this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. amid growing anger at the lebanese government and mass demonstrations over last week's catastophic explosion in beirut, the country's information minister resigns. here in the uk, prime minister boris johnson says it's a "moral duty" and a "national priority" for schools to reopen fully in england next month. i'm very pleased that the prime minister is making schools a priority. i've been arguing for some time that my fear was that children were being left behind in this relaxation of lockdown. 400 taliban militants are to be released after a vote by afghanistan's loya jirga, or grand assembly, in kabul. bell tolls.

japan remembers the victims of nagasaki, 75 years after the atom bomb was dropped on the city. in cricket, england stage a stunnng comeback to snatch victory in the first test. hello and welcome. if you are watching in the uk or around the world, stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. international leaders will hold talks later today aimed at raising aid for lebanon following the devastating explosion in beirut five days ago. the video conference is being coordinated by france and the united nations and president trump is expected to join the call. ahead of that, in the last few

minutes the first lebanese government minister has resigned. the information minister, manal abdel samad, annouced she was quitting citing the failure of the government to carry out reforms. at least 158 people died and 300,000 were left homeless when a huge store of ammonium nitrate exploded in a warehouse in the city's port. 0fficials estimate that it caused up to $15 billion worth of damage and a crater that is 43 meters deep. today's conference of world leaders follows a day of anti—government protests. many demonstrators called for the government's resignation, and even for revolution. 0ur correspondent tom bateman is in the city centre where the protests took place and gave us this update. they are still clearing up here, man. we have seen a site that has now become symbolic, really, of the

aftermath of the blast. people with their own brooms and shovels. this morning they have been cleaning up here in maters square after the demonstrations of last night. this was the focal point. we saw demonstrators surge from here now and several streets towards the parliament building that security forces had barricaded. most of the protesters were unable to get through and were met with tear gas and rubber bullets. they occupied several ministries as the evening went on, but then things began, after about ten o'clock, at nightfall, to melt away, really. we saw the protesters dissipate at that point. there are more corporate calls for protest today, the calls for resignations and revolution continue. but i think after the heat was taken out of the corner that last night, doesn't have the momentum or it doesn't feel like it has the momentum at the moment, but of course, the anger is to strongly felt and this is such a volatile situation that i think the coming

days will be decisive in terms of the direction now that this country ta kes. the direction now that this country takes. we have this eight conference today. in terms of aid, what exactly does beirut need 7 today. in terms of aid, what exactly does beirut need? we know that there are so many does beirut need? we know that there are so many people homeless, so many people injured and so much devastation in the city, what exactly is beirut asking for? well it needs vast amounts of international aid. it simply can't cope with the skill of this on its own, an infrastructure that was already on its knees well before the blast. the losses have been estimated at somewhere in the region of $15 billion, so there is this international aid conference today being hosted online by the french president, emmanuel macron. but the problem is where the money goes. everyone you speak to here says they simply don't want the aid going into the hands of their politicians. they believe that there are political leaders are a corrupt elite that

doesn't have the interests of the country at heart, so that is something that the french president has reflected, saying he has a determination that the money should go directly to organisations on the ground, directly to the people, but during that practice of course is extremely challenging. you canjust bypass an entire national government, so it remains to be seen how that will be done. in the meantime, people have little trust in political leaders. here in the uk, prime minister boris johnson says getting all pupils in england back to school in september is now a "national priority". he also insists that schools will take priority over pubs, shops and restaurants in any future coronavirus lockdowns. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. for many children across the uk, it's been months now since they set foot in a school. the coronavirus lockdown has led to warnings of young people falling behind. in england, an attempt to get pupils back in the classroom before the summer break failed.

but the prime minister has now made a full return next month, a key test for his government. he writes today in the mail on sunday: borisjohnson adds: the government has been warned, though, that reopening one part of society might require compromises in others. we have probably reached near the limit or the limits of what we can do in terms of opening up society, so what that means, potentially, is if we wish to do more things in the future, we may have to do less of some other things, and these will be difficult trade—offs, some of which will be decisions of government and some of which are for all of us, as citizens, to do. i also understand mrjohnson has made it clear when schools do

