this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 12: as tributes continue to pour in for the love island presenter, caroline flack, her management have criticised the crown prosecution service for refusing to drop charges that she assaulted her boyfriend. lewis burton — caroline flack‘s boyfriend — says his "heart is broken" and close friend laura whitmore made an emotional tribute on her radio show. at age 40, caroline flack made the decision to take her own life and i want to talk about it. i'm going to talk about her and give her the respect that she deserves, and that she didn't always get. heavy rain and strong winds continue to lash large parts of the uk — there are hundreds of flood alerts in place across the uk including red warnings — meaning there's a danger to life. it's affecting things

like the river neath, which has burst its banks here in tonna and aberdulais. and it's affected a row of houses just over here to my right. we can't get to them because the road to get to them has been completely flooded. american citizens quarantined on a cruise ship injapan, are to be flown home — after a jump in the number of new cases of coronavirus on board. and in half an hour here on bbc news, click meets former footballer rio ferdinand, who's on a mission to educate parents about the gaming habits of their children. caroline flack's management team have criticised the crown prosecution service

for pressing ahead with a case against her for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend — saying it had caused her significant distress, and hadn't been in the public interest. the presenter of the itv reality show, love island, took her own life at her home in east london yesterday. laura whitmore, who replaced caroline flack as love island host for the latest series, paid an emotional tribute to her friend at the start of her show on bbc radio 5live this morning. here's some of what she said. i wish we were talking under better circumstances. i've been debating whether i should, would or could come on air today. but this isn't about me. yesterday, we lost someone before their time. at age, a0 caroline flack made the decision to take her own life, and i want to talk about it. i'm going to talk about her and give her the respect that she deserves and that she didn't always get. i met herjust shy of ten years ago at v festival and then we became friends. she was bubbly and for such a small

stature, commanded a room. she loved to laugh and had the most infectious chuckle. she also had many struggles. i am not going to pretend she was perfect, but as anyone. she lived every mistake publicly under the scrutiny of the media. caroline loved to love. that was all she wanted, which is why the show at love island was important to her because the show is about finding love, friendship and having a laugh. the problem wasn't the show. the show is loving and caring and safe and protected. the problem is, the outside world is not. anyone who has ever compared one woman against another on twitter, knocked someone because of their appearance, invaded someone else‘s privacy, who have made mean and unnecessary comments on an online forum, need to look at themselves. sorry. to the press, the newspapers who create clickbait,

who demonise and tear down success, we've had enough. i have seen journalists on twitter warriors talk of the tragedy who themselves have just twisted what the truth is. you don't have to tear down someone to feel good about yourself. so to listeners, be kind. only you are responsible for how you treat others and what you put out in the world. i have had messages and been harassed for doing myjob and this is where the problem is. i want to use my platform to call people out because it has gone too far. and caroline flack's boyfriend, lewis burton, has given his reaction. on instagram, he posted a photo of the couple on holiday together and said he is heartbroken and in so much pain. he said he wasn't allowed to be there and promised to be her voice and ask

all the questions she wanted. david sillito has more on the tributes being paid to caroline flack. it's the return of the flack! love island, x factor, i'm a celebrity — caroline flack was a presenter on some of the biggest programmes on british television. she was, until a few weeks ago, the face of love island's glamorous, escapist fun. let's talk love. who's looking for the real thing? everything, though, had unravelled after she was arrested and charged with the assault of her boyfriend. in court in december, it was clear that she was deeply distressed. yesterday, she was found dead at her flat. her lawyer said she had ta ken her own life. friends and colleagues have spoken of their shock and heartbreak. love island is a show that thrives on its impact on social media, and after the news emerged, thousands have been expressing their grief and sympathy. but her court appearance was proof enough that she had, before this,

been facing intense scrutiny — both in the press and online. on its best days, social media is a very powerful tool for these presenters because they can effortlessly and immediately communicate with so many different fans and really bring their own personality to the fore. the problem is that on the bad days, that scrutiny and attention doesn't go away. it stays with them. the macdonut brothers! her tv career went back nearly 20 years. this, tmi on children's bbc, and then, in 2014, she won strictly come dancing. the night she won, there was elation. but she spoke afterwards of her struggle with depression. then came the assault charge. she was accused of hitting her boyfriend while he slept. he stood by her, but they weren't allowed to communicate before her forthcoming trial. last night, her management team criticised the decision to press ahead with the trial, given her mental state. the crown prosecution service said its deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of caroline flack, but added that

given the tragic circumstances, it would not comment further on the specifics of the case at this stage. caroline flack had in recent weeks been advised to stay off social media, but she did post this on instagram. she thanked those who had been kind to her and added... another post read simply... if you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised this morning, you can find help and support on the bbc‘s actionline website, at bbc.co.uk/actionline. more than 300 flood warnings have been issued today, as storm dennis continues to batter the uk, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. the met office issued a red warning for rain in south wales this morning,

