Lets turn straightaway to Breaking News of the last few minutes. Three hill walkers have been found dead after failing to return from a walk in glen coe thats in the scottish highlands. Police scotland said the bodies were discovered during a search, which had been launched after the group failed to return. The alarm was raised shortly after 9pm on saturday and Mountain Rescue teams assisted with the recovery operation. A Force Spokeswoman said, there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal. So that news just coming in, that three people have been found dead after failing to return from a walk in glencoe in the scottish highlands. When we get more on that, we will return to it. Now lets move on to the row in the uk about the government use of a barge to house Asylum Seekers. Migrants have started boarding the vessel called the Bibby Stockholm In Dorset on the south coast of england. The government hopes to house up to 500 men there while they they await the outcome of their asylum applications. Campaigners have raised concerns about the conditions on board but ministers insist the vessel is safe. Its believed a number of Asylum Seekers have had their transfers to the barge cancelled because of legal interventions. We will get more on that part of the story. Protestors have gathered close to the barge in dorset. This was what they had to say a little earlier. Im against the barge, i think its extremely dangerous, as has been proved by the fire brigade. I dont think they should be on the barge. They. Its like a prison. And i think a lot of them will have come from prisons, and its just appalling. Weymouth, portland itself hasnt got the infrastructure i can see that Point Of View. But we have to welcome them. Theyre here now and we have to welcome them. Mikejones is Executive Director of migration watch uk, which campaigns for lower immigration to the united kingdom. He says the barge will be cheaper for taxpayers. Well, sort of intuitively, it makes sense that it would represent better value than housing somebody in a four or five star hotel. I mean, the statistics are quite stark. You know, youve got nearly well over 50,000 Asylum Seekers housed in subsidised accommodation. This cost the taxpayer about 6 million a day. The Asylum System itself costs about 3. 6 billion every year, and that doubled on the previous year. So, you know, obviously the government needs to find these alternative means of accommodation. It isnt a jail. They have en suite rooms, access to communal areas, Laundry Services provided, you know, catering services, there are primary Health Care Services available on the barge. So, you know, i mean, this isnt a conventional prison. And at the end of the day, there are probably exceptional cases where some of these people are genuine Asylum Seekers but, you know, many of them clearly are illegal economic migrants who have paid organised criminal gangs vast sums of money to be here. And theyve spent a considerable amount of time outside of their home country. 0ur correspondent ellie price is in portland in dorset and gave us this update a short time ago. Weve seen a number of cars and vans and buses come past. I think you can see some of the pictures from our helicopter thats been filming them. The home office have been, i think its fair to say, fairly cagey about the numbers. We had a government source confirming this morning that there were already migrants on board. And then a little later there was a Press Release from the home office saying, actually, they couldnt confirm that anyone was on board, but the barge was being readied. So theres a bit of, i think, confusion, you could say, or actually, just the home office being slightly, as i say, cagey, because i dont think they want to put a number on it. We understand that there could be around 50 migrants coming onto the barge within the next week or so. The capacity of the barge is 500. But i think the uk government here keen not to put a figure on it because i think they dont want to be seen to be judged. This is obviously kind of an important moment for them. This is a symbolic moment, seen, as you were hearing from your guest before, as part of the strategy of dealing with immigration here in the uk. There is concern, we heard it voiced only a short while ago, about conditions on board. But what is the government saying about that . Because they, in effect, have double capacity on board, havent they . Yeah. This is a barge thats been previously used to home workers on oil and gas rigs off the scottish coast. It has also been used in other countries for migrants. What theyve done here is doubled the capacity. They basically put bunk beds in previously single occupancy rooms. Now, they invited reporters onto the barge a few weeks ago. Colleagues tell me that the rooms are fairly spacious. There was en suite facilities in there, showers, toilets. Theres Entertainment Rooms with sofas and televisions. Theres a space to. A quiet room to have meetings with lawyers and that sort of thing. Theres access to the internet, and of course, theyre not detained on this barge. They will be allowed to get on and off. Theres a bus provided one an hour, were told to take migrants into weymouth so they can get some time on dry land, if you like as well. But yeah, this issue of what the conditions are like, there are protesters here now protesting against what they say is inhumane. The government, of course, say it is safe, it is appropriate and it is functional. This idea, i think really this fine line the government feels its treading between providing what it must do to people who are seeking asylum here in the uk versus being seen