claims that scores of children were drugged, stripped and abused over decades at a hospital in derbyshire. former patients say aston hall, where the historical offences are said to have taken place, was pure hell. the doctor would come in, and he would... basically immediately, you never, ever seen would... basically immediately, you never, ever seen it, a mask would go slam on your face. police say they would have questioned a doctor, kenneth milner, for rape and child cruelty if he'd still been alive. also tonight... donald trump talks trade with the eu but is he resetting relations with russia? after the deadliest ever wildfires recorded in greece, survivors tell of their terrible ordeal. when i was in the house, the fire was going over, i thought, i'm not going to make it. this is the end. in pakistan, former cricket star imran khan's party looks to be in the lead as votes are counted in the country's general election. he is doing it in the alps, year...

and britain's geraint thomas moves a step forward to winning his maiden tour de france. we will have sportsday on the bbc news channel, with all the news and features from the bbc sports channel. good evening. more than 60 vulnerable children who were at a hospital for mental illness in derbyshire were physically or sexually abused after being sedated with an experimental drug, according to a major police investigation. the offences are said to have taken place between the 1940s and 1970s at aston hall hospital.

investigators say a psychiatrist who worked there kenneth milner would have been questioned under caution on suspicion of rape and child cruelty, if he were still alive. sima kotecha reports. for decades, a hospital for troubled and vulnerable children, set in the derbyshire countryside. now, scores of allegations that aston hall was the scene of widespread abuse. and at the centre of those allegations, dr kenneth milner, the man in charge from 1947 until his death in 1975. i was stripped off, placed in a bath and then taken into this room and made to lay on a rubber mattress. it was... a blacked—out room with shutters, and they were closed and it was dark. barbara was just 12 when she was sent to aston hall. and then the doctor would come in and he would... basically immediately, you never, ever seen it,

a mask would just go slam on your face and then suddenly you'd feel this fluid go on your face and you'd go unconscious. her experience is not in isolation. 115 people have come forward to give their testimomy on what happened to them and what they saw at the hospital. in a report, police officers say... david says he was also 12 when he was plied with this so—called truth serum, an experience that still haunts him. i was frightened to death. i didn't know what the place were. you know... dr milner told me

unless i was treat... he gave me this treatment, he could see me being there for a long time. there were probably nothing wrong with me when i went in, but when i came out there was something wrong with me. i was suffering from post—traumatic stress disorder. and i didn't know owt about depression. i suffer with depression today. flashbacks, anxiety... the officer who led the investigation says the authorities are now in a much better place. we've got really strong safeguarding, and it's not only around being able to monitor those in those positions, but it's also there's now an avenue for the voice of the victim to be heard. the police have repeatedly said that no inference can be drawn as to mr milner‘s guilt. many years have passed since these vulnerable young people were supposed to be in the care of this hospital, but the scars left by their experiences remain. it's a period of recovery, and it's going to be probably the rest of my life is going to be a period of recovery. there'll never be closure.

your childhood was stolen. and you can't replace it. that is sima kotecha reporting. our home editor mark easton is here. very disturbing claims here, that suggest yet again the failure of the state to protect children? the details of this scandal reads like the plot of some horror film. you are absolutely right, once again we're talking about the abuse of vulnerable children who should have been protected by the state. the doctor, kenneth milner, was employed by the government, the institution itself was part of the health service, there to curve the troubled children. instead, of patients suffered profound physical and psychological abuse, and as we saw, some still suffer today. i think this dark tale fits into a wider understanding of how historically

british society turned a blind eye to the abuse of children by the very people and in the very places that it was supposed to protect them. ca re it was supposed to protect them. care homes, schools and, in this case is, a hospital. —— and in this case. abuse still happens but things are different now, the deference which protected many abusers is much worse now, the accountability of state institutions is much stricter and the place of children in society, their rights and responsibilities to protect their welfare has created a different climate. but the stories of the survivors, the scarred victims, reminders of why this is still so important today. thank you. the white house says that president trump's planned meeting with vladimir putin in washington won't now take place until next year, once the inquiry into alleged russian interference in the us election finishes. last week, it said mr putin could visit washington this autumn. the revelation came as the secretary of state mike pompeo said russia's

