were mostly undocumented immigrants. the head of the emergency services injohannesburg says it's currently unclear what started the fire. this is a hijacked building, an abandoned building. there might be two options here. it might be a legal connection, or it might be other heating devices they are using, because we were told that at the time the fire started, they didn't have electricity. it might be any other options between the ones ijust mentioned in terms of the cause of the fire incident itself. but our fire investigating team, they are on site, they will be starting to conduct that fire investigation as soon as we are done as we are done with our search and recovery operation. straight to johannesburg now. the authorities continue to search that building in the centre of the city. we did get an update from officials in the last hour. they described this as a tragedy of monumental proportions, and it is believed that there were people squatting in that building. the authorities say that this tragedy has highlighted the chronic housing problem injohannesburg. some 1.2 million people need housing in the province. they said they will keep responding to the situation, and searching that building, and they said that anyone affected will get help, whether or not they were south african nationals. the issues that assurance to people. —— if the issue to that assurance. they said the building was an ngo to that assurance. they said the building was an n60 for displaced women, but it had been inhabited by others as well. we heard from the bbc, a spokesperson from johannesburg's emergency services, that it was in effective the are shelter. people had lived in for shelter. people had lived in for shelter in the cold winter months. it is important to stress that at the moment people do not know what the moment people do not know what the cause of the fire was —— the authorities do not know what the cause of the fire was, and the investigation will be continuing. emergency services say that fire gutted the building at around 1:30am local time. just to recap on that unfolding story from south africa now, authorities say more than 70 people have died, and more than 50 people have died, and more than 50 people have died, and more than 50 people have been injured. they say that some of the people who were injured actually sustained back injuries as theyjumped from the windows. earlier, ispoke injuries as theyjumped from the windows. earlier, i spoke to our correspondent.— correspondent. authorities in johannesburg _ correspondent. authorities in johannesburg have _ correspondent. authorities in johannesburg have said - correspondent. authorities in johannesburg have said it - correspondent. authorities in | johannesburg have said it has correspondent. authorities in - johannesburg have said it has moved from a rescue to a recovery operation, as anyone found at this stage is unlikely to be found alive. it is also put a harsh spotlight on what is happening in the city centre ofjohannesburg. stories around abandoned buildings that then get taken over by what have been described as criminal gangs by authorities who rent them out to desperate people are not new, but this is perhaps one of the harshest realities that we are seeing of what can happen in such buildings. at the moment, some of the city's authorities are down, they are wanting to speak to people to try and work out what sort of help is needed. that death toll we currently know sits at more than is feared to rise, because authorities are still working through gaining access to different and deeper parts of that building. you mentioned a description that has been used by authorities, and it looks like an informal settlement in there. that is because, when these buildings get taken over, scores of people are packed up literally into every room. you will have families of up to ten people living in a small room, she can understand why it would have been difficult for many people to make it out of there. for power, things like electricity, for example, that to be powered, illegal connections are often used by these landlords to try and bring power into the building, and those also pose a safety hazard, and that's what we are starting to see. it is unclear what caused the fire, but it is clear that the conditions people remaining and were not helpful. we do have plenty more on that breaking story on the bbc news website. you can see on the screen our live page, so do take a look if you want to stay across that story. police chiefs in england and wales will be given new powers to sack officers found guilty of gross misconduct. the overhaul of disciplinary processes was prompted by the convictions of former metropolitan police officers wayne couzens — who murdered sarah everard — and the serial rapist, david carrick. live now to our home editor, mark easton. mark, just bring us up to date on what the announcement is. lintiii mark, just bring us up to date on what the announcement is. until now, or certainly since _ what the announcement is. until now, or certainly since 2016, _ what the announcement is. until now, or certainly since 2016, the _ or certainly since 2016, the disciplinary hearings that decide whether or not an officer is guilty of gross misconduct and what the sanction should be, they have been independent since a mac of the police, and have been run by legal professionals. a number of police constables, including sir mark rowley, the head of the metropolitan police in london, has said this is right. they should have got the control over who is in theirforce, they should be able to sack people. after the scandals, which you have mentioned, and other scandals which are merged in the last few years, the home office conducted a review and decided that they are going to change