today at five: the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, strenuously denies two sexual misconduct claims against him. mr salmond has called for a review of the scottish government's handling of the complaint process — and described the allegations as ‘patently ridiculous‘. i have never sexually harassed anyone and i have certainly never been engaged in criminality of that kind. the first minister, nicola sturgeon, says the matter is upsetting for the party — but it won't be swept under the carpet it is a difficult situation but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. we'll be live in edinburgh. the other main stories on bbc news at 5... the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" when they went on holiday. a warning for drinkers

as new research suggests there's no safe level of alcohol consumption. ireland prepares to welcome pope francis this weekend, nearly a0 years since the the last papal visit to the country. how do you propose to make this investigation? we will establish contact investigation? we will establish co nta ct over investigation? we will establish contact over the phone. and going undercover in ‘black klansman‘, spike lee's film about a mission to infiltrate the ku klux klan. find out what mark kermode made of that, and the other big releases this week in the film review. good evening. the former first minister

of scotland, alex salmond, has strenuously denied two sexual misconduct complaints against him. speaking this afternoon, he said he hadn't sexually harassed anyone, and certainly had not been engaged in criminality. his successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, said the complaints were made in january and were investigated through a process she had agreed to. mr salmond has asked the court of session in edinburgh to review the scottish government's handling of the complaints process. the scottish government said it would defend its position vigorously. lorna gordon reports from edinburgh. 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 is believed the complaints made by two people date back to 2013,

during mr salmond's time as a serving first minister, when he would have been living here at the first minister's official residence, bute house. the current occupant of bute house, first minister nicola sturgeon, said she had been aware of the investigation for some time. she said the complaints could not be ignored or swept under the carpet. 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. 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. if you had asked me would i ever be in the position of taking the scottish government to court, i would have been totally, totally amazed. that is what is necessary in order to establish a fair process. and you have to have

a fair kick at the ball. you have got to have justice in the process, not just for the person who is on the receiving end of the complaints, but for the complainers themselves. i have not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly have not been engaged in criminality. iam no saint, i have flaws, i understand that. i am looking forward to the opportunity to establish that point. in a statement, scotland's most senior civil servant, the permanent secretary leslie 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 vigorously. police scotland refused to comment on whether an enquiry by them is ongoing. but these just surfaced allegations have rocked scotland's

political establishment. and with the legal process now likely to start, the impact will be felt far beyond holyrood. lorna gordon, bbc news, edinburgh. let's talk to bbc scotland's political correspondent who is following this and following an extraordinary day in scottish politics. indeed it has been a fascinating day in scottish politics. a surprisingly as well. there we have alex salmond saying he is no saint but he has not sexually harassed anyone. the scottish government confirming that the complaints have been made about sexual misconduct. the other surprising thing is that this is a former first minister of scotland taking the scottish government to court. could it get more strange? he wa nts to court. could it get more strange? he wants to fight what he sees is as an

unlawful and unjust process. we have nicola sturgeon, the current first—minister, seeing any allegations cannot be swept under the carpet. looking actually visibly shocked and moved in that clip they are, saying that the snp will be shocked at what has been happening there. it has been a surprising day. police scotland this afternoon confirming they are carrying out an assessment of information that they have received, a report that they have received, a report that they have received, a report that they have received, and that enquiries are atan have received, and that enquiries are at an early stage. this will run and run and it is a day that has rocked the political establishment. thank you for now. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt has said they were "fit and healthy" before their holiday. kelly ormerod was abroad 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 ormerod said herfather, who was 69, died in his room and her mother died later 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. this is the steigenberger aqua magic hotel on egypt's red sea coast. thomas cook says there is no evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning here but because other tourists have been ill, they have decided to move their 300 holiday makers or bring them home early. it is entirely possible the deaths and illnesses are not linked. people staying here are an easy. everyone is really worried. people start talking and they start talking to each other. the answers from thomas cook is disappointing. we flew out oi'i cook is disappointing. we flew out on tuesday which is the day these

