this is bbc news with the latest headlines. people arriving in the uk from belgium, the bahamas and andorra will have to quarantine for m days — the rules began at midnight in wales and will apply from 4 am on saturday in the rest of the uk. we'll be trying to get answers to what the latest restrictions mean for your travel and holiday plans — i'm at annita mcveigh on twitter — today could be one of the hottest days on record, with large parts of the country experiencing a heatwave this weekend. temperatures are expected to soar to almost 37 degrees in the south east. police in beirut use teargas on protestors demonstrating against the government — after an explosion earlier this week killed 137 people and injured more than 5,000.

thousands of cabin crew at british airways will find out today whether they still have a job — with many facing significant pay cuts if they remain, amid a dispute between the airline and its staff. and coming up this hour.... we'll talk to two disappointed runners, after the organisers of this year's london marathon say it will now only be open to elite athletes. hello, good morning to you, welcome to bbc news. i am annita mcveigh.

people arriving into the uk from belgium, the bahamas and andorra will have to quarantine for m days. transport secretary grant shapps said the changes start at 4 o'clock in the morning on saturday except in wales, where restrictions started midnight on thursday. the countries are the latest to have a change in rules, after quara ntines were reimposed for spain and luxembourg. up to 1.8 million british nationals visit belgium every year, while 150,000 visit andorra. the bahamas, meanwhile, saw more than 36,000 visits from the uk in 2018. people who do not self—isolate when required can be fined up to £1,000 in england, wales, and northern ireland and those returning to scotland could be fined £480, with fines up to £5,000 for persistent offenders. and coronavirus cases in france are being "closely monitored" by the british government, amid reports that the country is in danger of being added to the uk's quarantine list. new infections in france put the nation at levels not seen since late may — though no change to foreign office

guidance has been announced. 0ur brussels correspondent nick beakejoins me now. good morning to you. i think it was exactly this time last week we were talking about the situation in belgium. tell us what has happened in that period of seven days. good morning. yes, you are absolutely right, this has not come as a huge shock and surprise, the fact belgium has been put on the uk quarantine list. it's because we were watching those figures creep upwards and upwards and there has been quite a noticeable rise, not at the levels we saw two or three months ago, but the covid 19 rate in belgium is three times that of the uk, clearly people in whitehall in london have been looking at this and decided now enough is enough and so belgium, the bahamas, andorra added to the quarantine list. as you say, come in for the rest of the uk, already in

wales, but it will come into effect on the rest of the uk in the early hours of tomorrow so anyone will have to sell quarantine if coming from these countries. anyone hoping to pop across to belgium for a holiday, those who may be travelling through belgium, for example someone who is in amsterdam at the moment and getting the eurostar train back, they would have to self isolate when they would have to self isolate when they get to the uk because of this new rule. a big impact. talk to us about france, as we mentioned in the introduction, cases on the rise they are, do we think we are just perhaps days away, potentially, from similar restrictions being put on people who've been to france?” restrictions being put on people who've been to france? i think it's ha rd to who've been to france? i think it's hard to put a time frame on it, in the case of belgium there were newspaper reports a week or ten days ago that it was imminent and we've only just seen ago that it was imminent and we've onlyjust seen it happen but clearly, if you look at the numbers on the trajectory that france is taking at the moment, theyjust reported the highest number of daily

new cases for two months. the level that the covid 19 level is near to what it was when spain was added to the uk quarantine list, you don't have to be a scientist to look at the figures and look at the graph and see france is really getting to that level of concern and i think we all remember the massive impact it had four brits in spain, the way that announcement was made, very quickly. lots of people, it would seem, as quickly. lots of people, it would seem, as a quickly. lots of people, it would seem, as a country, people love going to france but lots of people who haven't been able to go to spain this year have chosen france and look at eurotunnel, people taking their vehicles from the uk to mainland france, the numbers year on year, comparing lastjuly with this july, passenger numbers only down 20%. that is a much less fall compared with the airlines. it did seem compared with the airlines. it did seem lots of people were going to france and if you booked a holiday in france it will be clearly concerning but for now, there are no

a nswe i’s , concerning but for now, there are no answers, only the government says france, like all countries, is under review and the government will take action quickly if needed, in the best interests of everyone ‘s health and safety. thank you for that. let's speak now to joost van der geest lives in north london and is currently visiting family in the netherlands. he travelled through belgium to get there — and he is now confused as to whether he will have to quarantine on return to the uk. thank you very much forjoining us and hopefully we can bring some clarity to the situation. you drove through belgium without stopping on the 30th ofjuly, with your family, to visit relatives in the netherlands. i guess the key thing is, when are you planning to come back? i'm planning to come back on sunday. 0k. back? i'm planning to come back on sunday. ok. you are missing that crucial cut—off of 4am tomorrow morning. and as far as we are aware, we have checked with the department for transport for you, you will

therefore have to isolate if you travel through belgium after 4am tomorrow. we'll gladly to change your plans or is there any way you could get back to beat that deadline? well, beating the deadline would be very difficult but if it is the case that i can avoid the quarantine by driving for instance through germany, then i will definitely consider that, even though it would be a detour of around 11—5 hours. though it would be a detour of around 4-5 hours. you will take the longer route that rather than have a tui quarantine because obviously that would impact on you and your family? -- a two-week quarantine. yes, we would have to stay at home for two weeks which we hadn't planned at all. my children are very active, in sports, doing lots of football, owing to cricket games and everything like that. it would have

