hours committee can get this fire under control. they hope the structure can be saved. let's hope they are right. speak to you soon. bye— bye. has been completely engulfed by fire. the blaze started more than four hours ago. renovation work was being carried out to restore parts of the 850—year—old building. the roof has collapsed, the famous stained glass windows have been destroyed, fire crews are trying to save some of the priceless artwork from inside the cathedral. two hours after the fire broke out, the cathedral's spire suddenly collapsed prompting gasps from the crowds below. thousands have been standing, many in silence, watching in tears and dismay as this symbol of paris goes up in flames. it's the most beautiful monument in paris and it's been burning for an hour. it's just hideous.

now, firefighters at the scene say they're trying to save one the cathedral‘s iconic stone towers which is also on fire. we'll have the latest from the scene. also tonight. a former soldier is to be charged with murdering a teenager, who was shot twice in the head in londonderry in 1972 during the northern ireland troubles. shamima begum, the london teenager who joined the islamic state group when she was 15, is expected to be granted legal aid, to fight for her british citizenship. and the pressures of life on the farm — we report on the mental health crisis among farmers. and in sport, a gift from watford's goalkeeper in a controversial game with arsenal in the premier league. pierre—emerick aubameyang capitalises for unai emery‘s side as the gunners try and keep pace with the top four.

good evening. it is one of the most famous buildings in the world. it has stood on the banks of the river seine for more than 800 years. tonight, notre dame cathedral in paris is completely engulfed by fire. the flames appear to have started in the roof where extensive renovation work was being carried out. they quickly took hold. the cathedral‘s spire collapsed into the building. it's feared very little has been saved. huge crowds gathered in the streets around it, many were in tears. notre dame took 200 years to build, it's one of the greatest treasures of medieval architecture. tonight it lies in ruins. our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. it was, said the president, a part of france that burned today, a part that stood here for 800 years, through war, revolution and

religious unrest. engulfed within an hour by flames. its ancient towers, beacons for both residents and tourists, crumbling into the blaze. as its current guardian watched through tears. translation: this is a natural disaster, i'm very upset, this cathedral is 850 years old and to see the building fault pieces, the spire to fall downjust see the building fault pieces, the spire to fall down just as we were renovating it, all i can do is pray. 400 firefighters circled the cathedral to tackle the blaze. their crane stretching to reach its soaring roof, a complicated and fragile operation, simply dousing the medieval structure with water was not — make an option because the building could collapse. to tackle the flames inside the building, firefighters had to climb up the towers. nothing else could reach.

the flames are slowly beginning to subside but the damage isjust beginning to reveal itself. the destruction of this medieval symbol of paris has left the city under a pall of shock and smoke. people packed into the streets around barely spoke. just watched. president macron arriving at the cathedral were france's prime minister had no words to offer, either. his face upturned in disbelief, as in prayer. those who found the words for their impressions, one after the other, all said the same. translation: this is awful, it's terribly sad. it is terrifying. the fire is uncontrollable. i've been here for one hour and there is nothing you can do. the deputy mayor of paris confirmed the fire started on the roof and quickly spread. the cause isn't clear. police have begun

an investigation but some have questioned whether extensive renovation work currently under way here might have sparked this massive lays. the task now is to assess the destruction inside the building. it's woodwork dating from the 13th century, its statues destroyed once before by revolutionaries two centuries ago. many things are said to be irreplaceable. great art, cultural heritage, symbols of protection and hope. what words should be used when it is all of these? lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. let's get the latest now live from lucy. extraordinary scenes in paris tonight, does it look like firefighters will be able to save anything of the building? well, you could see the scale of what they we re could see the scale of what they were up against. this was an incredibly complicated complication. firefighters tackling it any way they could, such an enormous structure and not so long ago we

we re structure and not so long ago we were being told the whole wooden skeleton were being told the whole wooden s keleto n of were being told the whole wooden skeleton of notre dame was ablaze. there were real fears for the whole structure of the building and particularly the north tower, one of those big towers at the entrance to notre dame, real fears those big towers at the entrance to notre dame, realfears they those big towers at the entrance to notre dame, real fears they wouldn't be able to say that. the latest we are getting from the scene is that the basic stone structure now appears to be out of danger. they've managed to save at least that. the big question now, of course, is how much of the inside still remains. lucy williamson with the latest in paris, thank you. and we will go back to paris later in the programme but now the rest of the day's news. a former soldier is to be charged with murdering a teenager who was shot twice in the head in londonderry in 1972. 15—year—old daniel hegarty was killed in an army operation near his home. last year, the high court ruled that a decision taken in 2016 not to prosecute was based on "flawed" reasoning. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy reports.

