describes sexual misconduct allegations against him as "patently ridiculous". mr salmond is taking legal action to challenge the scottish government's process over the complaints, which he has described as "unjust". scotland's serving first minister, nicola sturgeon, has said the sexual misconduct allegations "could not be ignored". i have made clear on many occasions that in all workplaces people must feel able to bring forward complaints and have confidence that they will be treated seriously. and now, it is important that due process and fair process is followed. also this lunchtime... thomas cook is removing its guests from a hotel in egypt following the death of a british couple who died while staying at a red sea resort. scott morrison is sworn in as australia's sixth prime minister in 11 years after malcolm turnbull was forced out by his party rivals. donald trump declares a state of emergency for hawaii, as flash flooding and strong winds

hit the us state. we should all abstain from alcohol, a new global study confirms previous research that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. and coming up on bbc news, sebastian vettel tops the time sheets in first practice in belgium. he's looking to close the gap on lewis hamilton, as fi returns from its summer break. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. nicola sturgeon, scotland's first minister, has said that sexual misconduct allegations made against her predecessor alex salmond "could not be ignored or swept under the carpet". the scottish government said it received two complaints against mr salmond

earlier this year. it's believed they refer to events in 2013, when he was still first minister. mr salmond's denied the allegations and said some of them were "patently ridiculous". he is taking legal action to challenge the process of investigation which he has described as "unjust". the government in holyrood said it would "defend its position vigorously". lorna gordon is in edinburgh. yes, it was confirmed this morning that the two complaints were received by the scottish government here at st andrews house back in january and that the official investigation into those complaints is completed this week. he is one of the best—known figures in scottish politics. alex salmond, former first minister, former mp, former msp, a man who led his party, the snp, twice and secured a referendum on

independence for scotland and who is now facing allegations of sexual misconduct in the run—up to that vote. it's believed the complaints made by two people date back to 2013 during mister salmon's time as a serving first minister when he would have been living here at the first minister's official residence. the current occupant, nicola sturgeon, said she had been aware of the investigation for some time but she said the complaints could not be ignored or swept under the carpet. i've made clear on many occasions that in all workplaces, people must feel able to bring forward complaints and have confidence that they will be treated seriously. and now, it is important that you process and fair process is followed. mr salmond has described the complaints procedure as unjust and has said he will proceed with a judicial review of the complaints process at the court of session. in a statement he said he has not been

allowed to see and therefore properly challenge the evidence against him. he added that the permanent secretary chose to deny any permanent secretary chose to deny a ny co nta ct permanent secretary chose to deny any contact with any civil servant, many of whom wish to give evidence on my behalf and access to documentation to allow me to properly challenge the complaints, all of which i be few and some of which were patented ridiculous. in a statement, scotland's's most senior civil servant, the permanent secretary lesley evans, said the scottish government was limited for legal reasons in what it could say. but she said mr salmond's statement contained significant inaccuracies which will be addressed in the court proceedings he intends to bring. the scottish government said it will defend its position vigourously. police scotland refused to comment on whether an inquiry by them is ongoing. but these newly surfaced allegations have rocked scotland's political establishment, and with a

legal process now likely to start, the impact will be felt far beyond holyrood. well, that interview, those comments from nicola sturgeon that you just heard, were made in an interview she has conducted in the last hour. those present at the interview said she was visibly upset during it. she said she had known about the investigations and since april, when alex salmond made her aware. she said she had had no role in the investigation and made clear to him she would not intervene. she said she would not intervene. she said she had had no prior knowledge of complaints about alex salmond's behaviour until advised about the current two complaints. there is no date set yet for the legal process. but alex hammond himself is speaking this afternoon. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt has said they were "fit and healthy" before their holiday. kelly 0rmerod was with her parents, john and susan cooper, who came from lancashire.

