this is bbc news. the headlines at 3: net migration to the uk falls by a quarter — to 246,000 a year — the lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since the 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. the husband of a woman

who was knocked down and killed by a cyclist calls for a change to the law to tackle ‘irresponsible and reckless‘ actions. and: aged between a0 and 60? get out on regular brisk walks, says public health england, to prevent cancer, heart disease and poor mental health. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. there's been a sharp fall in the number of eu citizens migrating to the uk. net migration — the difference between those entering and leaving the uk — fell 81,000 to 246,000 in the year to march. the office for national statistics said the figures suggest migrants from eastern and central european countries, the so called eu8 nations, have been returning home. despite today's falling figures, the government remains well short of its target of bringing net migration below 100,000. adina campbell reports.

could today's new numbers be the early signs of brexit? net migration — the difference between those entering and leaving the uk — fell to 246,000 in the year to march 2017. that's a drop of 81,000 in the previous year. much of that figure is down to net migration of eu citizens falling by 51,000. but despite the figures, the government remains short of its target of bringing net migration below 100,000. since the eu referendum, we have seen falls in net migration for eu citizens, in particular those for eastern european, and that's been driven by emigration of eastern european citizens. returning for work.

the office of national statistics figures show a rise in people from the so—called eu 8 countries leaving the uk. but experts say the net migration figure is still too high. the level is still quarter of a million a year. that's a massive number for net migration. that is what is going to drive our population up by half a million every year for the indefinite future. and that means building a city the size of birmingham every two years. this cafe in london serves scandinavian food, but advertising for staff is proving expensive. it normally costs £200, but now it's more than £2,000. they may not choose london because of brexit and what might happen? they want some form of security and knowledge they can stay and work in the country. finding staff here may be difficult,

but the government says it wants to get immigration even lower. labour warns that could harm the economy. we welcome people from around the world and people from all over europe, three million of whom are in the country, contributing to our society and playing an important part in our economy and we need to make sure we continue to welcome people. but we need to be clear we will have more control of our borders. the nhs, particularly in parts of england, are facing parts of nurse recruitment, because of the reduction of eu citizens. we need stability and to have migration based on the economic needs of the uk. as well as these new migration figures, new data from exit checks at ports and airports has also been released. the data revealed that when it comes to international students, one of the biggest groups of immigrants, the results were not what some previously thought.

91% left when they finished their courses and therefore didn't abuse their visas. and to build a clearer picture of this, the government has announced that it's going to start a new investigation, looking at the impact of international students on the uk's society and economy. the study‘s expected to be completed by september 2018. a little earlier, i asked our political correspondent, eleanor garnier, about the figures. that controversial target of bringing net migration, the difference between those arriving and those who leave, still remains a target for the government and brandon lewis the immigration minister did today welcomed the fall in net migration, saying the government was not complacent about bringing net migration down to what he called sustainable levels. what is interesting about these figures from the office for national

statistics, and we should point out they say it is too early to say if they say it is too early to say if they are an indication of a much longer trend, they do say the referendum result could be influencing people's decisions. these figures are the first full indication and the first look at immigration since that vote to leave the eu last year. 0verall, net migration is down. but more than half of that change is due to a change in net migration of eu citizens, net migration falling for eu citizens. last year, we saw more people than we had seen previously from the eu leaving the uk and in addition, we saw fewer people arriving to the uk from the eu. those people who were on the remain side of the argument say this is a huge brexidus, it will damage the

economy and the public sector service and they are calling on the government to provide certainty for eu citizens here, people like the liberal democrats are saying the government needs to unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu citizens currently in this country. the government has welcomed these figures and it insists that when we read the european union, the country will have a greater grip on migration and its borders. but that controversial target to bring net migration down to the tens of thousands does still remain and whilst we talk about net migration falling, clearly, the government is still a long way away from getting net migration down to the tens of thousands. 0ne industry in particular that relies on the support of skilled workers from the eu is the building trade. with me is andrew dixon, head of policy at the federation of master builders. so do these figures match your experience of the last year or two? 0ur experience of the last year or two? our members have certainly been

saying that they have increasingly seen eu workers that they know more inclined to be moving home and to be leaving the uk. that is particularly in london, where the percentage of the construction workforce which is eu born is significantly higher than elsewhere in the country. we talking skilled workers? yes, we are talking a range of different skills and trades. but we need to remember that these are often skills and the that all... that we are seeing shortages of. the latest trades survey by the federation of master builders showed 60% of small construction companies we re 60% of small construction companies were having trouble hiring bricklayers. 60%. 57% having trouble hiring carpenters and joiners, so severe skills shortages. anecdotally, that is all we can work on, is it because those especially from poland, who in the past may be

