good morning, welcome to breakfast, with rachel burden and charlie stayt. our headlines today: # don't know what it means to me. loved and respected. tributes are paid around the world to aretha franklin. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour and divatude personified. a call to relax the rules around e—cigarettes — a group of mps says vaping should be promoted on the nhs. a crackdown on drugs, violence and mobile phones in some of england's most troubled prisons. places outside london have seen a record—breaking number of visitors from abroad, so i have my bust on

the magical mystery tour looking at why it has been such a good year. cleared of affray, ben stokes trains with with england ahead of the third test. his coach says it's for his own wellbeing. and i am in greenwich, where it is a glorious start to the day. a bit more cloud in the north—west of the country with a few spots of rain later on, but i'll have a full forecast for you in about 15 minutes. good morning. it's friday the 17th of august. our top story: tributes have been paid around the world to aretha franklin who's died at the age of 76. known as the queen of soul, she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago, but only retired last year. fans, fellow musicians and former us presidents have been remembering the singer as a musical icon, and a powerful advocate for the civil rights movement. peter bowes reports from los angeles. festooned with flowers and framed by photos, the queen of soul's star on hollywood's walk of fame, a place for fans to pay tribute to a superstar. i'm a baby of the ‘60s,

and so in my household aretha franklin was a well—known name. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour and "divatude" personified. loving her music but also as i became older i began to realise how powerful and important she was as a humanitarian, an activist, someone involved in the civil rights. aretha franklin was bigger than music. she became a symbol for civil rights in the ‘60s, performed at the funeral of martin luther king, and the inauguration of america's first black president. in his tribute, barack obama said aretha helped define the american experience. the civil rights leader, jesse jackson, knew the singer for more than 60 years. a singer whose music impact of the world but whose sense of globaljustice was global.

she also fought for doctor king, she fought for nelson mandela, she fought for barack obama. her sense of community service was as broad as was her music. aretha franklin's final performance last november was at a gala in new york for elton john's aids foundation. sir elton said her loss was a blow for everybody who loves real music. sir paul mccartney said the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being would live with us for ever. # all i'm asking is for a little respect... the queen of soul, respected by so many and missed by all. # all i'm asking in return, honey...# that was peter bowes reporting, and hejoins us now from los angeles. peter, there have been responses from all over the world to this news?

yes, fellow musicians, some of the tributes we have heard about, but ordinary people as well, that's what's been so striking to me here in la, people going to the star on the walk of fame and in detroit going to the church where she first performed, and people say they are telling the stories of their memories, and why they liked her so much — lot of women said they felt she understood them and there was a little bit of what they had gone through perhaps in their difficult lives that she managed to express and express with great dignity. people also talking about the times that might have seen her perform, whether it was the inauguration of barack obama, or the funeral of martin luther king, or the time they saw her in the grammys, 1998, she had 18 of them, but that year she

stood in fort luciana pavarotti, that year's lifetime achievement award deep —— award winner, she did it brilliantly. thank you very much. in a few minutes we'll be speaking to one of aretha franklin's former singing coaches. the nhs should do more to promote e—cigarettes as a way of helping people stop smoking, according to a group of mps. the report by the science and technology committee also calls on the government to make it easier for people to vape in public places. but the recommendations have been criticised by some health experts who say the report relies solely on accounts by e—cig champions. catherine burns reports. while cigarettes burn tobacco to release smoke, e—cigarettes heat flavoured nicotine directly to make an inhalable vapour. experts say e—cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking, but others worry we do not know enough about the long—term effects. today, a committee of mps is calling smoking a national health crisis, and calling e—cigarettes a golden opportunity to save lives.

almost 3 million people in the uk use e—cigarettes, and, every year, thousands of them successfully quit smoking. the report says that e—cigarettes should be medically licence, and they call for regulations to ease up, and they call for regulations to ease up, so and they call for regulations to ease up, so companies and they call for regulations to ease up, so companies can and they call for regulations to ease up, so companies can advertise e—cigarettes as the less harmful option. my message to the nhs is to take this issue far more seriously. we cannot tolerate the continued death toll of 79,000 people in england alone every single year from smoking. vaping is one route to help problem smokers give up. we should doing far more to help encourage it. the committee says the risks from inhaling second—hand vapours are negligible, but vaping is still relatively new. it has been in the uk forjust 11 years. experts say there needs to be more research into the effects of using e—cigarettes

in the long—term. catherine burns, bbc news. the italian government has opened an investigation into the private operator of the motorway bridge that collapsed in genoa on tuesday, killing at least 38 people. autostrade has been given 15 days to show it met contractual obligations. the company says it made regular safety checks on the kilometre—long viaduct. ten of england's most challenging prisons are to be given a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions, as part of a government drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. ministers also want to raise leadership standards by sending prison governors to military—style colleges. our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw, reports. how to stop drugs getting into prisons — here's one way. hmp leeds is one of ten prisons where sniffer dogs are being brought in to reduce the amount of drugs smuggled in by prisoners, visitors, and staff. new substances such as spice have caused

health problems and sparked violence in prisons — volatile places at the best of times. atmosphere is good. but like everything and anything, things can change. the dynamics of a jail — or the dynamics of a wing — can change overnight. maintaining prison buildings is important, too. the government's investing in a programme to replace cell windows and improve perimeter security to stop drugs being blown in by drones or thrown over walls. grabbing hold of the drugs and stopping them getting in in the first place is absolutely vital if we are to turn around violence in prisons. and unless we turn around vioelence in prisons, you can't get prisoners into education. if you can't get them into education and work, you can't turn their lives around.

and you can't turn their lives around, you cannot protect the public. but it is the relationship between prison officers and prisoners that's key to a stable prison, as well as leadership skills. that is why the ministry of defence has been asked for help in setting up a training scheme for prison governors, similar to that of senior members of the armed forces. it is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve living conditions and security. the government has promised improvements within 12 months. danny shaw, bbc news. the department store chain, house of fraser, has cancelled all its online orders because of a dispute with its warehouse operator. the retailer was bought out of administration by sports direct a week ago. it says it has wiped all orders that hadn't been sent to customers and would be issuing refunds. people are already responding on twitter to say they've been affected by this decision. let us know if you've had your orders cancelled. former cricket star imran khan is expected to be confirmed as pakistan's next prime minister today. however, his appointment is likely to face stern opposition from the previous party of government, the pml—n, who claimed last month's elections were rigged. scientists say they have

taken a significant step towards the development of new strains of wheat that will be able to cope with increased demand and climate change. an international team of researchers has produced a map of the food crop‘s genome, made up of more than a 100,000 genes. 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh has more. wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world and it is a struggle to produce enough. research here are trying to increase yields by crossbreeding varieties with useful trait. it can take up to 15 yea rs useful trait. it can take up to 15 years to useful trait. it can take up to 15 yea rs to develop useful trait. it can take up to 15 years to develop a successful strain, but that time could soon be halved. there is an international tea m halved. there is an international team that has decoded the dna of wheat and located the position of more than 100,000 of its genes. without having the map of the wheat genome it's been difficult to

achieve the increase in demands we are getting around the world, but 110w are getting around the world, but now with the wheat genome all of a sudden we can use all of the genetic and genomic information to accelerate the breeding process and produce better varieties more quickly and feed the world in future. these plants have been given the same amount of water, but you can see that this one hasn't coped so can see that this one hasn't coped so well. that's because this variety has genes that enable it to withstand drought conditions. the wheat genome will enable researchers to work out what they are and so develop completely new strains that are able to cope with the increased heatwaves that climate change is predicted to bring. the research is believed that their map of genes is a vital breakthrough that was needed to boost production in areas that will be hardest hit by climate change, and so ensure that the world's growing population will continue to have food on their plates. let's go back to the main story this

morning. as you'd expect the death of aretha franklin, the queen of soul, is dominating the front pages of the papers this morning. let's give you a taste of the papers. the daily telegraph, this wonderful image, some of the black and white images are fantastic, aretha franklin, just at the age of 18, backin franklin, just at the age of 18, back in 1960. many tributes pouring in and we will be reflecting on those this morning. the sun newspaper points to one of the most successful and iconic songs, respect, rip, 1942— successful and iconic songs, respect, rip, 1942- 2018, successful and iconic songs, respect, rip, 1942— 2018, the incredible show — stealing scene in the blues brothers, but it meant so much more than that, it was an anthem for the feminist and civil rights movement. and i want to show you another image on the guardian this morning with the tributes coming in. soundtrack of the resistance, people are saying. we will reflect on her life this

morning. we can now speak with aretha franklin's opera coach, mary callaghan—lynch, who is in northern michigan. as you may have heard earlier on, she sang opera. very good morning. thank you for your time. as i understand it, you spoke with aretha franklin quite recently. yes, i did. good morning. yes, i have been working with ms franklin for almost 20 years and i am sure you're aware that she sang at the grammy awards in the states, after i taught her the aria at a private party for luciana pavarotti and as fate would haveit luciana pavarotti and as fate would have it she was in new york at the time and pavarotti became ill at the last moment, and she came in 30 minutes beforehand with no rehearsal

and sang his signature aria, and thatis and sang his signature aria, and that is how our relationship again. and then, because it was such a success , and then, because it was such a success, she was requested from all over the country to be singing with orchestras and so our relationship continued with learning more repertoire, so, yes, i have the honour of teaching her her operatic arias. and as recently as three weeks ago. yes, that's why i was speaking with her, yes. well, she wa nted speaking with her, yes. well, she wanted to learn a new aria and we we re wanted to learn a new aria and we were talking about it and we scheduled it and then as i was going out the door i received a text to say, mary, iam out the door i received a text to say, mary, i am so sorry, i out the door i received a text to say, mary, iam so sorry, i have out the door i received a text to say, mary, i am so sorry, i have to cancel, but i will be talking with you and that's the last time i heard from her. well, it must be a very sad day for you, and you know better than most, the extraordinary voice

she had — just explain to us a little bit about how her voice adopted it to opera, because we associated it so much with other styles of singing and that incredible power she brought to it, just talk about the unique qualities her voice had. well, i think she brought her voice to opera, shejust had well, i think she brought her voice to opera, she just had such a distinctive sound. you could hear within a measure of any song that it was the queen of soul. and i think what she brought was her distinctive sound to the opera repertoire, and made it her own. and what i love, because of course i love opera, she brought a lot of people to opera certainly in the states that had perhaps never even heard of an aria or knew about puccini. she was quite passionate about the art form. mary, share with us if you will a

little bit about what she was like to work with, how she was when you we re to work with, how she was when you were around the. her character. well, you know, she is the queen of soul and she had a very regal quality about her personally. she was a very elegant, very refined woman. she was absolutely very refined woman. she was a bsolutely lovely very refined woman. she was absolutely lovely and a joy to work with. 0bviously she was a musical genius and was like a sponge, she just picked it up so quickly. she had an extraordinary ear. i mean, can you imagine, how lucky was i to be able to coach her on that? such a jov- mary, we thank you for your thoughts this morning. thank you so much for your time. mary callaghan—lynch. fascinating hearing different parts of someone's career like that. she was a brilliant pianist and phenomenal singer, the quote from

michelle obama is wonderful. " through her singing we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine". lots of tributes in the papers to aretha franklin this morning. time for a look at the weather. here's sarah with a look at this morning's weather from a rather stunning location, severndroog castle in greenwich. good morning to you, rachel and charlie. imad severndroog castle in greenwich and this is a hidden gem in south london —— i'm at. it is 132 metres above sea level, so it has one of the best views of london. we watched the sunrise this morning, a morning across london. a glorious start to the day across many southern and eastern parts of the country. what about the rest of the country? something of a north—west, south—east are split to the weather today, more cloud and outbreaks of rain across the northern half of the uk -- rain across the northern half of the uk —— south—east split. the driest and brightest will be a must south—east. a weather front brought all that rain yesterday, it has cleared to the near continent, but

another warm front from the north—west comes in. this morning that's bringing outbreaks of rain in parts of northern ireland, that rain pushing into the west of scotland too. used in scotland, northern england and wales clouding over this morning but staying dry until later in the day —— eastern scotland. in southern and eastern england, we did the sunshine. it will turn hazy later as the cloud comes in but temps in the south—east around 21 to 23. for scotland and northern ireland, a cooler 16 or 17. the wind will be a noticeable feature of the weather today, particularly gusty winds in the north. this evening and overnight, we keep a bit of rainfall in parts of northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland, fairly light and patchy, though. either side of that band of rain, things looking drier. with more cloud building in england and wales, drier than last night. holding in the mid teens here, fresher in northern scotland with

