hello, i'm steven lai. you're watching the context on bbc news. the bbc says it is �*shocked' by what it calls the �*abhorrent behaviour�* of former presenter huw edwards — who has pleaded guilty to charges of making indecent images of children. six sport now and here is the bbc sport centre. hello there — straight to the olympics, where the medals events continue at the la defence arena, home to the swimming. the golden boy and home favourite leon marchand struck again, this time with an olympic record. marchand, the fans favourite in paris took the gold in a competitive men's 200 metres butterfly — getting the better of world record holder and tokyo

2021 champion kristoff milak. ilya kharun of canada took bronze. marchand gets the chance to complete a famous double in the men's 200 metre breaststroke to come later. usa's katie ledecky is on theverge of claiming gold in the 1500 metres women's freestyle. earlier, world record holder sarah sjostrom of sweden took gold in women's 100 metres freestyle final, sneaking victory by the finest of margins. american tori huske took silver, with hong kong's siobhan haughey claiming bronze. japan continued their domination in the men's artistic gymnastics — with gold in the all—around thanks to 20—year—old newcomer 0ka shinnosuke. the outsider got the better of countryman and tokyo champion daiko hashimoto — and the two chinese hotly tipped to do well — silver went to boheng zhang, and bronze with ruoteng xiao. 0ka, who led after three apparatus, dropped to fourth, but restored his fortunes — and edged a close final rotation to come first, to give his nation a fourth—straight win in the event. great britain are fifth in the medal table with five so far on wednesday,

two of them gold. both triathlon races took place after the men's was postponed on tuesday because of the seine failing water quality tests. alex yee looked like he'd have to settle for silver in the men's race, just as he did in tokyo three years ago. but on the final lap of the 10k run, he overcame a ill—second deficit to pass his great rival, new zealand's hayden wilde, and secure gold. great britain have won more triathlon medals than any other nation since becoming an olympic sport in 2000. the women's race was always scheduled for today, and they raced first, to were the first into the seine , it was close until the final lap of the run when france's cassandre beaugrand pulled clear of switzerland'sjulie derron with great britain's beth potter in third. derron says they had no concerns over the water quality this woman was fine during the race. we know that they took samples this morning, they take some time to analyse, so we don't know the

results obviously, and, yes, we all trust the authorities and organisers that they keep us safe, so we had a safe race today. great britain's rowers failed to win a single gold in tokyo, bringing homejust two medals, but they have a gold on the board with an incredible finish in the women's quadruple sculls with 200 metres to go the british boat trailed the netherlands but they pulled it back to take the win with the final stroke, the gb quartet of lauren henry, lola anderson, hannah scott and georgina brayshaw won it by .15 of a second. the first time team gb had won the event either mens or women's. netherlands won the men's quad. china have continued their perfect record, making it three golds from three diving events so far. chen yuxi and (juan hongchan blew away the competition in the women's synchronised 10m platform, finishing far out in front the bronze went to britain's andrea spendolini—sirieix and lois toulson who leapfrogged canada with this final dive. north korea on the left took their second silver of the games.

finally, rafael nadal and carlos alcaraz�*s dreams of an olympic medal in doubles ended by a quarterfinal loss to american fourth seeds austin krajicek and rajeev ram. they lost in straight sets, who are two of the best doubles players in the game. nadal has been tight—lipped about his future but this could be the 14—time french open champion�*s farewell to paris. alcaraz stayed on course for a gold—medal clash with novak djokovic in singles earlier after both reached the quarterfinals. and that's all the sport for now. we have more later on. huw edwards, once the bbc�*s most senior news presenter, has pleaded guilty to having images showing child sex abuse.. after exchanging messages with a convicted paedophile on whatsapp. at westminster magistrates�* court, he admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another man on whatsapp. they included seven category a images, the most serious classification. until last year, edwards was one

