dame vera lynn — the singer who became known as the forces' sweetheart during world war two — has died at the age of 103. # we'll meet again # don't know where # don't know when...# her song we'll meet again symbolised hope and resilience, lifting spirit of the nation during the dark wartime years. my my strongest memories of burma was going around the hospital tents, holding their hands, you know? they didn't always want me to sing to

them, just to sit there and talk to them. more recently, dame vera's words have become a source of comfort to many during the coronavirus pandemic. we'll be looking back at her life. also tonight... di government's smartphone tracing app is put on hold, amid doubts it can do the job properly. the bank of england will pump an extra £1 billion into the economy to help it weather the pandemic — interest rates remain unchanged. social distancing will be reduced for children in northern ireland's schools from two metres to one to try to get them all back in the classroom after the summer holidays. i've got to say on this taking the knee thing, i don't know, maybe it's got a broader history, but it seems to be taken from game of thrones... the foreign secretary dominic raab says he has full respect for anti—racism campaginers after he is strongly criticised for his comments. and a double display of british and french air power above london to mark the anniversary of a key moment in world war ii. coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news,

us open organisers are accused of discrimination as they scrap the wheelchair tennis events for the delayed grand slam in august. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. dame vera lynn, the singer who became part of the lives of millions of british soldiers during the second world war, has died at the age of 103. known as the forces sweetheart, dame vera's music came to symbolise britain's spirit during the second world war. songs including we'll meet again and the white cliffs of dover united soldiers with their families on the home front. the prime minister said her voice lifted the country in its darkest hours, and will live on for generations to come. robert hall looks back at her life.

# there'll be bluebirds over...# it is a voice that has spanned the decades. the voice of an ordinary london girl born at the end of the first world war, who became an iconic symbol of the second. vera welch, daughter of a plumber and a dressmaker, began singing as a child. she took her grandmother's surname, lynn, as a stage name, made her first record aged 19, and sold one million records in the next three years. this little girl from east ham would never have had the opportunity if she hadn't have been singing. if my mother hadn't put me on the stage! this letter of mine is getting to be a sort of rendezvous, where husbands and wives, torn apart by war, can be brought together by music. when war broke out again, vera began broadcasting with the bbc. through a forces request programme, "sincerely yours," she became

the girl that thousands of fighting men hoped they'd meet when they returned home, although some accused the programme of damaging the war effort. "too sentimental, making the boys homesick." and i said, "that's rubbish, a lot of rubbish, because the letters are so thankful for the programmes." vera was a star, but her desire to do more took her to meet fans halfway around the world. they said, "well, where do you want to go?" i said, "well, if i'm going in, i know europe are getting well supplied — i want to go somewhere where there isn't any entertainers." so they said, "well, burma is the only place!" you know. she kept a record of herjungle adventures in a secret diary. i took my little diary and my little pencil, and you can just about see it. tiny little writing.

"slept on stretcher." oh, yes. "balanced on two kitchen chairs." 2a rotten night. " "i should think so! it's not been awarded. you earned it. it was another a0 years before vera lynn received her own burma star. by then, she was dame vera lynn and as busy as ever. am i allowed to kiss you? yes! in 1995, vera led veterans in song outside buckingham palace to mark the 50th anniversary of ve day. she topped the charts age 93 in 2010. and on her 100th birthday, she listened to the children of her old school and remembered the singing coach she had ignored. # don't know where, don't know when...# when she heard me sing, she says, "no, i can't

train that voice. it's not a natural voice." # keep smiling through, just like you always do she was still with us this year, as communities were tested by the current pandemic. a unifying spirit, reflected on by the queen during her recent personal message. we should take comfort that, while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. we will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again. # we'll meet again # don't know where, don't know when...#

vera lynn was never happier than when she was with the veteran she still called my boys. the words that meant so much will survive long after they have left us. # but i know we'll meet again some sunny day #. dame vera's songs and popularity reached across generations. last month she became the oldest artist to have a top a0 album in the uk. tributes to her have been pouring in since news of her death this morning. sarah campbell reports. 0n the 75th anniversary of ve day, with the country in lockdown, the nation turned once again to the songs of dame vera lynn. few people

have resonated through the decades in the way that she managed to. she has always been there, obviously, she is my mum. and she has always been this star, the younger military element also think she is wonderful and part of them. it's notjust the older generation. two veterans at the royal hospital chelsea, aged 90 and 73. too young to have fought in the second world war, but, to them, her songs are still special. people in the army, particularly when they are away fighting, you are lonely for home. you can't forget it, sort of thing. and she was home to them.

