colletta smith, thank ou, business as a whole. colletta smith, thank you. in — business as a whole. is 13:20. our top story this lunchtime... pressure on america to keep troops in afghanistan longer, so more people can escape the taliban as growing evidence emerges of taliban crimes. we have also received credible reports of serious violation of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses. coming up on the bbc news channel... dancing to the top of the table — michail antonio breaks a west ham premier league goalscoring record as he scores a brace to maintain their fine start to the season against leicester. the tokyo paralympics is getting under way, with the opening ceremony taking place under strict covid rules. nearly 11,500 athletes from 162 countries will be competing, with paralympics gb our sports correspondent andy swiss has more. 364 days after it was meant to start, the waiting was finally over. despite the delay, despite the pandemic, at last, the paralympics had come to tokyo. the title for the opening ceremony is we have wings. it's set in an imaginary airpor

colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester.ing or brick—laying — but one town in devon has been giving young people training in stilt—walking, clowning and puppetry. it's part of an effort to give traditional seaside entertainment a boost, and attract more visitors. sarah ransome went to have a look. roll up, roll up, come and see the punch and judy show! echoing the past on the prom... i can go out and do funny things and spread joy and be joyful. make way! ..trainee street performers are putting into practice newly learned skills of the showman... i think we all need a laugh and we all need to feel joyous at the moment. ..in celebration of traditional seaside entertainment. in its heyday, one of the draws of the great british holiday were the professional performers. the hope is it's the same for this new generation. you see a man, six, seven, eight foot tall, walking down the street in the 18005, it will have the same reaction as right now. it's actually the same joy and the same feelings of excitement, and i don't think tha

colletta smith, bbc news, in warrington.e flames, with several weather warnings covering large areas. the prime minister says his country is in the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis as greece experiences a severe heatwave. our correspondent, bethany bell reports from athens. around athens, the hillsides are burning. people are desperately trying to put out the flames using whatever they can find. helicopters are bringing water to drop on the fires, but the scorching winds don�*t help. it�*s so dry here you can actually hear the parched branches crackle as they burn. emergency crews are struggling to stop the wildfires from spreading. this woman is trying to save her home. her husband�*s a firefighter, but she has no idea where he is. translation: i'm not leaving here, at least for as long as i can. - my house is behind here. you can see the roof. i�*m not leaving, whatever happens. the effects of the fires are devastating. villages have been burnt out, and dead animals litter the roads. and it�*s continuing. ton

colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester.ing young people training in stilt—walking, clowning and puppetry. it's part of an effort to give traditional seaside entertainment a boost, and attract more visitors. sarah ransome went to have a look. roll up, roll up, come and see the punch and judy show! echoing the past on the prom... i can go out and do funny things and spread joy and be joyful. make way! ..trainee street performers are putting into practice newly learned skills of the showman... i think we all need a laugh and we all need to feel joyous at the moment. ..in celebration of traditional seaside entertainment. in its heyday, one of the draws of the great british holiday were the professional performers. the hope is it's the same for this new generation. you see a man, six, seven, eight foot tall, walking down the street in the 1800s, it will have the same reaction as right now. it's actually the same joy and the same feelings of excitement, and i don't think that's a thing that will stop. welcome to uncle taco's flea

colletta smith, bbc news, in warrington.people have been moved from their homes in the northern suburbs of athens. there's an extreme fire warning covering many areas, with the prime minister saying his country is in the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis. our correspondent, bethany bell, is in athens for us now. how difficult is it for the authorities to get to grips with these fires? it's a very, very difficult situation. where i am here, there is a fire burning behind that mountain behind me, and the fear is that the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, and this suburb where we are now could face the flames quite soon. and since we've been here, we've seen emergency vehicles out warning people to leave their homes. people have packed up their cars to drive away from this area because the authorities have told them it's too dangerous to remain. some people, though, we spoke to one greek orthodox priest, who said, where do we go? where are we supposed to go? has the government organised this properly? and at