with sending money back home, they are not able to do that because now with the pound as it is, they will burn more going home? perhaps, yes. and perhaps we are not seeing... were not seen as being as welcoming and attractive a destination as we have before. we need to look at this and the construction industry needs to play its part by training and recruiting more home—grown workers. but the goodman needs to be mindful that key industries sectors like construction, in terms of delivering housing and construction, it needs to have severe skills and we need to have access to a pool of eu labour that has helped us to meet those. there were those with gcse results out, they will say, i cannot do so many things. and yet copied you, joiners and particular skills you

are short of, which means you are prepared to pay more for people coming into it, there is a huge opportunity here for home—grown talent? absolutely. we need to sell that message much more. if you are a bricklayer in london, there is a good chance you can be earning £1000 a week. a lot of our members started as apprentices and they left school and they did an apprenticeship and 110w and they did an apprenticeship and now they own a company employing their own workers. the construction industry offers huge opportunities to young people and we need to be much better at selling those and attracting people into the industry. so history will look at this moment and say it is when construction, rather than thinking the world has gone wrong, itjust changed its methods to accommodate a changing world, britain out of the european union. let's hope so, we can and will do that, but we have to accept realistically we have record high employment levels, quite severe skill shortages, so we do need to

recognise that for the foreseeable future at least, we need to continue to need access to a certain degree of eu labour. very good review to come in, thank you. the number of teenagers gaining the highest gcse grades has fallen slightly, after exam boards moved to a tougher system. for the first time, students in england have been graded from 9 to1 in english language, english literature and maths, with 9 being the top mark. 0ur education correspondent, gillian hargreaves, has been spending the day at 0utwood academy in sheffield. yes, across england and wales and northern ireland, thousands of students will have received their gcse results. i have spent the morning with pupils at this school as they have opened the fateful envelopes. you know the routine — the journey. the wait. the nerves. then the results. 0h, college, i've got in, i'm all right. i passed everything.

pretty good, i'm proud of myself. in england, a new grading system for english and maths, but only a few will achieve the top grade 9. grade 4 has been compared to an old—style grade c and is considered a standard pass. but the government says the new grade 5 should be considered what they call a strong pass. i've onlyjust passed maths, by a little bit. it's fine, i'm happy. in fact, some maths papers were so challenging in england, you only needed 18% to pass. the subject content is significantly harder and the higher maths paper, some of the old a—level content is in there, so people can take confidence that these results will be world class. which is why there have been these changes this year.

the government wants students such as these to compete with the best in the world. we want our young people to be equipped to do well in the world of work in a competitive global economy. and so it has been necessary, the new grading system has been introduced to draw a distinction between the new and the old gcses. the combination of old and new exams has caused confusion and the unions say the change has been too quick. i think we will look back and say it has been very distracting. the important thing is to let the teachers teach and we should focus on the lower and middle ability. if we focus on the top end, we neglect them even further. the next challenge will be explaining the results to employers. at this business, they take on several

16—year—old apprentices each year. but the owner isn't sure how to work it out. i will be confused, over time, we will work it out. a standard pass, i think that's, that would be our border line. a4. definitely. it is notjust pupils in england who have been picking up results. welsh students have been finding out how they fared in new tougher exams. ministers are determined to make gcses harder, to end what some see as dumbing down. this year's results, the first of the reformed exams, are putting those ambitions to the test too. now, just to illustrate how hard it is to get that top grade 9, we have been told — bearing in mind 600,000 16—year—olds sit these exams each year — only 2,000 of them have got

that top grade 9 in english language, literature and maths — the three reformed exams in england. so i think that illustrates how tough it is to get that top grade to distinguish the ultrabright, compared to the very bright. geoff barton is the general secretary of the association of school and college leaders union. he joins us from westminster. thank you, it it is notjust the youngsters who have been put through a test today, it is the very system, how would you grade it? well, time will tell on that. all i know is we did not hear employers and parents and teachers saying that they needed and teachers saying that they needed a new system because we understood gcses and while changes might have been needed, to introduce such radical reform which seems to be predicated on how do you get 2004 top grades crushed i think that leave i g§7 leave g people leave 11: people to came from. but there is a new

