yesterday at the age of 69. it's understood the former msp collapsed after delivering a speech at an international conference in north macedonia. kamala harris has released her medical records ahead of the presidential election, which conclude she is in �*excellent health�*. following the disclosure, the democratic nominee accused donald trump of a lack of transparency over — not releasing his own health records. stargazers have been treated to a glimpse of the �*comet of the century�*— and it�*s the last time it�*ll visit earth for another 80,000 years. hello. it has just it hasjust gone it has just gone half past ten. welcome to bbc news.

king charles has led tributes to the former scottish first minister — alex salmond — who�*s died aged 69. the king said mr salmond�*s �*devotion to scotland drove his decades of public service�*. salmond�*s successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, said he had been her mentor and that "for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in uk politics". the alba party founder — and former snp leader — is thought to have suffered a heart attack during a trip to north macedonia yesterday. there will be a post—mortem examination. earlier we spoke to first minister of scotland, john swinney. i asked him what he will remember most about alex salmond. he transformed the snp from a party on the fringes of scottish politics to becoming the government of scotland, and then he took our country so incredibly posed to scottish independence. i will remember

him as a significant figure who transformed our politics and the opportunities for scotland to become an independent country. and at this moment of his untimely death, i express my condolences to his wife and family at this very sad time. what was he like to work with personally? he what was he like to work with personally?— personally? he was a given individual. _ personally? he was a given individual. he _ personally? he was a given individual. he had - personally? he was a given individual. he had a - personally? he was a given individual. he had a very i individual. he had a very purposeful agenda that he was pursuing, whether that was about getting us to a position where we had greater electoral success, where we could win elections and we won an elections and we won an election in 2007 for the first time under his leadership, so once we got into government, he was very driven about serving the people of scotland and about advancing the arguments of independence. i certainly remember an individual who was incredibly driven around his politics, and our prospects. also someone who was a significant strategic thinker

about how to advance our agenda. about how to advance our aaenda. about how to advance our agenda-— about how to advance our aaenda. . ., ., about how to advance our aaenda. ., ., ., ., agenda. he did manage to do that, he took— agenda. he did manage to do that, he took the _ agenda. he did manage to do that, he took the snp - agenda. he did manage to do that, he took the snp from . agenda. he did manage to do that, he took the snp from a| that, he took the snp from a small party into government. that�*s right, over the course of alex salmond�*s political career, he went into parliament in 1987 when the snp had three members of parliament, and over the course of the next few decades, he led a team of us who got the snp into government in 2007, and we have been in government ever since. 0f government ever since. of course, the electoral success that we experienced got us to a position whereby we were able to force the agenda on the constitutional question and we came very close to winning independence in the referendum independence in the referendum in 2014. it is undeniable, of course, this has come forward and all of the commentary there has been in the course of the

last few hours, a recognition that alex salmond made a significant impact on the politics of scotland, the united kingdom and further afield. because of the effectiveness of the approach that he took. in effectiveness of the approach that he took.— effectiveness of the approach that he took. in recent years, he left the — that he took. in recent years, he left the snp, _ that he took. in recent years, he left the snp, set - that he took. in recent years, he left the snp, set up - that he took. in recent years, he left the snp, set up the i he left the snp, set up the alba party and had a rift with his successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon. mil minister, nicola sturgeon. all these minister, nicola sturgeon. fill these things have taken place in what i would certainly accept is a difficult few years. there was plenty of time to reflect on all of these issues. at this moment, it is undeniable that alex salmond was a significant figure who transformed the politics of scotland and took our country incredibly close to becoming an independent country. and i think in the aftermath of all of that, generations of people in scotland today who believe in scotland today who believe in scottish independence, who believe that is the right way

forward for our country, and what is important is that those of us who now take forward that argument have got to make sure that we deliver on that objective. and transform the prospects of scotland as an independent country.- prospects of scotland as an independent country. what will our independent country. what will your abiding — independent country. what will your abiding memory _ independent country. what will your abiding memory be - independent country. what will your abiding memory be of - independent country. what will| your abiding memory be of alex salmond? i your abiding memory be of alex salmond? .., , your abiding memory be of alex salmond? .. , , salmond? i can vividly remember drivin: to salmond? i can vividly remember driving to edinburgh _ salmond? i can vividly remember driving to edinburgh the - salmond? i can vividly remember driving to edinburgh the day - driving to edinburgh the day after the 2007 election, and hearing alex salmond speaking from edinburgh where he had arrived and essentially said that because we had won the election, scotland had changed and would change forever as a consequence. i rememberfeeling consequence. i remember feeling at consequence. i rememberfeeling at that moment all of the years of endeavour that we had all done, it suddenly reached fulfilment because we had the opportunity to shape the future of our country in the way that we had never had before. that is an extraordinary privilege

