world pipe band champions. an amazing sound when you hear pipers gathered together. it is spine tingling. stay with us. headlines coming up. good morning, welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and rachel burden. our headlines today. the massive relief operation to help hundreds of thousands left trapped and homeless by the worst floods in southern india in a century — forecasters warn of more heavy rains to come. a plastics tax could be part of the next budget in a bid to tackle vast amounts of non—recyclable waste. a warning of travel chaos for many as one of britain's busiest railway stations, london euston, is closed for engineering work. a major test for ben stokes, as he makes his return to the england cricket side, just four days after the end of his trial the royal navy's new 3 billion pound aircraft carrier prepares to leave portsmouth for the latest stage in it's preparations for active service. good morning.

mixed fortunes this weekend — some of us will see some rain, some will stay mainly dry, it will be quite windy at times and for many feeling fairly humid. i will have the full forecast in about 15 minutes. it's saturday 18th august. our top story. a massive relief operation is underway in southern india to help hundreds of thousands left homeless by the worst floods in the area in 100 years. the south western state of kerala has been most severely hit. at least 170 people have died there in the last ten days. our news correspondent yogita limaye has just sent us this report. scores of people have lost their lives in flooding. torrential rain has also caused other disasters like here behind me, the mud became loose because of continuous rainfall and slipped all the way down onto this which used to be a two storey house. nine people were killed here. there was one family, some relatives

and neighbours as well. that is really how difficult this rescue operation is. it's notjust about evacuating people who are stranded in flooded areas, a large part of kerala is also hilly, so it's about taking people who might be at risk in parts like these out of here. thousands of troops have already been pressed into action and more are coming in from other parts of the country. and if operations are being conducted, people are being rescued by boat. basically any way possible. india's prime minister has been in the state assessing the damage and there is a real sense of fear and despair among people hear aboutjust when is this nightmare going to stop? retailers selling single—use water bottles, takeaway boxes and coffee cups face a new tax on plastics expected to be announced in the next budget. it comes after a record 162—thousand responses to a government consultation on how to reduce waste and improve recycling.

0ur political correspondent tom barton reports. how best to reduce the tonnes of plastic that end up in landfill and the oceans every year? that was the question posed by the treasury in a consultation earlier this year and it received a record response. among the ideas being considered by ministers are new taxes. some of these could target the demand for disposable coffee cups and takeaway boxes while others are likely to encourage manufacturers to change their products. we want to see if there are smart, intelligent incentives that we can create to encourage the producers of plastic to take responsibility when they are designing the materials that end up on supermarket shelves and ultimately in our own homes, to use recycled materials wherever possible, not to use those materials that are very difficult to recycle such as black carbon plastic and of course, over all, to reduce the amount of plastic and use other materials such

as cardboard, paper and foil wherever possible. ministers also say they want to encourage recycling for waste that is currently incinerated. the final details of any proposals will be revealed as part of the budget later this year. tom barton, bbc news. firefighters have found human remains inside of a car at the collapsed bridge in genoa. mourners are preparing to hold a state funeral for 18 victims of the disaster. italian media is reporting that a family of three including a young girl have been found, adding to the official death toll of 38. firstly, people are angry. they are blaming the state and the government for not doing the due control to do maintenance work.

the second reason is you have to take into account that many of the people who were on that bridge are not from genoa. some families said, we want to grieve in ourcities, in our villages, in other... with other peoples. we don't want a big event of the state funeral. rail passengers are facing major disruption today as london euston station closes for the whole weekend for engineering works. that will affect the west coast mainline, while a one—day strike means there'll be a reduced service on south western railway. michael cowen is at london euston for us this morning. do you think most people have the message not to travel along these routes today? it would seem a lot of people have got the message. it's 9am in the middle of the summer holidays on a saturday morning and

london euston, britain's fifth busiest station is deserted. in normally handles just under 45 million passengers a year and there is no one here, because nine miles up is no one here, because nine miles up the road, north wembleyjunction, one of the busiest intersections is being replaced. it's part of a multi—billion pound network rail contract that aims to update large swathes of the network by 2021. that's not going to come as any consolation to members of the public this weekend he used the west coast mainline. manchester, glasgow, preston, big cities all cut off from the mainline. you can get when you are going but there will be extreme diet versions. network rail said this work is vital to ensure the safety of one of the country's busiest lines, not just a safety of one of the country's busiest lines, notjust a passengers but for freight. i want to to give you an example of how big some of the delays are going to be. if you are going to liverpool, it will take you anywhere between four and five hours. up to bars go, six hours.