those clearer skies. to start saturday, a bit of rain around in parts of northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. a few showers in the far north—west, quite breezy as well but further south across the bulk of england and wales, not a bad date. temperatures warmer than recent days, up to around 2425 —— bad date. —— up to around 2425 —— bad date. —— up to around 2425 —— bad date. —— up to around 24 or 25 —— bad date. rain for northern ireland, wales, northern england. either side of that there should be dry and bright weather of scotland and for the south these of england's. temperatures in the south—east getting to 24 or 25 degrees and once again, fresher, around 17 to 21 further north. a mixed picture over the next few days but most should see dry weather over the weekend, especially in the south—east of england. thank you very much, stunning views across london. john, what have you got today? ben

stokes, back in the spotlight, back training with england today. we wait to see weather he will be selected after this court appearance this week, cleared of a freight. interesting to hear what this head coach said, he's back in the squad for this own well—being. stokes will be happy about that because he feels safest on the cricket field. he could still play for england even though the ecb is conducting its own investigation. despite being cleared in court, he could still face punishment from the ecb for potentially bringing the game into disrepute but it could be several weeks before the outcome of that. ben stokes is back in training with england, his coach says it's for his own wellbeing. his coach trevor bayliss sasy he will assess stokes before deciding if he'll play in the third match of the five—test series at trent bridge tomorrow. danny cipriani says he is "truly sorry" for the incident that put his england future in doubt, but his old boss at sale rugby club says coach eddiejones should stick by him. steven gerrard's unbeaten in eight matches as rangers manager. they're now one match away from reaching the group stage of the europa league

after goalless draw with maribor. burnley are also through. and great britain won seven more medals on day four of the european parra swimming championships in dublin, including a really dominant display from alice tai in the s8100m, that's her first european title. so many medals being handed out in dublin, it's been great for them so far in the pool. thanks, john, see you later on. many people who try to give up smoking turn to e—cigarettes, but there are mixed messages this week about the safety of vaping. on monday, researchers at the university of birmingham suggested it may not be as healthy as previously thought, but this morning mps are calling for rules around e—cigarettes to be relaxed to help more people give up smoking. liberal democrat mp norman lamb chairs the committee behind the report and joins us now from our studio in norwich. good morning, thanks for your time.

there's no issue i would have thought with commercially promoting e—cigarettes, you see them everywhere, there are vaped shops on everywhere, there are vaped shops on every high street, they are in every petrol station and newsagent, so what's missing here? —— vaped. there's an interesting point that the body responsible for the country's public health, public health england, states clearly that e—cigarettes are 95% less harmful than smoking, yet a company selling an e—cigarette to someone who is perhaps a long—term smoker can't actually repeat that public health message to the potential purchaser. so we miss an opportunity to encourage that long—term smoker to quit smoking and, in a way, the big public health prize... potential prize here is that still 79,000 people in england alone die every

year through smoking—related disease. vaped we have the opportunity to cut into that significantly and save lives. we wa nt that significantly and save lives. we want to make sure the advertising, regulation and taxation rules stop people taking up smoking and take up more healthy options. are you saying the nhs should be more actively involved in promoting e—cigarettes, should they be available on prescription for example? we are saying the nhs should be more proactive. smoking rates among people with mental ill—health remained stubbornly high, 40% of people with mental ill—health continue to smoke —— remain. that's one of the reasons why people experiencing mental ill—health live 15 to 20 years earlier than the rest of us. yet a third of mental health

trusts within the nhs ban vaping from their premises. it fails to make any sense, it doesn't follow the evidence. and, as you say, we could be doing more if we can get a vaping product medically licensed, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be possible, it is costly and there's a long—term process and we calling for that to be streamlined, but we could the opportunity available to help more heavy smokers give up and critically save lives —— we're calling. potentially available on prescription if you could find the right way to do it. the point you are making about smoking in places like mental health units, what about other public spaces? there will be people who say they suffer adverse effects from being around people who vape. look, there's clearly a nuisance issue. i don't particularly like being ina issue. i don't particularly like being in a fog of vaping, and indeed oui’ being in a fog of vaping, and indeed our own sun vapes. having given up

20 cigarettes a day, which causes us enormous relief, i have to say —— oui’ enormous relief, i have to say —— our own son. there's no public health case for treating vaping in the same weight as cigarette smoking. there's a danger that if the common perception in public spacesis the common perception in public spaces is that vapers are treated the same as smokers, we miss an opportunity to encourage people to give up smoking and take up a vaping —— what what about the health issues? it could damage the immune system and lung damage, and others are saying we haven't been using these things long enough to understand their true effect, we only will know in 20 or 30 years, research has been done to say they are harmful, even if less so say they are harmful, even if less so than cigarettes. that's the key point, much less harmful. all the

evidence we heard... we had an open invitation for evidence and we got an awful lot of it in, and when you hear the same message from the british heart foundation, from cancer research uk, from nice, from public health england, all of these bodies saying the same message, that they are much less harmful, then it seems to me you should follow that. at the same time, we call for a continuation of the research and for the government to lead that. our process is open, we want to give hearing the evidence so we can update the advice we're giving today. understood, norman lamb from the science and technology committee, thank you. let's hear from you this morning, have to be saved you with cigarettes and your own health battle? do you hear the adverse effects of vaping? —— have you been saved. i'm seeing a lonely business presenter on the top of a double—decker bus in liverpool. presenter on the top of a double-decker bus in liverpool. good morning, sean. living the dream,

charlie, this is my dream, being on the bus for work, i'm a big fan of buses, in liverpool on a tour bus. we're talking about inbound tourism to the uk. last year was a record—breaking year driven by the midlands and north—west, 10% growth in the first nine months of 2017. lots of reasons for that we will get into over the morning. india and china, huge increase there, we've talked about brand britain. you got the beatles here, that might attract you, but when you're here you have the funfair and you, but when you're here you have the fu nfair and plenty you, but when you're here you have the funfair and plenty of museums and that increases spending, that's key because the pound has got weaker, which has meant it is more attractive to other countries. all of that to talk about this morning. before we talk about, all of that, let's talk about the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning, i'm asad ahmad. police in south london have been given special stop—and—search powers across camberwell until 9:30am this morning after four teenagers were stabbed in broad daylight. it means they can stop

and search anyone in the area without reasonable suspicion. the attack took place outside landor house in camberwell yesterday evening. six men have been arrested. police are appealing for information. network rail is taking the unusual step of asking rail passengers not to travel over the next three weekends. they're referring to anyone planning to use euston station as it's going to be closed while major work is carried out in north wembley. it'll effect passengers using the west coast mainline. the appetite for posh burgers seems to be growing in london, with several gourmet restaurants opening branches in recent years. so mcdonald's, not wanting to miss out, decided to do this.... decided to do this... it was at their high street kensington restaurant for one day only when customers had to reserve a table to enjoy their big mac and fries. the burger market, posh and otherwise, is predicted

to grow in coming years, but this isn't a sight you should get used to. it's supposed to be, of course, very tongue in cheek, eccentric, over the top, reminiscent of in some way a french chateaux, in some way a sort of mayfair club. we've just tried to create a real experience that the customers won't forget. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube board, the bakerloo lone and the london 0verground have severe delays this morning in north west london due to a faulty track. 0n the trains, there's disruption to great northern services between finsbury park and alexandra palace, due to damage to the overhead lines. it's going to stay that way for much of the day. 0n the roads, regent street is closed southbound between conduit street and glasshouse street due to emergency water repairs. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth. hello, good morning. a nice day of

weather today than we saw yesterday. there'll be lots of sunshine around through the morning. a bit more cloud in the afternoon but this time it will stay dry, but it's a rather chilly start. underneath largely clear skies last night, some rural spots dipped down to single figures but we are compensating for those lower temperatures with lots of early sunshine around. we keep that through the morning then a gradual increase in cloud through the afternoon, but still bright and sunny spells and a breeze will start to freshen as well. top temperatures higher than yesterday, 21 and 23. that will see us... through the evening and overnight warmer than last night, we should say in double figures. increasing amounts of cloud into tomorrow morning. tomorrow it will feel warm and humid. temperatures will rise all the way into the mid—20s, i think up to maybe 25 or 26. sunny spells around at times but quite a bit more cloud

around. the best of the sunshine probably on saturday. a cloudy but still warm and humid feeling day on sunday. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and rachel burden. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment. but also on breakfast this morning: # when i wake up, boy, i put on my make—up...# as the music world mourns the loss of aretha franklin, r&b legend alexander 0'neal is here to talk about the queen of soul's influence. actor emma thompson tells us how being a working mum has helped her new role, in a film which explores the consequences of struggling with work—life balance. and how about this one? badly parked cars drive many of us round the bend.

we're looking at why so many people violate car park etiquette and who are the worst offenders. good morning. here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. tributes have been paid around the world to aretha franklin who's died at the age of 76. known as the queen of soul, she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago, but only retired last year. fans, fellow musicians and us presidents have been remembering the singer as a musical icon and a powerful advocate for the civil rights movement. the nhs should do more to promote e—cigarettes as a way of helping people stop smoking, according to a group of mps. the report by the science and technology committee also calls on the government to make it easier for people to vape in public places. however, the recommendations have been criticised by some public health experts who say the report relies solely on accounts by e—cig champions. the italian government has opened an investigation

into the private operator of the motorway bridge that collapsed in genoa on tuesday, killing at least 38 people. autostrade has been given 15 days to show it met contractual obligations. the company says it made regular safety checks on the kilometre—long viaduct. ten of england's most challenging prisons are to be given a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions. the investment is part of a government drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. ministers also want to raise leadership standards by sending prison governors to military style staff colleges. the department store chain, house of fraser, has cancelled all its online orders, because of a dispute with its warehouse operator. the retailer was bought out of administration by sports direct a week ago. it says it has wiped all orders that hadn't been sent to customers and would be issuing refunds. those are the main stories at 6:33am

and now we can talk about the sport. ben stokes is back to the england tea m ben stokes is back to the england team after he was cleared of affray in court this week and interesting to hear from the coach to say that he apologised to his teammates when he apologised to his teammates when he arrived at training and he was asked in the press conference, you know, should he issue a public apology, and he said he thinks it should be forthcoming, so that's an interesting one, isn't it? he said he has been brought back for his well—being. he was found not guilty of affray earlier this week. his coach said he would assess stokes before deciding if he'll play in the third test against india. after being cleared of affray on tuesday, he was recalled to the squad hours later, but could still face action as part of the ecb's independent investigation. i thought for his own well—being, it was good to get him back around the cricket. we will see how he is

mentally as well as physically. he hasn't played for a couple of weeks. he has been a guy in the past has been able to come in and perform without having played a lot of cricket. england women's cricketer kate cros says playing for her country reduced her to tears after opening up about her battles with anxiety and depresion. as one of the first female players to receive a professional contract by the ecb she say she missed out on competing for two years after suffering a brea kown. i went downstairs to get some food, go to the toilet, i didn't shower, didn't do anything for three days, just slept and cried, and my dad came in and opened my blind and i would shut them straightaway, and that was my way of trying to hide from the world. rugby union player danny cipriani says he's was truly sorry for the incident that put his england future in doubt. his club side gloucester are sticking by him and his old boss at sale says england head coach eddiejones should do likewise. cipriani has been fined £2000 and ordered to pay £250 in compensation to a police officer. burnley are through to the europe league play—offs

after beating istanbul basaksehir in extra time. they'll face 0lympiakos for a place in the main draw. and rangers will take on the russian side ufa, after they drew 0—0 with maribor to go through 3—1 overall. rangers manager steven gerrard is still unbeaten, since taking over at rangers. hibernian and welsh side the new saints are out. alice tai won her first individual european title, with gold in the s8100—metres at the para swimming championships in dublin. she said afterwards she'd gone out too fast, but it was a really dominant performance — she finished nine seconds ahead of the field, as great britain won seven medals on day four. and that included a second gold for paralympic champion hannah russell, in the s12100m backstroke. that's three wins in a row for russell in this event. super league leaders st helens have returned to winning ways, beating wakefield 36—16. after back—to—back defeats, regan grace secured victory and a 10—point lead at the top of the super 8s table. the lawn tennis association aren't

happy about it but the format of the davis cup is changing. instead of spanning most of the calendar year, the event won by great britain three years ago will become an end—of—season competition, involving 18 teams. you know your round of golf‘s going well when these start going in. this was part of brandt snedeker‘s amazing round of 59 yesterday. 0nly ten players have shot below 60 in pga tour history. no wonder he is pumped up! if he was having a good day, so too was somerset‘s jamie 0verton in the t20 blast. how about this for a piece of fielding in the deep?! kent's alex blake launching one to the boundary. he appears here. but 0verton took a stunning catch! look at the athleticism of the man!

