hundreds of thousands of students get their a—level results. overall, there's a slight rise in the top grades for the first time in six years. loser fall loserfall in loser fall in those grades in england alone for the first time since those exams underwent major form. we will be live from clearing centre. the government is to withdraw funding from one of the largest private training companies in the uk after a damning report by oftsed. a surge in the number of migrants crossing from morocco to spain. nearly three times as many people are now attempting the journey. a large fire broke out in the early hours at a glasgow fruit and veg market — firefighters say they expect to be there for the rest of the day. and, a new era for cricket? the first ever day/night test match in england is about to get under way at edgbaston. and coming up in the sport on bbc

news, the fa facing questions after england head coach mark sampson is cleared of making racist remarks about one of his players. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the wait for a—level results is over for hundreds of thousands of young people in england, wales and northern ireland. this year's results show a slight rise in a and a—star grades, for the first time in six years. the results in england are the first since major changes were made to the qualifications, which mean students now sit their exams at the end of two years of study, instead of taking modules halfway through.

in top grades, boys have moved ahead of girls. our reporter chi chi izundu has been with students opening their results at a college in east london. results day. years of studying and nervous expectation even to find out what you have got. for the first time in six years those getting top marks at a level has increased and thatis marks at a level has increased and that is despite reforming the system. really, really good. hopefully going on to studying accounting. are you happy? very happy. have you broken the news to your itiuiti happy. have you broken the news to your mum and dad? my mum, yes. she started screaming! she was screaming a lot, yes. as part of the reform,

as modules coursework will not be pa rt as modules coursework will not be part of the final grade. students must study for two years and sit an exa m must study for two years and sit an exam at the end. this year, 13 subjects are affected, including chemistry, biology and english literature, and universities have a input to the changes. it is challenging to be the first year to doa challenging to be the first year to do a new exam, but the new exams reflect the needs of universities and employers. universities were very clear that they wanted to see stu d e nts very clear that they wanted to see students arrive for their first year better prepared to cope with the challenges of that difficult first year. the new changes to the system do not apply to schools in wales, which are still coupling macka one and a—level grades. which are still coupling macka one and a-level grades. we were concerned that the old as qualification disappeared and there was a narrowing of the curriculum. it was looking like subjects in the creative arts, like music and drama, those are starting to disappear, and the same but modern foreign languages. and this is a time when

the what young people to be celebrating creativity but looking to be global citizens, so those are areas of real concern. in a a" grades and a grades, boys have moved ahead of girls compared to last yea r‘s results. ahead of girls compared to last year's results. for those who did better than expected or even those that didn't, they will be checking whether they are onto their course at their university of choice. one very happy student is 20—year—old malala, who tweeted news of her place at oxford. the number of university places allocated has fallen with tens of thousands of places still available. ucas, the universities and colleges admissions service, says that [116,000 places have so far been confirmed, down 2% on last year, reflecting a dip in the number of 18—year—olds in the uk. this is expected to mean a "buyers' market", with more options available to students looking for university places through the clearing process. phil mackie is at the

admissions service's headquarters in cheltenham. you mentioned the fact that there is a dip ina you mentioned the fact that there is a dip in a number of 18—year—olds are applying, who were available to apply this year, but also fewer mature students and 3% fewer eu students, we don't know quite yet, maybe it's because brexit, maybe it is because of rising costs and debt that you face if you choose to go to university. for the many people who got results this morning, whether they got better or worse results, they got better or worse results, they are not interested in the statistics but in what is happening to them. for tens of thousands of teenagers, their parents and teachers, this is the place they dread calling on results day. this year if you have not quite got the grades, the advice is, don't panic. there are more places are available through clearing land usual and you

never know who will pick up the phone. it is lenny henry. i'm the chancellor of birmingham city university. what is your name? although it is expensive, university remains the main choice for 18—year—olds. remains the main choice for 18-year-olds. my mum used to say you must get them education so that you have something to fall back on. and she was right. and for young people out there, that is what you have got to do. take advantage of this. it is a life transforming thing. 40% of the student body are mature students. it is never too late. not eve ryo ne students. it is never too late. not everyone agrees. writing the daily telegraph, nick timothy, the former chief of staff of the prime minister said... today there are more options available to those put off by the cost of higher education. more people are choosing to do