of the main presenters on bbc 0ne�*s news at ten, and often fronted coverage of major national events, including the death of queen elizabeth the second. he was arrested in november and charged last month. he will be sentenced on 16 september and a probation report is being compiled. the man who read the news headlines is now in them. in the middle of the jostling cameras and reporters who he would normally have worked alongside. facing serious charges that he accessed indecent photographs and videos of children, including a boy as young as seven to nine years old. no words outside court, but three key ones inside. the former newsreader stood in the dock and as the counts were read out calmly, quietly he replied guilty — then again guilty ,and for the third time, guilty. the court heard huw edwards had been in a whatsapp chat

with a man he met online, who sent him pictures and videos. of the 377 sexual images, 41 were indecent images of children, mostly between 12 and 15 years old. but two of the most extreme images were videos of a child who could have been as young as seven. the court heard on two occasions he asked the man not to send under age or illegal pictures, but after the first time he still accessed more that were sent, including the video of the young boy. mr edwards�*s lawyer said the former bbc newsreader hadn�*t kept any images or sent them to anyone else. in the last year, huw edwards has gone from the top of the bbc to suspension, to resignation and now pleading guilty to these serious offences. a downfall for a man who was at the pinnacle of his career. there are 650 mps... leading the bbc�*s election and royal coverage, the man entrusted to announce the death of the queen. good evening. the unrelenting pressure...

the main presenter of news at ten, he left the bbc in the aftermath of separate allegations from the sun that he had paid for explicit photos. he left, but not before he had received £40,000 pay rise. in a statement, the bbc said, "the bbc is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. "there can be no place for such apparent behaviour, and our thoughts are with all those affected." "in november 2023, while mr edwards was suspended, the bbc was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail. "at the time, no charges had been brought against mr edwards, and the bbc had also been made aware of significant risks to his health. "if at any point during the period mr edwards was employed by the bbc he had been charged, the bbc had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. "in the end, at the point of charge, he was no longer an employee of the bbc."

the police revealed this afternoon that the man who shared the indecent images with hugh edwards is convicted paedophile images with huw edwards is convicted paedophile 25—year—old alex williams. they only began investigating the former newsreader after they seized a phone in an investigation and discovered the whatsapp messages. huw edwards now faces a possible jail sentence, which will be decided in september. he has accepted his guilt, but the man who was the face of bbc news, who was the watchword for reliability and trust, has forfeited all of that and so much more. lucy manning, bbc news. detectives investigating the multiple stabbings at a children�*s dance class in southport on monday have been granted more time to question a 17—year—old boy. the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested after the fatal stabbing of alice aguiar, more than 50 police officers and three police dogs were injured during violence which erupted

in southport last night after false information circulated about the suspect who is being held. from southport, here�*s judith moritz. when a knifeman walked into this dance class held by leanne lewis, she showed bravery shielding the children from danger. her cousin has told bbc how she is doing now. all we know is she�*s still not out of the woods but she is talking. we�*re not allowed to say too much. but she is a hero. the attack has devastated this community and made an impact far beyond here. nine—year—old alice aguiar, bebe king, six and elsie dot stancombe, seven, were killed. eight other children were hurt. jonathan hayes was stabbed in the leg as he tried to stop the knifeman. today from his hospital bed he told

bbc he does not see himself as a hero and wishes he could have done more. in southport, it is a time to hold your kids tight. all over this town, parents are in turmoil. gemma�*s daughter was meant to be at the dance class but it was fully booked. i just want to keep them close to me. they�*ve been in my bed every night since it happened, i just want to hold them, i do not want them to go anywhere. she is meant to be at preschool today and i would not let her go. last night things took a violent turn, rioting broke out and more than 50 officers and three police dogs were injured. a mosque was targeted and a corner shop looted. today it was being boarded up by volunteers and its owner is worried about more trouble. they came and flooded inside and theyjust took all the cigarettes and valuable alcohol and smashed a couple of bottles. just destroyed everything. the chief constable of merseyside