unbelievable. he did that beautifully, and i was taken by the skyline, it was beautiful, wasn't it, the red sky. breathtaking onto mac levels for you, charlie. is a double whammy. thank you —— on two levels for you. as we've been hearing the world of music is mourning the loss of the queen of soul, aretha franklin, who's died at the age of 76. she was one of the greatest stars of the 20th century, and was also an icon in the us civil rights movement. let's take a look back on her life. the queen of rhythm and blues, aretha franklin. # looking out, on the morning rain. # put your hands on your hips... # from the moment i wa ke on your hips... # from the moment i

wake up, boy, i put on my make up... # i wake up, boy, i put on my make up... #isaya wake up, boy, i put on my make up... # i say a little prayer for you. # respect, don't know what it means to me. # and in every one of our lives... i was crowned at the queen of soul, with respect, maintaining my crown as the queen of soul, well, it is second nature to me, and i think just being myself, the rest will ta ke just being myself, the rest will take care of itself. # higher and higher... # you make me feel... #

you make me feel like a woman... # you make me feel like a woman! one person who was hugely influenced by aretha franklin was r&b singer alexander 0'neal, hejoins us now. thank you for coming in so early. based in manchester, i know, originally from mississippi. born and raised, mississippi, just a country boy. tell us what it was like growing up in the 19605 and ‘705, the influence on someone like you, at a musician. aretha franklin, you, at a musician. aretha franklin, you know, she influenced so many people, and coming from the southern region of the us, tennessee, i am mississippi, we are like right next 01’, mississippi, we are like right next or, you know, we had the same kind of struggles, especially coming

through the 19505 and ‘605 with the civil rights movement, that's one of the things, we gravitated to aretha for because she had already, as we say, made it in the music industry, but to be involved with the civil rights movement and come back and be involved with that, it was really, really, i mean, it took us a long way. alexander, we've been looking through some of these amazing archival footage of her songs from way back, through to much more recent times, there is something about her voice and her delivery, and her personality that came through, it really was unique, wasn't it? how do you describe it?|j describe it as the gospel, it was the gospel aspect, you know. for her to be able to start out her career asa to be able to start out her career as a gospel singer and make a transition into our —— r and b and rhythm and blues and keep the gospel in her voice wasjust rhythm and blues and keep the gospel in her voice was just an ——

rhythm and blues and keep the gospel in her voice wasjust an —— and natural thing, keeping that gospel thing in her voice. she has the tag of the icon and sometimes people use it loosely, but unit once or twice, is that right? i had the privilege of meeting her one thought was, and it was very brief and she was very kind and very nice —— you met her once 01’ kind and very nice —— you met her once or twice. she had a calf upbringing, children very young, difficult relationships, but she retained a kind of dignity and someone retained a kind of dignity and someone talked about the regal quality —— tough upbringing. someone talked about the regal quality —— tough upbringinglj someone talked about the regal quality -- tough upbringing. i know that she had a difficult upbringing, she had a kind of difficult life, you know, but down south sometimes, you know, but down south sometimes, you know, but down south sometimes, you know, especially mississippi, and down south period, you know, to ove rco m e and down south period, you know, to overcome all of those things as a child, you know, i often say it's not where you come from, but where

you're going in life and, wow, did she go somewhere! you know, she was fantastic. we've seen the impact she had on people. when she sang, and you know this better than any of us, some people in their voices have the ability to really touch people, don't they, and we've seen some of the audiences, i think it was barack 0bama we saw in the audience there, wiping a tearfrom his eye, she had that in an extraordinary way, didn't she? you know, the amazing thing was she? you know, the amazing thing was she appealed to so many people. you know, certain people, if you are an r&b enthusiast, you might like r&b music, you might like rock or pop, but aretha franklin, everybody loved aretha, she does have the ability to catch everybody, it was just unique. and she was a feminist icon but she was also an icon for the civil rights movement, close to martin luther king, her father was rights movement, close to martin luther king, herfather was involved in that as well in her early days, how important was she as a figure,

particularly in the 19605 and 19705? very, very important. you know, we had certain artist excelled in the music industry and they also came back and gave back to the civil rights movement, james brown, aretha franklin, endless amount of others i could rename, and that was something for the young people to hold onto, because coming out of the south there is a lot of stigmas you have to get over, especially about intelligence, you know? and so, you know, i was saying, there is nothing slick than country slick. did you have a favourite song? 0h, definitely, i mean, so many favourite songs, i think i favourite would be you make me feel like a natural woman, not literally. would be you make me feel like a naturalwoman, not literally. thank you so much for talking to ask.

thank you for having me. here's sarah with a look at this morning's weather from a rather stunning location. severndroog castle in greenwich. good morning, charlie and rachel. i'm here and severndroog castle in greenwich, there is a magnificent view. 0n greenwich, there is a magnificent view. on a clear day like this you can see seven counties around london. to the west, you can see crystal palace and then panning across the skyline of london, glowing in the early morning sunshine, you can see the shard, a magnificent view here. glorious blue skies now the sun is up. scenes like this across many southern and eastern parts, but how about elsewhere across the country? a mixed bag today. more cloud and a few outbreaks of rain in the north—west. the brightest, warmest weather will always be in the south and east and that theme will continue over the next few days into the weekend. heavy rain yesterday

courtesy of a cold front which has cleared to the near continent. a warm front from the north—west is bringing rain this morning in northern ireland, the west of scotland, and that will continue to progress slowly further south and east. it will cloud over today with a few showers later in eastern scotland, northern england and the north wales. further south and east across england and wales, staying dry for much of the day with the sunshine turning hazy as the cloud moves in. temperatures up to 21 to 23 degrees in the south and east. further north and west, only 16 to 18. the breeze a noticeable feature of the weather, gusts up to 40 mph in parts of scotland. into this evening and overnight, we keep a bit of rain in parts of northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. clearer in the north of scotland, where it will be quite breezy. further south more cloud than last night, milder with the temperatures in the mid—teens. to start your saturday morning, a

fairly cloudy start to the weekend. remaining largely dry and bright again for southern and eastern part of england and wales, rain in parts of england and wales, rain in parts of northern england, northern ireland and southern scotland. were amending dry for northern scotland for much of the day. temperatures in the north 17 to 20, but in the south—east, 24 or 25, so warmer than recent days. and the second half of the weekend, the next batch of wet weather arriving into the west. rain in northern ireland on sunday, pushing into wales, northern england and southern scotland. the south—east of england should remain driest in the sunny spells, 2425. we're expecting to see a bit of brighter, drier weather we're expecting to see a bit of brighter, drierweatherforthe north of scotland. a mixed picture for the next few days. always driest in the south and east. most should see some sunshine at times. saturday the driest and brightest days. beautiful weather in london, not

quite so blue in liverpool where sean is. i'm sure that things will brighten up. good morning. hello, sean, can you hear us? good morning! welcome to liverpool! thank you for the thumbs up, now we know everything's 0k. all is fine! it's because you're here, rachel, everything normally works fine when you're not here! in liverpool this morning, at the moment we are in front of the cruise terminal, a cruiser has come in, we're talking about inbound tourism and that's a big part of it in the north—west. last year a record—breaking number of people for tourism in the uk from abroad. let's go through some figures. 39.2 million people visited the uk from overseas. up 4% on 2016.

a lot of people and lots of muggy to be spent. where are they coming from? india and china, as i mentioned, have seen a huge amount of growth —— money. we talked about brand britain many times before, that's valuable in those countries, but america are the biggest spenders. 0nce but america are the biggest spenders. once you get them here looking at the beatles, get them in the funfair, they spend more money and the weak pound is contributing as well. when you look overall, the wea ker as well. when you look overall, the weaker pound has had a big impact, that means the north—west and the midlands have particularly taken advantage, which is why we are in liverpool today. we can chew over why that's happened as we go down the tour bus this morning. patricia and kay are with us. are you cosy? yes. patricia, we will get to see a bit more of that in a minute... what has happened in the last couple of years, is it the weaker pound meaning it is cheaper for foreigners? you don't build a

tourism industry on the weak pound, we have a really good story in britain, great culture and heritage and that culture is both music, as you see in liverpool with the beatles, that wonderful story, but the old docks and history as well. we're getting better about telling the story, about english regions, and the unexplored places people can seek. you can see visitors coming in now want to get under the skin of a place —— word can see. they want to see more of a country thanjust place —— word can see. they want to see more of a country than just the capital —— can see. see more of a country than just the capital -- can see. ui travel expert, have you noticed any particular changes that people around the uk have put in place to capitalise on the weaker pound —— you are a. not specifically with the weaker pound but we are seeing more people seeking more thanjust the seaside holiday. we know that attractions are seeing increased numbers of visitors, we know whether you're a brit having a staycation

allan you're a brit having a staycation all an inbound tourist, visitor attractions, theme parks, those historic palaces, they are seeing higher numbers of visitors. to reinforce what patricia is saying, definitely we are seeing people going beyond london when they come m, going beyond london when they come in, and there are exploring more of the country. social media is driving this hugely —— there are exploring more. people are seeking out the selfies spots to tick the box. we are getting better at going beyond the seaside, going beyond the big cities. we are passing the statues of the beatles, that sold the spot idea, do you hear that spoken about in towns around the uk —— selfie spot. you need to tell the story and have something that connects. liverpool has had the terracotta warriors this year, i was out in china when that was announced. that's a link not to just tell why you should come to liverpool but to tell the story of welcome nurse and

openness that britain has that makes people want to come here and know more about the city. every item we doa more about the city. every item we do a selfie is involved somewhere. we will be talking more with you later. we will be ready for you later. we will be ready for you later. don't worry, we're all come from on a moving bus! normally there's a reason why you andi normally there's a reason why you and i are left alone with a radio! see you later on. i've been speaking to emma thompson this week, she's an actor who certainly doesn't shy away from the tricky issues. she's been very vocal on subjects like gender pay i've been speaking to emma thompson this week, she's an actor who certainly doesn't shy away from the tricky issues. she's been very vocal on subjects like gender pay and the harvey weinstein scandal. and her latest film tackles another controversial subject that has been

in the news recently, the life and death decisions that are ultimately made in a family—courtroom. the movie's called the children act. there is no escaping the fact that this is heavy water. it's grown-up, isn't it? we're so used to being fed quite a lot of formulaic stuff, you know. i always think of bill ba iley‘s know. i always think of bill bailey's line, disappear like a strand of saffron in a vindaloo and that's what i think about independent films that are grown—up. in the vindaloo of marvel films that are around its really difficult, you have to present your film and say, look, this is an adult film with very adult themes, but i think that, for instance, my nephews, who are 18 and 21, they would love it. i don't want to put people off by saying this is a very serious make you cry film, its not actually, but it's one of those things were afterwards you're going to have a lock to think about. the applicant, adam, has leukaemia but the boy and his parents argue rovers witnesses and it's contrary to their faith to acce pt and it's contrary to their faith to accept blood into their system. decisions are made byjudges about life and death. the king hell -- are

jehovah's witnesses. particularly about babies and there's treatments they can have and they can't have those kind of decisions, can you imagine having to make them? that i think was the most impressive thing to me about these women who i watched when i was researching it, the womenjudges watched when i was researching it, the women judges in watched when i was researching it, the womenjudges in the high court and the family corbynite are some of the most impressive people i've ever met —— family court. very few people walk in the corridors of power. so they're kind of extraordinary. walk in the corridors of power. so they're kind of extraordinarylj walk in the corridors of power. so they're kind of extraordinary. i can get some opera tickets for saturday not. no, i'm dutyjudge all weekend and. you can't switch it? no, two judgements for monday —— all weekend. what? nothing, like last weekend. what? nothing, like last weekend and 50 weekends before that. that's how it is. what's noticeable in the film is people who make these extraordinary decisions, well researched and thought through have

lives themselves. that's where the film happens, on that kind of very rocky boundary between her private life, which has suddenly had a grenade thrown into it really, and emotional grenade, and her public life, you know, her life as a public servant. what have we got? a child abducted to morocco, we pending suits, the next party application to exclude the husband from her matrimonial home and the jehovah's witness boyd listed for tomorrow has requested. everybody knows about work making it difficult for you to see the work for the trees in private life —— jehovah's witness boy. this is different, her work is so boy. this is different, her work is so important. of course you can understand that she just hasn't been listening to her husband and. it's one of those really big questions that people are likely ask themselves —— listing to her husband. 0ther themselves —— listing to her husband. other things in their lives have been left to one side. husband. other things in their lives have been left to one sidem husband. other things in their lives have been left to one side. if you work too much it's no good, we've

