we now know mars had an enormous amount of water in its past. if ancient life was on mars, you know, we have a good bet that we might be able to find it in these sediments. so this is really a life—detection mission. the rock samples will be stored and brought back to earth on a future mission. but this mission is also taking something back to mars — a piece of martian meteorite. it's from the natural history museum's collection. it blasted off the surface of the red planet more than half a million years ago. now it's heading home. we really know what that meteorite is made from. we can use it to compare that meteorite with the new rocks, the unknown rocks that we're looking at for the first time on mars, and see how similar or different they are. also on board is a miniature mars helicopter that, for the first time, will attempt to fly in the extremely thin martian atmosphere. nasa wants to test this technology forfuture missions. america's spacecraft is the last of a trio heading to the red planet.

china and the united arab emirates are already on their way. if they all succeed, it will mean a giant leap in our understanding of mars. rebecca morelle, bbc news. time for a look at the weather, here's louise lear. thanks, reeta. july so far has not been a headline grabber, slightly cooler, wetter and cloudier than normal, but we are set for a final flourish over the next couple of days, heat from the near continent, 40 days, heat from the near continent, a0 degrees expected in bordeaux, that southerly breeze driving in some warmth a little bit further south and east. temperatures are expected to peak tomorrow, perhaps at 3a degrees. if that is too high for you, it is a short, sharp shock, things will change into the weekend. and the heat and sunny weather is not for all, because look at this morning, so far across scotland, in east lothian, cloud and drizzle, and if we take a look at the satellite

and rain radarcombined, if we take a look at the satellite and rain radar combined, you can see, through scotland, northern ireland and northern england, quite a lot of cloud, the heaviest rain through northern ireland and western scotland, fairly light and drizzly as well. through the afternoon, some of that cloud will retreat further north, but for much of england and wales, lots of sunshine coming through, temperatures already in the mid 20s, expected to peak at highs of 28, 80 two fahrenheit, somewhere across eastern england this afternoon. at cloud and rain in scotla nd afternoon. at cloud and rain in scotland will continue to push its way steadily north overnight, that warm airfilters all the way steadily north overnight, that warm air filters all the way up into scotland, it is going to be a relatively mild starts from a saturday morning, 11—16 first thing. there will be a little bit of showery rain showing its hand into northern ireland, a bit of a nuisance for saturday into northern ireland and western fringes of scotland, but with that southerly wind, sorry, friday, that will drag up wind, sorry, friday, that will drag up some warmth across the country, temperatures will start to respond. so we are likely to see temperatures

so so we are likely to see temperatures so peeking into the low to mid 30s. but as i say, a short, sharp shock, things are set to change. we could see some thundery downpours during the early evening of friday, drifting away through eastern england. worth bearing in mind if you are planning an evening barbecue. weak weather fronts, you are planning an evening barbecue. weak weatherfronts, this area of low pressure will introduce more of a westerly field to a wind direction, and that is a slightly fresher source coming in off the atlantic, so the risk of a few isolated showers around on saturday, not a bad day, dry with some sunshine, and much more comfortable feel for many of us, with highs 15-25 feel for many of us, with highs 15—25 degrees, still 77 fahrenheit. similar story into sunday as well, risk of a few isolated showers, but a good deal of dry weather to look out for, and still pleasantly warm for some of us. that's all from the bbc news at 0ne, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s

news teams where you are. good afternoon. it's 1:30pm and here's your latest sports news. world number one ash barty has pulled out of the us open because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. it's the first grand slam since tennis resumed and it's due to begin on the 31st of august in new york. barty said there were still significant risks involved and she didn't feel comfortable putting herself and her team in that position. she said she'd be making a decision on whether to defend her french open title in the coming weeks — that tournament has been put back to the end of september. manchester city have agreed a fee of £a0 million for the bournemouth defender nathan ake. he's been on manager pep guardiola's wish list for quite some time and it's understood he would have left bournemouth this summer even if they hadn't been relegated.

dutch international ake joined the club in 2017 and made 121 appearances. brentford move to a new stadium this summer and it could be a premier league stadium. the last time they played in the top flight of english football was 73 years ago, but now they're just one win away from a return. they were a goal down going into the second leg of their play—off semifinal against swansea, but within 15 minutes they'd scored twice to take the lead — emiliano marcondes with the second. and then, in this last game at griffin park, bryan mbeumo made sure they'll be at wembley next tuesday for a final against fulham or cardiff, who play tonight. fulham lead that tie 2—0. liverpool defender andy robertson and managerjurgen klopp have been talking to each other about their mental health, as part of the heads up campaign led by the football association and the duke of cambridge.

