And the queen recently took inspiration from Dame Vera Lynns most iconic song during the coronavirus pandemic. President trump says claims by his former National Security adviser are lies and fake stories. John bolton accuses mr trump of seeking chinas help to win re election. I think putin thinks he can play him like a fiddle. I dont think he is worried about trump. Opening up borders is on the agenda as uk Prime Minister borisjohnson prepares to welcome the french president , but a note of caution from the foreign secretary. We just want to be very careful, yes, to open up, but to do so when it is safe and responsible so we will work through all of that with our french friends. The french president is coming to london to commemorate the 80th anniversary of general charles de gaulles famous bbc broadcast urging the french to resist the nazi occupation. In the uk, an Oxford College votes to remove a statue of the colonialist, cecil rhodes, which has been criticised by anti racism protesters. The uk pub chain greene king and lloyds of london insurers apologise for past links to the slave trade. And the premier league is back after three months with a moment of solidarity with the black lives Matter Movement as players took a knee straight after kick off. Hello and welcome if youre watching in the uk or around the world and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. Dame vera lynn, the forces sweetheart whose voice brought hope to millions during the dark days of the second world war, has died at the age of 103. Her iconic performance of songs such as well meet again and the white cliffs of dover became emblematic of the war and have remained popular to this day. Dame Vera Released her most recent album on her 100th birthday. Her album on her 100th birthday. Family said in a state are herfamily said in a statement. We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of britains best loved entertainers at the age of 103. Robert hall looks back at her life. Therell be bluebirds over. It is a voice that has spanned the decades. The voice of an ordinary london girl born at the end of the First World War who became an iconic symbol of the second. Vera welch, daughter of a plumber and a dressmaker, began singing as a child. She took her grandmothers surname lynn as a stage name, made herfirst record age 19, and sold a million records in the next three years. This little girl from east ham would never have had the opportunity if she hadnt been singing, if my mother hadnt put me on the stage. This letter of mine is getting to be a sort of rendezvous where husbands and wives torn apart by war can be brought together by music. When war broke out again, vera began broadcasting with the bbc. Through forces request programme, sincerely yours, she became the girl that thousands of fighting men hoped theyd meet when they returned home, although some accused the programme of damaging the war effort. Too sentimental, making the boys homesick. I said, thats rubbish. A lot of rubbish, because the letters are so thankful for the programmes. Vera was a star, but her desire to do more took her to meet fans halfway around the world. So they said, well, where do you want to go . Isaid, well, if im going, i know europe are getting well supplied, i want to go somewhere where there isnt any entertainers. So they said burmas the only place, you know she kept a record of herjungle adventures in a secret diary. I took my little diary, my little pencil, can just about see it, tiny little writing. Slept on stretcher. Oh, yes. Balanced on two kitchen chairs. A rotten night. I should think so. Its not been awarded you. Youve earned it. It was another a0 years before vera lynn received her own burma star. By then, she was Dame Vera Lynn and as busy as ever. Am i allowed to kiss you . Yes roll out the barrel. In 1995, vera led veterans in song outside Buckingham Palace to mark the 50th anniversary of ve day. And in 2010, aged 94, she topped the charts once again. It was a shock. I thought, 70 years ago the same song was number one and little did i think that i would even still be around let alone have a number one hit. 0n dame veras100th birthday, she listened to the children of her old school and remembered the singing coach she ignored. Dont know where, dont know when. When she heard me sing, she said, no, i cant train that voice. Its not a natural voice. So i said, well, thank you very much, madam, and left. Keep smiling through. Just like you always do. Till the blue skies chase those dark clouds. Far away. But a vera lynns National Presence was more than a voice. It was a spirit, carried forward across the decades and still resonating during the current pandemic. Her spirit reflected by the queen during her recent, very personal message. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again. Well meet again. Dont know where. Dont know when. Vera lynns strongest bonds were always with the veterans she still referred to as my boys. The words she sang will endure long after the last of them left us. But i know well meet again. Some sunny day. Lets speak to robert hall now. Lovely to see those children in roberts report singing well meet again, and of course, with the 75th anniversary of the ending of world war ii, dame veras songs have been very much in the public consciousness again, bringing them to new generations as well. And i think we can now look at a quote from dame vera, talking about music, and talking about the times that we are in, with the coronavirus pandemic. There it is on your screens, she said. A quota that would have been very apt in world war ii and is certainly very apt now. Dame vera lynn, speaking recently about the power of music. And we can talk now to world war ii historian dr helen fry. Dr fry, thank you very much forjoining us fry, thank you very much forjoining us today on bbc news. Im just checking that we actually do have the line. We do, im pleased to say. Dr fry, thank you very much for joining us today. Just your initial gut feeling, your reaction, when you heard this sad news about Dame Vera Lynn . Yes, incredibly sad. You know, it doesnt matter what age these vetera ns it doesnt matter what age these veterans are, they still touch our hearts and yeah, i felt a twinge of sadness, she is a national icon. Yes, the nations sweetheart perhaps as well as the forces sweetheart. How would you describe her contribution to the war effort during world war ii . |j contribution to the war effort during world war ii . I think her biggest legacy is raising them around not only of the armed forces, and that includes not only in europe but in the far east, she was in burma and travelled to india, performing to the troops, but also to the nation. We struggled at a time when particularly in the early pa rt time when particularly in the early part of the war, the nations survival was on the line and she gave hope, she gave that resilience, she is always a sort of, if i may compare her, that spirit of church hill, ina compare her, that spirit of church hill, in a way, that strength that saw us hill, in a way, that strength that saw us through some of the most darkest moments of that war. And so interesting, the parallels between that time. And we were just talking about something she said recently about something she said recently about the power of music, the parallels between that time, world war ii, and with whats happening in the world right now, with the queen referencing well meet again in that speech to the public close to the start of the pandemic . Yes, i mean, who would imagine that 75 years later, that same spirit that vera