where came from. but there is a new grade five that indicate a stronger past than just a c grade, it is across—the—board. past than just a c grade, it is across-the-board. even that, a lot of people will have gone into day thinking grade four is what i need to get into college, and they will have watched the news today and thought, was not good enough? they cannot be many systems in the world whichjudge the success cannot be many systems in the world which judge the success by how few stu d e nts which judge the success by how few students achieve certain grades like the top end. you have been talking about skills today, i would have thought what society should do is say, what kind of young people does society need and apart from the academic and aside from the academic, what kind of skills can we develop? that is really the debate we should be having. and yet the government says we need to compete on an international market. this is a better way of getting youngsters into that league. they certainly do say that, but if you look at the international research this week, if you look at the top end students, they generally get high marks and go

a level and generally the university and ina a level and generally the university and in a sense, we can leave them to do that. the big area is the huge swathe of students who underachieved and have got grade three or two today and the national mission is, what we do for them, how do we help those students to feel they have gained something successful? the focus on the top end has taken is away from the most important part of the social mobility agenda for this country. forgive the english language, but basically you are saying it ain't broke, why fix it?|j am an english teacher, i have the forgive the english language, but basically you are saying, it ain't broke, why fix it? i am an english teacher, i have the forgive the english language, but basically you are saying, it ain't broke, why fix it? iam are saying, it ain't broke, why fix it? i am an english teacher, i have the forgive the english language, but basically you are saying, it ain't broke, why fix it?|j but basically you are saying, it ain't broke, why fix it? i am an english teacher, i have the! 0k, it is still a pass! why teachers saying they have not had enough time to it through? they have known about this for a while, plenty of time to get used to it. your smile says it all! this is the reason, this set of reforms, it is part of something that started in 2009. it will finish

in 2020. if we look at 2009, there will be one year and only one year in which teachers have not been introducing either a new set of qualifications or new reforms at gcse. this year, we have had both at the same time. i smile because i know it has been a distraction for the most important thing, parents know this, teachers in the classroom teaching their children not distracted by new reforms from whitehall. thank you very much for your time. now it is 20 past 3. the headlines: net migration to the uk fall base —— falls to a quarter. it is at its lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has fallen slightly. after the introduction of new and tougher exams. a 25—year—old woman has been jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. in sport, harry maguire makes the

england squad for the world cup qualifiers. the leicester city defenderjoined by a watford midfielderfor defenderjoined by a watford midfielder for the defenderjoined by a watford midfielderfor the game defenderjoined by a watford midfielder for the game against malta. zlata n malta. zlatan ibrahimovic will wear the number 10 shirt for manchester united after signing a one—year deal for the club. he has 28 goals for the club in his debut season before suffering injury. and the big—money showdown,, mcgregor and floyd mayweather come face—to—face ahead of their fight this weekend. the american is favourite to win to make it 50 wins in his career. more on those stories after half—past. a woman who made a series of false rape and sexual assault allegations has been sentenced to ten years in prison. let's go to southwark crown court. 25—year—old jemma beale who made a

period of accusations over four yea rs. period of accusations over four years. the judge described jemma beale is an attention seeker and one man went to more than —— went to prison for more than two years. the bogus stories began in 2010 and over four years, she falsely accused 15 men of rape and sexual assault. 25—year—old from west london claims she was a lesbian and had no interest in men, but sentencing her today, thejudge said, you are interest in men, but sentencing her today, the judge said, you are a very, very convincing liar and enjoy being seen as a victim. he said this case was so serious being seen as a victim. he said this case was so serious because there was a real risk that rape victims would be deterred coming forward because of a fear of not being believed, and that guilty men could go free. he also said this had been an enormous waste of police money and time and earlier, i spoke to the and time and earlier, i spoke to the a police officer in this case. it has impacted on the police having to

spend many hours and resources investigating each of the individual cases and then going on to investigate the allegations of perjury and perverting the course of justice as well, so it has taken up many, many hours and been a long, complexes investigation. it actually cost the metropolitan police around a quarter of £1 million and wasted more than 6,000 hours of police time. police said that on more than one occasion, beale made up stories she had been gang raped. they said she had been gang raped. they said she had been gang raped. they said she had injured herself to try and make her story is more plausible. and thejudge, sentencing her today, said the men that beale had accused would have to live with the effects of those allegations for the rest of their lives. beale was sentenced to ten yea rs their lives. beale was sentenced to ten years in prison and she will serve half that sentence before being released on licence. make you very much. danish prosecutors say they will seek a murder charge

