26/07/2017 BBC News at Ten

No new diesel or petrol vehicles after 2040 -

the Government's plans to tackle pollution.

The aim is to encourage us all to switch to zero-emission

We have to get rid of petrol and diesel cars off our roads

if we're going to make sure that not only do we deal with the health

problems that air pollution causes but also that we meet

But some feel the plan doesn't do enough

to lift the smog hanging over towns and cities now.

We're very disappointed with this plan, it is unambitious,

and it kicks the can down the road, rather than dealing

with the urgent issue of air quality which is affecting people right now.

And local councils will be given money to reduce pollution

by reconfiguring roads and improving public transport.

Also tonight, huge forest fires in the south of France

force 10,000 people to flee, including many British tourists.

Donald Trump goes to war with transgender people

in the military, saying he'll ban them.

Making people pay for an employment tribunal is unlawful.

The Government has to pay back tens of millions of pounds.

And Adam Peaty does it again - a second gold medal

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News, Novak Djokovic is taking time

off to recover from an elbow injury, a problem that forced him to retire

Environmental and health campaigners have criticised the Government's

long-awaited clean-air strategy, saying it doesn't go far or fast

enough to tackle pollution in our towns and cities.

The plan, ordered by the High Court, includes a ban on new petrol

and diesel vehicles from 2040, and measures which could allow local

councils much sooner to change road layouts,

remove speed humps, or penalise the dirtiest vehicles.

The aim is to encourage us all to switch to electric vehicles.

Here's our science editor, David Shukman.

On the worst days, the pollution hangs like a mist over our cities.

The gases and particles cause asthma and heart trouble, maybe dementia.

And there's evidence that dirty air shortens lives,

linked to an estimated 40,000 premature deaths in

And the biggest source of pollution is diesel engines,

So the Government has a vision for a future

Norway will do this by 2025, France by 2040, and that's the year

the Government here has set to move away from conventional engines.

We have to get rid of petrol and diesel cars off our roads

if we're going to make sure not only that we deal with the health

problems that air pollution causes, but also that we meet

And the good news is that the car industry is already

ARCHIVE: At the Austin motor works in Birmingham,

Anglo-American cooperation has resulted in a new small car...

This is another potentially momentous step,

because there's a long, proud history of petrol and diesel engines

These are machines that have shaped the way we live and work.

But for the sake of everyone's health, their days are now numbered.

The headline of a ban by 2040 on sales of new petrol and diesel

cars and vans is certainly eye-catching,

but what about tackling pollution now?

Well, a couple of months ago, the Government's own advisers said

the best way to do that would be to have clean-air zones in towns

That idea is not in the new plan issued today.

Instead, ministers want local councils to take action.

They suggest councils might remove speed bumps,

so cars don't slow down and accelerate,

They say old buses can be fitted with new filters to make them clean,

And they may, as a last resort, allow councils to impose charges

But scrapping the most polluting diesels, which local authorities

have pushed for, is not on the Government agenda,

and the councils are worried they're being asked

to fight pollution without enough cash.

At the moment, we have to monitor, we have to report about pollution

and air quality in our local authority areas,

but we have no powers, really, to do anything about it.

Today's announcement gives us that first step, you know,

but if the funding doesn't come, you know, or the Government,

when the details come out, constrains us in any way,

that is going to mean that, actually, communities

Volvo has declared it will go electric from 2019.

But the boss of Aston Martin says the Government hasn't thought

If you don't have the infrastructure, if you don't

have the skills, if you don't have the wherewithal to pay for it,

then as a statement or as a policy, it's absurd.

Year after year, Britain has seen levels of nitrogen dioxide

The Government is under court order to clean up,

and an environmental group that launched legal action

says the Environment Secretary still isn't doing enough.

We're very disappointed with this plan, it's unambitious,

and it's not going to fix the problem quickly and urgently.

People are suffering health problems because of the poor air

that they're breathing in our towns and cities.

All the Government is doing is kicking the can down the road

and not dealing with it as quickly as it could.

You can't always see air pollution, but politicians can't avoid it.

The Government says it is responding,

but it doesn't want to offend motorists.

The result - a signal of real change, but not for a while.

As we heard there, when the ban finally comes in,

it'll mean huge changes for the cars we buy and the way we use them.

Of the millions of new cars registered last year in the UK,

So how do drivers feel about the Government's plans?