occupation of crimea was an act unworthy of a great nation. here's our north america editorjon sopel. the glow of helsinki didn't last long. donald trump came away from his historic summit with vladimir putin thinking all had gone well, but there was an immediate outcry that the president had been weak, too cosy with his russian counterpart, particularly when he said this... president putin, he just said it is not russia. i don't see any reason why it would be. that brought at the rarest of things, a trump u—turn. that brought at the rarest of things, a trump u—turnlj that brought at the rarest of things, a trump u-turn. i would like to clarify, in a key sentence in my remarks i don't see any reason why i

wouldn't. .. remarks i don't see any reason why i wouldn't... or remarks i don't see any reason why i wouldn't. .. or why it remarks i don't see any reason why i wouldn't... or why it wouldn't be russia. but today a restatement of traditional us policy from secretary of state mike pompeo. i personally made clear to the russians there would be severe consequences for interfering in our democratic processes. and the state department issued a tough declaration on crimea. through its actions, russia has acted in an unworthy of a great nation and has chosen to isolate itself from the international community. last week the white house announced president would come to washington in the autumn, to the surprise of the us head of intelligence. that will be special! but now a statement from the national security adviserjohn bolton has scotched that. the president believes the next bilateral meeting with president putin should take place after the russia witch hunt is over, so we have agreed it will be after the first of the year. a meeting with another so—called foe went ahead

today, the president seeing the european commission ahead jean—claude juncker. they gave european commission ahead jean—claudejuncker. they gave an unscripted news conference and it seems that peace is breaking out in trade. so we had a big day, very big. we met right here at the white house to launch a new phase in the relationship between the united states and the european union, a phase of close friendship, strong trade relations in which both of us will win. when i was invited by the president to the white house, i had one intention, to make a deal today. and we made a deal today. ijust want we made a deal today. i just want to conclude by saying this was a very big day for free and fair trade. a very big day indeed. thank you very much, everybody. thank you very much, everybody. thank you. it seems there has been a return to the status quo as threats ofa return to the status quo as threats of a trade war recedes with a long—standing ally.

this is an agreement to reach an agreement, if you like, but the change in language is significant. there may be many obstacles in the way to reaching a trade deal that will satisfy both sides. the criticism of donald trump after his trip to europe was tranquillised, that he treated enemies as friends and friends as enemies. it is felt today there has been a reset, which will be a relief to the american foreign policy establishment and in europe as well. thank you, jon sopel survivors have been describing their desperate attempts to escape the wildfires that swept through parts of coastal greece on monday night. many were trapped in homes and vehicles with others forced to seek refuge in the sea. at least 80 people are now known to have died. our correspondent mark lowen is in the coastal town of mati. tonight greece's anti—terrorism

service is investigating whether or not these fires were started deliberately, possibly in an attempt to claim land for building. there is growing languor —— anger at the lack ofan growing languor —— anger at the lack of an emergency plan and no evacuation order came when what is looking like ciara's worst wildfires since the second world war and gulf this region. —— like greece's worst wildfires. it ravaged anything in its path. swathes of the greek hillside erased, and with it the lives it struck. hope, too, is dying here. the family of 88—year—old angeliki giannopoulos have just heard the worst. that she was the 80th person killed by the wildfires. her charred remains were discovered in her home. for her son, nikos, a mix of shock and rage. fortunately, i didn't find her by myself because i couldn't face the view. the body is totally burned. when the pain will calm down, i will prosecute to all levels

everybody that is responsible for this catastrophe. i will not stop until i will die. it's still not known how the spark was lit, but the gale force winds meant the flames galloped down the mountains. dozens are missing and almost 200 were injured. like susan stephos from britain, burnt by the fire as she ran from her home. minutes after seeing the flames in the distance, they were at her home. it is hard to find words for such a tragedy. when i was in the house and the fire was going over, i thought, "i'm not going to make it. "this is the end". but... prayers were answered. and i managed. and irish honeymooner did not make

