we will rebuild. france's president vows to return the historic notre dame cathedral to its former glory as an investigation is launched into last night's devastating blaze. millions of euros have already been pledged — as firefighters are praised for their actions, preventing a disaster which could have been so much worse singing. after a night of shock and despair — relief that the main structure of the iconic building remains intact. translation: the whole fire is out. now we are investigating and a set of experts is analysing all the structures to establish what we do next to consolidate the building. emergency teams managed to rescue valuable artwork and religious items —

including what is said to be the crown of thorns worn byjesus before his crucifixion i'm lyse doucet live here in paris notre dame cathedral still stands. the shock at last night was my devastation has been replaced by homes with plans to rebuild one of the most famous buildings in the world. we'll be live in paris shortly. also this lunchtime... more than 100 climate change activists are arrested for blocking roads in central london — amid protests aimed at shutting down the capital future—proofing our forests — a call for help from the public to gather information about the wildlife and plantlife that they see. and coming up on bbc news england rugby star billy vunipola has escaped with a formal warning from the rfu after he defended israel folau's anti—homosexual social media comments.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the moods of desperation and sadness in paris last night have been replaced this lunchtime by those of hope and resolve — as france comes to terms with the devastation caused by the fire at notre dame cathedral. president emmanuel macron has promised it will be rebuilt after firefighters managed to save the historic structure after battling the flames for more than eight hours. the roof of the 850—year—old landmarkmark — as well as the spire — were destroyed. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in paris. welcome to paris, here on the river

seine. notre dame cathedral still stands. the part that blazed long into the night has ended and this morning in the cold light of day, a huge sense of relief and determination to rebuild this magnificent cathedral again. it cathedral of cathedrals, hailed around the world as the heritage of all humanity. the first reports by experts who went inside this magnificent building this morning is that there is hundreds of millions of euros in damage but pledges to rebuild notre dame are already coming in and there is good news that so much has been saved. our first report is from richard lister. roofless, smoke scarred but still standing. there were times overnight when many feared this ancient cathedral would not survive the inferno. but those assessing the damage today are now confident the worst is over. translation: the whole fire is out. now we are investigating and a set of experts is analysing all the structures to establish what we do next to

consolidate the building. it was a cauldron of fire, flames racing through the medieval roof, so dense with timber it was known as the forest. the scaffolding in place for renovation work was also at risk of collapse. it stayed up but so much more was lost. crowd: 0h, la la. when the central spire finally succumbed to the flames it seemed to rip the heart from the building. the shock on the face of president macron spoke for all those looking on. for fire crews it was a nightmare race against this all—consuming inferno. the height of the cathedral made it almost impossible to get enough water where it was needed. some two thirds of the roof was eventually lost.

singing. overnight, parisians kept a vigil, the streets around notre dame filled with the sounds of mourning. translation: there are hundreds of people who died to build the cathedrals and in here is their memory too. it hurts to see that. it's sad that a monument like this burns. it's very sad. it's one of the great monuments of france. i studied history and it was very important for me to come and see her. maybe for one last time before she was no longer there. notre dame has been at the heart of french national life for almost six centuries. it's where joan of arc was declared a saint and napoleon became an emperor. today, though, it's

scorched and rubble strewn, most of its treasures were taken to safety, there are years of restoration ahead. bells ring. at noon, bells rang across europe in solidarity with paris. in strasbourg, home of the european parliament, there were also pledges of support. but at stake here is something more than just material help. the burning of the notre dame cathedral has again made us aware that we are bound by something more important and more profound than treaties. the french billionaire francois—henri pinault has pledged 100 million euros for the restoration effort, oil firm total has done the same. planning the reconstruction began this morning. the prime minister edouard philippe and his cabinet know that france be watching. surveys of the building

are already under way. it was initially suggested the fire may have been caused by building work at the cathedral. questions remain about that, though and about why a better plan for dealing with a fire on this scale was not in place. richard lister, bbc news. large crowds of people are streaming towards the bank of river seine, to pray, and to wonder. our paris correspondent looks at how the people of paris have reacted to this fire. this morning, parisians came to see for themselves, notre dame is there cathedral. for observant and non—observant alike, the inferno was a trauma and they needed reassurance the worst had not come to pass. the firemen were heroes, real heroes and we applaud them. it was very

