hello. good afternoon. first it was the hot weather causing disruption, now its storms leading to misery for tens of thousands of people. violent storms and lightning strikes have caused the cancellation of flights and trains. among the worst affected have been stanstead airport, the eurotunnel and the east coast mainline. simonjones is in folkestone for us this lunchtime. simon. good afternoon. well, the queue of cars buying me waiting to get into eurotunnel tells the story. some are having to wait 6.5 hours to get on trains. the company is advising passengers not to travel at all if they do not have to. problems on the railway and in the air. it is not proving to be a great getaway after all. the holiday getaway from hell, seemingly unending queues at stansted airport as flights were cancelled, blamed on the thunderstorms that meant planes couldn't fly safely. after waiting for serveral hours, many had to give up and head home.

it is incredible how unaccountable they are, there is no one here to deal with it. the queues are never ending. people are supposed to wait. it is ridiculous. they say that the flight is delayed for six hours. then we come back, another queue for ten hours, just to talk with them. the storms that swept in, heralding the end of the heatwave, were supposed to put a stop to this, too, the chaos at the channel tunnel. for three days trains had been unable to run at full capacity because it was too hot. the air conditioning could not cope. now it is much cooler but delays have gone up, a six and a half hour wait for some. the company says it is taking time to bring back the carriages that had to be taken out of service. lightning strikes have also taken out some rail services. whoa! and members of the rmt union have walked out on strike on southwestern railway and eurostar.

weather alerts remain in place, warning of danger as the weather continues to claim lives. this morning a body was found close to the beach at clacton on sea in essex, after a teenager went missing in the water. that was simon jones that was simonjones reporting. the chief constable of england's second largest police force says budget cuts mean the current level of policing in the west midlands is not sustainable. dave thompson has apologised to people who feel they've received a poor service from his officers, whose numbers have fallen by around a quarter since 2010. mr thompson says he's having to prioritise which crimes to investigate. sima kotecha reports. a taxi driver doing hisjob, and then attacked. one of the guys came and smashed the windscreen wipers, threw more bricks, and one of the guys, i did not even see from where he came, he threw a pile of bricks on me and first it hit me, i was like that, in this position,

so it hit me on my elbow, and then on this side, then ijust lie down and i saw them running. he says i was repeatedly targeted in a matter of minutes. his arm and waist were severely bruised. i don't feel safe. they are not scared of the police because they feel they will not get caught. that is what they told you to your face. the next year and that it expects the police to investigate it inspects the it expects the police to investigate every crime thoroughly. but according to the officer who leads the department, thatis officer who leads the department, that is simply not possible.

a group of mps says that voters are being systematically manipulated by fa ke being systematically manipulated by fake news. the committee is urging tighter regulation and measures to combat interference in elections. what is the background to this report? mps started looking at this issue last year. there was the revelation that facebook data was being harvested in order to implement the —— influence the us elections. it was being harvested by cambridge analytica. in the report today, the language is very strong. it talks about the uk facing a democratic crisis. it says that people have been incessantly targeted through social media. they talk about recommending new rules

for online political campaigning to make it clear where adverts come from. they also say they want a public register so that anybody can see the ads that have been targeted at other voters on social media. there is also a suggestion there should be a tax on social media networks, used for regulation and also education and awareness campaigns. and it calls for the electoral commission to be given the power to impose larger fines. electoral commission to be given the power to impose largerfines. at electoral commission to be given the power to impose larger fines. at the moment they are limited to just £20,000. some campaigners have warned mps against overreacting. we have also heard from the former director of vote leave, who actually lea ked director of vote leave, who actually leaked this report after refusing to be interviewed by mps for it, and he has described it as fake news. a 24—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and sexual

activity with a child, after the death of a 13—year—old girl. lucy mchugh‘s body was found in woodland in southampton on thursday. she'd been reported missing the night before. the man remains in police custody. a raging wildfire in northern california has killed two firefighters and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. officials say the fires are being sucked up by strong winds to form "fire tornados" that are uprooting trees and overturning cars. more than 3,000 fire fighters are trying to prevent the flames spreading. british actor ed westwick will not be prosecuted over two allegations of rape and sexual assault made against him by women in the united states. investigators said there was "insufficient evidence". after the allegations emerged last year, the bbc edited out mr westwick‘s performance from the agatha christie drama 0rdeal by innocence, re—shooting his role with another actor. it also "paused" recording of a second series of the comedy white gold. the 30—year—old actor has always vehemently denied the allegations. with all the sport now, here's mike bushell