the way those panels work. instead of having three lawyers, you're going to have, in the chair as it were, a senior police officer, as it were, a senior police officer, a chief constable or one of his or her deputies, and then you will still have two independent people, a legal professional and a layperson. it gets us a little further down the road. i don't think, in a way, this will please anybody. i've already heard chief constable say this is not enough, we need to have real control of this. they can be outvoted by these independent voices, and there is some frustration about that. on the other side of the argument, people like the police federation, which represents rank and file officers, say these will become a kangaroo court, that basically this is, as they say, a retrograde step that takes us back to the days when senior police officers were acting essentially as judge senior police officers were acting essentially asjudge and senior police officers were acting essentially as judge and jury in the disciplinary cases. they were marking their own homework, and came to these hearings having already decided these were officers they wanted rid of.— wanted rid of. this applies to encland wanted rid of. this applies to england and _ wanted rid of. this applies to england and wales, - wanted rid of. this applies to england and wales, but - wanted rid of. this applies to | england and wales, but some wanted rid of. this applies to i england and wales, but some of wanted rid of. this applies to - england and wales, but some of this came from problems stemming in london's metropolitan police, and the case of sarah everard and her murderer, wayne couzens, for example. it was really the metropolitan police who prompted the investigation in the first place, but there have been awful stories of misogyny and sexism and officers behaving in a corrupt way, and what we have seen over the last seven years or so is that the proportion of officers who are taking to a hearing for misconduct or gross misconduct who end up being sacked has been following, both in whole numbers and as a percentage of the caseload. so, there has been concern among senior officers, as i say, that the lawyers, basically, are too soft, but they are not aware, they are not close enough to the action, as sir mark rowley of scotland yard put it, to understand what's going on here. you have senior cop saying, give us more power, but equally you have people warning that actually those senior officers will abuse their powers in these situations in just the same ways as other officers have been abusing their powers and ending up before the tribunal. thank ou ve ending up before the tribunal. thank you very much- _ now to the us, where millions of people in florida are struggling with the aftermath of hurricane idalia. it's now weakened to a tropical storm as it moves north—east, across georgia and into south carolina. but it is still bringing dangerous winds and heavy rains. this is what people living in perry, florida were met with when they returned home. it's one of the worst affected towns on the state's gulf coast. and this is the aftermath in keaton beach which is also in florida. at least two people have died in florida due to driving accidents in wet conditions. work is being carried out to clear blocked roads and restore power to hundreds of thousands of peoeple. officials say dozens have had to be carried to safety. 0ur correspondent helena humphrey has more from cedar key, in florida. idalia has already moved on from florida but, in her wake, a path of destruction. in the rural community of cedar key, hurricane winds ripped down walls with ease, some homes all but hollowed out, leaving the storm surge to pour in, washing away the everyday trappings of life. i don't think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis any more. just look around. historic floods. i mean, historic floods. more intense droughts, extreme heat. significant wildfires have caused significant damage like we've never seen before. federal authorities have promised whatever it takes to get the state back up and running. but, in florida and in georgia, nearly half a million people were without power. here, in cedar key, one of the hardest hit areas, people have escaped with their lives, but not their livelihoods. hotels have been destroyed, shops have been submerged. and some residents i've been speaking to have been telling me that they've onlyjust recovered from other hurricanes in florida. and now this. and even as this storm weakens moving north, the warning from authorities is that the danger isn't over. this red area here indicates where the heaviest rain and the highest risk of— the heaviest rain and the highest risk of flooding is going to occur. let me _ risk of flooding is going to occur. let me help you understand that. this is_ let me help you understand that. this is over— let me help you understand that. this is over south—eastern georgia, and so _ this is over south—eastern georgia, and so ali— this is over south—eastern georgia, and so all of— this is over south—eastern georgia, and so all of this tropical moisture is wrapping around, and then there is wrapping around, and then there is a front— is wrapping around, and then there is a front right here. all that has been _ is a front right here. all that has been piled — is a front right here. all that has been piled up this narrow red swath, so jacksonville, north carolina, myrtle — so jacksonville, north carolina, myrtle beach, and columbia, south carolina _ myrtle beach, and columbia, south carolina are all in that swath of very— carolina are all in that swath of very heavy— carolina are all in that swath of very heavy rain. as residents of the big bend in florida recover from the strongest storm in over a