that we are able to build on today. that we are able to build on toda . , ~ , g ., today. first ministerjohn swinney _ today. first ministerjohn swinney talking - today. first ministerjohn swinney talking to - today. first ministerjohn swinney talking to me i today. first ministerjohn - swinney talking to me earlier on. my next guest geoff aberdein — a good friend of mr salmond — who worked as his chief of staff for years. this is what he posted on x: let�*s speak to geoff aberdein — alex salmond�*s former chief of staff. emotional words from you. i know you were a close friend of alex salmond and we appreciate

you joining us. tell me what he was like as a person. he you joining us. tell me what he was like as a person.— was like as a person. he was a fierce intellect _ was like as a person. he was a fierce intellect and _ was like as a person. he was a fierce intellect and extremely l fierce intellect and extremely charismatic politician. he was a hard task master, there is no getting away from it, but he never asked me to do anything he wasn�*t willing to do himself. that�*s how he led the country and that�*s how people in scotland should want their first minister to be. as i said in my tribute, i was nearly crying, by reading it out, i didn�*t expect that, none of what the snp achieved in those years would have been possible without him. his leadership, a great team alongside him, nicola sturgeon, john swinney, and a good team of advisers. he was the generational leader that the snp needed at the time to make the breakthrough into mainstream of the body politic. can you explain that for people who do not know about scottish politics? how did he manage to transform the snp from that small party right through to

him leading the government? when i started out with him, at westminster, at that time, the snp had six mps, but they were leading the charge on issues such as the opposition to the iraq war and such as the opposition to the iraq warand the such as the opposition to the iraq war and the cash for owners crisis for those who remember that. owners crisis for those who rememberthat. his owners crisis for those who remember that. his whole point was to create a row, he was a great protest politician. when we won the election in 2007 on the back of a largely a lot of his profile, it was the making of him as a politician. i also think it was the making of the possession of first minister of scotland. it was known as the scottish executive, we took office in 2007, it became emphatically a scottish government. that is how he lied. he led from the top. you lead from the front. he transcended those who went before him. what i reflect the most is force of well character was so important in the early years when the rest of us were a bit fish out of water, not

understanding what to do in government, he took to it to the manor born. i government, he took to it to the manor born.— government, he took to it to the manor born. i think it was michael portillo _ the manor born. i think it was michael portillo who - the manor born. i think it was michael portillo who said - michael portillo who said he was a scottish politician, but was a scottish politician, but was one of the few scottish politicians that was known across the uk. we politicians that was known across the uk.— politicians that was known across the uk. we have seen tributes from _ across the uk. we have seen tributes from the _ across the uk. we have seen tributes from the former - across the uk. we have seen l tributes from the former prime minister david cameron, and the current feminist keir starmer, and that is evidence of someone who made an impact will be on the scottish border. when we consider his time in office, for all the good and bad and the rest of it, no one can take away from him that he was a substantial generational politician.— substantial generational olitician. ., ,., ., politician. on that point, how important — politician. on that point, how important was _ politician. on that point, how important was the _ politician. on that point, how important was the 2014 - important was the 2014 referendum that many people believe it was him that secured that with the prime minister david cameron? in that with the prime minister david cameron?— that with the prime minister david cameron? , ., david cameron? in the run-up to 2014, we had — david cameron? in the run-up to 2014, we had the _ david cameron? in the run-up to 2014, we had the edinburgh - 2014, we had the edinburgh agreement in 2012 that said both sides, the uk and scottish

governments would respect the outcome of a referendum. was a unique moment undoubtedly. he strategically laid that discussion, the negotiation with the prime minister at that time. i pay tribute to people like nicola sturgeon and john swinney, it was that powerful triumvirate. formidable politicians. but without the leadership of alex salmond, we would not have had the referendum or the breakthrough election in 2011, a proportional system that we got a majority, designed to stop that. and we managed to achieve it. without his leadership, i do not think that would have been possible. it do not think that would have been possible.— been possible. it has been a shock for— been possible. it has been a shock for everyone - been possible. it has been a shock for everyone in - been possible. it has been a l shock for everyone in scotland and the rest of the uk, where does this leave scottish politics, in particular the alba party which he left the snp to set up? i alba party which he left the snp to set up?— alba party which he left the snp to set up? i truly hope his untimely death _ snp to set up? i truly hope his untimely death sparks - snp to set up? i truly hope his untimely death sparks perhaps