meaning the situation could be "life threatening", with risk of damage to property and infrastructure. around 170 flights have been cancelled already today, affecting at least 25,000 passengers. rail passengers are being urged to check trains amid expected delays and cancellations, with some roads already closed due to flooding. here is footage from a coastguard team in hampshire on their way to rescue a stranded motorist. and relentless rain in the yorkshire dales. and in pontypridd in wales, you can see cars driving down a flooded street. the water is so high here, it's reaching the bonnet of the car. national resource wales has urged people to stay at home unless theirjourney is essential — they've said do not drive through flood water, as just two feet of water can float a car. and in the scottish border town of hawick is alexandra mackenzie. how are the conditions?”

how are the conditions? i thought the conditions were awful here, but if you can see behind me, there is one very brave person out there in a canoe! ijust one very brave person out there in a canoe! i just shouted, one very brave person out there in a canoe! ijust shouted, you're very brave and they said, i think they we re eve n brave and they said, i think they were even braver last night. so it sounds like they were out on the river last night as well. it does look quite rough. there are three rivers in the borders that reached record levels last night, causing severe flooding. some of that flooding was in hawick. we could see some of it as we drove past the field ‘s coming into the town. because it was low lying land, it will be hard for the water to disperse and that what land was already saturated from storm ciara last week. in nearby castleton, severalfamilies had last week. in nearby castleton, several families had to last week. in nearby castleton, severalfamilies had to be last week. in nearby castleton, several families had to be evacuated from their properties because they we re from their properties because they

were flooded. so it has been bad here in the borders. the rivers have peaked now, so we are not likely to see new flooding here today. there is an emergency bunker in place. they were putting sandbags down yesterday, run by the local council, and also flood defences. now they will deal with the clean—up and help those who have been affected. thank you. dozens of homes have been evacuated near neath in south wales over fears about flooding. jessica is on holiday in south east powys — she and her family are stuck on the top floor of the holiday home: we can see you nice and clearly. it's a lovely shot, but it has been rough weather. you must be bored at the start of this holiday week? well, but is better than nervous,

which is what we were last night when the firemen knocked on the door and told us at four in the morning that we need to evacuate because the river was about to burst its banks. then he said, i will be back, but then the river did go and it wasn't safe for them to come back. so we have been waiting for more news from them. it is very flooded. all of the ground floor of this holiday let we are staying at is completely submerged. since four o'clock in the morning. that suggests that there is still quite a lot of activity outside whilst they work at the best way to manage this until the flooding receipts? absolutely. we are ina flooding receipts? absolutely. we are in a nice little town, crickhowell, and apparently it is com pletely crickhowell, and apparently it is completely cut off, or the reds coming in and out are completely

flooded. they are working their socks off time to get people out. coming down the street now, i can see one of those rigid inflatable boats. so hopefully it will not be too much longer. it is rubbish for all the people who live here and all the local businesses. yes, i guess it wasn't quite the holiday you were expecting but hopefully, it is not com pletely expecting but hopefully, it is not completely ruined. how is the dog coping? he desperately wants to get outside, presumably? yeah! she has been quite good. i think she isjust enjoying being allowed on the bed. but all of us could do with going outside, definitely. when you do get out, what were you originally hoping to do around there? we were supposed to do around there? we were supposed to be driving back to london today,

and doncaster where my family lives. but our cars are completely underwater, so that is not going to happen. even if we could get to them, the roads are closed. we have been here since thursday and it has been here since thursday and it has been lovely, but very wet. been here since thursday and it has been lovely, but very wetlj been here since thursday and it has been lovely, but very wet. i don't know if you can try to flip your camera around and see if we can see anything outside the window? this could go horribly wrong. now, that is very, very vivid. a vivid picture of what you have been facing. can you still hear me ok? i can. is that pretty much the scene you were evacuated to at four o'clock this morning? or has it got worse as the morning? or has it got worse as the morning has gone on? it became worse half an hour after the fireman woke us half an hour after the fireman woke us up because he was saying the

river is going to go, and then within 30 minutes there were a couple of metres of water coming into the house and up the stairs. on the front door of the house was knocked open by the pressure of the water. that was quite worrying. knocked open by the pressure of the water. that was quite worryinglj water. that was quite worrying.” should imagine it is. the building we are looking across the way from you, the water has reached well up towards the top of the front door and presumably has caused a lot of damage. as far as you can tell, that is the picture throughout the village now? i think this is the worst street, hopefully. we are right next to the river usk. apparently, bridge street, where we are, is the worst affected. so fingers crossed, not too many people are going to have to completely redo

