the government is urged to relax the rules on vaping and allow e—cigarettes in more public places. mps say they're the best way to quit smoking, but some argue e—cigarettes may still be harmful. we do have to be careful about their long term use. so they're safer than cigarettes, but we can't absolutely say that they are safe. with nearly three million users in the uk, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of vaping. also on the programme... surviving the worst monsoon rains in almost a century. close to a thousand people have already died in india. the prisons minister puts hisjob on the line, saying he'll quit if he doesn't cut violence in some of the toughest jails. don't hold the pasta — research says carb—cutting diets can also cut life expectancy by four years. and the art helping former soldiers cope with the trauma of war. and coming up on bbc news,

"the toughest call i've had to make as captain" — ben stokes is back for england, but it wasn't an easy choice for his skipper, joe root. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. rules governing e—cigarettes should be relaxed to make it easier for people to vape in public places. that's one of many recommendations from a group of mps. around 2.9 million people use electronic cigarettes in the uk, with almost half a million who are trying stop smoking. the report suggests tens of thousands of people have already quit normal cigarettes because of vaping. it's estimated they're 95% less

harmful than conventional tobacco, but some say it still isn't clear that they're completely safe, and more research is needed. here's our health editor hugh pym. the debate on e—cigarettes is heating up. a committee of mps has come down strongly in favour of vaping and the benefits it can bring, and it wants official backing for that. vaping is one route to help problem smokers give up and we should be doing far more to encourage it. the mps want to see more of this, nhs endorsement of vaping. e—cigarettes are on sale at mental health units in leicester. smoking isn't allowed on trust property, but vaping is. it's helpful when they bring the vapes in flavours, you can buy different flavours. two users of the service told me how it helps them. since my mental health deteriorated, i smoked more but as soon as i was getting help, i went on my vape again. like, i started vaping and i don't

really touch tobacco any more. i used to smoke about 20 to 30 a day and now i'm on about four to five a day. there is evidence those with mental health conditions tend to smoke more than others, so the trust says there is every reason to offer help. vaping has less harmful effects as far as we know from the data and research, and therefore the trust is of the view that we should be exploring the option for our patients and also promoting it for our staff as well. elsewhere in leicester, a stop smoking clinic is run by the city council. e—cigarettes are recommended for those who would like to try them. another example of official backing for vaping. your reading now is zero... the mps‘ report calls for moves to allow e—cigs

in more public places such as bus and train stations, and to allow nhs use of e—cigarettes. it also wants the authorities to loosen regulation of devices and liquids. the mps argue that e—cigarettes bring clear public health benefits in terms of helping smokers quit the habit. but can we be certain that there are no side effects? the answer is not yet. we know they do help people stop smoking, but we do also have to be careful about their long—term use, so they are safer than cigarettes, but we can't absolutely say they are safe. so do people mind the vapour? opinions we heard were divided. we wear contact lenses and when that smoke comes into your eyes, it feels uncomfortable. it's not like cigarettes, it doesn't have that stinky smell that bothers anyone. for us as nonsmokers and just generally, i think the fumes are very bad. it's a sensitive area, and health authorities are likely to continue treading carefully before deciding what to do next. with this intervention by the mps,

where does it lead the debate as to the efficacy of e—cigarette and extending their use all over the place? the committee said they wa nted place? the committee said they wanted to get a debate going and they have certainly done that, judging by the social media reaction we have seen and the comments being made. on the one hand you have people saying without vaping, they wouldn't be able to give up smoking and that it was important. someone else said they were on a railway station platform on one end in the open air were quietly vaping, and someone open air were quietly vaping, and someone told them they had to leave because they were breaking the rules. mps say that shouldn't happen. e—cigarette users should not be treated in the same way as smokers. they shouldn't be stigmatised. they want to see more consistency from the nhs. as you have seen, some trusts promote it and others don't. but there are others who say, look, we don't like the smell of the vape. we don't like it intruding on our private space. and there is no proof that they are

absolutely safe. people are saying more research is needed in the long term. so it is tricky for the authorities, but this committee is saying that more clear guidance from a high level is definitely needed. hugh pym, many thanks. the authorities in india say the number of people killed in heavy monsoon rains has reached almost a thousand. one of the worst—hit areas is the southern state of kerala, where more than 320 people have died. it's being described as the worst monsoon season there for almost a century. with more flooding expected, the country's prime minister has stepped up relief efforts. yogita limaye reports. forced out of their homes by the floods, people are walking miles to safety. beyond this surging water, there are tens of thousands who are stuck, waiting to be rescued. this child is amongst several people who have been airlifted in kerala. dozens of helicopters are pulling out as many as they can.