more unity in the movement. i am no longer involved in politics. but i do hope that people reflect on his contribution to political discourse in scotland, and perhaps put away their differences, and try and unite behind that cause. when he resigned, i was in the room when you put the final touches to his resignation speech in 2014, he finished by saying in terms of independence, the dream shall never die. the dream shall never die. the dream is not dead largely due to the actions of alex salmond, it is not for others to keep it alive. �* , it is not for others to keep it alive. �* _, .., it is not for others to keep it alive. �* , ,, . ., ., alive. any special memories? what is the — alive. any special memories? what is the one _ alive. any special memories? what is the one abiding - alive. any special memories? what is the one abiding thing| what is the one abiding thing that you will remember him. every sunday night, he would call me at ten o�*clock to discuss the political agenda for the week ahead. you might think, a sunday night, nobody wants to do that. those conversations, after five or ten minutes of politics, we spoke about horse racing or football, or golf. itreasure those moments.—

those moments. really appreciate _ those moments. really appreciate your - those moments. really appreciate your time i those moments. really i appreciate your time after those moments. really - appreciate your time after that shock loss for you yesterday. to the united states now and the race to be the next president. kamala harris has challenged her rival donald trump to release his medical records, to prove he�*s fit for the job. the vice—president was speaking after the white house published a medical report that says she — is in "excellent health" and fit for the presidency. ms harris accused mr trump — who�*s 78 — and his team, of a lack of transparency for not disclosing his health records. it�*s just a further example of his lack of transparency. that on top of his unwillingness to debate again, his unwillingness to do an interview with 60 minutes, which again is part of the norm of what anyone running for president of the united states does. and i think that it�*s obvious that his team at least does not want the american people to see everything about who he is. donald trump�*s most detailed records came

more than six years ago, in 2018. without revealing his health records, mr trump steam quoted his doctor as saying that he was in perfect and excellent health to be commander in chief. if elected in november, donald trump would be the oldest president in us history by the end of his term. the former president has been attending a rally in coachella in california, and he had his message for his supporters. now look at this stuff. can you believe what we are doing? she�*s so bad, she�*s so bad. it can�*t happen. although the way things go in this country nowadays, i guess it probably could. that�*s why we want to build up a lead. we�*ve got to build up that lead because such bad things. and we�*ve got to do it, and i don�*t want to keep saying it — too big to rig, i don�*t want to say it. she�*s imported an army of illegal alien gang members and migrant criminals from the dungeons

of the third world. they come from the dungeons of the third world. we have a special section on line including the very latest poll tracker which currently shows kamala harris is ahead of trump in the national polls. that�*s on the bbc news website. spacex is poised for the latest launch of its super heavy reusable sta rship rocket system in the coming hours. it s the fifth test of the world s most powerful rocket, and the launch could see the elon musk company attempt to return the rocket�*s boosters to their launch pad — in what could prove to be a major milestone for the project. here s our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. it�*s the largest, most powerful rocket ever built. mission control: ignition. two. ..one. .. one day, starship will take astronauts to the moon, maybe even to mars.

but right now, it�*s still in its testing stage. this is what happened when starship was launched mission control: ignition. this is what happened when starship was launched in april last year. disappointed sounds. cheering and applause. but there were cheers because spacex�*s development process involves making mistakes and learning from them, so things go better next time — and they did. fast forward to its most recent test flight injune this year — a flawless launch. not only that, after its lower booster rocket separated, it splashed down safely in the ocean, achieving its first soft landing, so it could be recovered and potentially reused. today, it�*ll be attempting something that�*as never been done before, as we see in this spacex animation. rather than splashdown, the booster will slow itself down and descend gently back towards the launch pad

for the giant arms to catch it in what�*s known as the �*chopsticks manoeuvre�*. spacex�*s idea is to have fully reusable spacecraft and rocket launchers, so the idea is these will land safely back on earth and be reused. this would speed up the turnaround of launching payloads, it would bring down the costs. everything will have to go right for the attempt to succeed and even if it doesn�*t, flight teams will learn from the experience and try it again next time. pallab ghosh, bbc news. the flight window opens at one o�*clock uk time. we will keep an eye on the launch pad and take you live to it when it takes. stargazers got a treat on saturday night when a rare comet was seen from earth. comet a3 has been called the "comet of the century" because of how

