this is bbc news with the latest headlines. explosion lebanon is in mourning after the huge explosion which killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others. the blast shook the whole city and a desperate search for more survivors is still under way. translation: from seven o'clock in the evening we've been all over every hospital in beirut and we are now waiting for the names to come out, and nothing has come out. we don't know if he's dead or alive. lebanon's prime minister says the blast happened when thousands

of tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate caught fire at a warehouse. translation: what happened today won't happen won't pass without account. those responsible will pay the price for what happened. this is a promise to the martyrs and to the wounded. in other news: schools before pubs. the children's commissioner for england says schools should be first to open and last to close in any future lockdowns. if you'd like to get in touch with me on schools or any of the stories we are covering i'm on @geetagurumurthy. plus, mps say failing to implement border restrictions on arrivals earlier in the pandemic was a "serious mistake".

hello. lebanon is in mourning after the huge explosion in the capital beirut yesterday, which devastated the port area of the city, and damaged many streets and buildings well beyond. the lebanese red cross has said that at least 100 people have been killed and more than 4,000 injured. the huge blast at the port sent shock waves across the city, destroying many nearby buildings and blowing out windows several miles away. an investigation is now under way to find out what exactly caused the blast. the country's president said that over 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored unsafely in a warehouse for six years. lebanon's prime minister warned those responsible would be punished. translation: what happened today won't pass without account. those responsible will pay the price for

what happened. this is a promise to the martyrs and to the wounded. this isa the martyrs and to the wounded. this is a national commitment. facts will be revealed about this dangerous warehouse that has been there since 2014. hospitals across the city were quickly overwhelmed — officials fear the death toll will rise sharply. rescue workers are digging through the rubble to try to find survivors. this report from sean dilley contains some distressing scenes. explosion it was a catastrophic explosion. what?! the blast was heard 150 miles away. no! another view from moments earlier shows a fire in beirut port. authorities say the flashes were caused by fireworks. but then... explosion alarm blares ..as the sound of the explosion rang out across the city, windows smashed and buildings were destroyed. from the streets...

..beirut could only watch as the carnage unfolded. translation: we were at home. we heard what sounded like fireworks. we thought it was a container in the port that was on fire. a few seconds later, we were flying through the air. already heavily stretched by the covid crisis, beirut‘s hospitals were overwhelmed by casualties in need of urgent treatment. translation: we have at least 300 wounded in the hospital right now. we have six operating suites that are still operating right now, and this keeps filling up by another group that needs attention. we have about four to five in intensive care, we have three that arrived dead. every one of our crew, doctors and nurses, are operating, even administration — everyone is working. we have a lot of damage as you can see. all the ceilings have collapsed at the entrance and the glass windows of patients' rooms. as embattled medics struggled to help the injured, distraught locals sought to find lost relatives. translation: he is 29 years old.

from 7:00 in the evening, we have been all over every hospital in beirut and we are now waiting for the names to come out and nothing has come out. we don't know if he is dead or alive, we just don't know. the international community has offered its help to a city in turmoil. borisjohnson tweeted: lebanon's president has announced three days boris johnson tweeted: lebanon's president has announced three days of mourning and promised to release 100 billion lira or £50.5 million of emergency funds. officials say highly explosive materials believed to be ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse for up to six years caused the explosion. they say they are investigating what ignited it. in the meantime, authorities say those responsible will face the maximum possible punishment. sean dilley, bbc news.

dr firass abiad is the head of the university hospital in beirut, the largest public hospital in lebanon, and we can speak to him now. how many people have you had to see and what condition are they in? we have received almost 200 casualties, we have admitted more than 22 cases to our intensive care unit. what sort of injuries have people been suffering? initially, most of the people who were coming, they were coming in tens, were suffering from glass injuries, or who had been thrown up in the air from the glass injuries, or who had been thrown up in the airfrom the impact of the blast. then later the ambulances started arriving from the blast site and they were bringing in people who had more serious

injuries. how many would you say are 110w injuries. how many would you say are now critical? we have about 18 patients in our critical units and we still have some patients in the emergency room. we are waiting to see whether we can find places for them in our hospital, or they have to be transferred to other hospitals. just how overstretched are you? you talk about not being able to treat everyone coming in. yes. the level and the numbers of casualties that we have seen yesterday was unprecedented. we haven't seen that even in times of the civil war. and i think that all the civil war. and i think that all the hospitals were stretched. added to that, some hospitals were damaged and had to be evacuated. so we were actually receiving both casualties and patients being evacuated from other hospitals as well. and do you know how close to the blast people we re know how close to the blast people were affected ? know how close to the blast people were affected? do you have that sort

of information? talking to the first responders and the ms services, we know a lot of the buildings in the vicinity of the blasts, they haven't been swept up and they are going into those buildings. and we expect that the number of dead will rise as they do. and is there anything in terms of external help that the international community can do quickly to help? i think that all help is appreciated. i think whether it is in medical supplies, whether it is in medical supplies, whether it is, probably we don't know the status of the stores, remember this is the biggest marine port in lebanon and there was a lot of merchandise there. up to now we don't have that information about how that affected the situation. and cani how that affected the situation. and can ijust how that affected the situation. and can i just ask, how that affected the situation. and can ijust ask, is it men, women and children, families, people living or