Our Wales correspondent Sian Lloyd has been finding out.

Row after row, all the vehicles on sale here run on petrol or diesel.

This company sells around 600 used cars a week

You'll have your sat nav in there,

you'll have your full leather seats...

Friends Kyle and Callum have come to browse.

Todays announcement hasn't put them off

buying a diesel car in the short term.

My thinking right now, it doesn't make much of a difference,

because if you buy a car, like, at this moment in time,

it probably won't be running by then.

In ten years, maybe I'd be thinking about going along that route

A decade ago, drivers were encouraged to buy diesel

vehicles because of concerns at the time over carbon emissions.

There are calls now for those drivers

not to be punished by this new strategy.

The Government should be coming out and quite clearly

stating their plan for those owners, and making sure

that they're not in any detriment, you know, treated as a pariah

by the Government, or their choice of ownership, which was encouraged.

You won't find electric cars on sale here -

the company says they're too expensive.

But from 2040, new car dealers won't have a choice.

Last year, nearly 2.7 million new cars were registered in the UK.

More than 1.3 million, nearly half, were petrol fuelled.

Less than 3%, that's around 89,000, were electric,

At this dealership, they say they've seen an increased

but people aren't yet switching in huge numbers.

This electric car can currently travel

We're told that with advances in technology that range will increase,

but one thing's for sure - if we're all going to be driving

electric cars in the future, we're going to need more

And that is of particular concern in rural areas.

In Wales, the National Trust has installed 40 chargers,

but so-called rapid charging points are few and far between.

The worry is there aren't that many places where you can

What happens if you run out? I have no idea.

What is going to happen to the National Grid?

It's a bit more than just all switching your kettle

in the middle of a match or something.

there'll be many more questions to be answered.

Today's announcement surprised many

in the motor trade and consumers alike.

Our science editor, David Shukman, joins me now.

Some people think this is a really exciting development, but like that

woman, not just the National Grid, there will have to be huge

infrastructure changes. For environmental as, this is the vision

of a green dream they have had for years, but like any revolution, and

this is what this will be, it will come with challenges and problems.

Think about 8000 petrol stations that will have to be converted with

charging points, and Intel the range of electric cars is sorted, people

will want charging points where they work, where they shop, Dave Readle

waystation. And you will need one at home as well. -- at a railway

station. It is a real problem in a terraced house or a flat, will be

the charging points down every street in the country? However this

is sorted, it is going to add enormous strain to the National

Grid. They say they are ready for this, they are planning for this,

and they have a solution, which is called demand management. At peak

demand, they will pay the biggest energy users to slow down and use

less power, but it will take some working out, how you price and cost

it. And the ban on new diesel and petrol vehicles is planned to come

in 2040, but how will it affect drivers between now and then? It is

a fascinating question, and everyone will be wrestling with this. An

interesting survey by an insurance company of 2000 motorists ask, what

are you going to buy next? Amazingly, most say they will buy

petrol and diesel, even after all the publicity about diesel. Then

they were asked why, and the single biggest reason was the price of an

electric car. The second biggest reason was the issue we touched on

about range, how far you can go with these things. Once the big car

manufacturers get into mass production, both of those ought to

be sorted, but we are on a journey, Michael Gove has set the

destination, and there may be a few bumps in the road to get there.

More than 10,000 people in the south of France,

including many British tourists, have been forced to leave

their homes and campsites to escape rapidly spreading wildfires.

Many are having to spend a second night in sports halls

and other public buildings, while some have taken

Over 6,000 firefighters and troops are now battling the fires

which have been raging for three days.

Our correspondent Duncan Kennedy is in Le Lavandou in Provence.

The raging power of the fires was at its most

This was Bormes-les-Mimosas, west of St Tropez,

where hillsides were engulfed by the burning shrubs and trees.

For hours, it swept across the countryside

Thousands of people, including British tourists,

were forced out of campsites and other homes.

Mary and Alan Anderson from Ramsgate

said the sight of the fires was extremely distressing.

We looked over onto the hill, and all we could see

was black smoke billowing from umpteen various places.

Then the planes came over, picked up loads of

water and have been dousing all day to try and dampen the flames.

The sheer force of the fires were caught

Strong mistral winds gave them an unstoppable energy and many

Even the 4,000 firefighters and soldiers sent in

couldn't get control when faced with this.