at the bbc sports centre. the climax of the tour de france is upon us. it should be a historic day for geraint thomas. barring any mishaps on the final tour trial, he is set to become the first welshman to win the tour de france. he was able to increase his overall lead to two minutes five seconds. even though his rival is the best time trial rider in the world, the advantage tommies as should be enough as they go tommies as should be enough as they 9° up tommies as should be enough as they go up against the clock this afternoon. —— thomas should have enough of an advantage. lewis hamilton has it all to do if he wants to claim pole position in the hungarian grand prix. britain is leading the drivers championship after a trying time in germany last weekend. he was half a second behind

the rival of his —— the time of his rival sebastian vettel this morning. for the first time, a female skipper has led the winner of the clip around the world yacht race to victory. a historic day? yes, it has been a lovely experience for everyone. these yachts have been coming back in race orderfrom the river mersey. a fantastic moment for the cruise, after the ii river mersey. a fantastic moment for the cruise, after the 11 months they have been through and the challenging times they have faced. near the dock is sanya serenity coast, the winner. for the first time, the winning skipper is a woman. earlier she was speaking about what a feat this is. a bit ofa

about what a feat this is. a bit of a relief, knowing the last race is done. i would like to see my itiuiti race is done. i would like to see my mum and my brother! the dots are shortly going to be making their way out. they are going on a tour of the waterfront. —— the boats are making their way out. a big challenge for many of these cruise is adapting back to normal life. skippers aside, the crew members are not professionals. there are nurses and teachers. they have been on these boats at sea for ii teachers. they have been on these boats at sea for 11 months. we will be remembered that this year for the first time a female skipper has won the race. britain's 0lympic the race. britain's olympic gold medallist geeky holland has won the latest race in the international series. ——

vicky holland. i was not sure how that was going to play out. i was running well but ashley is such a class competitor, and the other british girls as well. i kept the pressure on and i sensed she disappeared from my shoulder with about 700 to go, sol disappeared from my shoulder with about 700 to go, so i couldn't look back then. johnny brownlee could only manage fifth in the men's race. he faded on the brain and missed out on the podium. arsenal have kicked off a pre—season friendly against paris and jermaine. it is half—time approaching and it isi— it is half—time approaching and it isi- 02 it is half—time approaching and it is i— 02 arsenal. —— against paris st germaine. more on the sport all day on the bbc news channel. hello.

you're watching the bbc news channel. let's get more on the report by a group of mps which says voters are being systematically manipulated by the spread of fake news. de culture, digital media and sport select committee are urging tighter regulation of political posts on social media and measures to combat interference in elections. earlier i spoke to jamie bartlett, director of social media at the think—tank demos, which is on the centre left of politics. i spoke to him about the recommendations of this report. even though on the face of it it is about fake news, really it develops into something different, these online platforms and their responsibility. they are the long—term threats and risks to democracy. some of the

recommendations are pretty far reaching. some kind of model like the financial conduct authority, where tech firms should be taxed to pay for a regulator to have more power, that is interesting. the report also suggested, and i think it's pretty different, a sort of new category. we have always talked about whether tech firms are platforms or publishers, and should they be legally responsible for what is posted? they be legally responsible for what is posted 7 the they be legally responsible for what is posted? the committee says, quite bravely, i think, is posted? the committee says, quite bravely, ithink, they is posted? the committee says, quite bravely, i think, they are neither and should be treated as a new category, kind of like a platform thatis category, kind of like a platform that is readily neutral, but with more responsibility, and i think that final recommendation your correspondent mentioned, this register of all political adverts that put online, bringing the law to speed, that is absolutely essential. the electoral commission has said so, the commissioner ‘s office has said so. i think that will actually pass but it has to do so fairly quickly. is there a danger that this

will get caught up in the argument about how the referendum was conducted and people willjust end up conducted and people willjust end up being pushed back into their traditional partisan positions on bass, rather than engaging with the argument behind it, which in a sense is about more than just that particular campaign? is about more than just that particularcampaign? mr is about more than just that particular campaign? mr matt that is exactly right. the way that i see this, not just about where the technology is now but where it is developing. -- that is exactly right. there will be more of this smarter technology coming. this to me is about the longer term integrity of elections, so that people trust they are fairly held and they are getting accurate information. i agree, and they are getting accurate information. iagree, however, there isa information. iagree, however, there is a risk that this gets dragged into that debate about brexit. so those who are pro—brexit will dismiss a lot of it and those who are anti—brexit will say, this is why we should have another referendum. and we miss what is far more important, i think, which is the long—term health of chrissy. it