she put so much emotion and feeling into hersinging, it she put so much emotion and feeling into her singing, it was different. it was home for them. so, what were your immediate thoughts when you hear today that she had died? well, i think we expected it would happen at some time. but i think her name will go on for a long, long time. you know? we will always remember her. the coldstream guards today playing their own tribute to her. she was the forces sweetheart. in later life, campaigning for veterans and their families, later life, campaigning for veterans and theirfamilies, and, in her younger years, fearless in her support of the troops. in tribute to her today, the prime minister tweeted that she had entranced and uplifted the country and some of its darkest hours. the singer katherine jenkins, who recently recorded a duet with dame vera, described her as an inspiration, my mentor and

friend. in east sussex, she will be greatly missed. i found her a very kind, caring person, who was so friendly towards everyone. vera was a lovely person, she would be quite happy speaking to everybody. her london routes came through very well, with no airs and graces. an inspiration and source of hope to so many. the emotion dame vera lynn managed to convey never lessened. dame vera lynn, who died at her home in sussex this morning at the age of 103. the rest of the news now, and the latest figures show that the deaths from coronavirus of 135 more people were registered during the latest 2a hour period. it brings the total since march to 42,288. among the victims was a 13—day—old baby with no known underlying health conditions. meanwhile, the government has abandoned its coronavirus tracking app that was being trialled on the isle of wight

it was supposed to be up and running in the middle of may, and was being trialled on the isle of wight. at the health secretary matt hancock has blamed technical barriers for its delay and says the government is 110w its delay and says the government is now joining its delay and says the government is nowjoining forces its delay and says the government is now joining forces with its delay and says the government is nowjoining forces with google and apple to develop an app, but there is no date for when it is going to be ready. all eyes were on the isle of wight for the trial of a smartphone app which was set to be rolled out across england and play a central role in charting and curbing the spread of coronavirus. there was even an official publicity video. the nhs covid—19 app lets you know quickly if you've come into contact with someone who has symptoms... but technical issues were revealed in the trial. it was supposed to trace and alert contacts of people who tested positive but proved not to be effective on all devices. now, it's back to the drawing board, with more research to be carried out using different smartphone technology. you had said that the smartphone app would play a central role in testing and tracing.

it's now been delayed. when do you think the app will be involved in identifying and tracing contacts? we are working on it, is the answer. we're not going to put a date on it, i'm afraid, because i'm absolutely determined that whilst this technology can help, it's got to be working effectively. very different from what was said to isle of wight residents last month. i have a simple message — please download the app to protect the nhs and save lives. it now won't be launched till the autumn at the earliest, perhaps only for booking tests and reporting symptoms and possibly never for full contact tracing. the focus now will be on human tracing. if someone tests positive, they'll get an e—mail or phone call asking for details of people they've recently met up with. since it was launched in england in late may, details of more than 111,000 people who tested positive were put into the system.

of those, around 10,200 were reached and asked to provide contacts — just under three—quarters of the total. as lockdown has eased, the amount of calls i've seen over the last few days have increased, in terms of the amount of contacts that they're giving me. so, for example, previously they might have only had three or four people that they've actually been in close contact with. that's now doubled to maybe seven or eight. but some others who have to follow up the contacts and wish to remain anonymous say they've had little to do. i went live on the 30th of may. in that time, i have dialled two numbers, and they were both no answer. i've had no other calls since then. you've been identified as a close contact of someone who has covid—19... in scotland, more than 700 contacts were traced up till the first week injune. as in england, this will be the way forward for now, rather than with smartphone technology. hugh pym, bbc news. plans to ease further the lockdowns in both northern ireland and scotland have been announced. in a moment, sarah smith with the details for scotland, but first, emma vardy