came to the streets where disorder had happened to see the disorder for herself. they were faced that disgusting level of violence from people who do not represent our communities here in southport. do you feel that they came from outside the community? there were people who travelled into southport, people have attended then after the vigil for the purpose of mindless violence and thuggery and hooliganism. and they do not represent southport. do you worry about misinformation that circulates online, is that providing a new challenge? it absolutely is in terms of there is a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of the speculation, and i would just urge people, we will give you the information when we can. this place is putting itself back together. but it is one thing to mend the broken brickwork and repair the roads where fire caught hold. quite another to heal the hearts of people here who have seen

the worst of humanity in their town. judith moritz, bbc news, southport here are pictures from the london, protests going on near downing street, you can see police there with their gear, it seems peaceful in other moments, some space between those that may be protesting. hard to tell who is protesting on who is there just to see what is going on. the metropolitan police say the protests is being banished as enough is enough, and it comes a day after riots broke out in southport after the attack on monday in which three children were killed, as we were reported just now. we can take a closer at how those false rumours about the suspect began and how quickly the violence escalated. here�*s 0ur bbc verify reporter, merlyn thomas this poster started circulating on social media hours

after the stabbing on monday. now, almost immediately after the incident, baseless rumours began spreading online that claimed without evidence that an asylum seeker who arrived to the uk by boat last year was responsible for the attack. an incorrect name for the suspect was also shared widely. now, this is despite merseyside police confirming that the 17—year—old suspect was born in cardiff and lived locally in southport. and so far as we know, the suspect has no known links to islam. other images like this have also been shared by social media influencer andrew tate, incorrectly identifying a man as the attacker, and sharing a photo of an arrest that actually took place last year. but the damage was already done. these posts had already been viewed by millions, and this misinformation, along with the local shock and grief, was likely a contributing factor to the anger and violence. now, at around 7.45 pm, a large group of protesters began to gather outside the mosque and in videos verified by our team,

you can see them attacking police in live streams. you can see them attacking police. in live streams, some protesters on the streets of southport repeated false claims about the attacker and claimed that authorities were hiding information from the public. there were also chants against islam and in support of stephen yaxley—lennon, otherwise known as tommy robinson, the far right activist. now, we also saw several people holding placards with messages like this with anti—migrant and anti—refugee sentiment. 0ur teams also looked into how this information spread online. so islam, muslim and terror were among the most used words posted by people on x with the southport hashtag. even though the suspect has no known links to islam. now, it�*s worth noting thatjust because posts might be using these keywords, it doesn�*t mean that they�*re all spreading misinformation. some have used these terms to just push back against false claims and racism. meanwhile, the misinformation continues online and more protests are still being called for. speaking of those protests called

for, let us show you what didn�*t like here in london, we can see their police in riot gear and hive is vests in a line, some pushing and shoving that we can see happening right at the moment, and it looks like one protester has been detained by police. their underground. a bit of a skirmish that we have just seen. a statement released earlier by the mets says officers will be deployed to the area to ensure the demonstration is carried out lawfully. 0bviously when someone crosses that line and gets physical, police have been ups instructed to clampdown. we havejust seen please restrain a protester, and we will see what happens to him. this comes a day after riots broke out in southport following a stabbing attack in the town on monday, in which three children were killed. there was footage earlier from the scene where protesters could be heard chanting save our kids and

ruled the trendier. no flares have been thrown towards the gates of downing street, which happened as well, and you can see there is a lady being taken away after being restrained by police, and is the story will be following here on the context, and have a panel discussion on it in the hour ahead, seeing how the story develops. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let�*s turn now to venezuela and the ongoing protests following the disputed presidential election. thousands have taken to the streets in recent days, clashing with riot police in the capital caracas. hundreds have been arrested, at least 11 people have died and dozens have been injured. police have surrounded the argentine

embassy where six opposition figures are sheltering. international pressure has mounted on venezuela�*s president maduro to release proof of his election victory. by the official counts — he won the election, picking up 51% of the vote. the oppostion presidential candidate edmundo gonzalez getting 41%. but the opposition has called the count a sham. the carter centre — which provided international observers for the election — has said the voting did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic. president maduro has accused the opposition of attempting to carry out a coup. for more on this we�*re joined byjournalist mariana zuniga and the director of the latin america programme at the wilson centre, benjamin gedan. mariana, i will come to you first we have seen protests on the street since maduro claimed victory, what is the opposition seen?—