bright and visible it can be. and this isn�*t the first time it�*s been spotted as it was also visible to the naked eye last month for the first time in a whopping 80,000 yea rs. nasa earth observatory predicted that it would come within about 70 million kilometres of earth on saturday and this an image taken by dr robert massey who was out comet—spotting. dr massey is deputy executive director of the royal astronomical society and he explained what it was like to view the comet. if you want to see it you don�*t have to go to bed particularly late, because it is visible up to sunset. so, not too bad a time of the night at all. and the answer is it is not bad. you go out, i think it is set to get a bit better in the uk, but you look, maybe half an hour after sunset, as the sky is darkening, you see this hazy glow, it helps to get

a pair of binoculars, with a tail coming up above it, just as you would expect. i was out with various people. 0nce we�*d seen it through binoculars, we could then see it with our eye. the prediction is the next few days should be the best time. it should improve. if you didn�*t see it last night, that is just the beginning of it for us in the northern hemisphere. in the southern hemisphere they have had views for quite awhile 110w. wherever you are in the world is following the sundown as the sun sets, as the earth turns. so, the time to look is in the evening sky. look over in the west. if you look up for your location, there are various apps that you can use and find out where things in the sky, where you are in the sky where you look. of the general advice is, look in the west, half an hour after sunset, may be a little earlier, but not much before because the sky will be too bright. and as the sky darkened, as the sun goes down, the comet should become more visible. after more than 20 years of research, a scientific study

led by the university of granada has concluded new findings on the heritage of christopher columbus. the dna they uncovered suggests a jewish origin, challenging the long—held belief that columbus was italian from genoa. according to the research, featured in a documentary for spanish television, its likely columbus was born in western europe, possibly in valencia. it�*s thought colombus concealed hisjewish ethnicity or converted to catholicism to escape religious persecution. dyslexia is a condition that affects around 1 in 10 people and can lead to difficulties with skills including reading, writing or spelling. despite its prevalence, many of those living with the condition say finding the right level of support can prove challenging. 0ur reporter anna varle has been to meet some of those making a difference. are you k...idding? are you kidding? reading and writing is a struggle for 0rla...

why are you e—ven — even... ..but her teachers here are trained in dyslexia and do everything they can to give her the help she needs. sometimes, like, dyslexia feels like a power to me, because that makes me special. sometimes, ijust feel, like, frustrated, confused — and that�*s all right and i don�*t mind that because you won�*t get in trouble here because they — they — you — you — they calm you down, the teachers, and everybody. so, you've done 728. schools in cornwall can sign up with the council to get training in how to teach students with dyslexia. the budget for all schools includes sen funding but head teacher evey says they still have to get creative to meet children�*s�* needs. i love being a head teacher, i love being a senco, but it is really, really tricky to get the funding to support the children. it�*s fantastic to see

the provision that this school is offering children like 0rla with dyslexia, but other local dyslexia groups across the region say that provision in schools can be hit and miss because of the funding. research by the british dyslexia association shows almost 70% of parents in this region say they can no longer find any local services for dyslexia. many support group have paused or reduced services because of a lack of volunteers to man them. but one group which is continuing to field hundreds of requests for help every year is dyslexia cornwall. laura�*s mum started the group back in 1991. dyslexic difficulties were seen as poor behaviour, and that was not how it was, and i think that feeling of injustice, of being told off for something you haven�*t done, is really big as a child and really started to affect my self—esteem. laura and barbara now

help run the group. next month, it�*ll start a pilot project to support those aged 16—plus get a level 4 in gcse maths and english. it's aimed at students who have a diagnosis of dyscalculia or dyslexia who have not obtained a level 4 in maths and english. the course we're running, we've put it together, actually gives them all of the things they need to make sure that they get that level 4, which is the gateway to going onto a—levels and other things. the department for education says for too long, children and young people with send have been let down by a system that�*s not working. it says there�*s no magic wand, but it will act as quickly as possible to ensure the best for every child. anna varle, bbc news. there�*s a warning that a growing number of american sweets and snacks — deemed illegal due to the levels of harmful additives they contain —

are finding their way onto the uk market. trading standards say many of the products contain unauthorised ingredients, with some linked to cancer and organ failure, our reporter david lumb has more. i am recording in sound and vision today as well, so i�*m going to give you a privacy notice. leek, staffordshire... you�*ve got a lot of american candy that we believe has got has prohibited ingredients. so, what i mean by that is some of them can cause cancer, so they�*re actually illegal in the uk. ..a crackdown on illegal sweets and drinks. so, mineral oil, that�*s cancer—causing. in terms of these particular products, so we have a number of the mountain dew ones, within this, we can see it contains edta. so, again, this is a banned ingredient in the uk and it can cause kidney failure and lots of other issues in terms of organ failure. staffordshire trading standards visited more than 50 shops like this last year. £8,000 worth of sweets

