have their first trophy of the season as mbappe scores on his debut — will anybody be able to stop them? good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the top a—level grades have risen for the first time in three years, with more than a quarter of entries awarded either an a or a star. hundreds of thousands of students in england, wales and northern ireland received their exam results today, in a year when grading was expected to be restored to the level it was before the pandemic. 80% of students have also successfully got into their first choice university. vanessa clarke reports. it is the day hundreds of thousands of students have been waiting for. but after a morning full of nerves and a quick scan of their results,

it is relief. and some have even done better than they hoped. it feels great, i only thought i would get aid, b, feels great, i only thought i would getaid, b, b so i feels great, i only thought i would get aid, b, b so i was a bit worried but i got what i need so i am happy. overall, the number of top grades are still slightly above what it was before the pandemic. there has been a phased effort to bring them back down after a spate of top results when exams were cancelled. in down after a spate of top results when exams were cancelled. in wales and northern — when exams were cancelled. in wales and northern ireland, _ when exams were cancelled. in wales and northern ireland, they're - and northern ireland, they're returning _ and northern ireland, they're returning to pre—pandemic grading for the _ returning to pre—pandemic grading for the first time this year. so you are seeing — for the first time this year. so you are seeing a — for the first time this year. so you are seeing a drop in both wales and northern_ are seeing a drop in both wales and northern ireland from last year's grading. — northern ireland from last year's grading, so it reflects that return. there _ grading, so it reflects that return. there is _ grading, so it reflects that return. there is plenty to celebrate here with many students and delete heading to apprenticeships and work. for those doing vocational courses there were 22,000 top grades awarded in the uk. n there were 22,000 top grades awarded in the uk. .,, �* ., , there were 22,000 top grades awarded inthe uk. �* ., , ., , in the uk. i wasn't really nervous at all, i in the uk. i wasn't really nervous at all. i was _ in the uk. i wasn't really nervous at all, i wasjust _ in the uk. i wasn't really nervous at all, i wasjust thinking, - in the uk. i wasn't really nervous at all, i wasjust thinking, its - at all, i was just thinking, its results. i'm going to go in, see what i've got a move on. then the

night before, it all hit me, what if it doesn't go well? but i got the results i was hoping for. hand it doesn't go well? but i got the results i was hoping for.- results i was hoping for. and in their school _ results i was hoping for. and in their school in _ results i was hoping for. and in their school in manchester, - results i was hoping for. and in i their school in manchester, where their school in manchester, where the education secretary in england visited, results are better than expected but there are still regional disparities and although there has been slight improvement, there has been slight improvement, there are calls for work to be done to close that gap. i do there are calls for work to be done to close that gap.— to close that gap. i do recognise that the gaps — to close that gap. i do recognise that the gaps we've _ to close that gap. i do recognise that the gaps we've seen - to close that gap. i do recognise. that the gaps we've seen opening to close that gap. i do recognise - that the gaps we've seen opening up under the last conservative government when it comes to regional differences are really stark and the gap is widening. there is an awful lot we need to do and i need to make sure as education secretary that we break down those barriers per opportunity to young people, that where you are from does not determine what you can achieve in life. ., . ., , , determine what you can achieve in life. ., . ., ,, ., determine what you can achieve in life, ., . ., ,, ., i: life. for the class of 2024, whether the have life. for the class of 2024, whether they have the _ life. for the class of 2024, whether they have the results _ life. for the class of 2024, whether they have the results they - life. for the class of 2024, whether they have the results they wanted | life. for the class of 2024, whetherl they have the results they wanted or not, their secondary school experience has been one they will never forget and today marks a huge milestone. clark, bbc news. our reporter rowan bridge is at burnley college,

where students have been nervously opening their results all morning. rowan, how did they get on? you can probably see the remnants of this morning's celebrations from when they opened their results are 8.00 on the floor around me. we have had a couple of students still turning up in the past hour or so to pick up their results. but i have to say, there was an awful lot of nerves this morning. some of the students i spoke to said they got up at four o'clock in the morning. one student said they never actually went to bed last night. it has really been an emotional roller—coaster for them. at 8.00 when they first got to open the envelopes and see how they had done, we saw tears and cheers, we saw hugs and commiserations. it ran the gamut of emotions but all of those we spoke to this morning were looking forward to whatever their future might hold. three, two, one... cheering. at burnley college, things got off with a bang. the students here joined thousands of others across england, wales and northern ireland getting their a—level and vocational results.

today's the culmination of two years of blood, sweat and tears. for katy, it means so much. she's done a t—level, which is a vocational qualification equivalent to three a—levels and is off to northumbria university. all that time that i spent up last night worrying about it, it's like i canjust take a nice breath of fresh air. my mum shed a tear as well but they're just so happy for me and they're really, really proud. they're just so happy that after all this time it's really paid off and it's worked out the way i wanted it to. eshan's also feeling really relief. he's going to pursue his dream of studying medicine. burnley college, with the facilities and the space to study, i was in college about 80 hours a week. i was in on the weekends, saturdays and sundays, i was in from 6am in the morning until 9pm at night, from open till close. security, everybody knew me because i was the last one in the building every night. but it was them that gave me the space to revise and without that, i wouldn't have been able to get the results that i got today. not everyone who got their results

today is off to university. benji took the vocational route. he's set for a career in the royal navy. i hope to become i an aircraft handler. so i'll work on the new aircraft l carriers and i'll be flying the jets and refuelling them and rearming - them before they go and do whatever operations they need to do. staff are here to support students whatever their results are today. we are also likely to have some students who haven't achieved quite what they thought but, again, that individualised support is there with them. they come in with their families and we work with their families and with them so that no—one thinks they're a failure. they can go on to achieve whatever they want to and they know there's a future ahead for them. official figures out this morning show that more students than ever from disadvantaged backgrounds have gained a place at university. for colleges like burnley, it's a vindication of all their efforts to raise aspirations and help pupils reach their full potential. rowan bridge, bbc news, burnley. if you, or someone you know, has received their results today, there's lots of useful information

and practical help on the live page on the bbc news website. the number of palestinians killed during israel's offensive in gaza has reached more than 40,000. the hamas—run health ministry released the figures — which don't distinguish between civilians and combatants — in the last few hours. israel and egypt have restricted access to gaza for international journalists since the conflict began after the 7th of october attacks. the latest death toll comes as talks restart in qatar to try and reach a ceasefire in gaza. our correspondent barbara plett usher reports from jerusalem, and you may find parts of her report upsetting. it took ali two months to dig his family out of the wreckage of their home. he was the only one who survived the strike. translation: i could see my father under the rubble but i couldn't - extract him at first because he was under two columns of cement and the ceiling would have collapsed. he decomposed in front of my eyes.

