time for a look at the weather. here's lucy martin. we have the north west south east is red, low pressure in the west, it will stay there for the next few days, greater chance of showers and more persistent rain, the further north and west you are, the further south and east, drier, brighter weather, we've seen blue skies, this photo was sent in by one weather watcher in hampshire. further north we have seen more in the way of cloud. a fairly grey scenes sent in from cumbria. we've seen a few showers this morning pushing into wales and the south—west. they should tend to ease, the best of the brightness that the south—east and weaves in the majority of those showers for northern ireland. as we move through the rest of the day—to—day will continue to see showers northern ireland. some sunny spells in the mix and outbreaks of rain across shetland but for eastern scotla nd rain across shetland but for eastern scotland the best of the brightness, a few heavy showers possible, and for more than england some showers,

starting to bite and in the afternoon as we head further south wales and the south—west plenty of dry weather, just the chance of the odd isolated shower but i think the majority of the weather will be dry. as we had further to the southeast tonbridge is reaching a maximum of 22 celsius, fresher than yesterday but feeling warm in the sunshine. this evening and overnight some outbreaks of rain of northern ireland, west of scotland and the west of england but for much of england and wales, dry with clear spells, temperatures falling overnight to between 11 and 14 celsius. tomorrow, low pressure setting out to the north—west and we'll continue to see outbreaks of rain across northern ireland and pushing into scotland. as we go further south across england and wales a lot of dry bright weather with sunny spells developing, temperatures reaching a maximum of 25 celsius, so much warmer than today. as we move into friday night, will start to see that rain edging

eastwards, towards the south and eastwards, towards the south and east but it will be largely dry the further south you are, just the jobs of the odd isolated shower. we'll see a real contrast in damages further north, a few spots getting down to seven celsius in rural parts of scotland. we could see an overnight low of up to 18 celsius in the far south—east. as we start the weekend, still that north— south split, some showers across scotland, it looks like it will be largely dry for the southeast, some temperatures reaching 25 celsius, those showers could spread further south into the midlands through sunday, as isobars squeezing together as we move into monday, the next area of low pressure pushing enzo as we begin the working week it looks like they will be some outbreaks of rain and it will be fairly breezy but it looks like the best of the dry weather will be the further south you are with some bright intervals around. so as we move into the black

holiday weekend the best of the brightness definitely the further south and east you are. a reminder of our main story this lunchtime. net migration to the uk has fallen bya net migration to the uk has fallen by a quarter and is at its lowest level for three years as migrants from eastern and central european countries have been returning home. that's all from the bbc news at one, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello and welcome to the bbc sport centre, i'm leah boleto. first this hour a diamond encrusted money belt, pride and hundreds of millions of pounds. that's what's at stake when conor mcgregor and undefeated champ floyd mayweather clash this weekend. the pair came face to face ahead of their fight which is set to be one of the most lucrative boxing matches in history with both fighters shying away from the typical exchange of insults. that's what it's really about.

the best fighting the best. he's the best at what he do, i'm the best at what i do, but when it's all said and done, conor mcgregor is like myself. in an octagon, he's undefeated standing up. he can do a lot of this, i can do a lot of this, but it comes down to the skills. it comes down to us fighting and competing and giving you guys what you want to see. i will go out and perform. when you face a man you're about to fight, it's very hard to keep everything in check, you make mistakes and errors and you slip up, i'm only human. i think the whole lot of it, there's many ups and downs, it's nice to come full circle but i think the overall experience of it has been great for boxing, mixed martial arts and combat sport around the world. at the end of the day, we are two athletes who are just risking our belts and we should be respected for that. alexis sanchez could make a comeback for arsenal this sunday when the gunners face liverpool at anfield. manager arsene wenger says the chilean international is available and if he is picked it

will be his first start this season after being hit with injury. wenger also says he's totally unaffected by any transfer rumours and has a lot of respect for the player. he works very hard, very focused, and it is absolutely everything, it's difficult to stop him. he looks ready. he's not played for a long time, soi ready. he's not played for a long time, so i will have to decide what ido time, so i will have to decide what i do with him, but he's ready to play. whilst most people were sleeping, the draw for the third round of the efl took place in china. leicester city will play liverpool in the pick of the ties. there are four all—premier league ties in total, with crystal palace hosting huddersfield and brighton travelling to bournemouth. holders manchester united will host burton albion whilst arsenal face league one side doncaster. team sky's geraint thomas will return to cycling for the tour of britain next month,

with team—mate and compatriot owain doull also set to compete. the welshman was second overall when he broke his collarbone in a fall at last month's tour de france. the tour of britain starts in edinburgh in september and will finish in the welsh riders' home city of cardiff. saracens fly—half emily scott has been called into the england women's squad ahead of saturday's world cup final with new zealand. she's replacing full back danielle waterman who'll miss saturday's final with concussion. milos raonic is the latest high—profile player to pull out of the us open, which starts on monday. the world number 11 has withdrawn because of a persistent wrist injury but said that he planned to return to action before the end of the year. defending champion stan wawrinka, novak djokovic, kei nishikori and victoria azarenka will also be missing at flushing meadows. and sir mo farah is getting ready for a final farewell on the track in zurich tonight where he'll run over 5,000 metres. his incredible career has seen him win ten world and olympic gold medals.

