It's still officially summer and yet we have another storm on the way.
Storm Francis was named by the UK Met Office on Monday - it is the seventh named storm of the season (2019/2020) and the second storm in a week to impact the UK and Ireland.
Ellen was named on 18 August and the impacts were felt on the 19th and 20th - just last week.
Warnings for both strong winds and heavy rain have been issued by Met Éireann and the Met Office.
Met Éireann have issued an orange-level warning for Connacht along with counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Wexford, Cork, Kerry and Waterford
The UK Met Office has issued a yellow-level rainfall warning for Northern Ireland.
A combination of heavy rain and strong wind warnings (yellow level) have been issued for parts of Scotland along with most of England and Wales.
It is expected that the UK Met Office will upgrade the wind warning to amber in some areas later on Monday when confidence is higher on wind strength and the extent of impact.
At this stage, the main hazard for Northern Ireland is expected to be heavy rain from midnight on Monday to 06:00 BST on Wednesday, with accumulative rainfall totals of 20-40 mm widely and 60-90 mm locally in some hilly areas.
River levels are high after recent rainfall events and flooding is possible in some areas.
This could lead to road closures, delays to transport, difficult driving conditions and potential damage to some homes and businesses.
Strong winds are also forecast for Northern Ireland with wind gusts of 50mph at times, especially over exposed east-facing coasts and hills.
Organisers of the concert announced the line-up for the Last Night of the Proms ahead of the event on Saturday September 12 at Royal Albert Hall. A campaign to omit the Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory from the concert has garnered widespread support on social media. Many backers had said the words of the songs were offensive and outdated and called for a ban on them being performed in public.
In a statement, the BBC said: "In light of the recent speculation about the Last Night of the Proms, we are today announcing the programme for the concert.
"We very much regret the unjustified personal attacks on Dalia Stasevska, BBC Symphony Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor made on social media and elsewhere.
"As ever, decisions about the Proms are made by the BBC, in consultation with all artists involved.
"The Proms will reinvent the Last Night in this extraordinary year so that it respects the traditions and spirit of the event whilst adapting to very different circumstances at this moment in time.
"With much reduced musical forces and no live audience, the Proms will curate a concert that includes familiar, patriotic elements such as Jerusalem and the National Anthem, and bring in new moments capturing the mood of this unique time, including You’ll Never Walk Alone, presenting a poignant and inclusive event for 2020."
The BBC said the programme would include "new orchestral versions of Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 “Land of Hope and Glory” (arr. Anne Dudley) and Rule Britannia! as part of the Sea Songs, as Henry Wood did in 1905".
Dalia Stasevska, from Finland, is conducting the Last Night this year, with soprano Golda Schultz and the BBC Symphony Orchestra performing.
On Monday an Express.oc.uk poll asked readers whether Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory should be cut from the BBC Proms programme.
Ninety-six percent of respondents said no while just four percent said yes.
Only 109 (less than one percent) said they didn't know.
Between 8.45am and 8.15pm a total of 19,790 readers took part in the survey.
The BBC's confirmation comes after The Sunday Times reported that organisers feared a backlash because of the perceived association the traditional anthems have with colonialism and slavery.
Downing Street waded into the controversy and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he had written to the BBC over the issue.
A Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister believes in tackling the "substance" not the "symbols" of problems.
He said: "This is a decision and a matter for the organisers of the Proms and the BBC.
"But the PM previously has set out his position on like issues and has been clear that while he understands the strong emotions involved in these discussions, we need to tackle the substance of problems, not the symbols."
Culture Secretary Mr Dowden said that "confident, forward-looking nations don't erase their history".
He wrote on Twitter: "Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory are highlights of the Last Night of the Proms.
"(I) Share concerns of many about their potential removal and have raised this with (the) BBC.
"Confident forward-looking nations don't erase their history, they add to it."