my mother's body was inside the house, but when i tried to go to see her i felt smothered and had to leave. he's looked after now by his grandfather in a shelter for orphans and widows. carrying on with the task of living. his mother, father, brother and two sisters are among the 40,000 reported killed in the gaza war. the number is overwhelming. each loss is a raw and individual grief... ..experienced again and again in places that are supposed to be safe. israel says it hit civilian infrastructure because hamas is operating there. hamas says it isn't. the international community condemns civilian deaths. and the killing goes on. more than ten months of war have turned gaza into a destruction zone, displaced most of its people.

many are sick and hungry. in the southern city of khan younis, they've been forced to flee a continually shifting front line. "we are tired of this life", she says. "death is better than this." death is a constant presence. sami kawar still has his family and whatever else he could carry with him, but this graveyard was the only space he could find in a shrinking humanitarian zone. translation: we have fled from dying to be among the dead, _ meaning we are the living dead. the truth is, no—one really knows what to say. back at the shelter, the orphans have been given another chance at life. how much of a chance, though? without at least a ceasefire, the future looks as dangerous as the present. barbara plett usher, bbc news, jerusalem. the talks to try and reach a ceasefire in gaza

are restarting in qatar today. let's speak tojenny hill who's in tel aviv. jenny, what's the current position from israel and hamas on an agreement? well, all the parties involved know that the stakes right now could not be any higher. the talks come at a time of extreme tension in the middle east. it is widely thought that achieving a ceasefire and hostage return deal now mightjust stop the conflict in gaza from spilling over into an all—out regional war. the us has been pushing very hard to get that deal past the post. we have seen a lot of diplomacy in recent days and the cia director william burns is understood to be taking part in the negotiations. israel has sent a high—level delegation, including the chiefs of its security and intelligence agencies. hamas has said it will not participate. now,

it has not taken part directly in previous negotiations. we understand that mediators from qatar and egypt will be keeping the group informed. so the eyes of the world are now on johar, with many referring to these negotiations as a last chance summit. —— all eyes are on doha. jenny, thank you. the metropolitan police is failing in almost all areas of its work, according to the police inspectorate. the force was assessed across nine areas and graded as "requires improvement" or "inadequate" in seven — including investigating and preventing crime. the force said it was "using every available resource to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards". tens of thousands of women have marched through the streets of kolkata and other parts of india's west bengal state after the rape and murder of a young female doctor. protestors have accused the hospital where she was killed of a cover—up. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has demanded tough punishment for the culprit.

greater manchester police has submitted evidence to prosecutors of a violent altercation at manchester airport last month. video footage of the encounter — which showed an officer kicking a man on the ground — was widely shared online. four men were arrested for assault and affray and remain on bail. the crown prosecution service will now consider whether to bring any charges. the world health organization has declared the mpox outbreak in parts of africa a public health emergency of international concern. the disease, which used to be known as monkey pox, has spread rapidly since the beginning of this year — with more than 15,500 recorded cases. the majority have been in the democratic republic of congo, but it's also reached other african countries too. so far, the highly contagious disease has killed more than 500 people this year. let's speak now to our africa correspondent simijolaoso who's in lagos.

simi, what impact is this having on people? well, you know what is really worrying for scientists here in africa is how quickly this new strain of mpox is spreading and how fatalit strain of mpox is spreading and how fatal it is. just to put it into context, the statistic you mentioned about how many cases and deaths were recorded last year, far exceeds the total number of cases that were recorded last year. it appears to be spreading through sexual networks and there is a concern about the length of this mpox strain to hiv. it is especially tricky to coordinate a response on the ground in a country like the democratic kongolo because it has been spreading in camps for displaced people and children specifically are at higher risk of contracting mpox and of dying from it as well. so the

hope is that this declaration that has been declared by the world health organization and the africa cdc is that governments will pull together resources to increase aid in those areas. the africa cdc has already said it is working with international partners to secure more vaccines to prevent and curb the spread. simi, thank you. our health correspondent dominic hughesjoins me now. dominic, will anything change in practice as a result of the who declaration? this declaration is the highest level of alert the who can issue. it is a call to arms, trying to mobilise resources, medical resources, political resources, financial resources. they really want to accelerate research and public health measures on the ground to try and get a grip on this huge number of cases that has grown just this year. so they issue this kind of alert two years ago when there

was a global outbreak. now vaccines and what they call behavioural change, managed to contain that. in the uk alone two years ago in 2022-23, the uk alone two years ago in 2022—23, there were more than 3000 cases in the uk. we have heard from the uk health security agency this week already that there is no cause to be alarmed at the moment, there are no cases in the uk at the moment but they say they have monitoring in place and all the surveillance measures they need and they are very much aware of that, so they say they are well set should the need arise. dominic, thank you. the time is 13.15. our top story this afternoon. top a—level grades have risen for the first time in three years, with more than a quarter of entries awarded an a or a* on results day in england, wales and northern ireland. and there are extra security checks at wembley stadium as taylor swift returns to the stage a week after a terror threat forced the cancellation of three of her concerts in vienna.