these are big delays. 0n hours. up to bars go, six hours. these are big delays. on one of the busiest weekends of the year, because that is the summer holidays. next weekend, bank holiday, and it's closed after that. it's going to hit commuters, and people wanting to go around the country for sporting events and summer activities, it's going to hit them hard. coupled with the other difficulties you mentioned, south western railways have an ongoing strike action with their guards, they are employing 50% of the services today. they say check timetables because you will probably be able to get a service that they are only operating about 50%. for many commuters using the west coast mainline, this weekend is going to be very frustrating. the advice, check before you go anywhere today and tomorrow. thank you. do check before you travel this weekend and next weekend as well. the number of children and young adults in england and wales with type 2 diabetes has risen by more than 40—percent injust four years, according to the royal college of paediatrics.

council leaders described the increase as "extremely worrying" and called for a boost in public health funding. the department of health says its "new childhood obesity plan will get children exercising more in schools and reduce their exposure to sugary and fatty foods." former international cricket star imran khan has been sworn in as the next prime minister of pakistan. after winning the general election injuly, mr khan's appointment was confirmed by a parliamentary vote yesterday. however, opposition leaders have claimed elements ofjuly's ballot were rigged. aretha franklin's funeral is to be held on the 31st august in her home city of detroit. the service will be a private ceremony forfamily, friends and invited guests. the queen of soul died on thursday aged 76. her coffin will go on public display for two days before the funeral. britain's new aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth, will leave portsmouth later today sailing to the east coast of america.

two f—35 test aircraft will conduct a number of take off and landings from the £3 billion carrier while she's at sea. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. the largest warship ever built for the royal navy is now preparing to leave portsmouth with 1500 sailors, aircrew and marines on board. hms queen elizabeth, which cost more than £3 billion, is about to sail to the east coast of america. what the royal navy says will be an iconic moment in the latest stage of the trials. the first time fast jets will fly off her massive deck. hugely symbolic for the country, very exciting and of course, it was eight years nearly to the day since i was in command of ark royal and we took off the last harrier from the north sea. so eight years later, here we are, getting the first one back. these are the kind of aircraft that will be taking part in the trials. the us has already been flying the new f—35 stealth jet

off their warships. two test aircraft will be embarked on the british carriers with british pilots among those who will be conducting 500 take—offs and landings from the deck of queen elizabeth. the royal navy says she and her sister ship, hms prince of wales, will ensure that britain remains a first—class sea power, but it all comes with a price and at a time when the defence budget is already under strain. hms queen elizabeth is expected to be ready for her first this week a judge ruled that a school was wrong to suspend a pupil who has autism, and didn't choose to be aggressive. so how will this decision affect classroom discipline when the new term starts? polly sweeney is the solicitor who represented the boy's

family in this case, and elizabeth harris is a primary school head teacher. so people understand about the circumstances, what happened ? so people understand about the circumstances, what happened? alan was an 11—year—old boy at the time with a diagnosis of autism and anxiety. during the course of his education he found certain events particularly distressing and as a result he displayed behaviour which can be considered physically aggressive perhaps. the school took aggressive perhaps. the school took a decision to exclude him from school this is a mainstream school. yes. they took the decision to exclude him, but because of a particular rule under the equality act, my client did not have protection from discrimination. he had no practical way of challenging that decision. the case was looking

at this one particular rule under the equality act on whether that will was there and correct and ultimately the judge decided it was not and that it breached my client's human rights. this exclusion was temporary, a day and a half i think. but these kind of temporary exclusions and more permanent ones are quite frequent, more and more so. particularly involving children with special educational needs. they are extremely frequent. the facts of alan's cased not uncommon. statistics show if you are a child with special educational needs and particularly autism you are significantly more likely to be excluded from school. the impact on families and society of children being excluded from school is profound. it can impact on future job prospects, on training and going into further further education and even accessing the criminaljustice system so it's really important. tell us about your experience,

elizabeth, as a headteacher, managing situations where you might have children with special needs in classrooms. i have been really lucky to work on some of the most inclusive schools in the country. we have had some very complex pupils in our setting, and we have never been ina our setting, and we have never been in a position where we have chosen to exclude child. i think working alongside families and making sure the family is very central to any plans or any targets setting that you make really makes sure that you are always including children, and it's very possible to include children that have autism and i have had lots of years of experience seeing really successful conclusion. i think headteachers of inclusive schools would really welcome this. how do you deal with a child who shows aggressive behaviour whether he or she actively chooses that or not, because of course it can have a profound impact on the other

children in class, it can be a risk to teachers or the classroom assistant in in this case? absolutely all of those concerns are legitimate but one of the most important things is, if you work very closely looking at individual children, and making sure you are making the right assessments, doing the right observations and using the expertise that is available out there, you can make reasonable adjustments that can enable you to accommodate and support children with the most complex needs, and potentially those children that show really difficulties with emotional regulation. we don't talk about challenging behaviour, we talk about emotional regulation, children being dis— regulated. that really helps us to think about remaining solution focused and making sure the children's needs are met. there is an issue with thinking about the other children in the classroom. you might have a parent that says, i