The fires led to a huge evacuation of 10,000 people,

They were told to spend the night on nearby beaches, out in the open.

Tonight, we found dozens of people in a gymnasium.

but their holiday has been ruined.

For some, it is their third night in this makeshift accommodation.

The morning brought no letup in the fires.

Some tourists were far enough away to continue their holiday,

but the lushness of their scenery now replaced by a menacing inferno.

In other places, all that was left was a vast, scorched landscape.

An area decimated across 15 square miles.

19 aircraft, including ten water bombers, have been brought in.

But the French authorities are asking other European

These fires have been burning for two days now,

and we are seeing fires on hills all around this area.

helicopters laden with water, trying to put them out,

but at the moment they don't seem to be able

The winds show no sign of letting up.

A combustible, deadly mixture that will continue to threaten this area.

Well, tonight the aerial firefighting operation you saw there

based out of this beach, where the planes scoop up the water, has been

called off, although it will start again tomorrow morning. In that

nearby gym, some British families were taking shelter, tonight around

100 French people, including many children, but they are getting

plenty of food, water and comfortable bedding. With so many of

the fire is still not under control, this beautiful holiday destination

still faces many more days of uncertainty. The owner.

A High Court judge has given the parents of the terminally ill

baby Charlie Gard until noon tomorrow to reach an agreement

with the hospital over the arrangements for his death.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates have now accepted their son

will end his life in a hospice, not at home, but still can't reach

agreement over the details of his end of life care.

Fergus Walsh our medical correspondent is here.

It seems every last agonising detail is being fought over.

Yes, the final disagreement is over how long Charlie should have at the

hospice before he dies. His parents want to hire a private medical team,

so they can spend perhaps a week with him there and they say that

some nurses from Great Ormond Street have volunteered but they can not

find a specialist doctor prepared to supervise that care for such a long

period away from an intensive care unit. Lawyers for Great Ormond

Street said this shouldn't drag on, it's not in Charlie's best interests

and they proposed he should be transferred to the hospice on Friday

and his life support would be withdrawn within hours. The judge

gave the parents until noon tomorrow to see if they could reach an

agreement but if not he made an order that Charlie be transferred to

the hospice and that shortly thereafter his breathing tube would

be withdrawn. Charlie can't breathe unaided so death would be immediate.