against the submarine inventor who was last seen with a swedish journalist before her headless body was found off the denmark coast. kim wall disappeared earlier this month during a submarine trip with inventor peter madsen. prosecutors say they will try to hold him in custody on a murder charge, following the discovery of ms wall's body. the widower of the woman who was killed by a cyclist using a fixed gear bike, without front brakes, is launching a campaign to change the law. yesterday, 20—year—old charlie alliston was convicted of wanton and furious driving, an offence dating back to 1861, but was cleared of manslaughter, following the death of kim briggs. her husband, matthew, is calling for the creation of new offences such as death by dangerous cycling. he's been speaking to our correspondent, dan johnson. she had this mantra of make everyday count. enormous believer in filling life with experiences, with travel. she was always happy, always willing to help people, always willing to lend an ear.

yeah, she was just fantastic. kim briggs, a wife and a mother, who was hit by a bike. she suffered serious head injuries and died a week later. that bike should never have been on the road. it was designed for the velodrome. fixed gear and with no front brake. riding it was charlie alliston, in the middle. clea red yesterday of manslaughter, but convicted under a law from victorian times of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving. kim briggs‘ family welcomed the verdict but they are calling for the law to be changed. more and more people cycling, which is a really good thing, but the law is outdated. it refers back to 1861. i‘m just asking that the law catches up, as it is doing with technology, with social media, with all of these things. i‘m just asking that the law catches up. this case raises some broader issues about how cyclists and pedestrians share

the same space, but the key question is, how much responsibility should cyclists have for safety on the road? should that responsibility be at the same level of car drivers? questions that have prompted plenty of debate, especially amongst cyclists. you regularly see bikes that are not fit for the road basically and shouldn‘t be out on the road, bikes with three wheels that have brakes that don‘t work, that are more dangerous than a fixed wheel without brakes. especially now pedestrians have a phone with them, on their head, they are looking up the phone, so they are really distracted. a responsility to travel on the roads and if someone's causing death by dangerous cycling, why should it be different from causing death by dangerous driving? cycling groups aren‘t opposed to a review, but there are calls for all traffic laws to be brought up to date. the problem we have got

is that there‘s a stack of offences in relation to the conduct of people on the roads, where we use careless, reckless, furious, wanton, dangerous, and there‘s a huge inconsistency of people‘s perception of what these are, what the consequence should be, and the whole issue needs to be looked at in a wholistic review of all matters. so, i'm doing this to honour her. it's not an easy thing to do, to put myself out there when we've been quite a private family up until now, but it comes back to my earlier point that sometimes you have to just do the right thing, and it occurs to me that this is the right thing to do and, yes, i'm doing it in kim's name, but i'm also doing it to ensure that just perhaps we can stop this happening again. 0ur streets are getting busier, with the potential for more conflict. it‘s a problem not easily solved.

danjohnson, bbc news, london. more than six million adults in england fail to have a brisk ten—minute walk even once a month. that‘s a finding from public health england, which has launched a campaign to encourage the practice, particularly among people who are middle—aged. the public health body says walking can help them prevent cancer, heart disease and poor mental health. 0ur health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. in denton, in manchester, the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. this walking group is starting slowly but, already, some members are feeling the benefits of a regular stroll. i‘ve lost about four stone. have you? yeah. four stone, wow. gone down from virtually 25 to 21. that‘s impressive. so, it does help. it's got me out, it's got me getting some exercise. and it's company as well, because i live on my own, so that helps a lot. this is week two for me, i'm a newbie. and i decided when i retired that i wanted to do lots of different things.

and i've done lots of things to keep the mind going, but not a lot to keep the body going. the beauty of walking is, of course, it‘s free. you don‘t need any special training or indeed any special kit. but health experts say doing just ten minutes of brisk walking every day, well, that can have a really positive impact on your health. 0ur lifestyles have changed. compared to the 1960s, we are now 20% less active. and each year, we walk 15 miles less than we did just two decades ago. physical inactivity amongst adults contributes to one in six deaths in the uk. it‘s estimated to cost the nhs nearly £1 billion a year. but a brisk walk ofjust ten minutes each day can reduce the risk of early death by 15%. gp dr zoe williams advises her patients that it‘s walking at a good pace, around three miles an hour, that is the key. practising what she preaches, she uses a smartphone app

