tonight at six — pledges to help rebuild notre dame cathedral in paris pour in from around the world after last night's devasting fire. it took 15 hours and 400 firefighters to extinguish the fire — now the investigation into what caused the blaze. there's relief that so much of the ancient structure survived and many of its iconic treasures have been saved. notre—dame is notjust a cathedral, it is our common legacy, it is our strength, our history and it belongs to everybody. there was an overnight vigil, as france comes together determined to restore its spiritual home.

already hundreds of millions of euros have been donated for the restoration. also tonight. labour wants to abolish tests in primary schools in england — saying children should prepare for life notjust exams. a day of protests around the country by climate change activists — so far up to 200 of them have been arrested. and coming on bbc news. can ole gunnar solskjaer mastermind another champions league miracle, as manchester united face barcelona in their quarterfinal second leg at camp nou? good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. shock and horror has given way to national resolve,

as the french nation comes together tonight, determined to restore notre dame cathedral to its former glory. 2a hours after the iconic building was devastated by fire hundreds of millions of euros have already been donated to fund the rebuild. we'll have more on that in a moment, and look at why this 850—year—old church holds such a special place in french culture. but first, here's our paris correspondent lucy williamson. words were hard to find last night. to describe this loss. to absorb this scene. what burned with notre—dame high above the paris skyline was 800 years of history. for some, the physical anchor of paris. the cultural soul of france. it took 23 minutes to confirm the fire alert and send emergency crews to the scene.

the fire was spreading quickly. oak rafters has held the roof for centuries turning to ash in the evening sky. 400 firefighters circled the cathedral, their cranes just stretching to reach the roof. the risk that water would damage whatever the fire had left behind. along the banks of the seine and surrounding streets people watched, barely speaking. their all familiar to pilgrims throughout the century, not their grief. they watched the fire engulf the cathedral's central spire. its bell hanging clear and still in the slippery flames. and then this. from the street it looked as if the building had erupted. the falling debris setting the interior alight.

to tackle the blaze inside the cathedral, fire crews had to climb up cathedral, fire crews had to climb up into notre—dame's main tower, nothing else could reach. this was the first glimpse of what they faced. footage of the building filmed from above, the flames mapping aa cross against the night sky. inside, burning embers were still falling when the first crews made their way in. the pughs where people had been waiting for mass that afternoon now covered with smouldering rubble. the empty space lit from above by a blaze of fire, where the roof had been. translation: we saved the crown of thorns and the tunic, i think we we re thorns and the tunic, i think we were able to save some chalice, the fire didn't reach the treasury and inside they tried to save. so paintings but you know it was impossible to save the big ones. france's president came like many to gaze in silence at a global icon fighting for its life. his first

words were, he said, a message of hope to citizens across france. translation: we will rebuild this cathedral together, and it is undoubtedly part of the french destiny and a project for the years to come but i am committed to it, starting tomorrow. after four hour, firemen confirmed that the structure of the building had been saved. a test of faith for modern day paris. notre—dame resisted the nazis one resident said, she is not going to leave us now. last night was what about had been lost. this morning the focus was on what survived. the fire burned through most of the roof but the stone structure and many of its treasures have been saved. including the crown of thorns some believe was worn byjesus on the cross, several important paintings, the cathedral's medieval organ and the cathedral's medieval organ and the famous rose windows. these photos were taken by one of

the architects invited in to assess the architects invited in to assess the building. so with the vaults on one side, the walls and the flying buttresses round, so normally it should be stable but i know they are going to investigate to see if there is some risk or not for the building itself. people came again today as if for reassurance. counting the damage, weighing their relief. translation: it is such a shock, i am discovering it now. it is a symbolic building for u it still is. it always will be. you don't get it, how can that, that kind of thing can happen right now, it is impossible to accept that so you just... happen right now, it is impossible to accept that so you just. .. for the life of all the parisians and evenin the life of all the parisians and even in europe, and in the world, it's, it exists as a simple, and we need it —— symbol and we need it.

the cathedral organist evacuated from the building last night still hasn't been back. it's like a part of my life, which is destroyed. i think it will be hard to see, so i ama think it will be hard to see, so i am a bit afraid about seeing it, over the next few days probably. but, yeah, i'm totally devastated. investigators are working on the basis this was an accident. the fire is thought to have started on the roof. many have questioned whether restoration being carried out on the building might have played a role. that restoration is now a much bigger project and donations have poured in overnight. hundreds of millions of pounds so far. this is where france kept notjust its relics but its stories, a place to mark both heroism and loss. those two things were felt here again last night, a new chapter in the tale of notre—dame.

