birmingham prepares for the start of the commonwealth games, with the opening ceremony taking place here at alexander stadium tonight. more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations and territories will take part over 11 days of competition, with excitement building ahead of tonight's event. i'm from here, i'm from birmingham, so, for my family and for myself, it's history in the making. we'll look at what's in store and hear what people in the region think of the games being held here. the other headlines on the bbc news at 0ne... a mother whose baby was murdered by the woman trying to adopt him tells the bbc he'd still be alive if he'd been left with her.

energy companies post big increases in profits as uk customers face soaring household bills. right on time! tributes are paid to the star of the railway children and narrator of the wombles bernard cribbins, who has died aged 93. and coming up on the bbc news channel... the lionesses will take on germany in the euro 22 final at wembley after the eight—time champions saw off france in their semifinal. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. the commonwealth games 2022 opens here at the alexander stadium in birmingham later today. this huge space seats 30,000 people

and although we don't entirely know the themes of the opening ceremony, you get hints of how they want to celebrate birmingham, with a mock canal and brickwork heralding its industrial past and graffiti and skateboard ramps celebrating its gritty present. 0rganisers say it's the biggest in the event's history. prince charles will represent the queen tonight and performances will include local music and dance groups, emphasising birmingham's diversity. more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations and territories will take part over the next 11 days. athletes will compete in 19 sports and 280 medal events and for the first time there will be more medals for women than for men and the para events will be included as part of the main games. phil mackie reports. cheering and applause. the queen's baton

is on its final leg. first stop, birmingham's jewellery quarter, where the medals that they will be competing for tomorrow have been made. and this is where it will finish tonight, at the alexander stadium, where they are making final preparations for the opening ceremony. final preparations for the opening ceremony. they have released these pictures from the dress rehearsals. the show�*s director is peaky blinders creator stephen knight, so it will celebrate both the west midlands and the commonwealth. one of the stars is dance school owner laurel. i'm from birmingham, so for my family and for myself, it is history in the making. the city has put on its gladrags. everywhere, there are banners and logos, new floral displays and the smell of fresh paint. the commonwealth teams have arrived and are taking it all in. er... it is very majestic in a way, but, with the games just about to start, i find it exciting and very buzzing. so, a very electric atmosphere.

well, it has all come together pretty well considering they only knew they were hosting the games just over four years ago. birmingham and the west midlands has always felt overlooked and unloved by the rest of the country so this is a big moment, a chance for it to change people's perceptions. we are actually going to sell the brand of birmingham and the west midlands right around the world. it gives an opportunity to show the world just how this place has progressed in recent years. huge business conference here could coincide over the next two weeks, investment will come from that as well. you can hardly walk anywhere without bumping into someone from another competitor, in this case, guernsey, which is hosting next year's island games. one of the things we would like to replicate is the atmosphere and the friendliness because we are walking around today and anyone who has seen anyone in a kit is coming over and saying hello and chatting and it is, you know, really welcoming. so that is something we would definitely like to replicate. protests will take place, too. the games aims to be the most lgbtq+ inclusive yet, but two thirds

of competing nations have laws against same—sex relationships. in a few hours, the party gets under way here in victoria square. it is the culmination of four years of preparations. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham. "it makes me proud to be a brummie." those are the words of a birmingham resident on the games being hosted here. but from funding for sports to hospitality and potential legacy, what do these games mean for the people of birmingham? nesta mcgregor has been finding out. this time round at least, bike polo isn't one of the 26 sports being showcased, but across birmingham, projects like this one are benefiting from funding allocated to the host city. there's probably eight to ten cities around the uk that play it. we've spent our money on some equipment, the facilities, our time, we're hoping to do a little tournament at the end, will have refreshments, first aid. you know, we're trying to have a bit of a party at the end. more than 5,000 athletes from 72

nations and territories will experience the best in brummie hospitality. world champion gymnastjoe fraser already knows it well. it's not very often you get an opportunity to do a major competition in your back garden. everyone's buying tickets, everyone wants to support, but now they're going to have the opportunity to what i've been doing, and what i've been grafting for my whole life. the commonwealth games is the first major multisport event held in the uk since the covid pandemic, reason enough to be excited. can't remember the last time that birmingham hosted something as big as the commonwealth games. i think it was a good use of money, it's definitely bringing a lot more attention to birmingham, and it is a really good city, so i think it's good that it's getting the attention it deserves. birmingham is one of the youngest cities in europe and it's also one of the most diverse, with large asian, african and caribbean communities. and for some, the occasion hasn't lived up to its motto of games for everyone. for example, the organising board was accused of lacking diversity.