it's the latest in a series of videos aimed at encouraging open conversations on the issue. how do you feel about talking about mental health? mental health, we are not used to getting help. if we are in pain or bleeding, it's obvious and you don't have to explain to anybody, everybody knows you need help, so that's easy. and i started make it professionally, that's when i struggled the most, when i was maybe down in hull on my own, and everybody was like, 0k, he's playing for hull, is getting a good wage, so people would maybe stop asking, how are you? i think, only since the last year or two, since we've had kids and things, i've started talking more about small things. i used to be one who blocked

everything up, i thought my problems we re everything up, i thought my problems were my problems, and i took everybody else's problems on board, but now i feel much better. an exeter rugby supporters group has reacted angrily to the club's decision to keep their chiefs name and logo, despite a campaign to have them remove their native american branding. the premiership club's board met yesterday to discuss a petition, signed by more than 3,700 people, and they did agree that their mascot, "big chief", could be regarded as disrespectful, and they've retired him. but they voted against other changes. leandra nephin, herself a native american, helped the exeter chiefs a change group put together their protest. for the majority of people, not many people have come across a native american person, let alone had a conversation, so what is informing their conception of us as people are these stereotypes. we have over 562 native tribes with rich histories

and diversity that are being very narrowed down into a caricature or cartoon figure of us. the mascot, the branding, it doesn't represent us as the branding, it doesn't represent us as contemporary, native people. research has also shown how this is impacting the mental health of our youth, our community. there are issues with identity and how we are perceived as people, and when this kind of figure is what is informing the wider audience, because we experience this relative invisibility within the media, that is harmful to us. that's all the sport for now but there's more on the bbc sport website, including live coverage from the battle of the brits tennis at roehampton. this is jodie burrage versus harriet dart, and there's more to come, with andy murray, kyle edmund and heather watson among those in action. there'll also be text commentary from 2pm on the first one—day international between england and ireland in southampton.

i'll be back with more later. thank you. more now on new figures that show england has the highest level of excess deaths in europe between the end of february and mid—june. the number of excess deaths in england has been higher than in recent years and it's seen by many experts as the most reliable measure of the impact of the pandemic. in the last hour, the prime minister has been given his reaction to the numbers. we mourn every loss of life that we've had throughout the coronavirus epidemic, and what i would say, and oui’ epidemic, and what i would say, and our sympathies are with the families of the bereaved, what i would say to them is that we really owe it to them is that we really owe it to them to continue our work in driving them to continue our work in driving the virus down, and clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those

tragic deaths, and we've got it, at the moment, under some measure of control. the numbers of deaths are well, well down, buti control. the numbers of deaths are well, well down, but i have to tell you that we are looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other european countries. you can see what's been happening in the united states. so it's absolutely vital that, as a country, we continue to keep our focus and our discipline, and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we are out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over. the most important thing we can do to stop a second wave, a really damaging second wave, a really damaging second wave, a really damaging second wave, which would have real consequences, not just second wave, which would have real consequences, notjust medical but also for the economy, is everybody continues to observe the social distancing guidelines to wash your hands, to wear a mask on public transport or in shops. the most

important thing we need to do is get a test if you have symptoms. on all those points, you are now saying that you should isolate for ten days, not seven days, and at the same time there are national restrictions being further eased. people are confused what the national government is telling them to do. that's what you've left people with at this point at the end ofjuly, isn't it? this is only one way of controlling coronavirus at present. 0bviously, way of controlling coronavirus at present. obviously, we are making great progress with drugs like dexamethasone, remdesivir. we are able to deal with it in ways we were not in early march but, will be speaking, the only way to control coronavirus is if everybody collectively obeys the social distancing rules and works together to drive the virus down. that is why i make this point that i do. we have

done a huge amount together. we have really reduced the incidence of the virus and we've got the number of deaths down, but it can come up again, and we've seen what's happening in other european countries. what saying to people is, don't lose focus, don't lose discipline, continue to observe those guidelines, and, if you have symptoms, get a test. now time for a your questions answered on changes to travel advice and quarantine rules, and what this means for your holiday plans. to a nswer to answer your queries, i'm joined by helen coppi, deputy travel editor at the independent. good morning. i'm alsojoined by at the independent. good morning. i'm also joined by the founder of a website. let us get on with those