don't want my child's classroom to be disrupted but if you work with the expertise, you use knowledge, and to make sure that the training available to all the staff and to the children, the children in the class and need to understand the needs of that also. a last thought, this is a ruling about a specific instance. how do you think it will affect more generally how things work ina affect more generally how things work in a practical sense? what the ruling has found is that this particular rule which stopped disabled children with autism in channelling behaviour being protected from discrimination, that rule reached human rights. from now on, bad film speed is applied when it comes to children in schools. potentially this judgment will benefit many thousands of disabled children with autism and challenging behaviour as a result. thank you for

your time. thank you. here's alina with a look at this morning's weather. it isa it is a mixed texture across the country? you have hit the nail on the head. good morning. mixed fortunes this weekend, sunshine in fairly short supply. i managed to find some and pontefra ct supply. i managed to find some and pontefract and hour ago. lots of cloud around. some people will see rain, others will stay dry but it will be humid for most people. we will be humid for most people. we will see rain overnight and into tomorrow morning. we have this weather front at the moment generating rain across parts of northern ireland, the central belt of scotland, moving north. this is the remnants of the next tropical storm. that will increase the rain overnight. to the south of the rain band, lots of cloud for england and wales, perhaps some rain, but the cloud is trying to break. most places in england and wales will be largely dry. sunshine for the far

north of scotland and eastern parts, but very windy for the northern isles. gale force winds this morning, strong gason western coasts as well. gradually easing off. we will see temperatures of 2a, maybe 25 degrees in the sunshine, for parts of eastern and south—eastern england. it should be drive for the cricket. we cannot rule out the odd spot of rain. the cloud will try to break and we will see temperatures up break and we will see temperatures up to 23 degrees. 0vernight, more persistent rain arriving into northern ireland and extending into northern england, maybe parts of wales. southern scotland as well. a warm and humid night, temperatures not much lower than 16 degrees in some places. in the north of scotla nd some places. in the north of scotland we will have clear skies. the rain will fizzle out in the morning and through the afternoon, although there will be lots of cloud, we should see breaks in the

cloud, we should see breaks in the cloud to allow bright sunny spells. temperatures up to 2a degrees quite widely across central and south—eastern england. 15 or 16 for the north west of scotland where we should see sunshine throughout the day. the winds will start to the ease of in the new week. we will be left with shirley rain across parts of scotla nd left with shirley rain across parts of scotland and northern ireland, some of the showers extending into northern england on monday. large parts of england and wales will have a largely dry day, the cloud braking to allow sunshine. most of us will be staying in the warm, humid air, temperatures potentially up to 25 degrees. the exception is the north of scotland, 15 degrees. it remains a mixed bag. thank you so much. the weather is mixed but people are travelling about. 0r trying to. we are talking about

euston. i think we can see a shot of the station. if you've ever been to london euston station you'll know how busy it gets. on a typical saturday, around 150,000 people pass through it. it is deserted today. but this weekend it will be closed. and next weekend. and the one after that. the independent‘s travel editor, simon calder, is here to tell us what's going on and advise on our best chance of getting to the capital for the rest of the summer. the voice of travel durmisi said earlier. why is it happening? the west coast main line, the busiest mixed use willian europe, by which they mean it has got freight and passengers on it, it is basically overloaded. they have got to fix the junction at north wembley, which millions of people have trundled over on their way to from the euston, the hub of the west coast main line and the repercussions of spreading everywhere along the line, all the way up to glasgow and edinburgh. massively revised

timetables, and all sorts of problems, extended journeys, and people getting really concerned about this. the journey, for example, land into what would have been london euston. what does that look like? people who got on a train at 7:35am. with a bit of luck, they are now in preston, waiting around for another train which will take them to rugby. from rugby they can get on a bus to kettling. if they do not get held up in traffic, they will be in london by about three o'clock this afternoon. that is at st pancras. that depends on everything working properly. that is three hours longer than it normally would be. there are all kinds of workarounds. sue got in touch with us workarounds. sue got in touch with us after the last broadcast. she said that she had an advance ticket to go from london st pancras to

sheffield and on to manchester. will that be ok? it is. that is about the fast way of travelling between these two cities which would normally have three trains an hour. if you have an advance ticket, it means that your train is expected to run, and even though derby station is effectively close, you can go anywhere you want to from derby, as long as it is matlock. the line is running to sheffield. it is a lovely place to 90, sheffield. it is a lovely place to go, matlock. it is, why would you wa nt to go, matlock. it is, why would you want to go anywhere else? that is the thinking. when they do this work around the bank holiday weekend, which they will do because it is next weekend at the one after, it seems crazy because people are on the move, but these are the quietest weekends for them to do it? yes, it is the opposite of the motorways. before christmas and new year, we are told, the roadworks are coming out, you can drive you need to. on