changes have been made since. newsreel: we, all loyal subjects of his majesty, | will take part in the games- in the true spirit of sportsmanship. then there are those who say its colonial origins are still being felt today. at a sensitive time, when the windrush scandal hasn't been fully resolved yet, families torn apart, people who spend all their lives here, people who were born in caribbean countries and african countries and parts of asia, when the union flag flew over those countries, being told, you have no right to be here, and then we're saying, yes, but we embrace our commonwealth family, it does say double standards. the commonwealth games organisers say they are committed to the event reflecting the region. the city of birmingham's official slogan is "forward", and ultimately, the legacy these games leave behind will be far more important than the medals won. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. well, there's a big build—up

going on here, with rehearsals during the morning and the opening ceremony due to start at 8pm. that's it from us here in birmingham for now. for all the rest of the day's news, let's cross back to martine croxall in the studio. the events leading up to the murder of a 13—month—old boy in cumbria are the subject of a safeguarding review to be published later today. leiland—james corkill was killed injanuary last year by laura castle, a woman who had hoped to adopt him. in herfirst interview, leiland—james' mother, laura corkill, says her son was wrongly taken away from her at birth and would still be alive if he had been left with her. this report from our special correspondent, ed thomas, contains some distressing details. mummy, please don't be sad, i miss you so much, too. i'm safe. it's so beautiful up here. but i do worry when i see you cry. the words of laura corkill read at the funeral of her son leiland—james.

and what do you remember about him? his smile, his cheeky laugh, his big, bright eyes. murdered by the woman who promised to love and care for him. when he came home, it was in a wooden box. this is the first time laura corkill has told her story. how long have you been here for? six years. it starts with her son being removed by a social worker. taken at birth from his hospital cot. i was in bits. what was leiland—james doing? crying. cumbria county council say they told laura they planned to remove leiland—james. she denies this. years before, laura suffered severe domestic violence, abuse that she says social workers feared would happen again — a so—called risk of future emotional harm. she believes that is

why her son was taken. what should have happened to leiland—james? he would come home. absolutely. yeah, absolutely. aisha and rebecca support women who have faced domestic abuse. they offered social workers a plan to bring leiland—james home. we did have e—mails going back and forward between us to see if we could work out a plan of support to see what we could offer. and was that negotiated, were you listened to? both: no. leiland—james' fate was already determined. cumbria county council had identified him for adoption. i was expecting him to come home. this was the last photo of mother and son together. was this during contact? that was my last contact. she would never hold leiland—james alive again. laura corkill says she repeatedly asked for leiland—james to come back home. inside, she told me she passed several parenting assessments. and one social worker, she says, told her she could get

the baby's room ready for when he came back here. cumbria county council say in april 2020, they told laura the plan was for leiland—james to be adopted. and, injuly, the family courts agreed. in august 2020, social workers placed leiland—james with this woman, laura castle. he cries. she would repeatedly beat him. she filmed him in distress. stood up like that... injanuary, 2021, she murdered leiland—james. how can someone hurt an innocent child? what, just because they couldn't cope with him doesn't mean you've got to kill them. sorry. you have nothing to be sorry for. before leiland—james died, a social worker refused to tell laura which hospital he was in. it was 2a hours later, then they eventually told me it was liverpool alder hey hospital.

by the time i got down there he had already been dead. and eventually i went into his room. ijust wanted to pick him up. they wouldn't allow me. your child. they wouldn't allow me to pick him up. i spent more time with leiland in death than in life. the safeguarding review into the decision to allow leiland—james into laura castle's care will be published later. laura corkill was not asked to be part of it. i loved him. millions and millions. that report from our special correpsondent ed thomas, and you can watch a full documenatry on that story, and you can watch a full documenatry on that story on the bbc iplayer now. british gas owner centrica has begun paying dividends to shareholders again, with the company reporting a big rise in profits

