scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, hits back at the scottish government after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. mr salmond said the process of investigation was unfairand unjust — he was no saint, he said, but had done nothing wrong i've made many mistakes in my life — political and personal. but i've not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly have not been engaged in criminality. but scotland's first minister said the claims of sexual harrassment could not be ignored. it's a difficult situation, but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. we'll be asking about the wider implications of the affair that's rocking scottish politics. also tonight: egyptian authorities say a british couple on holiday there died of natural causes, but relatives say they were "in perfect health". strong winds and torrential rain in hawaii as hurricane lane approaches. no booze is good news —

a new study says there are no safe drinking limits at all. i can't wait to punch you write in your stupid face... the biggest internet event you've probably never heard of. coming up on bbc news, jose mourinho has no time to lose as he arrives early and stays tight lipped. good evening. the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, strongly denies two claims of sexual harassment dating back to 2013. the claims, which were made in an internal scottish government investigation, have been passed to the police.

mr salmond has launched legal action against the scottish government for the way it's handled the case. his successor as leader of the snp and first minister, nicola sturgeon, said the complaints were made in january and were investigated through a process she had agreed to. here's our scotland correspondent lorna gordon. i think we won the election. he is one of the best—known figures in scottish politics. alex salmond, a former first minister, a man who led his party, the snp twice and became the face of the nationalist movement, securing an historic referendum on independence for scotland. but who is now facing allegations of sexual misconduct in the run—up to the vote. the complaints date back to 2013 when alex salmond lived and worked at bute house, the official residence

ofa bute house, the official residence of a serving first minister. the allegations from two individuals have been denied by alex salmond who described the claims as painterly ridiculous. i have made many m ista kes ridiculous. i have made many mistakes in my life, personal and political but i have not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly haven't been engaged in criminology. iam no haven't been engaged in criminology. i am no saint, i haven't been engaged in criminology. iam no saint, i have haven't been engaged in criminology. i am no saint, i have flaws, haven't been engaged in criminology. iam no saint, i have flaws, i understand that and i am looking forward to the opportunity to establish that point. alex hammond said he's not being allowed to see and therefore properly challenge the evidence against him, so now, in an extraordinary move, the former first minister is taking the government he used to lead to court. nicola sturgeon, his anointed successor and for many years, his closest political ally, said complaints couldn't be ignored or swept under the carpet. everybody knows the length and the closeness of my

relationship to alex salmond and i think people will understand how difficult this is for me and my party. it will be extremely upsetting to members of the snp up and down the country. it is a difficult situation but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. the investigation into these allegations was conducted by the permanent secretary, leslie evans. in a statement she said alex salmond's comments contain significant inaccuracies, which she says will be addressed in the court proceedings he intends to bring. she said the scottish government will defend its position vigorously. welcome to the very first episode of the alex salmond show. he switch from front line politics to his own show on russia today. while you still being

in the spotlight, he has come out fighting and is ready to take centre stage in the highest court in scotland. the exact details of the allegations against him an investigation's findings have yet to be made public but the nature of these complaints against such a high—profile figure have rocked scotland's political establishment. lorna bbc news, edinburgh. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith joins me. what are the wider implications for politics in scotland? it is going to be very difficult for nicola sturgeon and you heard her sounding very upset. he has been a close colleague and a mental of hers for yea rs close colleague and a mental of hers for years in scottish politics. she is his party leader and she may at the end of this process, had to discipline him. that will be very difficult for the nationalist movement. at the same time she is the leader of the government he is challenging in court. the former

first minister taking the scottish government to court is remarkable. it will be upsetting to a lot of supporters. alex salmond was a revered figure among nationalists after leading the 2014 independence campaign. his credibility has been dented since then since his show on rte but people will be upset to hear these allegations. nicola sturgeon is about to update us on her plans for a second independence referendum and she will tell us what she wants to do about that. it is a difficult time for her to be making very big decisions like that. sarah, thank you. authorities in egypt say a british couple who died on holiday suffered heart and respiratory failure. 69—year—old john cooper, and his wife susan were staying at the steigenberger aqua magic in hurghada on the red sea. their daughter, who was on holiday with them, said they were "in perfect health" just hours before they fell ill. the tour operator thomas cook said it was removing all its customers from the hotel as a "precautionary measure". judith moritz reports.

