first it was the heat, now storms cause havoc, for parts of the uk. lightning stops sports fixtures, hits trainlines, and badly affects airports. thousands were left stranded at sta nsted, with planes unable to take off. there is no one here to deal with it. the queues are never ending and people have got away, it is ridiculous. —— people have got to wait. mps say the spread of fake news is causing a "democratic crisis" with voters being systematically manipulated. five people are dead as thousands of firefighters battle a major disaster in california. tens of thousands have fled their homes. bye bye zanu—pf. can a young opposition leader take the presidency in zimbabwe's first elections since robert mugabe stepped down? and geraint thomas

is en route to victory in the tour de france. good evening. parts of the uk have had almost a month's rainfall in just a few hours as thunderstorms replaced the long summer heatwave. lightning strikes added to the misery of thousands of travellers with cancelled flights and trains on one of the busiest weekends of the summer. stanstead airport and eurotunnel were badly affected. here's simonjones. the holiday getaway from hell. the queues grew and grew at stansted airport as flights were cancelled. blamed on the thunderstorms that meant planes could not fly safely. ryanair, the main operator at stansted, has apologised to customers. it's incredible how unaccountable they are. there is no one here to deal with it.

the queues are neverending and people are supposed to wait. it's ridiculous. we were on board the plane for six hours and then they say, "it's delayed. the flight is delayed." then we come back here. another queue for ten hours. the storms that swept in forcing middlesbrough's friendly against sunderland to be abandoned... and 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. the queue of cars trying to get into eurotunnel tells the story. some are having to wait six and a half hours to get on a train. the company is advising people not to travel unless it's absolutely necessary. but those with holidays booked have little choice. for many it became a case of killing time. i've got a football in the car, got a field behind me, we'll kill some time.

no, i'm not going to wait, i'm going to leave. going to go back. you're going home? yes. on the france side there is no queue, nothing, why is here so many queues? it is the same temperatures. whoa! lightning strikes have also taken out some rail services, as have strikes of a different kind — this time by members of the rmt union on south western railway and eurostar. even just getting around became difficult in northern ireland. parts of belfast saw a whole month's rainfall in just one afternoon. simon jones, bbc news. voters are being systematically manipulated by the spread of fake news. that's the finding of a group of mps in a leaked report. it warns that the uk is facing a "democratic crisis." our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones is here. strong words from mps what is the background? this is a chunky report,

it looks for instance at the affair of cambridge analytica and have a harvested the data of millions of people from facebook, did accept the eu referendum campaign and asks how the single biggest donor aaron banks got his money and where his data came from —— it looks at. and it looks at russian involvement in elections. it comes to be contention that we are in trouble and there is a democratic problem and something needs to be done. it comes up with a syriza recommendations for the government, it wants new rules on online campaign —— it comes up with a socceroos recommendations have a targeting, they say that is not transparent at the moment, and it runs a social media attacks, 11 on the social middle companies to help pay for a media literacy programme, to teach people

especially in schools where is fake news. and it once biggerfines for the electoral commission, the watchdog, because it says the maximum is £20,000 and that is not really much of a penalty. it is calling on the government to act and we will have to see how the government response tomorrow. rory, thanks forjoining us. five people have died including two children, and tens of thousands have fled their homes, after a huge wildfire swept through northern california. 0ffcials say gale—force winds are sucking up the flames, creating "fire tornados," which are uprooting trees and overturning cars. more than 3000 firefighters are on the scene. 0ur correspondent james cook reports from los angeles. even by the wild standards of rural california list is exceptional, driven by the floors winds it was so created tornadoes flown uprooting

trees trees and hurling cars aside. that is a home i believe, some kind of structure. 0n fire right now. nearly 40,000 people were forced to flee their homes. they spy on both sides of the road and houses coming down, —— there is fire. sides of the road and houses coming down, -- there is fire. hundreds of homes have been destroyed including sandberg jumbled gold rush of the 19th century, two firefighters were killed —— including some that were built during the gold rush. killed —— including some that were built during the gold rushlj killed —— including some that were built during the gold rush. ijust can't see how i can go without them. somebody has to know where they are at. the news was not good, two children and their great—grandmother have now been found dead. the question us and canada and 30 major wildfires are now burning —— across the us. oregon has been particularly ha rd the us. oregon has been particularly hard hit, and in california more than 9000 firefighters are battling