coming up on bbc news...lois toulson has revealed she fractured her leg just four months before winning bronze in the 10m synchro diving at the paris olympics. the economy grew by 0.6% between april and june as it continued its recovery from last year's recession. those getting exam results today might be inspired by a strong performance in services like scientific research and the it industry — although both construction and manufacturing fell. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david has been looking at the figures. how was june for you? do you remember — how was june for you? do you remember it _ how was june for you? do you remember it for— how was june for you? do you remember it for the _ how was june for you? do you remember it for the sort - how was june for you? do you remember it for the sort of. remember it for the sort of downpour? orthis? a remember it for the sort of downpour? or this? a chance to kick off a summer of sport. heavy rain stopped play for economic growth in that month. but not in the quarter

as a whole, when the service sector put in a strong performance.- put in a strong performance. here's one of my latest — put in a strong performance. here's one of my latest pieces. _ put in a strong performance. here's one of my latest pieces. this - one of my latest pieces. this fashion entrepreneur - one of my latest pieces. this fashion entrepreneur benefited from an uphold trend in household spending power. i do an uphold trend in household spending power. i do markets and tattoo conventions _ spending power. i do markets and tattoo conventions and _ spending power. i do markets and tattoo conventions and that - spending power. i do markets and tattoo conventions and that sort l spending power. i do markets and| tattoo conventions and that sort of thing and people want to get out and about again, they want a more personal experience in shopping rather than the faceless corporation, they want to know who they are buying from, that's my opinion but that is what i experienced.— opinion but that is what i exerienced. �*, , ., ,, , experienced. it's been a less smooth rocess experienced. it's been a less smooth process for— experienced. it's been a less smooth process for manufacturing, _ experienced. it's been a less smooth process for manufacturing, even - process for manufacturing, even thriving once such as this maker of machinery have noticed hesitant customers. machinery have noticed hesitant customers-— machinery have noticed hesitant customers. , , ., ., customers. maybe they are holding off, waiting — customers. maybe they are holding off. waiting for _ customers. maybe they are holding off, waiting for interest _ customers. maybe they are holding off, waiting for interest rates - customers. maybe they are holding off, waiting for interest rates to - off, waiting for interest rates to come down, especially on the automation side, it can be expensive. a lot of people will finance that and not purchase it

directly. if finance that and not purchase it directl . ., ., directly. if we are looking at the three latest _ directly. if we are looking at the three latest months, _ directly. if we are looking at the three latest months, april- - directly. if we are looking at the l three latest months, april- joined three latest months, april— joined in the uk grew faster than most major economies including france and italy. but take population increases into account, our growth was less impressive, in fact, into account, our growth was less impressive, infact, gdp into account, our growth was less impressive, in fact, gdp per person is still slightly lower than it was lastjune, we are still in recovery mode. as the treasury looks over the numbers they have reignited the debate over the state of the government economic inheritance. we have government economic inheritance. - have very challenging economic circumstances, we welcome growth and that's our first and most important mission but we have much more work to do to recover from the mess we were left with. to do to recover from the mess we were left with-— were left with. rachel reeves is fuminr were left with. rachel reeves is fuming because _ were left with. rachel reeves is fuming because this _ were left with. rachel reeves is fuming because this is - were left with. rachel reeves is fuming because this is more - were left with. rachel reeves is l fuming because this is more data were left with. rachel reeves is - fuming because this is more data to undermine — fuming because this is more data to undermine her narrative that the economic— undermine her narrative that the economic inheritance was bad and she can no— economic inheritance was bad and she can no longer use that as a pretext for the _ can no longer use that as a pretext for the tax — can no longer use that as a pretext for the tax rises she was planning all along — for the tax rises she was planning allalong. it�*s for the tax rises she was planning all alon. v , for the tax rises she was planning

all alon. h , ., for the tax rises she was planning allalonr. h , ., . for the tax rises she was planning allalonu. �*, , ., . , all along. it's been a decent first half but economists _ all along. it's been a decent first half but economists suggest - all along. it's been a decent first i half but economists suggest growth over the rest of the year may lose steam however the government needs us to up our game on growth permanently if it is to realise its long—term goals. that is one for the chancellor to tackle in the autumn budget. our correspondent leila nathoo at at westminster. leila, what's the political reaction been to the figures? you heard a flavour of it there, the wrangling over what sort of economy the labour government has inherited. rachel reeves has been stressing since well before the election about the essential message that the tories have trashed the economy through mismanagement and herjob is to clean it up and that will be a difficult process. interestingly her response to the pegasus not welcoming them but stressing getting growth going at her number one priority, there is a huge hole in public finances and she says it will be tough choices ahead and she is

going to have to make some difficult decisions. her predecessorjeremy hunt, the shadow chancellor says this is in fact prove that the labour party inherited a resilient and growing economy and insists she is using this narrative of decline as cover to raise taxes. clearly we are looking ahead to the autumn budget, there will be accompanying independent forecasts and if growth continues in the coming months and quarter, i think it will be interesting to know exactly when the labour party starts to claim credit for it. briefly one of their line of attack coming from the tories today, another battle for the narrative, on the pay offer for train drivers that will be voted on by the aslef union, a more generous offer than was on the table under the previous government and the union says it comes with out a land grab in their words on terms and conditions. the tories say the labour party has caved in to the unions, saying this

will be paid for either through higherfares or higher will be paid for either through higher fares or higher taxes and they say it will do nothing for improving efficiency in the railways but the government says strikes have a cost to the economy and this is a deal to avert future strikes. leila, thank you. challenger 2 tanks — supplied by the uk to ukrainian forces — have been used in their cross—border incursion into russia, a source has told the bbc. kyiv says it's expanding its military operation in the kursk region ten days after it began, while russian troops insist they're pushing back. our correspondent will vernon has the latest. in russia, evacuations from parts of the border regions continue. thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. "big guns were firing constantly", this woman tells russian state tv. "my house was shaking and the furniture was moving around." the russian military

is desperately trying to stop the ukrainian advance, releasing more pictures, allegedly of strikes against ukrainian forces. translation: in our sector, | everything's under our control. we are destroying the enemy. a little further along they got through, but we're seeing to them. but these satellite images show that trenches are being dug in the region. russia is urgently bringing in workers to build the defences. that means moscow is concerned about further gains for ukraine, and kyiv says it continues to make progress, albeit at a slower pace. ukrainian soldiers have released more footage, apparently showing them removing russian flags from buildings in villages they've seized during the incursion. president zelensky claims his forces are moving forward. translation: we need other weapons, missiles and we continue to work- with our partners on long term solutions for ukraine because these are needed for victory.