are people died. i think we should have been given the option of whether to come or not. we would have not. thomas pitt have stopped taking bookings for the hotel and those due to travel in the next month will be offered an alternative. thomas cook says safety is its first priority. janine and his partner were unwell at their state. based on our story, if there is anything outbreak, they have made the right decision to remove all of the right decision to remove all of the passengers from the. susan cooper actually worked for thomas cook here that their branch in burnley. it has been closed for a second day. colleagues described her asa second day. colleagues described her as a loyal, long—standing staff member. their daughter is still in egypt with three grandchildren. she says their parents were fit and healthy before the holiday. they may well have died of natural causes in

a sad coincidence. there is still lots to be explained. in the meantime, thomas cook are not taking any chances. strong winds and torrential rains from hurricane lane have hit hawaii in the pacific ocean, causing flash floods and landslides. all schools and many offices are closed as residents take shelter. the hurricane — earlier measured as category four — has now been downgraded to category two, but authorities still warn it needs to be taken seriously and a state of emergency has been declared, asjon donnison reports. this is what more than 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. this is going to be a marathon based event. the bottom line is, we are going to see torrential rains

occur for the next 48 to 72 hours and we hope that all of the citizens within hawaii are heeding the warnings that local state officials are putting out. many have had to flee their homes, with dozens of evacuation centre set up across the state. long queues have formed outside supermarkets, with people urged to stockpile food and water. i have never seen it like this before. i feel like it is going to come more and our house is going to be knocked down and stuff like that. i am just praying to not make it happen. these pictures from the international space station show the hurricanes approach to hawaii earlier this week. two or three days ago, it was a category five, which is top on the scale. these sorts of powerful storms are really rare close to hawaii. hawaii itself doesn't actually get that many hurricanes. this is the latest satellite image. you can see the hawaiian chain here.

there is the big island, hawaii itself, this small is where honolulu is. you can see most of the clouds are actually to the south. this track shows you where the eye of the storm may be in the next two or three days. itjust so happens that in the last minute, taking a 90 degrees turn. so hopefully the worst of the storm will stay out to sea. but the authorities are not taking any chances, with beaches being reinforced for a possible storm surge. hundreds of homes near berlin have been evacuated — as firefighters battle a blaze in a forest that's believed to have world war two ammunition buried underneath it. the fire, near potsdam, has spread rapidly and covers an area larger than 500 football pitches. authorities are concerned that the ammunition, thought to date from the soviet army's activities

in former east germany, could detonate. residents in nearby berlin have been warned to close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. australia has sworn in its 5th prime minister in eight years after malcolm turnbull was forced out by his party. scott morrison, who had been an ally of mr turnbull, won a leadership contest 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 will need as he tries to rebuild a governing party which has torn itself to shreds and lost the trust of the australian public. there has 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. once again, australia has a new prime minister, but scott morrison faces a dual challenge, notjust healing the wounds of his warring party but seeking the forgiveness of the australian public. who watched the events of the last week with exasperation and anger. they won't have been impressed with what they've seen. a few days ago, scott morrison was standing shoulder to shoulder with his predecessor, malcolm turnbull, pledging loyalty. this is my leader and i am ambitious for him. but bitter feuds within this building over climate change and immigration meant malcolm turnbull had lost control, blaming 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. how much good will is there

left amongst the voters? many enjoying a drink after work in canberra were pretty unimpressed with their politicians. i am confused. it is one leader one day and then the next day we don't know who it is. we are more disappointed and in a lot of cases quite dismayed and disgusted by the way the politicians have been playing this out. you are now the 30th prime minister of the commonwealth of australia. congratulations. 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 3ist prime minister may be. the time is coming up to quarter past five. the former first minister

of scotland, alex salmond strenuously denies two sexual misconduct claims against him. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" as they went on holiday in a red sea resort. a new global study of alcohol consumption says there is no safe level of drinking. and in sport, mourinho denies any rift in another bad tempered press conference. tottenham world cup winning goalkeeper has been charged with drink—driving. he was charged after a routine stop in london. he once an apology from red pill after he denied their claim. i will be back with more of those stores two stories for you at 530 pm. almost a0 years since the last pa pal visit to ireland,

tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to dublin this weekend to see pope francis. in the wake of abuse scandals in the catholic church what kind of welcome will he receive? chris page reports. inafew in a few moments i will be talking to the cardinal. he is in dublin for that visit. but now offer this report. —— but now for this report. 39 years ago, ireland put on a massive display of euphoria, devotion and loyalty. people of ireland... 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 religous orders are preparing to protest. they want the pope to say sorry on behalf