they were staying at the steigenberger aqua magic hotel in the red sea resort of hurghada. mrs 0merod said herfather, who was 69, died in his room and her mother died in hospital. the couple had booked the holiday with thomas cook, and the travel company says it's offering its 300 customers alternative hotels or the option to return home. dan johnson reports. what caused john and susan cooper's deaths? their daughter says john collapsed in his room on tuesday and susan fell ill a few hours later. the egyptian authorities said they both suffered low blood pressure and heart failure. this is the steigenberger aqua magic on egypt's red sea coast. thomas cook says there is no evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning here but because other tourists had been ill it decided to move its 300 other holidaymakers or bring them hold early. it is entirely possible the deaths and the illnesses aren't

linked at people staying here are uneasy. everybody is really worried and obviously, as the anxiety raises, people start talking to each other and the lack of answers from thomas cook is really disappointing. we flew out on tuesday, which is the day that these poor people passed away and i must say i'm really sorry about what has happened but i think we should have been given the option about whether or not to come. thomas cook has stopped taking bookings for the hotel and people due to travel in the next month will be offered an alternative. the hotel management and other travel companies have denied an increase in illnesses but thomas cook says safety is its first priority. this couple were unwell at the end of their stay a few weeks ago. if there is anything untoward orany ago. if there is anything untoward or any outbreak they have absolutely made the right decision to remove all the passengers from there. susan cooper actually worked for thomas cook here at their branch in burnley. it's been closed for a

second day. colleagues described her asa second day. colleagues described her as a loyal, long serving staff member. their daughter is still in egypt with their three grandchildren. she says her parents we re grandchildren. she says her parents were fit and healthy before their holiday. they may well have died of natural causes in a sad coincidence. there's still lots to be explained. but in the meantime thomas cook clearly isn't taking any chances. danjohnson, clearly isn't taking any chances. dan johnson, bbc news. australia has sworn in its sixth prime minister in 11 years after malcolm turnbull was forced out by his party rivals. scott morrison, who had been an ally of mr turnbull, won a leadership contest held this morning. no australian pm has served a full three—year term since 2007. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith sent this report from the capital, canberra, and a warning that there are flashing images. meet australia's latest prime minister, the fifth in just eight years. scott morrison is known as "scomo" to his friends, allies he'll need as he seeks to rebuild a governing party which has torn itself

to shreds and lost the trust of the australian public. there's been a lot of talk this week about whose side people are on in this building. we are on your side. that's what matters. so, once again, australia has a new prime minister. but scott morrison faces a huge dual challenge, notjust healing the wounds of his warring party, but in seeking the forgiveness of the australian public, who have watched the events of the last week with exasperation and anger. they won't have been impressed with what they've seen. just a few days ago, scott morrison was standing shoulder to shoulder with his predecessor malcolm turnbull, pledging loyalty. this is my leader. and i'm ambitious for him! good on you, thanks, scomo. but bitter feuds within this building over climate change and immigration meant malcolm turnbull had lost control. he blamed those on the right of his party for wrecking his reign. australians will be just dumbstruck, and so appalled

by the conduct of the last week. but how much goodwill is there left amongst the voters? many enjoying a drink after work in canberra were pretty unimpressed with their politicians. i'm confused, 0k. .. it's one leader one day and then the next day we don't know who it is. we're more disappointed and in a lot of cases quite dismayed and disgusted by the way that the politicians have been playing this out. you're now the 30th prime minister of the commonwealth of australia. congratulations. thank you. perhaps he should have added "good luck". with an election due in nine months, just staying in power will be difficult. some are already talking about who australia's 31st prime minister may be. hywel griffith, bbc news, canberra. the cabinet office minister david liddington has

dismissed criticism of a letter written by philip hammond to the treasury select committee saying there was "nothing new" about the analysis presented by the chancellor. writing yesterday, mr hammond warned that a no deal brexit would have large fiscal consequences. but his letter has been described by brexit supporters in the conservative party as "another instalment of dodgy project fear". 0ur political correspondent tom barton is in westminster. can you unpick this latest one for us? yes, this isn't the first time the chancellor has faced incoming fire from brexit supporting mps in his own party. in this letter to the treasury select pity he warned that in15 treasury select pity he warned that in 15 years' treasury select pity he warned that in15 years' time, treasury select pity he warned that in 15 years' time, if there is a no deal brexit, britain's economy could be 5-10% deal brexit, britain's economy could be 5—10% smaller than it otherwise would have been. and that would mean the government needed to borrow as much as £80 billion extra each year. he published those comments, warning