to measure her own progress. but according to a public health england survey of our exercise habits, millions of adults are missing out. four in ten adults between the ages of 40 and 60 are not managing to achieve ten minutes of brisk walking per month. which sounds unbelievable. lots of those people will be walking, but they are not walking at a brisk pace. and it‘s important to walk briskly because that‘s when you start to get the health benefits. but for many of us, it‘s finding the time in an already busy day. i drive to work and it's timing really, trying to find the time. generally, iwould rather drive than walk because i need to get there in a hurry. so, generally not, no. not every day, we probably do about one and a half miles twice a day and about one mile in the middle of that. you can always make time. 0ne less cake, one more walk! walking can help with weight loss, back pain, long—term

conditions like diabetes, and even reducing the risk of cancer. now we‘re all being urged to get up and get moving. dominic hughes, bbc news. no guilt trip intended, but you are still sitting there! lucy has the latest weather forecast. lucy has the latest weather forecast. the best of the brightness south and east. low pressure towards the north west sitting there and gradually edging east. winking with it cloud and outbreaks of rain. as we move through the day, good sunshine across england and wales, but for northern ireland, western scotland and the far north west of england, outbreaks of rain at at times and temperatures falling to an overnight low of 12—14dc. tomorrow, a similar story. low pressure sitting out in

the north west. the best of the brightness is the further south and east you are with good spells of sunshine. for northern ireland, scotland, western scotland and parts of north west england, more persistent outbreaks of rain pushing in. and temperatures tomorrow reaching a maximum of around 25 celsius in the south east and highs of around 20 in the north. knight this is bbc news. net migration has fallen to the lowest level for three years after a surge in the number of eu nationals leaving the uk since lastjune‘s brexit vote. the 0ns figures show that immigration from all countries has fallen — and emigration has also risen. gcses passes overall have dropped slightly across the range of subjects. new, tougher exams were sat for the first time in a number of subjects — by pupils in england, wales and northern ireland. a 25 year old woman has been jailed

for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. jemma beale claimed she had been raped or sexually assaulted in four different encounters. thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa come under fire from all sides. the syrian army says it‘s gaining ground driving out the militants. the husband of a woman who was knocked down and killed by a cyclist calls for a change to the law to tackle irresponsible actions. matthew briggs has urged reckless riders to learn from his wife‘s death. officials at public health england are urging those between the ages of 40 and 60 to start doing regular brisk walks amid concern high levels of inactivity may be harming their health. let‘s get the sport now. harry maguire has made the england squad for the world cup qualifiers. it will be his first england cap. southgate named his squad

for the games against malta and slovakia. he also congratulated wayne rooney ona he also congratulated wayne rooney on a long successful international career. he retired from international football, even though gareth southgate was going to call him up. i thought there was a role for him in the squad, but by the same token we understand his rationale, and it is a good moment to recognise what an outstanding player he has been for england. i have seen some debate about whether he isa have seen some debate about whether he is a legend or not. if you are the most capped outfield player and the most capped outfield player and the record goal—scorer, i‘m not sure what else you have to do to be a legend, so he has been somebody who has served england brilliantly. zlatan ibrahimovic has signed a new one—year deal at manchester united. the swede joined the club in 2016 and scored 17 goals last season. he‘s yet to feature this season as he makes his recovery from a knee injury that saw him miss

the europa league final. 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 gives absolutely everything, it‘s difficult to stop him. he looks ready. he‘s not played for a long time, so i will have to decide what i do with him, but he‘s ready to play. we‘ve all been talking about that big money fight and now mixed martial artist conor mcgregor and undefeated champ floyd mayweather had a showdown in las vegas ahead of their clash this weekend. it‘s set to be one of the most lucrative boxing matches in history and both fighters have been shying away from exchanging 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. 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 it all and we should be respected for that. 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 do i need to learn from them, what does it take? that is all the sport for now, we will be back in the next hour. thank you very much. let‘s get some reaction to our top story this afternoon — the latest immigration figures. net migration is at its lowest level for three years, after a big fall in the numbers of eu citizens living here. joining me now is professorjonathan portes from kings college london, who is also a senior fellow at the research body, uk in a changing europe. so, we had so many figures looking into immigration. where are we with

this, because isn‘t there an element of common sense that if the uk boats to leave the eu, as it did last june, people from the eu will take a second look at britain is somewhere they want to be? nel that is absolutely right, and that is what is happening. nothing has actually changed in the legal or policy terms, we still have freedom of movement. but people who are deciding whether or not to come here, and people who are already living here, ithinking here, and people who are already living here, i thinking ahead, thinking, what is the uk going to be like in two to five years. is it going to be less european or am i going to be less european or am i going to be less european or am i going to have fewer rights, notjust the to work but rights around claiming benefits, public services, the rates of my children, citizenship, and university education. all of these things are no uncertain compared to before. in addition, the sterling exchange rate has fallen, which means it is worth less, which makes the uk less