apprenticeships because you can make money while learning. a lot of people think it is quite costly now, because the costs of university have obviously gone up. you must put the cost of university in context. stu d e nts cost of university in context. students pay a portion of it, so does the general taxpayer. it is right that there was some shelling out of that cost. it would be unfair on the general taxpayer, many of whom have not had a chance to benefit from the higher lifetime earnings that come with higher education to bear the entire post. here, clearing will remain part of the annual results day ritual for those who have not done as well as expected, as will trading up for those with better grades. clearing itself doesn't start until 3pm. they have been in a process called adjustment since nine o'clock this morning. the figures will go up from 3 million who have been in touch. it will be a busy 48 hours for those stu d e nts will be a busy 48 hours for those students who are still waiting to hear where they are going to go to

university next year. the government is to stop funding one of the largest private training companies in the uk, after a damning report learndirect ltd, which provides apprenticeships and adult training to more than 70 thousand people, has been rated inadequate learndirect ltd, which provides apprenticeships and adult training to more than 70,000 people, has been rated inadequate in its latest inspection. the department for education will withdraw all funding by nextjuly, and has stopped the firm taking on new apprentices. adina campbell reports. insufficient training, lack of planning and poor quality teaching. just some of the findings in the ofsted report today which inspected learndirect ltd earlier this year. the company, one of the largest learning providers in the uk, was given the lowest possible rating for its training and performance. and those in the industry have described

it as those in the industry have described itasa those in the industry have described it as a scandal. it is very clear the senior leaders and directors haven't really played the attention they need to quality. quality doesn't just they need to quality. quality doesn'tjust happen they need to quality. quality doesn't just happen by they need to quality. quality doesn'tjust happen by chance. you have to work at it all the time. u nfortu nately have to work at it all the time. unfortunately it is learners and apprentices who will be losing out. on the learndirect ltd facebook page reviews have been mixed. one said it was a huge waste of time. another claimed that staff were on the train. someone else complained of no support or communication —— staff we re support or communication —— staff were under train. another said staff had been very helpful, inspirational, even. learndirect ltd didn't want to appear on camera. but they did send as a statement. it says the ofsted report is not an accurate reflection of their performance. they also say that they are financially stable and will continue to meet the needs of their learners. learndirect ltd was privatised in 2011. since then, it

is estimated it has received £600 million of public funding. that money has come from the government. due to the nature of this latest report, the contract is now going to be wound up. but that will not happen until nextjuly. be wound up. but that will not happen until next july. it is a particularly big scandal. the response from the government has been to give them special treatment. absolutely no doubt about that. in fa ct, absolutely no doubt about that. in fact, learndirect said they expected to get three months termination on the contract which would put them into administration. instead, special treatment, those termination notices are not being served and they will continue to offer apprenticeships under a company that they have set up last year. the company tried to block publication of this critical report in court, but failed. it is now hoped changes will strewn be made to ensure that more trainees get the guidance and support they need to improve their futures. an nhs chief executive has been sacked for gross misconduct, following an investigation

into allegations of inappropriate behaviour. sir leonard fenwick, has been at newcastle upon tyne hospitals nhs foundation trust for 40 years. the trust said allegations relating to inappropriate behaviour, use of resources and a range of governance issues had been proven against him. firefighters have been dealing with a large blaze at a glasgow fruit market. the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning. flames and smoke could be seen rising from the building in the north—east of the city. hundreds of traders work at the market, supplying produce to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. lorna gordon has this report. in the early hours of the morning, a fire at the largest wholesale fresh fruit market in scotland. the flames spread quickly and sent smoke billowing across glasgow. at its height, more than 70 firefighters tackled the blaze. conditions were

difficult for officers working to bring the fire under control. the first—floor unit in the building you can see behind us, it has panels which make the building pretty dangerous for firefighters, and also assist with pretty quick, rapid spread of fire along its length. blochairn fruit market supplies fruit and vegetables and other goods throughout scotland, the north of england and northern ireland. hundreds of millions of pounds of produce passes through this market every year. it operates 24 hours a day. in the morning, when this fire took hold, these buildings would normally be full of hundreds of workers processing orders and filling bands. fortunately, no one was injured in this fire, but it is not yet clear what will happen to the companies which operate here, or the companies which operate here, or the people that they employ. my