important for me to come this morning, i wanted to see if it was real, you know? to feel the thing and to be in the place and to like, if the stones and the basilica was talking to me. i wanted to be here to communicate with the place. as a christian i wanted to be full of hope because we built this fantastic cathedral and we will have to rebuild it after this predicament. it cathedral is a place of worship and in the week running up to easter catholics had a special reason to mourn but reason to hope as well. translation: this is a terrible fire that has destroyed this heritage building but the stones of the church are a living thing, we are not burned. despite the recent few fire incidents against churches we are not burned. the church is alive. this week we will celebrate the passion and resurrection of christ.

already, mines are turning to what needs to be done, fundraising, reconstruction. the head of the notre dame foundation which long before the fire was raising money for renovation told me contributions are already flooding in this morning from around the world. even last night, i said, ok, from around the world. even last night, isaid, ok, what should from around the world. even last night, i said, ok, what should we do now because the fire fortunately was extinguished progressively in the middle of the night and this morning, i said, middle of the night and this morning, isaid, so middle of the night and this morning, i said, so now, middle of the night and this morning, isaid, so now, what middle of the night and this morning, i said, so now, what do we need to do? and then let's see it will be saved? yes, yes, it will be saved, i am sure it will be saved. overnight in paris the mood has changed from despair and horror to defiance and determination. notre dame will survive. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. notre dame is home to so many precious artefacts and works of art. emergency teams battled to save the heritage. paul

adams looks at the treasures of notre dame. as the smoke clears and shot passes, what has been lost in what has been saved? despite what has been lost in what has been saved ? despite last what has been lost in what has been saved? despite last night ‘s apocalyptic fears the bulk of the 800 year stone structure seems intact. glimpses of the interior give cause for hope. above the smouldering wreckage the walls show little sign of damage, the pulpit on the right unscathed. miraculously, most of the vaulting above the nave has not come down but there are gaping holes. last night saw a race against time, many of the cathedral ‘s treasures salvaged even as the pirate to cold. they are now in storage, some will be transferred to delivery, including the holy crown of thorns said to be worn byjesus during his crucifixion. a 13th century tunic worn by king louis the ninth, the only french king to be canonised on day 14 century madonna

and child. translation: with regard to the treasures they will be put in sa place, either today or tomorrow but as soon as possible. with regard to the paintings of notre dame, the victims, they cannot be retrieved until friday morning but as far as i am aware, they are not damaged, there is a little bit of smoke, they will be transferred to a secure place in the livery museum. but what of notre dame ‘s three famed rose windows? this morning fire crews took a closer look. reports last night spoke of lead melting and glass exploding, the west window shows no sign of obvious damage, but these are immense, intricate structures and it will take time to assess them. the south rose window was given by louis the ninth round about 1260, it contained scenes from the life of christ. wonderful 13th century a rt the life of christ. wonderful 13th century art history. these were among the finest roast windows and

the finest painted glass to survive from high in medieval europe. -- rose windows. questions to about the vast grand organ, recently restored but dated back to the medieval era. notre dame has been at the centre of french life of the better part of 1000 years. now it must close its doors, count the cost and begin the long process of restoration. paul adams, bbc news. so much has been lost in this massive inferno, leaving so many at a loss for words. but today, with every hour that passes, more pledges or it streaming in. the last count is 360 million euros have already been pledged. by the wealthy, by the faithful, by those people, some of them french, some of them from around the world, who want to see notre dame rise

again. this magnificent cathedral, the cathedral of cathedrals, long seen as the cathedral of cathedrals, long seen as the embodiment of paris, the heritage of humanity it's been described today. and now, so many around the world are coming together to try to rebuild so that notre dame can still be one of the most famous places in the world. we have more for you from paris in a moment but simon, back to you in the studio. thank you so much. historic buildings such as notre dame are notoriously vulnerable to fire. york minster suffered a similar blaze back in 1984 but has since been fully restored. david silitto is at york minster. david. it is one of the first thing is, i remember seeing the flames last night, a memory of 35 years ago and york minster in plains and with those of us who were around, many of us those of us who were around, many of us experience the same sort of feelings and especially this man