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 faults and the money that they have, it's not all about money, i know that, but that's the only form of justice that people are going to get, especially our elderly people, whose lives have been ruined. the revelations aren't over yet, especially in northern ireland. stormont has commissioned research on church institutions for unmarried mothers to help decide if there'll 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 does have 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 saint 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 isjust to reach out your helping hand and feed people. as christian catholic people, we want to be able 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. they admire what he says about tackling poverty. they say the pope has shown a form of leadership around different social issues, around homelessness, and shown passion as well, which is very important that that passion is shown and you can see the passion that people have. i believe, as well, that we're 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. 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. ireland has become a different place in the last a0 years since the last papal visit and our relationship has changed since that period. i think it is fairto changed since that period. i think it is fair to say that ireland is increasingly diverse, increasingly secular, much more liberal country and globally outward looking country then maybe it was a0 years ago. and

then 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 sexual abuse, for example, but also some of the institutions that were run by the catholic church in the past. sometimes on their own, sometimes with the state and that has caused people, i believe, to look at the catholic church in the different way. leo varadkar. let's go to dublin. we can speak now to cardinal vincent nichols, the archbishop of westminster, who is in dublin for the pope's visit. very good of you to give us your time tonight. thank you. how important is this weekend, both for you, yourself and how important for the people of ireland? well, it is. it is very important. it is a moment, as we havejust heard in which all aspects of the life of the

church are brought to the fore. am of those from the past are very dark and distressing and caused us a great deal of shame. some of them are very positive and that little report shows the great contribution that catholics can make to the well—being of society of the care of the poor. all of these aspects come to the fore and under the spotlight. whenever a pope visit a country, there is period of intense scrutiny before the pope arrives and when he arrives, he draws the attention and then gives expression to those aspects in the life of the church in aspects in the life of the church in a way that is unique and very special. it could be for many a really celebratory moment. there will by definition be people in the crowds who have never seen a pope visit the country before and for someone visit the country before and for someone of catholic faith, that is hugely significant, isn't it? well, it is true. i have been here for a

couple of days now. there has been four days of the world meeting of families. there are people in dublin from all over the world looking at the life of the family with humility and honesty. some of these difficult issues about past abuse and the treatment of the lgbt community that have been discussed openly and it is for the conclusion of this that the holy father is coming. it is a very, very important moment and an important moment for the whole of this country. all the difficulties from the past, other brits are still very much in need tradition and in that tradition, family plays a crucial part. you have nodded to some of the problems that the church faces and still faces. what can the pope do in way of viewing? what should he do it? would you expect

him to make public reference to this? that are going to beat three speeches by him, would you expect him to address the difficult questions? well, i do more than nod to them. i think we have to look them straight in the eye. i think only slowly and we're beginning to understand the real horror of child abuse, not just in understand the real horror of child abuse, notjust in the catholic church but in society as a whole. the pope earlier this week published a long letter in which he expressed his shame and horror and he expressed his own personal regret and was quite determined that the church will tackle this evil that has found a lodging in our house. i would expect he would repeat some of those things when he is here that he will do it in the context of an unflinching conviction of the presence of god in our lives and the weight that with the help of the holy spirit we construct family life

thatis holy spirit we construct family life that is good for all. surely there isa that is good for all. surely there is a lot with which we can celebrate and be determined for the future, and be determined for the future, and repent. and he is going to need some survivors of abuse, isn't he, and that is hugely important?” would expect so. i remember in 2010 when pope benedict came to london, he did three things. he met and sat and shed tears with victims of abuse. he met and encouraged people who work hard within the catholic church on safeguarding. and he made a public apology in westminster cathedral. now, these are three of the stepping stones. you begin with the stepping stones. you begin with the suffering. the are determined about the work we do at present and in the future and we do not hide, we do not try to hide the things that have gone wrong in the past. that particularly is the crucial lesson.