working in the area that have come inforyou? working in the area that have come in for you? the extent of the blast, i cannot describe it. people have heard the impact of the blast in other countries, we have heard that injordan and other countries, we have heard that in jordan and cyprus other countries, we have heard that injordan and cyprus they heard the impact of the blast. so i think that a lot of people have been affected in the capital and outside. doctor firass abiad, thank you very much indeed. we can speak to our correspondent lina sinjab who is in beirut for us. just tell us what is known first of all about how this blast happened. so far it is really hard to tell what the causes are behind the explosion. we know for sure there was a storage of explosives that had been stored there for almost six yea rs been stored there for almost six years since 2014. and there has been many calls that they should be destroyed or stored in a safe way but they haven't been. this is the

main reason of the explosion. but it's hard to tell at the moment what caused the initial flame that caused the explosion. the government has opened a big investigation and they expect some outcome in the coming 48 is but at the moment the situation is but at the moment the situation is really devastating. i'm standing just a few metres away from where the explosion happened and you can see still the smoke coming out from the port of beirut. this is the main port that imports and exports material to lebanon, lebanon and relies heavily, almost 90% of its consumption is imported and now the port is out of function completely. around the port, this is like the lavish downtown beirut and the beirut city centre and most of the buildings have their windows shattered or they are out of function. and the damage also among people around lebanon, 4000

casualties so far. and of course there are almost 80 people who died so there are almost 80 people who died so far. the hospitals are rushing and they are out of capacity. they are helping each other. it is a really difficult situation and with the economic crisis here in lebanon they have to rely on international aid to come and help them out, otherwise they will not be able to stand on their feet with this. we just spoke to one doctor, one head of the hospital. is everyone getting the treatment they need at the moment? the health care system here is really good. they are divided between private and public sector. but of course, at the moment, it is a moment of emergency, of catastrophe, all of the hospitals are responding, the red cross is responding. but the number is huge. don't forget that this is a country thatis don't forget that this is a country that is also struggling with covid—19. we had locked down last

week because of the surge in cases of covid—19. all of the hospitals are receiving lots of cases of coronavirus. but now they are dedicating their emergency responses to this catastrophe. we believe that there is still some search for casualties in the debris. you can see ambulances still heading to the location. the whole country, the whole medical system is up and running. asi whole medical system is up and running. as i said the red cross is up running. as i said the red cross is up and running and helping out. but the casualties and damage from the explosion around makes it difficult for them to deal with it. the people believe the official government explanation that this seems to be an accident? you know, people in lebanon have lost faith in the government, they have lost faith in

the party is, in the sectarian system, from right, left and centre they just believe system, from right, left and centre theyjust believe that nobody cares about them. it has been six months or eight months of economic crisis, the government didn't do anything to rescue them. they are just going downhill, the lebanese lira going downhill, the lebanese lira going down in value by 80% in its value and poverty rate has increased. but at the moment people are in real shock. all they want is first responders, the immediate response to the situation. it is a big question whether the government will be able to help those who have lost their houses, or the houses are destroyed, to fix them because people don't have the money nor the cash to do that and that's a big question to come for the coming days or weeks to know about. ok, lina sinjab in beirut, thank you very much. a ceremony is under way in which indian prime minister narendra modi is laying the foundation stone of a new hindu temple in the northern city of ayodhya. these are live pictures coming into us these are live pictures coming into us at the moment of narendra modi

speaking at the site. ayodhya is believed to be the birthplace of the important hindu deity of rahm and miranda modi speaking at this temple. this has always been a controversial site because muslims have built a mosque on the site. subsequently. and the area became disputed by both hindus and muslims. but after years of controversy the government has laid the foundation stone they are of a hindu temple. the children's commissioner for england, anne longfield,

says schools should be the last places to close in any future lockdowns, after pubs, restaurants and nonessential shops. ms longfield said children were too often "an afterthought", and education should be the last thing to close. of course, i want life to be normal, like everyone else, but the fact of the matter is, the virus is with us. we have to find ways to adapt. we have to find ways to manage it. and children have been out of school now for six months. it has been the biggest disruption since world war ii. we know that they have been struggling, many children, in terms of home learning. many won't have been learning at all. and the most disadvantaged children are the ones who are falling further behind. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. a pretty stern message from the children's commissioner for the government. 0bviously everyone wants schools to reopen but it is pretty complex in terms of what happens in a month's time, isn't it? yes, it is. there are concerns that when you start opening up schools and you start opening up schools and you