and ukraine's allies seem to be listening. today, the uk government said kyiv can use british supplied weapons such as these challenger 2 tanks inside russian territory. in a statement to the bbc, the ministry of defence said ukraine has a clear right of self—defence against russia's attacks, which includes operations inside russia. the battle for the kursk region rages on, but there's politics at play here, too. ukraine wants to show its western backers that it can still fight and win. will vernon, bbc news. let's speak to our defence correspondentjonathan beale. jonathan, what are the implications of british tanks being used by ukrainian forces inside russia? i don't think we should be surprised because we have seen lots of western

armour, not challenger two tanks but others supplied by the u s and germans and ministers here, officials here, have said it is up to ukraine how it uses the weapons supplied by the uk. that policy and statement said had not changed even with this incursion so i don't think we should be hugely surprised about what's happening. and it is as i said, accompanied by a lot of other western armour, the kind of strikeforce you need to conduct this operation involving well—trained and equipped troops, that is what has happened in the kursk region in that incursion over the russian border. these tanks were given last year, 14 british challenger two tanks supply to ukraine for its offensive in the summer of last year which grant to help quickly because it was up against very significant minefields and fortification. one of those

tanks was destroyed. they have not face that kind of obstacle in this incursion, the surprise incursion because the russians were not ready for it, essentially. there is one exception to this rule. britain has still not given ukraine permission along with lots of other western countries about the use of long range weapons, specifically storm shadow weapons to be used inside russia, that is a no—no still as far as the uk is concerned although discussions are still ongoing and we have heard from president zelensky again saying please change your mind, give us the ability to carry out those long—range strikes. jonathan, thank you. as many as 74,000 prosecutions for rail alleged fare evasion in england and wales are set to be quashed following a landmark ruling. it's after a process allowing magistrates' hearings to be held behind closed doors was declared void. our transport correspondent katy austin was in court. katy, what was the problem

with these test cases, and what does the result mean for passengers? this was not really about whether people did or did not pay fares, it was about the process that had been wrongly used by some train companies to prosecute them and the chief magistrate declared six test cases as no, that means they never happened in the first place, it is as if they never happened. he said he would make a similar future ruling about other similar cases. he does not know exactly how many that will be but he said the best guess is around 74,000. and the next steps are to try and identify which of those cases are and that is something the courts on the train companies will now get on to before people can be contacted. that may not be easy in every case and eventually, refunds can be paid to

them. that process is likely to take several months. also in court today to hear what was said was one man who successfully fought back against the prosecution initially brought against him using a singlejustice procedure and this was his reaction after the hearing. it procedure and this was his reaction after the hearing.— after the hearing. it feels absolutely _ after the hearing. it feels absolutely great. - after the hearing. it feels i absolutely great. complete vindication of my position from the start _ vindication of my position from the start six _ vindication of my position from the start. six months, i had to get my mp involved, contact a journalist and campaigning body is trying to raise _ and campaigning body is trying to raise awareness of their soul to see it elevated — raise awareness of their soul to see it elevated to the chief magistrate, and getting the ruling today was fantastic. , ., fantastic. the department for transport _ fantastic. the department for transport welcomed - fantastic. the department for transport welcomed an i fantastic. the department for l transport welcomed an apology fantastic. the department for - transport welcomed an apology from train operators and said people affected would be directly affected —— contacted in due course. katy, thank you. the duke and duchess of sussex are starting a four—day tour of colombia today,

at the invitation of the country's vice—president. it'll be prince harry and meghan's second trip of the year, after travelling to nigeria in may. our correspondent ione wells is in bogota, where the couple will start their visit. ione, where are they planning to go? iamjust by i am just by the presidential palace in bogota now, they are here on the invitation of the vice president. later this morning they are set to meet with her to be welcomed to the country and they are then taking part in various summits, they will be meeting with experts, activists, to talk about protecting young people from online harm and that is really the main purpose of the visit with them, promoting some of their work to protect young people online and some of their charitable work. they will have further meetings on that tomorrow as well as meeting the invictus games team in colombia. this may look a bit like a state visit with them being here on the invitation of the government but they are not working royals any more

and there are questions why they are here in colombia. for them i think this is about promoting their charitable work and showing they are influential, they have world stage relevance but for the government here, i think they see this a publicity opportunity with them having elections coming up next year, both keen to promote those causes. ione, thank you. taylor swift returns to london's wembley stadium tonight a week after she was forced to cancel three dates in austria over a threat to attack the concerts. extra security checks will be in place to keep people safe. our culture correspondent charlotte gallagher is there. charlotte, what'll be different since her last set of uk shows? they are going to be more careful about letting people gather outside wembley stadium. for i am now as a limbic way and people were hoping they would be able to stand outside if they did not have a ticket and listen to the music but now it's

been heard that people will not be allowed to do that. tens of thousands of people outside could cause a huge security and safety issue so they say if you do not have a ticket, do not turn up but people have been arriving since the early hours. that was dark when we got here and taylor swift fans were in full force in their outfits with their sequins and glitter and cowboy boots and i have met some of them. i boots and i have met some of them. i have brought my daughter. i haven't had any— have brought my daughter. i haven't had any choice in the matter. but ou are had any choice in the matter. emit you are getting into it. had any choice in the matter. but you are getting into it. are i had any choice in the matter. but you are getting into it. are you i had any choice in the matter. but you are getting into it. are you a| you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes. _ you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes. yes- _ you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes, yes. i _ you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes, yes. i do _ you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes, yes. i do know- you are getting into it. are you a fan? yes, yes. i do know some i you are getting into it. are you a i fan? yes, yes. i do know some songs. and i_ fan? yes, yes. i do know some songs. and i have _ fan? yes, yes. i do know some songs. and i have been making friendship bracelets — and i have been making friendship bracelets as well. | and i have been making friendship bracelets as well.— bracelets as well. i love the lyrics of her music. _ bracelets as well. i love the lyrics of her music. so _ bracelets as well. i love the lyrics of her music. so relatable. i i bracelets as well. i love the lyrics of her music. so relatable. i got i of her music. so relatable. i got into it because emma was into it from a teenager and i have grown up with her and it's a great part of my life, i adore her. she with her and it's a great part of my life, i adore her.— life, i adore her. she is like an idol because _ life, i adore her. she is like an idol because she _ life, i adore her. she is like an idol because she has been i life, i adore her. she is like an i idol because she has been through life, i adore her. she is like an - idol because she has been through so much _ idol because she has been through so