the railways, they do the opposite. we have 2000 —— the railways, they do the opposite. we have 2000 -- 200,000 the railways, they do the opposite. we have 2000 —— 200,000 people a day using london euston during the week, and in august it will be quite so let's close. that will affect all the people who only travel occasionally by train. it tends to be during august and the bank holidays, so everyone gets the idea is that the trains are all wrong. we even got the message from donna in diffusing, iam even got the message from donna in diffusing, i am taking my eight—year—old from cardiff to paddington and then on heron nkanda around noon today. will are they all right? i was thinking, of course you will, by the 1226 from cardiff has been cancelled because of train crew shortages, so you will have to go an hour earlier. a quick question from a member of the audience. why is simon calder wearing hiking boots?|j

definitely am. yesterday i was hiking in yorkshire across to the irish sea and i have not been home yet. did you want here this morning long distance? no, itook yet. did you want here this morning long distance? no, i took the tram. i love it. i like it, that is a good look. i wasn't going to carry smart shoes around. quite right. thank you. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. time now for a look at the newspapers. poet and broadcaster, ian mcmillan is here to tell us what's caught his eye. we'll speak to ian in a minute, but first let's have a look at the front pages. the times. their leading with a story that there are issues within the uk about tackling rich foreign criminals. the front page of the daily express, a shocking rise in child diabetes. 0ne a shocking rise in child diabetes. one of the stories we been reporting

this morning. there has been a massive discussion about non—recyclable plastic for yea rs. about non—recyclable plastic for years. the daily mail as saying that the government is considering putting a tax on plastic, particularly coffee cups, in the next budget. asylu m next budget. asylum seekers spent decades awaiting home office decisions, the front page of the guardian. we're going to talk about public toilets with ian mcmillan. the decline of public toilets in this country. there is a really good story by ben macintyre in the times. i am 62 yea rs old macintyre in the times. i am 62 years old and i like a nice cup of tea which means that whenever i go out i have to keep my eye on where the public toilets are because men and women of all ages have to know where the public toilets are. the reporter talks about the idea that in victorian times, to build a public toilet was an moral and practical necessity. the idea that we we re practical necessity. the idea that we were proud of our public toilets but through austerity and the

decline of that kind of thing, public toilets are disappearing. he says, let's bring them back and let's not be worried about them. do not say they are as —— do not see the art of less importance than at tram station or prize. they should bea tram station or prize. they should be a source of civic pride. he says we should have a competition to design them. i would not go that far, but i think we should build more. france have incredible facilities all around the country. i was on holiday there. even in tiny villages, there would be a public toilet in the centre. do you have a favourite? no, my focus was not entirely centred on public toilets. there is a small version of buxton 0pera house in brittany. i have not been for a while. that is will it was. you could pay an old francs. where next? blackpool tower. talking

about holidays in france, people are saying that prices have risen by a at top attractions. wages have not risen by that much but it seems a lot. we are suffering because we do not have a lot of money. the black taking their families out that this time of year. blackpool tower, hundred 65%, thorpe park, a. where will it end? every win is crowded. we have stories about the fact the beaches are looking like picadilly circus and we are all staying at home. if we are going to pay this much we will end up sitting in the house and making models of blackpool tower in the garden. are you of a fan ofa tower in the garden. are you of a fan of a roller—coaster? i would never want to go on when i have never want to go on when i have never been on one in my life.|j would be scared to death. that is the point. i do not mind being scared to death if a rock falls to worse your head. when you're walking

down the street. i would not pay money to death. you would rather a rock falling on your head than going to an amusement park? if it is accidental, it is all right but sick pay money to be scared to death, no thanks. i do not watch horror films for the same reason. neither do i. the clue is in the name. horror film. to watch a horror film the clue is in the name. horror film. to watch a horrorfilm on the clue is in the name. horror film. to watch a horror film on a roller—coaster would be terrible. people cannot tell the difference between flowers and weeds. this is in the times. who defines it? my wife defines it because when i try to help in the garden and i helpfully pluck a flower, she goes, thatis helpfully pluck a flower, she goes, that is a week, but it looks like a flower. a weed is a kind of flower. people are getting planned blindness. they say individuals are losing touch with nature because ——

plant blindness. we do not know the difference. i would say we are closer to nature and because we do not know the name of things, it does not know the name of things, it does not matter. i love walking through forests a nd not matter. i love walking through forests and i do not mind if i do not know the name of the tree, it is still beautiful. the name of the bird that is singing does not matter. it is still beautiful. it is great to have that information to pass on to your children. i regret not knowing more about things like that. it is good to have the language of it, and the names, sweet william in england, the stinking billy in scotland. the names are nice, but you should not feel like a lesser being because you do not know a dog daisy from a daisy. one option of not being told off and picking the wrong thing would be to not rip it from its natural surroundings. that was my ploy for two years ago when we first got married and i have never been in the guardian since. really? i never help in the garden.

ifi really? i never help in the garden. if i pluck this rare orchid i will never be asked to do it again. she threw a rock at my head but it was my own fault. stay safe out there. lovely to see you, ian mcmillan. the headlines are coming up injust a moment. hello, this is breakfast with charlie stayt and rachel burden. coming up before ten, alina will have all your weekend weather. but first, a summary of this morning's main news. our top story.