The judge said that it was now three-and-a-half months since he had

made the first order that Charlie should be allowed to die with

dignity and he had to take into account that Charlie may be

suffering. Connie Yates left the court in tears and was urged to

spend final hours with her son rather than with lawyers but the

legal proceedings in this protracted and desperately sad case are now at

an end. Thank you. The Chancellor Philip Hammond says

he hopes the government will reach an agreement on a transition period

to leave the European Union as soon as possible,

to end the uncertainty over Mr Hammond was speaking

after the latest estimates showed that economic growth was just 0.3%

in the second quarter of this year - a slowdown on last year,

as our business correspondent Everything we make, all our

building, all the services provided, the total is still going up,

but at a much reduced pace. Construction had the

toughest three months. This Buckinghamshire house-building

firm says higher prices and uncertainty about Brexit

are making customers We've been given orders for jobs

and at the last minute the clients have pulled them away from us due

to concerns over the market. While growth of our gross

domestic product, or GDP, each quarter was strong for most

of last year, it's fallen back this year, so the UK's lagging behind

the fastest moving big economies. If we are struggling to push up

production at a robust pace, then that's a worry because it puts

a question mark over whether we can carry on creating new jobs

and what sort of pay rises we can The faltering building

trade has a wider impact. Including on service

businesses, like the architect Services like shops and restaurants

have kept the economy growing, It's definitely not a crisis because

we are still busy on projects. We have still got lots of work on,

it is just there is a slight levelling off from what's been

a productive last The Chancellor, with technology

trainees today, says that improvements in skills

and infrastructure will help and he adds that promising

a Brexit transition period, keeping some links with the EU,

rather than having a clean break, The transition period and interim

structure with the European Union would give businesses and consumers

that degree of certainty and I think that would be a way of strengthening

economic growth later in the year For Labour, John McDonnell argues

that weaker growth is a reflection of austerity and people's wages not

keeping up with inflation. We are saying to the Government

we need to change course, people need a decent pay rise,

they need income so they can actually invest themselves

in the economy and in addition to that we need Government

investment alongside One bright spot is a jump

in film production, like the upcoming Star Wars,

partly filmed in the UK. So far this year, though,

the economy isn't turning out to be the blockbuster we'd

all like to see. President Trump has said he'll ban

transgender people from serving in the US military in any capacity,

reversing a policy announced by his predecessor,

Barack Obama, last year. Mr Trump tweeted that they would

burden the military with large Campaigners for transgender rights

have called his decision Our correspondent Aleem Maqbool

reports from Texas. There are thought to be thousands

of members of the US military Many have spent time

in Iraq or Afghanistan. Today they woke up to a shock

from the very president they serve. "After consultation with my generals

and military experts," he tweeted, "Please be advised

that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender

individuals to serve in any capacity Riley Dosh spent the last four years

as an officer in training at the Military Academy

at West Point. She came out last year,

after President Obama lifted the ban on transgender

people serving openly. She now has to find a new job,

even though it was a lifelong I just fell in love

with this country. Even those that completely

fundamentally disagree with me, I felt this desire,

I want to serve and defend you, and defend your right

to disagree with me. How do you feel now

when you are told you can't serve? I'm going to have to find

some other way to serve. Not necessarily in the military

but serve the country, either in the private sector

or public sector. It's heartbreaking that they won't

let me be an officer but for now The White House says it's doing this

because of the cost of medical transition procedures

for transgender servicemembers. The President expressed concerns,

since the Obama policy came into effect, but he has also voiced

that this is a very expensive and disruptive policy, and,

based on consultation he has had with his national security team,

came to the conclusion that it erodes military readiness and unit

cohesion, and made But the cost of procedures

for transgender people is estimated to be just one tenth of 1%

of the military medical At an appearance today,

the president didn't clarify his transgender ban or how it

would be implemented, but he did mock a reporter shouting

out questions about it. Mr President, what

about your policy on This is another attempt to reverse

an Obama policy and it may go down well with some trumped supporters

but in the US, transgender people in role in the military at a much

higher rate than the population as a whole and in one move,

thousands have been left devastated. Aleem Maqbool, BBC News,

in Fort Hood in Texas. She was the youngest victim

of the Manchester Arena bombing two months ago and today the funeral

of eight-year-old Saffie Roussos She was a huge fan of the singer

Ariana Grande and had been given a ticket to the concert

as a Christmas present. She was at the show with her

mother, who was seriously Judith Moritz reports

from Manchester Cathedral. A moment of comfort

on a painful day - Lisa Roussos is still recovering

from the bomb which She left her hospital bed to be

with her family to say a final To the sound of her idol,

Ariana Grande, the eight-year-old was brought into the cathedral,

her little coffin carried She's...was a superstar

in the making. To become something in life,

you need to have something, charisma, that something,

and Saffie had that. The service was filled

with emotion for those closest to the little girl,

and for the public of Manchester, who may not have known her but felt

drawn to share the moment. Saffie's cheekiness and confidence

are what her friends She played almost every day

with her best friend, Lily, who still can't believe

Saffie has gone. Sometimes I think, I don't

know how this happened, I wish she was still with me,

but I don't know how to feel, really, but I'm just going to think