lucy will ya yap son, so, how did the fire spread through the cathedral? we still don't know the cause, but smoke emerged from the building, which was being renovated, just before six o'clock uk time. the fire appears to have started beneath the 315 foot spire, quickly spreading north and south along the timber roof. the blaze then travelled along the eastern section, and the other way too, towards the towers. and a little over an hour later, part of the spire itself collapsed. despite the damage, the stone structure of the building appears largely intact. fergal keane reports on the importance of notre dame to the people of paris. "to every thing there is a season... ..a time to break down, and a time to build up." the biblical text so resonant when that that has stood for centuries is broken by fire. in the lives of paris, this has been

a day of solemn reflection. father philippe filmed the flames as the fire took hold. he was ordained in the cathedral and has worked there for decades. "notre dame is my mother, he told me. "i came into the spiritual life because of her. 31 years ago, i was ordained here. today, my mother has been burned. she cries, but she still stands." yet to see what's happened as only a french loss is to misunderstand the meaning of this city, the universality of its treasures. francesca is a german who lives in paris because as a teenager, she visited notre dame and was enchanted. today, she could feel hope and renewal. it reminds me, somehow, that the church is not stones, it's not only culture. for me, it's a living community, actually. it's the people who go to the church who are at the very core of our faith. so we are believing in hope being stronger than destruction

and in life being stronger than death, and life that will, eventually, win. for generations, artists have sketched and painted on the banks of the seine. lauren was here this morning to sketch the old spire from memory. he's not a religious man but he is a proud parisien and through his art wants to give shape to what might rise once more. "i am sad, but we are going to fight back", he says. "we will find wood in the french forests and we will build again. i can see the stained glass is still there, it is magnificent. it will be all right." there is no doubting the loss, but neither of the determination to raise again the glory of notre dame. fergal keane, bbc news, paris. bells are to be rung at churches and cathedrals across england this thursday, maundy thursday, to show solidarity with france following the fire. offers of financial support and expert help have been pouring

in from around the world to help with the restoration of notre dame. we have some experience about what this will entail after york minster was seriously damaged by fire 35 years ago. david sillito reports. iamson, watching notre—dame bump was for some a flashback moment. in 1984 fire turned a large part of york minster a medieval masterpiece into a gaping sooty ruin. look across at the south transept. 35 years later master mason took me to the top. a chaps to see the lestration and remember the moment he stood beneath the collapsing roof of melting led and burning timber. the collapsing roof of melting led and burning timberlj the collapsing roof of melting led and burning timber. i saw the flame, looking at the far end, above the gable and the flames were shooting out the peak of the roof there and gradually the led was melting so the hole was getting bigger, as it began to fall some of the big bosses from

the vault started thumping on the ground. you were inside at this point? yes. and everything you are looking at, tonnes of led, oak, all went crashing to the ground that night. and what is amazing is that 35 years on, it has absolutely no idea there was a fire here. it took me on idea there was a fire here. it took meona idea there was a fire here. it took me on a tour past the new grotesques and gargoyle, a reminder of how much can be restored but also of the scale of thejob can be restored but also of the scale of the job facing the craftsmen of paris. it is a huge job. looking at this transept is quite, it looks quite big here but notre—dame, it, that isjust one transept. notre—dame, it, that isjust one tra nsept. notre—dame has notre—dame, it, that isjust one transept. notre—dame has lost the choir, knave and two transepts so it isa choir, knave and two transepts so it is a huge... four or five times the size we are talking about. yes. everything up here looks like stone, it is all wood. it all came plummeting to the ground. yes. inside i met masterjoining geoff,

another veteran of that day 35 years ago, the challenge facing them, there were no plan, walls move when they lose their roofs and giant oak beams are these days rare. however... you have no fears that notre—dame can do what you did? absolutely, yes, no problem. to a voice for could they tell the difference? no. it looks like a medieval roof we are looking at and it is your handy work. and many others. the message from york notre—dame is facing a hugejob but it can be done. the only memory of the fire here, two small a huge amount of money being donated for the restoration. yes, this is a huge restoration reconstruction project, just how big exactly we don't quite know yet, you can probably see behind me, some of the cranes that are being used in the

extensive survey taking place, there was already reconstruction work going on at notre—dame, that was valued about 150 million euros, this is going to cost a lot more, and the donations have been flooding in, 600, 700 donations have been flooding in, 600,700 million euros at donations have been flooding in, 600, 700 million euros at the moment. so, ithink 600, 700 million euros at the moment. so, i think this is, it is really dwarfing the scale of what people here were facing and the doe fors have been here from france, they have been apple, they are donating from all round the world, andi donating from all round the world, and i think it encapsulating what a global monument this is and how the shock, the relief, the determination thatis shock, the relief, the determination that is felt here in paris is felt round the world as well. thank you very much. and the time is just coming very much. and the time isjust coming up very much. and the time is just coming up to quarter past six. our top story this evening: there've been pledges from around the world to help rebuild notre dame cathdral after last night's devastating fire. still to come: just how long have we been chucking plastic into the oceans?