and how we measure the success of this visit? it is notjust about numbers, we cannot expect the numbers, we cannot expect the numbers we saw 39 years ago. what was a successful the like's no, we cannot expect those numbers because a0 yea rs cannot expect those numbers because a0 years ago there was no health and safety regulations. the crowd in phoenix park is limited to half a million. they are not able to come if one wanted to come. the success of this will be much more in the spirit that surfaces in this country. i had been here a couple of days and there is no doubt about the vitality of the catholic church in ireland and the love and enthusiasm that people have for it. i think that people have for it. i think thatis that people have for it. i think that is what will burst out over this weekend. a bit like an underground stream that bursts into the sunlight and everyone says, look, it is they are. that is the strea m look, it is they are. that is the stream from which we can drop good life. i think that would be

personified by the pope. echoing the words of the prime minister that this would be the start of a new kind of partnership between the catholic church and the state in this country. it was so in england in 2010 when pope benedict made that speech in westminster hall. i think we can see a similar emerging of a new partnership in this country after this visit. many thanks for your time tonight. thank you very much indeed. the archbishop of westminster who is there in dublin for that papal visit in dublin this weekend. we will have full coverage over the weekend. the time now is 26 minutes at five. it is a bank holiday weekend and the getaway is in full swing. holiday weekend and the getaway is infull swing. a holiday weekend and the getaway is in full swing. a bank holiday for england, wales and northern ireland

and travel on trains and roads can often be tricky at these times. it is the last big weekend of the summer. the rac estimates that more than 1a million motorists will make journeys over the bumper weekend. 0ur correspondent, andy moore is by the m5 near bristol. which, as they optimistically does not look too bad. i do not know. you can tell us more, andy. certainly the traffic is very heavy year. the getaway has got under way on the m5. this is heading down towards the west cou ntry this is heading down towards the west country and you can see down the hill there, a line of very slow moving traffic and it has been like those most of the day. if you are stuck in that line of traffic, it is taking about an hour to negotiate 20 miles of the m5. if you're coming down from london on the ma, at another half an hour to that.

highways england have done their best to make the traffic flow as freely as possible. they have taken away major roadworks. that means that 97% of the major roads are corn free. they have done their bit. there are going to be bottlenecks like this. also heading down to the west country, especially tomorrow. problem areas tomorrow by the m1 northbound. the m5 southbound in the south midlands. problems on the trains. london euston disclosed weekend and that is because of major works around the wembley area. the west coast main line is urging people not to travel on the line into and out of london. the advice if you want to avoid jams like this, it is always the same, travel hourly or travel late. the worst of the traffic congestion is always in the afternoon. jane. all right, andy,

good luck getting home. andy there on the m5 near bristol. as you go into the long weekend for the people, let's it isa it is a mixed picture this weekend. we have blustery showers. they are packing quite a punch and rattling through on those gusty winds. as we head through the evening, they are heading towards the south and east. we have had reports of thunder and lightning. temperatures are down. it does feel particularly cool. into the evening, those showers ease and fade. many areas, a dry night with clear spells. the chance of one or two showers feeding into north wales and the midlands. it will be cooler, particularly in sheltered spots. temperatures down into single figures. the cooler doubters saturday morning, particularly down

the north sea coast. we will start to lose the wind there. it will ease and many areas will have a fine and dry day. good areas of sunshine. the chance of one or two showers. without the wind, it will feel more pleasa nt this is bbc news. the headlines... the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, strenuously denies two sexual misconduct claims against him. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" as they went on holiday in a red sea resort. the british—iranian mother nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is expected to find out tomorrow if her temporary release from prison in iran will be extended the family of the veteran us republican senatorjohn mccain say he's ending his treatment for brain cancer. much more coming up in this

half—hour, including the film review, of course, at quarter to, but let's find out what is happening in the sport with will. jose mourinho says he has no problems with executive vice—chairman edward ward, despite reports to the contrary. let to —— said woodward. do you think it might be a bit of an overreaction? your pessimistic, i am not. i don't analyse video of my players. i feel we played not. i don't analyse video of my players. i feelwe played well against leicester, and we won,. we played badly against brighton and we lost. it is mr grumpy again.