reopen, they should only close again if absolutely necessary. he's told ministers shops, pubs and restaurants would be expected to close before schools if there are local lockdowns in the future. the pm also believes the harm done to education prospects and mental health is far more damaging than the risk posed to young people by the virus. there are still questions being asked about what the return of schools will look like, but the government has made it its national priority in the coming weeks. nick eardley, bbc news. the children's commissioner for england, anne longfield, said schools have been working "flat out" to ensure they can reopen safely. well, i'm very pleased that the prime minister is making schools a priority. i've been arguing for some time that my fear was that children were being left behind in this relaxation of lockdown. they couldn't go to the park, they didn't have youth clubs, many couldn't go to school and many

couldn't learn because they didn't have that home environment or indeed the tech to do so. my argument was that children needed to be made a priority. of course the economy is very, very important, but children's education is too and that will have an impact on the economy. so i'm very pleased that this has been stated very clearly and now this needs to be followed through to september to make it a reality. britain's home office has formally requested the royal navy's help to deal with migrants attempting to cross the english channel from france. a total of 151 people reached the uk via small boats yesterday, following record numbers earlier in the week. simonjones is in doverfor us. what is the latest this morning? 15 boats yesterday and today the migrants crossing the channel has

continued. we saw border force leave the port of dover early this morning, head out into the channel and a border force boat has picked up and a border force boat has picked up some and a border force boat has picked up some more and a border force boat has picked up some more migrants who managed to make it into uk waters. they were then brought back here to the port. we saw them being brought to shore and then the migrants being taken off the boat and then they initially had a temperature check over concerns of coronavirus. they then had their photos taken. it is hardly surprising on a day like today because the sea is incredibly calm, as it has been over previous days, and you might say perfect conditions for attempting to get across the channel, but with the caveat always the people doing this are crossing the people doing this are crossing the busy shipping lane in the world with all the dangers that involves. a report in the papers today that the government are trying to beef up attem pts the government are trying to beef up atte m pts to the government are trying to beef up attempts to stop the migrants getting across, using the royal navy, spotter planes, drones, and that the french government are

asking for £30 million if they are going to help stop people leaving french soil. yes, the reaction from the french authorities as they are doing what they can to try to stop boats launching, but there is a huge stretch of coastline along northern france. britain has already given france. britain has already given france millions and millions of euros to try to sort this issue, but still continues. the french authorities are making it clear that if you want security beefed up in northern france, it is going to be the british taxpayer who has to pay for that. one development this morning is that the home secretary in the uk has created a new position. it is called the clandestinely channel threat commander. she has appointed a man called dan 0'mahony to that position. he is a former military man who has served in iraq and kosovo and he has not been given the job of trying to make this route is unviable. he has said that he wants

to tackle what he calls the heinous crime of people trafficking, stress and this is a very urgent issue. we have heard lots of talk in recent months about the uk gets this, about putting pressure on the french authorities to do more, but the reality is that people are arriving in bigger numbers than ever before. the number of companies in the uk planning mass redundancies injune was five times higher than during the same period last year, according to figures obtained by the bbc under a freedom of information request. airbus, royal mail and hsbc were among nearly 1,800 firms which announced job cuts injune. here's our business correspondent katy austin. among the businesses which announced redundancy plans in june were airbus, centrica and the restaurant group, the owner of frankie & benny's. there are fears of furtherjob losses when the furlough scheme ends in october, and firms planning to make 20 or more staff redundant have to notify the government. data obtained by the bbc through a freedom of information

request shows a steep rise in the number of positions being considered for redundancy between march and june this year. the number of companies in the uk planning mass redundancies injune injune, the government was notified of plans to cut over 139,000 jobs in england, wales and scotland, although information from 79 firms wasn't available when the numbers were compiled. injune last year, the number was 211,000 planned job cuts and far fewer employers planned them. there are a number of industries that have been directly affected by the crisis where demand won't be returning, and they are now starting to lay people off. that is particularly the case in hospitality and in transport. but then i think this is also showing those industries that are having to restructure now, because underlying changes are being accelerated, and particularly in retail, the move to online shopping, the move away from high street shopping is driving quite significant restructuring in retailers. so, some of those jobs won't come back. the redundancy process takes time, which helps to explain why official

redundancy figures gathered by the office for national statistics don't yet show a significant rise. however, employers often end up making fewer redundancies than the original number they notify. in response to the bbc‘s findings, the department for work and pensions said the government's plan forjobs would give business the confidence to recruit and retain workers, and that new, subsidised jobs for young people would be created through the kick—start scheme. katy austin, bbc news. a grand council of elders, or loya jirga, in afghanistan has approved the release of 400 taliban prisoners, hoping the move will bring progress in peace talks. the council includes both afg hanistan‘s elected leaders, ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah, and it agreed to the release after meeting for a third day in kabul. the government has already complied with taliban demands to release several thousand other prisoners but the remaining 400, described by the government as "serious criminals",