seven big blazes. 0ne than 9000 firefighters are battling seven big blazes. one has closed yosemite national park in a damaging blow to tourism. we have had the issue now for using california and the wildfire has intensified over the wildfire has intensified over the years so we have experienced more and damaging wildfires and more fires that ignite rapidly, it is like throwing gas in these type of fires. scientists say human activity, natural weather patterns and man—made climate change are to blame. the forecast is rolling, merrill hot and dry and dangerous weather is on the way —— and in the forecast is worrying. a 24—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and sexual activity with a child, following the death of a 13—year—old girl. lucy mchugh's body was discovered in woodland in southampton on thursday. she'd been reported missing the night before. which the british actor ed westwick won't be prosecuted following accusations of rape and sexual assault made

against him in america. investigators say there's "insufficient evidence". after the allegations emerged last year, the bbc cut his performance from the agatha christie drama 0rdeal by innocence. it also halted the recording of a second series of his hit comedy white gold. the 30—year—old has always denied he did anything wrong. the chief constable of west midlands police says budget cuts are seriously affecting the service he can provide. dave thompson has apologised to the public, saying crimes now have to be prioritised more rigorously. 0fficer numbers in the force area have fallen by 2,000 since 2010. it's been the final day of campaigning in zimbabwe's presidential elections with both the main candidates, president emmerson manangagwa and nelson chamisa, holding rallies, drawing huge crowds. the vote on monday will be the first in almost four decades

without robert mugabe on the ballot. he was forced to step down last november after nearly 40 years in power. 0ur africa editor fergal keane reports now from the zimbabwean capital, harare. this is freedom square in harare and today in their massed tens of thousands it belonged to the opposition. out of the dust their leader arrived, greeted by raw, unchoreographed enthusiasm. from early mistakes he has gained stature. bye—bye zanu—pf, bye—bye. bye—bye mnangagwa. nelson chamisa is 35 years the president'sjunior, and promising a decisive break with the past. after nearly 40 years of often brutal and corrupt ruling parties, this should be the time that the opposition wins. there is a surge of hope here.

this is our year, we are winning this election. it has been the most momentous campaign since independence in 1980. with the ruling party now positioning itself as the guarantor of stability and economic progress. zanu—pf presided over killing, torture and economic disaster, but still expects to win. "we will build our new zimbabwe on unity, peace, love and harmony", the president told his final rally. the ruling party has the money, the backing of state media and immense powers of patronage, people here simply can't conceive of losing this election. on monday he will be the absolute winner over his rivals. so much hope, but for such different outcomes. fergal keane, bbc news, harare. qatar's successful bid to host the football world cup in 2022 is alleged to have used an american based pr firm to discredit

and undermine rival bids from the us and australia against fifa's rules. the claims are made in tomorrow's sunday times. it says e—mails show the firm recruited american pe teachers to lobby congressmen, saying money for the games could be better spent, and in australia students were recruited to protest against its bid at rugby matches. qatar was cleared of any wrongdoing following a fifa investigation, but it's not clear if the e—mails were available at the time. now with all the sport from paris where the tour france ends tomorrow, here's 0lly foster. many thanks indeed. after over 3000 kilometres and three weeks, geraint thomas will ride up the champs elysees tomorrow champagne in hand, the first welshman to become tour champion and the 6th british winner in seven years.

his historic achievement was confirmed after a nervy time trial at the foot of the pyrenees. jo currie was following today's stage. a maiden tour de france title in his sights. with a lead ofjust over two minutes, geraint thomas would never get a better chance to be crowned champion — something no welshman has ever done. commentator: geraint thomas closing in on history. just the 31 kms time trial stood between him and sporting immortality. chris froome started the day in fourth. his chance of a joint record fifth title realistically over before today's stage. world time trial champion, and the biggest threat to thomas's potential crown, tom dumoulin, took up the challenge. the vultures were circling but the title was still within thomas's grasp. not even a slip—up could deter him. whilst in the latter stages, the welshman‘s legs started to show the strain, he crossed the line in a time worthy of a winner. it isa