is in northern ireland. emma, news on schools and hairdressers? well, northern ireland has become the first part of the uk today to announce a major change to the social distancing rules. the devolved government has announced that four children in schools, social distancing can be reduced from two metres to one metre. that is something some teachers had been calling forfor a while, is something some teachers had been calling for for a while, saying two metres in a classroom wasn't very realistic. the idea is, by changing this rule, it will allow full classrooms of children to return here in northern ireland when school fully reopen at the end of august. for adults, that rule will remain at two metres. as you say, another announcement today. the much anticipated. that is hairdressers. they will be able to reopen, along with barbers and beauty salons on july the 6th, as long as they still have some safety measures in place. and another announcement here today,

for people who are shielding. the stormont executive has said there can bea stormont executive has said there can be a pause in shielding from july the 31st, people who were affected will be getting letters soon to explain exactly what this means for them. quite a lot of announcements today here in northern ireland. they are certainly going to affect peoples lives. we see northern ireland once again moving slightly ahead of other parts of the uk in easing its lockdown. it's father's day on sunday, and the new advice in scotland can be summed up as saying that families will be able to meet up in wider groups, but you can't take your dad to the pub or buy him a present in the shops before then. a total of three households will be able to meet up together, as long as they are outside, with a maximum of eight people. you will be able to nip to the loo, if you meet them in the garden, and couples that live apart will be allowed to meet indoors and

stay overnight. high street shops with an entrance onto the street will be able to open until the 9th ofjune, but will be able to open until the 9th of june, but not will be able to open until the 9th ofjune, but not indoor shopping centres. facemasks will be compulsory on public transport from monday, and could be compulsory in shops when they open at the end of the month. there is no date yet for pubs and restaurants with outdoor space to reopen. we had thought that would open soon. but the scottish government says there is emerging evidence that these places can be hotspots for the transmission of the virus. so, this is a lot more cautious than in other parts of the uk. in some businesses are deeply frustrated about that. but nicola sturgeon will make no apology because she has always said she is not prepared to take any unnecessary risks. meanwhile, a nationalfund to pay for tutoring to help children in england catch up is expected to be announced by the government tomorrow. headteachers say they haven't been fully consulted, and are warning that it needs to be properly funded and high quality to have any impact. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys

has been taking a look at how it might work. so, if i have this sentence here, and it says, "i went to london on saturday", can you see anything that's missing in this sentence? ellie works as a tutor for a charity. have a good look at it, let me know if you can't see it properly. she's been helping ruby, one—to—one, in english and maths — all supervised by ruby's school. this kind of tutoring can't replace a teacher. but it can help build confidence. and that's going to be badly needed, because by this summer, most children will already have missed four months of school. and she's helping me with maths. we've got to do fractions and everything, and she'sjust helping me with them. ruby's mum, emma, says the sessions have been a lifeline. i'm her mum, not a teacher. so she won't listen to me. some things i can't explain, because herwork is quite hard for her age.

so there's things, like, =i don't know what... so, her confidence has gone a little bit, hasn't it, with your work? this is brilliant. because it's one—to—one, she won't just walk away and think, "i can't do it." excellent, and where would the comma go? to pay for more tutors like ellie, a nationalfund is expected. the challenge — whether enough can be trained in time to meet your children's needs. i think it will really help at least give them that boost in confidence to go back to school. i think it's really scary for students to have that pressure of going back if they haven't had that school environment, especially the classroom environment. at this birmingham school, the worry is children's health. activities like this are part of their plans for summer school. some of our families have been in and not left their homes for 11 weeks. they need the space, they need routines. so, we're hoping that the summer programme, whatever it might look