a massive relief operation is underway in southern india to help hundreds of thousands left homeless by the worst floods in the area in 100 years. the south western state of kerala has been most severely hit. at least 170 people have died there in the last ten days. our news correspondent yogita limaye has just sent us this report. scores of people have lost their lives in flooding. torrential rain has also caused other disasters like here behind me, the mud became loose because of continuous rainfall and slipped all the way down onto this which used to be a two storey house. nine people were killed here. there was one family, some relatives and neighbours as well. that is really how difficult this rescue operation is. it's notjust about evacuating people who are stranded in flooded areas, a large part of kerala is also hilly, so it's about taking people who might be at risk in parts like these out of here. thousands of troops have already

been pressed into action and more are coming in from other parts of the country. and if operations are being conducted, people are being rescued by boat. basically any way possible. india's prime minister has been in the state assessing the damage and there is a real sense of fear and despair among people hear here aboutjust when is this nightmare going to stop? retailers selling single—use water bottles, takeaway boxes and coffee cups face a new tax on plastics expected to be announced in the next budget. it comes after a record 162,000 responses to a government consultation on how to reduce waste and boost recycling. the levy is likely to be applied to businesses to encourage them to switch to more environmentally friendly materials. firefighters searching the rubble of a collapsed bridge in genoa have found the bodies of three further victims inside a car, according to emergency services. italian media is reporting that

a family of three including a young girl have been found, adding to the official death toll of 38. a state funeral is under way for 18 victims of the disaster but some families have refused to take part saying they hold the authorities responsible. firstly, people are angry. they are blaming the state and the government for not doing the due control to do maintenance work. the second reason is you have to take into account that many of the people who were on that bridge are not from genoa. some families said, we want to grieve in ourcities, in our villages, in other... between our peoples. we don't want a big event of the state funeral. rail passengers are facing major disruption today

as london euston station closes for the whole weekend for engineering works. that will affect the west coast mainline, while a one—day strike means there'll be a reduced service on south western railway. train operators are urging passengers to checkjourney times before setting off. the number of children and young adults in england and wales with type 2 diabetes has risen by more than 40—percent injust four years, according to the royal college of paediatrics. council leaders described the increase as "extremely worrying" and called for a boost in public health funding. the department of health says its "new childhood obesity plan will get children exercising more in schools and reduce their exposure to sugary and fatty foods." former international cricket star imran khan has been sworn in as the next prime minister of pakistan. after winning the general election injuly, mr khan's appointment was confirmed by a parliamentary vote yesterday. however, opposition leaders have claimed elements ofjuly's ballot were rigged. britain's new aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth,

will leave portsmouth later today sailing to the east coast of america. she is the largest warship ever built for the royal navy and has 15—hundred sailors, aircrew and marines on board. two f—35 test aircraft will conduct a number of take off and landings from the 3—billion pound carrier while she's at sea. those are the main stories apart from one address. it's one of the most famous dresses in history — and now the white gown worn by marilyn monroe in the seven year itch is going up for sale. the dress, which was blown up by a gust of air from a subway grid, has gone on display in california among other costumes and personal possessions, including a message to the studio executive who changed her name from norma jean. a real bit of movie history. and it's time for sport. all eyes on ben

stokes when the cricket starts later this morning. that's right. just four days after he was found not guilty of affray, he was found not guilty of affray, he will be back in the field. this is something trevor bayliss talked about earlier in the week, possibly better for his welfare to be back in the fold rather than remaining in the fold rather than remaining in the doghouse. all eyes on him. he has said he is desperate to get back on the field. he missed the second test against india but he's in the side for the third at trent bridge, in place of sam curran. root said that was one of the most difficult decisions he'd had to make since becoming captain but he believes stokes is ready. we had two days practice to gauge that on, in terms of fitness, making sure he was physically right to play. sat him down last night, just me and him, asked him quite brutally and honestly, are you in the right place to play for england? he assured me he is absolutely ready

to go and perform at his best. from that perspective, i have no worries or doubts that he won't be able to go and deliverjust like he has done on so many times for england. we have a london derby to look forward to in the premier league today — chelsea take on arsenal in the late kick—off — but a lot of the papers this morning are talking about (00v) manchester united captain paul pogba, and his apparent rift withjose mourinho. according to the manger, though, their relationship couldn't be more positive. we are together for two years and a couple of weeks. and i have never been so happy with him as i am now. that's the truth. i cannot demand more from him. i cannot ask more from him. england's women have reached the under—20 world cup semi—finals for the first time, by beating the netherlands 2—1 in france. england went a goal down but a great run and finish from manchester city striker