for the first half of the year. it comes as uk households face increasing pressure from rising energy bills. gas prices are soaring, driven in part by russia's war in ukraine. our business correspondent emma simpson is here. and it is supposedly notjust centrica who are posting big profits at the moment?— at the moment? that's right, an awful lot of _ at the moment? that's right, an awful lot of energy _ at the moment? that's right, an awful lot of energy companies i at the moment? that's right, an l awful lot of energy companies are coining it in right now, because oil and gas prices are so high. shell said today that it had made more than £9 billion of profit in just three months. a record. now, centrica said its profits have lept today to £i.3 centrica said its profits have lept today to £1.3 billion, five times as much as last year. what it is saying is, the source of these profits isn't coming from rising customer bills, it is because of higher sales in its oil and gas are, which includes its north sea operations and its nuclear assets. profits at

british gas were actually down 43%, and they say that is largely because it had to go out onto the wholesale gas markets to buy expensive gas and electricity for all the new customers that it had acquired because a wave of energy companies had collapsed, so they have been unable to charge the full amount because of the price cap. of course all of this is not going to sit easily with customers who are facing soaring bills. centrica said today that it soaring bills. centrica said today thatitis soaring bills. centrica said today that it is well aware of the difficult times that customers are in but it has to strike the right balance, if shareholders don't get a return, that is not good for the long—term future of the business or its investment plans. long-term future of the business or its investment plans.— long-term future of the business or its investment plans. emma simpson, thank ou its investment plans. emma simpson, thank you very — its investment plans. emma simpson, thank you very much. _ unions have reacted angrily to the decision by the labour leader to sack shadow transport minister sam tarry yesterday. sir keir starmer took the decision after mr tarryjoined striking rail workers on a picket line. several labour mps have also criticised the move, saying mr tarry was right

to be championing workers. ukrainian forces are trying to retake the city of kherson from russia. it was the first city to fall to russia in the war. now british defence officials say it is virtually cut off from other russian forces. pauladams virtually cut off from other russian forces. paul adams reports. this barrage on a key bridge in russian—controlled territory. the damage from this and earlier attacks is clear to see. yesterday, russia said the antelo ski bridge was finally closed. for moscow, it is a setback. kherson is vulnerable, separated from the rest of russian control southern ukraine by the wide river, russia needs a number of key bridges to keep its forces supplied,

which is why ukraine has been hitting them. it was one of the first cities captured by the russians at the beginning of march. it fell without a fight, a significant price for moscow. a shocked population protested but there was very little they could do. and this is why kyiv thinks it has a chance, a high mobility artillery rocket system, supplied by america in an effort to turn the tide of the war. used to hit distant targets including bridges, with great accuracy. russia is said to be sending reinforcements to chuck it. to lose at such an important city would be the most significant defeat for moscow since it withdrew its forces from around kyiv back in april. but it is not going to be quick. in the eastern donbas, the grinding bombardment from russia

goes on, not as intense as before, but tell that to the people of this town. here, a lucky escape, and the city is being hit hard. if the course of this war is changing, it is changing slowly. paul adams, bbc news, kyiv. our top story this lunchtime... final preparations are under way for the start of the commonwealth games — with the opening ceremony taking place at alexander stadium in birmingham tonight. # neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours...# and the end of an era as super—soap neighbours airs its final episode, starring some of its biggest names. and coming up on the bbc news channel, the end of the track. four—time formula i world champion sebastian vettel is to retire from the sport at the end of the season. the actor and singer bernard cribbins, whose career spanned seven decades, has died aged 93. mr cribbins narrated the 19705

children's programme the wombles. and his appearances in doctor who date back to the 19605 when the series began. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito looks back at his life. me, sir, i'm perks! good wives and private soldiers should be ignorant. and i'll keep herfrom your instruction, i warrant you. bernard cribbins — he was in everything. morning, tobermory. you look hot. from classical drama to the wombles. what about a nice drop of brandy in your tea? that's a very sound idea, lenny. two way stretch with peter sellers in 1960 was an early film role, but he'd already been acting for 17 years. he'd started out in rep in 0ldham when he was 1a. i'm the new midshipman. poopdecker is my name — albert poopdecker. in the �*60s, he was appearing in the carry on films. # there i was, digging this hole...#

and recording some very successful comic songs. one i must have and no offence, i know, day like this. haven't taken too great a liberty, have i, on a day like this? you know? but perhaps his best—known film role was lovable mr perks in the railway children. oh, dear. we'll never manage by ourselves. and his voice was part of daily life, from the wombles... i never realised before what hard work cooking is. ..to buzby. .. is this thejiffy plumbing service? ..to tufty. mrs fluffytail is walking along the road with tufty... 0h, doctor, what about you now? who have you got? this appearance in doctor who was his second doctor, a0 years after his first spell in the tardis. still, that's fine. from perks to songs to jackanory to fawlty towers, bernard cribbins could turn his hand to anything.