questions. lynn helen asks, i've just returned from majorca to check my property and i'm due to fly back on monday, less than a week in the uk. cani on monday, less than a week in the uk. can i still fly back or do i have to wait the ia days? uk. can i still fly back or do i have to wait the 14 days? yes, absolutely, you can still fly back. i think this is something people are getting confused about, because it isa getting confused about, because it is a confusing situation, but essentially the 1a days applies if you are in the uk. spain at the moment has no such stipulation about quarantine for british people going m, quarantine for british people going in, so they will happily let you into majorca and you won't need to quarantine while you are there. the important thing to remember is, firstly, spain has been taken off the quarantine exempt lift and the fco's safe travel list, so your insurance will probably be invalidated unless you have some kind of other insurance, and if you come back the second time from yorker you have to start that quarantine all over again, so you

can't just discount the quarantine all over again, so you can'tjust discount the days you spent in the uk before. you are starting at day zero and you had to stay indoors for two weeks. jasmin, a question from wil metcalfe, who says, i was due to travel to spain this friday but my family have decided not to travel. we were due to stay at a campsite and we are unable to get a refund as the company says we need to give them 21 days notice. can i claim on my travel insurance or credit card to get the money back? that would be good, wouldn't it? i have spoken to chemical visa and, certainly, good, wouldn't it? i have spoken to chemicalvisa and, certainly, if your actual contract says that you have to give a certain amount of days notice, and you can't give those days notice, sadly you can't use chargeback. if they said something like, you have to give 48 hours notice and you have given them a week and then they won't be the money back, certainly, you could use chargeback, and that would be easy. in this case, it sounds like in their contract, if it is in their

contract that you have to give 21 days notice, then probably, even your insurance, i'm afraid, wouldn't help. it was worth and asked, because all insurances have different aspects in their policies, so different aspects in their policies, so it's worth asking. but i suspect, if the actual contract says you have to give 21 days notice and they can prove this, it sounds like you may have to wave goodbye to that money, i'm afraid. always worth asking the question. agent asks, what is the likelihood of turkey being added to the quarantine list, as he and his family go away in two weeks? head what do you know? well, it's really difficult because, as we know, things are changing at such a pace that there is no way to look in a crystal ball and be, it's going to be fine. as we saw with spain, that change so fast, and now the department for transport have gone from review let every three weeks to

every week, so i can't guarantee, but they seem to be basing it on the idea of how many new cases per 100,000 people they have had in the last two weeks. turkey's is currently at between 15 and 16, which doesn't raise a red flags for me. the uk currently has 1a fist of somewhere like spain is over 30. at the moment, i would say there is a good chance turkey will still be on that quarantine exempt list and you don't have to worry, but it is changing quickly, so it's with a big caveat of who knows, but it's looking good at the moment. contemporary and keep a close eye on the news. aidan, hopefully you'll be able to go. a question for you, jasmine, from keith, booked and paid for a holiday in spain which was scheduled to depart last monday. we notify the operator that we wish to cancel the holiday as the hotel and theme park are closed during the day

and the flights have been cancelled. the tour company are trying to take 90% of the holiday cost. i've cancelled my credit card, which was stored with the booking. tour company are now pursuing us for in the region of £3000 whilst accepting there is no alternative hotel available. where do i stand? this sounds awfully complicated, jasmine. lam assuming sounds awfully complicated, jasmine. i am assuming it is a package holiday, and the good thing about buying a package holiday is that, under the package travel regulations, you are actually, rather nicely, covered, and you should be allowed a refund, because the rules state that, if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occui’ and extraordinary circumstances occur which significantly and extraordinary circumstances occur which significa ntly affect and extraordinary circumstances occur which significantly affect the performance of the package, you can have a full refund. frankly, the fco saying that we can't go to these places or we shouldn't go and various cancellations that you've

mentioned, honestly, that sounds like an entirely reasonable way to ask for a refund and say, no, we can't pay for that. so long as it is a package holiday you are covered all over. even if it isn't, frankly, i think you have a very good case to say that it's not possible to have this holiday that you originally booked, so of course you need to have a refund, or of course you shouldn't be paying for that. personally, i would stand your ground and say no. helen, a question from natalie. can my daughter to mentor young children from belgium visit us? i have been shielded and they will travel by train. —— two young children from at the moment, the answer is yes, they can come over and they don't have to pointing, but there have been very strong speculation that luxembourg and belgium are both going to be removed from that quarantine exempt lift, to be or this weekend.