joining me now, john david, master mason. you were here on the night when it was in planes. yes. i was outside at the very beginning of the fire, iwent outside at the very beginning of the fire, i went inside to help remove artefacts from the minster before, because we were concerned the whole building might go up in flames. now, if we actually look up at the top, that the great rose window. the actual roof collapsed didn't it, during that night, much like notre dame? yes, what happened, first of all the fire was in the top part of the roof and you could see the lead opening out in a great big hole. and what happened, the fire was getting hold but fortunately, there is a wooden vault below the outside roof which was also on fire. to contain the fire, to stop it spreading to the fire, to stop it spreading to the rest of the building, they were able, firemen, although it was on

fire, drop the roof to floor level so fire, drop the roof to floor level so the rest of the actual building could be saved. many similarities between notre dame and york minster and the fact that today you can barely see any evidence of that fire gives you hope, doesn't it? yes, there is no concern that notre dame can't be repaired. there was concern when the fire took hold, because there is a stone vault and it was very difficult to contain the fire because they are actually working at rooftop level and the fire did go into the north—west tower there but they managed to put it out. when you lose a wreath at affect the structure of the world, doesn't it? yes, the building will sigh, it will move. that's terrifying, isn't it? with all that weight off it. there we re with all that weight off it. there were ongoing repairs to notre dame already in hand. whether or not, the question is, the stone vault which is actually damaged inside, whether

the walls can keep that vault together, so it actually can be repaired and together, so it actually can be re paired and consolidated. together, so it actually can be repaired and consolidated. many questions now but with jon repaired and consolidated. many questions now but withjon ‘s work over the last, it was four years to restore york minster but it is a never ending job, if you go inside today, at least it gives you some hope about the future port notre dame. david, thank you. so how are christians and religious leaders around the world responding to the fire? our religion editor martin bashirjoins me now. there is shock everywhere? yes. the leader of roman catholic church in england and wales, cardinal vincent nichols, has said he shares the tea rs of nichols, has said he shares the tears of the french people and that notre—dame has overlooked that country for 150 years. i have just learned that pope francis has issued a special message to the archbishop of paris, reading in part, i associate myself with your sadness whilst saluting the courage and the

work of the firefighters who intervened. i express the wish that notre—dame cathedral can once again become this beautiful shrine in the heart of the city. i had just returned from interviewing doctor john hall, the dean of westminster abbey. he leads a church with similar status and influence right next to the houses of parliament. after 1905, when the law was changed in france, as he makes the point, the separation of church and state occurred. i think secularity is, of course, officially declared in paris. even so, there are many, many people who worship and, you know, you have these lovely churches all over the place. they are maintained by the state, which is extraordinary, to my mind. and somehow the church, as it were, camps within these buildings, which are provided by the state, even though they are church buildings from ages ago. so it's an odd relationship, as far as i understand it. i personally much prefer the idea of the church established,

as it is here, and serving the whole community and being seen as central to the life of the nation. but, you know, the french have their own way, and the great church will rise again. as you know, with huge pledges from philanthropists, donors and president macron has mentioned a subscription scheme last night, i think the dean of westminster is right, people within the christian and catholic communities believe that notre—dame will rise again. thank you, martin bashir. our top story this lunchtime... france's president vows to return the historic notre dame cathedral to its former glory — as an investigation is launched in to last night's devastating blaze. after a night of shock and despair, relief that the main structure of the iconic building remains intact.