start getting people moving again, the r rate, the reproduction rate of the r rate, the reproduction rate of the virus, could go up. we have had professor niall ferguson who was one of the experts advising the government saying it could go up by as much as 0.5 when schools go back in england in september, which could potentially tip it up to a dangerous level. the big question is, what do you do to try and mitigate that? because ministers have been pretty clear now that they want to get schools back as quickly as possible, that they are going to go back at the start of september. the question is, would they be prepared to close other things to make sure that schools can remain open if the virus rate does start to increase again. have a listen to the schools minister nick gibb speaking on bbc brea kfast. schools are our priority. all children will be returning to school this september. of course, schools have been open partially since june. we've had reception year one and year six returning to school. by the time we end the summer term, about 1.6 million children were in school, but we do want

all children back in school in september, including in areas that are subject to local restrictions such as in greater manchester, and there are a huge number of measures in place in schools to make sure that children are safe, and minimise the risk of the spread of the virus. so, for example, increased hygiene, hand washing, cleaning of surfaces, lunch breaks, being staggered, playtimes, making sure that children are in those bubbles and not over mixing with too many children while they are at school, and making sure that staff are socially distance from each other and from pupils, where that's possible. we have had that commitment from a number of ministers now that schools will go back in england in september. i think it's pretty hard to see how they would row back from that. but they are a lot more relu cta nt to that. but they are a lot more reluctant to talk about the idea of closing other things to keep schools open if the virus starts to get out of control again. labour are saying the government needs to be a lot more open about some of the hard

decisions that it's going to have to make and it's really interesting that the labour party was saying this morning that if they were in power they would be prepared to close pubs and restaurants and things like that in order to make sure that schools could stay open. have a listen to the shadow health secretaryjon ashworth who was asked specifically whether he would close pubs to keep schools open. i would but if that is what was needed. at the moment we don't know if that is what will be needed. but what we do know is that the infection rate is rising, we know that the testing and tracing system is not world beating. it's costing us £10 billion. that might be world beating but the system itself is not world beating, as borisjohnson promised. so the government need to fix these problems now because if we get to the end of august with these infection rates at the level they are at right now are even higher, then that suggests we will be

heading into a miserable winter. and if that means schools cannot reopen that would be disastrous for the children and actually for the economy as well. the context for all of this is of course increase caution in government about opening up restrictions and getting society moving again. some signs in the data that some new cases are emerging that some new cases are emerging that may be that number is starting to rise a bit after various other elements of the economy were reopened. so there is certainly some big decisions coming in the next few weeks about how exactly that reopening continues. ok, nick ea rdley reopening continues. ok, nick eardley at westminster, thanks very much. mps have accused the government of accelerating both the pace and the scale of the coronavirus pandemic in the uk by making a series of "critical errors". the home affairs select committee says — in particular — lifting all virus—related border restrictions in mid—march resulted in "many more people" contracting covid—19. the government has dismissed the findings, saying its decisions throughout kept people safe and were "guided by the science".

we can speak now to the chair of the home affairs committee and labour mp, yvette cooper. just tell us what your key findings were. good morning. yes, we found that the government's decision not to have any quarantine or border measures in place in the middle of march was a serious mistake. it did mean that we had thousands more people arrived in the uk with covid—19, often from spain, from italy, people coming home, and that did accelerate the pace and scale of the epidemic. we had very clear scientific evidence that that was the case, including evidence from the case, including evidence from the chief scientific adviser sir patrick vallance. that meant many more people contracted covid—19 as a result and we think it is really important that lessons are learned from what went wrong so that we

don't make the same mistakes again. the government says that by march 13 there was already sustained community transmission, a significant number of domestic cases, and therefore, there was a marginal impact on border restrictions and in any case it was superseded by national stay at home guidance once you had any symptoms. there is a couple of points there. first of all, we still had in the third week of march over1 million people arrived in the uk, in the fourth week over 500,000 people arrived in the uk, and we saw the evidence from a detailed genomics scientific study on the thousands of people who were coming into the uk with covid—19 at that time of the chief scientific adviser himself said it was the very many different strains of the virus which is what accelerated the pandemic. and even just two days after the government lifted all of its self—isolation guidance, at a time, bear in mind, when other countries were bringing in much tighter restrictions, we had in one day an estimated 900 people

arrive with the virus. so i think that's the evidence of the mistakes that's the evidence of the mistakes that were being made but we really wa nt that were being made but we really want the government to learn from this evidence because bear in mind, this evidence because bear in mind, this was a full ten days before lockdown happened, this was at a time when people were coming back from holiday, for example, going into the pub, going to restaurants, going back into work as well. if we are to get things right in the future we should be recognising that m ista kes future we should be recognising that mistakes were made and crucially, behind some of these key decisions we could find no scientific basis for them whatsoever. it is really important that decisions are guided by the science. i will come on to what is happening now in a minute but i just want to check, what is happening now in a minute but ijust want to check, did you look back at whether border controls should have been imposed in february, for example? a lot of people travelled during half term to europe, skiing holidays and so on. people travelled during half term to europe, skiing holidays and so onlj think ideally they should have been, including the restrictions should have been expanded to include spain