much and _ idol because she has been through so much and she rises like a phoenix every— much and she rises like a phoenix every time — much and she rises like a phoenix every time. that is the lyrics. rising — every time. that is the lyrics. rising like _ every time. that is the lyrics. rising like a phoenix! the show doesn't start for hours but people are already gathering and exchanging friendship bracelets and one person i met made 452 exchange. people are so excited and they want to get to the front of the crowd to see their icon. charlotte, thank you. a reminder of our top headline this afternoon. top a—level grades have risen for the first time in three years, with more than a quarter of entries awarded an a or a* on results day in england, wales and northern ireland. and we hearfrom a woman and we hear from a woman who is mentally ill son killed herfather and says nottinghamshire health care nhs trust failed to learn lessons from her tragedy. we'll have a full forecast in the next half hour, but it's time now for a quick look at the weather. here's stav.

it isa it is a bit ofa it is a bit of a dreary day and we have rain crossing the country. here is a weather front spreading across the country. through tonight and will reach the south—east, and on friday we are in between weather systems, we should see sunshine around, the weekend is looking pretty decent. dry weather around, plenty of sunshine, light winds across england and wales. just a very slim chance of a shower or two across the far north—west of the country but temperatures pretty much what they should be for the time of year but a full forecast is coming up year but a full forecast is coming up and around 30 minutes. thank you. major social networks — including instagram and facebook — still aren't removing self—harm and suicide content from their platforms. new research by the molly rose foundation has found more still needs to be done to take the posts down. the charity was set up in memory of 14—year—old molly russell, who took her own life after viewing harmful material online.

just to warn you, you may find some of this report, by our correspondent angus crawford, upsetting. molly russell ended her life when she was just 14. herfather, ian, horrified by the self—harm and suicide content she'd been fed by social media. this world is so cruel and i don't want to see it any more. and some of it's still there. just this week, we found similar images on instagram — glorifying suicide and self—harm — too graphic to show. and the content on x, formerly twitter, was even worse. my youngest daughter died on the 21st... ian russell now campaigns for online safety. the corporate culture at these platforms needs to change. we travelled with him to silicon valley. one tech boss told us things would get better. i don't think we'll ever be in a place where every single image that violates our policies is off of our platform, but it's our responsibility to get that number to as close to zero as possible. content moderators,

like these in berlin, alongside automated systems, try to remove the most harmful posts. the platforms have made progress, but today's research by the charity set up in molly's name says there's much, much more to be done. it analysed 12 million take down decisions made by the big social media companies about self—harm and suicide material. facebook and instagram, owned by meta, each accounted forjust1% of those decisions. x was worse, reporting just 1—in—700. and while tiktok did remove 3 million items, it only suspended two accounts. this is about investment. this is a choice because the technology is there to detect this. we can see some platforms rolling it out, but in the absence of any incentives, in the absence of data, in the absence of anything that will make the companies do this, they simply will not do it on a voluntary basis.

it's difficult to find the right words, because i guess one that comes to mind is disappointment that the the big platforms don't seem to be living up to their own promises. meta told us... "content that encourages suicide and self—injury breaks our rules. "we don't believe the statistics in this report fully " reflect our efforts." tiktok said it didn't want to provide a statement. x failed to respond to our request. the online safety act was meant to force reform on silicon valley, but ofcom, which has the power to levy huge fines, is still consulting on its codes of practice. it's about putting the onus of responsibility on to the tech firms. ian russell at ofcom in april, questioning the delay. he also met the new labour secretary of state and is demanding a toughening up of the act. the internet companies have had two decades and nothing much has changed. we're playing catch—up for those two decades and we have to keep pace with the lightning fast pace

of the tech industry, so the government needs to act and act soon. molly's family want a safer internet for all. this research shows their work in her name is not yet done. i think this report raises a number of issues, evidence of what you might call a two tier model of content moderation, some apps like tiktok are managing to take down something like 95% of the data, meta just 2% in some tech firms are doing quite well and others need improvement. and it underlines the frustration of campaigners that regulation is not keeping pace with innovation. the online safety act was meant to solve this enforced change on to silicon valley but there is concern it is simply taking too long to bite what the regulator ofcom is still consulting on its codes of practice. the digital

landscape is changing fast. campaigners want the online safety act toughened up or if necessary new legislation introduced.— legislation introduced. angus crawford. _ legislation introduced. angus crawford, thank _ legislation introduced. angus crawford, thank you. - still to come on today's programme... with fears only a million hedgehogs are left in britain, we'll see how these new road signs could be the answer to saving the species. first, it's time to join our colleagues with hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm tanya arnold. can anyone stop real madrid? mbappe scores on his debut as they win their first trophy of the season. we'll have the latest transfer news, as we hear kalvin phillips is heading to ipswich for the season. and diver lois toulson tells us how she fractured her leg just four months before winning bronze at the paris olympics.