of long—term potential damage, in the case of a no deal, just hours after his cabinet colleague, the brexit secretary dominic raab, had said that any potential disruption would only be in the short—term, and it's the timing of those comments from the chancellor which have drawn scorn from brexit backing mps, people like jacob rees—mogg, who said that no deal is not as absurdly frightening as the chancellor thinks. today, though, the cabinet 0ffice minister david lidington has come to the chancellor's defence saying that the timing of this letter was simply a coincidence. he said there was nothing new about the forecasts, that they have been in this evictee name since january, and he has said in the last hour that he would not be looking for any coincidence here. there is no safe limit to alcohol consumption and health officials should consider recommending that people go teetotal, that's the findings of a major global study. the research, published in the lancet medicaljournal,

concludes that although moderate drinking may protect against heart disease, the risk of cancer and other diseases outweighs these protections. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports. just how much alcohol is it safe to drink? different studies offering apparently contradictory results can be confusing, as is the level of risk posed by drinking even a moderate amount of alcohol. and now, new research says there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. your risk of 23 significant conditions is much more increased if you drink one or two alcoholic drinks, and the risks increase dramatically as you get to three, four and beyond that level of drinking, it's really hazardous to your health. the global study looked at drinking habits over 26 years in 195 countries. around the world, one in three people are thought to drink alcohol. alcohol use is linked to nearly a tenth of all deaths

in those aged 15 to 49. this leads the authors to conclude that any health benefits of drinking are outweighed by the risks. in the uk, the advice is to limit consumption to 1a units a week, around six pints of lager or seven glasses of wine. but today's report says on average, british men and women actually have around three alcoholic drinks a day, meaning many people are drinking at a level that could damage their health. it is a good idea to have a look at your alcohol consumption and have a think for yourself, am i maybe drinking every single day of the week? am i drinking two or three drinks a day? because if that's the case, it probably is an opportunity to perhaps think about cutting back a little bit. today's advice echoes that of health experts, who've highlighted the link between alcohol and diseases such as cancer. but for most people, sticking to the official guidance of 1a units a week presents a very low risk. and in the end, that's what the debate about alcohol consumption comes down to —

the level of risk we are each willing to live with. dominic hughes, bbc news. the time is 1315. our top story this lunchtime. alex salmond, scotland's former first minister, describes sexual misconduct allegations against him as "patently ridiculous". mr salmond is taking legal action to challenge the scottish government's process over the complaints which he has described as "unjust". and coming up... wire scientists are calling a census of birds as so important. coming up on bbc news, all the latest from the european para athletics championships in berlin, where david devine has added to great britain's gold rush today, they're top of the medal table. almost a0 years on from the last papal visit, tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to dublin to see pope francis this weekend.

but in the wake of abuse scandals in the catholic church what kind of welcome will he receive? chris page reports. 39 years ago, ireland put on a massive display of euphoria, devotion and loyalty. john paul ii was the first pope to visit the country, which at the time was often described as the most catholic in the world. tomorrow, pope francis will arrive on a transformed ireland. the church's influence is much diminished, and its reputation badly damaged. people who were abused in children's homes run by religious orders are preparing to protest. they want the pope to say sorry and a half of the church and go further. we're asking him to apologise, and not only that, to fork up and do what's right, out of the money that they have. it's not all about money, i know that. but that's the only form ofjustice that people are going to get, especially elderly people whose lives have been ruined.

the revelations aren't over yet, especially in northern ireland. stormont has commissioned research and church institutions for unmarried mothers to help decide if there will be a public enquiry. particularly for a lot of women in northern ireland, their voices have not been heard. we do not know about their stories, and those stories are ones that we will hopefully be able to hear, be able to uncover, be able to understand more in a new era, as the church has to deal with the responsibilities from the past. the dark side of the church's past continues to overshadow its present. but catholic church attendances in ireland are still proportionally the third highest in europe. there are many thousands who express their faith practically and wholeheartedly to make a positive difference. at st patrick's parish in north belfast, about 200 come to this soup kitchen every weekend. it's open to anyone in need, from all communities and backgrounds.