quite a big impact, particularly because it's just a quite a big impact, particularly because it'sjust a bit quite a big impact, particularly because it's just a bit bizarre, quite a big impact, particularly because it'sjust a bit bizarre, we are driving straight through belgium, not stopping, we are at no increased risk whatsoever. it would bea increased risk whatsoever. it would be a bit difficult to deal with but i guess if we have to, then we have to. that is the strange thing i suppose, as we tried to get our head around all the restrictions and what they mean. when you went out to the netherlands take you about an hour and a half to drive through belgium, no one got out of the car, that was your plan for the return journey. but do you accept having these kinds of avoids confusion? yes, perhaps, ina way, of avoids confusion? yes, perhaps, in a way, but on the other hand, if we would have actually visited jim asa we would have actually visited jim as a holiday destination, i would have accepted it ok. —— visited belgium. but in this case, i

particularly ensured driving through the netherlands and back, i had a full tank of petrol so i did not have to stop anywhere, i could go straight to my parents. it is a bit u nfortu nate. straight to my parents. it is a bit unfortunate. what to do. i guess you thought you were doing this in the safest way possible and keeping everything quite contained what you we re everything quite contained what you were getting from point a to point b? yes, yes, and the case, particularly in the north of the netherlands, there are at the moment hardly any cases whatsoever. so yes, we waited until the quarantine restrictions disappeared because i had not seen my family for a long time. it'sjust had not seen my family for a long time. it's just unfortunate. had not seen my family for a long time. it'sjust unfortunate. but, yes, as you say, if it means i have to quarantine then obviously if i am told that at the border then i will have to do so. we hope you have a good journey back, it sounds like it is going to be a slightly longer one than on the way to the netherlands

but thank you very much for talking to us. 0ur correspondentjessica parker is in westminster good morning, jessica. we had something from government sources about the situation in france. or at least how they are thinking about the situation in france? yes, clearly after the announcement last night people now looking as to whether france, as nick outlined a moment ago, could be one of the countries that may come next being taken off that list of exemptions. what i am being told from government sources this morning is a change to france ‘s status is not imminent but having said that things can change quickly, as we've seen in the past. things changed quickly for example with spain. in terms of the reports as to whether france is being particularly closely monitored, what iam hearing

particularly closely monitored, what i am hearing is that all countries which are showing higher figures, surge in figures in some areas, they are being closely monitored and more broadly, what we've heard from the department for transport as they keep all data, all countries under review as people might expect but specifically on whether france, clearly a popular holiday destination, increasingly popular after what happened with spain, whether that could be taken of the exemption list, that was put to the chancellor this morning. exemption list, that was put to the chancellor this morninglj exemption list, that was put to the chancellor this morning. i cannot speculate, we keep everything under consta nt speculate, we keep everything under constant revision but i would say to people we are dealing with a global pandemic and given that, it does mean there is a risk to travel and travel can be disrupted so people need to be mindful of that, i know it's frustrating. but it's right we keep things under review and if we think we can improve the health security by making changes then of course it is the right thing for us to do so, so people should consta ntly to do so, so people should constantly look at the guidance, see what we are saying and pick the best decision they can, knowing we are living in uncertain times. it is about a month now since the travel

corridors, the so—called travel corridors, the so—called travel corridors were introduced after the uk had imposed quarantine measures for people arriving in the country. in that time, clearly we've seen spain, britain ‘stop holiday destination taken off the list, fears france could follow suit, the second top holiday destination, that happened in quite a short space of time, hasn't proved to be the boost to some at some might have hoped for. jessica, thank you. i guess the message is there is no sure thing. when it comes to figuring out some holiday plans. at 1230 this afternoon we will be answering your questions on quarantine and travel restrictions. send them into us. the details are on screen. you can contact us on social media. in beirut, police have used teargas to disperse a group of protesters expressing their anger at the government. they had gathered near

the parliament, as fury mounts over the way the country is being run — and how tuesday's massive explosion in beirut‘s port could ever have happened. at least 137 were killed, many others are still missing and around 5,000 have been imjured. alanna petroff reports. night time in beirut, outside parliament. emotions are running high. protesters throw objects. security forces fire back with tear—gas. since the deadly blast on tuesday, leading politicians are nowhere to be seen. residents say the explosion was symptomatic of neglect and corruption in the political system. people are dead, lives have been ruined, and anger is boiling over. earlier, when the lebanesejustice minister came out to the streets, a crowd formed and people started yelling. water bottles were thrown in frustration.

and she retreated. former colonial power france sent in president emmanuel macron. i'm not here to help them. i'm here to help you. he saw the damage and desperation up close. he was there, others were not. funerals are providing another outlet for the nation's grief and tears. this person was donating blood moments before the blast took his life. his sister and those who loved him distraught. everyone here is grieving in their own way. homes, shops, livelihoods are gone. for those alive and accounted for aid is coming in. from algeria, water bottles and food packages are being stocked up and flown over. translation: a shipment will be sent

every day through the military airport until other operations can be set up. in france, the head of doctors without borders says he is concerned about the possibility of food shortages and malnutrition. translation: what we must monitor is what the people tell us. for us the priority is to listen to the people and to know exactly what their needs are. we can't invent our own catalogues of humanitarian aid which may not be up to the expectations of the lebanese people. as the aid comes through, volunteers pull together. they're out with brooms and shovels to clean up the mess. the broken city is filled with broken glass. but residents push ahead and try to pick up the pieces. alanna petroff, bbc news.