good afternoon. the big question for the english clubs playing in the champions league this season is, will any of them be able to beat real madrid? it seems they'll have to if they are to have any chance of dethroning the defending champions, whose new signing kylian mbappe played a key role in winning the uefa super cup last night. they beat europa league winners atalanta 2—0 in the polish capital, warsaw. all the players in the team are great, — all the players in the team are great, that is why this is real madrid — great, that is why this is real madrid and this is the best club in the world — madrid and this is the best club in the world. we have the best players here and _ the world. we have the best players here and it — the world. we have the best players here and it is a pleasure to play with _ here and it is a pleasure to play with them, _ here and it is a pleasure to play with them, and all the guys there. we won— with them, and all the guys there. we won a — with them, and all the guys there. we won a trophy, it's really important to win a trophy here because — important to win a trophy here because everyone won here. it's a pleasure _ because everyone won here. it's a pleasure for— because everyone won here. it's a pleasure for me to also score a goal. _ pleasure for me to also score a goal. as— pleasure for me to also score a goal. as a _ pleasure for me to also score a goal, as a striker, to be there and

score _ goal, as a striker, to be there and score for— goal, as a striker, to be there and score for my— goal, as a striker, to be there and score for my team is always a pleasure _ score for my team is always a pleasure and i hope it stays like this and — pleasure and i hope it stays like this and improved to help the team more _ he's the kind of player that, you know, writes his own history, you know. he's kind of inevitable, the way he performs. and time and time again he delivers for his team. and he did it again tonight. so, not something we even really spoke about, to be honest. we just expected it and to be able to say that, you know, i've set up his first goal is nice as well. so hopefully i can give him a few more before the season's finished and we can, you know, shoot for more trophies. well, earlierjuan castro, who writes for the spanish sports paper marca, told us there was delight in madrid at mbappe's debut. here people is really excited because people cannot imagine a better debut of the new star mbappe than yesterday's final in the super cup. so really, people is really excited. you know, if you go to any bar, if you go to the surroundings

of the bernabeu stadium, and you ask to the people, they are really delighted with mbappe's debut. it was only 90 minutes. but even across those 90 minutes, with all those star players, you saw them starting to work out, didn't you, how they were going to play. and a lovely link—up between bellingham and mbappe for the second goal. yeah, there was also a really important thing. it was not only mbappe goal, it was not the very good mbappe debut, but it was like the link between all the stars — bellingham, vinicius, rodrigo and of course mbappe — were really good. so even with this, the hopes of the madridistas for this season is really with a high expectation. you say high expectation. is everybody already handing them all the trophies in spain and across europe as well? yeah, i mean, real madrid has seven trophies to win this season already. the first one is in madrid.

and of course they expect the other six. but of course the new champions league format is even more difficult. but, you know, madridistas are delighted with this new team. brighton have activated a £40 million release clause in georginio rutter�*s contract. he came on last night in the 63rd minute for the carabao cup tie against middlesbrough. depsite his efforts, he couldn't save his side from a 3—0 defeat at elland road. no other club can activate the clause after the deadline expired at midnight. rutter must decided if he heads to brighton or stays in the championship. brighton's manager would not be drawn on the potential transfer earlier today. i'm very happy with the squad we already have. and of course, like, it's also ourjob to search if there's any player who fits our profile, our style of play. and of course, the character of

the player is very important for us. and if there might be a fit, we will see what happens. but to negotiations or to players, we want to maybe see in our squad, i will never say anything. manchester city midfielder kalvin phillips is set to join newly—promoted ipswich town on loan for the season. there has been no sale option added to the deal. phillips has failed to break into the city team since his £45 million move from leeds two years ago. the 28—year—old spent the second half of last season on loan at west ham. sandro tonali will be like a new signing for newcastle when he returns from a ten—month ban for breaking betting rules. the club has confirmed the italian they signed from ac milan last summer will be available from august 28th, which could see him involved in their carabao cup tie at nottingham forest that week. following the news that ac milan have introduced ground—breaking maternity policies for all female players and staff, including offering a contract renewal to their pregnant players with a one—year extension, team captain, and scotland

international, christy grimshaw, hopes it can spark more change in the women's game. the choice of being a mother or being a player is one that definitely in the past, a lot of women have had to take. so to obviously be granted this opportunity, and i know there is a lot of other opportunities now that fifa have introduced, other policies before as well, couple of years ago. but this one really feels extra special. jack draper plays stefanos ttsitsipas in the second round at the cincinnati open later. draper had a tricky first round tie against spain's jaume munar, needing treatment before the match went to a deciding tie break. the massage seemed to work as the british number one went on to win the tie break 7—5.

lois toulson has revealed that just four months before winning olympic bronze alongside andrea spendolini—sirieix, she fractured her leg in training. few people knew about the injury and the battle she faced just to get to paris. a short time ago she told us what happened. it was just the support staff around me that needed to know and that really helped me get through it and obviously i told my friends and family so that i could get their support as well. but other than that, no one really. some of the divers from the different countries when i was turning up to the competitions, they knew something might be wrong. competitions, they knew something might be wrong-— might be wrong. physically incredibly _ might be wrong. physically incredibly difficult - might be wrong. physically incredibly difficult to i might be wrong. physically incredibly difficult to deal i might be wrong. physically i incredibly difficult to deal with, but that close to an olympics, mentally and emotionally, out of? because you were on for a medal, you did so well. because you were on for a medal, you did so well-— did so well. that was the hardest art did so well. that was the hardest part definitely. — did so well. that was the hardest part definitely, coming _ did so well. that was the hardest part definitely, coming to - did so well. that was the hardest part definitely, coming to terms | part definitely, coming to terms with it all. but i have an amazing team, my physio went to every

appointment and scan with me and the psychologist i work with, she has been amazing. there were of tears the start but talking to her regularly really helped and setting out a plan for what it looked like to get back. it kind of left me no choice but to believe in myself at that point, but i could still get there. ., , ., , , ., that point, but i could still get there. ., , ., , ., there. you must have been proud of ourself there. you must have been proud of yourself or— there. you must have been proud of yourself or winning _ there. you must have been proud of yourself or winning a _ there. you must have been proud of yourself or winning a bronze - there. you must have been proud of yourself or winning a bronze medall yourself or winning a bronze medal anyway but to have gone through all of that, you must be immensely proud of that, you must be immensely proud of how you dealt with all of that. i of how you dealt with all of that. i didn't necessarily think about it straightaway, but it was not until i reflected, i realised just a few months before, i wasn't even sure if i would be able to be on a diving board. now it has sunk in, it makes me feel very proud of myself and the journey i had been on. is me feel very proud of myself and the journey i had been on.— journey i had been on. is that why ou have journey i had been on. is that why you have decided _ journey i had been on. is that why you have decided to _ journey i had been on. is that why you have decided to make - journey i had been on. is that why you have decided to make it i journey i had been on. is that why l you have decided to make it public? so we all realise what a journey you have been on. yes so we all realise what a “ourney you have been _