their homes and businesses. indeed. as you say, the amount of damage that has been done, it's going to be a long clear up operation even if the weather has improved. thank you very much for that. i am glad you enjoyed your few days before the weather turned against you. we hope that god willing, jessica and her family finally have a safe journey home in the dog finally gets a walk. our correspondent fiona trott is in york. i don't know how much we can read into the level of water at your wellington boots, but it looks a lot less severe than it has been in the past in york. that's right, but then we are in the city centre and we are ina car we are in the city centre and we are in a car park. it's very busy, with people visiting all the tourist attractions, and you have got ducks in the car park because the river has overflowed. in the car park because the river has ove rflowed. if in the car park because the river has overflowed. if you go down the side streets in the city centre, you

can see the river lapping into those streets. some people who live close to the river are obviously very concerned. the environment agency says more flooding is expected here in the city centre. it is one of its main priorities. but it won't be as bad as they were expecting initially and certainly not as bad when we had the record levels in 2000. the latest we are hearing is that the ouse is expected to peak early on tuesday morning. a riverside properties will be at risk. the latest estimate is 4.8 metres. there is record levels a few years ago we re is record levels a few years ago were about 5.4 metres. the worst case scenario is that they might reach 5.1 on monday night, but that is not as bad as they were expecting. but of course, people living close to this river are

concerned. the environment agency is saying to them that they have to sign upfor saying to them that they have to sign up for these text alerts in vulnerable areas. in north yorkshire, flood wardens will be working to support people to give help and advice. and work has been going on here for the past couple of days anyway. the army have been delivering sandbags. in fact, there are sandbags close to where we are. pumping equipment too. the council has made sure that over 1000 sandbags have been delivered around the area. that work is continuing. transport is also affected. roads around the city centre have been already flooded since storm ciara last weekend. we have had heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours. more is expected today. we are expecting heavy thunderstorms as well, and that is why there are

delays on the east coast main line between york and darlington. so people are being told to keep an eye on the transport situation. in york city centre today, the real efforts are around preparation for the next few days, but it is not expected to be as bad as in the past. thank you very much. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. sam skinner and matt fagerson have been added to the scotland squad for the rest of the six nations. they've both recovered from injury. glasgow warriors back row fagerson last played a test in august, while skinner missed out on the world cup injapan after sustaining a hamstring problem in the summer test win over france. the lock forward has been impressive for exeter chiefs, helping them to the top of the premiership. after two defeats in the six nations, scotland are away

to italy on saturday. well, today's football action is under way in the scottish premiership with the league leaders celtic — currently ten points clear taking on aberdeen. callum mcgregor giving the away side an early lead. that's one of three matches today, with second—placed rangers also in action. in the premier league, arsenal face newcastle in the late kick—off, while tottenham can move up to fifth with victory away to aston villa. it begins a busy run for spurs, who also play in the champions league last 16 on wednesday, something manager jose mourinho is all too aware of. so, it's a really hard week for us — sunday villa, wednesday leipzig, saturday chelsea. but let's go match after match and the first one, again, i repeat, always difficult at villa park. always difficult. villa are a good team, fighting to stay in the division, self—esteem really high with a qualification to the wembley final.

a very difficult match. we have to go with all the potential we have, forgetting that two days after, we have to play leipzig. the first of the day's women's fa cup matches has been called off due to storm dennis — that's arsenal against lewes. but there are four more fifth—round games scheduled — check the bbc sport website for updates. england's women had a big win over new zealand in adelaide, as they warm—up for the t20 world cup. katherine brunt took 3—23 as they restricted the kiwis to 134—9, before england captain heather knight made 45 to guide her side to a six—wicket victory with 12 balls to spare. they play sri lanka on tuesday before their first world cup game against south africa in perth in a week's time. and england's men are about to start the deciding t20 against south afica in centurion. the home side won the toss and chose to bat first. you can follow it with text commentary on the bbc sport website and app — it starts at 12:30pm. rory mcilroy said he had to keep

telling himself to stay patient, as he moved to the top of the leaderboard at the genesis invitational event in los angeles. he admitted he found the putting tricky but he shot a three—under—par 68 at the riveria country club to finish the day on 10—under par alongside adam scott and matt kuchar. way down the field on five—over is tiger woods, the host of this tournament. he said he was feeling run down and he's skipping next week's event in mexico as he continues to manage his workload in the build—up to the defence of his masters title in april. that's the fun part of trying to figure out this whole comeback, about — how much do i play and when do i play? do i listen to the body or do i fight through it? there are some things i can push and some things i can't. so, i had a theory this year that i might play about the same amount — what did i play, about 12 times last year? and so that's kind of my