it, brian o'callaghan—westrop. he was on honeymoon with his wife sally. the streets of mati are like a burnt—out ghost town. the scorched shells are all that remain of family homes, and some still bear the trace of the inferno. —— he was on honeymoon with his wife zoe. for the engineers, the task of assessing what can still stand and what must be torn down. dora matsia says it's as if an earthquake struck. just the feeling of walking along in a blaze, it was very, very difficult. and i have to cope with people who have psychological problems like now. it is quite difficult for everyone. volunteer lifeguards scour the coast for any sign of life or death. hundreds of people were rescued as they ran into the sea to escape the flames. they pass a group still

searching for any sign of their relatives, and encouragement from the water to keep going. the hope of finding any more survivors has virtually gone, so the aim is to look for belongings and bodies. for some, this seamark their salvation from the flames. for others, it was the end. the memories of that might lie buried here and in the remains of a pa rt buried here and in the remains of a part of greece scarred forever. mark lowen, bbc news, mati. the labour mp fiona onasanya has been charged with perverting the course of justice. it has emerged that the peterborough mp appeared at westminster magistrates' court earlier this month. court records show she was charged over allegedly lying about who was driving a speeding car. the rights of children facing exclusion from school should be much clearer, according to mps. in a report today,they‘ve warned that schools in england are becoming less inclusive, and that parents end up fighting a system that should support them. the education select committee says schools should to be held to account and compelled

to publish exclusion numbers. last year there were 8,000 permanent exclusions 20,000 children leave during their school years and are missing from the data. and during each year a8,000 children spend time in alternative schools. our education editor branwen jeffreys reports on what the report calls the forgotten children. these four boys are part of a hidden story — children managed out of our schools. some not even recorded as excluded. families persuaded the best option is to home educate instead. bailey told me he'd spent two years at home with his grandparents. he'd been on the brink of exclusion when they agreed to home educate. the family didn't realise they'd get no help with that. we were just told home—schooling is an option for kids who don't want to be in school. i didn't feel confident in public.

i didn't feel like i could engage with other kids, but... it was... it was reallyjust a downer. bailey's been given a fresh start. today, mps warn of an alarming rise in hidden exclusions. this school has taken in a dozen pupils from home education. so we're talking about ordinary families in grimsby and cleethorpes who then find themselves having to try to teach gcses at home? yes. and they might have left school at 16 themselves? in most cases, the students that have come into our school, that is the case. unless there's a school willing to take the students from home education then, yes, you know, they will be invisible and lost to the system. grimsby and cleethorpes have one of the highest rates of exclusions in england. pupils with special needs are most vulnerable. benjamin has been diagnosed with asperger‘s.

his mum, dominique, feels she's battled for years to get him into a good school. today's report says the system is stacked against parents. benjamin was excluded for not being disruptive, but for... needing his own space and taking off and running and hiding in the bathroom. there's so much more i could have learned, rather than having to catch it all up now. you know, if i had just had that chat with someone that was assessing me, i reckon that could have worked so much better. exclusions are meant to be a last resort. this bradford unit helps children go back into mainstream schools. mps say the best alternative education is life changing. rhys has had six exclusions, mainly forfighting. stuff to do with home life and stuff like that,

they'd just use that as ammunition. and then i'd just get pissed off and start fighting. now he hopes to work towards getting into the police. you've just got to show them that, like, you you don't want to be who you have been. you just need to show them that, like, you can work. you just need to get your head down and get back into mainstream school. a government review of exclusions is under way. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. scientists say they've discovered the first evidence of a body of liquid water on mars. the lake, which is around 12 miles across, was discovered from orbit by radar, and sits beneath the planet's southern polar ice cap. scientists say it's a good place to start looking for evidence of life on mars. early results in pakistan's general election suggest the former international cricketer imran khan is likely to be pakistan's new leader. his party fought a campaign against corruption, after the disgraced former

prime minister nawaz sharif was jailed for fraudulent dealings. khan's supporters have been celebrating across the country but his opponents have rejected the predictions, saying the electoral process was rigged. from islamabad, here's our correspondent secunder kermani. celebrations by imran khan's supporters as results roll in. it looks increasingly likely that the former cricketing star will be pakistan's next prime minister and his party, the largest in the next parliament. i think the hard work of pti, the members of pti, which is definitely, in my opinion, the biggest political force in the history of this country has paid off, and people, not only who support pti but also the people of pakistan can look forward to a golden era. votes are still being counted, with final results likely tomorrow. earlier today, imran khan cast his vote.