vincent company celebrated his tenth anniversary at the club. he is just one match away from reaching 250 games for the club, something to be proud of, according to his manager. hgppy proud of, according to his manager. happy anniversary. it is a long time, many games. unfortunately in the last years it couldn't be more. he is an excellent central defender. his personality, he is loved in the locker room. england's women have taken bronze in the under 21 cup after beating france, the hosts, in after beating france, the hosts, in a penalty shoot out. georgia stanley gave the lead. her sixth goal of the tournament, making her joint gave the lead. her sixth goal of the tournament, making herjoint top scorer. france hit back, levelling. emily laurent equalising from the

spot. georgia allen stepped up to clinch it for— two. hugo larousse has been charged with drink—driving today. he was charged during a routine patrol stopped in central london. he has been bailed to return to westminster magistrates‘ court on the 11th of september. his side will face manchester united at old trafford on monday. fernando alonso says he wants an apology from red bull after they denied a claim they had offered him a drive for next season. he retires at the end of the year after failing to secure a deal away from the mclaren team. the red bull boss claimed they haven‘t offered him a contract since 2007. 0n the track, formula 1 is back from its summer break. kimi raikkonen seems to have benefited most from the rest, clocking the quickest time in practice ahead of the belgian grand prix. he was ten, head of

lewis hamilton, with sebastian vettel in fifth. —— he was ten. britain‘s women have reached their first semifinal at the wheelchair basketball championships in hamburg. they beat germany 50—37. the team‘s longest serving player led from the front. they will face the netherlands or china in tomorrow‘s final. the men‘s team are also in semifinal action today, leading a run 26—17. they are in the second quarter in that one. the first track gold of the day of the european para championships has been won by david devine. he got victory in the t 13 5000 metres, on top of the silver he won in the 1500 metres earlier in the week. my coach said, go to the front and control. i thought, 0k. said, go to the front and control. i

thought, ok. i puta kick in said, go to the front and control. i thought, ok. i put a kick in with two laps to go. 0ne thought, ok. i put a kick in with two laps to go. one of the spanish quys two laps to go. one of the spanish guys went past me a few times, but only for half a each lap time. it went only for half a each lap time. it we nt exa ctly only for half a each lap time. it went exactly how i wanted. that is all the spot for now. —— for half a lap each time. that is all the sports for now. here is the story that has got everyone talking, especially in the run—up to a long weekend. there is no safe limit to alcohol consumption — and health officials should consider recommending that people go teetotal. that‘s the finding 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. our 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. 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 is 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 10th of all deaths in those aged 15 to a9. 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 by 1a units a week, around six pints of lager or seven glasses of wine. today‘s report says on average britain‘s men and women have three alcoholic drinks a day, meaning many people are drinking at a level that could damage their health. look at your consumption and have a think for yourself — and my drinking may be every day of the week, two or three drinks a day? if that is the case, it is an opportunity to perhaps think about cutting back a little bit. for most people, sticking to the official guidance of 14 sticking to the official guidance of 1a units a week presents a very row the low risk. that is what the debate comes down to: the level of

risk we are willing to take. andrew steele is with me — he‘s a post doctoral researcher at the francis crick institute, which specialises in biomedical research. the headline is dramatic, obviously. in essence, go teetotal. but surely there degrees here. how do we drill down into the nuance of this? this is right. it is a nuanced finding with a striking headline. when we say there is no safe level, it is pa rt say there is no safe level, it is part ofan say there is no safe level, it is part of an unknown going brawl between scientists about whether there is a chance that small amounts of alcohol depress the risk of disease, on whether it is all risky. this study has found that it makes the risk of disease slightly worse. i was trying to cram some of the numbers, andi i was trying to cram some of the numbers, and i think this is a big story about risk communication, how we talk about to get hold —— how we get to grips with these numbers.