she's always with me, she's always sat on my shoulder,

always playing together. The arena explosion happened just

yards from this cathedral. Within its shadow, hundreds brought

roses for Saffie Rose, remembering the youngest life

lost that night. The owner of Sports Direct,

Mike Ashley, has won his legal battle with an investment banker,

over an alleged ?15 million deal, Mr Ashley told the High Court

he couldn't remember details of the conversation

as it was a night of heavy drinking and denied he promised

the banker the money. The judge said no one at the pub

would have thought the offer Making people pay to bring a case

before an employment tribunal is unlawful and now the government

is going to have to pay back over The Supreme Court has ruled

that the government's introduction of fees of up to ?1,200 four years

ago is inconsistent with justice. Our legal affairs correspondent

Clive Coleman reports. A massive victory for Unison

at the highest court in the land. Workers' fees for bringing claims

to employment tribunals, gone. For the last four years,

workers like Ronnie, a courier, taking his employer to task

over his employment status, He is still working for them

and they're defending the action. He could only pay to bring his claim

with the help of his union. Most people working in this

industry are living So it's really hard to take

money that you don't even From builders to bankers,

teachers to police officers, workers can bring tribunal claims

for everything from unfair There never used to be

a charge for issuing a claim and having a trial,

but the coalition Government introduced fees of up to ?1,200

to deter weak cases. In March, Unison had

argued that tribunal fees were discriminatory and denied

workers access to justice. It means that not only the order

which introduced tribunal fees back in 2013 is quashed,

it also means that everyone who paid those fees,

and that is a sum amounting to some ?32 million, will now

get their money back. After a four-year legal struggle,

Unison claims this is the biggest Many thousands have been denied

justice over the last four years and this rights a wrong and it

shames this Government and it shames the coalition Government

that brought this in. We respect the judgment,

we're going to take it fully on board and we're going to comply

with it and already today we're That means stopping the fees now,

which will make claims by workers like Ronnie a good

deal more affordable. Jehovah's Witnesses have been

accused of failing the victims of child sex abuse after a case

in Manchester where a man who was convicted of sexual

assault was allowed The Charity Commission,

which regulates the religious group, said the questioning

was inappropriate and demeaning. One victim described the meeting

as worse than the court case. An audio recording of the meeting

has been passed to our social affairs correspondent

Michael Buchanan. This is New Moston Kingdom Hall

in Manchester, where Jonathan Rose In 2013, he was imprisoned for nine

months after being convicted of the historical sexual abuse

of young girls. Jehovah's Witnesses went to expel

him but Rose appealed, leading A meeting was called

between eight male elders, a convicted paedophile

and his female victims. Over the course of an evening,

the women had to recount what had happened to them while he,

Jonathan Rose, got Each woman was questioned

separately, one secretly recorded her grilling by Jonathan

Rose. What I'm saying to you is

that this didn't happen. Give me one reason,

one reason, please why At one point, another man

in the room asked the woman And no-one prevented him

from discussing graphic details. What was I supposed to have

done to you that night? One victim said she didn't even know

Rose was going to be She went in the belief

that the congregation He kept saying, why did I make

it up, why would I say At no point did I feel

like he was going to admit it. So as soon as I knew

he wasn't going to admit it, there was no remorse,

no sorry, that's when I felt I just got to the point where

I thought, he genuinely believes Her mother, who supported her,

was appalled by what unfolded. I felt guilty because I should have

been protecting her. It shouldn't have been allowed,

that meeting should not Jehovah's Witnesses say this evening

that they have robust child protection policies and put

appropriate restrictions on anyone Today's report, however,

say that their actions It has to be dealt with in a way

that is sensitive to the victims, who have gone through this terrible

ordeal, but also in a way that the public would expect this

to be dealt with and in this case, Jonathan Rose was expelled

from the Kingdom Hall. The meeting clearly

should not have happened. The Charity Commission have

wider concerns about how Jehovah's Witnesses handle sex abuse

allegations and are carrying Michael Buchanan,

BBC News, Manchester. Great Britain's Adam Peaty has

continued his winning streak, claiming his second gold medal

in the World Swimming Championships. Competing in the 50 metre

breaststroke, he just missed out on breaking the world record

which he set in the Our sports correspondent

Joe Wilson was watching. COMMENTATOR: He's bringing it home,

this is utterly brilliant! When Adam Peaty swims,

he brings Britain with him. When Peaty won Olympic gold in Rio,

grandmother Mavis was glued The World Championships in Budapest

- well, she's travelled in person. To be here at this time

meant the world to me. I couldn't go and see him in Rio,

but, as I say, this has made up for everything,

and I'm so, so pleased And it's 20 years since I've flown,

but it was well worth it. Mavis was watching Adam head to lane

four in the 50 metres final, There's been extensive

attention on the muscle of the man, but so much rests

on the technicality of Peaty's swim - he makes the old-fashioned

breaststroke more active, Yesterday, he did 50 metres

in under 26 seconds - 25.95. That's what he was chasing again,

as well as simply winning Their dreams are no

longer quick enough, and the time, 25.99,

just outside of his Well, yes, four hundredths

of a second outside - He is a double world champion,

and Peaty still had the mixed medley relay,

where Britain finished...fifth. Well, watch out for

improvements - he promises. I'm so, so happy with my

performances here, two 25 points now, and I know there's more

in that, but I don't Yes, from Uttoxeter to Budapest,

all his fans need something A week of drama at the White House

and it's only Wednesday. Tonight I will be joined by one of Donald

Trump's key Lieutenants. What has the President achieved six months

on? Join me now on BBC