coming up on bbc news, a huge night for manchester united and ole gunnar solskjaer in the champions league as they travel to the nou camp needing to overturn a 1—0 first leg deficit against barcelona. climate change protests are continuing for a second day in central london. extinction rebellion campaigners camped overnight at waterloo bridge, parliament square and oxford circus. 122 people have been arrested in connection with the ongoing protests. chi chi izundu is in central london. as you can see just behind me, police are continuing to arrest some of the climate change protesters in waterloo bridge. they say they are in breach of the public order act and if they want to protest they can do so lawfully in marble arch.

protesters behind me say they want to get their message across, they wa nt to get their message across, they want the government to take urgent action against climate change, particularly against carbon emissions. so far there have been around 30 arrests but the number is expected to increase as the day progresses. police had ta ken progresses. police had taken them to various cells around london, but they have stated they are willing to keep taking people back to get london moving again, essentially. there are also protests going on in edinburgh. extinction rebellion say they are prepared to continue their action until the end of next week. thank you. a police officer has suffered serious injuries after he was sprayed with ammonia fluid while attending an emergency call in darwen in lancashire. a number of officers had forced entry to a property after a call reporting a domestic incident — they were then sprayed with what is believed to be an ammonia cleaning liquid. the offender escaped through a first floor window but was arrested a short time later. a sergeant suffered serious injuries and remains in hospital. six others police officers have been

discharged from hospital. cholesterol—lowering statin drugs may not work well enough in about one in two of those prescribed them — that's according to new research. investigators in the uk found that for around half of the millions of people who take the medication, it had too little effect on so—called bad cholesterol. experts say it may be some patients aren't taking a big enough dose. our health correspondent rob sissons reports. millions of people in the uk are on statins. it's medication shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering bad cholesterol. at the university of nottingham, they analysed the patient records of more than 165,000 patients in the uk who didn't have a history of cardiovascular disease. the good news — in around half the patients, 49%, there was a significant benefit after taking statins. harmful cholesterol levels went

down by at least a0%. but the other half, 51%, saw little benefit from statins to their cholesteral levels within two years. the researchers say there could be many reasons why some patients don't do as well as others. individuals might not be following the instructions that gps are giving to them. the other reason could be that there's some genetic variation that we are certainly learning a lot about now. the british heart foundation suggests another reason. it insists statins are an important proven treatment, but that some patients may not be on the optimum dose. so we would like to make sure that patients are on the best dose possible and getting the maximum from their statins to reduce their risks further. this study is a stepping stone, but much more research is needed. a front—line gp who is involved in the latest study says closer follow—ups of patients on statins may improve results. our traditional approach is to start statins in a very light monitoring, but clearly some patients need closer monitoring and that needs

to be taken into account. for patients, this shows that they need to carry on taking the statins. even if they are getting less of a response than we'd like, they are still benefiting from them and they will prevent heart attacks. experts stress statins save lives, but say if you have any concerns about your medication, you should talk about it with your gp. rob sissons, bbc news, nottingham. the total number of people in work in the uk has reached a record high. the level of unemployment has fallen by 27,000 in the three months to february, meaning 1.34 million people are out of work. meanwhile, average pay rose by 1.5 per cent the highest figure since the summer of 2016. when you're watching the tv, you'll often hear or see warnings about upcoming flashing images. it can help prevent those with epilepsy from having a seizure. but there's no requirement to do the same online. graham satchell reports. sophie's seizures are triggered by flashing light.

she has photosensitive epilepsy. when i'm scrolling through facebook and instagram, i don't know what's coming next. sometimes there are posts that i know will trigger my seizures, and i have no control over when they appear. sophie has complained to both facebook and instragram about the lack of warnings on posts. their response has been, you can unfollow that page, or you can unlike that page, but it's a problem when it is a suggested ad for you, or a suggested post. i don't know how they come up with those sort of things. how am i meant to control what they show me? ...lizo mzimba was there. his report contains flash photography. tv programmes regulated by ofcom have to issue warnings when flashing images are about to appear. ..contains some flash photography. social media is not regulated in the same way and there is a growing worry about more sinister posts which deliberately target people with epilepsy. what some people are doing is creating content designed to attract people with epilepsy, and deliberately concealed

in the content are images designed to provoke a seizure. we think that sort of hateful and cruel behaviour is actually an assault, and that's why we're calling upon the government to take strong action by making it absolutely explicit that this sort of behaviour will certainly be illegal in the future. in a statement, facebook, which also owns instagram, told us... but, for sophie, that's not enough. i don't think they're taking enough responsibility. there is a syndrome called sudep, which is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, which, you can have a seizure and you can die from it, so it's really important that people do control their seizures. the government is proposing new legislation to regulate social media sites and told us they will consult with the epilepsy society.