attractive. money talks, doesn‘t it? yes, but it is notjust money. you have been saying for a while you have been saying for a while you have suspected this would happen. is there any indication that this change at the moment could swing back depending on how the brexit negotiations go, in terms of how citizens may be treated in the future. we do not know, and that is the problem. the likelihood is migration will continue to fall. but whether that is a gentle decline at a deeper one does depend on the sort of accommodation we reach. in particular the rights of citizens who are already here, who are under the article 50 negotiations, which the article 50 negotiations, which the government was slow to come out with what is still a fairly miserly offer to those citizens, saw how that works out matters, but whether

there is a deep trading relationship in the future and whether we reach an agreement on a future relationship which is regarded as constructive, that may well alleviate fears, but if the talks break down acrimoniously, it would make things considerably worse. why is it that when the whole brexit discussions before the vote, remainers were saying we need to keep the levels of student immigration as they are, we rely on them, but brexiteers are saying, here you go, this is good news because we are bringing immigration down, which ultimately is a better thing? who is right? or are they both right or are we all totally confused? immigration has lots of impacts, economic, social, cultural, so there‘s not one and is a. it is

pretty clear, the vast majority of economists think immigration in general, like free trade, tends to be good for the economy, and specifically migration and freedom of movement to and from the eu have been good for the british economy. of course there are wider impact on public services. but i think perhaps the key point is that during the campaign there was a lot of talk about ending free movement would mean we could choose the immigrants we wanted. we still have the high skilled immigrants, and fewer low skilled immigrants, and fewer low skilled immigrants. it is right that when we end free movement we have a more selective system, but immigrants have to choose us. and what we‘re seeing is that some immigrants are choosing not to choose as any more. i had summoned from the builders federation in the studio saying they are leaving this country, leaving us with a gap of skilled workers, particularly in the south—east where the business

industry is picking up, but again you could argue that that is a fantastic opportunity for home—grown youngsters who may want a job, not necessarily a job for life, but by definition if there‘s a shortage they will be paid better than they we re they will be paid better than they were five or ten years ago, so there are two ways of looking at this, i do not? it depends what sector you‘re looking at. it may be true in some sectors, but in some sectors such as agriculture we‘re seeing farmers saying we will not be viable without eu workers. in the health service, which have a problem we are simply there is not enough money going into it, we‘re not saying that the european nurses were no longer coming are being replaced by british trained because of course we have cut things like nurses bursaries, we not attracting people so you end up

with vacancies. it could be good news for some workers but overall it is likely to be not great. do you have a feeling of deja vu on this?|j have a feeling of deja vu on this?” have been working in economic sense 1979, and it is interesting, but we are entering a new phase. brexit could potentially be an opportunity to make things more beneficial to the british economy, but so far the signs are not so good, frankly. thank you very much. thousands of civilians in the syrian city of raqqa are coming under fire from all sides, as the battle for control of the city enters its final stage. amnesty international says hundreds of people have been killed or injured since june, when the offensive began to recapture raqqa, which is the stronghold of so—called islamic state. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in the syrian town of homs. the amnesty report is heartbreaking

and chilling. it is set in the context of what is believed to be the final months, final battles to destroy the so—called caliphate of islamic state here in syria, and raqqa, in northern syria, was the self—declared capital. raqqa, in northern syria, was the self—decla red capital. as raqqa, in northern syria, was the self—declared capital. as the war i think -- self—declared capital. as the war i think —— intensifies into populated neighbourhoods, civilians are trapped in this deadly labyrinth, every direction they turned they come underfire. every direction they turned they come under fire. coalition every direction they turned they come underfire. coalition dear strikes have killed hundreds of civilians in recent months. the amnesty international report is a cry for compassion and protection, evenin cry for compassion and protection, even in war there are rules, and the rules of war are being absolutely shattered every day here. dutch police have made a second arrest, after a rock concert

in rotterdam was cancelled because of an alert from spanish police. the arrest follows the detention of a spanish man who was found with gas canisters in his van in rotterdam. the authorities had been warned about a potential risk — though it‘s not clear whether there is any link to the attacks in catalonia last week that killed 15 people. anna holligan is in rotterdam. the focus of the police investigation has shifted from this concert venue in rotterdam to a house in a region close to the belgian border. in the early hours this morning they detained at 22—year—old man and searched his home. he is now being questioned on suspicion of having links to this type of received from the spanish police that they concert performed by the american rock group may have been the target. police in rotterdam say they cleared the venue immediately as a precaution. we asked whether the public was that in