we've just received these pictures from a bbc arabic team, which is embedded with a french rescue team at the port area. it's some of the nearest pictures we've seen of the complete destruction the blast caused to the port area. really, a scene of devastation there. let's speak now to the jouralist tatiana nassar, who's from beirut but is currently in paris. thank you very much forjoining us. let me ask you about what the situation is for your home. i think your home is about one kilometre away from the scene of the blast? i know you have been talking to some of your neighbours, what have they told you about the damage? the footage that was sent to my family after the blast of our home, afterwards, it was completely

shocking because we can terrifyingly assume if one of us was there it is very likely that may or one of my loved ones would have been hurt or god forbid, killed. so this was very scary, we spoke to some neighbours, some of my neighbours were cut by glass and the cuts were so deep they had to get operations and stitches we re had to get operations and stitches were not enough. another very good friend of mine is pregnant in my building, she was shaken but thank god, she is fine and another was thrown three metres across the room. so this was very terrifying and my pa rents, so this was very terrifying and my parents, they know of two people, a woman who was actually celebrating her birthday, she was killed by flying debris. and another man who was simply standing by his window. and that is a scene played out through so many buildings in the wa ke through so many buildings in the wake of that explosion. i want to talk about those scenes in beirut yesterday when president macron was

visiting. i thought it was quite extraordinary, here you had the leader of lebanon ‘s former colonial power, people on the streets, reaching out to him, appealing for help, that is not a situation one would never normally expect to see, is it? absolutely, it was quite surprising. and president macron proved he was a very brave president, lebanon was under french protectorate for quite a while and lebanon and france always had a very close relationship, evenjust quickly presidentjacques close relationship, evenjust quickly president jacques chirac close relationship, evenjust quickly presidentjacques chirac was close to our former prime minister and when he was assassinated jacques chirac was the only one in the funeral in lebanon so yes, the images of emmanuel macron yesterday was incredible and what is even more incredible is that he did promise to give a lot of aid including financial aid, and he did say very clearly that he would not give this aid to any governmental organisations and it would go

straight through trusted partners such as non—governmental organisations, straight to the people and by doing this he confirmed our government is not trustworthy and that there is corruption. he did also mention in his speech on thursday evening that he did set with all of the lebanese political leaders and suggested a plan that included a thorough political reform and asked for a big boost in transparency. let me ask you more about that. president macron said lebanon —— lebanon needs deep change, he has called for an investigation into the explosion and the causes of it and he said further funding beyond that immediate aid would depend on reforms, reforms would depend on reforms, reforms would have to come first and he also called for an audit of the central bank. what power though, he has called for that but what power does he have to make that happen? how receptive, frankly, will the lebanese authorities be to any of

that? that is a very good question. actually, these demands for reforms, this demand has been asked for before it so in 2018, there was the cedar conference in paris, lebanese officials were here and european countries did promise a large amount ofaid to countries did promise a large amount of aid to lebanon to build infrastructure, approximately maybe $10 million. this, on the condition that lebanon does do these reforms that lebanon does do these reforms that you mention, that include transparency and an end to corruption and this was in 2018 and until today, not even one of these reforms has been done. so, i mean, i would like to be optimistic and say that hopefully, because of this colossal and devastating blast, change will happen and they will do reforms, but this, i mean, the country, there is a much bigger picture, to be done but the financial crisis has been so deep, even before the blast, that it's

very shocking that they haven't done any reforms since. so hopefully, the visit of president macron, u nfortu nately visit of president macron, unfortunately because of this gigantic disaster, reforms, hopefully, will happen. thank you very much, good to hear your views on all of that. a record number of migrants crossed the channel by boat yesterday, and several more have been spotted this morning. simonjones has been out on the channel in a boat and has already come across people attempting to make a crossing. a little earlier he sent this update. it's been quite an eye opening morning. now, the beach at dover is behind me in the background and that is the goal for many migrants, who set out to cross the channel, they want to reach the uk, they want a new life here. we set out at around 4am this morning and shortly after, the sun rose and we spotted a bit of a blip in the sea and we went a bit closerjust to see what it might be and it turned out to be

a boat that was carrying around 17 migrants. we think there were three children on board, two women, one of them was pregnant. and also amongst the group, they told us, when we shouted over, that they were from iraq. we shadowed them because the border force vessel patrolling the channel was actually dealing with another migrant boat, reports of a kayak, too, in the channel. we shadowed them at the request of the coastguard, to make sure they weren't in any danger because, of course, this is the busiest shipping lane in the world. they were wearing life jackets, but the boat did seem rather overloaded but it seemed to be making progress. then they got close to the white cliffs of dover and it broke down and the people on board had to wait for the border force to come and pick them up. the energy regulator, 0fgem, has said it will slash bills for around 15 million households by as much as £95 — as it reduced its cap on energy bills to their lowest level yet. the price cap has been set at £1,042