as well, because italy was included in some voluntary self—isolation guidance. that was welcome. and there was a much stronger quarantine measures applied to people travelling back from wuhan. we have recognised that this was actually a very difficult period injanuary and february when things were moving very fast. but by the time you get to early march other countries were starting to bring in much stronger border measures and the uk was very much out on a limb. that alone should have rung alarm bells for ministers. they should have been saying, why is our approach so different? why are we so isolated in our approach in not having border and quarantine measures when so many other countries by now really are. sorry to interrupt, can ijust asked, right now it is the summer holiday season in the uk, people are travelling, we have heard the government wants to get schools back in september. are we not sort of doing the same thing again? allowing people to travel, there is no real

border restrictions, and teenagers, we have heard from niall ferguson, spread this virusjust we have heard from niall ferguson, spread this virus just as much as adults do. i think it is crucial to get schools back in september because we have had children out of school now really for six months and education isjust so important. i think the conclusion we came to is the government was right to reintroduce quarantine for spain because there are signs of infection is rising. but it should be being much more transparent and publishing the traffic light assessments that we know it has done on every country. let's see which countries are read, which countries are amber and which countries are green, then people will know what is happening and we can have a much more informed debate about whether quarantine measures should be tighter. —— red. whether they have the balance right. but you have to have transparency and publish the science. it is the lack of transparency, hiding the information and then discovering that in some cases the information and the scientific advice just

doesn't exist at all. that's when you get into problems and we cannot afford for the government to make those sorts of mistakes. ok, yvette cooper mp, thank you very much indeed. not sure what that pinging noise was. just to let you know... the government has issued a statement in response to that report saying: "the home affairs select committee are incorrect in their assertions. all of our decisions throughout the pandemic have been guided by the science, with appropriate measures introduced at the right time to keep us all safe. and with passengers numbers significantly reduced, the scientific advice was clear that quarantine measures for those entering the country from abroad would be most effective when the uk has a lower level of infection. therefore, as the virus was brought under control here, border measures were introduced onjune 8th to protect public health and help avoid a second peak that would overwhelm the nhs." that is a statement from the government in response to the home affa i rs government in response to the home affairs select committee report. let's go back to our main story now and the huge explosion in lebanon's capital beruit which has left at least 100 people dead.

the blast is thought to have been caused by 2,700 tonnes of the fertiliser ammonium nitrate, which had been stored in a warehouse in the port area of the city since 2014. let's speak to philip ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer and an expert on chemical weapons. thank you forjoining us. good morning. can youjust thank you forjoining us. good morning. can you just tell us how this chemical can ignite? does it have to be lit by a spark, or can it effectively heat up and self combust? there is a number of different ways. in its pure form when stored correctly by itself it is really very safe but it is a component of fertilisers, which is why it is freely available, but also a component of explosives and if it gets contaminated then that contaminant could be from the likes of fuel oil, or if it comes into contact with other fuel related substances, or it is badly stored and it starts to degrade and starts to fill up terrains where there is pressure and it can start to heat up because it has an exothermic reaction. and as that heat

increases, and we saw pictures of a huge fire beside the building, or possibly even in the building where the explosion came from, that would have been enough to start to heat it up have been enough to start to heat it up to then come into this chain reaction event that is unstoppable. just how dangerous chemical is it? if it is stored properly it is not considered to be highly dangerous. it is an oxidant, but all of the health and safety regulations that are out there and be guidance for its transport and storage emphasise the ability of it to if it is not properly handled and not properly stored. so whilst in its pure form and following the rules and regulations properly it is fine, it is very easy for it to tip over the edge and become this explosive compound. it is something that has been the choice of different terror organisations around the world making explosives because it is so easy to turn it into something that

can cause that sort of explosion. from the information we have, which i recognises only partial, is it plausible that this was simply an accident, or are there potential other explanations here? with the bits of information coming through, the lebanese government said it has beenin the lebanese government said it has been in the warehouse and there has been in the warehouse and there has been 2750 tonnes for a number of yea rs. been 2750 tonnes for a number of years. there are anecdotal stories of fireworks going off, maybe there isa of fireworks going off, maybe there is a fireworks store next door, anecdotal stories of someone welding on the building near to it, and stories about it not being properly stored. and therefore, i do think on the balance of probabilities, with the balance of probabilities, with the limited amount of information we have got at the moment, this has been a tragic, tragic accident. philip ingram, thank you very much indeed. let's return now to the city of ayodhya in northern india — where the country's prime minister narendra modi is laying the foundation stone of a new hindu temple.