he's promised to crackdown on corruption. his main rival, former prime minister nawaz sharif, was sentenced to ten years in jail following an investigation khan pushed for. his brother shehbaz has been leading the party in his absence. tonight, he rejected the results, claiming fraud. this election campaign has revolved round two competing narratives, about the case against nawaz sharif. his supporters say the pakistani military has been working behind the scenes, to ensure his conviction and remove him from power. imran khan says those claims are simply an attempt to distract from the corruption allegations. residents in rawalpindi watching the results come in were divided about who they believed. translation: nawaz sharif has been in power and he has been stealing from us and taking the money abroad. i support the pml—n because they fulfilled their promises, they developed infastructure and reduced power cuts.

imran khan's supporters are in buoyant mood tonight, but it seems likely he would have to form a coalition in order to take power. and his opponents seemed adamant in rejecting his victory. secunder kermani, bbc news, rawalpindi. a close associate of the brexit donor arron banks has raised questions about his business contacts with russia. james pryor worked with mr banks on the brexit campaign and helped to manage his businesses in africa. he told bbc news that mr banks had tried to obtain russian investment for his south african diamond mines claims which mr banks insists are not true. mr pryor also said he didn t know how arron banks had funded the brexit campaign. mr banks refused to give details about where his campaign funds had come from. manveen rana reports. arron banks. one of the most influential men in british politics. he gave at least £9 million

to bankroll the leave campaign in the brexit referendum, making him one of the biggest political donors in british history. but he's never explained where that money came from. you could show us where the money had come from. told you, it came from my bank account. i don't know what else to say. you could show us the companies that have made enough profits to justify it, because we certainly can't see them. as far as i'm concerned, i've done what i had to do. we went to south africa to find out more about aaron banks' wealth. he owns three diamond mines here, but we've learned that so far he spent £10 million and got very little back. in court papers, his former partner in the mining business wrote, "banks had been dealing with russians who contemplated investing in the mines. i was informed by banks that he had travelled to russia and discussed with them the diamond opportunities." there is no suggestion in the court papers that the russians went on to invest.

but banks says this is the account of a disgruntled former business partner and he has never had business dealings with any russian investors. james pryor is the man who, until recently, managed banks's diamond mines. here they are together with the king of lesotho. he applied for licences in three really good places. he also helped banks on the brexit campaign. i asked him about claims that in 2015 banks had sought investments from russia to help finance his mines. was there any contact with any kind of russian firm or investor? no. were papers prepared and sent out to any? no. no, not from my side, not at all. shall we switch this off and then go through what was said? eventually, we reminded james pryor of what he had previously said, in a conversation recorded with his consent for my notes. they'd heard of a mine that might be worth looking at. the ambassador's told them about it, so they put their guy onto it. but they didn't even

bother coming out. they didn't, you know, they had a look at it on paper and we sent them documents. you know, about the mine. and they would have had a look at it and theyjust say it's not for them. over hours of conversations, james pryor had said that banks had asked the russian ambassador for help with investment in the mines. papers were then prepared and sent off to russian investors. but it's important to stress that pryor was clear that, in the end, the russians weren't interested and no deal was done. we don't know why pryor‘s recollection has changed, or which account is correct. are you categorically stating that you didn't even approach russian investors? yes. i spoke to no russian investors about this. 100%. your right—hand man who ran these mines, james pryor, told us the papers were prepared and sent to alrosa, the russian state... well, that's completely incorrect. they weren't. the russian state diamond company was approached, or representatives. i assume you've got —