apologies we don't have that report but we will bring it to you later on in the programme. shamima begum, the london teenager who joined the islamic state group when she was 15, is expected to be granted legal aid, to fight the decision to strip her of her british citizenship. the 19—year—old, who's in a detention camp in syria, wants to return to the uk. legal aid — which is financial help paid for by taxpayers, to those who can't afford the costs of a lawyer themselves — has been significantly cut back in recent years. here's our home editor, mark easton. should shamima begum, the former british schoolgirl who went to join the islamic state group, be granted legal aid to contest the home secretary's controversial decision to strip her of her citizenship? the legal aid agency looks certain to say yes, but using public funds to support a jihadi bride is equally controversial. it's not the first time that someone who, for national security reasons, has had their citizenship deprived.

it's not the first time that someone has received legal aid, but, on that issue itself, it should really be an independent decision, not for ministers. senior lawyers argue that whether the state can simply remove the britishness of someone born in britain is an example ofjust the kind of case where legal aid is essential. what would you say to those who argue this is not the way that public funds should be used? it is essential to the rights of every single one of us that, if the government makes a decision that affect our lives, or if an individual breaches our rights, that we have a fair process that we can turn to, to ensure that our rights are upheld. legal aid is supposed to ensure the rich and the powerful don't have an advantage in access to justice, both in criminal and civil cases. the money doesn't go to the individuals but to the lawyers representing them. it's only available after a strict means test of a person's financial position and a merits test — an assessment of the chances

of success, the cost and, in high—profile cases, public attitudes. the government has made it more difficult to get legal aid, spending almost £1 billion less a year now in real terms than a decade ago. relatives of those killed by the ira in the 1974 birmingham pub bombings were initially denied access to public funds in fighting their cases. it is scandalous that there is no automatic legal aid funding for complex inquests like ours. legal aid is regarded as a building block of the rule of law, indeed of our very democracy, but when money's tight, who is and who's not able to access scarce public funds inspires fierce argument. shamima begum had no involvement in requesting legal aid and will, of course, not receive one penny personally, but if the lawyers acting in her name were to win their case, she may yet return to the uk and then perhaps face justice before an english court.

mark easton, bbc news. a man has been charged over an online video which appeared to mock the victims of the grenfell tower disaster. paul bussetti, who's 46, is accused of distributing grossly offensive material. the footage emerged showing a crude cardboard model of grenfell being burned on a bonfire. 72 people died in the fire in west london in 2017. demonstrators have blocked major road junctions in central london and disrupted traffic in a protest over climate change. the campaign group extinction rebellion parked a boat across oxford circus and blocked marble arch and piccadilly circus. three men have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. the organisers say protests were taking place in more than 80 cities across 33 countries. there's been a sharp rise in the number of cases of measles around the world. the world health organization says it almost quadrupled in the first three months of this year, compared to the same time last year.

measles is a highly infectious and can lead to serious complications. it's also easily preventable with a vaccine. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson is here with me. do we know what has caused a sharp rise? it is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and it can cause very serious complications, deafness, learning disabilities and all also can lead to fatal pneumonia. what we have is an extremely effective vaccine but in poorer countries fewer people are being vaccinated and in some wealthier countries people are choosing not to vaccinate their children at all. it is thought social media carrying messages from anti—vaccination campaigners with false information is perhaps contributing to the fact people don't want to vaccinate their children at the moment. in order to protect the population you need 95% of people to have been vaccinated.