learned that the hard way so we don't work too much. have you managed to square that up, the worklife thing, now you have? year. i'm very lucky now because i can choose much more. —— year. i can choose much more. —— year. i can choose to work much more than i used to be able to —— yeah. definitely we're always looking at that. emma thompson's new film. she said at the beginning, it's a tough watch given the subject matter. it's a really interesting film. poses a lot of questions and she's a very engaging person. as it comes across. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning, i'm asad ahmad. police in south london have been given special stop—and—search powers across camberwell until 9:30am this morning after four teenagers were stabbed yesterday in broad daylight. it means police can stop and search anyone in the area without reasonable suspicion. the attack took place on the elmington estate

near camberwell road at about 5:30pm. several arrests have been made. network rail is asking thousands of rail passengers not to travel over the next three weekends. it's for anyone planning to use euston station, as it's going to be closed while major work is carried out in north wembley. it'll effect passengers using the west coast mainline. the appetite for posh burgers seems to be growing in london, with several gourmet restaurants opening branches in recent years. so mcdonald's, not wanting to miss out, decided to do this. it was at their high street kensington restaurant for one day only, when customers had to reserve a table to enjoy their big mac and fries. the burger market, posh and otherwise, is predicted to grow in coming years, but this isn't a sight you should get used to. it's supposed to be, of course, very tongue in cheek,

eccentric, over the top, reminiscent of in some way a french chateaux, in some way a sort of mayfair club. we've just tried to create a real experience that the customers won't forget. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube, problems on the bakerloo line and the london 0verground this morning in north—west london due to a faulty track. elsewhere it's a good service. 0n the trains, there's disruption to great northern services between finsbury park and alexandra palace, due to damage to the overhead lines. 0n the roads, regent street is closed southbound between conduit street and glasshouse street due to emergency water repairs. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth. hello, good morning. it's a nicer day of weather today than we saw yesterday. there'll be lots of sunshine around through the morning. a bit more cloud in the afternoon but this time it will stay dry, but it's a rather chilly start.

underneath largely clear skies last night, we saw some of our rural spots dip down to single figures, but we are compensating for those lower temperatures with lots of early sunshine around. we keep that sunshine through the morning then a gradual increase in cloud as we head through the afternoon, but still some bright and sunny spells and a breeze will start to freshen as well. top temperatures higher than yesterday's, between 21 and maybe 23. through this evening and overnight, it'll stay warmer than last night, we should stay in double figures. increasing amounts of cloud into tomorrow morning too. then tomorrow, it will feel warm and humid. we'll see temperatures rise all the way into the mid—205, i think up to maybe 25 or 26 celsius. sunny spells around at times, but quite a bit more cloud around. the best of the sunshine probably on saturday. a cloudier but still warm and humid—feeling day on sunday. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. va nessa

vanessa feltz has more on the stabbings in camberwell on bbc news london —— bbc radio london. she'll be speaking to the mp in half an hour. good morning. welcome to breakfast with rachel burden and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today: # respect, don't know what it means to me, respect, take care of... loved and respected. tributes are paid around the world to aretha franklin. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour and divatude personified. vaping on prescription? mp5 call for the nhs to relax its rules on e—cigarettes. the italian government launches a formal investigation into the company responsible for operating the motorway bridge in genoa which collapsed. tourist spots outside london, like

here in liverpool, saw a record—breaking year of visitors, so iam going record—breaking year of visitors, so i am going on a magical mystery tour to see why they are doing so well. cleared of affray, ben stokes trains with england ahead of the third test. his coach says his return to the squad is for his own wellbeing. and i am at severndroog castle in greenwich, where it is a beautiful start to the day, a glorious view over london from here. i'll have a full weather forecast across the uk in about 15 minutes. it's friday, the 17th of august. our top story: tributes have been paid around the world to aretha franklin who's died at the age of 76. known as the queen of soul, she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago, but only retired last year. fans, fellow musicians and us presidents have been remembering the singer as a musical icon and a powerful advocate for the civil rights movement. peter bowes reports from los angeles. festooned with flowers and framed by photos, the queen of soul's star on hollywood's walk of fame, a place for fans to pay tribute to a superstar. i'm a baby of the ‘605,

and so in my household aretha franklin was a well—known name. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour and "divatude" personified. loving her music but also as i became older i began to realise how powerful and important she was as a humanitarian, an activist, someone involved in the civil rights. aretha franklin was bigger than music. she became a symbol for civil rights in the ‘605, performed at the funeral of martin luther king, and the inauguration of america's first black president. in his tribute, barack obama said aretha helped define the american experience. the civil rights leader, jesse jackson, knew the singer for more than 60 years. a singer whose music impacted the world but whose sense of global justice was global.

she also fought for doctor king, she fought for nelson mandela, she fought for barack obama. her sense of community service was as broad as was her music. aretha franklin's final performance last november was at a gala in new york for elton john's aids foundation. sir elton said her loss was a blow for everybody who loves real music. sir paul mccartney said the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being would live with us for ever. # all i'm asking is for a little respect... the queen of soul, respected by so many and missed by all. # all i'm asking in return, honey...# the nhs should do more to promote e—cigarettes as a way of helping people stop smoking, according to a group of mp5. the recommendations have been criticised by some public

health experts who say the report relies solely on accounts by "e—cig champions". but the science and technology committee calls on the government to make it easier to use e—cigarettes in public places and to consider vaping on presciption. if we can get a vaping product medically licensed, and there is no reason why that shouldn't be possible, it is costly and there is a long—term process, and we are calling for that to be streamlined, but we could make the opportunity available to help more heavy smokers give up and, critically, save lives. the italian government has opened an investigation into the private operator of the motorway bridge that collapsed in genoa on tuesday, killing at least 38 people. autostrade has been given 15 days to show it met contractual obligations. the company says it made regular safety checks on the viaduct. danjohnson is in genoa for us this morning. so, the focus very much now on the

private operator of the bridge itself. yes, indeed. italy's top politicians were very quick to point the finger of blame at the company responsible for maintaining this bridge. the company itself says it is too early to jump to conclusions because investigation work hasn't really begun. already there are calls for the management to go, for its contracts to be published, and for it to explain exactly what the maintenance record of this bridge was, but here at the scene, this delicate, difficult, careful recovery work is still going on. they are breaking up the huge lumps of concrete that are left from the rubble of the bridge and layout removing the vehicle on the bits of the bridge that remain. they have to make sure that they area around the bridge is safe so that people who we re bridge is safe so that people who were evacuated from their homes can

come back and get their thing. there are hundreds of people who may have to be permanently re— homed, so a lot of work to do here and the investigation work to work out what went wrong hasn't started. the prime minister said the city and the region won't be left alone. they will be supported in the weeks ahead. tomorrow there will be a state funeral here in the city in memory of all of those who died. we know at the moment there are 38 victims confirmed, but the prosecutor said yesterday that there are possibly ten or 20 people still missing. recovery work still to do to give answers to the loved ones and the families of those loved ones. for the moment, thank you. house of fraser has cancelled all of its online orders, because of a dispute with its warehouse operator. the retailer was bought out of administration by sports direct a week ago. it says it has pulled all orders that hadn't been sent to customers and would be issuing refunds. people are already responding on social media to say they've been affected by this decision. let us know if you've had your orders cancelled. ten of england's most challenging

prisons are to be given a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions, as part of a government drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. ministers also want to raise leadership standards by sending prison governors to military—style colleges. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. how to stop drugs getting into prisons — here's one way. hmp leeds is one of ten prisons where sniffer dogs are being brought in to reduce the amount of drugs smuggled in by prisoners, visitors, and staff. new substances such as spice have caused health problems and sparked violence in prisons — volatile places even at the best of times. atmosphere is good. but, like everything and anything, things can change. the dynamics of a jail, or the dynamics of a wing, can change overnight. maintaining prison buildings is important, too. the government's investing

in a programme to replace cell windows and improve perimeter security to stop drugs being blown in by drones or thrown over walls. grabbing hold of those drugs, stopping them getting in in the first place is absolutely vital if we are to turn around violence in prisons. and unless we turn around vioelence in prisons, you can't get prisoners into education. if you can't get them into education and work, you can't turn their lives around. and you can't turn their lives around, you can't protect the public. but it is the relationship between prison officers and prisoners that's key to a stable prison, as well as leadership skills. that is why the ministry of defence has been asked for help in setting up a training scheme for prison governors, similar to that of senior members of the armed forces. it is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve living conditions and security. the government has promised improvements within 12 months. danny shaw, bbc news. former cricket star

imran khan is expected to be confirmed as pakistan's next prime minister today. however, his appointment is likely to face stern opposition from the previous party of government which claimed last month's elections were rigged. american researchers have warned that low—carbohydrate diets could be shortening people's lives. the study followed 15,000 people for 25 years and found that those getting half their energy from carbs lived the longest, while people who cut them to less than a third of their diet had their life expectancy reduced by four years. scientists say they have taken a significant step towards the development of new strains of wheat that will be able to cope with increased demand and climate change. an international team of researchers has produced a map of the food crops genome, made up of more than 1,000 genes. 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh has more. wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world, and it's a struggle

to produce enough. researchers here are trying to increase yields by crossbreeding varieties with useful traits. it can take up to 15 years to develop a successful strain, but that time could soon be halved. an international team has decoded the dna of wheat and located the position of more than 100,000 of its genes. without having the map of the wheat genome, it's been difficult to achieve the increase in demands we are getting around her world, but now, with the wheat genome, all of a sudden we can use all of the genetic and genomic information to accelerate the breeding process and produce better varieties more quickly and feed the world in future. these plants have been given the same amount of water, but you can see that this one hasn't coped so well. that's because this variety has genes that enable it to withstand drought conditions. the wheat genome will enable researchers to work out what they are and so develop completely new strains that are able to cope with the increased heatwaves that climate change

is predicted to bring. the researcers believe that their map of genes is a vital breakthrough that was needed to boost production in areas that will be hardest hit by climate change, and so ensure that the world's growing population will continue to have food on their plates. pallab ghosh, bbc news. he made his name, and a huge fortune, by displaying his art without consent. now the graffiti artist banksy has had a small taste of his own medicine. he has expressed irritation that a gallery in moscow is holding an exhibition of his work, and charging visitors to enter, without consulting him. but in correspondence with a fan online, banksy admits he's probably not the best person to complain

about people putting up pictures without getting permission. those are the main stories at 7:12am and we return to one of our main stories this morning. many people who try to give up smoking turn to e—cigarettes, but there are mixed messages this week about the safety of vaping. on monday researchers at the university of birmingham suggested it may not be as healthy as previously thought, but this morning mp5 are calling for rules around e—cigarettes to be relaxed, to help more people give up smoking. joining us now in the studio is dr dhruv parekh, a consultant in respiratory medicine, and professor linda bauld a professor of health policy at the university of stirling. thank you very much, both of you, for your time this morning. ijust wonder, first of all, dr dhruv parekh, if you can display to us, we have a lot of interest from people on this story, how do you see the health benefits, or the concerns, around vaping and e—cigarettes? health benefits, or the concerns,

around vaping and e-cigarettes? what we have found in our research is the belief that it is better than smoking is much safer and less harmful than cigarette smoking might not be true and our work in living human cells shows the inflammatory effects on the immune cells are similarto effects on the immune cells are similar to that of cigarette smoking. the terminology used is very interesting, may not be true, that leaves a grey area in which inhabits some of the discussion going on at the moment. absolutely, and it highlights the discussion required, and the debate that is required, and the debate that is required, and the debate that is required, and a sweeping statement that e—cigarettes are 95% safer than smoking are quite general and based on estimates, really, and more research needs to be done. like i said, our work from the british lung foundation says e—cigarette and

vaping, the actual vaping process may not be beneficial and may cause similar effects to smoking in the longer term and we need to do more research before we can say that we should be making this much easier, accessible and advertising e—cigarettes as a promotional... accessible and advertising e-cigarettes as a promotional... on this programme, the science and technology committee came close to saying it should be on prescription if they can get an medically regulated version of vaping and he said there is a long process before we get to that point, but it is something you would support? absolutely, at the moment 40% of people who smoke in the uk haven't tried vaping, and while small studies like the one from birmingham are useful, they are tiny studies, and cancer research uk has funded 50 studies and we have others that have shown they are far safer, no one says they are safe, many things are not safe, but if we know how deadly smoking is, it kills one into