is the opposition seen? hello, thanks for— is the opposition seen? hello, thanks for the _ is the opposition seen? hello, thanks for the invitation, - is the opposition seen? hello, thanks for the invitation, the i thanks for the invitation, the opposition has rejected the results, and this week, they were able to prove that edmundo gonzalez won the election by collecting 80% of the voting definitions. they are saying that they are going to keep fighting for advantage witness freedom, and they understand peoples again —— ignition by the acts for people to become at this moment. the carter centre, in norman _ become at this moment. the carter centre, in norman and _ become at this moment. the carter centre, in norman and joe, - become at this moment. the carter centre, in norman and joe, was - centre, in norman and joe, was invited by venezuela officials to monitor the elections on the pole, and they see the elections cannot be considered democratic, can you tell us more? . , ., us more? last night, the carter centre, us more? last night, the carter centre. one _ us more? last night, the carter centre, one of _ us more? last night, the carter centre, one of the _ us more? last night, the carter centre, one of the few- us more? last night, the carter- centre, one of the few international observers announced inside the country, said the elections did not meet international standards and cannot be considered democratic. it is important to see that they are saying that because they were here, and they sent people to the voting

centres, and also because the venezuelan government is not releasing the data, they are not releasing, the electoral council, has not released a tally from any machines, the promise of those on sunday but have not. the latest is that two hours ago, maduro went to the supreme court in caracas and ask them to do an audit for the results, but the carter centre just said that the top court won�*t provide an independent audit of the election because this court is full of maduro loyalist as well.— loyalist as well. ben'amin, let's aet our loyalist as well. ben'amin, let's get yourtake h loyalist as well. ben'amin, let's get your take on _ loyalist as well. benjamin, let's get your take on this _ loyalist as well. benjamin, let's. get your take on this venezuelan election. in the lead up to the polls on sunday, many polls that were done sure that the opposition was far in the lead, which is obviously antagonized the opposition when the results show something

incredibly different. it is when the results show something incredibly different.— incredibly different. it is not 'ust su ”ortin incredibly different. it is not 'ust supporting before i incredibly different. it is not 'ust supporting before the i incredibly different. it is notjust supporting before the election i incredibly different. it is notjust - supporting before the election which showed _ supporting before the election which showed an eight extraordinarily for the opposition, at 20 to 30 percentage points in some cases, but actually— percentage points in some cases, but actually data from quick comments from independent observers and exit holes _ from independent observers and exit holes as_ from independent observers and exit holes as well, all of the data and any independent observer concluded this election was stolen.— this election was stolen. ben'amin nash benjamin. fl this election was stolen. ben'amin nash benjamin, in i this election was stolen. ben'amin nash benjamin, in a i this election was stolen. benjamin nash benjamin, in a previous - this election was stolen. benjamin nash benjamin, in a previous role| this election was stolen. benjamin l nash benjamin, in a previous role at the white house you interacted with the white house you interacted with the maduro government, what insights can you give us into his calculus in potentially subverting the democratic process? he potentially subverting the democratic process? he made a miscalculation, _ democratic process? he made a miscalculation, the _ democratic process? he made a miscalculation, the maduro - democratic process? he made a i miscalculation, the maduro regime has sought legitimacy internationally, want to be treated normally— internationally, want to be treated normally and access to the us and european — normally and access to the us and european markets, and once to have a normal _ european markets, and once to have a normal oil— european markets, and once to have a normal oil sector which before this conflict _ normal oil sector which before this conflict had been the main driver of its economy, and it has the capacity to fill— its economy, and it has the capacity