we know most of europe is falling short of that target, including the uk, where it is around 87%. it is a very concerning warning from the world health organisation saying, that, around the globe, many countries are in the midst of sizeable measles outbreaks which is in africa, central asia and eastern europe and the who is stressing that these figures are provisional and these figures are provisional and the actual numbers are expected to be far, far greater. let's go back to the story of the former soldier who is to be charged with murdering a teenager who was shot twice in the head in londonderry in 1972. here's our ireland correspondent emma va rdy. barricaded and controlled by the ira, in the early 19705, parts of derry had become no—go zones for the police and british soldiers. during an army operation

to retake areas of the city, 15—year—old daniel hegarty was shot twice in the head by a member of a patrol unit known only as soldier b. the original investigation into what happened has since been heavily criticised by police. an inquest in 2011 found daniel hegarty was unarmed and that soldiers had not given a warning before firing. but repeatedly prosecutors had decided not to press charges. today, the decision was overturned. we have not and do not seek revenge or retribution. we just want the criminal trial process to begin. we have waited long enough for this day ofjustice for daniel. we know from the support of others that it's never too late for justice. soldier b will now face prosecution for murder and for wounding with intent, having also shot this man, daniel hegarty‘s cousin, christopher, who survived. a total of six british soldiers are now facing charges for killings

during northern ireland's troubles, and more are still being investigated. these cases are deeply controversial, and critics have called for new laws to prevent veterans being prosecuted. last month in derry, families were told of the prosecution of soldier f for the events of bloody sunday in which 13 civilians were killed. and, today, another milestone in northern ireland's journey to try to reconcile its past. emma vardy, bbc news, derry. housing charities and campaigners have welcomed government plans to end the right of landlords in england to evict tenants without good reason. but the national landlords association says the proposals could cause chaos, increasing the number of indefinite tenancies. sima kotecha reports. yeah, i think it does make me feel a bit more secure, but i'm worried also about the people who don't necessarily know their rights... nick had a bad experience while renting. he was given just four weeks

to move out of his flat. it was quite stressful at the time. i had to find a flat at short notice, and i had to settle for somewhere that was probably... i wouldn't have chosen in an ideal world, in terms of the state it was in! if these changes come into force, tenants won't be able to be evicted without good reason. yeah, it is a relief that, at least in principle, what happened to me before couldn't happen again. and in that sense, it's a positive, and it also shows how desperate the situation has become for a lot of private renters. i think that the government has been forced to act after pressure. at the moment, landlords can terminate tenancies without a reason using a section 21 notice. some are concerned, if these are abolished, it will be harder to get rid of difficult tenants. you're permanently under stress... michael evicted a tenant who he says refused to pay his rent. we've ended up with a situation

where we're five grand in arrears with rent, which we've got no chance of seeing any more. if i'd gone down the court route, that would have been another two months he could have strung it out for, and also the court costs, which we're never going to see back. the use of section 21 has risen sharply since 2011, and last year more than 10,000 repossessions were carried out in england. the private rental market has grown significantly over the past two decades. ministers say evidence shows that section 21 evictions are one of the causes of homelessness, and that's partly why, they argue, there needs to be a change in legislation. carl says he's been living on the streets for three years. if your landlord evicts you, you can end up on the street no problem. theyjust pack your bags, they're there on the doorstep, you get back, there's nothing you can do about it. a lot of times, you won't even get a chance to speak to the landlord. that's you on the street. nowhere else to go, what can you do?

in scotland, similar rules were introduced two years ago. ministers say they hope to begin a consultation on these new proposals before the summer. sima kotecha, bbc news. the city of liverpool has been marking the 30th anniversary of the hillsborough disaster. a minute's silence was observed at six minutes past three, the time the match was stopped. 96 football fans died in a crush on the terraces during an fa cup semifinal. in sudan, protesters are continuing to camp outside the military headquarters after the country's leader of the last 30 years was ousted in a military coup. the group is demanding an end to army rule and a dismantling of the regime left behind after 0mar al—bashir was forced from power. 0rganisers of mass protests in sudan have made renewed calls the home secretary, sajid javid, says he could well have been drawn into a life of crime, had it not been for the support of his parents. in a very personal speech,

he said his experience growing up in a dangerous part of bristol could have led to him becoming a drug dealer. he also said violent crime should be treated like a disease. farming is often described as more than a job, it's a way of life. but many farmers are living under tremendous pressure, and the strain is taking its toll. around one agricultural worker takes their life every week in the uk, according to figures seen by the bbc. bad weather, animal disease, long lonely hours and financial strain are all contributing to a mental health crisis in the industry. gareth barlow, a former farmer himself, reports. i've had dark thoughts. you know, when you can't see another way out, when you can't see another alternative... ..it does cross your mind. dog barks if something snapped in my head and i decided to take my own life, for example, it would only push the burden onto my father.