but it's not the last we'll hearfrom him. he's swapping the stadium for roads, to run marathons instead. no matter who you are, you've got to fight for it. and their medals that i've won, doesn't take me to the line. i got go in there fresh, there's going to be new guys and they run a lot faster than me. so it's about how i get to them, what doi it's about how i get to them, what do i need to learn from them, what does it take? that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. i'll have more in the next hour. more now on the gcse results which have come out today, with the number of students in england gaining the top grades in english and maths falling slightly, following the introduction of new, tougher exams. our reporter chi chi izundu was at a school in sheffield, and sent us this.

here at this academy in sheffield, the students have done much better than they expected. there's been a range of nine grade, the top that you can now get in the subject of maths, english literature and english language. five students have managed to achieve a grade nine in maths, and five in both of the english subject as well. as we know, the exam boards are saying that girls have fared, to get the top grade of 9, and two thirds of girls have managed that. with got some girls who manage to get some great scores. or did you a chilly get? eight in maths, nine in in this language, and nine in indecision. which surprised you the most? english—language because it was so difficult. why was it so difficult?

just, i had a bit of trouble remembering to put subject terminology in. what's king to happen next for you? i'm going to do a—levels. happen next for you? i'm going to do a-levels. fantastic. youjust happen next for you? i'm going to do a-levels. fantastic. you just opened yours, what did you get?|j a-levels. fantastic. you just opened yours, what did you get? i passed 11,i yours, what did you get? i passed 11, i was so happy. you were crying this morning. i didn't think i was going to get a maths pass, the last one i did i gota going to get a maths pass, the last one i did i got a grade zero and i got a five, i worked so hard. all i'd been working on is getting and nine in maths and that to happen, but i felt like crying. what are you going to do next? i'm going to sixth form to do a—levels in maths and further maths. how hard did you find the new style exams? it was strange doing three, but once you get used to it, it'sjust the same as normal.

congratulations, and to you as well, how did you do? i got a nine in maths, so i'm in tears all morning and then i got a*and a in other subjects. i couldn't be happier. thank you. congratulations to eve ryo ne thank you. congratulations to everyone here. a lot of the students managed to get the top grades which isa managed to get the top grades which is a seven and above, that's an a, and nine is the top grade in marking the best of the best. the gcse a* to c pass rate in wales has fallen to its lowest level since 2006. our correspondent tomas morgan sent this update from a school in north wales. well, the pupils coming into this school here today are very happy today, the majority of them have got exactly in what they wanted and the majority of the ones that i've spoken to are happy with the new reforms in wales.

and what are they? essentially the changes are to some of the core subjects, english language, english literature, welsh language, welsh literature, maths and maths numeracy. the biggest change in wales for decades. and to explain what changes have been made, i've got the education secretary for wales here, kirsty williams. there has been a drop in grades for those core subjects this year, just explain to us why you think that drop has been. there are a number of factors, not least the big change to the qualifications, new specifications, new ways in which their skills are being examined. but clearly we've seen an unprecedented number of entries into the examination system, so that's year ten pupils entering into exams after one year of study. and the independent regulator has said that this has had an impact on the overall pass rate. if you look at pass rates for just 16 years old who have done the exams after two years, the pass rate jumps. and this year, in a way, are guinea pigs and test trials for this new form, are at a slight disadvantage to the following years that are going to take this exam

in the future. it is certainly the case that you can't compared this year's results with last year's results. because the courses are very, very different, and the method of examination is very different. although the examination boards and qualification regulators have tried hard to make sure people aren't disadvantaged, but clearly when you have such a big change, and a completely new gcse, maths numeracy, that's a real challenge for the school system and when you consider the size of that challenge overall, the school system has coped very well. and one of the biggest changes is in maths, there is a maths numeracy test which is far more real—life. a few of the pupils i spoke to here today did find it challenging. how do you think the pupils got on? there has been a drop in maths. well, i make no apologies for having high expectations of our students in the welsh education system. and i want employers and colleges