century, they're also having to get to grips with a new reality — that disasters like this one are unlikely to be a once—in—a—lifetime event. helena humphrey, bbc news, florida. let's take a moment to look at some satellite images taken over florida, comparing the landscape before and just after hurricane idalia struck. this is 0zello, a little north of tampa, and close to where the hurricane made landfall. this is before the torrential rains. and this is after. the image is only in black and white, but the darker areas show where the water has pooled on the ground. here's another example of that effect in the same 0zello area. you can see water to the right of the screen, and what appear to be some canals leading inland to the left. and here again, the darker areas show how that water has spread, overflowing onto the land, pooling around the buildings and underneath the trees. and this image is from crystal river, just a little further inland. once again, you can see the houses, with what appear to be water features, in the dark colour, set among them. and this is what hurricane idalia left behind — the dark pools show how far the water has spread, following the heavy rain and storm surge. and here's one example of what that storm surge looked like from the ground. this is horseshoe beach, about 150 kilometres north of tampa. you can see the wind driving heavy rain towards this building. you can hear it, too. but take a look at what happened when the storm surge hit. the waters have risen several feet, and it soon becomes apparent they have too much power for the building to withstand. here's what happened next — over the course of a few minutes, the building was first broken apart by the waves, and then submerged and swept away. and you can see, it's not the only building to suffer that fate. it's not thought anyone was hurt while this happened. let's talk to william marquez of bbc mundo. tells more about the impact of the storm. , , ., ., .,, tells more about the impact of the storm. , , ., ., ., storm. this storm hit areas that were sparsely — storm. this storm hit areas that were sparsely populated - storm. this storm hit areas that were sparsely populated in - storm. this storm hit areas that were sparsely populated in the l were sparsely populated in the northern western coast of florida. these people, as you said, i haven't received such a powerful storm in a hundred years. one of the problems is that it usually happens in florida that m and i —— that a minority of people try to weather out the storms, so search and rescue had to try and find these people who are trapped inside of their homes. the clean—up is going to take quite some time. governor ron desantis said it will take quite some time to clean it up, and what they will have to do is handle the water damage, and also restore power to around 400,000 people. 50. and also restore power to around 400,000 people-— and also restore power to around 400,000 people. so, a big operation in the aftermath. _ 400,000 people. so, a big operation in the aftermath. what _ 400,000 people. so, a big operation in the aftermath. what more - 400,000 people. so, a big operation in the aftermath. what more if - 400,000 people. so, a big operation in the aftermath. what more if we - in the aftermath. what more if we heard from the authorities on those efforts? ~ , , , efforts? well, it is still very earl in efforts? well, it is still very early in florida _ efforts? well, it is still very early in florida at _ efforts? well, it is still very early in florida at this - efforts? well, it is still veryj early in florida at this time. efforts? well, it is still very - early in florida at this time. the first thing they started doing was rescuing people who had remained in their homes. there are a lot of trees with a lot of debris but the flood waters had brought in, and as you have shown, there have been a storm surge that was at some point “p storm surge that was at some point up to two metres high, so they have to wait for those waters to recede. there is also a danger in trying to restore electricity while those flood waters are there. one of the positive things about this is that it hit areas that were sparsely populated, so no fatalities have been registered directly concerned with the storm itself. there have been two deaths regarding traffic accidents, but in florida and in georgia as well, where the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm, there have been no fatalities. thank ou ve there have been no fatalities. thank you very much _ there have been no fatalities. thank you very much for — there have been no fatalities. thank you very much for bringing - there have been no fatalities. thank you very much for bringing us - there have been no fatalities. thank you very much for bringing us up - there have been no fatalities. thank you very much for bringing us up to date on that story. around the world and across the uk, this bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news here in the uk. sandwich chain pret—a—manger has been fined £800,000 after a member of staff was trapped in a walk—in freezer at one of its london shops for two—and—a—half hours. the woman was treated for suspected hypothermia, and says she feared for her life. pret a manger says they've "worked with the manufacturer to develop a solution to stop this from happening again." conservation charity the rspb has apologised after calling prime minister rishi sunak and several of his ministers "liars". the charity said its "frustration" at what it calls the government "reneging on its environmental promises led us to attack the people not the policy". the rspb is angry at plans to scrap water pollution restrictions for housing developments in england. health experts are warning a proposed ban of nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, could stop users seeking help in hospitals. the substance, which is sold in metal canisters, can cause nerve—related issues. in a letter to the government, 15 neurologists and other health experts say possession of the drug should not be criminalised. you're live with bbc news. to the united states, there are fresh health concerns for the republican senator mitch mcconnell. he froze at an event in kentucky. running for election in 2026? did you hear the question, senator? running _ did you hear the question, senator? running for— did you hear the question, senator? running for election in 2026? i am sorry, youghal, were going to need _ am sorry, youghal, were going to need a _ am sorry, youghal, were going to need a minute. a spokesperson for mr mcconnell said he felt momentarily light—headed, and will seek medical help. a similar situation happened in early july, where he froze for about 40 seconds, before aides stepped in to help him. mr mcconnell is 81, and the average age of a senator is 64, and by way of comparison, joe biden is 80, and dollar tramp, excuse me, donald trump, 77. here in england, vaccines to protect vulnerable people against covid and flu this winter will be rolled out a month earlier than planned — after a new variant of coronavirus was detected. anybody aged over 65, older adult care home residents, and people with compromised immune system are to receive jabs from the 11th of september. harry varley reports. preparing for winter. this new covid mutation has not yet been labelled a variant of concern. that would mean it had the potential to drive a fresh wave of illness. but health officials have decided to bring forward the flu and covid vaccine programmes as a precautionary move. so, in england, the vaccine rollout will begin from the 11th of september, a month earlier than planned. older adult care home residents, people who are clinically vulnerable and those over 65 will be called to receive theirjabs, as well as health workers and carers. little is known about the new variant — ba 286 - but in the us, the centers for disease control and prevention has warned it could increase infection. we don't know all the details yet. what we do know does raise the possibility that this new variant could potentially evade current immunity to increase transmission, for example. and it could also potentially be of higher severity than variants that we've seen lately. in the uk, the government said scientists will continue to monitor the new variant and urged those eligible to get the jab. it's really important that people who are vulnerable get their immunity topped up by having a vaccine. that will help to protect them but it will also help, hopefully, to reduce the pressures which come every winter, but which may be particularly tough on the nhs this winter. it's that fear about pressures on hospitals that's partly behind the decision to bring forward the vaccine programme this autumn. if those concerns that this new variant increases the risk of infection are proved right, then nhs england bosses warn it could be a very challenging winter ahead. harry farley, bbc news. lets bring you more about breaking news here in the uk, which we mentioned at the top of the programme. within the past hour — the former transport secretary grant shapps — has been appointed as the new defence secretary. mr shapps has previously held a number of other cabinet positions. he succeeds ben wallace, who has resigned and is standing down from parliament at the next general election. let's go to downing street and speak to... our correspondent expect there is someone — to... our correspondent expect there is someone arriving _ to... our correspondent expect there is someone arriving at _ to... our correspondent expect w- is someone arriving at downing street as we speak, it is damian hinds, who has knocked on the door of number ten. we know that grant shapps has moved across from energy security to become the new defence secretary, sweeping very eagle eyed as to who is coming out of downing street. we have seen already the current childcare minister, cliff eugenio, going into downing street. it is widely expected she will fill the vacancy left behind by grant shapps. damian hinds hasjust gone into number ten behind me, perhaps he is in line for the position that claire coutinho has left as childcare minister. there has been a lot of speculation about when rishi sunak was going to do this, there was talk about the reshuffle even before parliament broke up for summer break. we knew there would be a reshuffle, because ben wallace, the former defence secretary, had said before the summer that he intended to stand down as an mp at the next election. the boundaries of his seat were changing, he didn't get the nato general secretary role that he very much wanted, so he announced before the summer but after a number of years as defence secretary, very well respected, a lot of tributes paid to him across all of the parties this morning for his work as defence secretary, but he said that he was going to be standing down, so it was always expected that rishi sunak was going to need to fill that post. grant shapps was not one of the names that has been in the mix in all of these weeks that we have been looking forward to the reshuffle. grant shapps was not one of the names that was touted by tory sources as a person who was going to fill that role, but he is a very experienced minister. he is often somebody you will find on the airwaves if there is a crisis moment for the government, oraftera is a crisis moment for the government, or after a tricky couple of days, it is often grant shapps who is sent out. he has had a number of cabinetjobs, including for other cabinetjobs in the last