there are tiny risks in huge numbers of people. between the age of 15 and 95, what is your chance of getting one of the 23 conditions they are looking at in the study? if you are a nondrinker, there is a 52% chance. if you increase that to one drink a jazz, the chance of risks from 52% to 52.2%. that is tiny. -- to one drinka to 52.2%. that is tiny. -- to one drink a day. do you like drinking enough to take that tiny risk? i think i might. enough to take that tiny risk? i thinki might. very honest! and enough to take that tiny risk? i think! might. very honest! and that is the thing, i laugh a lot of people would say so. i suppose this is about giving people information and hoping people will make their own choice. you look at whether it is one drink a day, two drinks a day. is there a nothing here to tell us day. is there a nothing here to tell us that still the worst thing you

can do is to binge drink? thinking, iam great, can do is to binge drink? thinking, i am great, i don‘t drink five nights a week, but at the weekend i go completely mad. can we say that thatis go completely mad. can we say that that is worse for your body than just drinking very moderately during the week? the evidence is that binge drinking is worse, but it is hard to get a handle on this stuff, because studies look at average consumption. a lot of the studies are constructed in sucha a lot of the studies are constructed in such a way as five pints on a friday being five pints a week. we are confident that binge drinking is bad, but quantifying it is a nitty—gritty problem. bad, but quantifying it is a nitty-gritty problem. again, it is a judgment about the percentage risk, which is where you started. should we not drive a car a short distance if you can will, because actually you are far more likely to have a car accident than to develop cirrhosis of the liver, are you? it

is about that balance, isn‘t it, finding what you‘re comfortable with as an individual? i was reading a blog post by a cambridge professor this morning, saying, there is no safe level of all kinds of things. there is no safe level of living, but no one is suggesting that we ban that. there is a trade—off. you have to look at the risks and benefits, and say that maybe you shouldn‘t drink 20 or £30 a week. having a tiny tipple, that slight change to your life expectancy might be worth taking. —— 20 or 30 your life expectancy might be worth taking. —— 20 or30 pints your life expectancy might be worth taking. —— 20 or 30 pints a week. thank you very much for your time. 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 have done the whole island. it took pretty much a month with a dedicated team of volunteers helping us. it is not the only field work that is 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 at sea. 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 fledged. so fluffy.

they are amazing. around two weeks before they actually fledge, their parents will abandon them all together and then they will take off without their parents, having never left the burrow before, except these guys, and fly off to argentina. the island‘s warden believes studying the manx shearwater can tell us a lot about the state of our marine environment. 0n skomer island there are over 300,000 pairs. they are indicators of the health of the oceans, so if the chicks are all underweight because their parents can't find enough food around here, it is 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 are very unlikely to see one. the chicks are underground in their burrows and the adult birds, the mums and dads, far out at sea fishing for food. so to get the full shearwater experience, you‘ve got to wait for the sun to set and for it to get dark. later on, using a special

night—vision camera, we watch the spectacle unfold. in a few weeks‘ time, these birds will leave wales once again on this 6,000 mile migration. by then, the 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. the headlines on bbc news: the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, strenuously denies two sexual misconduct claims against him. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" as they went on holiday in a red sea resort. a new global study of alcohol consumption says there is no safe level of drinking. it's

it‘s nearly film review time. now on bbc news, a look ahead to sportsday at 6.30 tonight... coming up: jose mourinho arrives early, stays tight—lipped and then leaves. manchester united are preparing to face tottenham hotspur who have problems of the run—up to their goalkeeper was charged with drink—driving. we will have the latest for you from old trafford at 6:30pm. also coming up: the latest from f1 practice in belgium, and the challenge cup final. now it‘s time for the film review.