so you've got evidence of that? well, this is the guy that runs your mines. he doesn't run my mines. i had no involvement with russian money, or even requested it. i've said that categorically. if you can prove that, then you've won... you know, yourjackpot, haven't you? but, unfortunately, i didn't. not even those that are close to him seem to know where the money that arron banks used to fund brexit came from. are you worried about where that money might have come from? worried? it is a lot of money. and it's sure to raise a lot of questions, yes. yes, i'd like to know. i'd like to know and maybe i'll sit down with arron and ask him one day. so far, despite all the questions hanging over his finances and his links to russia, arron banks hasn't been willing to say. manveen rana, bbc news. the prime minister is stepping up her efforts to find allies among the other 27 eu nations for her latest brexit blueprint. she is urging greaterflexible

she is urging greater flexible as johnny eu side to avoid britain crashing out in a no—deal brexit. —— greater flexibility on the eu side. but the czech government is already warning that britain will be by far the biggest loser if that happens. our diplomatic correspondent james robbins has been travelling through the czech republic listening to opinions. i'll say it before you do. is there light at the end of the brexit tunnel? theresa may thinks there is, and that this eurosceptic country i'm travelling through might come to heraid. but is the czech republic really a potential ally? certainly the czechs i talked to are dismayed that they are about to lose britain, so often their powerful champion in fights with france and germany. for me it's very pity that, you know, the united kingdom leaves eu, because they always was very pragmatic, and result united kingdom i think european union change, you know, not very i

would like, you know. translation: the european union will certainly be weakened. it will have less weight. and maybe brexit will show other countries there is the opportunity to leave. and what about their prime minister? could he be willing to side with theresa may, and urge others to give britain the deal she wants? our prime minister is populist, so he is really unpredictable. already on this journey across the czech republic, i have met plenty of czechs who don't know what brexit is, and frankly care even less, but then i've met some who know precisely what britain has decided to do, to leave the european union. some of them are sympathetic towards britain's decision, but does that sympathy amount to active support,

particularly when it comes to their own government? will it help britain get a deal? in the czech capital prague, the prime minister's office is preparing to listen to mrs may put her case on friday. but with the brexit clock ticking ominously behind us, the country's young europe minister is really uncompromising. britain is still cherry picking, he tells me, demanding free trade in goods after brexit, but still rejecting free movement of people. and we still feel unfortunately, although it was a very good step in a good direction, and even in the recently published white paper there is a discrepancy between the rights and obligations from the uk side. what would be the consequence of a no—deal brexit, of britain crashing out of the eu, especially or the czech republic? i think it would be catastrophic for both the uk and the european union, and the same time and the eu 27 is in the population, eight times, roughly eight times bigger than the uk.

this has to be acknowledged, it will be an impact that would be overwhelmingly on britain. so, no comfort there for theresa may, looking for allies. it seems the czech republic for one will stick with the rest of the eu. james robbins, bbc news, prague. in the tour de france it's been another excellent day for geraint thomas who's extended his lead over fellow team sky rider and defending champion, chris froome. thomas is now in a commanding position as the race enters its final few days on the road to paris and the champs elysee on sunday. here's our sports correspondent natalie pirks. the effort was as big as the result. this yellowjersey is now geraint thomas's to lose. it was an unfamiliar sight, thomas in pole position, for a formula one style start. here we go, and the attacks begin. with three back—to—back lines and a brutal summit finish, champion chris froome knew a good

day in the pyrenees could set up his fifth tour win. but he'd have to overhaul race leader thomas, his friend and team—mate. time to talk tactics. shake of the head, an agreement about how to play it. the monstrous final climb up the col du portet, though, was about to claim its highest profile victim. they now know that chris froome is possibly on the ropes. with froome floundering and with minutes left, rival thomas dumoulin made his move. dumoulin, now that's the big move on the right hand side of the road. as froome's grand tour dream appeared to blow up, welshman thomas' edged ever closer. team sky's eggs are now all in his basket. barring disaster, the procession into paris on sunday should end in his coronation. natalie pirks, bbc news.