the monsoon always brings heavy rainfall to kerala, but locals say this year is different. translation: after 36 years, it's the first time such flooding is happening here. it's a disaster for the whole population. shelters have been set up wherever possible. locals are volunteering, cooking food and distributing supplies to people who have been left homeless. cochin airport, the busiest in kerala, is unrecognisable. its runway resembles a river. rescue teams are being dispatched from other airports. river levels are rising, and the government has been forced to open down gates. forced to open dam gates. and there is more rainfall expected in the coming days. yogita limaye, bbc news, mumbai.

the prisons minister, rory stewart, says he'll resign if his campaign to tackle violence and drugs behind bars isn't successful within 12 months. some of england's toughest prisons are to get £10 million to bolster security, improve living conditions and raise standards of leadership. labour says the government needs to do much more. 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 and new technology is being used to detect synthetic substances, like the former legal high spice. it's led to record levels of violence in prisons — volatile places, say inmates, even at the best of times. it's good. but like anything and everything, things can change. the dynamics of a jail,

the dynamics of a wing can change overnight. security around cell windows and perimeter walls will be strengthened to stop drugs being flown in by drones or thrown over fencing, and the government minister overseeing the improvement plan has promised that if it doesn't work, he'll walk. i will quit if i haven't succeeded in 12 months 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. but prison conditions have been severely affected by a programme of cutbacks. that's the view of campaigners, who question if the new funding will make much difference. we have record levels of violence and self—harm in our prisons at the moment. too many prisons are failing to deliver even the basics for prisoners, and whilst this £10 million across ten prisons is welcome, it will only go so far. but at britain's biggest prison, holding 2,000 offenders, they‘ re bringing stability to the wings by giving inmates more say.

oakwood prison has its own approach to dealing with conflict and violence. it involves prisoners themselves taking the lead and providing support and mentoring. a lot of it has to be empathy, shared experiences, reliving your own experiences to the individual. it's about connecting with the individual and not making any judgment. ben is showing there can be hope behind bars. the political career of a government minister rests on prisoners like him steering clear of drugs and violence. danny shaw, bbc news, at oakwood prison. a boy is in a critical condition in hospital after four people were stabbed in south london. the victims, all aged between 15 and 16, were attacked on the elmington estate in camberwell yesterday evening. six boys of the same age have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and grievous bodily harm. fewer than half the families

of the victims of the genoa bridge collapse in northern italy have accepted the offer of a state funeral. there's growing anger at the authorities following tuesday's disaster, amid claims of years of neglect by successive italian governments in maintaining vital infrastructure. from genoa, james reynolds reports. amid the heavy machinery and the tonnes of rubble, the search for survivors sometimes comes down to a single voice. "anybody there?", shouts a rescuer. there's no reply. but they'll keep going for a while longer. it's difficult to say we will finish tomorrow, but i can tell you that probably in a couple of days we should finish, but it is really depending on how we can remove all the debris. parts of the operation are extremely delicate.

here, firefighters reversed a truck abandoned right next to the edge of the collapse. professor antonio brencich is on the official investigation commission. before he was appointed, he told me the original engineers' bridge design was flawed. he made some decisions that produced a bridge, a new bridge different from the others, an attempt to find a new way, a new structural form, which failed. it failed? it failed. you see. this is the result of that collapse. this afternoon, the families of the dead gathered around their coffins. in the morning, the victims will be given a state funeral. james reynolds, bbc news, genoa. it is worth adding that a number of families have decided not to take

pa rt families have decided not to take part in the ceremonies. instead, they have chosen to hold private burials for their relatives elsewhere in italy. but the state funeral here will allow a short pause in the bitter arguments which have broken out since the collapse of the bridge on tuesday. once those ceremonies are over, that debate about decades of decision—making may re—intensified. clive. about decades of decision—making may re-intensified. clive. james reynolds, live in genoa in northern italy. the department store chain house of fraser is cancelling all online orders and refunding customers. it follows a payment dispute with the firm that handles its warehouse operations. xpo logistics is owed £30 million by house of fraser, which was taken over by sports direct last week, and hundreds of suppliers say they're owed money too. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. it's the last thing this business needs — a stream of angry customers. the website is down and orders cancelled, thousands of them. house of fraser says it's sorry, and refunds will be given. nearly a fifth of its

sales are now online — business this chain can ill afford to lose. one of house of fraser's failings over the last few years has been that its online offer has not been good enough, and that's something mike ashley and his team will be wanting to remedy pretty quickly, but it demonstrates how, suddenly, if your online offer cannot be delivered, how it impacts your customers and their ability to spend money with you straight away. here's the problem. its warehouse operator xpo logistics has stopped processing orders, including at this site in milton keynes, in a dispute over payment. this time last week, mike ashley came riding to the rescue. he did so by buying this chain through what's known as a prepack administration, a much—used process that's controversial, because it means mr ashley's sports direct has no legal obligation

to pay any of house of fraser's debts owed to suppliers. the fallout was laid bare today. some £484 million is owed to unsecured creditors, like landlords and suppliers. xpo logistics alone is out of pocket by more than 30 million. jigsaw, the fashion retailer, is owed much less, but it has now removed stock from 20 house of fraser stores. this small nottingham business supplied dry—cleaning services, one of hundreds who'll get next to nothing back. house of fraser at the moment owe us about £270. that'sjust one month's invoice. but a lot of companies have gone in the past, austin reed to mentionjust one, but over the past ten years probably £12,000 to £15,000. we may not know mike ashley's plans for these big stores, but one things for sure. he'll need plenty of good will to turn things around, from customers and suppliers. emma simpson, bbc news.