john and susan cooper are said to have started their holiday in great spirits and are described as having beenin spirits and are described as having been in perfect health when they went to bed and monday night. but the next morning, their daughter kelly found them extremely ill. the next morning, their daughter kelly found them extremely illi don't believe that that is due to natural causes. my parents went to sleep on the monday evening, fit, healthy and in good spirits and awoke the following morning in very poor health. nobody could do anything to save their lives. i have made accusations and i need answers. nobody could have asked for better pa rents, nobody could have asked for better parents, they were the salt of the earth. the family were staying at

the 5—star steigenberger aqua magic hotel in the egyptian red sea resort of hurghada. the tour operator thomas cook said it would be removing all 300 customers from the hotel and although the circumstances of the couple's depth was unclear that had been a race report of the level of illness amongst guests. the hotel disputes this and some holiday—makers are worried. hotel disputes this and some holiday-makers are worried. when anxiety holiday-makers are worried. when a nxiety levels holiday-makers are worried. when anxiety levels are raised, people are talking to each other and the level of a nswers are talking to each other and the level of answers from thomas cook is disappointing. we flew out on tuesday and that was the day these poor people passed away. we should have been given the option whether to come here or not and we wouldn't have. i just to come here or not and we wouldn't have. ijust want to come here or not and we wouldn't have. i just want to go to come here or not and we wouldn't have. ijust want to go home. janine travis has just come back from the same hotel and has spent the last three weeks on antibiotics. she and her partner both had terrible stomach cramps. he went downhill

more rapidly than i did and he became quite unwell by the evening time. he wasjust in the room being violently sick. stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness, really, really u nwell nausea, dizziness, really, really unwell and nausea, dizziness, really, really unwelland i, by this nausea, dizziness, really, really unwell and i, by this time was in quite a lot of pain. for thomas cook, this is close to home, susan cooper worked at their burnley branch, which was closed today. susan cooper described as a loyal and long serving member of staff. the company says it is helping with the investigations and is deeply saddened by the depth of susan and john cooper. —— deaths. people in hawaii are being moved away from their homes as a hurricane nears the american pacific islands. hurricane lane's already causing flash floods, power cuts and torrential rains. the hurricane has now been downgraded to category three strength. but the storm is still carrying winds of over 100 and 20 miles per hour. james cook reports from hawaii.

this is what hurricane lane has done to hawaii already. and that is still churning towards the islands. so far, it is not the ferocious wind but the torrential rain which is the biggest problem. there are reports of catastrophic flooding, of landslides and of water rescues. tourists among those who have been pulled to safety. attention, attention. the beaches are closed. please leave the area. the big island in hawaii, hawaii county, has received in some cases some reports of two feet of rain already. unfortunately, there is more to come. the impacts are going to grow. the real question is, when does it start to make it turned to the west? if it drifts further north, that means we are going to see storm surge, greater wind impacts as well as increased rainfall. the hurricane will pass dangerously close to the hawaiian island chain hundreds of islanders have been forced to flee their homes. have you ever done this before? no, this is the first time.

i have been here for 11 years and that is the first time. across the state, dozens of evacuation centres have been set up. major hurricanes are rare on hawaii and as the storm approached, many people heeded the dire warnings, stocking up on food and water as a state of emergency was declared. we have the federal state, all of the counties here to make sure we are protecting the health, safety and welfare of all of our people, including by the way 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 the island earlier this week. the beaches are now closed, and nothing was going to stop these hurricane lane has slowed to a crawl as it approaches us and that is a

concern because it means the heavy rain and flooding could continue for days. but for now, it's not spray which fills the air, but smoke from the wildfire, just another challenge foran the wildfire, just another challenge for an island chain which rarely experiences storms of this ferocity. the beaches are now closed, but nothing was going to stop these servers from seeking the ultimate thrill of catching a wave on the edge of a hurricane. james cook, bbc news. 0n the eve of a visit by the pope to ireland, the first for nearly 40 years, the irish prime minister leo varadkar says he's glad the church isn't as prominent in the nation's daily life as it once was. the catholic church has been caught in repeated scandals over the abuse of women and children in recent years. from dublin our religion editor martin bashir reports. bishops and priests are not usually pounding the turf at leinster rugby ground. but as ireland prepares

to welcome pope francis, it is also hosting this global gathering of catholics. an alter has been built along the touchline, but that is as nothing compared to the challenge of reconstructing the church after decades of scandal. a lot of the pain and the hurt that we felt we were moving on from has resurfaced, particularly for people who were hurt by the clergy in the church. and i think the holy father, it's critical that he does something to try and address that. phoenix park, another venue, has been under construction for months. the catholic church and the irish government are spending more than £27 million to host pope francis. the highlight of this weekend's visit will be here on sunday when pope francis celebrates mass. 500,000 tickets have been issued.