coming up on sportsday on bbc news: the rfu has their say on billy vunipola's online conduct, as the england star gets a formal warning for defending another player's anti—gay social media post. labour have announced their plans to scrap the national primary school tests known as sats in england. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn said the move would end what he called the "regime of extreme pressure testing". children in england take the tests at the end of primary school. and there are curently tests before that, at the age of six or seven, although these are already due to be scrapped in 2023. the tests in grammar, reading and maths measure what pupils can do and their progress. from liverpool, our education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. a useful check on your child's progress, or a source of stress and tears?

for 20 years, tests have been part of primary school. labour brought them in and now wants to scrap them. sats and the regime of extreme pressure testing are giving young children nightmares and leaving them in floods of tears. so, he said, the current tests would go. the next labour government will scrap primary school sats for seven and 11—year—olds. cheering and applause. teachers here are pleased. they've long argued that tests put too much pressure into the school system. but labour says it wouldn't get rid of assessment completely. there still needs to be some way of measuring how children are doing through primary school. so, over the next few months, they're going to be consulting with school governors, teachers and parents. with schools on holiday, more time for play. i asked parents in liverpool about primary tests.

it was very stressful. the kids in their class are emotional because the teachers were putting pressure on them and there's no real benefit. i think it's important that there is some standard testing in primary school. my son, who's 11, did his last year and he was really stressed over it. but ministers say tests drive up standards. if they abolish sats, parents will have no way of knowing how well their children's school is teaching reading, writing and maths, and these are the building blocks of a successful education for every child. a new test is due to be added in england. called baseline, it would be as children start school. similar tests in scotland have been deeply controversial, and are now under review. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, liverpool. climate change activists have taken to the streets in edinburgh,

nottingham and london today. in edinburgh, 150 supporters of extinction rebellion targeted north bridge, blocking one of the main roads into the city. in london, over 200 activists have been arrested so far. extinction rebellion are calling on the government to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025. our correspondent chi chi izundu is in central london. extinction rebellion, they're not as well—known as some other environmental groups? no, they are not, they are a very new group that have a number of celebrity and academic backers and they have only been going since lazio. they say they are having to take this direct action, as they call it, but the government to set up and take notice. they want an immediate commitment from the government on climate change, in particular, they wa nt to climate change, in particular, they want to get to zero carbon emissions

by 2025. they say unless the government makes that commitment, they will continue to disrupt not only places in central london and edinburgh, as you reported, but other places around the world. according to them, they have disrupted other places, other cities. around 80 and 33 countries around the world and they will continue to do so. they say this action will continue until at least the end of next week, unless they are heard. chi chi, thank you very much. the total number of people in work in the uk has reached a new record high. this february, 32.7 million people across the uk were in work, with 179,000 jobs created in the last three months. the unemployment rate remained at 3.9% — lower than at any time since the end of 1975. the former manchester united footballer paul scholes has been charged with misconduct by the football association

in relation to its betting rules. he's alleged to have placed 140 bets on matches between 2015 and 2019. he has ten days to respond to the charge. scientists in plymouth have found the earliest evidence of plastic litter in the ocean — a plastic bag that became tangled in a piece of research equipment in 1965. the finding is part of a study that has tracked the entire history of plastic in the ocean, revealing just how much more plastic has accumulated in the sea in recent decades. our science correspondent victoria gill reports. a mission beneath the waves. for decades, scientists have been measuring the health of the ocean by collecting plankton, the most important link in the marine food chain. along the way, though,

almost by accident, they've produced a historical record of our impact on the seas, using a very old fashioned device. the design of this plankton recorder hasn't changed for a century. it's been towed millions of miles around the ocean. but in recent decades, what it's finding every where it looks is plastic. when plastic gets into the device, it becomes tangled around the instruments inside. and with more than half a century of ships' logs, the scientists now have an exact record of every time and everywhere on the planet that this happens. in 1965, we got a plastic bag ensured on the plankton recorder. that must be one of the earliest pieces of plastic litter then to be found floating in the ocean, rubbish from the land. yes, the other records we have are from ingestion studies, where they look at sea turtles and sea birds, and the earliest records for those are again in the early ‘60s and some of the late ‘60s, so it matches up with those exactly. this project has documented ocean

plastic from 1957 to 2016. since 1990, though, the amount of plastic litter in the sea increased significantly. the number of plastic bags found has decreased since the millenium, though it's not clear if that's linked to campaigns to phase then out. —— them out. when one of the 50 recorders in the fleet has finished its mission, it's brought back to plymouth. here, researchers continue to add to a library of samples they've gathered from all over the world. if you walk across to the store, you could pull out a sample from 1951, 1952, from a particular part of the ocean, and people are applying science to that that wasn't thought of back in those years, and plastic‘s a typical example, so i kind of like to think with all this effort we are putting in here, some bright spark going through university, maybe just being born will apply some amazing science to what has been caught as we are speaking now. it's a mission that first dove beneath the surface around the time plastic was invented. now, it will continue to provide vital information to help reduce the impact of our litter