the time is 8.16. our top story this evening: the government is urged to relax the rules on vaping, despite some questions over whether it's safety. and still to come... we love you, aretha franklin! from one legend to another, stevie wonder pays tribute to queen of soul, aretha franklin. coming up on sportsday, we have never had a fight. paul pogba is a respectable player according to his managerjose mourinho who has called any reports of unrest at manchester united lies. councillors in birmingham are asking the public for ideas on how to promote more racial integration. though the city is one of the most diverse in the uk, with more than a third of the population made up

of ethnic minority groups, some areas are heavily segregated, leaving different communities living in isolation. sima kotecha has more. birmingham is home to families from nearly 200 countries. but its council says people aren't always mixing, and that's holding communities back both socially and economically. those of asian origin make up more than 25% of the population here, and some of them say they have not always felt welcome. if you knocked at a random white door and asked them, if you now know a pakistani or a muslim family is coming to move in, what would you do? i think a lot of them would probably say it's time to move out. that is a fear they have within themselves, not that we have brought fear into them. those people who have issues need to fight their own fears. of course, that is just one perspective. on this road in the area of acocks green, it's overwhelmingly occupied by white residents.

but literally a few streets in that direction, and it's predominantly asian populated. now, the council wants things to change and is calling on the public to come up with ideas on how that change can take place. it says integration is key to building a resilient community. the asian people want to sort of be happy round their people but if they move to other certain areas where it's more... you find more place, races, they wouldn't be happy. they generally wants to mix with their own people. and what do you think about that? i think it's wrong, i think everyone should mix, you know. i think it's right in that way that they are going to be more comfortable and more happy. the council encourages people of an older and younger generation to come and spend time together at this community centre. these women live in nechells, which has a large pakistani, muslim population. here, we are told integration isn't always straightforward. i'm just surrounded by foreigners.

so i feel quite lonely that, you know, where is my country? but they say they are british. they would say they are british, but they don't communicate with you, you feel that as though you are not british, you are the outcast and they, you know, they say you call me an outcast, and no i'm not. i'm not calling you an outcast, you are welcome to our country the same as anybody. the challenge for the council is to make this city somewhere that people from a range of backgrounds can live and work together in harmony. the question is, how and if they can achieve that. diets designed to take inches off your waistline could end up taking years off your life. researchers in america have found that cutting down on carbohydrates in foods like pasta, potatoes and bread potentially reduces life expectancy by up to four years. here's chi chi izundu.

this is the kind of carbohydrate—heavy food that, for years, has had a bad reputation when it comes to our diets. low—carb, high carb, just meat, plant—based, sugar—free — there are so many different pieces of advice on what's best to eat. but a new study of more than 15,000 people over 25 years suggests that cutting carbs altogether could increase the risk of an early death. when people think of carbohydrates, they might think of foods like this, and this report is saying that those who substitute their carbohydrates for more meat isn't the best option. in fact, what they would rather you did was substitute it for more nutritious carbohydrates, so effectively eating more fruit and vegetables. researchers of the report say people who consume very small amounts of carbohydrates will have a life expectancy of around 79 years. those who only focus really on foods like breads, potatoes and cereals will have a life expectancy of around 82 years.

but those who eat between 50 to 55% of carbohydrates in their diet, the healthiest, expect to live to about 83. carbs are good for us. it's really about making the most of getting a balanced diet, with everything in moderation, lots of colour — that's the key. the findings of this study did rely on people's self—reporting, remembering the amount of carbohydrates they were eating, and that's something those who are conscious of what they are putting inside their bodies also keep an eye on. i watch my carbs a little, yeah, but i don't restrict myself a lot, because i like pasta too much, i like bread. ijust like to keep an eye to see what i'm putting into my body and just keep an eye, really. i don't watch them. i think it should be about balance. as long as you've got a little bit of everything, if your body is craving something, it's for a reason, so you've just got to listen to what your body is telling you, and that's the healthiest way to be. the report also supports the advice of public health england, which suggests starchy carbohydrates