regular 40% haven't tried the drawbacks, somewhat like things which are approved by the nhs, so we think there is a place for this. which are approved by the nhs, so we think there is a place for thism is not a regulated industry, you see vaping everywhere with vaping shops on the high street, in the local supermarket, but the regulation on it isn't very tight. in 2016, we introduced the european products directive, so there is no marketing any more, nicotine content is regulated, it has to be reported to public health england, so it is much better than it used to be. there might be some cowboys out there. people who are concerned about trying vaping, concerned about the risks, they should talk to their doctor and give it a go because we know at the end of the day smoking is something that kills so many people and it might have a place. is something that kills so many people and it might have a placelj people and it might have a place.” would like to comeback on that point, because all the evidence so far would suggest that the other

nicotine replacement therapies, patches and other methods of giving up patches and other methods of giving up smoking, can bejust patches and other methods of giving up smoking, can be just as patches and other methods of giving up smoking, can bejust as good as e—cigarettes in terms of smoking cessation when they are backed up with support and support from healthcare professionals. that's what's been lacking in the last 4—5 yea rs, what's been lacking in the last 4—5 years, we've what's been lacking in the last 4—5 yea rs, we've lost what's been lacking in the last 4—5 years, we've lost that. and then we had the testimony of so many people this morning to say they haven't had a cigarette in three years, moving to vaping, another smoked 25 cigarettes for 45 years, tried using all kinds of methods, failing every time, venues and e—cigarette and cut down immediately and in weeks stopped completely, although we have a message from one asthmatic which says i can categorically say that second—hand vaping causes serious attacks and using it in public is very dangerous. firstly, you're right, the best way for someone to stop is to go to their local stop smoking services and use nicotine therapy and other

services, and i've been researching for 20 years and we've never persuaded five to 10% of smokers to use them. those people don't want medicalised approaches. but vaping indoors, many people find it unpleasant, don't want to be exposed to it, especially some groups. it sends the message that vaping is as harmful as smoking, we need a more nuanced debate that allows appropriate use. thank you for your time. stopping smoking is the best way to deal with it. really interesting. thanks for your comments, keep them coming in. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the headlines: music fans around the world are mourning the loss of the soul singer aretha franklin. bringing e—cigarettes in from the cold, a group of mp5 says vaping bans in some public spaces should be lifted. sarah is looking at the weather of

from an ancient woodland, tell us more. that's right, rachel, good morning to you both. this castle is surrounded by 77 hectares of ancient woodland. some of it dates back 8000 yea rs, woodland. some of it dates back 8000 years, perched ‘s hill. it was billed as a it was a fortress and unimportant lookout point in both world wars and you can see why it makes a good lookout point because the view is spectacular, across the skyline of london, and a beautiful morning. blue skies here and blue skies in many southern and eastern parts of england and into wales, what about the rest of the country?

weather is going to be a north—west, south—east split. we have cloud and outbreaks of rain in northern and western parts of the uk, the best of the driest, brightest and warmest weather will be in the south—east. yesterday there was heavy rain which has cleared to the near continent on a cold front, but a warm front is bringing the next batch of wet weather. in northern ireland and western scotland, we have the cloud and rain creeping south and east through the day. the likes of eastern scotland, northern england and into wales, cloud in over later with a few showers arriving. central, southern and eastern england remains dry through the day and in the sunshine it will feel reasonably warm. we could see 23 or so reasonably warm. we could see 23 or so today but further north, it's not only cooler but windier. we could see gusts of 40 mph in parts of scotla nd see gusts of 40 mph in parts of scotland with temperatures 16 or 17. into this evening and overnight, that front continues to go further south. 0utbreaks that front continues to go further south. 0utbrea ks of that front continues to go further south. outbreaks of rain for parts of northern ireland, southern

scotla nd of northern ireland, southern scotland and the north of england. to the north of that for central and northern scotland, clearer skies here and to the south, for the bulk of england and wales, largely dry to start saturday. a fairly cloudy morning but sunshine again to the south and east. a bit of rain on saturday in parts of northern england and southern scotland and northern ireland. temperatures in the north getting up to the high teens, perhaps creeping into the low 205, but further south, a bit warmer tomorrow. temperatures likely to reach 24 or 25 in the south—east. still a bit of a breeze around but certainly warmer than over recent days. heading into the second half of the weekend, the next area of wet weather arrives in the west. that will be the remnants of tropical storm ernesto. bringing rain to northern ireland initially, pushing into scotland, northern england and wales. far north scotland likely to hold onto drier weather on sunday and again to the south—east where we

should keep the bulk of the sunny spells. temperatures up to 24 or 25 in the south—east. the high teens to the low 205 further north. a mixed picture over the next few days. many should see some sunshine, particularly in the south and east. there will be some rain at times, especially in the north and west on sunday. you are blessed with a beautiful view there. what a view! it is stunning up here, i can tell you that. really nice. just take that in for a moment. we didn't need words to add to the view, did we? we were trying to peek behind the curtains to see if we had anything like those blue skies. sean is in liverpool this morning, a bit cloudy there! we will talk to him ina bit cloudy there! we will talk to him in a little while. it's exam results season, and while pupils are still celebrating their a—levels, it's emerged more than 86,000 young people in england had to resit their maths or english gcse last summer, that's according to figures seen exclusively by bbc

brea kfast. four years ago the government decided that students should keep retaking the exams until they achieved a good pass in the two core subjects or in equivalent skills. but the stats show some are resitting up to four times. john maguire reports. namea name a skill or a subject and they're bound name a skill or a subject and they‘ re bound to name a skill or a subject and they're bound to teach it here at barking and dagenham college in east london. these painting and decorating apprentices are among the 12,500 students, post—16 as well as older learners, from sports to science, arts to accountancy, they do it all. and since the government in england decided students over 16 should achieve a good pass in maths and english gcses, oran should achieve a good pass in maths and english gcses, or an equivalent skill, there's been a sixfold increase in the numbers retaking those subjects here. you need to look at what happened in—school maybe didn't work so we tried to make it real life and link it to real—life situations so they can

actually see where they will use it and a way to remember it and the releva nce and a way to remember it and the relevance behind it. at leighton sixth form college i need three stu d e nts sixth form college i need three students who been through resits more than once. everyone has different ways of learning so i think there should be better ways of trying to help students achieve the grades they deserve.” trying to help students achieve the grades they deserve. i took it but i didn't get the grades i wanted because university you need a higher grade, so because university you need a higher grade, 50! because university you need a higher grade, so i retook it. you can get quite under pressure from family and friends, like some friends have passed exams and you're there thinking i've tried so hard and it's not working out for me. and they're farfrom alone. the not working out for me. and they're far from alone. the social equality charity impetus has analysed the department for education figures and found in england last summer more than 86,000 students rhys at maths or english, and among those almost 5700 were taking their exams for the fourth time. these qualifications are so fourth time. these qualifications are so important and we know

employers and universities and colleges put so much weight on maths and english gcse that i don't think it's right if you don't get them the first time you don't get a proper second chance. at the moment it isn't a second chance to succeed, it isn't a second chance to succeed, it isa isn't a second chance to succeed, it is a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance to fail because it not been done properly and seriously. so what's the answer? colleges say they're underfunded and there needs to be a new approach. we have to recognise the fact students at16,17,18 are have to recognise the fact students at 16, 17, 18 are different from those students studying those qualifications at school and we need to make those qualifications releva nt to make those qualifications relevant and responsive to their needs as they get older, as they become adults and as they start to envisage their life beyond education. the government said it committed an extra £50 million to improve the maths teaching last year, and £4.5 billion a year to professional development for teachers in both subjects. of course, education is supposed to open doors. but for thousands of

students, it seems some remain closed. john maguire, bbc news, east london. and if you or someone you know wants advice with next steps after exam results, visit bbc.com/bitesize/support. sean is out and about, he was on a bus in liverpool, i'm not sure where he is now. good morning, sean. i'm still on the bus, i've got my own tour bus and tour guide, paul. thanks for putting up with me, appreciated. we are here because inbound tourism, paul has lots to say on that later in the programme when we talk about why people are coming to liverpool, and the uk from abroad. record—breaking year last year, more than 39 million, up 4% on the ear before, lots of people from india, china but america still the big spenders —— the year before. when you come to places like liverpool, ferries and cruise liners

have come in this morning ringing in people who are going to spend a lot of money here. a funfair on, beatles statues, selfies as well —— bringing in. that's a key part if you want to have a successful city, iconic places for selfies. that's what we will be looking at this morning, what we can do to build on that even more. first, the news, travel and weather where you are. and, paul, where are we now? good morning, i'm asad ahmad. police in south london have been given special stop—and—search powers across camberwell until 9:30am this morning after four teenagers were stabbed yesterday in broad daylight. it means police can stop and search anyone in the area without reasonable suspicion. the attack took place on the elmington estate near camberwell road at about 5:30pm. several arrests have been made. network rail is asking thousands of rail passengers not

to travel over the next three weekends. it's for anyone planning to use euston station as it's going to be closed while major work is carried out in north wembley. it'll effect passengers using the west coast mainline. the appetite for posh burgers seems to be growing in london, with several gourmet restaurants opening branches in recent years. so mcdonald's, not wanting to miss out, decided to do this... it was at their high street kensington restaurant for one day only when customers had to reserve a table to enjoy their big mac and fries. the burger market, posh and otherwise, is predicted to grow in coming years, but this isn't a sight you should get used to. it's supposed to be, of course, very tongue in cheek, eccentric, over the top, reminiscent of in some way a french chateaux, in some way a sort of mayfair club. we've just tried to create a real experience that the customers won't forget. definitely one to remember!

let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube board, problems on the bakerloo line and the london 0verground this morning in north—west london due to a faulty track. 0n the trains, there's disruption to great northern services between finsbury park and alexandra palace due to damage to the overhead lines. 0n the roads, regent street is closed southbound between conduit street and glasshouse street due to emergency water repairs. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth. hello, good morning. it's a nicer day of weather today than we saw yesterday. there'll be lots of sunshine around through the morning. a bit more cloud in the afternoon but this time it will stay dry, but it's a rather chilly start. underneath largely clear skies last night, we saw some of our rural spots dip down to single figures, but we are compensating for those lower temperatures with lots of early sunshine around. we keep that sunshine through the morning then a gradual increase in cloud as we head through the afternoon, but still some bright and sunny spells and a breeze will start

to freshen as well. top temperatures higher than yesterday's, between 21 and maybe 23. through this evening and overnight, it'll stay warmer than last night, we should stay in double figures. increasing amounts of cloud into tomorrow morning too. then tomorrow, it will feel warm and humid. we'll see temperatures rise all the way into the mid—205, i think up to maybe 25 or 26 celsius. sunny spells around at times, but quite a bit more cloud around. the best of the sunshine probably on saturday. a cloudier but still warm and humid—feeling day on sunday. that's it, bye for now. hello. this is breakfast with rachel burden and charlie stayt. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. tributes have been paid around the world to aretha franklin who's died at the age of 76. known as the queen of soul, she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago, but only retired last year. fans, fellow musicians and us

presidents have been remembering the singer as a musical icon and a powerful advocate for the civil rights movement. she was the queen of soul and there was a very regal element to aretha. she was a very elegant, very refined woman. she was absolutely lovely and a m woman. she was absolutely lovely and a joy to work with. 0bviously she was a musical genius, and just like a sponge, was a musical genius, and just like a sponge, you know, shejust picked it up so quickly. she had an extraordinary ear, and, i mean, can you imagine, how lucky was either —— ito you imagine, how lucky was either —— i to coach you imagine, how lucky was either —— ito coach her on that, it was a jov- the nhs should do more to promote

e—cigarettes as a way of helping people stop smoking, according to a group of mp5. the recommendations have been criticised by some public health experts who say the report relies solely on accounts by "e—cig champions". but the science and technology committee calls on the government to make it easier to use e—cigarettes in public places and to consider vaping on presciption. if we can get a vaping product medically licensed, and there is no reason why that shouldn't be possible, it is costly and there is a long—term process, and we are calling for that to be streamlined, but we could make the opportunity available to help more heavy smokers give up and, critically, save lives. the italian government has opened an investigation into the private operator of the motorway bridge that collapsed in genoa on tuesday, killing at least 38 people. autostrade has been given 15 days to show it met contractual obligations. the company says it made regular safety checks on the kilometre—long viaduct. ten of england's most challenging prisons are to be given

