in the south—east of england and the channel islands it will stave bright with sunshine. —— stay bright. mostly light and patchy rain for the west of scotland and northern ireland. most places on the cool side. for many it will be a humid weekend, particularly in the south. there will be some rain at times. this is bbc news.

i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at eight. music aretha franklin, the "queen of soul" known for hits like respect and ‘say a little prayer‘ dies at the age of 76. 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 and strength. she was a queen. literally. she was a queen. in other news, 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.