so, will ireland feel like it did the last time the pope was in town? 1979, and popejohn paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history. back then almost 90% of catholics attended weekly mass, contraception, abortion and divorce were against the law. now all three are legal and church attendance is down to 40%. marie collins‘ story may help explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. what has happened here basically is the church has fallen over a cliff. its moral authority is completely destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland and i think many of them are hanging on by theirfingernails.

are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. judging by trade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. this is the best one. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the world that it has changed, then the future of the roman catholic church in ireland will continue to be overshadowed by its past. martin bashir, bbc news, dublin. our top story this evening: scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, has hit back at the scottish government after being investigated over claims

of sexual harassment. and still to come, i will be live on that m5near bristol weather holiday exodus is on its way. it is predicted there will be 40 million ca i’s predicted there will be 40 million cars on the road this weekend. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: the spa — scene for the belgium grand prix where ferrari were fastest in practice. every alcoholic drink does you harm. that's the stark message from one of the most significant studies into alcohol use and its health effects to date. researchers looked at the drinking habits of people in 195 countries, including the uk. the findings suggest that even moderate consumption is asscociated with cancer and other diseases. dominic hughes reports now from a pub in st albans. just how much alcohol

is it safe to drink? it's confusing when different studies produce apparently contradictory results. now the latest research says while alcohol might protect us from heart disease, overall there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. alcohol is linked to seven types of cancer. we know about liver disease which has risen over decades in the uk. so those risks actually outweigh any benefits. so what the study is saying is for health overall the best thing we can do is not to drink at all, which is clearly not going to happen for most people. but if we want to give advice, that is probably what we should be giving. nhs guidelines say we should restrict our drinking to just 14 units of alcohol each week. that's around six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. but today's report suggests many people are drinking more than that and posing a risk to their health. the study looked at global drinking habits. around the world one in three people drink alcohol. the study showed that british women

drink in average three drinks a day and ranked eighth in the world of highest drinkers. british men drink a similar amount but ranked 62nd because drinking levels internationally are generally far higher among men. and in this st albans pub customers were not especially alarmed by these new findings. i think everything comes with a risk, doesn't it? you have just got to make the decision. be aware of what you are drinking and go from there. there's conflicting advice all the time, isn't there, about how many units you can drink or are supposed to drink. i think it must depend on the individual surely. drinking alcohol is pleasurable so it is a case of don't overdo it. it is the degree of risk that we may suffer ill—health linked to drinking that we all have to weigh up. the study shows that the risk of drinking within current guidelines is very low indeed, so it's no argument for abstention just because there is no safe level. after all, there is no safe level for driving, there is no safe level

for going on holiday. there is no safe level for getting up in the morning but it doesn't mean we should abstain from these activities. and in the end this is what the debate around alcohol consumption comes down to, the level of risk we are each willing to live with. a man who falsely claimed to be a grenfell tower resident to avoid a prison sentence has beenjailed for six years. derrick peters stayed at the park grand hotel in paddington after claiming he lost his friend and his possessions in the blaze in june last year. he then ran up a £40,000 accommodation bill as well as £5,000 on food, drink and laundry. ryanair is changing its rules on what passengers can take into the cabin. from november, people can bring one "small personal bag" which must fit under the seat in front of them. anyone with a 10kg bag, such as a pull—along case, will have to pay a fee to bring that onboard. the airline says the move

isn't about making money, but to speed up boarding. sadly, this is the last long weekend of the summer and for those of us who aren't already on holiday a chance to join the great bank holiday getaway. so what's the best way to avoid the traditional pitfalls of delays, traffic jams and cancellations? with some timely roadside assistance, here's andy moore beside the m5. you can see the traffic behind me. this is all heading down towards the west country, moving very slowly at the moment. that line of traffic, if you are stuck in that at the moment, it is about 20 miles of very slow moving traffic and it would take you about an hour to negotiate that stretch of motorway. highways england have removed cones from about 300 miles of network and they say 97% of the major roads are free of roadworks. but there are bound to

be problems. the hotspots tomorrow are predicted to be in leicestershire, the m1northbound and the macron southbound around the west midlands and the a303, any routes heading down towards the west country. problem is on the train as well. london euston station will be closed over the weekend because of major works around wembleyjunction. the west coast mainline are advising passengers not to travel at all into and out of london if they can manage it. if you want to avoid traffic jams like this, the advice is to start out early or to travel late, because the worst traffic congestion is always in the afternoon. andy, many thanks. andy, many thanks. it s being billed as one of the biggest events in the history of the internet, despite the fact the names ksi and logan paul probably mean little to many people. the two youtube stars are set to earn millions of pounds