like, and the support from the government, will be around physical and mental well—being. back in school to meet a teacher, year ten aamnah. her dad, keen that she catches up before gcses next year. there's a lot of pressure, and the exams are getting harder each year. and we are missing out on quite a lot. obviously me as a parent, and aamnah as a student, doesn't mind giving part of her summer to be able to come to school and catch up. right, good morning, everyone. and still, in england, no one knows when or how they'll all be back in class. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. the bank of england is pumping an extra £100 billion into the economy to help it through the covid—19 crisis. it has also decided to leave interest rates unchanged at 0.1% for another month. faisal islam, our economic editor, joins me now. pumping all this money in — what effect will that have? it what effect will that have? is a significant amount 1 into it is a significant amount of money into the economy at the same time as

leaving that interest rates at historic lows. at the same time, the bank of england suggested that the cataclysmic projections for the economy were not going to be quite so bad. it would be more like —20% in the second quarter rather than -30%. this in the second quarter rather than —30%. this has the air of an insurance policy. it is not a grand new rescue package. i think it is designed to allay concerns about the jobs market. the bank saw thejobs figures and the number of people who had been furloughed, subsidised by the government, going up and concerned that not all of those will get theirjobs when the furlough scheme starts to ease off. there are also concerns that the underlying pandemic, if that was to have a second wave, they just pandemic, if that was to have a second wave, theyjust wanted to put in place this support for the economy as a kind of insurance policy, driven by both the economics and epidemiology. faisal islam, thank you. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, has been heavily

criticised for saying the anti—racism gesture known as "taking the knee" felt to him like a symbol of subordination and that he thought it came from the tv series game of thrones. in a radio interview, he said he'd take the knee only for the queen and his wife. he later said he has full respect for the black lives matter movement. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. the pitch became a site of protest, kneeling to show strength and sympathy in the fight for black rights — echoing last night the stance, the anger of protesters around the world and here at home. yet the full story seemed rather to have passed the foreign secretary by. i understand this sense of frustration and restlessness which is driving the black lives matter movement. this taking the knee thing which, i don't know, maybe it's got a broader history but it seems to be taken from game of thrones, it feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination rather than one of liberation and emancipation. but i understand people feel differently about it, so it's a matter of personal choice. so would you or wouldn't you do it?

i'd take the knee for two people, the queen and the missus when i asked her to marry me. there is a broader history. a few years ago, the american football star colin kaepernick angered donald trump and inspired supporters by kneeling rather than standing for the american anthem, to protest against discrimination. but it's a modern echo of the public prayer of civil rights leaders like martin luther king. labour's less than impressed. a lot of people in the black community felt very, very let down and hurt by the flippant tone the that foreign secretary took this morning, at a time when a lot of people in the black community are grieving over loved ones that they've lost and are very committed very anxious about the future and really reeling from those images of george floyd over in america. we've got to see a more serious approach. the foreign secretary wrote later that he has full respect for the black lives matter movement, saying if people wish to take a new, thatis saying if people wish to take a new, that is their choice and i respect

it, calling for everyone to come together to tackle discrimination. ministers have said again and again that they understand the frustration felt by those who came here and elsewhere to demand an end to racism. but there is less than diplomatic choice of words by our diplomatic choice of words by our diplomat in chief adds to the sense of frustration among those who believe the understanding and government is not complete, and that even though there have been used as promises, progress has been far too slow. now is the time to get the government's knee off the neck of the black, asian and caribbean ethnic merited community. foreign secretary, would you like to say anything about the taking of any issue? the foreign secretary chose to not add any more comment this afternoon. when strong feelings are stirred, perhaps our politicians might be advised to always proceed with care. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the death of african—american george

floyd in minneapolis led to demonstrations around the world. here in the uk, it's also prompted black people to share experiences of their treatment by the police. according to the latest figures, black people are almost ten times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people, and three times more likely to be arrested. the government has ordered a commission into racial inequality — but many are calling for action, not words. clive myrie has been speaking to some of those affected. racism can manifest as crude — but when subtle, it causes the same pain. it's 12 o'clock on a bright summer's day and a motorist is stopped by a police patrol in cambridgeshire. and the reason i stopped you is when you came out of the barns, no offence to you, but you're a black male, 0k? i'm not going to lie to you. so it is racism? i am not saying that. the reason i stopped you, i'll explain... the driver's name is ryan and he doesn't want to show his face. police have stopped him more than 20 times in the last several years. he says the video can be