any danger, they said it was too soon any danger, they said it was too soon to say. that is now the subject of that investigation. the american rock group have spoken in the past about receiving messages of concern from muslims who are not like the term allah in the band‘s title, allah las. the man detained close to the venue last night is being detained on suspicion of drunk driving. he‘s not suspected to having any links to this... police have told us that the fact they acted so swiftly as simply because they were not prepared to take any chances. eight people are missing following a landslide that forced the evacuation of several villages in southeastern switzerland. dramatic footage captured

the slide in the swiss alps, that also forced dozens of evacuations near the italian border. roads were blocked and there was structural damage to buildings. rescue work is underway to try to find the missing people. ina in a moment, a summary of the business news. 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. the number of students getting top gcse grades in maths and english has

fallen slightly after the introduction of tough exams. 25—year—old woman has been jailed for ten after making false allegations of rape and sexual assault. 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 1 million. household spending saw its lowest rise in two—and—a—half years, partly due to a slowdown in car sales. according to the office for national statistics, in the three months tojune, spending grew by 0.1% — that‘s its slowest rate since the end of 2014. it came as the 0ns confirmed economic growth was 0.3% in the second quarter. analysts say the figures highlighted the uk as the slowest growing economy in the g7 so far this year. lucy 0‘carroll, is the chief economist at aberdeen standard investments and she explained earlier that inflation is impacting consumers spending habits. it is disappointing overall. the figures for consumer spending suggest consumers are being hit by the rise in inflation and the impact

that has on the real incomes. we can see from surveys that 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 people are feeling a little bit mindful of that. we know that last year they dipped into savings and borrowed money in order to fund spending, but the doing that to lesser extent this year. we are also continuing our week—long series on the business of death — looking at the financial issues raised by aging populations around the world. today we are in singapore — where like many advanced asian economies the number of older people is on the rise — and so is the demand for end—of—life care for the terminally ill. hospices have traditionally

relied on charity — but now singapore‘s government is pledging more funds for palliative care as its population ages. shara njit leyl reports. catching up on his daily news. 83—year—old still likes to know what is going on. in spite of being diagnosed with just weeks to live. he is spending the last days of his life in this hospice, one of the few dedicated palliative care centres in singapore, which has room for 50 terminally ill patients. it costs $10 million annually to run the centre, with funds from charitable donations, funds and patients themselves. he says he‘s grateful to be here. doctor lee is the chairman of the hospice. he also sings to help lift spirits. he says this charitable aspect of the centre is crucial. as our population ages and we have to look at end of life issues, it becomes difficult for

families to manage patients on their own, and we have 400 volunteers who participate in the lives of our patients and their families. but volu nteers patients and their families. but volunteers alone cannot address the demand that a rising elderly population requires. these patients get round—the—clock payer to manage their pain and symptoms, but there isa their pain and symptoms, but there is a shortage of such facilities and wait list for this one. a sure sign that demand for hospices is bound to grow. but it is not for everyone. some prefer to stick within the comforts of their own home, and this is where the private sector hopes to fill the gap. i do see an opportunity for the private sector to engage in private care. i can imagine consumers and suppliers

interacting with each other. but the challenge is no one wants to pay for end of life care, so to make this sustainable, we‘re going to need government financing. death is an inevitable human experience but because of the cost of such care, centres like this hospice count on their volunteers, because at the end of life, putting aside the worry of the cost in constant pain, it is the little things that can make the final days as comforting as possible. here‘s a look at some other stories we‘re following today. the food industry has warned that a post—brexit labour shortage could leave a third of its businesses unviable. the food and drink federation says the sector faces "a rapidly approaching workforce shortage and skills gap." almost half of all businesses it surveyed said eu nationals working in the uk were considering leaving. taxi app uber says it took bookings worth $8.7 billion in three months

to the end ofjune — up 17% on the same period last year. the total number of bookings was up 150%. it‘s still losing money, though — but that figure is falling each quarter. the results come after an unprecedented series of scandals that have engulfed the company in 2017. and people searching for "depression" on google will soon be prompted to take a questionnaire to assess if they may be suffering from the illness. the search giant has partnered with the us national alliance on mental illness, to roll out the project which is currently only for us users. but welcome news for those who might need it. iwill but welcome news for those who might need it. i will be back in the next hour, to see how all the uk indexes have closed. see you then. i am looking at the twitter account for