colletta smith, bbc news. the university of south wales followed a team — testing players preseason, mid—season and post season. the sport's governing body, world rugby, has welcomed the findings and has doubled its investment into concussion research. tomos morgan reports. commentator: shane| williams in broken play. there is a big step off the left. and there's the crushing south africa tackle. - that was one of the biggest hits i've ever taken, really, i think. shane williams became wales's top try scorer, a lion, and one of the best ever to have played on the wing. but he also took his fair share of big tackles and hit impacts, most notably the one sustained against south africa's bakkies botha in 2004. it just totally wiped me out. i knocked the ball on and south africa scored on the other side of the field, apparently. the funny thing was, i don't remember that. it wasn't until after the game, i felt a bit groggy, i felt a bit sick, but i realised that something was wrong. a new study seen exclusively by

colletta smith, bbc news, in barnsley.h government said national5, higher and advanced higher exams would be held in spring, providing public health advice allows them to take place. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon is in glasgow. so exams get the green light, but there are backup plans in place? yes, george, exams are back, but the scottish government is being upfront in saying that contingency plans are in saying that contingency plans are in place should covid create difficulties over the coming academic year. the first back—up plan is to further modify courses that have already been modified, while the second is if covid creates difficulties that mean it is not easy or reasonable for exams to take place, that they will be scrapped again for the third year running, and replaced with teacher assessed grades. well, across the uk, ministers and qualifications regulators have been clear that they expect exams to take place next year, so scotland is the first place to announce these contingency plans, but the main tea

colletta smith, bbc news. a decade. the service was led by the anglican bishop of plymouth and included contributions from the community and city leaders. sarah ransome reports. under grey clouds people remembered one of the darkest days in plymouth. they came to remember the victims of the shooting in kim last week. 0fficials, representatives of emergency services and residents came to pause and reflect. taste emergency services and residents came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense — came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense of— came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense of sadness _ came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense of sadness and _ came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense of sadness and sorrow. l came to pause and reflect. we feel a l deep sense of sadness and sorrow. we stand alongside those who are bereaved and injured and distressed. we weep with those who weep. we cry as the writer of that song dollars, out of the depths of despair. that as the writer of that song

colletta smith reports.hat's what will be happening from the 1st of october. i know a lot of families, they're strictly on the line, aren't they? so even a £20 is a lot of money, isn't it? it's food for their week. it'll impact everyone on prepayment metres or the default standard variable tariffs. that's half of all the households in britain. ofgem insists the changes are necessary because of the rising wholesale costs of energy. we've seen an increase in fossil fuel prices across the board, actually. not just gas and electricity but also petrol and diesel. we've had to feed that through to the calculation and into the price cap. now, what the price cap does is it makes sure we don't go back to the bad old days where companies charged unfair profits on top of the amount that you pay, but, clearly, when input costs change that limit needs to change. the autumn is when we stick on our heating and electricity so much more, but it's also a moment that furlough comes to an end and universal credit is being cut.

colletta smith, bbc news, manchester. watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol hello again. today we have started off on a fairly cloudy note with some patchy light rain and some drizzle. really that is going to be the forecast for the next few days. you can add cool into that as well, temperatures below average for this stage in august. this weather front has been producing rain, now clearing off onto the near continent, you see from the isobars which are quite close together that it's going to be breezy. cloudy as we head into the afternoon for most, with that patchy light rain and drizzle, particularly on the coastal hills. it should brighten up at times across shetland, parts of eastern scotland, north—east england, south—east wales, dorset and the west country, these white circles represent the average wind speed, as you see it's really breezy. temperatures today 14 to about 20 degrees, yesterday, the top temperature was in strathallan in perth and kinross, reaching 21.8, not expecting th