had become a sticking point. abdullah elham from the bbc‘s afghan servicejoins me live from kabul. thank you for being with us. how significant is this release of 400 taliban prisoners, could it unlock the peace process? this loya jirga, or the this loyajirga, or the grand council of the people of afghanistan, is considered the highest institution for expression of the afghan people. on the third day of this council they decided not only to approve the release of 400 prisoners, but called for an immediate ceasefire across the

country. it also called for a commencement of the long awaited inter—afghan commencement of the long awaited inter—afg han peace talks. commencement of the long awaited inter—afghan peace talks. it called upon the international community to back and support the ongoing peace process. one interesting point in the recommendations was that this council called for and safe environments for this long—awaited inter—afghan environments for this long—awaited inter—afg han peace talks. environments for this long—awaited inter—afghan peace talks. this loya jirga is considered the highest institution reflecting the needs of the afghan people. there was a good consensus. abdullah abdullah

addressed the council and concluded the discussions. the president, ashraf ghani, said he would sign the lecture to release these 400 prisoners by the end of today. the national security council said these prisoners will be released tomorrow 01’ prisoners will be released tomorrow or the day after. 0n the first day of the council, both leaders said that when these prisoners are released, the inter—afg han that when these prisoners are released, the inter—afghan peace talks will commence within two or three days. the ongoing week is considered very important for the future of the country. thank you very much. the coronavirus death toll in brazil has reached 100,000 on the same day that the country registered a total of three million cases. it's the worst—hit country after the united states, and there's no sign of the virus slowing down. gail maclellan reports.

grief — as south america's largest country passes 100,000 deaths due to coronavirus. infections have reached the three million mark. experts say the official figures are most likely an undercount and they estimate the total number could be up to six times higher due to insufficient testing. translation: this dramatic situation is notjust a consequence of the seriousness of the illness, but also from the complete disorganisation of federal institutions for the adequate confrontation of the disease. anger has focused on the president, jair bolsonaro, who has played down the virus from the start, despite falling victim to it himself. he called it the "little flu" and flouted all medical advice for prevention of the virus. earlier this week, he said

he was sorry for all the death but suggested everyone carry on with their life. a message that some took to heart, flocking to clubs and bars and ignoring face coverings and social distancing. at the urging of the president, the country is focusing on reopening and people are returning to work. this, despite the fact that the pandemic is not yet near its peak. 0n rio's copacabana beach, activists marked the moment. red balloons to remember the 100,000, and the numbers still climb. the recent black lives matter protests began with a focus on police brutality, but they also sparked grassroots efforts to address economic inequality. many black—owned businesses saw a surge in demand following campaigns on social media to support them. but how long will it last? ijeoma ndukwe reports.

keeping up with demand is challenging these days. since calls to support black—owned businesses began injune, sales of luxury skincare range epara have rocketed. in the first few weeks, the sales were exponential compared to where we were. now, the sales are still way better than what happened beforejune. the interest has been amazing, and today, we are now about to launch with 13 more retailers from — this is within the space of six weeks. i mean, it's extraordinary to be honest. over at this fashion showroom in south—east london, designer phyllis taylor prepares a stream of orders for delivery. following calls to support black—owned brands, she saw her instagram following jump from 13,000 to 40,000 in a matter of days. you know, i've had this brand for 15 years and to have this kind

of interest in the brand, to me, it makes sense because the hard work that has gone into getting me to this point, it is long overdue. the money that's come from that has enabled me to create a new line, it'sjust given me a bit more room to do things that i've always wanted to do, butjust never had the money. this has been the best seller. the success these companies are enjoying is bittersweet. the black lives matter protest started in response to the death of george floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody. as a wave of anti—racism protests spread around the world, activists highlighted social and economic inequality. the protests that filled these streets might be over, but here in the uk and in many parts of the world, conversations continue about how to tackle racial inequality. now, research shows that black

business owners face more difficulty accessing finance than their white counterparts. so, many are concerned that without a concrete plan in place to address systemic issues like this, the boost these businesses are experiencing could be short lived. social media became the platform for this us—based campaign by black entrepreneur aurora james. ‘the 15% pledge' calls on major retail platforms to devote 15% of shelf space to black—owned businesses. the hope is that if retailers place large orders, it could help black founders secure bank loans and investment. there has been a moment of clarity like we've never seen before. the search that we've seen in kind of the purchasing of black products from black businesses is absolutely amazing. the advent of the black pound day where we specifically try to buy black is absolutely fantastic, and that's a marked change from some