number for the year. i can't play a lot more than that just because of the physical toll, and i want to stay out here forjust a little bit longer. the nba have honoured kobe bryant by permanently renaming the all—star mvp award after him. bryant was killed in a helicopter crash last month, alongside his daughter and seven others. he won the award four times, first appearing at the age of 19. he's still the youngest player to feature in the all—star game, which showcases the league's best players. it will be called the kobe bryant mvp award from now on. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. the us government says it's sending two aircraft to japan on sunday to evacuate american citizens quarantined on board a giant cruise ship in the japanese port of yokohama. there are now 355 cases of the coronavirus infection from the ship. meanwhile, china has insisted the outbreak of the virus is gradually coming under control after the latest figures showed

a drop in the number of new cases for the third consecutive day. our correspondent rupert wingfield hayes, is in yokohama, where the ship is in port. behind me you can see the diamond princess and you might be able to see below the bow, there are a bunch of white buses. they have recently arrived. there are seven or eight of them and they are being prepared to take the american citizens, about 400 american citizens, off the ship. the us government has sent two aircraft. they're on their way from the us to japan and expected to land later this evening. the americans on board the ship will be evacuated on these buses, taken to the airport and put on the evacuation flights and taken to california, where they will continue their quarantine. it is clear from what the us government said in a statement that they do not believe their citizens are safe on this ship.

they do not believe the quarantine is working. that is why they decided to take their citizens off. canada and hong kong have said they will do the same. so far, the british government said it is consulting closely. you can see more buses coming in. the british government says it is consulting with the japanese government. it does not currently, we understand, have plans to evacuate the 57 british citizens and 20 british crew from the ship. for everyone else not evacuated, they will have to remain on board at least until wednesday, when they are tested. those who are negative will be allowed to leave and the quarantine will end on wednesday, but there is a proviso. anybody in close contact with someone who has tested positive, their quarantine will be reset again to zero and they will have to spend another 14 days,

possibly still on board the ship. a british couple quarantined on the cruise liner have accused the uk government of ignoring their pleas for help. david abel spoke to bbc breakfast this morning about what is happening on the ship. the americans that have tested negative, they are leaving the ship today. there are two aircraft that have been sent and i understand have now landed in yokohama, probably at haneda airport, i'm not sure which airport, but that doesn't matter. they are being taken out. we're told the canadians are also sending an aircraft over to repatriate the canadians. australia has sent a specialist to assess the situation and then see what remains for them. the british, we have not heard. i've had a message from the ambassador here,

or the office, let's say. this is what i was told ten minutes ago. "we have been told by the us government that they are organising an evacuation flight for their nationals. this process is likely to begin today. however, the general clinical advice of the world health organization is not to repatriate. therefore, we are working urgently with the japanese government and other partners to explore the options. other countries are seeing the need and the necessity to get their people back to their home countries and take them into quarantine there. that is what the brits on board would love to happen to them. and from what you have just read there, if the world health organization are going to strongly suggest to the brits, it's not going to happen.

sounds negative. we understand that some 300 people have tested positive on the ship. are they testing you regularly? what's going on? the test takes two to three days for the result to come in. we had our throats swabbed yesterday, and we are now awaiting the result. depending on the result, it will determine whether we are allowed to be released on the 19th of february. if one of us is tested positive, that person will be taken into a medicalfacility. currently, the hospitals are now so filled that it would be at least four hours away. can you tell me as well, how are you keeping up morale and how are you feeling? i'm really trying to

put a brave face on. it's not easy. deep inside, we're very frightened. we really are frightened. we don't want to be split up if one of us is proved positive. after 50 years being together it's just unbearable, the thought of being split up, so we are struggling now. we are, as are others on the ship. it's not just about us, as are others. we are all going through the same thing. the foreign office says it's "working around the clock" to ensure the welfare of britons on board. now it's time for a look at the weather with phil avery. a dramatic scene behind you. are the dramatic scenes going to continue for a little longer? i'm afraid so.

when i was down with you earlier today, we were talking about a red weather warning that was affecting the southern parts of wales. thankfully, that one passed an hour and a half ago. but there is still a number where is across the heart of wales, the south and north of england, and one in the south—east that lasts until six o'clock tonight. the flood warnings, even when the rain stops, and it is stopping across the north of england and into the north of wales, may persist. just because we have turned the tap soft with regard to the rain, the flood situation is a different kettle of fish. the weather websites will keep you up—to—date. 20 of showers across scotla nd up—to—date. 20 of showers across scotland and northern ireland. a fresh feel in the afternoon if you are out and about. the winds will concentrate my mind into the small hours because the centre of dennis will get very close. the isobars squeezed together. gusts of wind at

75 miles an hour and we have another couple of windy days to come across all parts of the british isles to start the week. hello, this is bbc news with shaun ley. the headlines... as tributes continue to pour in for the love island presenter, caroline flack, her management have criticised the crown prosecution service for refusing to drop charges that she assaulted her boyfriend. lewis burton — caroline flack's boyfriend — says his "heart is broken". and laura whitmore, who replaced caroline flack