colletta smith, bbc news, in barnsley. them to take place. new analysis suggests sixth form colleges in england face a big fall in funding per pupil. the institute for fiscal studies says an extra 570 million pounds is needed to keep up with the rising number of students. the trial of the grammy—award winning us singer r kelly got under way today at a us federal court in new york. the r&b star is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery — charges which he has denied. if the singer is convicted on all counts he could face ten years to life in prison. samira hussain reports. for r kelly's many accusers, this federal court in brooklyn is where, finally, their voices may be heard. jonjelyn savage is here. for years, she has been pushing for charges against kelly. she says her daughter had been held captive by the musician. the opening statements will open some people's eyes to what we have been knowing for the last five and a half years, when we started this journey, because we knew something wasn't right and we knew

colletta smith, bbc news, in warrington. joining us now is peter smith.ease was predicted because of the rise in gas prices. the obvious question first is what impact is not likely to have on household bills? well, the near—term impact is the household will be receiving the news that they're likely to see a very significant increase, the biggest their regulator has a good introduced since the cap was introduced. this at a time when millions of households would see huge reductions in their incomes. as a result of furlough coming to an end or the end of the uplift to universal credit. all the while, wholesale prices are soaring and inflation for other items like food is soaring, so it's a very difficult picture. we understand is a charity all too well the impact this will have, specifically in terms of the physical impact. it's likely to badly hit existing people with conditions such as respiratory illness and circulatory problems, which means they're far more likely to see repeated hospital admission this winter at the time when the nhs is absolutely strug

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports. three burgers, smoking joe.... colletta smith, bbc news. i'm off to get a takeaway! george is “p i'm off to get a takeaway! george is up next with the news at at the weather. good evening. the weather is stuck in a rut at the moment and for the rest of this week we will hold on to the area of high pressure which is across the north west. it will feed on a lot of cloud, particularly across central, northern and eastern areas where we could see drizzle but the will be some sunshine, much like we have seen across the last couple of days. this is the area of high pressure, allowing this cloud and breeze, which will be quite fresh at times. bringing the cloud often sea. carried this evening for many, overnight as well, that will be thicker with the odd spot of drizzle in the east. but if you holding onto that cloud where it could turn quite chilly over the clear skies but for most where we have the breeze and cloud, 10 to 12 celsius. starting wednesday on a dell note, the cow to cow enough —— they cloud thicker. making

colletta smith reports.ncrease in energy bills in the autumn is a worrying one. but that is what will be happening from the 1st of october. i know a lot of families are strictly on the line, so even £20 is a lot of money, isn't it? it's food for the week. it will impact everyone on prepayment metres or the default standard variable tariff. that is half of all the households in britain. ofgem insists the changes are necessary because of the rising in wholesale energy.— wholesale energy. we've seen an increase in _ wholesale energy. we've seen an increase in not _ wholesale energy. we've seen an increase in notjust _ wholesale energy. we've seen an increase in notjust gas _ wholesale energy. we've seen an increase in notjust gas and - increase in notjust gas and electricity but also gas and diesel and we had to feed that into the price cap and the price cap means we do not go back to the bad old days where companies charge unfair profits but clearly when input costs to change that limit needs to change. the au

colletta smith, bbc news, in winsford.ave a massive impact because in business? in the main it will not i have a massive impact because in the main school uniform and schools around the country are pretty sensible with their uniform policy and also they very much consider what parents want and need in terms of a sensible balance between school specific uniform and plain uniform which you can buy across the high street. tt which you can buy across the high street. ., , ,., which you can buy across the high street. ., , , , , which you can buy across the high street. .,, , , , .,, which you can buy across the high street. , , , street. if it was so sensible as you describe, street. if it was so sensible as you describe. why _ street. if it was so sensible as you describe, why would _ street. if it was so sensible as you describe, why would parents i street. if it was so sensible as you describe, why would parents be i describe, why would parents be resorting to uniform swaps and seeing as we heard that one of them spent more

colletta smith, bbc news, in winsford.iking that balance but first my colleague has been taking a look at our love for the uk getaway. from brighton to bournemouth, the south coast is just one area that has seen record numbers of tourists this summer. it has been so busy, even hotel managers like olivia o'sullivan have had to help clean rooms. been full pretty much since we started, probably about 96% occupancy. is it sustainable? i don't know. once anything else opens up, i don't know if people will come back to the uk. but it's notjust beach resorts. here at salisbury cathedral, city—break seekers have also been flocking in. has staycation saved the day for the cathedral? it has certainly made a huge difference. we are seeing people coming to salisbury and salisbury cathedral from right across the country, so we are feeling very positive about the future, but knowing that we still have quite a long way to go. but the issue now is what happens next. as the summer tapers away, they've got the autumn to think of, but, cruci