year, —— four other cabinetjobs. he is also a very close ally of rishi sunak. remember that period when rishi sunak was down and out having lost the conservative leadership election to liz truss this time last year? grant shapps was somebody who stood beside him very closely. similarly with clear continue. she was a very new mp, but she formerly worked for rishi sunak in the treasury as an adviser before coming into parliament she is currently our junior minister. we arejust parliament she is currently our junior minister. we are just seeing claire coutinho at the moment. this is claire coutinho coming out of number ten. we expect she will be constrained as the new energy secretary now. —— confirmed as the new energy secretary now. a big promotion, if she is confirmed as the secretary of state for energy and then zero. she is currently a junior minister, albeit with an important portfolio as childcare minister, but that will be a big promotion for her if she is confirmed.— promotion for her if she is confirmed. �* ~ ., ., , promotion for her if she is confirmed. �* ~ ., ., confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. _ confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. i— confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. i have _ confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. i have just - confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. i have just got - confirmed. and i think that has now been confirmed. i have just got a i been confirmed. i have just got a statement coming in saying the uk government has named children's minister claire coutinho as the new energy minister. you sawjust then, she was behind you there, and we will of course stay with you throughout the morning. with all the latest, and we have a live page as well for the latest on uk politics. hello again. we have a bit of a split in the weather today. we've been watching rain coming in from the southwest, pushing northeastward courtesy of this clutch of weather fronts. a ridge of high pressurejust keeping things more settled across the north and the east and this is where we'll have the driest weather through the rest of the day and also some sunshine. but the rain's continuing to advance slowly, northwards and eastwards. it is weakening as it does so, there'll be a bit of a gap behind it across south wales and south west england. but by the end of the afternoon, we'll be seeing some heavy thundery downpours coming in across the south west, with top temperatures in plymouth, 20 degrees. 15 in birmingham, and then we go into the sunshine on the other side of the weather front in newcastle, with 18 degrees. patchy rain continuing across northern ireland, getting into south west scotland, but a lot of sunshine in scotland. here's where we'll have some clear skies overnight, as we will across some southern areas. 0ur frontal system continuing to move northwards. it's going to be a mild night for most of us, but a chilly one in sheltered glens, with temperatures slipping down to about 3 or 4. so potentially a touch of frost tomorrow morning. so here's our weather front tomorrow across northern england, southern scotland and northern ireland. ahead of it, we hang onto the sunshine. behind it, there'll be some sunshine with the early morning heavy thundery downpours clearing away. temperatures, 14 to 22 degrees north to south. then as we head into the weekend, high pressure really does establish itself across the uk. but we are watching the progress of this weather front. it's going to bring in a bit more cloud on saturday into the far north of scotland through the day. here, too, its going to be pretty windy. we'll have low cloud, mist and fog in southern england and northern ireland to slowly lift. but in between, a lot of dry weather and also a fair bit of sunshine, with temperatures 15 in lerwick to 23 in london. then as we push on into sunday, high pressure still very much with us, but that weather front encroaching a bit closer, bringing in some rain. and again, gusty winds out towards the north and the west. any early morning mist and fog lifting to leave most of us with a dry day, again with a fair bit of sunshine and highs, 16 to about 23 celsius north to south. then as we move on into next week, well, that high pressure is still very much with us now. we could see one or two showers getting into the south of england on tuesday, still open to question, but it's going to be pleasantly warm for the first half of the week. this is bbc news. the headlines: i'm rajini vaidyanathan. at least 73 people are killed in a fire at a block of flats in johannesburg. former transport secretary — grant shapps — is named as the new uk defence secretary. tropical storm idalia leaves a trail of destruction as it moves up the us east coast. and to netflix, the streaming company that has told the bbc about its plans to move into the gaming world. more now from south africa — where at least 73 people have died after fire engulfed a block of flats in johannesburg. more than 50 others were injured, and rushed to hospital. many are suffering from smoke inhalation. firefighters were called to the five—storey building in the central business district in the early hours. reports suggest the occupants of the abandoned building were mostly undocumented immigrants. 0ur reporter samantha granville has just sent this update from the scene of the fire. i'm standing outside the apartment building injohannesburg that caught fire last night and the air here is still ashy and the building is still smoking. firefighters are still trying to make their way in for search and rescue operations. we've learned that the city owns this building but it has been abandoned for quite some time. people have been moving in during the cold winter months