on the oceans. victoria gill, bbc news. that brings us to the weather. here's ben rich. the promise of lovely things to come? yes, you've heard the news, i am sure anyone watching the news, i am sure anyone watching the news, i am sure anyone watching the news will know there is drier and brighter weather on the way but today didn't do a lot to remind us of that. today, the sun went into hiding in many places. there was a lot of cloud around. this is how it looked for one weather watcher in hampshire. but as we go through the next few days, less of that and more of this. this picture was taken today in cornwall. for the next few days, all of us will see plenty of sunshine and it will turn warmer, those temperatures eventually in the 20s. today, a lot of cloud, some outbreaks of rain. the band of cloud and rain setting across central parts of the uk from the western side of scotland down into the south—east of england. through the night, the rain fizzles, the cloud

brea ks night, the rain fizzles, the cloud breaks up. one or two fog patches in south wales and the west country at those temperatures generally holding well above freezing. tomorrow, any early fog and mist will clear. the cloud we start off the north—west of the uk will also break up and what we will be left with is a much sunnier day. blue skies for many. just a small chance for a shower across eastern england, you'll be unlucky to catch one of those. you will notice the strength of the breeze. if you are spending your day along the north sea coast, it might feel a little on the cool side but elsewhere, 15 in glasgow, 19 in london, above where we should be at this time of the ever stop thatis be at this time of the ever stop that is just the start. as we head towards the end of the week, we are bringing ourairupfrom towards the end of the week, we are bringing our air up from the south—east, wafting very warm air across the british isles. so on thursday, a mix of patchy cloud and sunny spells and it will be drive for the vast majority. still a noticeable breeze at this stage. again, if you are on the east coast, it might feel a little on the cool side fuzzed up elsewhere, 17 in

glasgow, 19 in birmingham, could get up glasgow, 19 in birmingham, could get up to 20 in parts of south wales. the start of the easter weekend, good friday, remember when you look at the map and don't see cloud, it means we are expecting sunshine. not a lot of cloud here. blue skies and sunshine for the vast majority. still a noticeable breeze at this stage. again, if you are on the east coast, it might feel a little on the cool side foster elsewhere, 17 in glasgow, 19 in birmingham, could get up glasgow, 19 in birmingham, could get up to 20 in parts of south wales. the start of the easter weekend, good friday, remember when you look at the map and don't see cloud, itt means we are expecting sunshine. not a lot cloudier. blue skies and sunshine for most. , maybe even sea breezes developing the coastal areas in 20s in places but as the weekend inland, temperatures up to 22 degrees. on saturday could be mid 20s in places but as the weekend wears western parts of the uk, the increasing chance of cloud and rain. before that, let's return to our main story and the devastating fire at notre dame. the fire ravaged the 850 year old buildings roof and caused its spire to collapse. hundreds of millions of euros have

been pledged to help rebuild the french cathedral. in a moment the news where you are, but first, here are some of the key images from the last 24 hours. bell rings. it's devastating, it's overwhelming. oh, la la! notre dame...catastrophe. the whole of paris is crying now, notjust me.

as a christian, i want to be full of hope, because we built this fantastic cathedral and we'll have to rebuild it.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: hundreds of millions of euros are pledged to restore the notre dame cathedral to its former glory after firefighters worked through the night to stop it being destroyed by a massive fire. resident macron has

vowed to reconstruct reconstruct the historic building. an historic building. a n a rtefa ct historic building. an artefact said to be the crown of thorns is among the mass of treasures rescued. jeremy corbyn has set out plans to abolish primary school sites, doing away with what he called extreme pressure testing. scientists discover a plastic bag that became tangled in a piece of research equipment more than 50 yea rs research equipment more than 50 years ago. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. at 7pm, beyond 100 days will be live in paris, as investigators enter notre dame cathedral to assess the extent of the damage. as hundreds of millions of euros are pledged to help rebuild the cathedral, we'll be getting the thoughts of a dean who oversaw the restoration of his own cathedral in durham — that's just after eight. and at 10:45 and 11:30,

we'll be getting a first glimpse at the morning papers — with nicola bartlett from the mirror and jo tanner, a political strategist. that's all ahead on bbc news. the cost is being counted after last night's devastating fire in notre dame cathedral, but officials say it could have been much worse. around 20 firefighters risked their lives to save the cathedral from total destruction. we now know that a lot of artefacts have been saved which is remarkable, given the pictures we saw earlier.