this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm reged ahmad. lebanon marks a month since the explosion that destroyed large parts of beirut, killing nearly 200 people. india registers four million coronavirus cases. experts are warning the pandemic in the country, could spin out of control. controversial former australian prime minister tony abbott is appointed as a trade adviser to the uk — despite critics describing him as a homophobe, misoygynist, and climate change denier. and barcelona superstar lionel messi changes his mind over leaving barcelona. now he says he doesn't want to drag the spanish club into court.

hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. rescuers in beirut have been digging through the rubble of last month's massive explosion, after a scanner suggested someone could still be alive in the wreckage. it was a glimmer of hope for a city, where exactly one month ago today, a fire in a warehouse led to a devastating blast, killing nearly 200 people and leaving tens of thousands more without homes. our correspondent orla guerin has sent this report from beirut. still searching for signs of life. a specialist team from chile going for rubble. but

this afternoon, when they called for silence, there was no sign of life. beirut didn't get its miracle. but this man did. onfive get its miracle. but this man did. on five august, he was reclaimed from the wreckage of his home after 17 hours buried alive. this week, he returned for the first time — the minute he was released from hospital. he could barely stand. he could barely ta ke he could barely stand. he could barely take it in. his family had a li—story house that stood for a century. 50 i came running and calling... his cousin led the rescue effort here, but could not save his

older brother. you know, you feel empty inside. especially when i look over the place where we took him out. when i was here, i knew he wasn't here. i could feel him. was here, i knew he wasn't here. icould feel him. is this, ina here. icould feel him. is this, in a way, like a burial ground for you now? no, it's not. it's not. they won't bury us not. it's not. they won't bury us here. for sure, they won't. they might bury our bodies, but they won't bury our souls. abdo loved books and music. his cigarettes and his coffee. he came from a tightly knit christian family. richie says they were best friends.” christian family. richie says they were best friends. i just wa nt to they were best friends. i just want to send a small message for the people who are responsible for this, whomever they are— because until now, we don't know who they are. abdo forgives you, you know? abdo

forgives you, you know? abdo forgives these people. and abdo is feeling better now because... because of your bad management, because of your bad skills, because of your dry blood. you were not able to give abdo a proper life — over 39 years old. anyway, abdo's feeling better, and i'm not too worried about abdo, i'm worried about you. abdo and all the dead were honoured today one month on. some stood in silence, remembering lost friends and colleagues. others stood with ropes in their hands —a stood with ropes in their hands — a hangman's noose for the entire political leadership here.

orla guerin, bbc news, beirut. india has now registered four million cases of coronavirus, with figures reaching record levels almost every day. among the world's most affected countries, the number of new infections is growing fastest in india by some margin. india is currently recording almost 82,000 new cases per day — that's a five—day rolling average — compared with nearly 114,000 in brazil and just under 40,000 here in the united states. but while india's struggle with the pandemic continues, it could also be part of the solution, as our correspondent yogita limaye reports from mumbai. another day on the covid front line with no end in sight. the doctor who sent us this video has been treating critical patients for months now. he's had to tell dozens of families that loved ones have died. exhaustion is beginning to wear india's doctors down. a few weeks ago, it had seemed as though the capital was coping with the pandemic. but once again now resources are falling short.

now we are seeing a second surge which is notjust in delhi, but from smaller towns around delhi. those we are not able to provide the life—support systems will die. if we reach a point like that, that is what worries me, that is what distresses all of us as doctors. this 42—year—old succumbed to covid earlier this week. he died in pune, a relatively small city which is now the worst affected in india. his family says there's a shortage of facilities. "if an ambulance had been available to take him to a critical care hospital, my brother would have been alive," his sister says. india's doing more than a million tests a day, but that's not been enough to curb the spread. another lockdown is not an option for an economy already in turmoil. the government has been highlighting that the number of deaths in india, compared to the size of its population,

is lower than other countries badly hit. so far, there are only speculative theories about why that might be the case, and the thing is, even at a low death rate, if the virus continues to spread, that still means hundreds of thousands of indian lives are at risk. and so all eyes are on a vaccine, and india could be a big part of the global solution. this is a factory of the world's biggest vaccine maker. including oxford—astrazeneca's covishield, it's already producing tens of millions of doses of five covid vaccines each month. 70% of the world's vaccine capacity is from india... i asked the company's chief executive when a vaccine might be ready. it takes 3—5 years normally to make a vaccine, and we're all rushing it. well, i think in about 2—3 months, there will be vaccines licensed. will they be the best vaccines?