right on time! he was, for millions of us, a down—to—earth, funny, friendly, much loved part of childhood. the actor bernard cribbins, who's died aged 93. the number of people who died of drug misuse in scotland last year fell slightly to 1,330, the first time the figure fallen in eight years. but scotland still has by far the highest drug death rate recorded by any country in europe. 0ur scotland editor james cook reports. i started at an early age, yeah, started at about 11 or 12 year old. by the time he was 16, chris had tried cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, lsd and amphetamines. but it was heroin which he says ruined his life. i'm very lucky to be alive. there's been many occasions where i possibly could have overdosed and died. and i know people, i have had people within my life

that have passed away sadly to overdose. drug deaths in scotland have risen dramatically over the past quarter of a century. they are now more than five times as high as they were in the mid—�*90s, and although there has been a slight fall, they remain by far the highest recorded in europe. it contains three needles. we have seen a trend of increasing dru- we have seen a trend of increasing drug deaths since 2013 which has halted _ drug deaths since 2013 which has halted but i am determined to use this change as a real platform to power— this change as a real platform to power ahead, to do more. it contains three needles. at this support service in glasgow, they do what they can to keep drug addicts safe. this vending machine provides clean needles and other paraphernalia. but some critics of the scottish government's approach say ministers should be trying harder to get people off drugs altogether. the majority of our treatment budget is currently going into what we would call really vital harm reduction practices, but we are not offering people the chance to get well. we are not offering them

the chance to detox and get rehab and to recover. are you enjoying my cups of tea? chris is confident he is now on the road to recovery. a charity called with you has helped him, and he is now volunteering to help others, in a country still struggling with an addiction emergency. james cook, bbc news, glasgow. in the last hour, it's been announced that the nhs is shutting down its gender identity clinic for children at the tavistock and portman nhs foundation trust. 0ur social affairs editor alison holt is here. a bit of background first? yes, well, this _ a bit of background first? yes, well, this is — a bit of background first? yes, well, this is the _ a bit of background first? yes, well, this is the only _ a bit of background first? yes, well, this is the only service i well, this is the only service specifically aimed at children who are having gender identity issues in the uk and it has been increasingly controversial. there was a court case in the last couple of years where keira bell, a former patient, took the clinic to court, saying she hadn't been challenged enough when she started taking puberty blockers

at the age of 16 to begin transitioning from female—to—male. she then regretted the decision. there has been an ongoing review by dr hilary cass which has been highly critical of some of the things she has found, problems such as long waiting lists, rising referrals, and also, not properly understanding a change in the type of patients they were seeing and also talked about scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision—making. now, this is leading to the closure of that service and a new regional centres with wide—ranging professional expertise available for children. . ~ professional expertise available for children. ., ,, , ., professional expertise available for children. . ~' ., professional expertise available for children. ., ., ., , from today some criminal courts in england and wales are to allow filming for the very first time. this major change in the law will mean broadcasters can film judges sentencing serious criminals. our legal correspondent dominic casciani reports. would you stand up, please? the sentence i pass upon you is therefore one of life imprisonment,

with a minimum term of ten years and eight months. justice being done, and in a way like never before. the moment today that judge sarah munro qcjailed ben 0liver at the old bailey for the manslaughter of his grandfather. you will not be released by the parole board unless they conclude that you no longer pose a risk to the public. that concludes these sentencing remarks, and he may go down, thank you. from today, news channels can televise judges sentencing the most serious of criminals in england and wales, starting with cases at the old bailey. scotland already allows cameras into courts, but few cases there are ever broadcast. for more than a century, these benches have been the only way the public have been able to witness trials of gangsters like the kray twins or serial killers including peter sutcliffe. the tv cameras still won't be able to film defendants, but, for the first time, the audience will be able to watch and listen to the judge as he or she sentences serious criminals, fulfilling a maxim