isa the long—term health of chrissy. it is a risk that i hope does not happen but i fear it probably will. —— the long—term health of democracy. that interview a little earlier. the report from the culture, digital media and sport select committee is due out tomorrow. it was leaked overnight. let's get more now on the disruption facing travellers after the recent weather conditions. eurotunnel have warned that the current delays on their services are likely to continue for the rest of the day and possibly in to tomorrow. earlier i spoke to the bbc‘s environment and rural affairs correspondent, claire marshall, who's on her way on holiday, but she's been caught up in the disruption at the eurotunnel in folkestone. we are on our way. we have had a lovely few others in the departure terminal. lots of very nice people. it has been kind of stoic, i think, thatis it has been kind of stoic, i think, that is the mood here. a lot of people are accepting that it is just going to be hours. everyone

approaching here this morning getting on twitter and saying there are delays of up to five hours and horrendous things like that. by the time everyone gets here, you are prepared for that. i was talking to somebody in the departures lounge who said yesterday, this is someone working at one of the tills, yesterday people were stuck here for six and a half to seven hours. we we re six and a half to seven hours. we were supposed to go a couple of hours ago. we are now on our way to the passports beat and apparently there is another key there —— another queue there. i just saw a tweet from somebody on the shuttle, presumably before it went under the ocean, saying there are no working toilets on there, as well. so a pretty interesting journey. are you beginning to wonder whether you should go home? the weather will be lovely after this brief bit of destruction. mr matt that is really

nice to know! -- that is really nice to know! we were lucky to have stayed in folkestone last night and we avoided the m20. that motorway coming in here is absolutely horrendous but we found out about all the delays. we were going to camp last night. at the ferry terminal? no, nearby. and then there was the storm last night, the start of our holiday was a huge storm, but luckily we were in a hotel rather than trying to put the tent up. i am just wondering whether it is worth me showing a bit of what we are going through at the moment. yes. this is the view which is common this morning to a lot of people. the back of another car. you are beginning to remind me of that

episode of one foot in the grave when they are stuck in the traffic jam. it looks at least like you are moving a bit, if slowly. we are moving, but only in the car park. we are not moving towards france. there have been a few signs on the way showing as we are moving towards france. hold on, look. there is the sign to france. it must be like being in the desert and seeing the water in the distance. can i say thank you to your husband? and most of all to... is it your daughter in the back? she has been beautifully well—behaved. thank you very much. whence you have your holiday, i hope it is worth it. thank you very much for sharing some of your experience. we haven't actually heard how much

further claire has got through that car park. an international arrest warrant has been issued for a man who killed a woman in a speedboat accident on the river thames in london two years ago. jack shepherd, who has been on the run since may, was found guilty of the manslaughter of charlotte brown, and sentenced to six years in prison at the old bailey yesterday. charlotte's mum roz, and her sister katie, were at the old bailey for the duration of the trial, and have appealed for him to turn up and face justice. they've been speaking to bbc breakfast along with with met police family liaison officer gavin seeley. katie explained how events at the court unfolded. we didn't have any indication of why, really. 0ur opinion of him is that he is a coward, confirmed by a statement he had written earlier this week. thejudge read it out yesterday, and he said the reason was he didn't want to face us, and that he was a coward.

we knew on the friday before trial, so we were going to trial on the monday morning, and both chris and i went to the old bailey and we had an inclination that something was going on. then we heard for the first time that jack shepherd is most unlikely to attend his trial. a big decision to make at that point. it is a friday, the family have geared up for three years to get to this day, this monday of trial. do i tell the family on that friday by phone call, because they are out of london, risk losing their weekend or worrying over the weekend, or do i tell them face to face? i made the decision to talk to charlotte's mum and dad face—to—face on the monday morning because then we have... the next question is, what happens? we then have a legal argument on the monday morning. it is a manslaughter case at the old bailey. do we have this trial in his absence, or are we instructed

by the judge to go find him, and then we have the trial when we find him? he has brought devastation to our family, and that is an understatement. charlotte has lost her life unnecessarily. she had everything to live for. she had been to university, had a good job, she was young. she literally had everything to live for. he did not give that one second consequence in his mind that night, that his actions would take her life. one of america's most powerful media executives is under investigation by the tv network he runs, cbs,after being accused of sexual misconduct. several women told the new yorker magazine that les moonves harassed them. mr moonves has admitted making some women feel uncomfortable, but denies assault. shares in cbs have plummeted. 0ur correspondent, chris buckler,