it is a whirlwind, and across the line, there was massive emotion, and now it will take a while to sink in. i'm hearing the stories about what it is like back home in wales, but i have not let any of that in, i've no idea what it is like. i'm some sort of idea but it is just insane. tomorrow, the processionalfinale traditionally dictates that nobody attacks the yellow jersey, which means all thomas has to do is cross the finish line here in paris and he will be crowned champion. he becomes the third ever briton to win the tour de france and there to congratulate him was a surprise visit from his wife on the finish line. and while this year's race has seen team sky answer critics once again, the changing of the guard has begun. the lieutenant has become the captain. jo currie, bbc news, paris. lewis hamilton is on pole position for sunday's hungarian grand prix. rain gave mercedes the chance to upset the form book after ferrari

looked quickest in the dry but hamilton's title rival sebastian vettel will start from 4th. hamilton leads the german by 17 points in the world championship. great britain's vicky holland, has won the edmonton leg of the world triathlon series. the olympic bronze medallist led out of the water, and the bike, before breaking clear of a number of athletes on the run and adding to her win in canada in 2015. jonnie brownlee finished 5th in the men's race. in horse racing, trainer sir michael stoute has secured a record—breaking sixth king george trophy win with poet's word at ascot. stoute — who had his first king george win with shergar in 1981 — also claimed second with crystal 0cean. now after 40,000 miles at sea, history has been made in the clipper around the world yacht race because, for the first time, a female skipper has led her team

of amateur sailors to victory. thousands turned out to watch the teams sail into liverpool after nearly a year at sea. peter harris reports. for the winners a moment to savour, and a first true for the will round the world yacht race, wendy tuck becoming the first women to skipper the winning crew. the hardest part is getting the team to gel together because she might have people who are very competitive and people who aren't, getting them to come together is the hardest part. it is making the team come together that is the hardest part. it had been 11 months across 40,000 nautical miles, the 11 yachts each with around 20 crew tackled everything the elements could throw at them. but the

scribbles are nonprofessionals including a teacher and a nurse —— but the skippers are nonprofessionals, including a teacher and a nurse and then it was life changing experience. my main aim was to come away a better person, it was an ideal time to take a step away from my normal day—to—day life, and i definitely managed to achieve that. the round the world yacht race will be staged again next year and this year's competitors say it has been a feed of spirit and stamina that they will never forget. peter of spirit and stamina that they will neverforget. peter harris, bbc news, liverpool. a long—distance race coming to a close. as the tour de france will tomorrow on the champs elysees. that is it. from me and the team have a very good night. hello.

this is bbc news with reeta chakra barti. the former president of catalonia and separatist leader carles puigdemont has returned to belgium after spain dropped a european—wide warrant for his arrest. mr puigdemont is still facing rebellion charges after attempting to create an independent republic of catalonia. anna holligan reports from brussels. triumphant and defiant. carles puigdemont crossed a european border, spoke freely to a roomful of attentive reporters in brussels, and these feats alone were enough to allow the new leader of the catalans to proclaim this a day of defeat for the spanish state. today is the day of defeat for the spanish state.

in germany, as in belgium before, the spanish state has lot the european battle. more defeats will come if they continue to press their case. while they may have scored a victory in this round of thejudicial battle, carles puigdemont still cannot return home without risking arrest. and so the separatist leader vowed to continue his political campaign for autonomy in exile. myjourney will not end until all political prisoners are released. exiles can return, and the catalan people will have their rights to self—determination without the threat of violence. and later, a small crowd of supporters gathered at the place he will, for now, call home. from his residence in waterloo,

carles puigdemont will frame his peaceful fight for catalan independence in the context of common european values. it's a position he hopes will win the support of the european union which has so far, to his frustration, remained mostly silent. what's the perfect way to celebrate your 80th birthday? how about a trip around the world on a private plane? that's exactly what one couple from sandbatch in cheshire have decided to do, but they won't be travelling on a luxuryjet. jim jones will be flying the small two seater aircraft himself, and his wife dot will be navigating. mark edwardson has been to see them before they set off. jim has been a pilot for more than 50 years... right, 0k, everything all right, yeah? yes, fine. fuel on? yep, fuel on. yeah. and he understands the importance of checking and rechecking. dot is navigating. it's a fallback, in case something goes wrong and the electronics aren't working. their odyssey will start at liverpool airport.