and universities to know that welsh students have been tested very rigorously with regards to their mathematics skills. indeed, our maths numeracy reflects the call from many employers over many years to say that they want children to have notjust theoretical mathematical skills but the ability to apply those maths skills in real life. so they are challenging exams. it's a new qualification so undoubtedly that's going to have an impact. as a welsh government, we're investing millions in our new network in excellence in maths so we're better supporting our teachers to ensure that we can see improvement as results of these examinations bed in. kirsty williams, education secretary, thank you very much. the other big change in wales, not a change in some respects, is that we're staying with the numerical grading system, a* down to g, down to a u, whereas in england they have changed to a numerical system. from all the children as seen here, pupils as seen here, smiles all round and they've all got their plans set for september. gcse results for pupils in northern ireland have improved again, with one in ten entries

being awarded an a*. our correspondent chris buckler has spent the morning at ashfield girls‘ school in belfast. the old grading system still stand here, reforms are coming down the line but not for a couple of years. those differences and reforms that we have mentioned in wales and england, it makes it quite difficult to compare what's happening there with here. however they are saying today that there is a strong overall performance in northern ireland and their plate of the results. they say they stuck up quite well against england and wales. they are saying girls outperform boys here and that has widened. alison is the principle here, at this girls high school in belfast. i'm sure you please disregard from well but that will be a concern to some teachers. we would

like to see these results, we have got 70% a*— see, which is increasing, but there are still children struggling. we want to see them leave and go onto local colleges and we think we have prepared them well and that's important. we are still seeing pa rents important. we are still seeing parents pupils going in behind and getting their envelopes. some people have done very well already, you have done very well already, you have to think about those who have not done particularly as well as they would have hoped, there are options for them. there are lots of options, sometimes they can repeat the fifth year, you could have people who have li—macro gcses but are happy to come back in again. there we have girls who will use those gcses and go to college or go straight into the hair and beauty academies. pushing the subjects that are being extended here, there seems to have been a move towards stem

subjects, are you seeing that here? yes, i have taught in both coed and a single sex schools and i see a massive difference in results in single sex. in this school, 93% of girls are passing double science at gcse, 97% at single award, getting results in technology, design, ict and the mass had a massive improvement this year, it's great to see. “ improvement this year, it's great to see. -- maths had a massive improvements. science technology, engineering and maths are seeing a push towards them and that's something that's teachers want to see. when you look into the figures, some of the science options are moving towards computing. and at 2.30pm we'll be putting your questions tojulie swan from the exam regulator quual.

we'll have all the information about how the new gcses work but do send us in your questions. you can text us on 61124 or tweet using the hashtag #bbcaskthis. that's at 2.30pm here on bbc news. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour but first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live: a slight fall in the gcse pass—rate as half a million students receive their results in england, wales and northern ireland. net migration is at its lowest level for three years, after a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since last june's brexit vote. dutch police make a second arrest after a possible terror threat forced the cancellation of a concert in rotterdam last night. in the business news.

shares in dixons carphone have fallen sharply, down nearly 25% after warning that more expensive mobile phones and lower eu roaming charges will hurt profits. the retailer said pre—tax profits would be much lower than last year. the uk economy grew at 0.3% between april and june, according to the office for national statistics, which is unchanged from an initial reading of data for the second quarter. it's based on more up—to—date information. the number of cars built in the uk last month rose by nearly 8% compared with the same time last year. that's accorording to the society of motor manufacturers and traders. but the number of cars made in the uk in the first seven months of the year fell 1.6% to about one million. household spending saw its lowest

rise in two—and—a—half years, partly due to a slowdown in car sales, according to official data. in the three months tojune, spending grew by 0.1%, the slowest since the end of 2014, the office for national statistics said. it came as the ons confirmed economic growth was 0.3% in the second quarter. analysts said the figures highlighted the uk as the slowest growing economy in the g7 so far this year. let's talk to lucy o'carroll, chief economist at aberdeen standard investments. good to talk to you. what do you make of this huge slowdown in household spending? identity key need an a grade in gcse economics to work at its disappointing, the —— i do not think you need the top grade

in gcse economics, people are being hit by the state of inflation and the effect on their real incomes. consumers are feeling a bit uncertain, probably linked to the brexit situation. we are still fairly unclear about what the future holds for us, and i think people are feeling mindful of that. we know last year they dipped into their savings and borrowed money in order to fund spending, but they are likely to do that to a lesser extent during the rest of this year. we sta rts during the rest of this year. we starts to see the downside of a wea ker starts to see the downside of a weaker pound, imported goods getting dearer, foreign holidays a bit more expensive. that's right, and we're not really seeing the upside of a wea ker not really seeing the upside of a weaker pound in terms of trade. you would have thought with a strong global economy and a very competitive value of the pound, that we could improve our trade position but what today's figures showed is that that's not the case, they are