it's hugely controversial because both hindus and muslims have claimed ownership over the site for decades. 0ur correspodent yogita limaya is in mumbai. just tell us what is happening there at the moment. prime minister nur andrew modi has been speaking after laying the temple. what he said is that billions of people today are witnessing something that they had not imagined they would see in their lifetime. he says so many indians struggled and sacrificed during the independence movement. so have scores of indians struggled and sacrificed for the building of this temple. of course, the site where he has offered prayers today is a controversial one. it is at the centre of what is perhaps one of the longest running and most violent disputes between hindus and muslims in this country. in 1992, a mosque that stood at the location was torn down by hindus who believe that it

was built over the site of the birthplace of one of hinduism's most prominent deities ram. this is a belief carried by millions hindus all over the world. and today we are seeing a lot of people are rejoicing. they believe that this is a day of celebration. i've been hearing people say this is an historic moment for them. but also a controversial one because the tearing down of that mosque triggered religious riots in this country, thousands of people were killed, more muslims than hindus, and although who should stake a claim to the land, that sort of dispute was resolved by the supreme court late last year. the criminal act of tearing down the structure that stood there, this is the case that stood there, this is the case that still continues and it hasn't been resolved. and so many asking whether the prime minister of a secular country like india should be offering prayers at this place where there has not been a resolution yet.

let's have a quick look at the weather now with carol. it is going to turn warmer in the south—east of england where the heat will peak on friday. today we have rain moving across scotland. also rain moving across scotland. also rain coming in across northern ireland across western parts of england and wales. some of this will be heavy. the driest and sunniest conditions in the south—east, with highs of 25—27, but lighter winds generally than yesterday. this evening and overnight we say goodbye to that reign. we are left with clouds thickening up even there, there will be some clearer spells developing with temperatures ranging between 12—17. tomorrow, we start on a fairly cloudy note. through the day we start to see some holes developing so some brighter skies coming through. sunshine lasting longest across the far north—east of scotland. here, we'll have temperatures between 18—19, as we move further south, looking at highs

of 28. hello this is bbc news with geeta gurumurthy. the headlines: lebanon is in mourning after the huge explosion which killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others. the blast shook the whole city and a desperate search for more survivors is still under way. translation: from seven o'clock in the evening we have been all over every hospital in beirut, and we are now waiting for names to come out, and nothing has come out. we don't know if he's dead or alive. lebanon's prime minister says the blast happened when thousands of tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate caught fire at a warehouse. in other news, "schools before pubs". the children's commissioner for england says schools should be first to open and last to close in any future lockdowns.

and mps say failing to implement uk border restrictions on arrivals earlier in the pandemic was a "serious mistake". sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's jane dougall. good morning. fulham manager scott parker says they'll learn their lessons and do better in the premier league this time around after winning promotion at wembley last night. they were relegated last year, but bounced back at the first time of asking after winning the championship play—off final against brentford. austin halewood reports. they say getting promoted through the play—offs is the best way to do it, and just two years on from the last time, fulham have done it again. but this one was different, with an empty wembley the setting. these two neighbours separated byjust four miles, and only by goal difference in the league this season couldn't be picked apart. brentford keeper david raya keeping his team level in a nervy first half.

brentford scored more goals than anyone else this season, but this was as close as they got inside 90 minutes. on to extra time, and still, these two couldn't be separated. but in the play—offs, it only takes one moment to define a season. joe bryan with a free kick from miles out that brought fulham within inches of the premier league. and with only minutes left, bryan took them all the way there — a second goal in extra time to seal it. brentford did get one back, but it was all too little, too late. their 70—year wait for top—flight football continues, while for fulham, they are shooting right back up to the premier league. austin halewood, bbc news. it could be the big transfer saga of the summer — england starjadon sancho's potential move to manchester united from borussia dortmund. it's been reported that the 20—year—old was close to agreeing a deal

to move to manchester, but the german club want a transfer fee of around £100 million. that would be a record for a british player, but united think that's too much and say they'll walk away if the price isn't dropped. there was a thrilling finish to the final one—day international, as ireland beat the world champions england. it all went down to the last couple of balls in southampton. kevin 0'brien hitting the winning ru ns as ireland chased down their target of 329. england had already won the series, but this was a significant victory for ireland — just their second ever win over england. from southampton to old trafford, where england's test team start their three match series against pakistan this morning. as long as it's not raining of course. there's still a big question mark over the fitness of star man ben stokes. he's been struggling with an injury since the end of the series against the west indies, and england will make a late decision as to whether he's fit to bowl as well as bat.

we are still a bit unsure on where he is at. he's not been able to bowl — because of the weather, we have not been outside. so we'll have to see. but, you know, we have got options. we have got a number of different options we can go down with the squad that we have got, and that is very exciting. so, regardless of what the conditions throw at us, we feel we have got all bases covered. rafael nadal won't defend his us open title when the tournament starts later this month. he's decided not to travel to america because he says the coronavirus pandemic is "not under control". it means that the us open will be the first grand slam event since the year 2000 not to feature either nadal or roger federer. the swiss player is recovering from knee surgery. rory mcilroy will have tiger woods for company when he tees off at the uspga tomorrow. the all—star group will be completed by the new world number one justin thomas. it's the first major golf tournament to be held since the start of the pandemic,