to deal with immigration and therefore not offering a soft touch. Its meant to be a deterrent, of course, this barge. Lets speak to steve smith, chief executive of the Refugee Charity carelicalais. That supports refugees living in france and belgium. Thank you for being here on the programme. A number of refugees you are helping have had their transfers cancelled. Tell me more about that. The reason is because intervention tell me more about that. The reason is because intervention by tell me more about that. The reason is because intervention by lawyers i is because intervention by lawyers who have challenged the Suitability Screening that may or may not have happened from our Point Of View almost certainly hasnt. So it points to a fairly chaotic, kneejerk reaction to putting people on board the barge. The Asylum Seekers we deal with could be survivors of torture, they could have been in detention, they could have been tortured, kidnapped, shot at in war zones, watched Friends Drown Sea Crossing the mediterranean, and there is now the potential to put them on board another boat in facilities that effectively, although they are not detention facilities, look as if they might be. Suitability screening should have taken place beforehand to screen out those perhaps with disabilities, those who may be traumatised by this form of accommodation. We clearly havent seen that happen, and lawyers have therefore challenged that decision and a number of individuals have not gone to the barge today. fin a gone to the barge today. On a factual basis, gone to the barge today. On a factual basis, what gone to the barge today. On a factual basis, what are gone to the barge today. On a factual basis, what are the gone to the barge today. On a factual basis, what are the sorts of numbers you are talking about who have had transfers cancelled . We are onl , as an have had transfers cancelled . We are only, as an organisation have had transfers cancelled . We are only, as an organisation we have had transfers cancelled . We are only, as an organisation we have only, as an organisation we have only, as an organisation we have only been dealing with 20 or so clients today and that is the same number effectively that have had their Transfer Order is cancelled. You will have heard some of the things that those in government to say about legal organisations, Lefty Lawyers is the phrase that gets thrown around a lot. What do you say in response to that, the Central Charge that lawyers are thwarting what the government wants to do here and what they say the people want the government to do . fire and what they say the people want the government to do . And what they say the people want the government to do . Are they lefty la ers or the government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is the government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is that the government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is that just the government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is thatjust a the government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is thatjust a slogan . The government to do . Are they Lefty Lawyers or is thatjust a slogan . It lawyers or is thatjust a slogan . It strikes us that the government is very focused on saving money but that could be a higher priority than peoples lives. From our Point Of View, its not about Lefty Lawyers trying to topple what the government does, its about the government trying to find decent policy for the way forward. That policy must surely include getting rid of the backlog. There is an outrageous backlog of asylum claims at the moment. If we went back ten years, there would be 380 caseworkers in the home Office Getting through Something Like 14 asylum claims each per month. There are now 1200 caseworkers and they are now 1200 caseworkers and they are getting through about four asylum claims a month. The system is broken so we would want to see a system of Safe Passage Where Offshore Screening is done, where those with a high likelihood of acceptance for their asylum claim are then brought in via a safe route in the same way ukrainians have been and their asylum claims massively speeded up so that we dont have this enormous backlog and therefore obviously an enormous drain on the system. Obviously an enormous drain on the s stem. � ,. , system. Briefly, the government would respond system. Briefly, the government would respond by system. Briefly, the government would respond by saying system. Briefly, the government would respond by saying there i system. Briefly, the government. Would respond by saying there are pull factor is, thats what they are trying to get rid of. They are also trying to get rid of. They are also trying to get rid of. They are also trying to reduce the bill of £6 million a day on hotels. In terms of objectives, they say there is public support for all of that. Support for all of that. There will clearl be support for all of that. There will clearly be support support for all of that. There will clearly be support from support for all of that. There will clearly be support from certain l clearly be support from certain elements of the public for that, but there will clearly also be support from members of the public for more humane, more considered, better preplanned responses. We have got a barge whereas was mentioned earlier in the programme, it was built for 220 people but they are trying to cram 306 on board. We have had challenges about the degree of fire safety. This is a Barge Sitting on water that will accommodate some people who have already been traumatised by their experiences on water, and two beds