father has been working for 36 years at the market. i was brought up at the market. it is heartbreaking for me to see it that way. we still need to wait and find out what is happening. woke up this morning and the kids could see from the window. it is devastating. i don't know if i have got the job. work has started to try to get the market up and running as soon as possible. specialist fire investigators will try to establish what caused this huge blaze. the number of front—line prison officers in england and wales has risen to its highest level in since 2013. government figures show more than 650 extra staff were working in the service compared to last year, but the overall number of officers is well below the peak of 25,000, in march 2010. the justice secretary thejustice secretary has said he wa nts to thejustice secretary has said he wants to see a fall in the prison population. our home affairs correspondent

june kelly reports. violence is at record levels, there are staff shortages and overcrowding. drug abuse is rife and some jails have been written by unrest. reformers would like to see fewer people sent to prison and two months into thejob, so would thejustice secretary. we do need to make sure that ourjudges and magistrates have confidence in the community centred alternatives to prison because i think everybody wants to make sure that people who go to prison really deserve to go there because of the seriousness of their crime or the threat they would pose to the public if released. would you like to see the population come down? i want to see the population come—down but we have to make sure that we do that in a way that protects public safety. ok, so we are doing the cell search. obviously this is somebody's house... meanwhile, ministers are on a mission to recruit 2,500 extra staff. these new officers are learning the ropes at coldingley prison

in surrey as part of a graduate recruitment programme. i saw it as a stepping stone into me going into forensic psychology with my psychology background and that is how i saw it. but at the minute i am enjoying what i'm doing. today, it has been announced that there has been a rise of 665 prison officers over the past 12 months. so now there are 18,755 officers in england and wales. but this figure is still 25% down on the number of officers there were in 2010. the format mpjonathan aitken became a prison reformer after serving a jail term for perjury. there is a qualified welcome from him to the uplift in officers. through too excessive cuts, and lots of experienced prison officers have been lost. and they are not going to be replaced by new rookie prison officers who haven't been on the wings for ten years. so there is going to be a loss of quality whatever happens. but at least we are now addressing the basic need of simply improving the numbers.

all you see is lack of staff. this is wandsworth. staff cuts contributed to the volatile environment in some jails. so too have the large numbers locked up. while ministers say they want fewer people in prison, they say they believe there has to be more evidence that community sentences work and will prevent reoffending. our top story this lunchtime: hundreds of thousands of students have been getting their a level results in england, wales and morthern ireland. —— and northern ireland. there's a slight rise in the top grades for the first time in six years. and coming up: the diamond ring that

gained an extra carrot, how a woman was reunited with her wedding ring 13 years after losing it, while gardening. coming up in sport, england and ireland eyeing the victories that they need to stop violence take on france, england take on the united states. —— victories they need to progress. ireland take on france. we've been talking about a level results, and among those receiving theirs this morning were young people caught up in the grenfell tower fire. many of those who lived in the block attended the kensington aldrige academy, which sits beneath from the site of the disaster. gillian hargreaves has been to meet the school's head teacher. voiceover: following months of hardship, a good day for students displaced by the grenfell fire. fifty lost their homes, five others lost their lives, in his first broadcast interview, their principal, david benson, described the chaos to the bbc, not least having to rearrange an as—level maths exam that morning. there was the emotion of the situation, of deep concern that we had for the members of the school community,

but there was also a whole lot of practical challenges, children have one chance in life at an education, these were important examinations, we have to keep going. our instincts were, my team and i said, we've got to reopen, we've got to bring the children together into one place, we are not sure exactly how that will feel when we come together as a community but at least it will allow us to address what has happened and begin to move forward and resume the education. pupils do die from time—to—time, children are involved in road accidents, serious illness, but to lose five pupils, four all at once, two in one year group, that is immense for a school to endure. yes. and it is very difficult. it is very sad.