The veteran TV presenter became embroiled in a debate which lasted days on Twitter on the issue of Scottish independence and Scotland rejoining the European Union. Mr Neil was still debating with online users two days after the debate started. He responded to an initial tweet put out by an independence campaigner on August 22 who claimed Boris Johnson's Government were "utterly bricking it over losing Scotland via Indyref2".
The campaigner said Westminster had "no idea how to reverse not just polls but a strong trend" and had resorted to "attacking the franchise, legitimacy, time and wording" of the independence campaign.
The man added: "Dissolve the Union to regain Scottish independence."
Mr Neil asked the campaigner "What will your currency be?" and received a flurry of replies from independence supporters.
The presenter, who is in the running for the role of BBC chairman, ripped apart many suggestions put forward.
Another Twitter user challenged Mr Neil, saying: "Wow... it sounds like Mr Neil thinks that only England can fathom the complexities of currency.
"I remember an ex-colony Cyprus for instance running its own currency CYP it was, and it was higher in value per pound than GBP.
"I don't think the Scots fear naming a piece of paper."
The journalist said that after Cyprus gained independence it went for its own currency and has since adopted the euro.
He questioned whether Scottish independence supporters would rather see a Scottish currency in place or the euro in circulation above the border, as many put forward opposing answers to his question.The Twitter debate came after the former director-general for devolution, Professor Jim Gallagher, said the coronavirus pandemic has sunk the economic case for an independent Scotland.
Gallagher said: "Scotland starts, structurally, from a weaker place. Its deficit will be even more staggering, probably well over 25 percent of gross domestic product.
"That’s like borrowing the whole budget of the Scottish parliament in one year.
"No small country on its own could sustain that.
"The hard truths on jobs can’t just be waved away with fantasy fiscal policies."
Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory could be dropped from the Last Night of the Proms in the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, according to reports.
The Sunday Times claims there are concerns at the BBC about associations with colonialism and slavery.
The Last Night of the Proms is due to take place on 12 September, but without an audience, due to coronavirus.
A government spokesman said they would leave any such decision up to the BBC.
However, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden explained on Monday that he had raised "concerns" with the corporation over reports the popular songs could be axed on the night.
The Sunday Times suggested that conductor Dalia Stasevska believes it is time "to bring change" to the Royal Albert Hall, in the year that the anti-racism movement gathered pace following the death of George Floyd.
The 35-year-old Finnish conductor, who will be joined by soprano Golda Schultz and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for this year's classical finale, declined to comment on the reports directly, and BBC Proms refused to confirm or deny the story.
"We are still finalising arrangements for the Last Night of the Proms so that we are able to respond to the latest advice in regards to Covid-19 and deliver the best offering possible for audiences," a spokeswoman told BBC News, noting that full details will be announced nearer the time.
The BBC's chief political correspondent Vicki Young said the government would not interfere with the broadcasters over the issue.
But, she went on to explain, a Downing Street spokesman noted Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously set out his position on similar issues, saying "he understands the strong emotions but thinks we must tackle the substance not the symbols".
Dowden tweeted that the anthems were the musical highlight of the Proms, and that "confident forward-looking nations don't erase their history, they add to it".
Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan, meanwhile, said the proposal to bin the songs was "ridiculous".
Why is Rule, Britannia! so controversial?
Rule, Britannia! was set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740, and its lyrics were based on a poem by James Thomson.
It contains verses such as: "The nations, not so blest as thee / Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall.
"While thou shalt flourish great and free / The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves / Britons never will be slaves."
Last year, pop singer Lily Allen criticised its continued usage. "Sorry what? Britannia rule the waves… I think we should not [sing] this song anymore," she wrote online.
Land of Hope and Glory makes similar reference to the "might" of the former British Empire, which some people today find problematic.
'Jingoistic echoes of empire'
Chi-chi Nwanoku runs the Chineke! Foundation, which aims to provide opportunities for black, Asian and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe. She told BBC News she would be "elated" to see the back of the songs.
"We find it offensive," she said. "Of course I know other people are going to want to cling to it, but I know why they want to cling to it.