of the law that not only should justice be done, it should be seen to be done. i find the defendant, 0renthaljames simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder... you won't see scenes like that. the oj simpson trial was nightly entertainment in america in 1995. in england and wales, we are banned from filming defendants, witnesses and victims. judges don't want to distress any participants in the trial, so defendants like ben 0liver today will still only be sketched by court artists, but they hope that a little more transparency will help the public understand how they really work. dominic casciani, bbc news. the latest annual climate report from the met office shows sea levels are rising much faster than a century ago. it also says the uk is warming faster than the global average. conservationists warn that plant and animal life is not evolving quickly enough to adapt to climate change. here's our science correspondent victoria gill. looking out on a coastline that is transforming more quickly than ever.

this latest met office climate report paints a stark picture of the direct impact that rising temperatures are having on landscapes like this. we know that ice sheets in greenland, in antarctica, are losing ice mass, and that mass goes to the ocean, increasing the sea level. what impact is that going to have in our coastal communities and places like this? erosion and other processes, we always have them, even if in a historical context. but the scale, rate and impact will change and it will change dramatically quite soon. the rate of sea—level rise this report confirms is accelerating, exposing more of our coastal communities to storm surges and flooding. many of us felt the heat recently, and we have seen the damage that extreme temperatures can do. but when it comes to climate change, nature, researchers say, can help us to adapt.

back in 2018, seven square miles at the top of this moorland, this is winterhill behind me, was ablaze in a wildfire about this time of year. but the restoration work that is going on here is holding water in that moor, so it is helping to offset the impacts of climate change like flooding, but also restoring that peat land and the whole ecosystem. the flow of water here is slowed by these willow branches, which keep it up in the moorland rather than running off the hill and flooding towns. ok, so this is the leaky dam? so these are leaky dams, the naturalflood management, where the aim is to hold the water to slow it down. just to slow that flow? yeah. 0k, 0k. yeah, you can see it working and see the water flowing through. you can, you get a really great view from the top. 0h, ok, let's go and have a look. come on, then! we know what we've got to do. we need those commitments from the powers that be, to commit to ensuring we still strive to get

to a carbon zero future. we can protect coastal communities from rising seas, but the waves of climate change impacts are already hitting all of us. holding them back, scientists say, is becoming increasingly urgent. victoria gill, bbc news. after 37 years and nearly 9,000 episodes, the last episode of the soap opera neighbours has screened in australia. kylie minogue and jason donovan returned for the show, offering viewers "the perfect blend" of tear—jerking nostalgia from the programme's heyday. 0ur australia correspondent shaimaa khaliljoins us from melbourne. # neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours...# it was the soundtrack for a soap opera generation. guess what? well, you're talking to me at any rate. and a tv show that turned australian suburbia... g'day. ..into a global success. you might not recognise the name, but if you have been watching neighbours over the years,

you will definitely know where we are. it is the famous ramsay street, the home of the soap. neighbours became a massive hit in the late �*80s and the early �*90s, and while many australians loved it... i'm talking to you, madge mitchell, ramsay, whatever your name is. ..it was britain where it really took off. 0h, someone else to... i couldn't walk down the street, particularly in the uk. you would just be mobbed and chased. of course, i'd be happy to but i'm a little snowed under here. we got to a time here where the post office had to put on a special delivery because they couldn't deliver all the english fanmail. 0h, right, you must be mike. the show was the launch pad for the careers of guy pearce, margot robbie and jason donovan. then, of course... charlene! ..there's kylie minogue. from suburban mechanic to the princess of pop. charlene and scott's wedding in 1987 pulled in over

20 million viewers in the uk, more than a third of the country. both the cast and story lines have become more diverse. neighbours had australia's first same—sex wedding on tv, broadcast soon after gay marriage was legalised in the country. forthe finale, neighbours stars have returned. i like to think i'm just going to hang the shoes up, or in paul's case, the suit up, and walk away. but i don't know. i think it will probably take a bit of a while to shake off. how the show ends is a closely guarded secret. the producers want the finale to be fulfilling, joyous, and a big group hug for all the fans, for whom neighbours became good friends. shaima kalil, bbc news, melbourne. # that's when good neighbours become good...friends #.