in each room that should only hold one person, and in some rooms are six beds. Therefore massively increasing the potential transmission of diseases. Its all very well to say there are tv rooms and a gymnasium, but those facilities were built for less than half the number that are currently considered to be going on board. Steve smith, we have to end it there but thank you forjoining us on bbc news. Just as we were talking to steve, the latest figures are coming in. Our home editor tells us the number of Asylum Seekers being housed in hotels has risen by 3000 since the end of march. These are interim figures released by the home office today showing a record 50,546 0ffice today showing a record 50,546 Asylum Seekers were in so called Contingency Accommodation at the end ofjune. The daily cost of the hotel rooms is more than £6 million. The number of asylum Decision Makers employed by the home office was 1729 at the end ofjuly, up from 1556 a month earlier. In terms of Backlog Cases awaiting initial decision, thatis cases awaiting initial decision, that is 136,000, slightly down on the previous month when it was just over 138,000. The previous month when it was just over138,000. So the previous month when it was just over 138,000. So those are just some of the latest figures that have been released by the home office as we see the first of these Asylum Seekers arrive and go on board the barge. Lets turn to the crisis in west africa over the Military Coup in niger. The Military Leaders there have closed the countrys airspace and put borderforces on high alert, saying niger is ready to defend itself against any foreign aggression. The announcement came a day after the generals defied an ultimatum to reinstate the elected president or face armed intervention from other west african states. In response, the west African Regional bloc says it will hold an emergency summit in nigerias capital on thursday. Meanwhile, a delegation from the military governments of mali and burkina faso is on its way to niger to express solidarity with the junta. And of course theres been extensive coverage of this story on Bbc Focus On Africa programme, so lets go to nairobi and the programme presenter. In terms of where we are with airspace closed, it looks like the next move has got to come from this regional bloc. If i next move has got to come from this Regional Blee next move has got to come from this regional blot regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for you, regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for you, that regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for you, that would regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for you, that would be | regional bloc. If i had an exact answer for you, that would be the Million Dollar answer to give but all focus has been on the regional bloc since the seven day deadline set by ecowas to the militaryjunta. Its been about 24 hours later now and we have a sense of the way forward with the announcement calling for that extraordinary summit by the nigerian president , the chair are ecowas for that meeting. Priorto the chair are ecowas for that meeting. Prior to that we have been trying to reach out to ecowas leaders to get a sense of the way forward and it has not been forthcoming until this announcement came out. There will be a lot to talk about at the summit. Ecowas finds itself in a precarious and interesting position. 0n the one hand there is the ultimatum, the demand, reinstate mohamed bazoum. Their credibility is on the line, but on the other hand there are so many other factors ecowas has to consider. Do they have the full support of their members . We know nigeria, ivory coast and senegal have shown the possibility of sending their troops as part of a regional Peacekeeping Force into niger but on the other hand, other countries have other views. Algeria say they are not interested in military action, that could destabilise the whole region. Burkina faso and mali sending a delegation in solidarity. So on the one hand is ecowas united even as they meet us to mark secondly, what other factors do they have to look at . Do they have the support of the people of niger . We saw the meeting in niamey in a stadium in support of the military hunter on sunday, chanting anti france slogans. Would this ecowas team have support of the people of niger as they look to make their decisions . A political timeline may have passed when the deadline lapsed but the military timeline is a different matter altogether. There is a question of logistics, how would you invade niger that would be the plan . And these are many questions that we are hoping clarity will come out of it when the summit takes place this coming thursday. Still when the summit takes place this coming thursday. Coming thursday. Still unclear whether there coming thursday. Still unclear whether there will coming thursday. Still unclear whether there will be coming thursday. Still unclear whether there will be military| whether there will be Military Intervention but the borders are closed. In terms of the economic isolation, what is the impact of that already . Irate isolation, what is the impact of that already . Isolation, what is the impact of that alread . ~. ,. ,. That already . We have been in touch with eole that already . We have been in touch with people in that already . We have been in touch with people in niger that already . We have been in touch with people in niger since that already . We have been in touch with people in niger since i that already . We have been in touch with people in niger since i last with people in niger since i last spoke with you on mond