to fill the _ its economy, and it has the capacity to fill the playing field and it's -ot to fill the playing field and it's got a — to fill the playing field and it's got a condition it could win the election — got a condition it could win the election. it did not turn out that way and — election. it did not turn out that way and instead it resorted to the egregious — way and instead it resorted to the egregious and transparent theft has created _ egregious and transparent theft has created the isolation it is no enduring _ created the isolation it is no enduring-— created the isolation it is no endurina. ., ., , ., enduring. and marion, what is going to ha en enduring. and marion, what is going to happen now? _ enduring. and marion, what is going to happen now? we _ enduring. and marion, what is going to happen now? we don't— enduring. and marion, what is going to happen now? we don't know, - enduring. and marion, what is going j to happen now? we don't know, this mornin: to happen now? we don't know, this morning when _ to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i— to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i i _ to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i i went _ to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i i went out _ to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i i went out i saw - to happen now? we don't know, this morning when i i went out i saw the | morning when i i went out i saw the streets of caracas empty with trees close, long queues and supermarkets, people stocking up, i think there�*s a lot of uncertainty about what is going to happen next. these days we have seen heavy military presence on the streets, armed parliament —— paramilitary groups that support the government as well, and we have seen these kind of process before in venezuela, it�*s not the first time, but i think people believe this time could be different, although they know they have to be patient because

it would be from one into the other. thank you both, mariana zuniga and journalists and benjamin gedan. the firefighters in calirforna are battling the largest wildfire in the state this year, the fifth—largest in californian history. the park fire, which appears to have been started deliberately near the city of chico a week ago, is consuming around 20 square kilometres an hour. the burnt area spans just under four—hundered thousand acres across four counties. so far it is only 18 percent contained, according to cal fire. let�*s speak to stephanie norcio a small business owner that�*s been affected by the fires. stephanie, tell us how it is impacted you and how serious it is. thank you for having me, the impact on small businesses, especially businesses like mine that operate

outdoors at farmers market has been substantial. the road closures have illuminated visitor access, tourism has been down because the wildfire smoke has been consistently hazardous for the past two weeks. there are a number of businesses that, including mine, that have been forced to make alternate arrangements to move indoors from these outdoor facilities, spaces that we work from. they have also just been very slow. businesses here, but the evacuation has been so massive, clientele is hard to reach now, so it is been very sad and devastating. it now, so it is been very sad and devastating-— now, so it is been very sad and devastating. it sounds like a very touch and go _ devastating. it sounds like a very touch and go sort _ devastating. it sounds like a very touch and go sort of— devastating. it sounds like a very touch and go sort of situation, i devastating. it sounds like a veryl touch and go sort of situation, are you in a situation where you may also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me, also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me. l'm — also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me. l'm not _ also have to evacuate? fortunately,

for me, i'm not in _ also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me, i'm not in a _ also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me, i'm not in a situation - also have to evacuate? fortunately, for me, i'm not in a situation that i for me, i�*m not in a situation that needs to evacuate, we mostly stay indoors because the wildfire smoke is so hazardous and messes with their senses, so we have been lucky, my neighbours have been, surrounding communities have been impacted more so than i am, so i am in ferndale, and the majority of the evaluation zones have been elsewhere,, and they are still in effect going forward this weekend a month so hopefully there are some evacuations they get lifted, but it is still up in the air. it lifted, but it is still up in the air. ., , ,. . lifted, but it is still up in the air. ., .., , air. it does scenic to very situation _ air. it does scenic to very situation when _ air. it does scenic to very situation when it - air. it does scenic to very situation when it comes i air. it does scenic to very - situation when it comes these massive wildfires. do you feel authorities have the resources at their disposal to keep people safe? the resources have been continuing to come in, and we feel at this point we have enough resources to be able to manage any situation that may arise. we have a great huge fire