of the movements before. many business founders are optimistic that we're living through a pivotal moment for black enterprise. they live in hope that the black lives matter movement will become a springboard for long—lasting social change. ijeoma ndukwe, bbc news. dawn broomfield is from the national black chamber of commerce uk. shejoins us from birmingham. thank you for being with us. let's pick up on that last thought. is this a pivotal moment for black businesses in this country? well, it is but there still a lot to be done considering disparity to other companies that have been established for such a long time. there is still a lot to be done. the unfairness, if you want to call it that, i have

seen so you want to call it that, i have seen so many you want to call it that, i have seen so many people coming to me about the lack of accessing funds or even just information, about the lack of accessing funds or evenjust information, it about the lack of accessing funds or even just information, it is absolutely ridiculous. so those disparities you are talking about, be more specific, are we talking about, for example, loans from banks, investment, that kind of thing? well, there are loans, grants, even the basic information of finding out where to access these gra nts of finding out where to access these grants from or funding. of finding out where to access these grants from orfunding. that has been done because of the coronavirus. a lot of black witnesses don't have a clue where to access this information. they have no information that has been disbursed to them. i know that a lot of groups have networking facilities and they meet regularly, whereas a lot of black organisations tend to be on their own. we heard in that

report the campaign to buy back. could that make a difference in this country? to buy black? to support black businesses specifically. would you like to see that kind of support in this country? it would be absolutely beneficial to support black businesses, but it shouldn't just be a one—off or on a specific date,it just be a one—off or on a specific date, it should be something that is done on a regular basis. we have to support our own businesses and we have been doing that, but in order to survive long—term, a lot more needs to be done. just very briefly, has all this changed potentially because of the george floyd death in minneapolis in the united states, and the whole rise of the black lives matter campaign? we have seen this before, this slight increase in

purchasing power is, people do take up purchasing power is, people do take up black businesses and their special offers or whatever, then it is all forgotten. i think the government has to do a lot more to be able to sustain black businesses. sme businesses are part of the economic revival that we will need to see the country survive, we need to see the country survive, we need to employ more people rather than see unemployment rising. good to talk to you. it is 75 years since the us dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of hiroshima and nagasaki injapan, leading to the end of the second world war. bell tolls. a bell rang out to commemorate

the moment the second bomb struck nagasaki 75 years ago. prime minister shinzo abe and the mayor of nagasaki spoke at the anniversary event. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello, they are. part two of the we can stand very warm and humid for most of us, particularly england and wales. this is where we will see the highest temperatures, particularly in the south—east. things started on a rather grey note for parts of england and well thanks to this low cloud and mist which is continuing to burn back to the east coast through the afternoon. it could stay cool through the afternoon. it could stay cool, grey and breezy on the east coast. elsewhere, plenty of sunshine around. pleasantly warm in the north, very warm and humid in england and wales. tonight we may see the cloud return to eastern parts of the uk, may be as shower or

thunderstorm developing in the north and west. most places will be dry and west. most places will be dry and it will be a warm night to come, especially for england and wales are very muggy night to come in the south—east. into next week, it stays warm and humid, but there will be an increasing chance of thunderstorms, some of which could be severe, so stay tuned to the forecast.

hello, this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines: amid growing anger at the lebanese government and mass demonstrations over last week's catastophic explosion in beirut, the country's information minister resigns. here in the uk, prime minister boris johnson says it's a moral duty and a national priority for schools to reopen fully in england next month. i'm very pleased that the prime minister is making schools a priority. i've been arguing for some time that my fear was that children were being left behind in this relaxation of lockdown. 400 taliban militants are to be released after a vote by afghanistan's grand assembly, or loyajirga, in kabul. japan remembers the victims of nagasaki, 75 years after the atom bomb was dropped on the city.

in cricket, england stage a stunnng comeback to snatch victory in the first test. now on bbc news, we follow three expectant mothers, from canada, argentina and the uk, as they cope with the challenges and the uncertainty of being pregnant during the covid crisis, in lockdown babies — pregnancy in a pandemic. are you sure? this is my 34—week belly. my partner lives overseas. snoring. baby's right here.