i'm incredibly proud of my staff and what they have done. what do you think of your pupils? what i saw after grenfell was incredible, because they had the bravery and the courage to come back in, feeling very confused and uneasy about what had happened, and they had the maturity to listen to us about what we were saying. that was important. and then they supported each other through it. so, you know, you should assume the best about children, and in a challenge like this, we saw the children rise to that. after all of that, today is a good day for you. today is a really good day, yes. that report from education correspondent gillian hargreaves. there's been a surge in illegal migrant crossings from morocco to spain. nearly 600 people were rescued yesterday on what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. some people have attempted the short journey in children's paddle boats. so far this year there've been almost 9,000 arrivals,

that's three times as many as in the same period in 2016. gavin lee sent this report from spain. voicoever: in the mist of the mediterranean, a search is under way for a record number of migrant boats which sail for morocco in the early hours. one by one, the rescuers arrive, first with some moroccans, exhausted and likely to be deported in days. then women and children, sub—sa ha ran africans making journeys in larger numbers now. one—year—old lena from cameroon is the youngest rescued. her mother, helen, says they were at sea for six hours waiting in the dark for help. "we were so scared and cold," she says. "water was rising on the boat. "we put our lives in god's hands." here is another rescue boat with another 120 migrants on board.

we are told this is the fourth boat today. there is already 200 onshore. this is spain, back in the front line of the migration crisis and there are more boats coming. one hour later, six more migrant boats have called for help. it's now the busiest day of the year for rescuers in what has been the busiest year since the start of the migration crisis. the aim for most here is to make it halfway, then float in spanish waters and alert the coastguard. translation: sometimes they call us and send us their position on whatsapp. we are constantly dealing with overcrowded boats, which makes it all the more dangerous. boats like this one, a children's toy craft, barely visible in the water.

ben from ivory coast paid 20 euros to board a similar tiny boat. translation: this man paid 20 euros to board a tiny boat. this was a suicidaljourney, 11 of us on a boat made forfour people. we travelled for 14 hours, and i was so exhausted i couldn't move my feet. at the moment, authorities here say they are coping but spain is now receiving more migrants than greece, with no sign of the numbers dropping. gavin lee, bbc news, tarifa. studio: the south korean president moonjae—in has said he can guarantee there will be no war on the korean peninsula. he was speaking at a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office yogita limaye reports from close to the border with north korea. voiceover: this is the demilitarised zone between north and south korea, a four kilometre wright that wide strip of land which is a buffer between the two countries. —— white. a north korean soldier there, facing

soldiers from south korea, strange that they are so close to each other but no of communication actually open between these two sides. —— wide. in light of recent hostilities, sharp words coming in from pyongyang, you would have imagined things here would be more tense but actually, things here are quiet and as normal. and around 50 kilometres away, in seoul, the president, moonjae—in, kilometres away, in seoul, the president, moon jae—in, is kilometres away, in seoul, the president, moonjae—in, is doing his best to calm down the rhetoric between the us and north korea. at a press co nfe re nce between the us and north korea. at a press conference to mark 100 days in office he said strong remarks from the us president were intended to put pressure on north korea. he did not believe donald trump meant to indicate that military action against pyongyang was imminent. people in south korea who are used to aggression from their northern neighbour have been getting worried, as they watch the us making similar statements. and their president sought to reassure them. translation: the united states and

president trump have promised that they will consult and get our agreement before taking any kind of military actions towards north korea. from here in south korea, the offer of dialogue with the north is open. if these talks ever happen, they will take place in this room in they will take place in this room in the demilitarised zone around this table. but so far there has been no response from pyongyang. jon beason mountains near the border, north korea presses on with the nuclear programme. “— korea presses on with the nuclear programme. —— and beyond these mountain sneer the border. —— beyond these mountains near the border. a leading geologist has suggested that the uk's rock formations are unlikely to hold large supplies of shale gas. professorjohn underhill, from heriot—watt university, says the shale rock deposits were formed 55 million