per year for an average household and will come into force from october the 1st. it is an £81; drop for customers on their supplier's standard tariff and a £95 drop for those with prepayment meters. the new cap will remain in place for six months until 0fgem reviews it again. 0fgem chief executive jonathan brearley told the bbc that whilst millions of households should see big savings on their energy bills this winterpeople should still shop around for the best tariffs. a huge number of people will benefit from this and as you mentioned, that's about £81; a year lower than it is at the moment. and that is also coming in in october, which is a great time for customers. i know it's very hard to believe with this hot weather right now, but as it gets colder, as it gets darker, as we need more energy, we'll have that cut in our bills for those households. that said, as you mentioned, our advice is always the same to customers — shop around for your best possible deal. and what i would say,

is at a minimum, phone up your supplier and ask them to put you on the best deal they can offer. but if you can go further, if you can get into the market and switch supplier, that will get you an even better deal than the regulated tariff we're setting out here. today could be one of the hottest days on record and large parts of the uk will experience a heatwave this weekend. the met office is warning people not to underestimate the temperature, while public health england have stressed the importance of looking after elderly relatives and neighbours. there are also concerns over social distancing at beaches and beauty spots. ramsgate in kent is hotting up — let's cross there and to our correspondent, tim muffett. a few people behind you but i imagine that beech won't be that quiet for much longer? yes, absolutely, good morning to you. as you say, a few people making their way onto the beach, grabbing a spot while they can but as you say, it's

going to get crowded. ran scared, along with broadstairs and margate close by, very popular, a lot of people come from london for the day, if the sun comes out along they can but the trouble is while it's good for businesses and shopkeepers and such like, on the beach itself, it can get very, very crowded and there are concerns, we are in a pandemic after all, about social distancing ona after all, about social distancing on a beach and how you manage that. is it right to turn people away? that has happened at some other resorts this summer. when it comes to hot weather, for a resort, there are pros and cons. sun, sea and the tricky concepts of beach etiquette in a pandemic. if someone sits next to me, we do keep moving. and then these other kids see them and want to come play with my kids, touching stuff — it'sjust more paranoid this time. ramsgate, in kent, like many seaside towns is proving popular. foreign travel for many not an option.

normally we go to france every year, we go touring caravan, i think now we'll seriously think about not going. originally we were all supposed to be going to florida, ten of us, on a family holiday. how does ramsgate compare to florida? well, it hasn't got disney for a start. i mean, that is the one downside of it but, you know, we've got the sun, we've got the sand, we've got the sea. what more do you want? for some who live locally, the seaside boom of summer 2020 is a mixed bag. to be fair, it is back like in the 90s. down in the 90s you could not get a space. we're getting people coming down from london because up there they've got no space. and it packs out the beaches and then they leave and you are forever picking up rubbish, to be honest. but staying in the uk can be a voyage of discovery. i do not think the british people realise how lovely parts of england are. as long as people keep their distance,

i mean, i've got my mask ready if i go in anywhere, and it should be ok. at a time of economic uncertainty, for many seaside resorts, the crowds are been a welcome sight, a boost many businesses were not expecting. the little ships restaurant, named after the private boats that set sail from here to rescue troops from dunkirk. 0wnerjames thomas certainly has the fighting spirit. you can't control the winds but you can control the sails that you put up and therefore you have to adapt to whatever business comes your way. we have tightened the menu. made it more specific to what people want in uncertain times, more traditional dishes. we have had social distancing with our tables inside but managed to come outside on the pavement. coastal towns are a very important part of britain's heritage and i think it is great that people are rediscovering them. an image to savour. at the york street community gallery nearby, owner mike sampson is also feeling buoyant. seaside towns have suffered for so long over the years because of the international

tourism and i think people are rediscovering the country and they are finding little gems like ramsgate. a heat wave is expected across southern and eastern england and people are being urged to look out for the vulnerable and elderly who may be isolated at home. for many though it means the beach is the place to be. tim muffet, bbc news. as many have pointed out, this heat wave is coming at the end of a relatively cool way, there are fears it could take some people by surprise, elderly people, people who have been cheating, perhaps, they need to be kept an eye on because there are fears many people will find these temperatures we are going to see over the next few days very difficult indeed. going into the water is something many people want to do when they come to the beach, there are renewed calls from the rnli to really, really be careful, avoid inflatables, that is their advice. and if you are going to go out of your depth, really, really make sure you are swimming in your

comfort zone, if you were to get into trouble the advice is to rather than try to fight against the current, lie on your back, keep afloat, and wait for help to come to you while shouting for it. it's such a benefit come in many ways, when the sun comes out like this and yet there are these warnings, come and enjoy the beach, have a nice time but do so sensibly. tim, thank you for that. beautiful day there at ramsgate. a couple of you have been getting in touch about the quarantine issue and we've been talking about belgium this morning, added to the list. 0ne viewer says i am due to travel through belgium to get in the netherlands, will i have to quarantine? i don't intend to stop. similar comment from mark who says i am due to travel on tuesday in my caron says i am due to travel on tuesday in my car on eurotunnel, driving to holland which means i need to briefly drive through holland, i will not be stopping, do i need to quarantine? the answer is yes, according to what the department for

transport told us this morning. you would have to quarantine, anyone travelling through belgium would have to do that. let me find the exact advice. from the department for transport which i had in front of mejust a minute for transport which i had in front of me just a minute ago! for transport which i had in front of mejust a minute ago! yes! you have to isolate, if you travel through belgium after 4am to more uncertainty in the case of people going out to belgium rather than people already there and planning to travel back to the uk. that may not have been the answer you were looking for but that is the situation with regards to belgium. right now, let's talk some more about the weather. i think the watchwords are heat and humidity. hello, a hot and sunny day in the forecast for england and wales certainly, those temperatures reaching the mid 30 celsius across the south and east, though it's not going to be hot, sunny and dry everywhere. we've got this weather front affecting the north—west of the uk and that's going to bring more cloud, outbreaks of rain, to northern ireland and much of scotland. some of the rain could be heavy in western areas.