i suppose part of any christian faith is the basics to reach out your hand and feed people. as christian catholic people, we want to ensure that the people around us are given every bit of help that we can give. a number of the volunteers will be heading south for the pope's visit, and they admire what he says about tackling poverty. we see the pope showing leadership around social issues, homelessness, and showing passion as well. it's very important that that passion is shown, and here tonight you can see the passion of people. i believe as well but we are saving lives here. the soul of ireland is under the spotlight. half a million people are expected to come here to phoenix park in dublin for a papal mass on sunday. for the catholic church's most sincere members and its strongest critics, this weekend will be significant, symbolic and historic. chris page, bbc news. ireland's prime minister leo

varadkar has said he's glad the roman catholic church is now less dominant in public life. speaking to our religion editor martin bashir, the taoiseach said that although religious institutions still had a place in society, they should not determine public policy in the way they did in the past. prime minister, it's a0 years since the last pa pal visit to ireland. how has the church fared in that time? well, i think ireland has become a very different place in the past a0 years since the last papal visit, and our relationship with the church has changed during that period, like it has for a lot of countries. but i think it's fair to say that ireland is increasingly diverse, increasingly secular, a much more liberal country, a much more globally outward—looking country than maybe it was a0 years ago. and the relationship with the church has changed, principally because of so many revelations that have occurred around child sex abuse, for example, but also some of the institutions that were run by the catholic church

in the past, sometimes on their own, sometimes in cooperation with the state. that has caused people i believe to look at the catholic church in a different way. having said that, even in our most recent census which was only a few years ago, 78% of irish people still identify as catholic. millions of people are regular mass goers, and these events around the papal visit will be attended by maybe 750,000 irish people, which makes it the biggest event that happened in the country in a very long time. so, i think if i were to sum it up i would say that the catholic church is still very much part of our society, but not at the centre of it in the way that it was a0 years ago. do you think the church and its role in society here in ireland has been diminished more by secularism from without or by scandal from within? erm...

it's difficult to quantify. it's definitely a mixture of the two. you've lived here, you'd seen the impact of these scandals. i think the scandals certainly damaged the credibility of the catholic church. for example, some time ago, 20 or 30 years ago now, when we were deciding to introduce, for example, divorce into ireland, people learning that some priests had children and had, not wives, but for all intents and purposes did — that obviously changed their credibility. so, a0, 50, 60 years ago if something was said by the parish priest, if something was said by the local bishop, the vast majority of people in ireland would have taken that to be the truth, or the right view that they should take. and all those different scandals of course damaged the credibility of the church when it came to those issues of public policy.

but i think that was just part of it. the country's been changing anyway, as is the normal case as countries develop, as people become more educated, as they become more prosperous, as they travel more. we've got a lot of migration in ireland as well. people always left, but in the last a0 years lots have come back as well, so it's much more of a two—way movement, and we've a lot of inward migration. one in six people in ireland, including my father for example, weren't born in ireland, and of course those things have changed people's perspectives and attitudes, and would have anyway even if it had not been for those particular scandals. martin bashir speaking to the irish prime minister leo varadkar. strong winds and torrential rains from hurricane lane have hit hawaii in the pacific ocean, causing flash floods and landslides. all public schools and many offices are closed as residents take shelter. the hurricane, earlier measured as category four has now been downgraded to category three, but authorities still warn it needs

to be taken seriously and a state of emergency has been declared — as jon donnison reports. this is what half a metre of rain has done to hawaii — a tropical paradise, transformed. the islands may have so far avoided a direct hit but hurricane lane has made its mark. hawaii will be impacted by hurricane lane, the question is, how bad? right now, the system is really setting up to be a significant rain event. torrential rains. forecasters are predicting over 30 inches in some parts. we are extremely concerned about the potentials for inland flooding — landslides occurring and damage to the transportation and communications infrastructure. many have had to flee their homes with dozens of evacuation centres set up across the state. long queues have formed outside supermarkets with people urged to stockpile food and water.