so we all realise what a “ourney you have been on. yes and i managed to net hurtin: have been on. yes and i managed to get hurting myself— have been on. yes and i managed to get hurting myself on _ have been on. yes and i managed to get hurting myself on video, - have been on. yes and i managed to get hurting myself on video, and i i get hurting myself on video, and i feel like it's something a lot of divers do all the time, we practice these skills in the gym so when we get in the pool, we are ready, and it is something that can go wrong. sojust to show it is something that can go wrong. so just to show that it did happen to me but it does not mean you cannot get through it, you cannot win those medals. hopefullyjust a bit of motivation for anybody that needsit bit of motivation for anybody that needs it as well.— it's the last day of the hundred league format and there's still plenty to be decided in the men's competition. birmingham phoenix can finish top with a big win against manchester originals later today. any win would at least take them into the top three and the eliminator. defending champions oval invincibles missed the chance to secure first spot when they lost at trent rockets last night, but do sit top at the moment and will go straight through to sunday's final if birmingham phoenix don't manage to win and better their run rate. and the new york yankees' aaron judge became the fastest player to reach 300 home runs in major league baseball history during the yankees win over

the chicago white sox on wednesday. judge's moment came in the eighth inning, hammering the ball to left field to make history, reaching 300 home runs injust 955 games, more than 100 games quicker than the previous mark set by ralph kiner. you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news on the bbc sport webusite and app — there's plenty of transfer activity and we'll be hearing from more managers as they build up to the start of the premier league which kicks off tomorrow evening. but from all of us here, for now, goodbye! a woman whose mentally—ill son killed his grandfather says an nhs trust failed to learn lessons from her tragedy. kathleen barnard was speaking after a care quality commission report criticised failures in the case of nottingham killer valdo calocane. valdo calocane had been under the care of the same trust as william,

the young man who stabbed his grandfather to death. john mcgrath was described as clever, brave and generous and deeply loved, stabbed to death by one of his grandchildren in 2009. his wife mabel was injured trying to protect him. william bernard was a diagnosed schizophrenic under the care of nottinghamshire health care nhs trust, the same trust which treated valdo calocane who went on to kill three people in the city last year. this week the trust apologised after a report by the care quality commission was found to have made a series of errors in its treatment of valdo calocane and minimise the risk he posed to himself and others. but william bernard �*s mother, kathleen, pictured with her other children, says the trust failed to learn mistakes and doesn't believe it will now. i mistakes and doesn't believe it will now. ., ., , ., ., ., now. i do not believe that for one

moment- — now. i do not believe that for one moment- we _ now. i do not believe that for one moment. we were _ now. i do not believe that for one moment. we were told _ now. i do not believe that for one moment. we were told exactly i now. i do not believe that for one | moment. we were told exactly the same thing. and here we are. 15 years later. bernard admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was detained in a high security hospital. in 2014 a coroner found health worker should have acted sooner and the police also failed to arrest william barnard in connection with an attempted armed robbery. kathleen says she did not know he had been told he didn't have to keep taking medication for paranoid schizophrenia if he did not want to. nine months laterjohn mcgrath was dead. ., ., ., , ., ., , dead. there are not any real words ou can dead. there are not any real words you can summon — dead. there are not any real words you can summon up _ dead. there are not any real words you can summon up to _ dead. there are not any real words you can summon up to say - dead. there are not any real words you can summon up to say how i you can summon up to say how devastating this was to all of us. they are letting my family down. they are letting my family down. they let wil down. lastjune after being involved with health services in nottingham for three years valdo calocane start university students

barnaby webber, graca malik umar and caretaker ian coates. the bbc learned a doctor warned that mental illness of valdo calocane were so severe he could end up killing someone and he often stopped taking his medication. the former local mp says the similarities in the cases are shocking. says the similarities in the cases are shocking-— says the similarities in the cases are shocking. there is a profound failin: to are shocking. there is a profound failing to take _ are shocking. there is a profound failing to take the _ are shocking. there is a profound failing to take the sort _ are shocking. there is a profound failing to take the sort of- are shocking. there is a profound failing to take the sort of action i failing to take the sort of action in both these cases that should have been taken to keep both of those patients safe and keep the wider community safe as well. both of them should have been sectioned. both these cases, that was not done and it is shameful and disgraceful. responding to the most recent report, nottinghamshire health care says it has significantly improved processes and standards. a public inquiry is expected to be held. john mcgrath fought to get his grandson help, kathleen says it is devastating that others have had to go through similar pain to what she and herfamily went go through similar pain to what she and her family went through more than a decade ago.

volunteers on an historic railway line in cumbria are working to restore what's believed to be the world's oldest signalbox that still exists on its original site. the box, on the kirkby stephen east heritage line, was built in 1861 when signalling was still in its infancy, as mark mcalindon reports. the site, just on the edge of kirkby stephen, is like a real—life train set for railway enthusiasts. volunteers are working daily to remain on track to reopen this box next year. what we are replicating is the original position and placing of one of the very first signal boxes built in this country as part of the stockton to darlington line. it's going to look like your actual typical british railways signal box, if you like, although it goes back to well before british railways days. and inside, its going to have all the necessary levers and the equipment and the clocks and the gauges. this line was a vital link

for the burgeoning heavy industries of the north in the 19th century. times have changed, but it is still a source of pride and satisfaction for those recreating a piece of the past. when i retired, i basically wanted something to do. i've always enjoyed railways. we started the signal box about a year ago. to get to this point is actually stunning. and we put a time capsule in as well. so, hopefully, in 100 years' or 200 years', if it's ever knocked down, you'll find the idiots that built it. next year is the 200th anniversary of the stockton to darlington line. the plan is to have the signal box opened just as it once was in time for then. i think it's good for the local community to actually be able to touch base with our heritage and the railway heritage, of course, which i know is important nationally. we are going to be able to offer the experience of pulling a signal lever, if you like, to make this a dream come true. although there is still plenty more to do, staff here insist there will be no delays.