i don't know. even if the vaccine is a success, inoculating more than a billion people will need a lot of time and money. yogita limaye, bbc news, mumbai. it's been a confusing day for british tourists, struggling to work out whether they will need to quarantine themselves when they get back from holiday. from today, scotland, wales, england and northern ireland are imposing different quarantine periods for travellers who arrive from portugal and greece. our europe correspondent gavin lee reports from southern portugal. back to britain from faro airport this morning. where you're going back to now dictates whether you have to self—isolate. there's been no clarity from the government as to what we were doing... karen and mick are heading to birmingham. they don't need to quarantine, but they bought early tickets home because they thought they did. obviously, not very happy.

we feel as though we've lost two days of our holiday. it's cost us an arm and a leg and... we're just very disappointed. as more and more british tourists return home, it's clear to me how confusing many people find the new rules. for example, if you're an english traveller flying to cardiff today, you can then drive back, won't have to self—isolate. but if you're welsh and, say, land at birmingham today, you'll then go back and have to spend the next two weeks in isolation. and this new way of travelling has just become even more complicated. so just how do the uk nations differ on quarantine? if you live in scotland and are returning from portugal or greece, you have to self—isolate for 1h days. for portugal, that will kick in at 4am tomorrow. if you're arriving back in wales from portugal, self—isolation started today, but from greece the welsh government only requires you to quarantine if you're coming from specific islands. in england and northern ireland, there are no restrictions.

portugal has seen a rise in coronavirus cases in recent days, going just above the uk's margin of safety of 20 cases per 100,000 people. but the tourist destinations of the algarve aren't the problem. so why are politicians taking such different approaches? we look at the data, and then we do speak, but i'm afraid quite often coming to slightly different outcomes. hugs and relief at glasgow airport this afternoon, as travellers made it back before their isolation deadline. but few are smiling about the decision here. we had to change our flight. we were just disappointed that scotland obviously have to quarantine but england don't. it was a risk. we knew that we were making a risk anyway, so we only lost a day. it is annoying, but i'm just glad we made it home in time. it's estimated that more than 30,000 uk holiday—makers have headed out here since the travel corridor opened two weeks ago. golf and good weather — a magnet for older travellers, for so—called silver season.

on the streets of faro, the usual rhythm of the night is quieter, the attraction of a late summer break here may have lost some of its allure. with fewer british arrivals today, the risks and unpredictability of travelling to these shores is perhaps too much of a gamble. let's get some of the day's other news... new zealand says a man infected with covid—19 has died — the first such death in the country since may. health officials said the patient, who was in his 50's, was being treated for the infection in an intensive care unit. he's the 23rd person to have died with the coronavirus in new zealand since the beginning of the pandemic. france says it has reported nearly 9,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases on friday, setting an all—time high of daily additional infections since the start of the pandemic. french authorities say the number of covid—19 patients hospitalised for the disease has also gone up for the sixth day running, at over 4,500.

the world health organization says it doesn't expect widespread vaccination against coronavirus until the middle of next year. a spokeswoman urged countries not to "sit there waiting for a vaccine". in a briefing to journalists, margaret harris said rigorous checks would be needed on any vaccine's effectiveness and safety. the former australian prime minister tony abbott has been appointed as an unpaid trade adviser to the uk government. it comes after days of pressure to re—think the plan, over allegations of misogyny and homophobia. our political correspondent ben wright has more. tony abbott recently flew into the uk to meet ministers and face flak about his possible appointment as a trade adviser here. but, today, boris johnson trumpeted mr abbott's credentials. this is a guy that was elected by the people of the great

liberal democratic nation of australia and you've been to australia, it's an amazing country, it's a freedom loving country, it's a liberal country. there you go, i think that speaks for itself. yes, i've had some discussions with members of the british government. the confirmation of mr abbott's appointment as an unpaid trade adviser comes after he was given a rough ride by a committee of mps earlier this week. in 2012, you said that men are, by physiology or temperament, more adapted than women to exercise authority or to issue command. look, i'm not sure that i ever did say that. tony abbott is from the right of australia's raucous politics. ditch the witch! a climate change sceptic, who spoke at this rally, mr abbott incurred the wrath of his political opponents for his reported views of women. he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern australia. he doesn't need a motion in the house of representatives, he needs a mirror.

and it is not only labour mps who have spoken out on mr abbott. he is a misogynist, he has a poor record on lgbtq rights and he is no one who should be near our board of trade. but he will be on the advisory group. the brexit—focused government have decided that his experience cutting deals for australia trumps complaints about the man's character. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: it's back to school for mexican students this week — but with the number of coronavirus infections still high, children still won't be returning to classrooms. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home.