georgia stanway brought them level. and thanks to some real persistence, she scored the winner too. england will face japan next. gloucester rugby have been sticking by their fly—half danny cipriani after his conviction for assault this week — and now they say they are "surprised and extremely disappointed" that he's been summoned to an rfu disciplinary panel next week. cipriani has been charged with "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game" by the rfu, after the incident outside a jersey nightclub. but gloucester say he's been singled out unfairly. the wbc world heavyweight champion deontay wilder says there is "no question" he'll fight tyson fury this year. just to warn you, there's some flash photography coming up wilder engaged in some seemingly friendly exchanges with fury‘s dad, john, at yesterday's weigh—in for fury‘s bout with francesco pianeta in belfast tonight. but it all got a bit heated... wilder says that the deal has been done, with the fight expected to take place in the united states

towards the end of the year. carl frampton is top of the bill in belfast — he takes on luke jackson for the wbo featherweight title — all the action will be live on bbc radio 5live tonight. there hasn't been much time off for dina asher—smith. a week after taking three gold medals home from the european athletics championships... ...she goes again at the diamond league event in birmingham this weekend. one of those golds came in the 200—metres in berlin, which she's opted to run in birmingham — and though she may be exhausted, she's always ready to perform. i'm very tired. i did three events, i am very, very tired. i haven't hid that. but at the same time, i'm a competitor. my family, my physios, everybodyjokes with me that even if i'm drained, even if i've got one leg,

i'm still like, come on, let's go. that's just me so i would never hide from a good race. and the birmingham grand prix is live on bbc one from 1.15. great britain's alice tai has won her second gold medal in as many days at the european para swimming championships in dublin. she won the s8 100m freestyle, to add to the backstroke title she picked up yesterday. britain's medal target for the championships was 30—40, and they've already won 35 with two more days of competition to come. and ellie simmonds now has two silvers to her name, in an event she didn't really expect to be at. she came close to quitting after losing her love for the sport in the build—up to the last paralympics but she's now hoping to make the next, in tokyo 2020. it's a lot to come back but to think after rio i was going to retire and now i'm representing my country at a european games, like, i can't imagine anything better.

i love swimming and the whole team and it's definitely really good. i'm looking forward to having a good swim now and then having some cheesecake and a prosecco! she laughs that's what i'm really excited for! i love that she's more excited about the cheesecake and prosecco! to be fairi the cheesecake and prosecco! to be fair i would be but that's probably why i'm not an olympic athlete! for many other reasons as well... the cheesecake will do it. wheelchair rugby league can be fast, furious and at times brutal but the sport is experiencing a rise in popularity. the sport's challenge cup finals take place later today and mike has been finding out what it's all about at a training session with the leeds rhinos. if you think that rugby league is tough, look at the wheelchair version. the thrills, the spills, the dives for the line. this is the sport developed by a frenchman in 2004 that aims to replicate the fast, furious and brutal game of rugby league, but in wheelchairs,

and there's a try! when we start getting a good run and some good pace and then just chairs banging into each other, people getting flipped out of chairs and things, it gets quite competitive. it is pretty hard—core, pretty gnarly. you can only pass the ball backwards like in the running game so you're always moving back and knock—ons are a big thing, if you lose control of the ball. it has been life changing for former soldierjames who lost both legs in an explosion in afghanistan. it has made a massive impact on my life and recovery and got me more comfortable with myself. i'm going out there without prosthetics on and my legs are out and i'm in a wheelchair in front of people. it has had a huge impact on me that way but also i have got something to train for now. but this is an all—inclusive sport for all. at least two players on each team can be able—bodied likejosh. anybody can play. when you're in the wheelchair and all strapped up, there is no real advantage over anybody else. it is your skill compared to theirs. it turns it all on its head really

because the person in the wheelchair all the time is probably the more able because they have more skills in a wheelchair than a person that doesn't use one every day. it is very different to the paralympic wheelchair rugby, or murderball as it's known. this is far closer to the actual rugby game with conversions and drop goals. try and get your fist up and under. dave the cameraman got it between the posts. a drop on the floor, straight over. beautiful. it is a lot harder than it looks... ..as you can see. the first challenge is the learning to catch and carry the ball while pushing yourself along. it is only when you enter into a proper game that you really appreciate how physical this can be. apart from smashing into your opponent, you gain possession by removing the tags on their arms, that is the tackle.

for newcomers, speed and quick passing seems essential because the longer you hold onto the ball, the bigger the metal battering you can get. i'm known for hitting people... quite hard! it's being able to make that contact and it's the speed as well. anybody is invited to attend a try out session and there are now 20 teams playing in three leagues across the country. the sport is also set to grow with england hosting the wheelchair rugby world cup in 2021. mike bushell, bbc news, in leeds. watching that, there are some serious tumbles. the one chap who literally went into the wall. you have to be seriously fit to keep that. here's alina with a look at this morning's weather. good morning. it is a bit of a mixed