because, as i was talking before about that number of cases per 100,000, in belgium, that has rocketed up to 29.3, i think that's the latest number i can see. so i would say to her, let's wait and see what happens this weekend. in all likelihood, it will be taken off that list, that means her daughter could come over that would have to spend two weeks away from her mother, not seeing anyone or doing anything, andi mother, not seeing anyone or doing anything, and i don't think that's a very fun holiday for anyone. so worth waiting a few days before that decision is made. rachel bates asks ofjasmine, i decision is made. rachel bates asks of jasmine, i was decision is made. rachel bates asks ofjasmine, i was due to go on holiday to spain injune, which couldn't happen. my friends that i accepted a rebooking for nextjune, which we hope will go ahead. my travel insurance is part of my bank account, for which i pay a monthly fee. i want to switch bank account but would then have no travel insurance and i can't purchase travel insurance is the holiday is already booked. what can i do? good

question. you would be covered by your insurance assuming you took it out before booking your holiday, and it sounds as if you did. now, the thing is, next june, it sounds as if you did. now, the thing is, nextjune, 12 months away, nearly come i would have thought that by next year you could then ta ke that by next year you could then take out travel insurance again for something you've already booked. 0ne would hope. the thing is, if it were ina few would hope. the thing is, if it were in a few months' time, i would say, no, keep with your current bank account, even though you would prefer to move but, by next year, all sorts of things could happen. we hope that this situation will have finished before the end of this year. we can't know, but, if you really wa nt year. we can't know, but, if you really want to change your bank account, then i would say, you know, you could potentially risk it, because it's quite a long way away, next year, and it's highly likely, i

would have thought, that you could get proper travel insurance that would cover you by next year. i know it's a bit of a risk, and it's up to you, depending on how much risk you wa nt you, depending on how much risk you want to take, but personally, i would have thought it's far enough away to mitigate some of that risk. i certainly hope so. elaine asks helen, my housemate is due to go to spain in two weeks. if she still goes, spain in two weeks. if she still o . spain in two weeks. if she still goes, is she the only one required to isolate when she returns, or do myself and the other members of the household who don't travel also have to? the good news is that, no, you and your housemates should not have to isolate, it's just and your housemates should not have to isolate, it'sjust her who has been to spain. she should spend the next two weeks basically not really having much to do with you, spending as much time in her room as possible. government guidance says avoiding common areas in the house, things like the kitchen and the living room. you could do things like her shopping for her, but keep

in contact to a minimum. she breaks that, she could be fined up to £1000. it's quite serious. 0ne situation in which that no longer is the case is if she develops coronavirus symptoms and, in that case, everyone in the household should quarantine, just as you would have to do under normal circumstances. but, if she doesn't develop symptoms, you should be fine to go about your business as usual. very clear advice. this question is from jane. my family and i were due to travel to majorca next week. flights and hotel have been booked separately and we want to cancel as the hotel is closed until mid—august. am i entitled to a cash refu nd mid—august. am i entitled to a cash refund for the total cost of the holiday, given that the flight may not be cancelled ? holiday, given that the flight may not be cancelled? no, because, if something is booked separately, so you booked a hotel and flight separately, then the flight, for example, they would say, well, you

could move to another hotel. if the flight could move to another hotel. if the flight is still going, then you are not necessarily entitled to a refund for that, just because your hotel isn't there. you could maybe move hotels. however, you could ask the flight hotels. however, you could ask the flight company, you know, it's really a question of phoning them up, probably waiting for hours on the phone, and asking what their policy is, because they might be willing to move your flight, they might possibly give you vouchers, but they don't have to, i'm afraid. if it were a package holiday, yes, you'd be covered but, as you bought them separately, i'm afraid you are not. differently worth that phone call though. how safe is it to travel to greece at the moment and in the future? helen, your thoughts? the great news is that i would say greece is one of the safest places to go on holiday right now. i can't say for definite in the future,