and, you know, i know it would kill him. at 22, jonathan mccamley is struggling. and so is alan, his dad. i nearly did something stupid. and i seriously thought about it, and i nearly did. voice breaking: and the only thing that stopped me... ..was the thought ofjonathan. two men on the same farm, facing the same issues. dealing with the fallout of alan's divorce, worrying about money, the weather, their cattle, worrying about each other, and whether their business in scotland can survive. across the uk, the industry is warning mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers. a situation compounded by isolation, a lack of support, and a stigma around speaking out. i spent my late teens and early 20s working as a sheep farmer.

it was me, the dog and, in my case, 600 sheep. and it's a great existence, living in the great british countryside, but it can often be lonely and isolating. you don't make it to birthdays, to family parties, you don't make it on holiday with your friends. and new figures compiled by the bbc have shown that if isolation and loneliness don't go unchallenged, it can have some very severe consequences. each week, around one agricultural worker takes their own life, meaning suicide in the sector is among the highest of any occupation. i want to be a farmer when i grow up. are you going to have dinosaurs on your farm? it's a nationwide issue. in west wales, emma picton—jones is dealing with the tragic consequences which poor mental health can have on farm workers, like her husband dan. he killed himself in 2016. i'd gone from being a married 27—year—old with two children, and all of a sudden, i felt like i had this stamp which said i was a widow on my head, but not just a widow —

a widow of suicide. dan didn't seek help for his problems, like so many others in farming, and emma wanted to change that. the dpj foundation, named in his honour, supports welsh farmers through its call line and counselling service. the charity was inspired by a message left by dan. there was one part which said, you know, you weren't able to help me, but you can help somebody else, and i rememberthat part just sticking in my head and thinking, you know, i can try and do something about this. we've had messages from people who've said their lives have been saved by the service that we provide. and to have that is just amazing. traditionally, the image of farmers is of people unwilling or unable to share their feelings. but i met this group of friends in pembrokeshire who told me attitudes towards mental health are changing. it's a difficult thing, even for men in general, to say how you're feeling and what you're really thinking at the time. yeah, because we're young, it's easier for us to see and, like, accept the help. throughout the industry,

the message is more needs to be done to boost support and tackle the stigma around mental health, plus the isolation faced by farmers. but one message is making an impact — talking saves lives. gareth barlow, bbc news. and for details of organisations which offer advice and support, you can visit our website at bbc.co.uk/actionline. let's return to our top story now, and the devastating fire at notre dame cathedral in paris which has been burning for several hours now. notre dame sits in the very heart of paris, on the ile de la cite, an island in the middle of the river seine. the fire is believed to have started shortly before 7pm local time, shortly after the structure closed to the public. firefighters say the blaze could be linked to ongoing restoration work. france is tonight mourning a cultural and historical loss.

fergal keane reports now on the damage done to france's cultural fabric. in paris, the most desolate of skies, smoke and ruin and history billowing into the air. fire crews from across paris have come here to say whatever they possibly can, and the striking thing, standing among the striking thing, standing among the crowds on the banks of the seine, isjust the the crowds on the banks of the seine, is just the silence, the quieter people stunned by the destruction of not just quieter people stunned by the destruction of notjust a great french cultural artefact but of one that belonged to the world. notre dame de paris offered an image of france that seemed eternal, even if the past was long past. it was built more than 800 years ago when kings ruled by divine right, and grand and great cathedrals of stone and stained glass were designed to reach for the sublime. so this is

absolutely a cultural disaster, for all of us, notjust the french, but also of european significance. paris had been the hot cauldron of gothic architecture from the 11th and 12th centuries, and it had influenced a whole lot of buildings in england, including westminster abbey, and all our subsequent cathedrals. notre dame survived europe off devastating wa rs dame survived europe off devastating wars of religion, and the age of revolution. it was a theatre of hubris, napoleon was crowned emperor here by the pope. at the end of world war ii, the bells of notre dame peeled hour of liberation. its glories are a source of pride for the people of the city. translation: i speak to your english audience to share my immense sorrow, my immense pain in front of this catastrophe that has befallen notre dame. i have lived here for more than 30 years, my three children we re than 30 years, my three children were baptised here. what the germans