it'll head across europe, to turkey. central asia and china will follow. from russia, it's a hop to alaska, canada and the united states, before heading back to liverpool. all flying of this type, it's described as hours of boredom, punctuated by seconds of sheer terror. that's a good description. jim and dot have been daredevils most of their lives. they're accomplished dirt bikers. jim — a former champion — only gave up last year. i cartwheeled a bike at about 65 on rock and i thought, time to take up darts or bingo. and my son said, well, what are you going to do? i thought, i'll fly around the world. and that's when... that was a couple of years ago, when i decided i would do this flight. jim and dot have got previous. they've already been on a round—the—world trip. however, that one took them seven years — in a minibus and on motorbikes. this one, a mere 40 days. well, the motivation really is the fact that we're old,

but we just don't want to sit at home and watch telly. we'll have some arguments, we'll have some discussions and we'll have a few laughs, but most importantly, we want to enjoy ourselves. jim and dot want to raise a quarter of a million pounds for the alzheimer's society, in memory of a close relative who suffered dementia. flight sponsors will have their names displayed on the fusiliage. ideally, we'd love a company to come along and say, well, can we have the whole plane? that would be wonderful. but realistically, people are just making small donations and, as they say, every little helps. they said, wouldn't it be lovely if you said, i'll fly around the world at 100? no. it's out of the question. well, if you do it, i promise you i'll come with you. 0k. is that a deal? yeah, i'll take you up on that. because i'll be 70. preparations are well under way forjim and dot‘s world tour. smooth bureaucracy and a strong tailwind is what they need now. mark edwardson, bbc news. the cast for the next star wars film

has been revealed with a mixture of veteran stars and new faces set to appear. the late actress carrie fisher will also feature, using previously unseen footage. fisher, who played princess leia in the film series, died suddenly in 2016. veterans mark hamill, who plays luke skywalker, and anthony daniels who plays c—3p0, have also been confirmed. now we know mary berry is a culinary queen, but it seems she has another talent. the former bake 0ff judgejoined rick astley at camp bestival — on the drums. it's not clear how the tv chef ended up on stage, but the singer of hits including ‘never gonna give you up,‘ tweeted he'd "bumped into" her earlier in the day. it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. after the heat of recent weeks the

weather much closer to what it should be this time of year. we've seen should be this time of year. we've seen sunshine, pleasantly warm when the sun ‘s been with you but much more fresh than macleod has come through, for some nasty downpours indeed. parts of northern ireland seeing close to a month rainfall in two hours which has lead to flooding. it's a shift in the jet strea m flooding. it's a shift in the jet stream position, it working south bringing fresh air but under this curve we will see another area of low pressure developed tonight. the big story for tomorrow as well as the rain will be the wind. heavy rain pushing up across western scotland, the wind strengthening, severe winds, you'll force towards the south as rain pushes in towards wales and western parts of england, it will not be a cold start to sunday morning but it will be a wet one for england and wales. two areas

of low pressure, both linked to unseasonably strong winds. 40—50 mph, southern england, heavy rain in the morning, could see over 50 millimetres, two inches, the likes of brecon beacons. we will see a few splashes of rain, which start in northern england, not quite as windy as we see further south but a better day tomorrow for northern ireland, the rain towards the east, dry across scotland to begin less, we could see winds 50, 60 mph maybe more, brightening up through the day, cloudy and damp, england and wales, the rain turning more showery, brighter skies in between, the best of the sunday whether after today's storms will be in northern ireland, the temperatures if anything a few degrees down. into tomorrow we see skies clear for a

time, only a few showers tomorrow, that links back into a system which will work its way in from monday, this one will bring occasional rain, lots of cloud and still blustery conditions, was likely to see rain in northern and western areas, temperatures are starting to creep up temperatures are starting to creep upa temperatures are starting to creep up a little in the south westerly breeze but it eases down this week and as it does so after a fresh start of the week showers will ease and things will warm up. hello. this is bbc news with reeta chakra barti. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment — first the headlines. long delay on flights, ferries and cross—channel trains as the recent extreme weather continues to cause problems.