warwickshire police are reporting this. in the last few minutes, we‘re responding to an incident at mangrove services, on london road, 14 men on the back of a lorry, some require medical attention. at the top, the state that the driver is arrested. they have only announced that in the last few minutes, but we will make some enquiries and see what is going on in warwickshire. that is their twitter account breaking some news for us. judges at the australian high court have postponed until october, hearings on whether several senior ministers including the deputy prime minister barnabyjoyce are actually entitled to hold office. the politicians‘ futures were put in doubt when it was revealed they are apparently breaking the law by holding dual citizenship. our correspondent in sydney hywel griffith reports. with his trademark hat, barnaby joyce has a reputation in politics asa joyce has a reputation in politics as a tough aussie battler. but now the deputy prime minister faces a

long fight for his and his government‘s future. by holding citizenship of both australia and new zealand, mrjoyce may have been in breach of article 44 of the constitution, which stops nationals holding public office. if he loses his seat, the government could lose the majority. the court will decide whether mrjoyce and several others should have checked the lineage before standing for election. there are seven matters before the court dealing with this citizenship, and i‘m sure the court will clarify whether. .. i have i‘m sure the court will clarify whether... i have to say again, we are very confident that our members who have been caught up in this will be held by the court to be eligible to serve in parliament. the scandal has made headlines across the world. it shows how australian politicians

have global collections. —— connections. another senator in the case was born in india. there are questions over those who have held british passports as well, and one senator admits she never announced her citizenship of canada. the confusion has created tension across the political divide. more parliament nations are expected to be cold before the court. leader is an obvious public urgency in relation to this matter to clarify the situation, and the chiefjustice confirmed the tenth of that tober is this an estate given the multiplicity of parties to come before the court, and we look forward to the speedy resolution of the matter. for now, barnaby joyce will hold onto hisjob and the matter. for now, barnaby joyce

will hold onto his job and stay on the political front line. will hold onto his job and stay on the politicalfront line. but knows that it may be months before his fate is decided. time to look at the weather. thank you good afternoon. we have an area of low pressure out of the north—west as we move through the next few days. that means we will see more in the way of outbreaks of rain and cloud the further north and west you are. high—pressure further south, where we will see drier and brighter weather over the next few days. weather watchers have been sending their photographs of the weather near them. some gorgeous rainbows here. in twickenham we have seen some rainbows here. in twickenham we have seen some good, rainbows here. in twickenham we have seen some good, sunny rainbows here. in twickenham we have seen some good, sunny spells as well. this photo was sent in from london. we have seen some showers moving in from the west as we have moved through the day, which should ease across wales and the

south—west. in northern ireland, the bulk of the showers, which will continue through the rest of today. more prolonged outbreaks of rain for a time through northern ireland, scotla nd a time through northern ireland, scotland and the north of england. everywhere else is drier. temperatures falling to 14 celsius tonight. as we move into tomorrow we have low pressure out of the north—west, and i think we see a bright start to the day in the south and east. some spells of sunshine and east. some spells of sunshine and mostly dry for england and will is, and edging into north—west england with outbreaks of train which could be fairly heavy at points. for northern ireland, cloudy with outbreaks of rain. some heavy bursts across scotland with temperatures into upper teens. moving into the weekend will be some outbreaks of rain, seeing some brightness as move further south. the best of the brightness is always

the further south and east, so some sunny spells to end the day, with temperatures touch warmer than today, off 24 or 25 degrees in the south—east. that takes us into saturday, with an area of low pressure moving east, and largely dry in the south. sunday, we will start to see some showers moving into the midlands perhaps, with an area of low pressure coming across as we move into monday. the bank holiday for some of us will be fairly breezy, some outbreaks of rain, and it will be largely dry the further north you are. not a total wash—out of a weekend, with the best of the whiteness always further south and east —— always the further south and east —— always the further south and east you are a. this is bbc news. i‘m simon mccauley.

the headlines at four: net migration to the uk falls by a quarter to 246,000 a year — the lowest level for three years. it follows a surge in eu nationals leaving the uk since the brexit vote. a 25—year—old woman has been jailed for ten years for making a series of false accusations of rape and sexual assault. also in the next hour... a 25—year—old woman has been 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 under fire from all sides. the syrian army says it‘s gaining ground driving out the militants. the husband of a woman who was knocked down and killed