did not destroy was ruined by stupid file. higher and higher it goes up the fear of devastating fire was a lwa ys the fear of devastating fire was always present. this was the mid 19305, when the paris fire service drilled for such an eventuality, but it was a renovation in the modern age that prove catastrophic. the5e statu e5 were moved age that prove catastrophic. the5e 5tatue5 were moved for protection ju5t 5tatue5 were moved for protection just last week. tonight, paris feel5 like a city that is mourning the lo55 like a city that is mourning the loss of an essential part of itself. fergal keane, bbc news, pari5. world leaders have been reacting to the scenes, president trump said it was "so horrible to watch the massive fire", theresa may said her thoughts were with the people of france. the vatican has expressed its shock and sadness. this is one of the latest picture5 showing the true extent of the fire. there was virtually everything alight, a5 there was virtually everything alight, as you can save. let's go back now to lucy williamson, who is

in paris, andju5t back now to lucy williamson, who is in paris, and just looking at that image, you can say it looks like there will be very little that is saved of notre dame. yes, and i think that is beginning to sink in here in paris, or late afternoon and into this evening a real sense of 5hock, into this evening a real sense of shock, of sadness here, but what really struck me was the silence and the feeling from people that this was a loss really beyond words. we have had the mayor of paris, anne hidalgo, saying there are no words are strong enough to express the pain of watching notre dame burn. the prime minister talking about grief beyond words. and you mentioned the vatican, they expre55ed mentioned the vatican, they expressed their disbelief at what has happened. the image that is really going to stay with me tonight i5 really going to stay with me tonight is of ordinary people in the streets around notre dame gathering together 5inging around notre dame gathering together singing and praying. lucy williamson with the latest from paris, thank you. newsnight is getting under way on bbc two. here on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are.

hello there. 0ur weather is set to get much warmer over the next few days, as we replace the chilly easterly winds that have been coming in from scandinavia with something much warmer moving in from the southeast. so that's going to boost the temperatures as we head into easter weekend. the warmest spots could see temperatures climb as high as 25 degrees celsius, so feeling really quite warm at times for the weekend ahead. before we get there, we've had mixed fortunes weather—wise today. the best of the sunshine has been across england, eastern parts of wales and eastern areas of scotland. but it's not been like that everywhere. across western parts of the uk, the cloud has been thicker and we have seen outbreaks of rain. the rain accompanied by strong winds across these western areas, too, bringing rough seas to the coastline around northern ireland, where we've also had some damp weather. the winds really feeling quite cold with those gusts up to around 40 or 50 mph. 0vernight tonight, the same band of rain still with us

and going nowhere fast. so there will be more rain at times in northern ireland, some rain dribbling its way to parts of wales and southwest england. with a lot of cloud expected overnight, it's not going to be as cold as last night. temperatures between five and eight celsius. now for tuesday morning, expect a cloudy start to the day for most areas with our weather front slowly fizzling across wales and southwest england. there will be some damp weather here at times. the wettest weather will be moving into western scotland as we head through tuesday afternoon. but that still leaves eastern scotland and eastern areas of england, where the weather should stay dry and bright, with occasional sunny spells. now the weather begins to warm up, really, as we head into wednesday. the winds fall light and there will be bigger gaps in the cloud, so more in the way of sunny spells. that will help the temperature along quite nicely. looking at highs of 18 degrees towards southeast england. 14 celsius in edinburgh. some of these north sea coasts, though, kept a little bit cooler by the onshore winds. 0n into thursday, more of the fine weather on the cards. a few mist and fog patches possible first thing in the morning, but otherwise staying fine

with spells of sunshine. in the sunshine, warming up, temperatures reaching a high of 20 degrees in cardiff. feeling warmer as well in belfast, 16, and 17 there in edinburgh, feeling pleasant with spells of sunshine. it gets even warmer still, though, as we head into easter weekend. temperatures in the very warmest spots are likely to peak at around 25 celsius before things turn cooler next week. you're watching bbc news with geeta guru—murthy. we are bring you continued live coverage from those events in paris. notre—dame cathedral in this evening. usually damage. these are the latest pictures as the fire fighters battled to try and quell those flames, but we know part of

the roof has gone, the famous spire has caved into the building. we are told that part of the main structure will hopefully survive, but as you can see there, flames still shooting through. we know that there's been m essa 9 es through. we know that there's been messages from right around the world, from leaders everywhere, hoping that this building can be saved. it is 800 years old. it took 200 years to create. 0ur paris correspondent hugh schofield has been following events for the past few hours since smoke and flames started appearing in paris along the banks of the river seine. when you look at what happened in the last few hours, it unraveled so fast, it unraveled so quick, how much of this building can be saved?

i think we can be