all round disappointing. a major factor in the slowdown of household spending was if lower spending on transport including cars in particular, sales declining, why is that? that's right, and that could just be a one—off related to people bringing their purchases forward into the first quarter of the year to avoid tax increases in the second quarter so some of that will not be repeated. the underlying fundamental story is to do with their rising generalised inflation, a squeeze in incomes and making people cautious about spending which will continue into the second half of this year, we could see another slow half of growth, the first slowest half of growth, the first slowest half of growth in the uk economy for five yea rs growth in the uk economy for five years so growth in the uk economy for five years so it's not a good story for 2017. thank you forjoining me. how is that playing out on the markets? the ftse 100

how is that playing out on the markets? the ftse100 is up. dixons carphone, as we were saying, it was down 30% earlier, nowjust 22% after the profit warning. and the weaker pound still playing out in that story. i will be back in an hour with an update. a brain damaged violinist has performed in concert with her best friend, 29 years after a devastating accident left her unable to to play. in a ground—breaking project, rosemaryjohnson was wired up to a computer using specialist software, allowing her to compose and play music again. this month, for the first time, she was able to perform with fellow musician alison balfour, a friend from her days with the welsh national opera orchestra. let's have a look at the project in action. i had this thought.

imagine, just imagine, if it would be possible to read information from your brain to compose music. that somebody can no longer move their body, can no longer play a musical instrument. imagine if you could design something to reconnect this person with music. when i met rosie, there was something that clicked. i knew that she was a musician. i knew that she would understand. the system is reading rosie's brainwaves. she makes a selection and the violin player plays those phrases. that moment was magical.

the idea of playing with rosie again after so many years was something i never imagined would be possible. that is just a little of the film that explains how that scientific process works. earlier alison balfour told the victoria derbyshire programme about her experience playing alongside rosie again. it was a privilege. i felt honoured to be playing with rosie after all this time. it was extraordinary to see her reaction to see what was possible,

notjust for rosie but for possibly many other people. tell us more about her before the accident and your friendship? well, we were not best friends. she was a bit younger than me. but we are all together in an orchestra, and we are all violinists together. and when she had this accident, we all felt utterly broken. and it took a long time to get over that. people will know, of course, that listening to music can be transformational for your feelings. how much do you think it has meant to her to do this? well, i hope it has meant quite a lot to her. her reaction when we were doing the recordings was wonderful to see. she looked so happy, she was smiling and she had a look

of total exhilaration, i have to say. and what do you take away from it? the wonder of what can happen with technology, it's extraordinary. are you hoping that you will be able to do more with her, going forward? i would like to, who knows? the violinist alison bell for their speaking to us earlier today. much more coming up here from tpm. let's just catch up with the weather prospects. —— from 2pm. a mixture of sunny spells and showers today, the further north—west you are, the greater chance of seeing those outbreaks of rain and showers further to the south—east seeing more in the way of

drier, brighter weather. that's thanks to an area of low pressure thatis thanks to an area of low pressure that is sitting across the north—west, parked over the next few days. we have seen some brighter in full rant this morning, some blue sky ‘s first thing, this was sent in bya sky ‘s first thing, this was sent in by a weather watcher in hampshire. we have got a bit more in the way of cloud, thanks to our weather watcher in cumbria. there have been showers across wales and the northwest, they will peter out across the afternoon, the majority of the showers across northern ireland and that is how we stay as we move through the afternoon. a mixture of sunny spells and showers in northern ireland, the chance of seeing a few showers in eastern scotland as well. persistent rainfor eastern scotland as well. persistent rain for shetland, but into northern england, a bit more in the way of brightness, one or two showers, becoming dry as we move southwards. just the chance of seeing the odd isolated shower. most of us staying

dry. temperatures getting up to 22 degrees in the south—east, down on yesterday but pleasant in the sunshine. through tonight, a few showers across northern ireland, western scotland and the far north—west of england but for eastern scotland, the rest of england and wales, we will see some dry weather, temperatures falling to an overnight low of 11—14d. that ta kes an overnight low of 11—14d. that takes us into friday. low—pressure in the north—west, we will continue to see showers and more prolonged spells of rain pushing into northern ireland and the north—west of scotla nd ireland and the north—west of scotland but for england and wales, it looks like a dry day, thanks to the area of high pressure across the south. sunny spells developing and touch warmer. as we move into the weekend, we've got a similar setup. still a few showers this look up look out for. for england and wales, dry and brad weather, temperatures

maximum of 25 celsius. the risk of a shower creeps further into the midlands, creeping further south but increasingly breezy with rain into bank holiday monday. this is bbc news. the headlines at 2: net migration to the uk falls by a quarter — it's at its lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since lastjune's brexit vote. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has fallen slightly — after the introduction of new tougher exams. the system is designed to to ensure that whenever there is a new gcse, the students taking that gcse for the first time won't be disadvantaged. a 25—year—old woman is jailed for ten years for making a series

of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. also in the next hour: thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa come underfire from all sides. the syrian army says it's gaining ground driving out the militants — we'll look at the toll on civilians.