a state of emergency has been declared. we have the federal state, all of the counties here, to make sure that we are protecting the health, safety and welfare of all of our people, including some close to 300,000 tourists who are in the state right now. these pictures from the international space station show the hurricane as it approached hawaii earlier this week. two or three days ago, it was a category five, which is top on the scale. these storms are really rare close to hawaii. hawaii itsself does not get that many hurricanes but this is the latest satellite. you can see the hawaiian chain here. there is the big island, hawaii itself. this smaller one, this is where honolulu is. you can see that most of the clouds are to the south. this track shows you where the eye of the store may be in the next two or three days. itjust so happens that, in the last minute, it has

taken a 90 degrees turn, so, hopefully, the worst of the storm will stay out to sea. but authorities are not taking any chances with beaches being reinforced for a possible storm surge. hawaii's surfers, the only ones making hay while the sun does not shine. jon donnison, bbc news. cbs correspondent mireya villareal is at hilo, in hawaii. can you give us an update? as of right now we've seen the rain and wind coming in waves. in hilo we are standing on the swollen banks of the river, the name of which translates as dangerous waters. 0fficials as dangerous waters. officials say they've never seen the river look like this before. this is the

strongest storm to hit in the last few decades. we've seen some strong winds and a lot of rain. in some areas they are predicting up to three feet of flooding and rain by the end of the hurricane. thank you. they're arguably one of wales's most extraordinary and important birds — but also amongst the least understood. skomer island off the pembrokeshire coast is home to half the world's population of manx shearwater — and for the first time in ten years researchers there have carried out a full census. they claim the species is a key indicator of the health of our seas as our correspondent steffan messenger has been finding out. a sea bird census on skomer island. they are listening out for manx shearwater, which spend the summer here raising their chicks in underground burrows. this year, we've done the whole island. it took pretty much a month with a dedicated team of volunteers helping us.

it's not the only fieldwork that's happening here focused on this elusive species, which spends most of its life out at sea. gps tags, microchips and small cameras have also been deployed to try and understand more about its behaviour. it is amazing how little we still know, and especially about what they are getting up to when they are at sea. so, every day we weigh 100 of these chicks and we do that from the moment they hatch to the last day we see them, which is when we assume they have pledged. oh, wow! they are so fluffy. they are amazing. so, about two weeks before they actually fledge, their parents will abandon them and actually stop feeding them altogether. and then they will take off without their parents, having never left their burrow before, well, except for these guys, and fly off to argentina. the islands warden believes studying the manx shearwater can tell us a lot about the state of our marine environment. 0n skomer alone, there are over 300,000 pairs.

they are indicators of the health of the oceans, aren't they? so, if the chicks are all underweight, because the parents cannot find enough food around here, it's a really good indicator there is something wrong with our seas. this island is home to the largest concentration of manx shearwater anywhere in the world but visit during the day and you're very unlikely to see one. the chicks as we know are underground in their you've got to wait for the sun to set and it to get very dark. burrows and the adult birds — the mums and dads — far out at sea so, to get the full shearwater experience, you have to wait for the sun to set and for it to get dark. later on, using a special night vision camera, we watched the spectacle unfold. in a few weeks' time, these birds will leave wales once again on their 6000—mile migration. by then, researchers should have a better idea about the size and health of the population here, shedding new light on skomer‘s significance for the species as a whole. steffan messenger reporting there.

time for a look at the weather. here's mel coles. good afternoon. we mentioned hurricane lane earlier on, here it is. this is the current thoughts on where it's going to go. tracking south—west of the hawaiian islands. it may not make landfall but will still cause considerable disruption. nothing quite so dramatic back here but as we go through the weekend, a bank holiday for many, there's quite a lot going on. blustery showers is the order of the day but in between there are bright intervals with even some spells of sunshine particularly further south. the radar shows the showers really nicely, a rash of them working in and gradually they will spread further south and east. they are rattling through fairly quickly on the brisk north—westerly wind. quite fast but heavy

potentially with hail and thunder and we've had reports of lightning in parts of hull. these are the average wind speeds around the showers particularly blustery. 30 mph possible. it feels much cooler under those showers. temperatures are down across the board throughout the day. mid to high teens at best. this evening, those showers continuing for a while but they will start to ease and fade. most places having a dry night with clear skies. in sheltered spots it will be particularly cool. temperatures down into single figures. a much colder start on saturday morning than we've been used to. particularly down north sea coasts courtesy of a rather keen northerly wind. as high pressure