should form the main components of a healthy diet. the overall message is there is a sweet spot of consumption levels for all nutrients. eating too much or too little will be damaging. chi chi izundu, bbc news. some of the biggest names in music have been paying their tributes to the queen of soul, aretha franklin, who died yesterday. our correspondent aleem maqbool is in the singer's home city of detroit. during the night in detroit here, the trickle of mourners turned into a crowd of people celebrating the life of this incredible artist. aretha franklin was one of the spear head of an extraordinary group of musicians in detroit at the time that lived in the streets, performed at venues like the fox theatre, people like smokey robinson, the

temptations, diana ross and of course the legend that is stevie wonder. he knew aretha franklin from the age of four years old. he saw her in herfinal days and as recently as two months ago talked about collaborating with her again. there's a song that i had written called the future, and we were going to sing it together. and so, er... he clears his throat i,er... i thought i had cried my last tear. isaidi i thought i had cried my last tear. i said i would get it together. i wanted and i did want to see her, so i decided on monday i would go, so i flew out from la to detroit and went to see her, and spoke with her. she wasn't able to speak back, but her family felt that she could hear me, and so ijust said all the things that i wanted to say, and told her to say hello to my sister. hey!

written and produced by mr stevie wonder, called me late one night and said, re, i've got a song for you. i said, i'll take it! he said, send somebody down to get it. # yo—ho, yeah yeah yeah yeah...# the greatest gift for me was when i heard her sing till you come back to me. when she sings your song, she takes it and you don't get it back, and that's what she did. # give me a freedom like this. # i'm gonna walk back...# she was just consistently a great human being. # i'll make you see ourlove is dying...# incredibly moving stuff from stevie wonder. of course, in terms of aretha franklin's funeral, we have had no official word from herfamily but we are hearing rumours it could

bea but we are hearing rumours it could be a four—day event. in any case, lots of the venues that which she performed are going to hold their own memorials. as many people as possible will be able to pay their own tributes to the queen of soul. dozens of injured british veterans who are using art to help them cope with their experiences of war are having their works displayed at a special exhibition in london. the charity help for heroes is mounting the event, to showcase how personal battles against post—traumatic stress, depression and the anxiety of combat are being won. colleen harris has the story. i couldn't walk very well. i was in a wheelchair at the time. i was emotionally numb back then in 2014. i went into the art room and we sat down and we were asked to have a go at drawing. i'm sure, if you spoke to my wife, she'd tell you it's calmed me down quite a bit. the scars of war immortalised in the art of soldiers. this is a road to recovery

of an artistic kind. my name's tom stimpson. i served 26 years in the royal air force and i am now an artist. and that release of being able to put down on paper something that may be traumatic to talk about, i mean, it still causes emotion now, but it's being able to recognise it, and i think back then i couldn't even recognise it. i was so numb from coming back. once discharged from the military and back to their families, isolation can kick in, so challenging trauma through talent is helping some veterans to adjust. i'm kevin preston. i served with the 1st battalion coldstream guards. i found it very difficult when i left. i couldn't handle civilian life at the time, and i hit the drink really hard. i'm in constant pain, because i've had four spinal operations on my back and one on my neck, and i also suffered a stroke, but when i'm painting sometimes it takes my mind off it and i tend to forget about it. it's notjust visual art.

it's poetry as well. one brief moment in history is where this began. for corporal mark beckham, it's healing through words, but the memories linger. you are precious to me like a bright, shining pearl. i'll never forget you, my little kosovo girl. colleen harris, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. good evening. it's been quite a wet, miserable and cloudy day across the west, still some heavy rain around. for the weekend, tomorrow looking the better day of the two with some more rain arriving to our shores on sunday. the rain across the western side of the country should tend to ease down a little overnight, though it will still stay wet across scotla nd it will still stay wet across scotland and northern ireland but a much milder night than last night. variable cloud, some clear spells

and a breeze. for saturday, an area of high pressure will keep things more settled across southern britain, across the north that low pressure bringing more of a breeze and more cloud. that weather fronts straddling southern parts of scotla nd straddling southern parts of scotland and parts of northern ireland. could see some showers develop ireland. could see some showers d evelo p west ireland. could see some showers develop west of wales, but otherwise largely dry, central and eastern parts is should see good spells of sunshine but quite a blustery day in the north. much warmer, it will feel warm and humid germany but especially for england and wales, 24, 25 especially for england and wales, 2a, 25 degrees. for sunday, the feature will come racing into central parts of the uk, bringing outbreaks of fairly heavy rain at times. across parts of wales, north—west england into central southern scotland but there will be sunny spells, the best in the south—east. more cloud into the afternoon but we should see some

brightness developing later in the day, another warm and humid one, top temperature is 2a, 20 five. stein find next week, high pressure dominating. quite a bit of cloud but you will notice temperatures across the south, again around the. —— around the mid—20s. that's it from me. now on bbc 1, let'sjoin our news teams where you are.