because i don't have a crystal ball but, at the moment, going back to that indicator, the number of cases per 100,000 people, it's only about four increase at the moment, one of the lowest levels. so i would feel... there is a was a risk, but i would feel very safe taking a holiday to greece in the next month. we have a holiday home in spain and would like to go there in the next few weeks. i understand my travel insurance won't cover my family for coronavirus, but are covered for everything else? you are not, at its an oddity but, if you are going to spain, if you are going to a country the fco says they suggest you don't, not only are you not covered for possible coronavirus but you are not cove red for possible coronavirus but you are not covered for anything else, for example, if you had an accident or you lost your luggage. you wouldn't be covered, i'm afraid. having said that, there are some policies that might cover you. it's one of those

things where you ought to ask your insurance provider or look at the terms and conditions, who does that? at the moment, people are make sure you put a health insurance card. click i'm going to try and squeeze in one or might not have had sight of, helen. it's from philip, who says, is it possible to do a euro driving holiday mixing with others to get shopping, owing to campsites, going for walks in the open with mask and sanitising? i'm giving you a few seconds. he is trying to be independent as he moves around. does that present difficulties?” independent as he moves around. does that present difficulties? i think that present difficulties? i think that sounds fine. at the moment, if you are worried about getting coronavirus, a self drive holiday is one of the safest bets, because you are not spending time on a train or plane or whatever else with lots of other people. camping as well, spending a lot of time away from others, so i'd say go for it. on cue

out of time, but thank you so much for those answers. thank you for your question. and now for some breaking news. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, has decided he wants to spend more time walking his dog, lexie, and so today is his last day on the bbc news channel. there have been many warm words written since he announced the news on twitter earlier. my colleague, simon mccoy, tweeted. .. "this is just the worst news. "for viewers and listeners. "for the world of politics. "for the bbc. "for all those that work with you. "and especially for me. "you are simply the best. "and we shall miss you. "good luck norman #legend." the broadcaster simon mayo said... " fa rewell norman smith, a fabulous journalist "and brilliant political observer. "6:30am will never be the same". he was alluding to norman's daily early morning appearance on the today programme on radio a.

and our colleague, victoria derbyshire, who has worked closely alongside norman over the years, said, "he is immense, wise, clever and funny. "i have loved working with you. "thank you for being a magnificent and kind colleague." my colleague, annita mcveigh, spoke to norman earlier about what he will be getting up to. i just came to the conclusion that i really can't spend the rest of my life prattling on about politics on this balcony. it's time i went out there and had a look at the big, wide world out there, and that involves going on some decent walks with the hound. so, first off, i'm going to be walking st cuthbert‘s way, which is a five—day walk between the borders town of melrose and holy island, so me and the hound will be spending some time tramping along there. but i've had an amazing blast. it's been great! it'sjust been huge, huge fun and, actually, a massive, massive privilege, notjust working with so many incredibly talented people, but being able to broadcast

to people watching the bbc, which isjust one huge, huge privilege, which one should never forget. norman smith, then and now. i think we are all in a state of shock, actually. now the weather. today so far has been a tale of two halves, with clouds and rain in scotland, northern ireland and northern england further south, you can see where the best of the sunshine is. temperatures are responding to highest values this afternoon are likely to be 28, 80 two fahrenheit. a bit cooler under the cloud and rain. that rain will continue to move steadily north. another week weather front wings showery ad breaks into western overnight but elsewhere it stays quiet and clear, with overnight lows of 11 to 16. we start on a relatively warm note in the south—east and, with the winds coming from the south—west, driving in this warmth from the near

continent. it will be a sunny and hot afternoon for many. showers continuing in western scotland and northern ireland, with highs of 21, but central and eastern england widely seen temperatures into the low 30s, perhaps peaking at 3a. if thatis low 30s, perhaps peaking at 3a. if that is too hot for you, it looks likely it will be slightly more co mforta ble likely it will be slightly more comfortable at the weekend, with a few showers.

this is bbc news, i'm reeta chakrabarti. the headlines: people in the uk showing symptoms or testing poistive for coronavirus must now isolate for 10 days rather than seven. the new rule starts immediately. it comes as ministers grapple with preventing a resurgence of the disease it is absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline, and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we are out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over. and, in another sign of the impact of coronavirus, latest figures show that england had the highest excess deaths in europe over the past few months. in others news, the travel firm tui announces the closure of 166 high