parents are waiting and wives are waiting. hostages appeared — some carried, some running — trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today. described by all to whom she reached out as "irreplaceable," an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... a minute's silence in beirut for the victims of the massive explosion, as rescuers search the rubble for a possible survivor one month

after the blast. as india hits four million coronavirus cases, with nearly 82 thousand new cases registered per day — experts warn the pandemic in the country could spin out of control. donald trump has been asked what message he would send to russia, after germany confirmed that putin critic alexei navalny has been poisoned with the nerve agent novichok. he responded with an extensive description of how well he gets along with countries like north korea and russia, and described other foreign policy initiatives. he said he would be angry if it was confirmed. so, i don't know exactly what happened. i think it's tragic, it's terrible. it shouldn't happen. we haven't had any proof yet, but i will take a look. it is interesting that everybody's always mentioning russia. and i don't mind you mentioning russia, but i think probably

china at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than russia, because the things that china's doing are far worse — if you take a look at what's happening with the world, look at what happened with the china virus. look at what they did by not keeping that within the confines of china. they should've kept it in the confines of china. look what they've done to 188 countries all over the world. mexican children went back to school this week in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak, after a fashion — they're watching their classes on tv from home. school buildings aren't reopening due to the virus. the government fears that 2.5 million students may drop out of school altogether, because their education has been so disrupted by covid—19. our mexico correspondent, will grant, reports. in mexico, the school run has been replaced

with learning at home — for some. 13 million students — from primary to high school — must tune into four private television channels for their classes. but the martinez family are among those in rural mexico with no access to the right stations. "we can only find cartoons in news," says their father. even in the capital, mexico city, studying via tv is tough. 11—year—old emiliano is trying his best, but his mother isn't convinced he's learning. "there's no alternative with this pandemic," she says. "so we have to adapt." the results are worrying. mexico's education ministry fears as many as 2.5 million children may drop out over the coronavirus outbreak. two million more may abandon private schools and join the overstretched public system. in mexico, the dangers of leaving school early are especially bad, given the lure of the drug cartels to vulnerable young people.

unicef runs programmes in cartel—controlled areas to provide tablets and online access to children who often can't leave home because of drug violence. there's really a strong need for digitisation. whether we like it or not, everything's become digital. it has to be a key part of school infrastructure. of the educational budget. and i think the mexican government should adapt that. they should make sure all schools will have internet access. and there are possibilities to learn even without physical presence. for now, the government of the president has to his traditional enemies, the country's media moguls, to overcome the challenges. but mexico has one of the poorest education systems in the americas, and the government admits lessons may continue this way for some time. translation: we all want to return to classes and the company of friends. teachers, we miss you.

however, the risk to health continues to be high. the reality of the situation has forced us to be patient. parents and children alike are desperate for things to return to normal soon, but the end isn't in sight. and the social and psychological effects of this crisis may be felt among mexico's school kids for years. will grant, bbc news. it's the news that barcelona fans had been praying for — ten days after saying he wanted to leave the club, lionel messi says he's now staying. arguably the world's greatest ever footballer, he told the website goal.com no—one could pay the 700 million euro release clause in his contract and he didn't want to take the club he loves to court.

with me is our reporter paul hawkins. first of all, are we surprised that after saying he wanted to 90, that after saying he wanted to go, now he's happy to stay? yes and no. for any go, now he's happy to stay? yes and no. forany of go, now he's happy to stay? yes and no. for any of us, go, now he's happy to stay? yes and no. forany of us, you go, now he's happy to stay? yes and no. for any of us, you are ina company, and no. for any of us, you are in a company, you've been there for a while, you've achieved everything you wanted to with the organisation, and then you

feel like it's going backwards. you want to move out and get anotherjob, so you go to your boss and say, "i want to leave. " boss and say, "i want to leave." the boss tells you can leave." the boss tells you can leave whenever you want. you think that's fine. that's what he's saying in the interview, he's saying in the interview, he says the president told him he says the president told him he could leave whenever he wa nted he could leave whenever he wanted at the end of the season, then he finds out that if you wanted to lease, someone will have to cough up 700 million euros, which is the flaws in his contract. so it's perhaps surprising on one level because you would've thought he'd have spoken to the lawyers first, and his lawyers would have said you can't go, someone will have to pay all this money 01’ will have to pay all this money or you'll have to go to court. but he thought he had a verbal agreement with the president — that turns out that verbal agreement may not have been his concrete as we thought it was. now he has this issue where he doesn't test the president, he has to stay at the club, and he has to stay at the club, and he has another year left on his contract. bell —— trust the president. another year on his contract — what does that mean for the future? does that mean he's just waiting until he can walk away?