camps at the peer. a massive amount of helicopters dropping water and and cruise now as well and it seems to have expanded the amount of resources since friday. i left of the damage in this community was taking place on friday of last week and now we are at the point where it is definitely manageable. there�*ve been a few smaller fires that are broken out nearby where i am at, and the research of the been so quick to jump on it and asked —— extinguish the smallerfires that jump on it and asked —— extinguish the smaller fires that have developed. the smaller fires that have developed-— the smaller fires that have developed. the smaller fires that have develoed. . ,, , ., , developed. and stephanie, quickly, auoin developed. and stephanie, quickly, going forward. _ developed. and stephanie, quickly, going forward, there _ developed. and stephanie, quickly, going forward, there seems - developed. and stephanie, quickly, going forward, there seems to - developed. and stephanie, quickly, going forward, there seems to be i going forward, there seems to be extreme weather events all around the world, do you get a sense that wildfires in california are getting worse? , , , ., worse? yes, my partner is a firefighter. _ worse? yes, my partner is a firefighter, so _ worse? yes, my partner is a firefighter, so he _ worse? yes, my partner is a firefighter, so he gives - worse? yes, my partner is a firefighter, so he gives me | worse? yes, my partner is aj firefighter, so he gives me a first—hand look at the current fires that are happening, and this is the

worst year we have had in the past two years,. worst year we have had in the past two years. -— two years,. thank you, stephanie norcio, thanks _ two years,. thank you, stephanie norcio, thanks for— two years,. thank you, stephanie norcio, thanks for speaking - two years,. thank you, stephanie norcio, thanks for speaking to - two years,. thank you, stephanie | norcio, thanks for speaking to us, small business —— business owner in california. hello there. temperatures reached 29—30 degrees across southern parts of the uk again today, but we�*re starting to see a few changes. there has already been the odd shower around, but things are going to get more active overnight and into tomorrow with the risk of some thundery downpours, mainly across england and wales. but if we look towards the west, across northern ireland, there are some showers here and those will develop and push their way across southern scotland and then really generate some heavy, thundery downpours across england and wales later on in the night. a lot of cloud around overnight. it�*s going to be pretty warm out there, 17 degrees minimum in the south—east of england. and for scotland, it�*s going to be a lot warmer than it was last night. but we�*ve got the downpours to begin with across the midlands, northern england — it could be thundery — move out of the way and then we get a bit of sunshine that will trigger

some further thundery showers for england and wales, whereas scotland and northern ireland, looking much drier. and, with a bit more sunshine in the afternoon, temperatures could be a little bit higher than today. elsewhere for england and wales, temperatures aren�*t going to be as high as they have been, but still very warm out there, particularly if you do miss those showers. now, we started the week with high pressure dominant. we�*re going to end the week with low pressure more dominant. there still could be some showers to clear away from eastern parts of england on friday morning. and then we look to the west because we�*ve got this cloud thickening the wind picking up a bit and some rain moving in too. so northern and western areas will see temperatures a little bit lower. but ahead of that rain through the midlands and eastern england, it�*s going to be a very warm end to the week. we�*ve still got temperatures 27—28 degrees. that will change, though, as we head through the weekend, because that weather front that�*s bringing the rain in the west will move its way eastwards may not be huge amounts of rain affecting some eastern parts of england on saturday morning. that moves away, sunshine follows on many places will be dry on saturday,

but the wind picking up in the north west will bring showers to northern ireland and western scotland, and those temperatures are going to be lower. we�*re looking at a top temperature of 25 degrees. we�*re all in this cooler and fresher air on saturday, with more of a west to south—westerly wind. further low pressure heading towards the north—west of the uk will eventually bring this rain in from the atlantic, so not such a good weekend for this part of the country. elsewhere, for england and wales, it�*s likely to be dry. there�*ll be some cloud, but some sunshine through the midlands and eastern parts of england and feeling quite pleasant — temperatures 23 or 24.

hello, i�*m steven lai. you�*re watching the context on bbc news. translation: we have hit out and we will continue _ doing so against anyone who murders our citizens and hurts our country. then his days are numbered. what israel has done is to fight back and sent eight rather strong message to iran and its two most important proxies, hezbollah and hamas. this is a massive gamble by the israelis. will this be the spark that tips the region into the all out war that so many people there with catastrophic consequences? joining me tonight are anna gross, political correspondent

at the financial times and bhaskar sunkara,