variable cloud further south, we could see a thunderstorm develop into the afternoon, very isolated in spots, the heat and humidity, as those temperatures climb to the low to mid 30s, we could see 36 degrees in the london area, this afternoon. now, overnight, it looks like the rain in the north will tend to peter out, most places will be dry overnight, a bit of mist and fog around. certainly, for england and wales, it's going to be an uncomfortable night for sleeping, very warm and very muggy. into the weekend, then, well, high pressure dominates the scene, so it's going to be mainly dry with some good spells of sunshine but subtle differences will start to drag in a slightly cooler north, north—easterly breeze, but it will be, again, very hot across the south. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: people arriving in the uk from belgium, the bahamas and andorra will have to quarantine for 1h days — the rules began at midnight in wales

and will apply from 4am on saturday in the rest of the uk. today could be one of the hottest days on record, with large parts of the country experiencing a heatwave this weekend. temperatures are expected to soar to almost 37 degrees in the south east. police in beirut use teargas on protestors demonstrating against the government — after an explosion earlier this week killed 137 people and injured more than 5,000. thousands of cabin crew at british airways will find out today whether they still have a job with many facing significant pay cuts if they remain, amid a dispute between the airline and its staff. and coming up this hour... we'll talk to two disappointed runners, after the organisers of this year's london marathon say it will now only be open to elite athletes. sport now, let's cross to the bbc sports centre and to mike bushell. good morning.

i will have more on the marathon story in a moment. the heat will be turned up on england's cricketers, today at old trafford, as they try to save the opening test against pakistan. england will hope to have dug themselves out of the hole they find themselves in caused largely by pakistan's shan masood, who hit some big shots on his way to 156 runs. pakistan ended up making 326 in theirfirst innings, something that england are struggling to chase down, after a flurry of early wickets. they will resume today on 92—4. in the europa league, rangers are out, but wolves are through to their first european quarterfinal in nearly 50 years after a 1—0 win against 0lympiakos. it was a nervy night at molineux but a penalty from raul himeneth but a penalty from rauljiminez was enough to give them a 2—1 aggregate win. wolves‘ season began on the 25th ofjuly last year and they're now heading to germany to play in the finals tournament and

a knock out match against sevilla on tuesday. so wolves have joined manchester united in reaching the europa league quarterfinals, and tonight manchester city will hope to reach the last eight, of the champions league. they lead real madrid 2—1, going into the second—leg at the etihad. the spanish giants, will be without gareth bale for the match. it's been confirmed that he decided not to travel to manchester, because he knew he had no chance of being involved in the game. eight aberdeen players are self—isolating and will miss the next three league matches after two squad members tested positive for covid—19. all eight men were in an aberdeen bar linked to the city's covid—19 spike, last saturday night. the club are investigating while a scottish government spokesperson said they were "disappointed by the actions "of these individuals, who have put at risk, "the return of professional football in scotland". now, over 40,000 normally take part but this year's london marathon will take place, with elite athletes only. it means that on october the 4th, only 30 to 40 runners, will compete in races that'll be made up of loops of stjames's park, in westminster.

another big difference. and that comes as a blow to all those thousands of runners, to all those thousands of runners hoping to run the course this year and for the charities they hoped to fundraise for. laura scott reports. klaxon blares. it's the race that's stopped london for one day in spring since 1981, producing world—beating times and some records for fancy dress, too. last year's event raised more than £66 million for charity, but due to coronavirus, organisers announced that the 40th anniversary of the marathon will be for elite athletes only. the marathon is more than just the runners, it is the spectators, it is the community, it is the city. and this is the right decision. that amazing journey from greenwich to the mall, where you are supported by three quarters of a million people is not appropriate to happen, this year. runners can defer their places

to future years, but if they complete their own 26.2—mile course on the 4th of october, they'll receive a medal. meanwhile, in the closed biosecure bubble in london, the two fastest marathon runners in history, kenya's eliud kipchoge, and ethiopian's kenenisa bekele, will go head to head. starting and finishing in front of buckingham palace, this year's unique london marathon route will take in multiple laps of stjames's park behind me. but the event will be without the inspirational sight of tens of thousands of fun runners. and for them, and the good causes they support, the loss of this year's mass event comes as a huge blow. well, we had ambitions and lots of plans to raise over 1 million for mencap being the charity of the year partner, so that is going to have a significant impact, that loss of income. it's disappointing, but it'll happen when it happens and when it happens,

it'll be safe to go ahead. and that's the most important thing, making sure it's safe for all the runners to do it when it happens, really. not putting anyone's health at risk. the fears of charities won't have been helped by the decision to move next year's event from april to october, some two and a half years after the last full marathon, a long wait for one of the toughest and yet most beneficial of sporting events. laura scott, bbc news. england's justin rose, is in contention at the first golf major to take place since the coronavirus pandemic. he's just one shot offjoint leaders jason day and brendon todd at the us pga championship in san francisco. the tournament was originally due to happen in the spring and is being played without spectators. like many other events. that's all the sport for now. thousands of cabin crew at british airways will find out today whether they still have a job. the airline has been locked in a bitter dispute with its staff, who face significant pay cuts if they remain. management say cost—cutting is vital to ensure ba's long term survival.