and in line with most other sports, there will be no crowds in san francisco. and woods says it'll be a little calmer out on the course. it's different than most of the times when you go from green to tee, people yelling or trying to touch you. you know, that part is different. as far as energy, while i am competing and playing, that's the same. i'm pretty intense when i play and pretty into what i'm doing. he will have to deal with the weather in san francisco. it is expected to be chilly and cold. that's all from us for now, more sport on the bbc news channel at 12:15. the inquest into the death of tv presenter caroline flack is expected to continue later. she was found dead at her flat in london in february. lisa hampele reports. caroline flack became synonymous with the show love island over her tv career and back 20 years. she won

strictly come dancing in 2014 and also appeared in the x factor. and it does she was arrested last year and charged with assaulting her partner lewis burton, she pleaded not guilty in court and her boyfriend said he did not support the prosecution. weeks before she was due to span trial she was found deadin was due to span trial she was found dead in her london flat. the lawyer for herfamily dead in her london flat. the lawyer for her family said she dead in her london flat. the lawyer for herfamily said she had taken her own life. the inquest today into her own life. the inquest today into her death is expected to last for two days. womens‘ charities and unions representing parliamentary staff have called on parliament to suspend a conservative mp who's been accused of rape. in a joint statement, they say safety at work must be paramount. the mp was arrested on saturday and later released on bail. the conservative party says it takes all complaints seriously. the nobel peace prize winner john hume will be laid to rest later today. his body was carried

into st eugene s cathedral in londonderry last night, after sdlp members formed a guard of honour in tribute to theirformer leader. mr hume, who played a major role in the northern ireland peace talks, adults spent 40% of their waking hours during lockdown watching television or video streaming services. that's according to the media watchdog 0fcom. it says that on average, people spent six hours and 25 minutes a day in front of a screen, a rise of almost a third on the same period last year. time on streaming services doubled. to understand this more let's talk to scott bryan, a tv critic with the must watch podcast. ina way, in a way, i'm surprised that it is only six hours, it felt like we were all in front of a screen for ever during lockdown. what do the numbers show? this report is there to say that we were not the only ones! because of lockdown, people didn't have a choice but to watch tv. the

fa ct have a choice but to watch tv. the fact that our use of watching streaming services such as netflix has essentially doubled is very interesting. the fact that we spent 40% of our day watching tv as well. the biggest statistic that stood out to me, 12 million of us signed up to a new streaming service. through this, 3 million people who had not signed up to a streaming service before, and also that disney plus has overtaken now tv which is done by sky as the third most popular streaming service so that shows that this was where the pendulum was going. we were all gravitating more towards it, but lockdown has essentially made it so much faster. also, linear tv viewing, essentially made it so much faster. also, lineartv viewing, has essentially made it so much faster. also, linear tv viewing, has had a big increase during the first few weeks of lockdown but has pretty much returned to where it was before. news was obviously

incredibly popular. this report shows some of the most popular news broadcasts, doesn't it ‘s bbc news was seen broadcasts, doesn't it ‘s bbc news was seen to be key, 81% of people relied on bbc news through the first few weeks of lockdown, and the viewing figures that came from boris‘ statement and from her majesty the queen also had some of the highest viewing figures. majesty the queen also had some of the highest viewing figuresm majesty the queen also had some of the highest viewing figures. it sort of shows that everyday natural viewing, trying to catch up with a drama, we go to a streaming service but when you want to be kept up—to—date with the latest information we still gravitated in very large numbers to traditional tv. many people who have thought that traditional tv is going to die, but i always think that there will a lwa ys but i always think that there will always be some sort of role for it, be that with live event coverage, news coverage, or this kind of unmissable tv moment that sort of unites the country. will this have an impact on the industry? we keep

hearing about the death of old media and the resurgence of the new, we have seen with brexit and now covid which is going to run, which is drawing people still come out of what is going on, now. the dynamics have changed. the biggest irony is that we are watching more tv than ever, but a lot of tv cannot get made and budgets are being cut because of the amount of advertising on commercial channels falling. according to the 0fcom report, 19% of budgets will have been cut over the last year, and the big streamers are more well—placed for this because they are global. they can pick up and put on tv shows and resume production is all over the world, where restrictions have eased, whereas domestic providers such as the bbc are kind of a pit stop, because we are waiting for social distancing to be relaxed or for there to be ways around that they can still make tv programmes, so they can still make tv programmes, so this is the way that we are seeing it, streamers in more better

positions and traditional channels and a much more vulnerable position than they were before all of this. so despite these huge audiences for news that 0fcom has found, for example, giving the ongoing debate, quite charged, on the licence fee, how will this affect how government thinks about the future of broadcasting? what worries me are the statistics in terms of younger viewing which will be the licence fee payers of the future. so, disney plus overtook bbc iplayer is the most popular place for kids, it has fallen from 26% down to 22%. and another statistic that stood out to me, by 2023 day reckon that half of young people will not be watching a public service provider or be relying on them at all, they will just be going to netflix and other rivals. there are many benefits from streamers, but the issue is, they have a limitless supply of money and no public service remit whilst of