weekend. for most of us fairly cloudy, any sunshine we have got will be in short supply but it's just trying to break here just outside barnsley. for most, lots of cloud. some of us will see rain, most of us will feel fairly humid. away from the far north of scotland with clear skies and a fresh appeal. the overall feel, this front bringing outbreaks of rain across northern ireland and parts of central wales and scotland, working north. this area of rain is the re m na nts of north. this area of rain is the remnants of what was tropical storm ona remnants of what was tropical storm on a stove which will bring up the rain overnight. a spot of thick cloud this morning but most will be dry. some breaks in cloud blew the afternoon. that rain will keep going across scotland, working northwards. further north and east, some showers and a blustery feel for the western islands of scotland in particular. strong gusts of wind down western and southern coasts. the best

sunshine across east anglia, south—east england, temperatures getting up to 23 or 24. widely, 22. aside from the odd spot of rain this morning, it should be mainly dry for the cricket. lots of cloud but then brea ks the cricket. lots of cloud but then breaks so we will see some sunny spells this afternoon. a spell of rain arriving into northern ireland this afternoon, index sending into parts of southern scotland. further south, mainly dry, a very dry and muqqy south, mainly dry, a very dry and muggy night. clear skies, a cooler feel for the far north of scotland. tomorrow morning, a cloudy and humid feel, outbreaks of rain continuing across northern ireland, not ireland and southern scotland. it starts to fizzle out to the day so turning dry, most places fairly cloudy, a few bright sunny spells but still a warm and humid feel with temperatures widely between 19 and 23. into the working week, isobars

start to widen out of it. the winds will be lighter. still lots of cloud around, this front will continue to generate some outbreaks of rain across parts of scotland and northern ireland, northern england and some showers may get into the far north of wales. further south and east, dry, still a fair amount of cloud but a bit more in the way of cloud but a bit more in the way of sunshine. for most still in this warm, humid air, temperatures potentially up to 25 or 26 in places. thank you very, very much. we are talking about whether this morning. the weather for strawberries and all kinds of nice summer fruits. it does not make any difference if a robot is doing it. the theory goes, if you have a shortage in a profession, get a robot to do the job and that will sort it out. the question is out there, can robots

pick soft fruit? it has been on our minds all morning. generations have been thinking about it. now researchers around the world are trying solve this problem to help farmers who can't recruit enough workers. 0ur science correspondent richard westcott has more. they have been making tiptree jam for more than 130 years, technology speeding up the process as the company grew. but there is one thing that hasn't changed in all that time. grab the stem and twist them round. and they're off, ready for the punnet. the company's workers pick a billion strawberries a year, and it is all still by hand. it is relatively straightforward. i will look after one of those for you, thank you very much. you are very welcome. such beautiful berries. but it gets more complex, doesn't it? it does. looking at the strawberries, the human brain has half a second to make all these decisions. what is the level of ripeness, is it ready, the size of the berry, in which punnet is it put, and also the colour of the berries. humans are really good atjudging the fruit.

when you twist it, you can see actually the white shoulder. 0ur hands are great at picking, too. robots, on the other hand, really struggle. so now, a global race is on to develop a robot that is as good at picking soft fruit as a human being. but it is much more complex than you would think. humans find it very effortless. but when you try and build a system which does the same thing, it's a complex integration of vision, touch, force, movement, and on top of it, the ability to learn. scientists at the university of essex have teamed up with tiptree to try to solve the problem. robots are great when things are predictable, but nature doesn't do predictable. strawberries can be tucked away all over the plant. even changing light and weather can throw a computer. so lesson one is using colour to work out where the fruit is. ask a two year old to pick a berry,

and if it's sunny, if the weather changes, if it starts raining, if the wind is blowing, he will effortlessly go and pick the berries. but making robots pick and place in changing environmental conditions is a very big challenge. some growers say fruit is already rotting in the fields because of a global shortage of people willing to do this kind of work. a recent study in scotland found they had 10% to 20% fewer pickers than they needed last year. are there issues getting labour every year, finding enough people, and training them up, and so on. is it difficult? we have been ok so far, but yes, we are seeing the pool of labour is decreasing year—on—year. and it is a hard job, and that is the onlyjob, probably, left on the farm which has no mechanical help or nothing mechanised. teams across the world are working on fruit—picking robots, many in secret,

because there is so much money at stake. in essex, they are designing a new robot hand, but they should be ready for testing in the fields by christmas. it is work in progress. we will see what happens. it's a sound like no other, the skirl of the bagpipes are in full flow at the world pipe band championships in glasgow. it is an amazing sound. around 8,000 pipers and drummers from 13 countries have descended on glasgow green to compete for the chance to be crowned champion. catrina renton has been to meet some of the pipers taking part. it may be seen as a scottish tradition, but this competition has drawn bands from all over the globe. from as far away as canada and new zealand. for pipers and drummers, this is the equivalent of the world cup and despite the rain, 8,000 people from 13 different countries are expected