years too late to trap substantial amounts of gas and that the future role of fracking in this country has therefore been exaggerated. our environment analyst roger harrabin explains: voiceover: the shale gas revolution in the usa. energy prices there tumbled after engineers discovered how to crack shale rocks to release gas trapped inside. the central part of the usa has vast amounts of shale gas. in the uk, firms have started seeking shale gas in rocks too. they, and the government, hoping for an american—style energy miracle. but a leading geologist says they might be disappointed. what are the reserves? can it be got out? does the geology work or not? that is the key question. so it may work on local scales but it isn't likely to give us the amount of gas production that we need to make a difference in terms of uk wide gas needs. the problem, he says, is an event 55,000,000 years ago. when magma surged up under iceland. these great underground layers of rock that shift and float under the surface directly affected the uk. disrupting and disrupting the shale rocks where gas could form. the uk is very different

from the usa, the professor warns. shale gas firms are still optimistic, though. i would argue that it is better to take the scientific steps to understand the potential resource for the benefit of the uk to bring in tax revenue, jobs and a resource that we are declining in in the uk. this may seem like a purely technical issue but it is not. most of us cook on gas. almost all of us heat our homes with gas, so is the —— if the uk can't get as much shale gas as it thought, it is going to have to import more and that would be another issue for a government that is already struggling with energy policy. roger harriman, bbc news. studio: a judgment is

studio: ajudgment is due later today in two landmark legal challenges against northern ireland's ban on same sex marriage. it's currently the only part of the uk which does not permit a marriages between two men or two women, and does not recognise same—sex marriages from other parts of the uk. the ruling due to be made at belfast high court is on two separate cases that were heard together due to the similarities of the arguments. now, injust over half an hour, the first ever day/night test match in england gets underway, in birmingham. england's cricketers take on the west indies in the first of a three test series at edgbaston. joe wilson is there for us. what can cricket fans expect? well, interesting, there is a degree of the unexpected, the novelty, the attraction, warwickshire, the organisers, have been pleased with the way ticket sales have gone, they reckon there is a sense of new people attracted to the mat, 2pm to 9pm, there is a pink cricket ball used, we have talked about that,

that will be durable and visible under the floodlights. actually, those lights will not come into their own until 8pm, northern hemisphere conditions very different from southern hemisphere, we have long evenings. one of the reasons england is so keen to play this match is because they will be playing australia in the winter's ashes in adelaide in day night conditions, so a bit of practice. there is no guarantee this will ever happen again, could be the first and last day night match in england, and the main concern is how they will keep warm come 9pm, for the spectators coming in this evening. we will get a weather forecast in a moment but one more story before that. a canadian woman has been reunited with her diamond ring, 13 years after she lost it while weeding in her garden. mary grams' daughter—in—law picked a carrot out of the vegetable patch and found its growth had been restricted by the ring. mrs grams, who's 84, had been too embarrassed to tell her husband she'd lost it, and had bought a cheap replacement.

sarah campbell reports. i didn't think it would fit. i thought i'd have to go to the jeweller today, but it still fits, so i don't know. 13 years ago, mary's diamond ring fell off in her garden, lost, she thought for ever. i went to the garden for something and, i don't know, i saw this big weed and i don't know why i had to pull it, i should have left it alone or at least pulled it with the right hand. it must‘ve got caught in here somewhere and it pulled the ring out and i still can't figure. i've got a big knuckle that it got over somehow. i still can't figure it out. i cried so many times and i thought, "oh, surely i'll find it," and i don't know, no luck. then i finally went to the jeweller and bought a cheap ring, so i thought, well... she never told her husband, who died five years ago, but mary sun —— mary's son, knew the story and when he found it, knew exactly whose it was. my granddaughter first

brought it this morning. they found it yesterday, when my daughter—in—law was digging carrots for supper and she said, "what's this?" she asked brian, my son, and he says, "oh, yeah." he knew, but he knew that i lost something. i don't know if he said something or if he did say the ring, so i don't know. from canada to sweden, this ring was lost 16 years, in germany, a wedding ring was pulled up three years after going missing, it may take some time, but clearly, the crop of choice for gardeners looking for heirlooms, is the humble carrot(!) as promised, let's catch up with the weather forecast. i can as promised, let's catch up with the weatherforecast. i can dangle as promised, let's catch up with the weather forecast. i can dangle the carrot of better weather this afternoon(!) the rain that has been affecting east england has been moving out of the way, following behind that, if they're bit of sunshine, further north in northumberland, the skies, just a few hours ago, looking like this, similar scenes at some