course the bbc is funded in a particular way because it has to suit the needs of everybody but also they have got finite amounts of money and they have to be justified to be spending a lot of money on a drama. soi to be spending a lot of money on a drama. so i expect there to be an ongoing discussion about whether they should be moving to a subscription model. but to say that the bbc should turn into netflix is not viable because they are a different commercial operator working in a different way to how the bbc would be run. some news coming into us on whsmith. they have said that the store chain could cut up said that the store chain could cut up to 1500 jobs as part of a restructuring of its uk store operations because of the coronavirus driven for in customers at its travel and high street shops. whsmith saying they could cut up to 1500 jobs, the company founded more than 200 years ago as a news vendor

said it expected to deliver a headline pre—tax loss of between 70 and £75 million for the year ending august 31. the duchess of cambridge has revealed she was moved to tears by the plight of families struggling during lockdown. the duchess has visited a sheffield baby bank, which offers essential supplies like nappies and baby clothes. she said she wept at the "bravery" shown by parents after an earlier visit to a similar project. baby banks have found their services under increasing pressure due to demand and because they cannot accept second hand donations. we can talk now to rebecca mistry, co—founder of the ba by bank in maidenhead. for those who do not know how the baby bank works, can you tell us what you do? we might be contacted bya what you do? we might be contacted by a health visitor or midwife, they

can say that we have got a family with a toddler, a school age child, they need nappies, baby wipes, the child needs a bed to sleep in. they contact us, we put that together, and then we contact our service a client and let them know that the people are ready to come and pick up then they pass it onto the family that they initially referred. and why are people struggling to get the basics? that might seem like an obvious question. if they are really struggling are they not eligible for state benefits that might cover these basic costs? it is a bit of a mixture. we have provided support to families that are allowed to work but not entitled to benefits. benefits are not designed for you to survival and and live a life of luxury. they are designed for basics, but it starts getting to the point of, which do you have, do you have the food at the nappies? and

the stories that we hear, of parents keeping children in nappies for longer than really is necessary, on the watering down formula, just to make it last that little bit longer, it is quite distressing to hear, that families are having to do that. but we regularly hear from the people referred to us, that we are a life—saver, they don't know what they would do without us, and thank goodness that we are here, and have been operating. we have been in operation for five years but over the past four months, it has been above and beyond our normal referrals. because of the current situation. it is incredible to think that new mothers are struggling to get these incredible basics for their newborn children. it must be pretty heartbreaking to hear the stories. it is. it is quite upsetting for us, because we are all mothers that work together that set

this up so we are in the situation, you can't imagine a child that, you cannot imagine them not having a bed to sleep in, you cannot imagine not having a safe space, and that keeps us having a safe space, and that keeps us motivated and driving forward to keep doing what we're doing, and to see where we can get support from, and where we can get funding from, to keep providing to families that are struggling. a lot of the time the struggle at the families refer to us, the cases are individual, but it is not that they couldn'tjust go to the shop and buy it, they cannot afford to go to the shop and buy it because they have had that unexpected bill, they had to buy a new pair of shoes, because children speed do not stop growing. we just saw pictures of the duchess of cambridge who said that she was moved to tears by an earlier visit toa

moved to tears by an earlier visit to a baby bank. if people want to donate, what do you need and how can they get in touch? they can contact us they get in touch? they can contact us via the website or they can e—mail us, which is just us via the website or they can e—mail us, which isjust marketing. we need money to go out and buy the things that we cannot give out, and the things that we suddenly start kneading. at the beginning of lockdown we ran out of nappies and thank goodness for amazon wish list, people bought from that, and the links on our social media for that, but just contact us, links on our social media for that, butjust contact us, and we can let people know the nearest baby bank, there are 200 of us round the country, working which is the best options. rebecca, good luck, from the davy bank in maidenhead. thank you. —— the baby bank in maidenhead. it has faced its longest closure

since the second world war but today the natural history museum will reopen its doors to visitors for the first time since the start of lockdown. but whether it's a trip to the dinosaur gallery or a visit to the blue whale, visitors will find some changes. simon browning reports. a cathedral to nature forced into unseasonal hibernation. it has been interesting to be that in this place in the quiet but that is actually not what it is for. the pandemic there is the natural history museum for its longest period since world war ii, and like businesses everywhere as they reopen fewer people will be coming to visit. everywhere as they reopen fewer people will be coming to visitm would be 15% of what we would expect at this time of year and that is why it is important to pick your ticket online and then we can carefully

limit numbers and make sure everyone is really safe. the great thing about our space is that they are big, open and airy, so we have a few one—way galleries but in the other spaces you will be free to roam. exploring is the aim when you visit, washing your hands, sanitising and staying apart are the drill, like everywhere. face coverings become more passionate become law in english museum is from saturday but there is no similar legislation in scotland, wales and northern ireland, although you are encouraged to wear them indoors. the museum has the most extensive natural history collection in the world, 80 million items. the stegosaurus quite delicate, we have to be careful, so she is very gently removing that from her. it will be done slowly!‘ government support package to protect the future of theatres,