reports from washington. leslie moonves has been a leading figure at the american network cbs for almost 25 years, with a track record for finding stars and developing hit programmes. but now he's found himself facing accusations reported on his own channel's news programmes. in news just out tonight, the new yorker magazine has reported that six women have accused cbs chairman and ceo leslie moonves of sexual harassment. the new yorker magazine says the six women claim, among other things, that mr moonves physically intimidated them, forcibly touched and kissed them, or threatened to wreck their careers. the cbs boss has denied that, although he has apologised for making some women uncomfortable in the way he made advances decades ago. in a statement, the television network said... mr moonves, who is married

to the well—known cbs presenterjulie chen, has been an outspoken supporter of the #metoo movement. now he's accused of allegations very similar to ones he so publicly criticised. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. millions of people have witnessed the longest lunar eclipse this century, as the moon passed through the shadow of the earth turning a mysterious red. known as a "blood moon", the eclipse lasted for one hour and forty—three minutes and coincided with the closest pass of mars for fifteen years. stefan levy has more. it was a spectacular sight for stargazers across the globe. the moon bathed night skies with its red glow for one hour and 43 minutes, as it was totally eclipsed by the earth.

the display was visible from most of the southern hemisphere, but the best views were across eastern europe, east africa, and asia, where the entire eclipse was visible. the moon is passing right through the centre of the earth's shadow, so it's where the earth's shadow is at its widest, and so it lasts the longest. and the only light from the sun that can reach it is actually the light that's been filtered through the earth's atmosphere, and that's why it goes this beautiful dusky red colour. catching a glimpse of the eclipse was hit—and—miss for stargazers in the uk, due to cloudy conditions, but the lucky ones managed to see the moon go fully red. meanwhile, in brazil, people of all ages were out to enjoy the spectacle. translation: it's very beautiful. very beautiful. it was great being here, and the moon was very beautiful, more so with this telescope. translation: it was very interesting to see at the beginning, when the moon appeared, when it became very clear, and bit by bit, the earth throwing a shadow. i thought it was very, pretty and i liked the planet mars even more, which you could see right next to the moon. over the coming days, mars will be at its closest point

to earth since 2003, but the lunar eclipse doesn't just coincide with the red planet's close approach. skywatchers will also be treated to a particularly good few of venus, jupiter and saturn. and if you didn't manage to catch this year's lunar eclipse, you can take solace in the knowledge that the next one is a mere six months away. stefan levy, bbc news. large crowds of supporters of the two main candidates in zimbabwe's election have gathered in the capital harare, on the last day of campaigning before monday's presidential elections — the first since robert mugabe was ousted last november. mr mugabe's successor and former close colleague, emmerson mnangagwa is hoping to legitimise his rule. the leader of the main opposition mdc, nelson chamisa, is popular among the young and unemployed.

he's already warned that the election is being rigged. we can speak to our zimbabwe correspondent in harare. this is a big deal, a first election without robert mugabe? indeed. a first election in nearly four decades where president robert mugabe, the former president's name is actually not on the ballot paper, and the name of the ballot paper, and the name of the former prime minister, morgan tsvangirai, also not on the ballot paper, as he passed away a few months ago. but there is excitement in the air, a lot of people hoping these elections are going to bring about new change in the country. they are wanting and speaking about legitimacy and saying that whoever wins the election has a huge task of rebuilding this economy. what

advances have the incumbent president made since it together? there were suspicions that since he had been close to robert mugabe for 40 had been close to robert mugabe for a0 yea rs, had been close to robert mugabe for a0 years, nothing much would change. it is all about trust. especially young voters it is all about trust. especially young voters are it is all about trust. especially young voters are quite... they don't really trust him that much. they are quite excited rather to be listening to the opposition leader, nelson chamisa, and his promises that he is making emmerson mnangagwa. .. emmerson mnangagwa was the deputy president when robert mugabe was in charge and he is also making lots of promises, talking about rebuilding the country and the economy, and also talking about peace, even going further and saying he can assure zimbabwe and is —— citizens that this election will be fair and credible. thank you. let's take a look at the weather. it has become

much more interesting, suddenly. i took this picture this morning during my morning run. you have all the colours of the rainbow. quite a nice picture, if i may say so myself. but if you have better ones, send them in. we would love to see them. there have been dramatic changes in the weather. we would love to see more fantastic pictures. this weekend, blustery with chalice and for more of —— many of us it is actually heavy showers. a new weather front heading into us tonight, bringing blustery and wet weather to south—western areas. still 2a degrees this afternoon in east anglia, but many of us in the

teens. cooler in northern ireland. this is the weather coming in through tonight through the south—west. we could see heavy rain sweeping in by sunday morning. by the end of the night, still mild in the end of the night, still mild in the south that 10 degrees in the north. tomorrow, a wet day across some parts of the country, and windy, too. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: mps have warned british democracy is in crisis because of targeted campaigns of hate and misinformation