this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at 11pm: aretha franklin, the "queen of soul," known for hits like respect and say a little prayer, dies 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. in other news, a rise in the number of a—level students getting top grades — the most for six years. and in sport, just aftert 11:45pm, we'll have a full round up of tonight's european football action as rangers reach the group stage of the europa league. and cricketer ben stokes gets back to training as the england coach says he should apologise publicly despite being found not guilty of affray. and at 11:30pm, we'll be taking another look at the papers with our reviewers ros altmann and mihir bose. stay with us for that.

aretha franklin, one of the greatest stars of the 20th century, has died at the age of 76. she passed away this morning 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, the queen of soul, selling more than 75 million records. aleem maqbool reports. # all i'm asking... # is for a little respect.

# i'm about to give all of my money...# aretha franklin was peerless. with a voice so stunning it could lift spirits, and so powerful it could and often did move those who heard her to tears. at the church where she first started singing, people who grew up in the same street as her have already started coming to pay tribute. i was born and raised in detroit, born on her music, raised on her music. yeah, it's a sad day. i'm going to miss her, i'm going to miss seeing her in concert, but i still have her music to the bone, so i'm good. as long as i can hear, i'm good. # you make me feel #. she had the best voice

and when she sang you feel it in your soul, and she always sang something nice. i remember as a kid growing up back in the '50s and '60s and you hate for her to go. she feels like family. this is the very stage where i suppose aretha franklin started to become a star. in fact, many said they were drawn to this church because they heard there was a young singer here, the daughter of the preacher, who had the kind of voice that only came along once in a generation. # they tell me that you aint no good # but they don't know...# but by the late ‘60s, a wider audience was being touched by the brilliance of aretha franklin as her career soared. she grew from being a gospel artist into an international sensation, and she did it through her unique vocal talents, but also a renowned toughness and professionalism.

she could sometimes be perceived as having a bit of an attitude. i'm not intimidated, a lot of men, some men, 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. # i wake up # before i put on my make up # i say a little prayer for you # oh yes, i do #. for all the moulds she broke as a singer, as a successful black woman, aretha franklin came to symbolise more than just a sensational voice. # i say a little prayerfor you #. she became heavily involved in the civil rights movement, with activists like her long—time friend, reverend jesse jackson.

if you are going to summarise what aretha franklin meant to you, to this country, what would you say? a singer whose music, whose sense of social justice was global. she also fought for doctor king, for nelson mandela, for barack obama. her sense of community service was as broad as her music. aretha sang at the funeral of martin luther king after the civil rights leader's assassination, and provided the soundtrack to african—american history and progress long after that. being the most straightforward of choices for barack obama to sing at his inauguration. as she had done a two previous presidential inauguration. he today paid tribute to the woman he says managed to convey in her voice all the power and pain of the american experience. # when i wake up...#.

amongst the tributes today, carole king, "what a life," she said, annie lennox, sir elton saying rejoice in her remarkable legacy and from sir paul mccartney, "let's give thanks for her beautiful life." people in her home city feel they've lost a family member, one who was generous and who helped give them a sense of worth. she released her final album just last year and she still allowed countless new musicians to influence her too. # rolling in the deep...# but the world has lost a musical giant who made it to the top in the toughest of times. aretha franklin, the queen of soul. # you make me feel like..."

aretha franklin who died this morning. she was known as the queen of soul, a woman whose career started when she was a child. and, of course, with a career that long, so many fans, let me take you to the hollywood walk of fame where her star is surrounded by flowers as people bring tributes, cards and messages, and their memories of aretha franklin. her last album, called a brand new me, was released less than a year ago. david sillito looks back at her life. the queen of the rhythm and blues, aretha franklin! # looking out on the morning rain... aretha was the woman who changed

the entire approach to singing. # the day i met you # life was so unkind...#. it was a moment of change, women's lives in black america were in upheaval — and you can hear it all, the pain, hope and joy in this one song. # you make me feel like a natural woman #. the way she goes from power, to vulnerable, just the end of the sentence, is extraordinary. we hear it all the time now and we think, oh, yeah, that's just a great song but if you really listen, wow. and one song above all defined miss aretha franklin. # r-e-s-p-e-c-t #. # don't know what it means to me it was written by otis reading

but once he heard this he knew it was hers. she wasn't asking for respect, she was commanding it. she was not going to be pushed around, but if anyone was born to sing, it was her. she grew up in the world of gospel. mahalia jackson, clara ward — they were all family friends to the young aretha franklin. not only saw in her and performed with the gospel greats, but i also saw other artists that were in the pop field, that i liked and whose records i bought as a child and as a teenager. her childhood home welcomed pop, jazz and gospel stars. martin luther king was a family friend and her father was a star preacher. he coached by a lot in singing, taking my time and working with the song, different things like that. # you're no good,