but many staff have been protesting about the plans. who's been cabin crew for british airways for 25 years. we can now talk to angela — that's not her real name — who's been cabin crew for british airways for 25 years. she took voluntary redundancy on monday because she couldn't bear to be told she didn't have a job any more. thank you for talking to us in what is an incredibly difficult week and difficult time for you. as we mentioned, you have been with ba for 25 years, mentioned, you have been with ba for 25 yea rs, tell mentioned, you have been with ba for 25 years, tell us why you decided to go for the redundancy option on monday, rather than wait to today, to find out if you could still have ajob? good morning. voluntary redundancy is a very loose term, the word "involu ntary" redundancy is a very loose term, the word "involuntary" is very loosely used. everybody i know that pressed that button on monday love theirjob —— the word" voluntary". they did

not want to go but they felt literally they had no other choice because they would not have been able to survive on the new contract with a 40% cut in their salary. to say volu nta ry with a 40% cut in their salary. to say voluntary implies that we had a choice. we didn't feel we had a choice, we were desperately upset and sad, as are all of the crew. but, our "enhanced package", another loose term, was actually 1.4 times the statutory redundancy. you know, "enhanced" was not quite what we we re "enhanced" was not quite what we were hoping for. but these were the terms we were given. this is what we have had to deal with. there have been reports, angela, talking about different terms and conditions, that's the sort of thing that you are alluding to? yes. i mean, we have not actually been told officially what this new contract

will involve. so, the entire point of what we are going through is that everything is unknown. we are being asked to leave a job that we love or ta ke asked to leave a job that we love or take the risk of not being selected for the new role, not taking volu nta ry for the new role, not taking voluntary redundancy does not guarantee you a place on the new contract, it just means guarantee you a place on the new contract, itjust means you will be considered for selection. and i know crew who have literally been awake all night, because the e—mail started to come through at midnight. they have literally been awake all night, waiting to see whether they will be selected for their own job. and if they are selected, they should be relieved to keep a contract where their salary will go down between 40% and 50%. contract where their salary will go down between 4096 and 50%. so, that down between 4096 and 5096. so, that was the choice you were faced with? take that redundancy on monday or wait until today... not get redundancy and possibly not get your job? absolutely. and if we weren't

selected for the new role, we would be given the statutory redundancy, which was only £3000 less than i have received in voluntary redundancy. this is how much i've been rewarded with four 25 years service, an extra £3000. —— rewarded for. and would leave with compulsory redundancy. when they talk about choice, none of us really feel like we've had a choice in this.” choice, none of us really feel like we've had a choice in this. i know that you couldn't bear the thought of being told you didn't get the job you've been doing for the past 25 yea rs. you've been doing for the past 25 years. yes, i think this is what a lot of us found who are be longer serving crew. is that we simply didn't find it viable that we would be waiting four days to find out whether we've been selected. and, indeed, the criteria which ba set out to be selected, though they said it was fairand out to be selected, though they said it was fair and transparent, the criteria very much appears to be

biased towards non—long serving crew and the newer crew. a lot of us, even after 20, 25, 35 years could not meet that criteria. so, a lot of us not meet that criteria. so, a lot of us felt it just wasn't worth taking the risk. i know that ba would reject any suggestion there was any bias in the criteria, angela. but, you know, given the huge stress that the airline industry is under right now, do you think that ba could have handled this in any different way, in any different better way? we do think they could have handled it in a better way. they have decided to give ba pilots a temporary pay cut. it will then go back up as loads increase. that was something that was never considered for us, not once. we said we would be willing to ta ke once. we said we would be willing to take a temporary pay cut, we would be happy to take it. it was never discussed, but the pilots have been

given it, to savejobs. don't forget, you know, we are all watching the news and we are seeing mass redundancies. but these are companies who are going into administration, these are companies who are struggling to keep their heads above water. british airways has millions in the bank, millions. they made 1.2 billion in profit last year and their parent company, in spain, has been pouring millions of pounds into the spanish arm of their company. so, ifanybody pounds into the spanish arm of their company. so, if anybody thinks this is inevitable, just consider how much money british airways has got. and how they've decided to treat their staff. ok, angela, thank you for talking to us at obviously a really, really difficult time for you. and all the colleagues you've worked with over the past 25 years. we have a statement from ba. a spokesperson for ba says: "this is the biggest challenge the airline and our industry has ever faced. sadly, the global pandemic has resulted in job losses

across every industry. we are not immune to this crisis. we have to adapt to survive, so we will continue with the proper, lawful consultative process and we will keep inviting union representatives to discuss our proposals to the serious challenges we face. it is not too late to find solutions and to protect jobs." the uk could see record—breaking temperatures today, on what could be the hottest day of the year. the met office has issued an amber heat health warning, and emergency services are urging the public to keep safe and follow the safety advice. we can speak now to gareth morrison, head of water safety at the rnli, whojoins me now from bangor in northern ireland. a very appropriate day to speak to you. good to have you with us today. good morning. let's get straight to the key message you want to get across to people heading to the coast this weekend, heading to the beaches or indeed in the water