a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions. the investment is part of a government drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. ministers also want to raise leadership standards by sending prison governors to military—style staff colleges. the department store chain, house of fraser, has cancelled all its online orders, because of a dispute with its warehouse operator. the retailer was bought out of administration by sports direct a week ago. it says it has wiped all orders that hadn't been sent to customers and would be issuing refunds. coming up on the programme: sarah will have the weather from severndroog castle in greenwich. we will turn our attention to sport, it was interesting discussing on the radio earlier this week the future of ben stokes, people still very divided over whether what is done is done, it is in the past, time to

move on, he is not guilty, or whether he should make some kind of compensation. it is interesting, if anything the ecb have been consistent. when he was charged, he was called up to the squad, now he is not guilty this week, which we've talked a lot about and now he is backin talked a lot about and now he is back in the england squad, so it is interesting what the head coach has had to say, that they did it for his well—being, which says something about his state of mind. you are talking about bringing him back into the team. because as soon as he was cleared he was in the england squad two hours later. than the coach was faced with questions of whether he needs to say something publicly, does he need to go further? yes, he apologised to his teammates and the management staff and everyone involved with england for what's gone on and then he asked if he should issue the apology and he said he think it will come at some point, so we he think it will come at some point, so we will wait and see when it

might be. he was found not guilty of affray earlier this week. his coach said he would assess stokes before deciding if he'll play in the third test. after being cleared on tuesday, he was recalled to the squad hours later, but could still face action as part of the ecb's independent investigation. i thought for his own well—being, it was good to get him back around the cricket. we will see how he is mentally as well as physically. he hasn't played for a couple of weeks. he has been a guy in the past has been able to come in and perform without having played a lot of cricket. england women's cricketer kate cross has opened up about her battles with anxiety and depresion. she was one of the first female players to receive a professional contract from the ecb but she says she missed out on competing for two years after suffering a breakown. i went downstairs to get some food, go to the toilet, i didn't shower, didn't do anything for three days, just slept and cried, and my dad came in and opened my blinds and i would shut them straightaway, and that was my way of trying to hide from the world, i guess.

danny cipriani says he's truly sorry for the incident in jersey that put his england future in doubt. his club side gloucester are sticking by him and his old boss at sale says england head coach eddiejones should do the same. he's been fined £2000 and ordered to pay £250 in compensation to a police officer. burnley are into to the europa league play—offs where they'll face greek side 0lympiakos. while rangers take on rusian opponents ufa for a place in the main draw, after they drew 0—0 with maribor to go through 3—1 overall. they had goalkeeper allan mcgregor to thank for a string of saves, including a penalty. steven gerrard still unbeaten since taking over as rangers manager. hibernian and welsh side the new saints are out. alice tai won her first individual european title, taking gold in the s8100—metres at the para swimming championships in dublin. she said afterwards she'd gone out too fast but it was a really

dominant performance, she finished nine seconds ahead of the field, as great britain won seven more medals. and that included a second gold for paralympic champion hannah russell, in the s12100m backstroke. that's three wins in a row for russell in this event. super league leaders st helens have returned to winning ways, beating wakefield 36—16. after back—to—back defeats, regan grace secured victory and a 10—point lead at the top of the super 85 table. the lawn tennis association aren't happy about it, but the format of the davis cup is changing. instead of spanning most of the calendar year, the event won by great britain in 2015 will become an end—of—season competition, involving 18 teams. you know your round of golf‘s going well when these start

going in. this was part of brandt snedeker‘s amazing round of 59 yesterday. that was 11 under par. he didn't seem overly animated by that one. unsurprisingly, he leads the wyndham championship. 0nly ten players have shot below 60 in pga tour history. there we go, he looks a little bit happier now. if he was having a good day, so too was somerset‘s jamie 0verton in the t20 blast. have a look at this for a really impressive piece of fielding. kent's alex blake launching one to the boundary. but 0verton took a stunning catch. and just about saving a six. amazing athleticism! unbelievable. yeah. and rather impressed by the dramatic sky, providing the perfect backdrop for that. may be that

weather was inspiring him. producing something to reflect. parking skills, good at parking? this is out of the blue, sorry. i think i am all right. that was so random! can you park your car? i am ok, i fancy myself, yes, though when i did my driving test i offered to reverse, at the end of the test, i offered to back into the space, instead of driving in and they said, we didn't ask you to do that and they failed me as ask you to do that and they failed measa ask you to do that and they failed me as a result? what? yes, for not following instruction. are you sure you didn't do badly?” following instruction. are you sure you didn't do badly? i was helping someone you didn't do badly? i was helping someone else for the next person doing their test, so, look, someone else for the next person doing theirtest, so, look, i have someone else for the next person doing their test, so, look, i have a bad history when it comes to parking. well, we know that now, thank you. bad parking can be infuriating, whether it's parking over the white lines, leaving cars in disabled or parent and child bays when you shouldn't, or driving the wrong way round the car park.

there's an unwritten car park etiquette, but according to a new survey one in ten drivers regulary violate the code. so which bad parking habits annoy people most? we've been to bury in greater manchester to find out. people in large chelsea tractors who ta ke people in large chelsea tractors who take up two spaces and can't park properly and slow down the traffic, my biggest bugbear. parking on the yellow lines annoys me because, you know, go and walk. people who drive around the car park fast, because they go round too quick. lots of people don't park right, sometimes they use both parking spaces, that annoys me. the bugbear on car parking, asda and tesco supermarket,

the single occupants whojump into the single occupants whojump into the disabled bay because it is easy. i had the disabled bay because it is easy. ihada the disabled bay because it is easy. i had a big scrape down the side from someone in the car park and i don't know who it is and there was no camera. we're joined now by behavioural expert honey langcaster—james. just been scrolling through my twitter feed with people talking about their worst parking sense, a couple of them here, one says people who don't have children park in pa rent who don't have children park in parent and baby spaces really grinds my gears and if you say anything you get abused, and another one, the owners of posh cars, claims martin, who use two spaces to ensure they don't get scratched, does it really happen? yes, actually, i have to admiti happen? yes, actually, i have to admit i have quite a white car myself, and, yes, i had an issue when i came to my car and it had a scrape down the side, and ever since

then i try to justify myself —— justified to myself that this is ok because i am avoiding the scratch, and people parked outside the city centre because they don't want to be the person in the bay, when you come back to the car and there is a scratch. charlie and i said the reason we deal with this is just to have bad, old cars and we don't care if they get scratched or not. have bad, old cars and we don't care if they get scratched or notm helps a little bit. one of the interesting things about this is how there is often quite a disparity between what people think you should do and, you know, for example, the really, getting angry about the rules about not parking in a child spot, or perhaps a disabled spot, but when it comes to themselves on occasion they might be in a rush, they might have some reason where they might have some reason where they are able to justify to themselves, oh, todayl they are able to justify to themselves, oh, today i did this, but this isn't really, i am not a rule breaker as such,

but this isn't really, i am not a rule breakeras such, i but this isn't really, i am not a rule breaker as such, i am just justifying my behaviour on one occasion, just for a few minutes. the pictures we am looking at were sort of a multi—storey carpark, supermarket car park, people say, when did the spaces get so small? when you park in the middle of the day and you still can't get your door open to get out? what we are seeing is the rise in the larger vehicles and a number of them parked together, you get the psychological phenomena called the bandwagon effect, you see someone else has parked their car, it is slightly over, or it is on the line, and so you think, well, they did it, so i will do it, and a tiny little bit like that. sometimes you can't even get out of the car. in my research there is on average 23 centimetres to get out if someone is parked central to the space, and then the person next to you has parked on the line, and it is very small. it is fine if you are like this, if you area

fine if you are like this, if you are a larger or fine if you are like this, if you area larger ora fine if you are like this, if you are a larger or a taller person. exactly, and when you get irritated about those things, that is when you start to justify about those things, that is when you start tojustify being about those things, that is when you start to justify being a rule breaker and saying to yourself, well, i am just going in for a few moments, i well, i am just going in for a few moments, lam not well, i am just going in for a few moments, i am not doing any harm. the worst offenders are those who see perhaps a disabled badge user's space and they think, there are loads of them, i hear this, there are loads of empty spaces, what harm ami are loads of empty spaces, what harm am i doing? but of course, for some people, people see it as a privilege, or some special treatment, but it isn't, it is levelling the playing field for people who need the spaces and what i say to people is if you're struggling to see that, think of someone struggling to see that, think of someone in your family who really needs to be close to the doors, or maybe who is hard of mobility, it helps you try to have compassion for the faceless person you think you are not violating when you humanise it. it is an issue that wines people up, that is for sure. it is nice to

see you this morning, thank you. keep your thoughts coming in this morning. here's sarah with a look at this morning's weather from a rather stunning location, severndroog castle in greenwich. a dramatic new. good morning -- view. i'm at severndroog castle in greenwich, on top of shooter's hill, one of the best views of the capital. beautiful blue skies, the london eye, the shard and moving across the skyline towards canary wharf. 0na across the skyline towards canary wharf. on a clear day from up here you can see seven counties surrounding london. this was used as a viewpoint during both world wars and you can see why on a clear day like this. clear sky and sunshine in the south—east but what about the rest of the country? a north—west, south—east to split today. some cloud and rain in the western half of the uk. clear and dry weather today expected in the south and east and we will keep that

theme over the next couple of days. heavy rain around yesterday on a cold front, which has now cleared to the near continent but a warm front is moving from the north—west, bringing outbreaks across northern ireland and into the west of scotland. the cloud and rain creeping further south and east through the day. for the likes of eastern scotland, northern england and wales, the cloud increasing with and wales, the cloud increasing with a few showers later in the day. central, southern and eastern england should stay dry all day, fine in the sunshine with temperatures up to 23. further north, cooler, just 16 or 17 in scotla nd north, cooler, just 16 or 17 in scotland and northern ireland and a noticeable breeze. some of those wind gusts could reach around 40 mph in the north, so a blustery and fairly cloudy day and west with the outbreaks of rain. through this evening and tonight, the rain creeps further south. raining at times for southern scotland, northern england into northern ireland. clearing skies in the north of scotland,

fresher here, but further south that we've got more cloud compared to last night, so a bit milder with temperatures generally in the mid teens. through saturday, quite a cloudy sort of day. sunshine on offer, particularly in southern and eastern england once again. still outbreaks of rain for parts of eastern england, southern scotland and northern ireland and a few showers in the far north—west but windy again. temperatures on saturday, warming up in the south, 24 or 25. further north, the high teens or possibly into the low twenties. by sunday, more heavy rain comes in from the west down to the re m na nts of comes in from the west down to the remnants of tropical storm ernesto, quite warm air mixed in. heavy rain in parts of wales, northern england and southern scotland and the far north of scotland should remain largely dry and clear and the south and east of england should too where we're likely to see temperatures up to 25 orso, we're likely to see temperatures up to 25 or so, cooler than that further north. a mixed picture as we had through the weekend, some rain

around, particularly on sunday but for most of us, saturday looking like the better day of the weekend. a beautiful day here, you can see the parakeets flying across the treetops. back to you both. thank you so much, little wisps of cloud with the blue sky in london. lovely weekend hopefully. ten of england's most challenging prisons are to be given a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions as part of a government drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. the investment comes after a series of warnings that jails are at a crisis point and in desperate need of reform. prisons minister rory stewart joins us from perthshire. good morning and thank you for your time this morning. tell us what this £10 million is going to change. fundamentally, the objective is to reduce the amount of drugs going into prison, reduce the violence in these prisons and really give us the

opportunity to invest in turning round,prisoners' lives, opportunity to invest in turning round, prisoners' lives, prevent reoffending and protect the public. £10 million sounds like a small sum of muggy to do what everyone concedes is a huge scale problem. why so little? the key is not resources , why so little? the key is not resources, which you say are relatively modest, the key is the philosophy we bring to this. in other words, the training and support for the prison officers. it's one of the most challenging jobs anywhere in britain today, standing ona jobs anywhere in britain today, standing on a prison landing outside a cell door working with prisoners, so a cell door working with prisoners, soa a cell door working with prisoners, so a lot of the investment here is going into making sure they have that support and training in order to challenge drugs and violence at the root cause, and ultimately, as i said, to change the prisoners' lives to prevent them from reoffending. it's interesting, if you look at the numbers, and correct me if i'm wrong, £10 million divided by ten of