summed up in one word. disgusting. absolutely horrified. when i first came to ely, i got stopped by a police officer just before i started driving. i was on foot. and he said, you're a new face around here, i've not seen you before, but i'm just going to give you a little warning — just cos you're black, it's more likely you will get stopped by the police around here. the footage is five years old, but george floyd's death in america prompted ryan's sister to put it online, where it's been seen millions of times. the independent 0ffice for police conduct is investigating cambridgeshire police. countless inquiries and reports tell us again and again racism is a problem in our society. the brixton riots led to lord scarman's indictment of racial disadvantage in inner cities. the killing of stephen lawrence saw macpherson's castigation of the met police as institutionally racist. discrimination in the workplace, deaths in police custody, bias across wider society and the criminaljustice system all got the same treatment.

bias in schools, and the windrush review. yet few recommendations have been implemented, and now more and more videos are appearing online highlighting problems with the police. right, listen, open the vehicle, please, or we are going to have to put the windows in. neomi bennett's car has been stopped late at night. officers have blocked her path with their patrol vehicle in what's called a "hard stop". there is something in here that you are trying to hide. step out of the vehicle. frightened, she refuses to comply and is arrested. nothing's found in her car and she's now suing the police. had they not did a hard stop in front of me, their approach had been different, i think it would have had a very different outcome. i did actually explain to the officer that i am scared. the metropolitan police says it's

assessing her complaint. in the wake of george floyd's death, too many black people here say a few bad officers are tainting everyone. events in america may have triggered a reckoning on both sides of the atlantic. clive myrie, bbc news. a former us national security adviser has claimed in a book that donald trump approached china's president for help in getting re—elected. president trump described john bolton's memoir as lies and white house legal officials are trying to stop it being printed. let's speak to our correspondent, nick bryant in new york. how serious is this for president trump? sophie, this is a tell all memoir that reads more like an indictment and just one of the damning allegations that donald trump allegedly begged his chinese counterpart the jumping to buy us agricultural products from farmers in rural states that are vital for his real action would spark calls for his impeachment. but of course,

donald trump has been impeached already and when i went to a senate trial, his republican allies voted to acquit him. they didn't want to remove him then. they won't want to remove him then. they won't want to remove him then. they won't want to remove him now. sophie, we have never seen a us president walk away from so many political car crashes. i suspect that in the short term, thatis i suspect that in the short term, that is what will happen here. it won't imperil his presidency. but remember, america goes to the polls in november and the american voters will ultimately decide his fate. nick bryant in new york, thank you. the french president has been in london today for ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of charles de gaulle's bbc broadcast which urged the people of france to resist the nazi invasion. president macron met borisjohnson in downing street, where they also discussed quarantine rules for people travelling to the uk from abroad. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. newsreel: now, here is a statement in french, of great importance to our french listeners,

by general de gaulle. it was eight years ago that charles de gaulle came to broadcasting house to make his famous speech, urging the people of france not to give up. the flame of french resistance, he said, must not and shall not die. charles de gaulle was a junior general in the french army. he had no authority from his government, which had capitulated to the nazis. and yet, from his base here in central london, he argued that france had lost the battle but not the war. it was a defining act of leadership in the history of the french republic. the general‘s chauffeur in those days was a young english woman. 0livia jordan, then just 21, had been driving ambulances for the french army. now 101, she told us how even then she sensed the importance of this imposing frenchman. he was very impressive, de gaulle. he was tall, good—looking,

and always made use of all that. ratherfrightened people. looked down on them, you know? such is the importance of the general‘s broadcast that president macron made a special trip to london to mark the anniversary, greeted by the prince of wales and a guard of honour at clarence house. nearby, they paid their respects at the statue of de gaulle, and the president awarded london with the legion d'honneur, thanking britain for giving france a voice for its resistance. britain, he said, gave free france its first weapon, a bbc microphone. then, in downing street, some socially distanced diplomacy as president and prime minister tried to sprinkle some

entente cordiale over the countries dividing their countries today, the brexit negotiations and the covid—19 quarantine rules. hoping to match on the ground that unity their airforces