to take part this weekend. it's hugely important. we travelled for 40 hours or something to get here. we have been fundraising since two years ago so it's a huge deal and we are really excited to compete. this is the goal, to come here and be here every year. from preseason training, like football, to here today, this is the last competition of the season. we look forward to it every year, like. glasgow first hosted the world championship 70 years ago. now, it's part of a week—long festival celebrating all things piping. there's acts from all over the world that come to perform at our festival. it's really a huge festival promoting piping in general but also traditional music. anna started playing the bagpipes when she was seven. while it's not the easiest instrument to learn ten years on, she says practice makes perfect. my first time was definitely awkward, it was one of the most awkward things to try to get your head around but once you've nailed it, you know,

you are always improving so it's easy once you've got it! over 200 bands are competing this weekend. they have put in hours and hours of practice, hoping they will be able to walk away with the much coveted title, world pipe band champions. a magnificent sound if you do come across it. absolutely. we will take you to the world of the circus. it's 250 years since the world's first circus began entertaining crowds under the big top and the acts have become even more breath—taking and show stopping since then. one woman who knows a thing or two about circus life is former trapeze artist and aerialist becky truman, who's published her memoirs of a high flying career. let's take a look at her in action. becky truman joins us in the studio, alongside some of the costumes and one of the characters from her show. tell us about the person sitting

next to you. is it called barbara? sideshow barred. a very good. we took it from the simpsons character, and sideshow bob. —— sideshow barb we changed it because it is a company for women. how did she become part of your rack? the shows were structured with narrative. 0ften things started on the ground and moved into the air. she was a character who held the show together, like a kind of presenter. she was based on the mix between a traditional ringmaster and a devil character. you can see she has the horns and detail. all my characters and costumes were twisted. you have stopped performing and written a book about your experiences. people are fascinated

about how you first start in such an extraordinary career? how did you get into it? i was very good at gymnastics at school and very passionate about it. for me it was a lwa ys passionate about it. for me it was always gymnastics and art. i was making costumes, we had a theatre company. making costumes, we had a theatre . my making costumes, we had a theatre company. my mum was an actress. i was always involved in the arts, a lwa ys was always involved in the arts, always making things aren't always upside down on something. making the costu mes upside down on something. making the costumes and performing came together naturally. i met an aerialist landed an apprenticeship. it went from there. as a kind of performance, it is different from what you might associate with trapeze artist in the circus who would fling themselves from robert performing tricks. this is telling a story and we see it more in the circus now. cirque du soleil has been built on this principle. yes, it is what we call contemporary

circus. it is more about telling a story, and often using cross artforms, where you make to dance with circus skills, and harness work with circus skills, and harness work with circus skills, bid is more crossing over. as we are seeing you performing, there is risk associated by necessity. did you have accidents along the way? yes, we did. what kind of thing? well, you fall. we had a very nasty head fall in the company. i dislocated a whole food at one point. i also fell on my back. it is a dangerousjob, no doubt about it. people are thinking, you have an accident like that you see someone get injured, you question what you're doing and the risks involved? you do, but when you're passionate, ask any sportsperson or artist, once you are

passionate, you cannot seem to stop. there is no other way. you just keep and focus on recovering as fast as possible, which is not a lwa ys fast as possible, which is not always very sensible, and getting back up there and continuing. always very sensible, and getting back up there and continuingm always very sensible, and getting back up there and continuing. it is an obsession. are we seeing a revival in appreciation of circuses in this country? i am thinking about the greatest showman. circuses have moved away from animals, it is about what humans can do. they are more popular in other countries than in britain? yes, the animals are more involved in other countries and filling the gap that animals have left is a hard thing because it comes with such drama, and people have had to step up to the mark, such as the fancy costumes. rightly so, some people would say. yes. you have stopped doing it professionally, but do you perform in any other way? do you use the

trapeze, some people use it for fitness? it is very popular. people can do it as a hobby, you can learn the trapeze is an evening class. for me, everything i do in my current career is circus or performance related, a film or television, that side of things. i'll work —— i am a lwa ys side of things. i'll work —— i am always making costumes, involved in art, is circus promotions, conferences. i teach special effects at bradford school of art. that is linked and students get involved in my projects, and i get involved in their projects. lovely to see you this morning. is it debra? barbara. she was pulling a face when i got her name wrong. thank you for coming to see us. stunning costume. becky's new book is called aerialist. that's all from us for today. i'll be back from six tomorrow. until then, enjoy your weekend. goodbye. this is bbc news. the headlines at 10am:

more than 300,000 people have been left homeless as southern india faces its worst floods in a century indian prime minister narendra modi is visiting parts of the affected area. forecasters say more heavy rain is on the way. diabetes on the rise — the number of young people being treated for type two of the disease has soared in the past four years. new plastic tax planned for items such as drinking straws and coffee cups after the british public backs tough action in record numbers. we wa nt we want to see if there are smart, intelligent incentives that we can create to encourage the producers of plastic to take responsibility when they are designing the materials that end up on supermarket shelves and ultimately in our own homes. also coming up this hour. a state funeral takes place in genoa for some of the 38 people killed in the motorway bridge collapse.