the particular problem prisons, my schoolboy maths tells me a prison governor in one of those prisons today will be expected to be happy that they are getting approximately £3000 a day to transform a crisis prison. you will know that maths better than i. i can't believe that £3000 a day, if you're talking about infrastructure, training, sniffer dogs, everything, that's going to make no difference at all. this comes on top of a budget for prisons, which, of course, runs into the billions of pounds, so this is additional support. of course, these prisons already have large maintenance budgets, they already have perimeter security. let's take a specific example, a prison like leeds, which has had huge problems with drugs, huge problems with

violence, and targeting the things you need to do. with the scanners, this money allows you to identify drugs in people's bodies, it's an airport style scanner. it's making sure the governor is really able to focus not just on sure the governor is really able to focus notjust on fixing the windows but getting the grills up to prevent people using drones. above all it's providing the money for the training and support often for young prison officers to make sure they can develop the right relationships with the prisoners and make these places sta ble the prisoners and make these places stable and calm to do that educational work. of course you're right, the money on its own is not the key. there's a lot of money going into the system. this is about saying judge us on these ten prisons. 0ver saying judge us on these ten prisons. over the last five years we've seen violence rising. what i would expect to bejudged on by you over the next 12 months is we're going to be bringing the drugs and violence down in those ten prisons, showing it can be done and then driving it through the rest of the

system. what many involved in the prison service will say that your government, and previous governments to be fair, but you're here now, you presided over a prison service that has record levels of violence within prisons, and now you are offering a paltry sum of money that you think is going to have a big impact when, for example, the number of prison officers working in key frontline roles, just in terms of the numbers, down more than 6000. hands—on, your government has caused this problem and now you're offering a paltry son of money and hoping it's going to make a difference —— sum of money. you're right, there are huge challenges in the prison system and one of the new ones is new types of psychoactive drugs, creating very aggressive, bizarre behaviour. what i'll say, despite all the complexity, the drugs and violence and problems we've talked about, including prison officer numbers, i still believe we can turn these prisons around and that's why i'm saying judge me on these ten

prisons. we have incredibly dedicated, professional prison officers and what i've discovered for example working with the governor of leeds over the last two months, it's incredible what can be done if you have a very visible governor, the right kind of management team and the right kind of support and training and that you really focus on a couple of basic things, drugs and cleanliness. we can really begin to make a difference. one last thought. it's a brave politician who says judge me on the results, are you suggesting in12 on the results, are you suggesting in 12 months i will speak to you and we will look at those statistics from those ten prisons and if they are the same or worse, what, you are going to quit? yeah. i will quit if i happens exceeded in 12 months in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons —— haven't succeeded. that's what this investment is about. i believe in the prison

service and our prison officers, i believe this can be turned around andi believe this can be turned around and i want you tojudge me on those results and i'll resign if i don't succeed. rory stewart, prisons minister, thank you for your time this morning. the weekend has already started for sean ona the weekend has already started for sean on a mini break in liverpool. he's looking at tourism figures. what's happening? good morning. it's getting busier, i just spoke to some australian tourists flying away in a couple of hours. talking about inbound tourism this morning, a record—breaking year last year and the midlands and north—west have done very well. looking at the figures, 39.2 million fees, visitors came from all around the world last year, a record level, up the world last year, a record level, ‘7 the world last year, a record level, up 496 -- the world last year, a record level, up 4% —— visitors. china and india we re up 4% —— visitors. china and india were the growth areas, brand britain, we talked about that, they are big fans of that and they've spent a lot of money but america are the biggest spenders. places like

liverpool in the north—west and the midlands have seen record growth in terms of the numbers coming here. we we re terms of the numbers coming here. we were in this spot earlier in the week chatting to a few foreign visitors about what it was that made them come to the uk. heck, yeah, i'm going to come to england, the pound is down so it makes a great holiday now to come here because before it was kind of expensive at 1.5, 1.6 but now you can go to the pub and get a pint for a good price. visiting from china. we actually went to leeds and york, and then edinburgh. the prize here is kind of reasonable, affordable. compare it with china, yeah. spain, foreigners! with china, yeah. spain, foreigners i think would find it... advantages because the pound is not that strong at the moment. we came from los angeles. it's

certainly more than a holiday in america. worth every bit of it, i will say. it is what it is. iwas prepared. italia loves beatles! italia loves beatles! we are from italy. we just came here from manchester. it is mostly architecture and the full experience i would say, and fish and fish and chips of course! there you go, lots of reasons people have come. patricia is from visit britain. lots of them saying different reasons, one is the weak pound. i no, it's not the only reason, but how big a difference has that made to the tourism industry in the uk? what it means is people tend to budget in their own currency, so when they come here they are spending more in pounds because they get more for their money. we know that there have been some great deals offered by travel agencies, especially in china, which is very price sensitive, we've seen good growth this year from the us as

well. it does help in getting a value message out, but also you have to bea value message out, but also you have to be a welcoming country, you have to be a welcoming country, you have to have a really good solid base of why people want to come. one of the reasons we saw that fall in the pound was after the vote to leave the eu. if a deal is done and everything settles down and people then start to invest in the pound a bit more, and the pound gets stronger, is that a risk to the tourism industry in the uk? that's why we say you can't build a tourism industry on a weak pound. we've got great reasons for people to come, great reasons for people to come, great history, heritage and modern culture and we have to talk about why people come. even with a weak pound, we are not a cheap destination so you have to get that message of great value whatever the value of the pound. something more sustainable. absolutely. paul is here, my tour guide, and the manager of the tour bus, the city explorer in liverpool, how much of a change of using in the last few years about

the kinds of people coming and how much they are spending?‘ the kinds of people coming and how much they are spending? a great increase in the amount of tourism in liverpool, a great time to be a tour guide, very busy all year, people coming from worldwide to spend money in the city. they're notjust coming for a day, they spend the weekend here. it's notjust the bus, the hotels, the bars, restaurants, they wa nt hotels, the bars, restaurants, they want to see our great city. will talk later about pea ky blinders want to see our great city. will talk later about peaky blinders as well —— we'll talk. we will talk more later about what we can do to attract more visitors. first... time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning, i'm asad ahmad. police in south london have been given special stop—and—search powers across camberwell until 9:30am this morning after four teenagers were stabbed yesterday in broad daylight. it means police can stop and search anyone in the area without reasonable suspicion. the attack took place on the elmington estate near camberwell road at about 5:30pm. several arrests have been made. 0ne

one of the injured is in a critical situation in hospital. network rail is asking thousands of rail passengers not to travel over the next three weekends. it's for anyone planning to use euston station, as it's going to be closed while major work is carried out in north wembley. it'll effect passengers using the west coast mainline. the appetite for posh burgers seems to be growing in london, with several gourmet restaurants opening branches in recent years. so mcdonald's, not wanting to miss out, decided to do this. it was at their high street kensington restaurant for one day only, when customers had to reserve a table to enjoy their big mac and fries. the burger market, posh and otherwise, is predicted to grow in coming years, but this isn't a sight you should get used to. it's supposed to be, of course, very tongue in cheek, eccentric, over the top, reminiscent of in some way a french chateaux, in some way a sort of mayfair club.

we've just tried to create a real experience that the customers won't forget. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube board, problems on the bakerloo line and the london 0verground this morning in north—west london due to a faulty track. 0n the trains, there's disruption to great northern services between finsbury park and alexandra palace, due to damage to the overhead lines. 0n the roads, regent street is closed southbound between conduit street and glasshouse street due to emergency water repairs. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth. hello, good morning. it's a nicer day of weather today than we saw yesterday. there'll be lots of sunshine around through the morning. a bit more cloud in the afternoon but this time it will stay dry, but it's a rather chilly start. underneath largely clear skies last night, we saw some of our rural spots dip down to single figures, but we are compensating for those lower temperatures with lots of early sunshine around. we keep that sunshine

through the morning then a gradual increase in cloud as we head through the afternoon, but still some bright and sunny spells and a breeze will start to freshen as well. top temperatures higher than yesterday's, between 21 and maybe 23. through this evening and overnight, it'll stay warmer than last night, we should stay in double figures. increasing amounts of cloud into tomorrow morning too. then tomorrow, it will feel warm and humid. we'll see temperatures rise all the way into the mid—205, i think up to maybe 25 or 26 celsius. sunny spells around at times, but quite a bit more cloud around. the best of the sunshine probably on saturday. a cloudier but still warm and humid—feeling day on sunday. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. va nessa vanessa feltz will be talking about good morning, welcome to breakfast

with rachel burden and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today. # r—e—s—p—e—c—t # find out what it means to me # r—e—s—p—e—c—t # take care, tcb # loved and respected. tributes are paid around the world to aretha franklin. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour and divatude personified. vaping on prescription? mp5 call for the nhs to relax its rules on e—cigarettes. the italian government launches a formal investigation into the company responsible for operating the motorway bridge in genoa which collapsed. good morning, tourist spots outside london, like liverpool have seen a record number of visitors from up broad so i've got my own by sticking my own magical mystery tour to see what it has been such a good year.

cleared of affray, ben stokes trains with england ahead of the third test — his coach says his return to the squad is for his own wellbeing. and i'm on top of a castle in greenwich with a magnificent view of london. i will have the forecast that the uk today and over the weekend in about 15 minutes. it's friday 17th august. our top story. tributes have been paid around the world to aretha franklin, who 5 died at the age of 76. known as the queen of soul, she was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago, but only retired last year. fans, fellow musicians and us presidents have been remembering the singer as a musical icon — and a powerful advocate for the civil rights movement. festooned with flowers and framed by photos, the queen of soul's star on hollywood's walk of fame, a place for fans to pay tribute to a superstar. she was the queen of soul, she was everything that glamour

and "divatude" personified. loving her music but also as i became older i began to realise how powerful and important she was as a humanitarian, as an activist, someone involved in civil rights. aretha franklin was bigger than music. she became a symbol for civil rights in the ‘605, performed at the funeral of martin luther king, and the inauguration of america's first black president. in his tribute, barack obama said aretha helped define the american experience. the civil rights leader, jesse jackson, knew the singer for more than 60 years. a singer whose music impacted the world but whose sense of global justice was global. she also fought for dr king, she fought for nelson mandela, she fought for barack obama. her sense of community service was as broad—based as was her music.

aretha franklin's final performance last november was at a gala in new york for elton john's aids foundation. sir elton said her loss was a blow for everybody who loves real music. sir paul mccartney said the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being would live with us for ever. # all i'm asking is for a little respect... the queen of soul, respected by so many and missed by all. # all i'm asking in return, honey...# so many tributes coming in this morning and many people talking about influence across the years. in a few minutes we'll be speaking to two members of sister sledge on how they were influenced by aretha franklin. that's coming up injust a that's coming up in just a few minutes's time. the nhs should do more to promote e—cigarettes as a way of helping

people stop smoking, according to a group of mp5. the report by the science and technology committee also calls on the government to make it easier for people to vape in public places. but the recommendations have been criticised by some health experts who say the report relies solely on accounts by "e—cig champions". catherine burns reports. while cigarettes burn tobacco to release smoke, e—cigarettes heat flavoured nicotine directly to make an inhalable vapour. experts say e—cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking, but others worry we do not know enough about the long—term effects. today, a committee of mp5 is calling smoking a national health crisis, and says e—cigarettes are golden opportunity to save lives. almost 3 million people in the uk use e—cigarettes, and, each year, thousands of them successfully quit smoking.

i gave it a try and mightjust stop wheezing, it worked for me and i got myself offered. i wanted to stop smoking so i started typing.” myself offered. i wanted to stop smoking so i started typing. i was ona smoking so i started typing. i was on a good number of cigarettes a day, ten of 15, this was six years ago, then electric cigarettes came out, i thought i'd give it a try and from then on it slowly cut me down from then on it slowly cut me down from cigarettes and eventually off. the reports says that e—cigarettes should be medically licence, and that company should be allowed to advertise them as a less harmful option. my message to the nhs is, take this issue far more seriously. we cannot tolerate the continued death toll of 79,000 people in england alone every single year from smoking. vaping is one route to help problem smokers give up. we should be doing far more to help encourage it. the committee says the risks of second hand vapours are negligible, but vaping is relatively new.