in a boxing match tomorrow night at the manchester arena that's being broadcast live on the internet. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been at the pre—fight weigh—in. colin... it has just taken place it hasjust taken place in it has just taken place in this hotel next to old trafford football ground and all around the uk this weekend the negotiations will be taking place. children and teenagers pestering their parents for the £7 50 needed to watch asi fight logan paul on youtube. they are hugely controversial characters and whether you approve of them or not, it will draw ina you approve of them or not, it will draw in a large global audience due to their massive online fan base. this could have serious implications for the future of broadcasting. the biggest international event in history! two of the biggest youtube stars taking their online rivalry into the boxing ring. i can't wait to punch you right in your stupid, smug face. britain's ksi and his american opponent, logan paul, each have almost 20 million

subscribers, predominately teenage boys attracted by their mix of comedy, bad language and hostility towards other youtube stars. tomorrow night both are set to make seven figure sums in a pay—per—view, white collar boxing match broadcast live not on satellite tv, but on youtube. a lot of people watching this fight are very young. how good a role model are you? i never like people calling me a role model. i'm not a role model, i'm just a guy that does things on the internet and if people are inspired by that, then that is cool. but logan paul is the baddie of the piece after causing global outrage earlier this year filming the body of an apparent suicide victim in a japanese forest. i made a severe and continuous lapse of myjudgment and i don't expect to be forgiven. i'm simply here to apologise. when i spoke to him today he made it clear that he is still trying to make amends. i don't think this is "the redemption". i think it may mark a part of it,

but by no means is this fight redemption for my mistake that happened in january. this fight also shows the way that the entertainment industry is changing. for the last decade youtube stars have worked out how to monetise their huge online following. this is taking it to a different level. this is an audience who are used to not paying. it's a pay—per—view event tomorrow, so in live numbers we are expecting it to be huge. but over the period of time of the content it will run to hundreds of millions of impressions. and while boxing is one of the oldest sports there is, the fight is the start of something new. and whoever loses, everyone is set to be a winner. a rematch in the usa is already booked in for early next year. colin paterson, bbc news, manchester. time for a look at the weather. here's mel coles. blustery showers have been the order

of the day to day and some of them have packed quite a punch. in the last hour or so we have had reports of lightning in norfolk and 0xfordshire. there have been dried, bright intervals, particularly the further south and east you were earlier on. you can see from the radar picture earlier a real rash of them stretching across the uk, rattling through on that brisk, north—westerly wind. this evening they gradually start to ease down, many areas drying up with clear skies. we keep that north—westerly breeze and a few showers speed into parts of wales and the west midlands. but it will be colder than it has been recently, particularly in rural spots in temperature is widely down to single figures. a much colder start to saturday morning than we have become used to. there will be wind as well, which gradually starts to ease as pressure

begins to build. for many it is a fine, dry day. there will be the chance of a few showers, but losing that wind means it should be more pleasa nt that wind means it should be more pleasant in the sunshine. but it is all change as we head on into sunday. an area of low pressure sitting in the north and west which introduces rain. it will work its way into our land on sunday morning and it will work its way into south—west england, wales, north—west england and scotland. heavy breasts accompanied by a fairly gusty, south—westerly wind. it works its way eastwards as we head through the day. underneath the cloud not particularly warm at all and temperatures will be back down into the teens. that clears away as we head on into monday. let's summarise the weekend. 0n we head on into monday. let's summarise the weekend. on saturday we had a few showers around. it will be wet and windy on sunday for most

of us, but on monday the bank holiday is a quieter story, brighter and warmer with many places seems spells of sunshine. a mixed bag this weekend. a reminder of our top story: scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, has hit back at the scottish government after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. egyptian authorities say a british couple on holiday there died of natural causes, but relatives say they were "in perfect health". that's all from the bbc news at six so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello. you're watching bbc news. let's look at our headlines... and former first minister alexander and has strongly denied misconduct claims against him. the british

iranian women is expected to find out tomorrow whether her temporary release from prison in iran will be extended. the family of the veteran us republican senatorjohn mccain says he is ending his treatment for brain cancer. in a moment it'll be time for sports day. as the hurricane causes flash floods and landslides in hawaii, we will have the very latest. and as ireland prepares to welcome pope francis for a visit, we get views on the visit. and the papers as later. that's all ahead. now, it's time for sportsday.

you're live at the bbc sports centre with me, chris mitchell. coming up on sports day for you. i wholeheartedly apologise — tottenham's captain and goal keeper says sorry after he's charged with drink driving. jose mourinho denies a rift with manchester united's chief executive and keeps it short with the world's media. i'm not the right guy to answer to it. i don't analyse video with my players. i'm not going to comment. and formula one is back — the spa is the scene for the belgium grand prix were ferrari were