sophie, for one, is clear — more needs to be done to stop people having seizures. graham satchell, bbc news. the largest ever survey of the wildlife living in england's forests has got under way. organisers of the big forest find are asking for volunteers and visitors to gather information about the natural beauty they see. john maguire reports. so, you mightjust be out on a dog walk or a bike ride and see something interesting. on the ground, in the trees and in the air, ourforests and woodlands are teeming with fauna and flora. we are here in an ancient woodland so we've got a particularly nice diverse range of species. so we've got primroses, early dog violet and a lovely wood anemone over there. they are quite sensitive to management so it's really important that we know that they are because if we are doing any woodland management, we can make sure that's protected.

so if you go down to the woods these days, the forestry commission has come up with a plan to enlist as many of us as possible to act as citizen scientists, gathering information about the health of our woods. it's basically to encourage as many people to get out and enjoy forests and be involved in surveying for us. and there is events going on in forests all over england between now and the end of october. ok, so we're going to take a photograph of this there's even a smartphone app called inaturalist so that people can identify the wildlife, plants and insects they discover. research scientists play a valuable role in telling us about our ecology, our environment and indeed what's changing, but by doing something like this, citizen science, the amount of evidence gathered together is absolutely huge. that provides a real snapshot of the state of our countryside. the project continues until october and it's hoped will

replicate the success of the rspb‘s a big garden birdwatch. but by understanding more about what's happening in ourforests now, measuring which species are under threat, decisions can be made on how best to protect them for the future. john maguire, bbc news, gloucestershire. time for a look at the weather — here's chris fawkes. thanks, simon. today looks like being cloudy for most parts of the uk. however, the weather is forecast to get sunnier and warmer over the next few days, so be will lose some of this low cloud we have at the moment. temperatures range from 8 degrees in aberdeen and belfast yesterday to around 1a in london, but fast forwarding to saturday, temperatures fairly widely into the 20s, peaking at 21:25 fairly widely into the 20s, peaking at 2425 celsius. so warm weather around the corner.

today we have a diagonal stripe of rain across the uk. the front is weakening quickly across wales and england, becoming increasingly light and patchy but turning heavier in western scotland. on the face of age, temperatures similar to yesterday but the weather feels com pletely yesterday but the weather feels completely different. the winds are coming from scandinavia yesterday, today more from western france. the exception is in shetland where there isa exception is in shetland where there is a norwegian feel to the weather. but there is sunshine to compensate. this evening and overnight at the last of the weather front will bring some damp weather for western scotland, perhaps spots into the irish sea. there will be mist and for patches forming on some of the hills particularly. into wednesday we see the winds really change direction, they will bring an more of a south—easterly, increasing temperatures nicely with the warm spell around the corner. a pianist and fog patches to stop

the day on wednesday, much of that will lift with sunny spells breaking out fairly widely. temperatures up to 19 in london, warmer in edinburgh at 15. some of the north sea coast will feel a bit cooler given the onshore winds. more of the same on thursday, another day with mist and fog patches, lots of sunshine on the cards. if anything, there's temperatures edge a little, 17 in edinburgh, 15 in belfast, heights of 20 towards cardiff. through friday and saturday we will probably see higher temperatures across much of the uk, could reach 2425 degrees in the uk, could reach 2425 degrees in the warmest areas but through sunday the warmest areas but through sunday the cloud will thicken across north—western areas and we may see some rain head across parts of the ukfor some rain head across parts of the uk for monday. it is debatable if it will reach the south—east but in the early pa rt will reach the south—east but in the early part of the easter holiday we will see the best weather for