galleries and museums around the uk was announced last month, worth £1.5 billion to the sector, but there is nervousness about what the co nsta ntly nervousness about what the constantly changing health situation might mean. we know that there is a possibility that something may come along that means we have to close again, but at the moment we are making the most of the opportunity to open up the museum, the public can come here and have a great time. at 150 million years old, still soapy the stegosaurus has endured it all, but few of us can come to visit hurt for the next few years. we can talk now to sir michael dixon, the director of the natural history museum. ican i can see one of your amazing dinosaurs behind you. you must be excited but nervous to be opening again. yes, excited to be opening after 140 days closed. even with

social distancing in place and limited numbers it is an exciting day for museum staff seeing the public coming back in again as they will be from 11 o'clock. i speak as a mother who had to take her son there every day while he was very small during the school holidays, he was obsessed with the dinosaurs. will you be able to keep small children socially distanced in the museum? yes because we are limiting numbers. you have to book online to get time tickets for entering. we are limiting the number of people in the museum at any one time, down to 800, so it is a very different experience that you are going to get over the next few months. almost like a over the next few months. almost likea vip over the next few months. almost like a vip tour. i would commend it. i would ask you to get online, because it will be a wonderful, unusual experience, to see the museum without large numbers of people entering the museum at the same time. i can imagine you will sell those tickets very quickly. you have got a big space. 0ur

sell those tickets very quickly. you have got a big space. our staff a bit worried about people coming and going from holidays then coming back into a confined area, with no windows, for example. the museum as an old victorian building is very well ventilated. but we are free, so the time tickets are free, they are not selling tickets, but they are going very quickly. so i would encourage people to get online. we are concerned about staff and visitor safety. it is most important to us, that's why we spent nine weeks getting the museum physically ready for today. we are encouraging people to wear face coverings. is it compulsory? it will be mandatory in england from saturday. we are asking people to observe that precaution today and every other day up to saturday. and it is free to come to all museums, but i guess that you get income from the shops and

restau ra nts. get income from the shops and restaurants. how worried have you been about ongoing funding? being close completely, many of our funding streams have stopped, and i'm very much reduced numbers we expect only about 20%, an 80% reduction of normal attendance over the next few months, until social distancing measures change. so, yes, it isa distancing measures change. so, yes, it is a worrying time. we are going to be operating on an economic model that just doesn't work which is to be operating on an economic model thatjust doesn't work which is why government support is so very, very necessary. all the best to michael dixon. i know of one child of mine who is going to come along, who's going to want to come along and see his favourite frowns. thank you. now i think we can go to the weather with carol. let's get the weather. hello again. there is some rain in

the forecast today but it is not going to be quite as heavy as it was yesterday. the front that brought the rain yesterday has pushed off into the north sea but you can see the tail end of it coming in from the tail end of it coming in from the west. that is going to produce some rain. rain moving across northern england and southern scotland. that will tend to turn showery, then it will bejoined by rain coming in across northern ireland, and we can see how that will affect western parts. some of that heavy and tenderly, with the driest conditions in the south—east. those white circles are sustained wind speeds. not as windy as yesterday. temperatures ranging from 15 in lerwick, up to 25 in london. this evening and overnight, eventually this rain moves away into the north sea. left with a lot of cloud behind it, some of it thick enough for some drizzle, and there will be some breaks in the cloud, so some clear skies. another moonlight with lows of 12 in lerwick, and

15-17 with lows of 12 in lerwick, and 15—17 further south. 0n with lows of 12 in lerwick, and 15—17 further south. on thursday, this weather front is bumping into this weather front is bumping into this high pressure. it will produce some cloud. the isobars tell you that it will be breezy towards the west. that breeze coming from a southerly direction, a mild direction for us. so, we start on a cloudy note. the cloud will start to break. some sunny skies coming through. the brightest across the far north—east of scotland with highs of 19, far north—east of scotland with highs of19, and far north—east of scotland with highs of 19, and the top temperatures once again in the south—east, 28, possibly 29. thursday into friday, another weather front coming in from the west. still, looking at the isobars, that breeze coming up from the south, so more of us will have higher temperatures and a lot of dry weather to start with until the weather to start with until the weather put stemming from the west introducing that rain, which could be heavy and thundery in northern ireland. temperatures up to 34 in the south—east. the high temperatures do not last, for most, you can see the yellow, replacing

amber. just in the far south—east hanging on to something a little bit higher. during saturday, lots of dry weather, temperatures up to 30, on sunday, looking at 26 in london, and cuba for most of us. —— cooler for most of us.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. explosion lebanon is in mourning after the huge explosion which killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others. the blast shook the whole city and a desperate search for more survivors is still under way. translation: from seven o'clock in the evening we've been all over every hospital in beirut and we are now waiting for the names to come out, and nothing has come out. we don't know if he's dead or alive. lebanon's prime minister says the blast happened when thousands of tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate caught fire at a warehouse.