anywhere else away from the coast, as well. indeed. there is no doubt we will see huge numbers of people flocking to the coast and why not? it is absolutely beautiful. the rnli is really worried this weekend for the volume and for the weather. we have a key message to everyone to ask, please take extra care of you and yourfamily ask, please take extra care of you and your family this weekend. nobody ever goes to the beach with the intention of being rescued, yet we are conducting hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of rescues over the course of each week and it is worrying us considerably. the message is simple from the rnli — if you go to the beach this weekend, go toa you go to the beach this weekend, go to a beach with lifeguards on it. they will help keep you safer. do not bring your inflatables to the beach this weekend, leave inflata bles beach this weekend, leave inflatables at home. lifeboats are being much busier than they should be, rescuing people who had been blown out to sea on inflatables. this is absolutely avoidable. if you

see anybody in difficulty in or even near the water, please do not hesitate to dial 999 and ask for the coast guard. i want to pick up on the thing with inflatables. you know, we all love our inflatables with the water, especially children. tell us what the particular cause for concern is with them. you mentioned there is a risk of getting further out to sea on inflatables and perhaps you would if you were swimming in the water —— than if you would. inflatables are great fun in a swimming pool environment but they are not suitable for the coast. we are not suitable for the coast. we are saying that children and, in some cases, adults on the inflatable, on the unicorn, on the lie low and before they realise it, they are being blown out to sea by they are being blown out to sea by the wind or the current is taking them out. they find themselves in a potentially very dangerous situation very quickly. it could bring a false sense of security and before they know it, they are further out than they planned to be? that is right

and it is a lonely place when you start to lose sight of your friends orfamily or children. start to lose sight of your friends or family or children. if that is the case, if you see anyone being blown out to sea on an inflatable, immediately dial 999, ask for the coastguard and tell them exactly what is happening. it is a clear message. gareth morrison, head of water safety at the rnli, thank you very much. with temperatures set to soar this weekend, as you've been hearing there are concerns over staying safe by the water. i don't know if you have seen this story already this morning, but it is remarkable. one little boy who knows all too well how water safety advice can save your life, is 10 year old ravi saini. after being swept out to sea in scarborough during last week's hot weather, ravi survived for more than an hour, using a floating technique he learnt on tv — as hannah gray explains.

reunited with the lifeboat crew who saved his life. and a gift for his extraordinary bravery. how did you get swept out to sea? me and my dad went to the water and then we accidentally went too far. ravi was enjoying a day out at scarborough beach. he went for a swim with his dad, but they got separated. and ravi was pulled away by a strong current. what was going through your mind while you are waiting for the crew to come and rescue you? i was petrified. i was getting separated and after, i was thinking that this is the end of my life, is it really happening? his dad tried to go and rescue him, but the waves were too strong. he had to call the coast guard and feared the worst. if any accident happen, suddenly happen, and that day he is slowly, slowly going to die in front of my eyes. and how i feel — i lost my brain that day. ravi had started paddling in shallow water in front of the scarborough bridge but he was dragged half a mile away to the other side of the bay, making him very difficult to find. luckily, he knew exactly what to do.

the challenge now is getting these two men out of the water. he'd watched the bbc documentary, saving lives at sea, and remembered the "float to live" technique. but if theyjust float... he spent almost an hour floating in the water until the crew could find him. ..they'll be able to control their breathing and have a far better chance to survive. float to live, you're on your back and you're like a starfish. stay calm and just shout help. although it was the hottest day of the year so far, the lifeboat crew say the water was only around 10 degrees. he was obviously very cold and scared, and, you know, i reassured him. it takes a special type of person to actually pluck up that courage and remember what he'd learnt. i mean, it's an inspiration to us all. after such a terrifying day, ravi is now focused on sharing a positive message about how to stay safe at sea. hannah gray, bbc news, scarborough.

what an amazing young boy, not panicking and it saved his life. a really powerful message. the headlines on bbc news... people arriving in the uk from belgium, the bahamas and andorra will have to quarantine for 14 days — the rules began at midnight in wales and will apply from 4am on saturday in the rest of the uk. today could be one of the hottest days on record, with large parts of the country experiencing a heatwave this weekend. temperatures are expected to soar to almost 37 degrees in the south east. police in beirut use teargas on protestors demonstrating against the government after an explosion earlier this week killed 137 people and injured more than 5,000. schools in england will now be able to appeal against some exam grades awarded this summer if they feel they aren't fair.

concerns have been raised about the way grades are calculated, as it's thought that taking into account a school's past performance may penalise some pupils. the exams regulator 0fqual says it expects challenges to be rare. president trump has signed an executive order banning any us more than 2.5 million of us head to greece each year and authorities there insist that its islands remain open for business despite the coronavirus pandemic. restrictions have been placed on bars and nightclubs following a spike in infections and these measures are affecting long awaited events — including a sold out music festival that's going ahead in a very reduced form. greg mckenzie reports. sun, sea, and coronavirus. august in greece is normally the biggest month for summer holidays, but in zante, where visitor numbers are normally in excess of 250,000 tourists, bookings are down by 80%. all we want is to stay open. it's nice when people come on holiday and see everything open, not closed, not only one shop,