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more. minutes. but like so much restaurant food, this order won't be eaten here. a mile or so down the road... ..sarah and her family are waiting for lunch to arrive. we usually get one once a week, don't we, sophie? it's like a fun night. i don't know whether they prefer a takeaway to mummy�*s cooking — i wouldn't like to say that's what it is, but... itjust feels as if you're doing something kind of fancy, you know? even if you are not. and you think you're eating a little bit more takeaway then you had been pre—pandemic? i don't want to put it on camera that i'm eating more takeaways than i normally would. i've even managed to rope my mum and dad into getting takeaways, and they've never been big fans. definitely in this area, we are quite rural, so it's not quite as easy to get things delivered — but i think it's ramped up a lot. takeaways boomed during lockdown as one of the few remaining treats. but 18 months on, habits have stuck — the average spend on takeaways has gone up by more t

colletta smith, bbc news, in winsford.ol uniform the other day. particularly a well—known high street shoe shop, with the restrictions and everything, the key was quite long. i remember those days! it is 13 minutes past six, do get in touch about that and anything else that you want to. the situation in afghanistan leads on most of the front pages this morning. the times reports that borisjohnson has a promise to recognise the taliban if they prevent attacks being launched from afghanistan. the guardian leads with the story that afghanistan has assured world leaders that it will allow more people to leave the country amid what the paper describes as escalating tensions and bloodshed in kabul. the daily telegraph reports that afghan commandos could fight for the uk in the same way as gurkhas under proposals put to ministers. it also carries a picture of us presidentjoe biden standing in front of the coffin of one of the 13 american troops killed in the attack at kabul airport last week. and home safe is the daily express he

colletta smith, bbc news, nearwakefield. the five people killed in last week's shooting — the worst mass shooting in the uk for a decade. the service was led by the anglican bishop of plymouth — and included contributions from the community and city leaders. sarah ransome reports. under grey clouds people remembered one of the darkest days in plymouth. they came to remember the victims of the shooting in keyham last week. 0fficials, representatives of emergency services and residents came to pause and reflect. we feel a deep sense of sadness and sorrow. we stand alongside those who are bereaved and injured and distressed. we weep with those who weep. we cry as the writer of that song does, out of the depths of despair. at the heart of the service is a poignant act of remembrance, five candles lit for the five people killed byjake davison, who then turned the gun on himself. so we hold a minute of silence to remember before god maxine davison, sophie martyn, lee martyn, stephen washington, kate sheppard. six days ago this cit

if you're wondering what on earth is going on, our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith can, because of supply chain problems. they won't go into more detail than that, but it's a refrain that's becoming very familiar now across the food industry. last week, it was nando's saying that they've run out of supplies of fresh chicken, causing the closure of 50 stores for a couple of days. now it's mcdonald's�* turn. behind all of that is the issues with hgb drivers and the shortages across the logistics sector. that's really come to a head because of brexit, covid, and delays in tests or hgv drivers — all coming to a head at the same moment. mcdonald's, of course, famous for the big mack and fries — but they're actually one of the largest drinks retailers in the uk, so more supply chain problems for them will have a big knock—on effect on the business as a whole. now time for the weather. hello. the weather is expected to remain settled for the rest of august, lots of dry and bright weather on the way. warm enough in the sunshine. hence it will keep things dry for us. but it's no