an australian brea kdancer who an australian breakdancer who went viral on social media after her appearance at the olympics are spoken for the first time. rachel gunn said she had been left heartbroken by the pretty devastating online hate she received since she took to the stage in paris. she was widely mocked for mimicking a kangaroo and a snake but said she was honoured to be part of the olympic debut in breaking and thanked herfans for the olympic debut in breaking and thanked her fans for her support. the olympic debut in breaking and thanked herfans for her support. i thanked her fans for her support. i really appreciate the positivity and i'm glad i was able to bring some i0y i'm glad i was able to bring some joy into your lives, that's what i hoped. i did not realise that that would also open the door to so much hate which is frankly been pretty devastating. every year, an estimated 300,000 hedgehogs are killed on britain's roads.

to try and protect tham, england's first official �*hedgehog crossing' signs have now been installed, in kingston—upon—thames. our reporter tim muffett has the story. hedgehogs need all the help they can get. numbers in the uk have plummeted over the past 50 years mainly due to loss of natural habitat such as hedgerow in rural areas. but in suburbia, things seem a bit more hopeful. there's lots of small simple changes that you can make to the garden starting with things like hedgehog highways, gaps in fences, wildlife friendly features such as log piles, leaf piles, all of those are going to encourage hedgehogs. and what we are seeing in urban and suburban areas is there is more and more people making those changes and we are seeing a slight recovery so it's having an impact. getting from garden to garden often involves crossing the road. these are the first official hedgehog crossing signs approved by the department for transport to be installed.

four were put up in old malden in south west london last month. we've identified this area as a hedgehog hotspot. one of the biggest threats to hedgehogs are fragmentation of habitat and impacts of them crossing the road and getting run over by cars. when a hedgehog gets frightened, it doesn't have a fight or flight response. it curls up into a ball and we see cars coming along, it's probably the worst thing they can do. it is estimated as many as 300,000 hedgehogs are hit by vehicles in the uk each year. sadly, those animals rarely survive. vets and animal hospitals are more likely to see hedgehogs with other injuries especially in the summer when we are gardening. most of the hedgehogs that we have, they are injured by strimmers. this is one of the hedgehogs that arrived with a strimmer injury. by the time he arrived, the back foot it was broken. the amount of damage, it was unsaveable so we amputated the foot and he has a stump. what is the plan? we are going to try and find

a secure garden where he can live the rest of his life. secure gardens belong to volunteers who have adapted them to make them a safe, separated space for hedgehogs. wherever possible, the aim is to release animals back into the wild — that's the plan for these baby hedgehogs or "hoglets", as they are known. they were found under a barbecue. they were orphaned, they waited for mum to see if she came back but she never came back. what people should do if they use a strimmer, try to check in the areas hedgehogs will hide and these are shady, cool areas, under the hedges or in bushes so it they could get a broom and go there and make a noise, the hedgehog would get a scare, will hide further away and you can use your strimmer. campaigns encouraging people to create small gaps in their fences to help hedgehogs roam from garden to garden seem to be having a positive effect. in this part of south—west london, motorists are now being asked to do what they can to help the hedgehogs.

tim muffett, bbc news. now the weather with stav. thank you and good afternoon. a dreary day out there, weather fronts crossing the country bringing heavy rain and it is quite windy, impacting temperatures in the north and west. high pressure in the south has brought sunshine but it will rain through the evening and overnight. some of the rain has been heavyin overnight. some of the rain has been heavy in the last few hours, south—west scotland into north—west england, especially cumbria and into north west wales. brightening up for the north and west of scotland and northern ireland. some blustery showers in the head of that it is dry with a breeze picking up. clouds thickening so any sunshine will diminish. the rain around the middle of the afternoon is behind us, and

ahead of that it is warm and muggy, maximum of 25 degrees. tonight the rain crosses england and wales, eventually clearing in the south—east, warm and humid air left in its wake across the south—east but it will be cooler elsewhere and quite chilly across central scotland. on friday we are in between weather systems, not a bad day. we will lose the weather front from the far south—east in the sunshine will emerge. scotland and northern ireland will see sunshine and blustery showers, most of them in the north—west of scotland, elsewhere it is dry with widespread sunshine. temperatures in the high teens in the north, low to mid 20s in the south and south—east. the weekend looking pretty good, raining in between weather systems so lots of dry weather around with plenty of sunshine. more sunshine for england and wales, light winds. further north there is cloud building and a breeze, some showers for the north

and west of scotland, one or two in northern ireland, top temperatures 20 degrees in the north, 25 in the south. what we should be for the time of year. on sunday low—pressure skirts to the north of scotland, stronger winds and a greater chance some showers, the odd one in northern ireland, may be into north england and western wales. in terms of temperatures it's pretty decent, where we should be for the time of year, mid 20s in the south.

live from london. this is bbc news it is result state. hundreds of thousands of students in the uk are getting _ thousands of students in the uk are getting their results today. it is the highest _ getting their results today. it 3 the highest number of a grades in the highest number of a grades in the last few years. also, students who wanted to go to university, four out of five have got their course choice of university. in the next hour we will bring you reaction from here in burnley. and we will answer

your questions. ceasefire talks on the war in gaza are resuming in qatar, as the number of palestinians killed passes 40,000 — according to the hamas—run health ministry. the economy grew by 0.6% at the end ofjune. social media companies are still failing to remove self—harm content despite the online safety bill. taylor swift returns to london's wembley stadium in the uk for the final leg of her �*eras tour'. we are beginning to see some

statistics based on this year's exam results.