"These songs are jingoistic echoes of empire and, depending on what side of the fence you're sitting on, you either feel joyous, emboldened and patriotic and immediately identify with all the sentiments of it."
But, she continued: "For any conscious black person who is aware of their history, the empire and colonialism, for example, they will struggle to enjoy the patriotic jingoism of these songs."
She particularly draws attention to the themes of superiority, domination and ownership of black people.
"And the thing is, people continue to benefit from the proceeds of that relationship," she says. "How are we going to break down the institutional system, if we hang on to these [songs]?"
Double bassist Nwanoku thinks that it would be particularly galling for Schultz, a black woman, to have to sing such songs.
"If the BBC can't or won't cut Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory, this year of all years - with the Black Lives Matter movement at the forefront of everyone's mind - it shows a lack of courage and a lack of understanding and a complete and utter belief of their own superiority of the British."
'Unifying force for the nation'
On the other side of the argument, music writer and commentator Norman Lebrecht told Radio 4's Today programme he was "thrilled that there's a row" as it had got people talking about the Proms again.
He says the songs in question bring the country together, rather than tear it apart.
"Rule, Britannia! is very much a part of the Proms, it's a tradition that goes back at least seven decades, and it's a unifying force for the nation," he said.
"The Proms is the only time the BBC ever shows classical music on a live channel, the only time the nation unifies around it, and it's a prelude to what follows.
"It's the end of the summer, it's the beginning of what promises to be an extremely bleak winter of recession, it raises people's spirits, it brings us together."
Lebrecht went on to say he feels the whole row boils down to the use of the word "slaves" in the lyrics, which he said is "beyond absurd".
"For heaven's sake, when the French President comes here we play La Marseillaise, which says, 'Let all alien blood be expunged from the soul'," he said.
"The day that we replace La Marseillaise with [French nursery rhyme] Frere Jacques when Monsieur Macron comes to Downing Street, we can consider replacing Rule, Britannia!"
Winds of 70mph and heavy rain are expected in the UK as forecasters warn of life-threatening conditions from Storm Francis.
The weather system is set to bring an "unseasonably" wet and windy spell from tonight until Wednesday, with severe warnings in place for large parts of the country.
The Met Office said there would be gusts of potentially 70mph (113kmh) in exposed western locations and winds reaching 60mph (96kmh) almost everywhere.
The rain is expected to be heaviest in Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland, where 60-90mm (2-4in) of rain could fall as the storm moves east.
The wind speeds are unusual for this time of the year and could bring extra disruption as trees are still in full leaf.
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Andy Page, of the Met Office, said: "The UK is in for another unseasonably wet and windy spell with Storm Francis arriving on Tuesday.
"There will be strong winds and heavy rain, especially in the west of the UK.
"A number of severe weather warnings have been issued and these warnings can be updated regularly."
A yellow warning for wind comes into place for most of England and Wales from 9am tomorrow.
It means there could be injuries and a danger to life from flying debris, damage to buildings and disruption to travel services.
Storm Francis is expected to clear the UK by Wednesday afternoon, leaving behind more settled and brighter conditions.
It comes just a few days after high winds from Storm Ellen battered the UK and Ireland.
Seventeen members of staff and two pupils have tested positive for coronavirus at a school in Dundee less than two weeks after Scottish schools returned.
Three "community contacts" linked to Kingspark School also tested positive for COVID-19 as of 6pm on Sunday, NHS Tayside said.
The school, which caters for children aged five to 18 with additional support needs, has been closed since last Wednesday due to the outbreak and pupils have been told to self-isolate for 14 days from last Thursday.
Face covering could be used in Scottish schools
Any parents, carers or siblings living with the children should also self-isolate if they cannot self-distance within the household.
Staff have been told to quarantine for a fortnight from the last day they were on site, while anybody who was in contact with those infected has also been told to self-isolate for 14 days.