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more.ting hold of chicken, that they had to shut for a good few days until those supply issues were worked out. now, a lot of that was caused because of a shortage of hgv drivers, so those big delivery lorry drivers, and that is caused by a whole number of reasons that have piled together over recent weeks, and that is because of brexit, of course, with many eu national drivers leaving the uk or not returning to the uk after covid. there have also been real problems because of covid that there haven't been as many driving tests that have been able to take place over the last year, and that is really caused a bottleneck in the system for hgv drivers. and of course covid itself. many are perhaps sick and are being pinged from having to self—isolate. when you get those kind of supply chain issues in the system is a home in the system as a whole you do get gluts in certain areas, and when you are making decisions across a whole big wide system like mcdonald's do across all of the restaurants in

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more.lly get one once a week, don't we, sophie? it's like a fun night. i don't know whether they prefer a takeaway to mummy�*s cooking — i wouldn't like to say that's what it is, but... itjust feels as if you're doing something kind of fancy, you know? even if you are not. and you think you're eating a little bit more takeaway then you had been pre—pandemic? i don't want to put it on camera that i'm eating more takeaways than i normally would. i've even managed to rope my mum and dad into getting takeaways, and they've never been big fans. definitely in this area, we are quite rural, so it's not quite as easy to get things delivered — but i think it's ramped up a lot. takeaways boomed it during lockdown as one of the few remaining treats. but 18 months on, habits have stuck — the average spend on takeaways has gone up by more than 40% over the last couple of years. in 2019, it was £450. it has jumped 200 pounds by 2021. lam used i am used to this. i think it is worth— i am used to this. i t

colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester. you're watching bbc breakfast. still to come... 'll have that shortly, and bring you the latest news and weather. now it's time for the weather with carol. good morning. if you are stepping out there is some missed my grandma got run of this morning, particularly on the coasts and hills. on the trans— pennine route... forthe hills. on the trans— pennine route... for the next few days what you have got is what you are going to hang onto. cool and cloudy conditions with rain at times. some rain courtesy of these front pushing south—east. you can see from the proximity of the isobars it is going to be a breezy day. nothing untoward. the breeze coming from the north—west. it is feeding and a lot of moisture in the shape of cloud. here is the weather front eventually clearing away from the south—east, leaving in its wake some patchy rain. there will be some brightness coming through as well, particularly so across shetland, eastern scotland, south—east wales, down towards dorset, the west country. as that rain clears away will see a brig

concerns about the amount of personal data being collected. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith would be dreaming for the app, i wouldn't go anywhere near the bar. you end up with ten different passwords, greene king, wetherspoons, i've got so many different apps. postcode, e—mail, there seems like a lot of irrelevant information that you don't technically need. the information is irrelevant, i we all know it's kind of the cost you have to pay almost, i think. the data watchdog wants customers to be careful not to give away too many personal details. if you think about an ordering app, what information is necessary it needs to be relevant to the order and it also needs to be not excessive. if you are a member of the public and you're filling in your details and you think, hang on a second, you want my name and address, you want all my personal details, question it. if it feels excessive, just pause for a second. we've been in touch with the biggest pub chains, who all say their apps are we've been in touch with the biggest pub chains, who all say their apps are here to stay. the

our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports.s sitting but also with click—and—collect an and also on delivery apps like deliveroo and ubereats so it is quite interesting, really. ubereats so it is quite interesting, reall . ., ubereats so it is quite interesting, reall. ., , ,. ubereats so it is quite interesting, reall, ., , , . really. had you been expecting this? or had ou really. had you been expecting this? or had you been _ really. had you been expecting this? or had you been expecting _ really. had you been expecting this? or had you been expecting things - or had you been expecting things very quickly to settle back into a more conventional pattern? i was ex - ectin . more conventional pattern? i was expecting on _ more conventional pattern? i was expecting on the _ more conventional pattern? i was expecting on the 17th _ more conventional pattern? i was expecting on the 17th of- more conventional pattern? i was expecting on the 17th of may - more conventional pattern? i —" expecting on the 17th of may for things to go b