heartbreaker # you're lying...#. there was another side to her. one of her producers described it as a mysterious side. she'd lost her mother when she was ten, she had two children by the age of 16. her private life was turbulence and her career dipped but what helped revive it was this... # the river was deep, ididn't falter#. a generation who'd grown up with her, she was the benchmark of song. she was the benchmark of soul. # the bali was low #. there is no singer who has come after her that has not been touched by her approach. a sad day? a very sad day. # i had the faith to love again # and you can see it's all in this moment — hardship and sorrow turned

into beauty and hope, aretha franklin, the queen of soul. how great to hear those vocals agent. joining us now is the singer—songwriter joan armatrading. thank you so much for coming in. i know you tweeted earlier she was one of the greats. absolutely, she was an american born singer, but she belonged to the world — there is no question of that. and we hear her singing respect and she transformed that. i think she transformed any song that she covered. she sang to ca role song that she covered. she sang to carole king natural woman and carole king was in tears. she had written an incredible song. i didn't think she thought that song could get any better. interesting the idea that people can be dismissive and say someone covered a song. i read another analyst said that she didn't

cover a song, she interpreted them, she made them over, claimed them as her own. and that's why carole king was in tears. there is something about her voice that's quite incredible. because if you listen she stays in this high register all the time. most singers go in and out. she stays in it. but it's so pure and full and strong and it never falters — it's pure and full and strong and it neverfalters — it's quite incredible. there is not a lot of people, in fact, incredible. there is not a lot of people, infact, i incredible. there is not a lot of people, in fact, i can't think of anybody who can sing like that. and anybody who can sing like that. and a lot is being made of course of her gospel roots growing up, singing church music, sacred music, and she brought the spirituality into secular music as well. yes, no question of that. she has a god—given talent. and i say she has because it is still there. we have this music. it is a sad day. we need to rejoice. we are very lucky that we have this woman in our lives and

she is given a lot of pleasure to a lot of people. so, for fans, clearly they will remember the songs that they will remember the songs that they loved to listen to and revel m, they loved to listen to and revel in, for artists like yourself, people often talk about the influence they had... she had on their own music and the way they relate to certain songs. she had an influence onjust relate to certain songs. she had an influence on just about anyone in the music business who is at the former, who is an artist. —— who is a performer. in the comedy sees how you should do it, this is how good you should do it, this is how good you are supposed to make it —— in the sense of how you should do it. in the way you should do it in a lengthy wait. you're not supposed to waste it. she made every ounce of her talent count. —— lengthy way. there are people who have talent and they squander it. she didn't squander any part of that. and used it as well for what would be seen as powerful purposes — many people

talking about her iconic status as a feminist, civil rights campaigner, the faq she was allied with a lot of very powerful causes. -- and the fa ct. very powerful causes. -- and the fact. she supported martin luther king, but she is all kinds of things. while she was prominent in civil rights issues in the early days, and throughout her life, really, she's managed to bring all kinds of people into this thing that she does. she sang for three presidents, very different people, she sang for clinton, bush, obama, this is an incredible thing, i don't know any other singer who will be able to achieve half of what she has been able to do. and what do you think will be her abiding legacy going forward? that's easy, just her music. i mean, the music... it speaks for itself. that's the beauty. you never really heard her

doing loads and loads of interviews and being in the paper all the time and being in the paper all the time and talk about things. but she let her music do the talking. you know, that's the beauty. and we've got these different ways of getting music now. sojust these different ways of getting music now. so just go and get the music. because it is out there. there is nothing for you to miss in terms of the music. it is all there. to be discovered for the people who haven't heard it, the young people listening, and to be enjoyed and revel in by those of us who spend listening for many years. thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us and remember aretha franklin, who has died today. 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*s 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*. but with thousands of university places still available through clearing, many institutions are competing to attract

students with offers. our education editor, bra nwen jeffreys, reports from nottingham. excited, nervous, relieved. excited, proud and a little bit nervous. i've passed, i've passed! relief after months of anxiety. time for celebration for those getting their grades. kyra is off to study psychology, the first in herfamily to go to university. they're really proud of me. i'm the first one to go off to uni, so to be the one that's going to do it, it's quite a privilege for them, i think. she'll be living at home with her mum to keep costs down. kyra got an unconditional offer, one sign of the competition to attract good students. by

by sam this morning, more than 353,000 students had accepted places. year there are 3.5% fewer 18—year—olds, so to compete for the best students, universities have already made almost 68,000 unconditional offers. 0tis got four as, one short of what he needs for his first place,... it's a lot of pressure, not knowing my grades and not knowing whether i've got in there is something at the back of my mind stressing me. mostly i'm glad to know my results and i'm really hopeful. hello, you're through to the nottingham trent university clearing hotline.