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Contact tracing identified a link with two other schools in Dundee, with one Primary Two child at St Peter and Paul's School testing positive on Sunday and another case identified at the Happy Times out-of-school club at Downfield Primary School on Sunday.
The outbreak at Kingspark School, which has 185 pupils, came after schools reopened in Scotland from 11 August.
More from Covid-19
Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed the outbreak on Monday and said: "Let me stress the importance of these rules on self-isolation.
"Self-isolation is a crucial way, perhaps the most important way, of keeping clusters like this under control."
Death of child from COVID 'exceptionally rare event'
The first minister also announced a consultation into a recommendation for secondary school children to wear face coverings is in its final stages after the World Health Organisation advised over the weekend pupils aged 12 and over should wear them.
A Downing Street spokesman said there are "no plans" to review the current guidance in England for face coverings in schools - which is to not make them mandatory.
"We are conscious of the fact that it would obstruct communication between teachers and pupils," he said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson led calls for pupils in England to return to school in September, saying their "life chances" will suffer if they do not return to school, having been out of school since March.
The UK's four chief medical officers said "very few, if any" children would come to long-term harm from the virus by attending school while there was a "certainty" of harm from not attending.
The use of face coverings in corridors and communal areas of secondary schools is set to be introduced in Scotland.
The government is in the "final stages" of consultations with teachers and councils about having pupils wear face coverings while moving between classes.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was acting in response to new guidance from the World Health Organization.
Ministers are also considering whether to make masks mandatory on school transport - but not inside classrooms.
The use of face coverings in schools is currently voluntary, although some schools have started advising staff and pupils to wear them to help combat the spread of Covid-19.
Young people returned to Scotland's schools earlier in August with no requirements for physical distancing between younger pupils, and no rules around face coverings.
At her daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said Education Secretary John Swinney was "in the final stage of consulting teachers and local authorities for the use of face coverings in secondary schools when moving around corridors and communal areas".
She said there was more mixing between different groups of children in these areas, and that there was less scope for effective ventilation.
Pupils are also thought to be more likely to raise their voices in crowded places, increasing the risk of aerosol transmission of the virus.
Ms Sturgeon said the government's scientific advisers were also considering whether face coverings should be made mandatory on school transport.
However, she said they were "not currently consulting on any proposal" to have pupils wear masks in class, saying: "There is greater scope for physical distancing in classrooms and [face coverings] are more likely to interfere with teaching and learning."
She added: "The best way to ensure schools can stay open safely is for all of us to play our part in keeping transmission rates in the community as low as possible."
The first minister said the Scotland-wide move could be confirmed "over the next couple of days", and would constitute a change to guidance which schools would be expected to follow.
She said: "We are not talking about a mandatory system in the sense of there being penalties and enforcement in schools. I get the sense that schools - while I accept there will be a mixture of opinion around it - are themselves looking to follow this kind of approach.
"We will set out the detail when we get to the point of finalising the recommendation."
Under the existing guidance no-one is required to wear face coverings in school, apart from staff who have close personal contact with a pupil for an extended period of time. However, anyone who wants to wear one is allowed to do so.
Teacher survey
A recent survey of nearly 30,000 teachers by the EIS teaching union found 41% supported the mandatory wearing of face coverings by senior pupils in classrooms.
However, one parents group - Us For Them Scotland - claimed making masks mandatory "could have an extremely negative impact on pupils with autism, hearing impairments and conditions such as asthma".
Health authorities are working to tackle a number of coronavirus "clusters" in Scotland, including one centred on the Kingspark School in Dundee.
A growing number of school pupils across Scotland have tested positive for Covid-19, but the government believes the infection has been transmitted in other settings such as house parties.
Ms Sturgeon said "most" transmission of the virus was not happening in schools, saying that "the risk is greater of community transmission getting into schools".
She said the current consultation was only on a "limited" use of face coverings in schools, because of "the relatively low levels of transmission we are currently seeing in the community".
However she added that "where there are outbreaks there is an option for incident management teams to recommend more extensive use of face coverings for a period to protect public health".