and drinks were seized. it�*s not just here. in worcestershire, sweets containing the unauthorised additives have also been found, and the problem is growing. we have seen quite an increase in this type of food product that�*s featuring in the uk and we think that�*s sort of linked to trends on tiktok and other social media. there are dangers within them with those having those banned ingredients, and we also know that by selling these types of products, they�*re sold in premises that have other types of criminality — we see illegal tobacco, illicit vapes are being sold as well, and we know that there�*s those wider links into organised crime. siren wails. 0perations like this up the m6 aim to stop banned foods arriving in the first place. can we have a look in the back? on this day, no illegal sweets but a shipment of meat incorrectly labelled. millions and millions of pounds of contraband goods are shipped up and down the country on a daily basis, all

in innocuous—looking vehicles perhaps you wouldn't look twice at but all out there. their only intention is to make money at the expense to public health. back in the shop, a lot of the items seized are the american versions of products, where the rules are different. and we�*ve got... 0fficers also seized thousands of pounds of illegal tobacco and vapes. the owner of the shop is overseas. he�*ll be contacted. officers can prosecute, but normally issue a warning. so, we�*ll take them. they expect to carry out more visits like this over the coming weeks and months. david lumb, bbc news. now the origin of this next event isn�*t very politically correct — the annual north american wife carrying championship has taken place in maine. traditionally the sport event featured men carrying women. but on saturday, competing couples didn t have to be married, nor did they have

to be a man and a woman. more than 30 couples had to try and compete a 254 metre race including splashing through water, leaping over logs and trudging through mud— all while carrying their partner like a sack of potatoes. the champion leaves with the weight of the wife in beer and five times the wife�*s weight in cash. now it�*s time for a look at the weather. good afternoon. it was a cold start to this morning, many of our temperatures in low single figures, butjust the right amount of high cloud reflecting the sunlight to produce a very beautiful sunrise for many of us. we are keeping those sunny skies for the rest of today. it will be dry but the sunshine be hazy with high cloud. feeling chilly. the cold air is marked

in blue here. it gets swept away as we head into next week. things will be turning warmer and waiter. more of that in a moment. it is looking bright for the rest of today. windy towards the north sea facing coast, the cloud thickening from the west. a lot of high cloud. northern ireland, patches of rain into scotland too. temperatures lower than they have been, eight to 11 celsius north to south. milder than that in the far south and west. there is an approaching weather front that will bring outbreaks of rain in england and wales as we head through tonight. clearskies and wales as we head through tonight. clear skies further north, and towards the south, temperatures will rise through the night as the mild air seats then. starting off with cloud for england and wales tomorrow, outbreaks of rain across east anglia which will clear. the best of the sunshine for the far north of england, scotland and northern ireland. told in

the north. mild airfilters through further south. higher temperatures here. in a southerly wind rose then as the high pitches east on tuesday. it could be a mate start with the moist air, mist and fog. some sunshine, based towards the north on high ground. 0utbreaks the north on high ground. outbreaks of rain pushing into north—west scotland and northern ireland on. temperatures in the mid—teens in celsius is for much england and wales, chilly further north and wales, chilly further north and turning wet from the west on wednesday. it could contain the remnants of the hurricane. look at the temperatures on wednesday, the mild air, highs of 21 celsius in the south. it is called for the rest of today, temperatures rise into next week but it will be wet and windy at times. bye.

live from jerusalem, this is bbc news. i this is bbc news. am lyse doucet. the main news this i am lyse doucet. the main news this hour. lebanon�*s health ministry says 15 people have been killed by air strikes in the country, as israel continues its offensive against hezbollah. the israeli military says hezbollah militants fired more

than 300 missiles into israel on saturday. in other news — king charles leads tributes to scotland�*s former first minister, alex salmond, who died yesterday at the age of 69. kamala harris challenges her election rival donald trump to release his medical records to prove he�*s fit to become us president. and hot air balloons paint the skies over new mexico at the international balloon fiesta. thank you for watching bbc news, you join us in israel as we continue special coverage of this widening war right across the region. we will start with the region. we will start with the latest from lebanon where the latest from lebanon where the health ministry says at least 15 lebanese were killed in the latest israeli air strikes across the country.

israel is now targeting villages