some universities will fill causes easily but that will leave others chasing students. clearing will be open for weeks now, so if you didn't quite get your grades today, there's still plenty of time to get a place. some universities are offering cash incentives because there's so much competition for students, but that's not an approach they've adopted here in nottingham. students who come here are coming to get a degree which means they have to have a good standard of qualification when they come here. it's not in our interests oi’ come here. it's not in our interests or the students' interests to get the student into a university and then for them 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 you're there for four years and you're thinking pros and cons, it has a massive effect and obviously money wins, money's king, so it had a mad effect, yeah. for others the hunt for a place continues. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. 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 two 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 prayer, or 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's referring

to here is actually being in 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 the 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 will 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 preaching 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 frontline during the libyan revolution. in this interview, mustafa graf talks about waiting for orders to attack. all these criminal acts... and here he is, back home in manchester in 2015. he's the leader of this group, demonstrating about the conflict in libya. ..causing chaos in libya. months later, here's

the same group in london. graf isn't 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. i'm speechless, in a way, that it's going on 30 minutes away from here, and that this was, if he was in that room that day, a week before christmas, a week later i was, or 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, what would you say to him? 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 reporting there. up to 20 people are still missing after a motorway bridge collapsed in genoa in northern italy on tuesday. 38 people are known to have died. rescue teams are searching through the rubble, but hopes of finding any more people alive are all but gone. 600 people living near the bridge have been moved from their homes because of safety fears and have been told their homes may be demolished. the morandi bridge was 50 years old. 0ur science editor, david shukman, has been investigating what could have caused it to collapse. battered by the weather and patched up over the years, this is the bridge, pictured before the collapse. it was in a forlorn and worrying state, and then disaster struck. the tangle of wreckage where there should be the clues that investigators will need as they ask if the structure was substandard, or if the steel had corroded inside the concrete, where no—one could see.

so what went wrong? well, let's look at a virtual model of the bridge. an unusual design from the ‘60s, it's needed a lot of reinforcement over the years. a key focus in the investigation will be on these diagonal sections. they're called the stays. they're a mix of steel and concrete and they carry the road. but they were in bad condition, and i understand were due to be replaced next year. another weakness might be the anchors that fix the stays to the road. one of them might have rusted and snapped. and then there are steel cables that run through the bridge to give it strength. if they were in poor shape, inspectors might not have noticed. the investigators face a massive challenge and finding a single answer might not be easy. a big concern is that the concrete was getting old and that water was getting into it and may have weakened the steel inside. concrete does deteriorate with time, does age. but the main problem in this kind of construction is the steel inside the concrete,

which if it corrodes, that can lead to severe problems. that needs to be investigated, inspected and maintained. when the bridge was built, it was heralded as a symbol of futuristic engineering. but the standard of construction back then has left a legacy. italy now has an estimated 10,000 bridges that need to be modernised. the cost will be tens of billions of euros. and the collapse has sent shock waves to other countries as well. inspections are now under way on bridges in france and germany. the tragedy has sparked a crisis of confidence far beyond genoa. david shukman, bbc news. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers the writer and broadcaster, mihir bose, and baroness altmann, former pensions minister. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30pm. now it's time for the

weather with ben rich. talk to us and remember aretha franklin, who has died today. most of us have seen at least a little bit of rain over the last couple of days and with the clea ra nce couple of days and with the clearance of the rain there has been the change in the field of the weather, something and fresh, yes, there are some showers, this is the satellite picture from earlier on, you can see the cloud that brought the rain, the clouds coming in from the rain, the clouds coming in from the north—west, but what we are bringing from the north—west is relatively cool, fresh air — contrast with the warm air in place in the atlantic, now this is heading in ourdirection, so in the atlantic, now this is heading in our direction, so for many of us the change to fresh conditions will be temporary. having said that, friday morning begins on call note. singledigit temperatures in a few places. a fair amount of brightness in the morning and some of that will

remain across north—east scotland and south—east england. 0ut west, we see thickening cloud, patchy rain into northern ireland, western scotland, quite windy in the north—west as well. and those temperatures generally and ram mid—to—high teens, but to the south—east with the sunshine 22 or 23 degrees. 0ut south—east with the sunshine 22 or 23 degrees. out on friday into saturday, this warm front works eastwards, taking rain with it, and it is behind that that we bring not only a lot of cloud and moisture, so some misty and murky conditions, but also some warm and quite humid air. notice northern areas stay in the cool air, notice northern areas stay in the coolair, and notice northern areas stay in the cool air, and marking out the divide between the cooler and humid air is a weather front. 0n between the cooler and humid air is a weather front. on saturday this front, bringing cloud and rain across northern ireland, southern scotland, maybe northern england. to