but most of the places open. and all we want is for our government to give us a bit of help. cut down a bit of taxes and make it easy payments for us, so we can stay open until the end of the season and welcome our new tourists for next year. greece has managed to avoid a large outbreak of coronavirus throughout the pandemic despite a surge in cases across europe. they are just seven reported covid cases in zante and more than 4,000 for the whole of greece. we've been greece before and we feel safe, yeah. we're just happy to be on the beach and enjoying the weather. yeah. a bit of sun. it's been pretty chilled out here, they take it pretty seriously. the social distancing is still in place, especially in the nightlife, but things are functioning pretty normal out here, so it's good, it's been a good time, yeah. this weekend, gem fest was due to take place in zante. it's a large dance music event. 4,000 tickets have already been sold, but the greek government have

just imposed a ban on all live music events, concerts and festivals, until the end of the month, due to a surge in covid cases on other islands. so, george, what's happening this year with the festival? gem fest this year, i think the will be the one festival in the world, which is not cancelled. it's not happening like a festival, yes, but it's not cancelled. the authorities will be keeping a close eye on the event, but recognise the impact such a festival could have. translation: under normal circumstances, it would be a festival of celebration not only for zakynthos but the whole of greece, because we would be the focus of the festival. unfortunately, the measures in place due to the coronavirus put us in a difficult position, so that we cannot do everything we wanted to offer. greece has worked hard to adapt its tourism offering in an age of infection.

for the time being at least, this seems to be paying off, even as a second wave of infections threatens other european destinations. greg mckenzie, bbc news, zakynthos. president trump has signed an executive order banning any us transactions with the parent companies of two of the biggest chinese social media apps. the restrictions on bytedance, owner of the hugely—popular video—sharing app tiktok, and tencent, the parent company of the messaging service wechat, come into force in 45 days' time. we will bring you some live pictures from beirut, the scene of that huge explosion on tuesday, which caused devastation within a large radius of the port, which was the epicentre of the port, which was the epicentre of the blast. that facility with those explosives, they had been stored for

the past six years, growing more dangerous all the time until this blast happened on tuesday stop 137 people dead and the death toll u nfortu nately people dead and the death toll unfortunately expected to rise. around 5000 people injured, as well. we are seeing some of the detail. it strikes me that that digger is dwarfed by the scale of the destruction, as it tries to clear some of the area around the port. last night, we saw scenes from beirut, as people protested against the government. people are unhappy that some port officials have been detained, when they feel that the responsibility for this is much wider and possibly higher up the chain of authority. fascinating to see those images yesterday, when france's president macron, when he

visited beirut, he was mobbed by people in the streets, appealing for help. lebanon a former protectorate of france. very interesting to see president macron, beyond immediate aid, but conditions on any further help. he said funding would have to follow reform. he has called for an international investigation into the explosion, the causes of the explosion, the causes of the explosion, and announced an aid conference in the coming days and said france would make sure any aid it was sending was going directly to trusted partners in relief agencies. 0na trusted partners in relief agencies. on a record day for hot weather it is time for a look at the weather with stav. we saw temperatures reach 30 celsius in the south—east yesterday and it could be mid 30s. hot and sunny pretty much across england and wales. scotland and northern ireland has this weather front bringing more

cloud around. temperatures not quite as high. and there's also some rain in the forecast, too, particularly across central and western scotland there could be the odd heavy and thundery burst mixed in, too. further south, though, clearerskies, hotand humid, just an outside chance of an afternoon thunderstorm but he really will be unlucky to get one. it should be dry for most of us. the low 20 celsius in the north and high 20s widely in england and wales and the low to mid 30 celsius in the south and east. we could see 36 degrees in the london area. 0vernight, it looks like that rain will peter out. most places will be dry, a bit of cloud around, some mist and fog developing. and certainly for england and wales, it's going to be an uncomfortable night for sleeping, it's going to be very warm and muggy, temperatures no lower than 20 or 21 degrees in the london area. as we head on into the weekend, high pressure dominates, so it's going to be mainly dry. we have a good deal of sunshine around but we will have a few subtle changes, as this area of high pressure that builds in will sit

towards the north—east of the uk. and what that will do is allow a slightly fresher north—easterly breeze to set in across the board. now, it looks like that breeze will be notable across northern and eastern coasts. you will notice, though, across the map, it's going to be dry and sunny for most places, just a little bit of variable cloud into the afternoon. again, it's going to be another very warm day, low 20s in the north, high 20s in the south. again, 33, maybe 34 degrees in the london area, but it will be fresher along north sea coasts. similar story on sunday, most places dry with a good deal of sunshine around and we could see a threat of a shower or thunderstorm develop through central or northern areas as we move on into the afternoon but the onshore breeze in eastern areas will be a bit cooler here but temperatures will reach the low 30 celsius in central and southern and south—east areas, low 20s further north. a fine and dry weekend to come for most. as we head into next week, the threat of thunderstorms increases and some of them could be pretty intense in places. and you will notice for all areas, the trend is that as we move through the week, the temperatures

will start dropping.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. people arriving in the uk from belgium, the bahamas and andorra will have to quarantine for 14 days — the rules began at midnight in wales and will apply from 4 am on saturday in the rest of the uk. police in beirut use teargas on protestors demonstrating against the government — after an explosion earlier this week killed 137 people and injured more than 5,000. a record number of migrants crossed the channel by boat yesterday, and several more have been spotted this morning. british border force officers intercepted 17 boats yesterday which were carrying a total of 235 people. thousands of cabin crew at british airways will find out