yes. also, it'll be interesting to see how hill motivated he'll be on the pitch. because if you wa nt to be on the pitch. because if you want to leave an organisation and you're told you'll have to stay, and it is in a team that is in transition — this is a tea m is in transition — this is a team that did not do well last season, they were thrashed 8—2 by bayern munich last season, and they ended up finishing the series trophy list, real madrid w011 series trophy list, real madrid won the title instead. so this isa won the title instead. so this is a team in transition. for lionel messi — he's going to spend a year in this team and they've also got a new manager. so how will he be motivated during the season? there's lots of emphasis on the manager to convince him this is a team he wa nts to convince him this is a team he wants to stay for, that he can achieve those levels, and also for the president — will he be leaving before the elections come up in march? the president of the club is a in by elections, he won't stand again in march next year, so will he be forced out early? —— voted

in by elections. but the fans must be thrilled? the fans will be thrilled, and they've always said that lionel messi must stay at the club, he is mr barcelona. he's been there since the age of 12. he is their top scorer, he's won everything you can but the club, he's given the club a lot of its success over the last ten years. so the fans be happy, but they'll probably be more keen to see the president go. paul hawkins, thank you very much for taking us through that. and everyone will be watching lionel messi's performance, i'm sure. don't forget there's much more on the bbc website, including our top story that we've been looking at today — people in lebanon have been observing a minutes silence, a month after that massive explosion which killed almost 200 people in the capital. you can reach me on twitter —

i'm @regedahmadbbc. stay with us. hello there. our weather is going to stay pretty quiet into the weekend, but it's often going to be quite cloudy, just like it was today for many of us. we had skies like these in herefordshire, but those kind of skies were quite widespread across england and wales today. further north, there is a bit of sunshine from northern ireland, scotland, on the far north of england, where we've also had some passing showers as well. the satellite picture picks up on those shower clouds across the northern half of the country, with that thicker layer of cloud across england and wales. but spitting out into the atlantic, we're looking at the next weather system just upstream. this area of cloud just passing to the south of iceland is racing towards our shores just in time for this weekend. overnight tonight, we're going to see some cloud and probably some rain for a time, working across east anglia and southeast england. it won't last very long and it will clear out of the way, followed by clear skies.

notice those showers will continue across the north and west, particularly for northwest scotland, although there will be a few in northern ireland and the northwest of both england and wales overnight. temperatures 8—12 . heading into the weekend, as i've already hinted at, it looks pretty cloudy, really. there'll be some rain around, likely to be quite patchy, quite light, not really amounting to too much. and it will tend to be biased across northwestern areas initially on saturday, a few sunny spells around as well. for northern scotland, showers from the word go. some of those still quite blustery, quite heavy, but some bright and sunny spells between these. a lot of cloud elsewhere though, particularly for northern ireland and for the northwest of england and wales with patchy outbreaks of rain coming and going here. could turn out to be quite a damp day, although the rain probably not too heavy. and there will be some areas that stay entirely dry. southern wales, parts of southern england, maybe areas of eastern england and eastern scotland as well having the best of the dry conditions. the second half of the weekend again looks pretty cloudy, and there will be some further patches of rain developing. but notice the rain this

time could be a little bit further eastwards. scotland, meanwhile, should have a drier day, particularly through the central belt, with some bright or sunny spells getting through here, and showers becoming increasingly limited to the far north east of scotland. on into next week, we have areas of low pressure passing to the north of the uk with weather fronts sliding and snaking across central portions of the uk. all in all, it looks like it will be quite cloudy with those weather fronts still bringing the threat of a little bit of rain. it turns a little warmer for a time across the south and east. that's your weather.

this is bbc news,

the headlines... people in lebanon have observed a minute's silence a month after a massive explosion in beirut killed almost 200 people and left 300,000 homeless. rescuers are continuing to search in the rubble for possible survivors after some signs of life were heard on thursday. india has now registered four million cases of coronavirus, with figures reaching record levels almost every day. among the world's most affected countries, the number of new infections is growing fastest in india by some margin. india is currently recording almost 82,000 new cases per day there's been condemnation of the appointment of the former australian prime minister, tony abbott, as an adviser to the new uk board of trade. he has previously been accused of homophobia and misogyny. downing street said that he negotiated a number of trade agreements while pm.

the bela russian opposition leader svetla na