it has been in the uk forjust 11 years. experts say there needs to be more research into the effects of using e—cigarettes in the long—term. catherine burns, bbc news. the prisons minister has told breakfast he will resign if standards don't improve in ten of england's most challenging jails within a year. the government has announced they will receive a share of £10 million to improve security and living conditions, as part of a drive to tackle drugs and violence in jails. minister rory stewart says he wants to bejudged by the results. minister rory stewart says he wants to be judged by the results.” minister rory stewart says he wants to bejudged by the results. i will quit ifi to bejudged by the results. i will quit if i have not succeeded i will quit if i haven't succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons. i want to make a measurable difference, that's what this investment is around. i believe in the prison service, i believe in our prison officers.

i believe this can be turned around and i want you to judge me on those results and i will resign if i don't succeed. a boy is in a critical condition and another is seriously ill after four teenagers were stabbed on a south london housing estate. it happened last night in camberwell. police say the victims are between 15 and 16 years old. six boys have been arrested. the italian government has opened an investigation into the private operator of the motorway bridge that collapsed in genoa on tuesday, killing at least thirty—eight people. autostrade has been given fifteen days to show it met contractual obligations. the company says it made regular safety checks on the viaduct. danjohnson is in genoa for us this morning. tan, bring us up to date with those developments and the focus on the company that operates the bridge? yes, the political row after the disaster is getting more intense and more bitter. autostrade, who runs the italian motorway network, says it is too early to reach conclusions and has defended its maintenance record of the bridge and other

motorist touches. leading politicians in italy have been quick to point the finger, saying the company has not lived up to its responsibilities and that its management should resign. it is making moves to strip the company a cts making moves to strip the company acts and publish details of its contracts with state governments are people can see what's the profits it was making and how it is paying taxes because it has been accused of raising its offer overseas to pay lower taxes while imposing hotel cor. eu has also been criticised by some of italy's politicians who say that they're spending restrictions on the economy to try to balance the books in the italian economy over the last few years have impacted on infrastructure spending. the eu has hit back saying, it's not the case, we've put money into the infrastructure. so the row has intensified and still questions about what caused the disaster. the work goes on, sifting through the rubble, shifting those blocks of

concrete because there are still people missing and families waiting for news. the work will go on for some time. they've got a huge area to make safe before they can even start getting down to the investigation work. dan johnson, in genoa, thank you. house of fraser has cancelled all of its online orders, because of a dispute with its warehouse operator. the retailer was bought out of administration by sports direct a week ago. it says it has pulled all orders that hadn't been sent to customers and would be issuing refunds. american researchers have warned that low—carbohydrate diets could be shortening people's lives. the study followed 15,000 people for 25 years, and found that those getting half their energy from carbs lived the longest, while people who cut them to less than a third of their diet had their life expectancy reduced by four years. good news for anyone reaching for

the croissants this morning! it's coming up to 11 minutes past eight. tributes have been paid to the "queen of soul", aretha franklin, who's died at the age of 76. the legendary singer won 18 grammys and had 17 top ten us chart hits over a career spanning seven decades. she was also an icon for the us civil rights movement. let's take a look back at her life. here's the queen of rhythm and blues, aretha franklin! # looking out on the morning rain # # hands on your hips, # you cover your eyes # # the minute i wake up # before i put on my make—up # i say a little prayerfor you # # r—e—s—p—e—c—t # find out what it means to me # r-e-s-p-e-c-t # i the mayor of detroit,

do hereby proclaim, friday february 16th as aretha franklin day. # and every one of our lives gone, yeah. # but i will stop...# i was crowned the queen of soul. so with respect to maintaining my title as the queen of soul, well, it's second nature to me and i thinkjust being myself, the rest will take care of itself. # higherand higher# # you make me feel... # like a natural woman

# you make me feel # many high—profile figures have been paying their respects to aretha franklin, including legendary soul group, sister sledge. we can now speak with two of the members, debbie and kim sledge, in central london. in the sunlight for us. good morning. a saturday for soul music, for music in general. tell us about the influence of ripa franklin had on both of you. oh, my goodness. i remember the song, i remember waking up remember the song, i remember waking up in the morning and hearing aretha franklin. we were just enjoying, it isa franklin. we were just enjoying, it is a that immediately goes to the heart, to the soul of a person. just hearing these little excerpts from her performance, we are swaying already. even in our household, the

memories, every song brings back a different memory. she has been a pa rt of different memory. she has been a part of so many lives. and the way that she owned those songs, songs like respect, they were not her own songs of course but she took them and made them unapologetically her own. she did. thanks goodness because it gave all of us so much ivy because it gave all of us so much joy and so strength. and life and encouragement you name it, she embodied the very heart and being and souls of so many through her music. she had incredible technique, the quality of her voice is untouchable, i think it wasjohn armatrading speaking on the bbc last night who said it was like hearing the divine through her body. exactly. that was anointing,

supernatural powerful voice. as she said, she wasjust supernatural powerful voice. as she said, she was just being supernatural powerful voice. as she said, she wasjust being herself supernatural powerful voice. as she said, she was just being herself but she was also submitted to the love of god coming through her. that is an awesome gift. felt was one song that was very important to us in our lives, my grandmother's favourite, which we even saying in our show today, it was called give yourself tojesus, we know that today, it was called give yourself to jesus, we know that you was singing about her love the lord, in everything she did, whether a melancholy song or a song ofjoy you could feel his presence all over everything she sang. she was an uncompromising woman. she had great strengths. a great role for women everywhere, the great role model, perhaps for all women. she was a fighter! no doubt about that. and

her role in the civil rights movement should not be forgotten as well as their impact on music, tell us about that. we can say she is a role model in so many ways. in the civil rights movement our family also played a great part in that. we we re very also played a great part in that. we were very involved. we came up with our mother and our ands and even our grandmother. just the strength that it took to come through that and make the changes in the world, that is an inspiration, unstoppable really. you performed with her at a charity concert for save the children, in front of bob francis. and the world festival of families in philadelphia. what was it like sharing a stage with her? oh my

gosh. i'm so grateful, even today, really grateful. the presence and power and the spirit she carried filled, i could say, the square because it was an outdoor event, everyone's eyes were on her and when she opened her mouth his presence brought out of it. it was chilling. a woman of stature and strength. no doubt about it. she was the queen. the queen of soul. is there anyone who comes close to her now? no! will there be anyone like the individual? no. —— will there be anyone like her in the future? no. there is only one queen of soul. she lives on forever. thank you both, it has been lovely to speak to you both this morning. 0ur pledger. to speak to you both this morning.

our pledger. debbie sledge and kim sledge of the group sister sledge paying tribute to aretha franklin. here's sarah with a look at this morning's weather from a rather stunning location... good morning charlie and rachel, and you're on the top of severndroog castle in greenwich, with a beautiful 360 degrees panoramic view of london, this has to be one of the best he's come you can see all the major landmarks and seven different counties on a clear day from the top of the castle. 15 years ago some local residents said the group to help protect the castle. it has been fully restored since then with help from the heritage lottery fund. it's been open to the public since 2014. you can see for miles, glorious blue skies in london. a changeable

picture over the next few days, quite cloudy and breezy today, some rain in the north and the west but it will stay driest and warmest with some sunshine in the south—east. we had a cold front yesterday that brought heavy rain across england and wales, that is cleared to the near continent, warm front moving in from the west, rain across northern ireland to the west of scotland, as it creeps further south, across eastern and southern england, also quite windy field to the weather in the north and the west. further south and east of the cloud should increase it should stay dry, top temperatures 21—23 in england and wales, typically only 16 or 17 celsius for scotland and ireland. this evening and overnight some spells of rain across northern ireland and the far north, either

side of the band of cloud and rain it will be a dry at night, clearer skies for the north of scotland, cloudy for england and wales, tonnages overnight in the mid teens, much milder and more humid than last night. so to study a saturday quite cloudy story, the best of the sunshine through saturday across southern and eastern england into wales, still some rain across northern england and northern ireland, southern scotland and some showers in the far north—west, and quite busy in the north. temperatures between 16 and 21 degrees across scotland and northern ireland to 2425 in the south—east, warmer than recently. 0n ireland to 2425 in the south—east, warmer than recently. on two sunday the next batch of rain moving in from the west, the remnants of tropical storm ernesto, that will bring wet weather to wales and northern ireland, parts of scotland later in the day, the south—east of england should remain mostly dry and

in the warmest spot is 2425 degrees again. mixed picture in the next few days, some rain during the weekend but versed in pictures are rising. back to you both. thank you, sarah, that looks stunning. a report today has suggested that perhaps more should be done to promote e—cigarettes to help people stop smoking but it has caused great controversy. so many people get in touch saying, they bring works, i used to smoke a lot. sylvia says i smoked 60 relics a day, now i've been very painful three years and i can walk up hills, no bother, so that's a success. andy says less harmful and harmless two different things. i don't want to be exposed

to gaping. it should be treated the same as smoking. the science around it, there is some suggestion that babies can do some harm, the question is, how certain can they be at this stage, whether they bring could be difficult for your health as well. there is no doubt that it has changed some lives and help people give up smoking. thank you for your messages. it's 22 minutes past eight. yesterday we were talking about a—level results. it's exam results season, and while pupils are still celebrating their a—levels, it's emerged more than 86,000 young people in england had to resit their maths or english gcse last summer, that's according to figures seen exclusively by bbc breakfast. four years ago the government decided that students should keep retaking the exams until they achieved a good pass in the two core subjects — or in equivalent skills. but the stats show some are resitting up to four times. john maguire reports. name a skill or a subject and they're bound to teach it here at barking & dagenham

college in east london. these painting and decorating apprentices are among the 12,500 students, post—16 as well as older learners, from sports to science, arts to accountancy, they do it all. and since the government in england decided students over 16 should achieve a good pass in maths and english gcses, or an equivalent skill, there's been a sixfold increase in the numbers retaking those subjects here. you need to look at what happened in school maybe didn't work so we try to make it real life and link it to real—life situations so they can actually see where they will use it and a way to remember it and the relevance behind it. at leyton sixth form college i meet three students who've been through resits more than once. everyone has different ways of learning so i think there should be better ways of trying to help students achieve the grades they deserve. i retook it but i didn't

get the grades i wanted because university need sa higher grade, so i'm retaking it. you can get quite under pressure from family and friends, like some friends have passed exams and you're there thinking i've tried so hard and it's not working out for me. and they're far from alone. the social equality charity impetus has analysed department for education figures and found in england last summer more than 86,000 students resat maths or english, and among those almost 5,700 were taking their exams for the fourth time. these qualifications are so important and we know that employers and universities and colleges put so much weight on maths and english gcse that i don't think it's right that if you don't get them the first time you don't get a proper second chance. but at the moment it isn't a second chance to succeed, it is a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance to fail because it's not being done

properly and seriously. so what's the answer? colleges say they're underfunded and there needs to be a new approach. we have to recognise the fact students at 16, 17, 18 are different from those students studying those qualifications at school and we need to make those qualifications relevant and responsive to their needs as they get older, as they become adults and as they start to envisage their life beyond education. the government said it committed an extra ? million to improve the maths teaching last year, and ?5 billion a year to professional development for teachers in both subjects. of course, education is supposed to open doors. but for thousands of students, it seems some remain closed. john maguire, bbc news, east london. and if you or someone you know wants advice with next steps after exam results, visit bbc.com/bitesize/support. good luck. sean has spent the

morning on top of the double—decker bus in liverpool. it's a lovely morning, fresh air on the banks of the mersey. paul is my personal tour guide, describing all the sites. he's doing a greatjob. this is the city explorer bus. paul has been telling us about big growth in the last few years, he's been talking about inbound tourism, people from other countries coming here, taking pictures in front of the study of the beatles. across the north of the uk record numbers of people are visiting us from india, china, and america. in a moment we'll be looking at why that is, first the news and travel where you are. in the north and the west, gusts of potentially 30 or 40 miles an hour

in western scotland. temperatures about 1718 degrees. temperatures higher in south—east compared to yesterday at 22 celsius. that rain will continue living further south and gradually petering out, still quite damp and justly and wept at times, across southern scotland and northern england, temperatures generally down to about 12, this ta kes generally down to about 12, this takes us into the weekend, on saturday still some rain across northern ireland, southern scotland, northern england, either side of that it should be largely dry with bright sunny spells throughout the day on saturday, turning quite warm and humid, with highs up to this is business live from bbc news with maryam moshiri jamie robertson. is there substance behind the smoke? e—cigarettes get a strong endorsement in the uk as their health benefits continue to divide expert opinion worldwide. live from london, that's our top story on friday 17th august. vaping is 95% less harmful

than smoking cigarettes and so should be used as a way to help people quit all together, or so says a new report pubished by some british mp5. also in the programme: fears over swine flu spread — the biggest pork producer in the world is temporarily shuttering some of its